Photo Courtesy of GRAMMY.com
Story by Aaliyah Johnson / Contributing Writer
The 61st annual Grammy Awards ceremony was nothing short of exciting. With an array of different artists giving out stunning performances, there was no doubt that Sunday night would be extraordinary.
The night started off with Grammy nominee Camila Cabello’s colorful and explosive performance of her hit single, “Havana,” with rapper Young Thug. She also brought out J Balvin and Ricky Martin for a collaborative performance. Soon after, Grammy host Alicia Keys brought out award-winner Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jada Pinkett Smith and also Michelle Obama to share their passion for music, to which Obama received a standing ovation.
Later in the show, first-time nominee Shawn Mendes made his debut Grammy performance alongside Miley Cyrus with “In My Blood.” Other performers included award-winner Kacey Musgraves with “Rainbow,” nominee Janelle Monae with ”Make Me Feel” and nominee Post Malone alongside the Red Hot Chili Peppers. They performed Malone’s “Rockstar” and “Stay” and the Chili Peppers’ “Dark Necessities.”
Country music legend Dolly Parton was later honored by dozens of artists for being MusiCares Person of the Year. Katy Perry and Kacey Musgraves kicked off the tribute by performing Parton’s “Here You Come Again” before Dolly came and joined them to a roaring crowd. The performance had the audience singing and dancing along as Maren Morris and Miley Cyrus also joined in. They performed a medley of Parton’s hits, such as “Jolene,” “After the Gold Rush,” 9 to 5” and her new song, “Red Shoes.”
Another big performance of the night came from award-winner Cardi B with her hit single, “Money,” who went on to win Best Rap Album of the Year with “Invasion of Privacy.” Also, nominee Travis Scott gave a performance with “NO BYSTANDERS” and “STOP TRYING TO BE GOD” from his No. 1 album, “Astroworld.”
The show then celebrated the 60th anniversary of Motown with artist Jennifer Lopez performing songs like “Please Mr. Postman” and “Dancing in the Street.” Smokey Robinson also joined in with the Temptations song “My Girl.” Another celebration was tributed to Diana Ross to celebrate her 75th birthday with a show-stopping performance of songs “The Best Years of My Life” and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)”.
The “Queen of Soul,” Aretha Franklin, was also given a powerful tribute by artists Yolanda Adams, Fantasia and Andra Day. Their powerful vocals in their performance moved the crowd with the song “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman”.
The biggest winners of the night, beating out artists such as Drake, Post Malone and H.E.R., were Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” for Record of the Year and Song of the Year and Kacey Musgrave’s “Golden Hour” for Album of the Year. Dua Lipa also received the big award for Best New Artist as well.
This year’s Grammy awards show was definitely filled with fun and excitement that viewers would surely never forget.
To contact Lifestyles Editor Mamie Lomax, email [email protected].
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