by The Cowl Editor on February 28, 2019
Music
by Grace Whitman ’22 A&E Staff
The 61st annual Grammy Awards took place on February 10, 2019 honoring the best in the music industry this past year. The Recording Academy also recognized legendary achievements in the music industry and featured performances by prominent artists.
During the 2018 Grammy Awards, the only woman who was presented a solo Grammy award during the live telecast was Alessia Cara, who took home Best New Artist. After the show, The Recording Academy President Neil Portnow said women did not win very many Grammys because they needed to “step up” creatively.
This year, however, things changed completely. Although rap stars Kendrick Lamar and Drake led the list of nominees for the 2019 Grammy Awards, there was a huge group of female artists right behind them. This was monumental considering the friction regarding diversity and gender representation which wracked the ceremony in the past.
The winner of 2019 Best New Artist went to pop singer Dua Lipa. When accepting her award, Lipa said, “I just wanted to say how honored I am to be nominated alongside so many incredible female artists this year, because I guess this year we really stepped up!” This is just one example of the women who dominated at the award show.
Between the surprise appearance from Michelle Obama, host and 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys, Kacey Musgraves, Camila Cabello, Janelle Monáe, and a tribute to the MusiCares Person of the Year Dolly Parton, which featured Miley Cyrus, Maren Morris, and Little Big Town, just the first hour of the broadcast was a true celebration of female voices.
As for the biggest awards, country artist Musgraves’ Golden Hour sealed the night by being crowned Album of the Year. She beat out some of the biggest names in music including Drake, H.E.R, Brandi Carlile, Post Malone, Janelle Monáe, and Kendrick Lamar. Additionally, Musgraves won three other Grammy Awards for Best Country Song, Best Country Album, and Best Country Solo Performance.
Other category winners included Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” becoming the first-ever rap track to win both the Song of the Year and Record of the Year categories.
Additionally, Cardi B is now the only solo woman to win Best Rap Album for Invasion of Privacy. Cardi B beat out the late Mac Miller, who was nominated for his album Swimming. Although many were disappointed that Miller did not win, his family did share that they wanted Cardi to win the Grammy if Miller did not.
One of the most unforgettable moments of the night was Lady Gaga’s electrifying rendition of “Shallow” from A Star Is Born. The song was nominated for the prestigious Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
Other show stopping-moments included Parton and her goddaughter Cyrus performing “Jolene” bringing back cherished memories of their time together on Cyrus’ hit show Hannah Montana.
Music’s biggest night of the year brought a memorable show to viewers from around the country driven by its female presenters and performers.