The 60th Grammy Awards was a politically charged night, filled with extraordinary music moments.
It was a night where both the up-and-comers and the music greats were honored. From breathtaking performances to surprising wins, here are the top ten moments throughout the show.
1. Kendrick Lamar’s opening medley
Kendrick Lamar silenced the audience and established a strong message in his opening performance.
With a cameo from comedian Dave Chappelle mentioning being a black man in America, Lamar gave a simple yet politically charged intro to the show. Between the military style opening to the later contrast between Lamar’s all-black attire and his drummer’s all-white attire, he touched on controversial topics without taking away from his own music.
While also being accompanied by Bono and The Edge to perform “XXX,” Kendrick set the mood for the night, and ultimately hyped everyone up for the rest of the show.
2. The white roses in support of Time’s Up and #MeToo
The Time's Up movement swept the red carpet at the Golden Globes, with everyone donning black attire. This time around, artists at the Grammys decided to adorn their outfits with white roses.
Supplying a subtle yet powerful message, the white roses were visible throughout the whole night. From host James Corden to pop artist Nick Jonas and many more, the amount of support was vast. With the Time's Up movement in full force and the Oscars still in the future, it’s almost certain there’ll be more instances of support on the red carpet.
3. Childish Gambino’s sultry performance
Nominated for multiple awards, Childish Gambino — the stage name of Donald Glover — gave a sultry, smooth performance of “Terrified.” Standing with his band in the middle of the audience, Gambino’s performance resembled more of a jam session than a Grammys performance, and that’s perfectly OK. The simplicity of it allowed his soulful vocals to thrive in Madison Square Garden.
While he grooved and blew the crowd away, he stepped it up by featuring JD McCrary and his amazing vocals. McCracy matched Gambino’s notes, and at such a young age, it’ll be exciting to see him in the upcoming live-action remake of The Lion King.
4. SZA was robbed
Up-and-coming alternative rhythm and blues artist SZA was nominated for five Grammys this year, but she went home empty-handed. Though she didn’t win anything, she did perform and showed just why she was nominated in the first place.
As arguably one of the best up-and- comers in the R&B genre, people were disappointed to see she didn’t win anything and took to Twitter to express their anger.
5. James Corden wasn’t the best or the worst host out there
Whenever the host of an award show is announced, there’s always some skepticism. James Corden wasn’t necessarily the worst host out there, but he wasn’t anything special. Between his lackluster jokes and his drab “Subway Car Karaoke” skit with Shaggy and Sting, there were ultimately more eye rolls than laughs.
His one definite success throughout the night was that his hosting didn’t overshadow the music and what the night was really about. While it’s no secret that Corden is in his element during his late-night hosting position, it seems his Grammys hosting didn’t compare.
6. The Las Vegas shooting tribute
As a tribute to the lives lost at the Route 91 Harvest festival shooting in Las Vegas and the Manchester Arena bombing, Maren Morris, Eric Church and Brothers Osborne teamed up for an emotional performance. Covering Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven,” the artists moved the audience without any outrageous antics.
The simplistic performance showcased the victims’ names in the background, while each artist put their own little spin on the song. As each artist was in the lineup in Vegas, there was a touching significance to the performance and showed just how well music can bring people together in times of sadness.
7. Foreign music is getting the recognition it deserves
Earlier in the year, Korean-pop group BTS got their recognition at the American Music Awards; tonight, Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee got their moment. Performing the hit “Despacito,” the duo made it hard to not get up and start dancing.
With artists such as Enrique Inglesias and Pitbull bridging the gap between nationalities, hopefully more artists begin too as well. Even though this may seem like a small step, this means more foreign music could start infiltrating U.S. charts, and that’s certainly a thing that should be cherished.
8. Kesha’s powerful, breathtaking performance
In support of the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements, Kesha gave a performance of a lifetime. Accompanied by Cyndi Lauper, Andra Day, Bebe Rexha, Camila Cabello and Julia Michaels, Kesha performed “Praying” off of her album Rainbow.
The pop powerhouse was visibly nervous and shaky in her vocals; however, the emotions illustrated in the performance trumped that. Even with the multiple other singers surrounding her, Kesha was never overpowered. It was a staple of solidarity, and it understandably brought tears to Kesha’s eyes.
9. The In Memoriam transition
Starting out with Chris Stapleton and Emmylou Harris’ cover of Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers” and ending with Logic’s performance of “1-800- 273-8255,” the In Memoriam celebrated life rather than death.
Featuring artists such as Linkin Park’s Chester Bennington and Soundgarden’s Chris Cornell, who both took their own lives, the transition to Logic’s performance was impeccable. Inviting survivors of self-harm on stage, Logic gave a powerful message and preached for a more united country and world.
10. Bruno Mars somehow won the two biggest awards of the night
Closing off the night, Bruno Mars surprisingly took home both Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
Hands down, Bruno Mars is an amazing artist; however, it’s arguable on whether or not his music was worthy of the awards. Up against artists such as Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar, it was obvious that Mars was the underdog. During CBS’ red carpet pre-show, Beats 1 host Zane Lowe even tossed it up between Lamar and Jay-Z. Overall, this is just a prime example of how the underdog can come out on top.
Check out a full list of all Grammy winners here.
