Before the show even started, Beyoncé, her daughter Blue Ivy, Meghan Thee Stallion, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande had already made history. They made history by being the first all-female songs to win best rap song, "Savage (Remix)," and best pop duo/group performance, "Rain On Me.” Then finally, Blue Ivy, Beyoncé’s daughter, became the second-youngest winner of a grammy (at 9 years old).
Later on, Harry Styles opened the show with a laid back performance of his hit song, "Watermelon Sugar." His performance was immediately followed up by Billie Eilish, who performed on a gorgeous set, constructed with a car floating in the water, meanwhile Billie and her brother sang above. That performance was then immediately followed up by a very powerful performance from the HAIM singers, Este, Danielle, and Alana.
After the show opened, hit maker Dua Lipa delivered an insanely energetic performance of her songs, "Don't Start Now," "Future Nostalgia," and "Levitating (Remix)" where she brought out DaBaby to join her. The visuals were absolutely mesmerizing and the choreography was an absolute 10.
Taylor Swift brought out the big guns to show us fairytales are still very much alive. She brought out her frequent writing collaborators to help perform, Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner. While performing in front of a beautiful cottage, Taylor showed us all that fairytales are very much real, and reminded us all that the world can still be beautiful, even when it doesn't seem like it.
Following Taylor's flawless performance, we got a beautiful memorial for some of the musical geniuses and influences who have passed away this year. Several singers, including Lionel Richie, gave heartfelt tributes to their friends they've lost during the 2020-2021 period. Which just shows that even celebrities have been very affected by the pandemic and lost a lot of loved ones over the past 2 years, further proving the point that we all need to stick together through it all.
Next, very notably, there was a scandalous and stunning performance from Meghan Thee Stallion of her mega-hit songs, "Body," "Savage," and "WAP." She brought out huge sets and beautiful visuals along with electrifying choreography that made anyone sitting during the performance get up to dance.
They followed up that performance by announcing the winner for song of the year, which went to H.E.R. for her song "I Can't Breathe." She delivered a moving acceptance speech about keeping up the fight for change in America and being proud to have a voice to speak about things like that. Post Malone followed her speech by delivering a haunting, yet hyped-up performance of his song, "Hollywood's Bleeding."
Lil Baby gave an outstanding performance that brought up a very important topic of police brutality in America. The performance also calls out President Biden for not keeping up with his original promise of giving justice to the people. Directly after, history was made by Beyoncé, who broke the record for the most grammy wins by a female artist ever, with her song, "Black Parade," winning best R&B performance.
Doja Cat followed with her huge hit, "Say So" in an all-immersive performance from her brand-new world of "Planet Her," teasing her brand-new upcoming album. After Doja's stunning performance, BTS delivered a stellar performance, with a replica of the Grammy's red carpet featured, along with fantastic choreography and amazing vocals.
After the performance, Taylor Swift was announced as the winner of album of the year for her stunning album, "folklore." Joining her for the acceptance speech, her co-performers from earlier on in the night, Jack Antanoff and Aaron Dessner. Taylor went on to thank her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn, for helping her write several tracks on the album and even playing the piano in several tracks.
Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas accepted the final award of the night for record of the year, where she won for her song "everything i wanted." In her speech, she goes on to tell runner-up Meghan Thee Stallion how much she deserves the award and proceeded to have the audience applaud Meghan for her song "Savage."
Now that the show is over, it's proving to be one of the more lackluster of the past years, as there was absolutely no shortage of snubs. Shocking to no one, as the disappointment began when the nominees were posted, when notable artists were missing from the list. Some of those artists being The Weeknd, Selena Gomez and Katy Perry with massive hits being ignored, such as, "Lose You To Love Me," "Never Really Over," and "Blinding Lights."
Although there were many amazing standout performances, like Taylor Swift, Meghan Thee Stallion, and Lil Baby, there were still many bathroom-break performances, as well. This is proven by the ratings from this year's show, the lowest in its history, with only 7.9 million total people tuning in to see the show. In summary, the Grammy's this year were not as good as they could've been, but no one is super shocked by that due to the pandemic. The show wasn't terrible, yet somehow, it still wasn't fantastic.