Were the Grammys a Flop?

2024 was a great year for music. We, the hungry listeners, indulged in Billie Eilish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft album as well as Kendrick Lamar’s diss track on Drake “Not Like Us.” Brat girl summer took social media by storm, Chappell Roan’s Lollapalooza crowd was one of the largest in history, and our hearts were tortured by Ms. Swift’s (soon to be Mrs. Kelce) The Tortured Poets Department. Yet even though this year in music was one of the best, the 67th annual Grammy Awards served us cold, soggy french fries at a five Michelin starred restaurant. It’s safe to say that this year’s Grammy awards did not live up to our expectations, unless you’re a die-hard Beyoncé fan. In this article, I will be discussing three categories: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist. More information about the other categories presented at the Grammys can be found here.

Record of the Year:

This year, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” won the Grammy for record of the year. The rest of the nominees were as follows:

“Fortnight” by Taylor Swift ft. Post Malone

“Good Luck, Babe” by Chappell Roan

“BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish

“360” by Charli XCX

“Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter

“TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” by Beyoncé

“Now And Then” by The Beatles

In my opinion, the first five nominees listed were the strongest contenders. While “Not Like Us” was very popular and did top charts, I believe “Espresso” should’ve won in this category. The song was everywhere on TikTok and got 1.9 billion listens on Spotify, while “Not Like Us” only got 1.1 billion. However, I’m not too pressed that “Espresso” didn’t win, since I also think that “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” and “Good Luck, Babe” were equally strong songs that deserved the win. If any four of the songs I mentioned won, I’d be content.

Album of the Year

COWBOY CARTER by Beyoncé won album of the year this year. Here are the rest of the nominees:

The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift

The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan

HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish

Djesse Vol. 4 by Jacob Collier

brat by Charli XCX

New Blue Sun by Andre 3000

In my opinion, and I’m sure many people will agree with me when I say this, Beyonce did not deserve to win album of the year. Cowboy Carter was a good album, but compared to the rest of the albums nominated, it was not the obvious top pick. Either Chappell Roan’s album or Billie Eilish’s album deserved the win. Both albums had many songs that were popular on social media, while the only song I can name from Cowboy Carter  is “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM.” I strongly believe that Beyoncé should not have won in this category.

Best New Artist

Finally, the last category I’ll be discussing is Best New Artist. The winner this year was Chappell Roan. The rest of the nominees are as follows:

Teddy Swims

Shaboozey

RAYE

Khruangbin

Doechii

Sabrina Carpenter

Benson Boone

I full-heartedly believe that Ms. Roan deserved to win this category. From “Good Luck, Babe” becoming popular to having the largest crowd in Lollapalooza history, she’s making history as we speak. Not only is she a music icon, but during her Grammy acceptance speech, she shined a light on the horrible practices that the music industry has long been following. She took the opportunity, on the big stage, to broadcast something very few people know about—and in doing so, she spread awareness about the matter. The person she is and the music she is making, in my opinion, are what solidify the win for her in this category.

Overall, the Grammys this year weren’t as big of a letdown as they could’ve been. Many people on the internet had choice words to say about the winners, especially about Cowboy Carter winning album of the year. Congratulations to all the winners!