The Biggest Moments at The 67th Grammys Ceremony -

By Tim McGuire

With a legendary year for music in the rearview mirror, many were looking forward to the annual music celebration put on by the Recording Academy. The 67th Grammys ceremony was broadcast on February 2, live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Just like in previous years, the four-hour event had moments audiences will surely remember for years to come. From performances to award speeches and charity funding, it was a memorable night for all.

Since the arena hosting the event was in California, the Recording Academy clearly knew they had to do something for those affected by the fires; they did not just do one little thing, but rather several. The first performance of the night came from the band Dawes, who had lost nearly everything when their house burned down. As the show went on, a QR code was featured on-screen for viewers to donate money along with spotlight ads on small businesses that were hurt in the fire. Towards the end of the show, Trevor Noah announced they had raised $7,000,000 for the fires. However, the biggest moment came at the end when the Los Angeles Firefighters were given the honor of announcing the winner of Album of the Year, which was given to COWBOY CARTER. The Recording Academy essentially dedicated the show to those affected by the fires, making the night feel more like a community rather than a competition.

With that said, every Grammys comes with a myriad of back-to-back performances of the biggest stars around, and this year was no different. One of the best segments of the show came right before the announcement of who would win Best New Artist, with (almost) every nominee for that category performing a hit from their discography. Benson Boone started the fire with “Beautiful Things,” followed by Doechii ramping it up with an electric jazzy rendition of “CATFISH” and “DENIAL IS A RIVER.” Teddy Swims then slowed it down for his smash hit “Lose Control”while Shaboozey brought back the high energy with his own hit, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Raye then finished off the medley with her soaring vocals on “Oscar Winning Tears.” While none of the artists involved in the medley won the award (with the win going to Chappell Roan and her giant pink pony), it was a testament to how talented this crop of nominees are.

Besides all the newbies, there were also many notable moments from returning artists. One of the most surprising performances of the night was The Weeknd with Playboi Carti, performing “Timeless” off of The Weeknd’s album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, which was released a few days prior. The Weeknd had infamously boycotted the Grammys for a few years after he felt snubbed for nominations during 2021, but this performance seems to imply he has squashed the beef with the Recording Academy since then. Playboi Carti’s appearance was also impactful as some frustrated fans were wondering what he was up to after teasing an album all year but never dropping one.

After that performance, Lady Gaga surprised fans during an ad break with a brand new music video, giving the world a new techno-pop anthem single to learn all the moves to. This new song, “Abracadabra,” has quickly garnered attention, and shot straight to the top of the YouTube entertainment charts within 24 hours. Later in the show, a medley was performed in honor of legendary producer Quincy Jones, which featured a striking performance from Janelle Monáe replicating Michael Jackson’s signature style. With nothing but a silver microphone stand, she embodied the king of pop singing “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough,”with each of these performances leaving something for everyone to enjoy between the awards.

Finally, the one thing that everyone came to the arena for: the awards. One of the first awards of the night, Best Rap Album, went to Doechii for Alligator Bites Never Heal. She became the third woman ever to win in that category, which she gave an emotional speech about. Women continued to win throughout the night, as nearly every award went to a woman (or a woman and a man in the case of Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’s song “Die With a Smile,” winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance). The two awards that women didn’t pick up are closely related, however. Kendrick Lamar won both Song and Record of the Year for “Not Like Us.” Including the preshow, this diss track aimed at Drake won a total of five awards, making it the most awarded song in Grammy history.

At last, the biggest moment of the night undoubtedly occurred when Beyoncé finally won her long-desiredAlbum of the Year Grammy. Despite becoming the most awarded Grammy artist of all time at the 2023 ceremony, many critics were left unsatisfied as her album RENAISSANCE lost out on the prestigious title. While many people questioned the validity of her win—citing Jay-Z’s speech from last year’s ceremony to be the reason she won this year—critics loved COWBOY CARTER. In fact, critics loved a lot of the albums nominated this year. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT, BRAT, Short N’ Sweet, and the rest of the nominees were met with praise upon being released. It’s rare that we get to witness such a strong year for music, and it’s always a treat to reflect on years as rich as 2024.