The biggest Grammy Awards aren’t handed out on stage — they’re earned in performances that are forever cemented in our minds long after the show ends.
Similar to other award shows like the Oscars and the Emmy Awards, the Grammy Awards are won after a rigorous nomination and selection process by fellow music industry peers.
The key phrase to note here is that these awards are not voted on by the public, but by other music professionals in the field. This can be a wonderful way to ensure hard work is truly recognized, but it presents its own flaws with issues like secret committees that rally votes to go in a certain direction based on business relationships.
I have always felt that one of the best ways for any artist to truly win big is to give the performance of their life on that Grammy stage. Whether they were nominated for 10 awards (like Taylor Swift’s “1989”) or were snubbed of any awards (like Sabrina Carpenter’s “Man’s Best Friend”). Artists make an impact through their performances that live longer than any award.
Let’s take a look at some of my favorite and not-so-favorite performances from this year’s highly anticipated lineup of artists.
The ones that left me wanting more
Addison Rae — “Fame Is A Gun”
This performance was included in an eight-song medley made up entirely of the Best New Artist nominees, which gave Rae tough competition to stand against. She heavily leaned on production design and choreography to distract from her lacking vocal chops.
KATSEYE — “Gnarly”
Similar to Rae’s performance, this was also included in the Best New Artist medley. They struggled to make a powerful vocal statement and lacked a cohesive group sound. It felt more like I was scrolling on TikTok rather than watching a debut Grammy performance.
Sombr — “12 to 12”
Sombr was also nominated for Best New Artist and performed as part of the larger segment. His performance lacked the authenticity that I was excited to see from him. As a lover of his music, I was left feeling like I had watched him try to overwork a crowd rather than connect with the audience.
The other nominees in this segment included Olivia Dean (Best New Artist Winner), Leon Thomas III, Lola Young, Alex Warren and The Marías. Their performances set such a high bar that it made the others feel underwhelming. But I do love this new Grammy tradition that chooses to highlight the newest music talent.
The performances that stole the show
Justin Bieber — “Yukon”
Call me controversial, but I was impressed with Bieber’s stripped (literally and figuratively) version of this R&B-infused track. The original version of this song has his voice pitched up and is masked with production, so this raw version made a statement. His intentional choice to stand alone on the stage and pull a one-man-show performance was powerful and made a strong impression.
Tyler, The Creator — “Thought I Was Dead,” “Like Him,” “Sugar On My Tongue”
As someone who doesn’t listen to hip-hop or rap all that often, I was shocked by how inspired I was by Tyler’s vision and intention in this performance. He created an immersive world for the audience to live in and showcased what it really means to be an artist and storyteller.
He created three different worlds by using creative tools like color, staging and framing of the camera. Each song had its own world, and we were thrown into it from the minute the music started. He left me feeling something, even if I don’t exactly know what that feeling was.
Lady Gaga — “Abracadabra”
Gaga is no stranger to the world of powerful performances with her 2017 halftime show still being my favorite Super Bowl performance of all time. Her moment at the Grammys is a perfect example of what performing for the audience looks like.
She practically stood in the same spot on stage for the entire song, yet managed to have enough energy to get an entire audience to cheer. Her intentional use of the camera was a creative way to get her presence from the stage to the viewers’ living room. Only Gaga could pull off rigging a camera to a robot arm that swings as she performs — every thought that comes from her mind is completely original.
It’s time to look further than the winners’ list
When looking at the list of performers at the Grammys this year, you’ll notice that only seven out of those 18 artists actually took home an award.
These Grammy performances are the perfect opportunity for artists of this caliber to put their money where their mouth is and show us, as their audience, what they want their impression to be.
We need to take it upon ourselves to do more than just skim the winners’ list. These artists give their everything to their craft, and it isn’t fair of us to write certain projects off just because they didn’t get to take home a physical award.
I have a challenge for you — the next time you see an award show performance pop up on your TV or social feed, give them a little bit of your time, because they just might surprise you.
