Sunday’s Grammy Awards seemed to have something for almost everyone.
The show has often been targeted as out of touch with music lovers, awarding some of its biggest trophies to winners that were discussed and disputed all over social media.
On the night Beyoncé broke the record for the most wins in the history of the award show, things felt a little different.
That’s not to say that there were no surprises. Even Bonnie Raitt seemed flabbergasted by her Song of the Year win. And Bey fans are surely disappointed that Album of the Year went to Harry Styles (though most people can’t help but love him, even if they were pulling for someone else).
This year just felt more inclusive.
In 2020, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, which puts on the show, addressed allegations of having a lack of diversity and being a “boys club.” They announced a series of initiatives to address it and opened up their membership ranks to make it more diverse.
On Sunday, the show’s epic hip hop tribute, marking 50 years for the genre with an all-star lineup that spanned decades of hip hop history, made for some of the show’s most memorable moments. Lizzo gave one of the night’s most striking speeches, celebrating positivity in popular music, including themes of body inclusivity.
Bad Bunny earned the award show’s first Album of the Year nomination for a project completely in Spanish. He was the show’s opening performer and ultimately won Best Música Urbana Album for his work, “Un Verano Sin Ti.”
In a night that also featured a 23-year-old Black jazz singer, Samara Joy, winning Best New Artist, and Sam Smith and Kim Petras making Grammys history as the first non-binary and transgender duo to win in the Best Duo category, it felt like some strides were made.
CNN’s Matt Meyer contributed to this post.
