The Grammys wrapped up its 65th annual ceremony on Feb. 5, and as per usual, there are a multitude of differing opinions regarding the winners. It’s hard to hit on everything, and even the Recording Academy knows this. There is a juxtaposition between the people voting for the winners, and the people actually listening to that music on a daily basis, so the Recording Academy tends to rely on shock value, or just plays it safe for some of their winners instead of picking someone deserving.

Here are my opinions on the more controversial picks, what the Recording Academy got right, and what they should aim to avoid for next year.

Best New Artist

WINNER: Samara Joy

I don’t have much to say about this one. It was just surprising. I commend the Recording Academy for giving the spotlight to such a young jazz singer, as well as jazz in general. Everyone was expecting Omar Apollo or Wet Leg to win this, due to them sweeping the alternative music category. Joy looked stunned when her name was called, and I think a lot of people watching were too. This was an unexpected but respectable choice for the Grammys and a good look for the Recording Academy honoring all types of artists and genres on music’s biggest night.

Record of the Year

WINNER: Lizzo - “About Damn Time”

This was the safe choice. “About Damn Time” was everywhere in early 2022, with it slowly drawing less and less attention. The Recording Academy voters were not deterred by this fact though, as it went on to win record of the year. I don’t mind this choice, and I enjoy Lizzo’s revitalization of classic funk and disco aesthetics with this track, but I wanted to see “Bad Habit" take this one. Everyone seems to love that song, with it being a force in 2022. It also finally established Steve Lacy as his own artist with his own identity in the mainstream after years of writing and production work with the likes of Kendrick Lamar, J. Cole and Tyler, The Creator. Lizzo winning didn’t stir the pot too much, and rightfully so.

Song of the Year

WINNER: Bonnie Raitt - “Just Like That”

Many watching the Grammys live when First Lady Jill Biden announced “Just Like That” by Bonnie Raitt as Song of the Year probably thought, “who?” The look on Raitt’s face said it all. Nobody could have predicted this. Although Bonnie Raitt is lesser known in the mainstream, her roots and blues background have established her as a legend within her respective field. She was even inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. However, this win felt more like a legacy award than anything else. Although “Just Like That” was a good song – a slower, sentimental blues-rock track that was pretty unassuming – it is definitely not song of the year material.

Album of the Year

WINNER: Harry Styles - “Harry’s House”

My main gripe with the Grammys is that The Recording Academy always slips up and gets one thing completely wrong, even if the rest of the ceremony is fairly faultless. Not only did the Grammys get something wrong, but it was their most substantial award, and the last award to be presented. “Harry’s House” was not the album of the year. Out of the 10 nominees, other than Coldplay’s mediocre venture into space rock and synth-pop, “Harry’s House" may have been the least deserving nominee. Harry’s House had good and bad moments, with some lukewarm, bland and overproduced tracks, as well as some commercially successful radio hits. However, it reached nowhere near the highs of albums like Beyonce’s “Renaissance,” Adele's “30” or Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti.”

Many feel that Beyonce was robbed of the award again, now having lost all four of her album of the year nominations. Although Beyonce dominated the electronic/dance music field, she was shut out of major categories in favor of more agreeable candidates. In my opinion, Beyonce or Bad Bunny should have taken this.

Beyonce pictured after winning multiple grammys in 2015
gem_106 via Flickr

The Grammys actually did pretty well this year with their winners, with only a couple being somewhat controversial. Most of the artists leaving the ceremony with a golden statue were deserving, which is a win for the Recording Academy in their own right.

Finally, I want to briefly outline some weird segments and moments the Grammys had, along with some great ones they incorporated too.

Great Moments

The Grammys recognized Hip Hop’s significance with a lengthy and worthwhile performance from some legends of the genre.
The show featured incredible and fun performances from major artists.
Beyonce broke the record for the most Grammy wins of all time.

Odd Moments

Trevor Noah gave us a plethora of dad jokes and questionable comments as the host.
The fan segment. If there is one piece of this show they bring back, please don’t let it be that one.
The performance mishaps, especially with the ear monitors. Harry Styles' performance suffered drastically due to this.

And with that, another year, and another Grammys to analyze and pick apart. This year was pretty decent, but came with the usual misfires and wrong choices.

The 2023 Grammys: Recap and Review

MARIST CIRCLE