Stars strike big and pay tribute at Grammys
January 31, 2020
The 62 Annual Grammy Awards held on Sunday, Jan. 26 sparked a wide range of emotions from mourning the aftermath of Kobe Bryant’s tragic death to celebrating the triumphs of first time Grammy winners like Lizzo, who had the most nominations of any artist this year, and Billie Eilish, who took over the Grammys, winning five major awards.
Host Alicia Keys rose to the occasion and handled such a delicate situation with poise. Her a capella performance of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye” with Boys II Men was a perfect way to handle the tribute to NBA star Kobe Bryant, who was killed in a helicopter crash earlier that day.
Billie Eilish swept the top four categories for the first time since the 1981 awards. The Grammy’s New Artist of the Year was also honored for her album “When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” over Lana Del Rey, Ariana Grande and Lizzo. The 18-year-old’s hit “bad guy” took home two Grammys for both song and record of the year, over other extremely talented and well-known figures including Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Khalid and Post Malone. Her fifth award was Pop Vocal Album of the Year.
“I didn’t really listen to Billie before the Grammys,” senior Sophia Hug said. “After she won all of these awards I started listening to her and I am kind of into her now. I really like her vibe.”
Lizzo performed her hit single “Truth Hurts” and song “Cuz I Love You”, also paying tribute to Bryant, saying, “Tonight is for Kobe.” The artist won her first Grammy award for Best Traditional R&B Performance and shortly after, took home Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Pop Solo Performance.
Other big-name artists dominated the stage with their performances. Ariana Grande sang three songs from her “Thank U, Next” album while Demi Lavato and Camila Cabello took more of an emotional route, Lavato making a touching comeback after her overdose, and Cabello singing to her father, saying the song also reminding her of the Bryant family.
The winner of Best Rap/Sung Collaboration was the song “Higher” by DJ Khaled featuring Nipsey Hussle and John Legend and Music Video and Film of the Year went to Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus for “Old Town Road.”
