With the passing of the highly anticipated Grammy Awards and the BRITs, it feels only right to reflect on the outcomes of both prestigious events: what happened, and what really surprised viewers this year.
First, the Grammys: a music event turned political? This year saw the domination of queer and POC artists, amongst the likes of Bad Bunny winning Best Album of the Year, Olivia Dean with Best New Artist and queer pop sensation Billie Eilish winning Record of the Year. The message of the current status of immigration in America was also used proficiently, with Bad Bunny claiming ‘if we fight, we have to do it with love’, and Olivia Dean claiming herself as a ‘product of bravery’ from an immigrant family. Other categories saw gay icons reign supreme, with Lady Gaga snatching Pop and Dance Album and Lola Young grabbing Best Pop Solo. It only felt right for these diverse artists who bring such a breath of fresh air and equality into the music industry to get their flowers this time round.
One thing that shocked viewers this year however was the alleged ‘snub’ of Sabrina Carpenter, who won 2 awards the previous year. Despite being nominated for six awards for her acclaimed album ‘Man’s Best Friend’. Viewers were shocked that she didn’t manage to win with song ‘Manchild’ for Best Pop Solo.
The BRITs was no exception, seeing many diverse and up & coming artists sweep the show.
Now proven British superstar Olivia Dean swept up to 4 awards in the evening, including Best Album, Artist of the Year and Song of the Year with Sam Fender (the one song we all cannot get out of our heads, so very deserved). ROSALÍA, ROSÉ and Bruno Mars picked up awards for International Album of the Year and International Song of the Year. Once again, the diversity for this awards season was off the charts.
Fans however felt disappointment for artists such as Lily Allen and RAYE, who left empty-handed this time around. Lily Allen has only won one BRIT award in her musical career, despite being a statement of the British music industry. Her album ‘West End Girl’ with hits like ‘Pussy Palace’ did not leave enough of a mark on the judges, yet is one of her most acclaimed records to date. For artists like RAYE, who dominated last year’s event, walking away without an award for smash hit ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND?, it seems both a husband and an award were not found for her that evening.
This award season really highlighted how diverse the music industry is, and how without artists such as Bad Bunny and Olivia Dean, the season may have just had to have been cancelled. However, the question now is what will we see next year? Will RAYE dominate once more with her anticipated sophomore studio album release? Or will Harry Styles make a comeback at both the Grammys and BRITS with his recent album release? Only time will tell…
Photo Credits: @brits on Instagram
