By Ellie Miller '24
Whether you’re a music fan or not, you’ve probably heard of the Grammys. An annual award show presented by the Recording Academy, the Grammys celebrate and recognize the achievements of artists in 83 categories, including those for Album of the Year and Song of the Year.
A shiny, golden, Grammy in the shape of a gramophone, is just about the best thing you can put on your shelf if you’re a part of the music industry. But how do the Grammys work, and how are these coveted awards going to be presented this year? What do the biggest categories even mean, and who’s up for them? Most importantly, why should you even bother tuning in on March 14th? All are valid questions, but one thing is for sure: the 2021 Grammys are going to be one to remember.
As previously mentioned, the Grammys are divided up into 83 categories. Categories span from Best Original Movie Score, all the way to Best Vocal Performance, and even awards in the Spoken Word category. Awards are presented over a whopping three and a half hours! But not to fear, the ceremony is always spiced up with a funny, famous host. (This year it’s Trevor Noah.) Normally, Noah's job would be to entertain the 18,000 stars packed into the Staples Center in LA. However, that is clearly not an option this year with the Coronavirus raging- particularly in LA. Although how the show will be presented hasn’t yet been confirmed, the Recording Academy Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason Jr. has assured fans and nominees that the entire ceremony will be live, with no pre-recorded portions.
As any seasoned Grammy watcher will tell you, there are only four categories that really deserve your attention. They’re so publicized and competitive, that they have their own name: The Big Four. The Big Four are Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. The Album of the Year Grammy is awarded to the principal artist(s), featured artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, and mixers of a brand new album. In order to be eligible, said album needs to be 15 to 30 minutes long, containing at least five new full songs. Previous winners of Album of the Year have been Thriller by Michael Jackson, and When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? by Billie Eilish, and nominees this year include Fine Line by Harry Styles, and folklore by Taylor Swift.
Next up is Song of the Year, which is awarded to the songwriter(s) of the year’s top song. That means that the performer of a song won’t always win a Grammy even if their song wins Song of the Year. Confusing. Previous winners for Song of the Year have been the writers of “Rehab” by Amy Winehouse, and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyonce. Nominees this year include “Circles” by Post Malone and “Cardigan” by Taylor Swift.
The third award out of the Big 4 is Record of the Year. The Record of the Year Grammy is awarded to the performer(s), producers, recording engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers of a single track. (Not necessarily the song as a piece of writing, but just as one recording- hence the name.) Simply, the Record of the Year Grammy is awarded to all those who were in the recording studio and contributed to putting the specific song together. Previous winners for Record of the Year include the performers and producers of “Beautiful Day” by U2, and “Bad Guy” by Billie Eilish. Nominees this year include “Don’t Start Now” by Dua Lipa and “BLACK PARADE” ) by Beyonce.
Finally, there’s Best New Artist. This one is pretty self explanatory. It’s awarded to an artist or group who have a minimum of five singles/tracks or a complete album. You’re also eligible if you have no more than 3 previously released albums or 30 previously released singles/tracks. Previous winners of the Best New Artist award include The Beatles in 1964 and Amy Winhouse in 2006. The nominees this year include Phoebe Bridgers and Megan Thee Stallion.
Woo! That was a lot of information, and it can sometimes be hard to see why we would care about the Grammys at all. They can sometimes seem pretentious and pointless, especially considering the music industry is already so publicized and undeniably problematic. That being said, I can almost guarantee you’ve listened to a song today- at the very least in passing, if not as a part of a carefully curated playlist. Music connects, cures, and calls attention to the world’s biggest issues and most pressing questions. The Grammys exist to celebrate music, its makers, and all that they do to improve our everyday lives. As long as we continue to celebrate ALL the makers of music, regardless of race, gender-identity, sexuality, nationality, or class, we’ll continue to connect, and our world will become a better place for everyone. Most importantly, our playlists will never be boring.
Here’s a full list of all the nominees for the 2021 Grammy Awards: https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2021-grammys-complete-nominees-list
Resources Used:
Comments