This past weekend, talk of the Grammys was inescapable. The event even made history by generating the highest traffic for a television broadcast at the time of its airing, with a staggering 102.2 million interactions across all social media platforms. Considering the 9% dip in viewership compared to last year’s award ceremony and the general consensus that award shows are on the decline, the Grammy’s outreach was an incredibly impressive feat despite the decline in viewership.
That said, numbers like these raise questions about how a declining award show garnered such excessive media attention and what differentiates it from years past.
The Inevitable Pop Renaissance
While it is common knowledge that the Grammys serve as a way to celebrate the most significant musical achievements of the given year and, by nature, is competitive, the 2024 year proved exceptionally competitive.
As mentioned in our opinion article, “The 67th Grammys: A Fight for Album of the Year,” the past year of mainstream music has been highly reminiscent of the pop renaissance of the 2000s through the early 2010s, which has shown to be an exciting shift.
The idea of a pop renaissance arises from the sheer excess of new and innovative music released this year by established and recent breakthrough artists. For a while, pop music was at a standstill only having a few breakthrough artists and albums every year or two, and that is not to say that nothing influential came out of that period, but 2024 produced constant hits, successful album releases, and breakout artists month after month.
Considering this, fanbases and everyday music enjoyers became interested in seeing and discussing how an incredible period of music would fare on the critical stage.
A Breakthrough
Notably, much of this excitement centered around how the Grammys would treat its breakout stars, like Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and Doechii, who have been in the music industry for years, only recently gaining mainstream recognition.
From Roan’s story of questioning her music career after being dropped from her record label, leaving her to move back to her small Missouri town, to a video of Doechii from five years ago resurfacing of her getting fired and trying to figure out her next step, the progression to being Grammy-nominated is inspiring.
More often than not, many incredible artists put in the work consistently for years, not to receive the fruits of their labor, making it incredibly sweet to see deserving artists being treated for what they are: deserving artists.
If the Grammys got anything right, it was that all the artists mentioned were given their flowers, becoming first-time Grammy winners in categories that made a lot of sense.
Carpenter and Charli XCX won their more pop-specific categories after being absolute standouts in the pop scene for bringing back levels of fun and campiness that haven’t been seen in a while. Doechii was able to receive the honor of being the third-ever woman to win best rap album through the creative artistry of her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” and lastly Roan took home the award of best new artist, which aligns well with her unique artistic persona, projected to be of the likes of other prominent artists who rose to fame with their unique aesthetics, like Cher and Lady Gaga.
Established Artists
On the other side of the spectrum, there are artists who have been in the music industry for years who have debatably caused the most contention online. Whether it is the fear of them getting replaced or the thought that they should be replaced, these conversations were bound to happen regarding how women dominated the 2024 music industry.
Unfortunately, history has shown that the music industry has not always been kind to women, often enabling the idea that they are suddenly on the cusp of being replaced as they progress in their careers. It could be argued that this issue is not exclusive to women and is just how things go in an industry obsessed with churning out the next big thing.
Even with that taken into consideration, male artists are still rarely compared to one another in the vicious manner the media constantly contemplates the demise of women musicians, even if or when the work they put out is not original or feels knockoff-ish.
To put it bluntly, it is absurd to think that artists like Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande are disappearing from the map because they have not won any of their nominated categories. Their talent and influence in music have been undeniable, and they will continue to be so regardless of their losses.
There is so much music and talent to be spread that the successes of others do not have to be indicative of tearing others down. Considering the dynamics of 2024 being a massive year for breakout artists rejuvenating the music scene, it is no wonder the academy would reward those voices.
Respecting Versus Liking Art
Although it was established that much of this year’s Grammys was focused on the wins of newer artists, Beyoncé was one of the few outliers of well-established artists who broke this mold, and the reception was controversial, to say the least.
Winning both album of the year and best country album for her project “Cowboy Carter” left many music fans in and out of the country sphere disappointed based on feeling like there were stronger contenders and doubts that the album should have even been considered a country album.
Although many have interpreted these wins as coming out of nowhere, I do not believe the results were as shocking or awful as many online claim they were.
When writing and researching for our opinion piece on the projected winners for album of the year, I was not going into my listening of “Cowboy Carter” as a fan of either Beyoncé or country music, and yet I recognized that it was a highly thought out and respectable body of work.
While it deviates from the preconceived notions of what country music is thought to be, with its inclusion of influences from other genres such as R&B and Gospel and themes not conventionally found in mainstream country, I do not think it takes it away from the label of being a country album. The Grammys celebrate innovation, and Beyoncé, like her or not, did something outside of the box for her career and the country genre, which paid off.
There is a distinction between liking and respecting different artistic endeavors, and in the case of Cowboy Carter, it deserves much more than the strict backlash it has received.
Nonetheless, it should be no surprise that an award show like the Grammys, which covers a topic as subjective and personal as music taste, would cause people to form such strong opinions. Ironically enough, public opinion has served the Grammys as one of its biggest publicity strengths yet one of its greatest adversaries in mistrust.
Addressing Controversy
Regarding positive audience reception, it is well known that the Grammy Awards have not always received the best response. At its core, the reality of the Grammys often struggles to hold a candle to the public’s expectations of the prestige associated with celebrating the biggest names in the music industry.
While it is commonly assumed that award shows like these earn prestige through their A-list attendance and exclusive voting systems, it has become evident that solely relying on these tactics has worked against the Grammys. Respect and prestige are earned, and unfortunately for the Grammys, the metrics of trusting the academy just because they are built upon music professionals falter at being the cornerstone of credibility and integrity.
From major artists like The Weekend publicly criticizing and withholding their work to casual music lovers regarding the ceremony as meaningless due to the Grammy’s notorious history of racism, bias, and overall lack of transparency, the problems with the Grammys lie more profound than what may meet the eye.
Giving credit where credit is due; it is apparent that the Grammys are trying to be more transparent and are taking in the criticism to improve its voting system.
During the Grammys, they covered a segment hosted by Harvey Mason Jr., the Grammys’ CEO, who held the award show accountable for the many problems with the academy’s voting system.
Wanting to improve the criticisms of bias and transparency, Mason announced the ways the Grammys has sought to improve, such as the creation of different initiatives focused around groups like LGBTQ+, black, and women music professionals, the addition of over 3000 women to the academy, a 66% rate of all members being new, and a rise in the academy being nearly 40% people of color.
Following this announcement, The Weekend gave a live performance, essentially communicating the end of the boycott he once held firm for years prior.
Only time will tell if these decisions will improve the Grammys’ future, but I believe they are heading on a positive trajectory.
Closing Thoughts
It may seem counterintuitive to say that an award show with declining ratings and a lack of respect amongst the general public is heading on the right track. However, the context of seeing how music is progressing alongside how the Grammys are choosing to move forward from their controversial past is shedding hope for an industry that has needed it.
For many of us, the Grammys is a reasonably low-stakes form of entertainment that has no real implications on our daily lives, and yet I think that is what makes it so special.
Music is such a universal and driving force for a lot of us. So, to see artists getting recognized and celebrated for work we resonate with, which has pushed us through our year, makes for an incredibly stimulating viewing experience.
If this year is just as good of a year as last year for music, the 68th Grammys will definitely be something to watch for.
