New month, new winners, new performances, and more gold gramophones awarded. The Grammy’s not only hold 15.4 million viewers, and recognize new and amazing artists but they also captivate each year by the pre-shows red carpet fashion. In the last few years, the minimal viewership and talk about the Grammy’s in the teen world was noticed significantly. There were no arguments on who should’ve won or whose performance was the worst but this year there is much to say and debate. With the 8 o’clock time slot on CBS, students didnt expect to stay up late and finish the Grammys but this show was either unexpected, admired, or heavily disliked. The Grammys this year were supposed to take away from the current mass devastation socially and environmentally. However, did it do the opposite?
The glitz and glam of the night were accompanied by the sadness of the L.A. Fires and the organizer’s pledge of focusing on the victims and giving back. Yet, the uneasiness of it all piqued everyone’s interest. With the 16,000 structures and 50,000 acres burned the blazes were nothing but trama yet the Grammy’s way of giving back felt performative. The constant need to remind the audience at home to scan and give back on the QR code was ironic when the entire room was filled with people who could give back more than most viewers ever could. Junior, Carmen Anderson didn’t watch the full Grammys but the clips on TikTok told her enough on what the night entailed. Anderson thought the continuous badgering of donating after each commercial break was excessive. “It seemed conceited in a way, I mean they all have the money to fund the foundation more than anyone else,” she said. “Are they even practicing what they preach?”
The performances on the other hand were appreciated. Doechii’s performance was enlightening and fun bringing back the performative and expressive stage presence everyone missed from other artists. Raye’s Vocals enchanted every listener keeping their ears open till her last note. Combine that with the obvious dedication of Janelle Monáe’s staggering tribute, Chappell Roan’s infectious energy bringing everyone to their feet, their performances, and others bringing students back to the old Grammys. To some, the performances were the silver lining to the award show. Junior Joshua Daniels commented on the performances and tributes to legends being his favorite part of the whole night. Daniels didn’t mind watching the Grammys this year because of the great performances and significant details to honoring the legends of music. “Not only did I enjoy the Grammys I actually sat through the whole thing, he said” “I was surprised, to say the least”.
The 2025 Grammys gave a wide mix of enthralling performances and a somewhat interesting take on highlighting social causes which left many dubs like Carmen Anderson and Joshua Daniels with a divided mindset. The night brought back the excitement of past years but the push for donations felt tone-deaf against the backdrop of wealth, leaving questionable thoughts on the Grammys between the dubs. But was it just them that felt this way?
