The 57th annual Grammy Awards were presented last weekend in Los Angeles. The award ceremony is put on by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Scientists of the United States to recognize impressive achievements made in the music industry. Each time there are standout artists and performers, memorable red carpet-wear, and hilarious mistakes. This weekend was no exception as people throughout the US continue to discuss the events of this award show.
The one big name that comes away from the show this year is Sam Smith. He was nominated for six, and won four Grammys this year: best new artist, record of the year, song of the year, and best pop vocal album. This has got to be extremely exciting for the 22 year old who released his first song only 3 years ago.
One of the biggest surprises came from 44 year-old Beck who won album of the year with Morning Phase. He has been nominated for 16 Grammy’s, the first one being in 1995, this one marks his fourth win. Beck is getting a lot of publicity for his win, mostly because Kanye West made a typical Kanye West move. He stands from the audience, and bumps a few people on his way to the stage. He then laughs and goes back to his seat. Beyonce said later that she was disgusted with his behavior. Kanye said he hadn’t been planning on storming the stage, but “There were voices in my head. So the voices in my head told me go and then I just walked up like halfway up the stage.” It is getting a lot of attention because Kanye’s made a similar move several times before, most famous, the 2009 VMAs.
Before the Grammy’s stars take the the red carpet to show their designer gowns and sleek suits. Best and worst dressed articles are some of the first and most common to be published. Some celebrity’s, particularly females ones feel that the fashion obsession is frustrating and shallow. Nicole Kidman expressed her apprehensions to FOX411 saying, “I just returned from Colombia doing work for the foundation, helping orphans [to] get job training and learning English, but if I go on a red carpet a reporter won’t ask about that. They want to know what I wore on my trip, if I’m still married and what did I do to lose my baby weight.” In response to the growing concerns the CEO of The Representation Project has started a campaign called #AskHerMore. This campaign is to support women on the red carpet and encourage reporters to ask her more about what she’s done then who designs her clothes. This campaign goal is also to discourage media from devaluing women’s achievements. While most believe this comes from a place with good intentions it has been receiving criticism. Many believe men are questioned on their outfits just as much, and that stars may just be using this campaign to benefit themselves by making their personal successes more public. Either way it is good to be challenging reporters to think more critically about how they approach celebrities and what questions they really want to ask.
Overall the Grammy’s served their real purpose, to entertain. Many loved the show this year; many also thought it was a complete disaster. Many memorable moments and interesting points of discussions. The Grammy’s serve as a time for people to be recognize for their musical achievements and the music industry to come together and appreciate their art. In the near future this show is certain to continue to influence the way the country sees artists and their products. If anything the awards show this year has taught us the importance of thinking for ourselves and challenging the regular.
Jessie McConville is a Staff Writer for Pulse Magazine.
