The annual Grammy Awards stand out as one of four major awards in the entertainment industry. This year, the 66th edition of the Grammys was held on Sunday, Feb. 4, in Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
The big winners this year were Taylor Swift’s Midnights for Album of the Year, Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers” for Record of the Year and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” from the motion picture Barbie won Song of the Year.
Best New Artist was Janelle Monet.
Former Daily Show host and comedian Trevor Noah once again hosted the Grammys this year, making it his fourth consecutive year on the job. He also received his second nomination for Best Comedy Album with I Wish You Would. He was previously nominated in the same category for Patricia’s Son in 2020.
Most awards were given out at the preceding Premiere Ceremony, beginning at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. The Grammy Awards were viewable live on CBS or via streaming service Paramount +.
The Record Academy announced some changes to the 2024 Grammys, including three new categories: Best Pop Dance Recording, Best African Music Performance and Best Alternative Jazz Album. The Academy also announced “only human creators” were eligible for awards, targeting the use of artificial intelligence in the realm of popular music. Nominees in the “Big Four” categories were reduced from 10 to 8 this year, as well.
Organizers announced the first round of performers including Grammy Award winners and current nominees Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Dua Lipa.
2024 Nominees
The 2024 nominees were announced in December, and women dominated all the major categories. SZA had a leading nine nominations, all from her SOS album. Victoria Monet and Phoebe Bridgers received the second most nominations at seven each. Six of Bridgers’ were with her band boygenius, which received two nominations in the major four categories. Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Miley Cyrus, Billie Eilish, Brandy Clark, Jon Batiste and producer Jack Antonoff also earned six nominations. Female country artists Lainey Wilson, Brittney Spencers and Carly Pearce also received nominations this year, marking a historic milestone in a genre dominated by men for decades.
2024 Album of the Year nominees were Jon Batiste’s World Music Radio, boygenius’s The Record, Miley Cyrus’s Mindless Summer Vacation, Taylor Swift’s Midnights, Lana Del Ray’s Did You Know That There‘s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Janelle Monae’s The Age Of Pleasure, Olivia Rodrigo’s GUTS and SZA’s SOS.
Record of the Year nominees closely mimicked Album of the Year with Jon Batiste’s “Worship,” boygenius’s “Not Strong Enough,” Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers,” Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For,” Victoria Monet’s “On My Mama,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero” and SZA’s “Kill Bill.”
Song of the Year nominees were Lana Del Ray’s “A&W,” Taylor Swift’s “Anti-Hero,” Jon Batiste’s “Butterfly,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” Miley Cyrus’s “Flowers,” SZA’s “Kill Bill,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Vampire” and Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For.”
Best New Artist nominees were Gracie Abrams, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jone, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monet and The War and Treaty.
English teacher Shem Malone appreciated the live performances at the show.
“Joni Mitchell killed it. It was so neat to see people rally around someone like Joni Mitchell.”
