The 67th annual Grammy Awards show on Sunday was all about acceptance and giving credit where credit is due.
Host Trevor Noah started the ceremony by acknowledging there had been a chance it would not happen this year, due to the California wildfires earlier in the month. His opening monologue praised the spirit of Los Angeles and then celebrity vocalists (Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, John Legend, Sheryl Crow and St. Vincent) joined folk-rock band Dawes on stage to sing “I Love L.A.” by Randy Newman. The members of Dawes, brothers Taylor Goldsmith and Griffin Goldsmith, lost a home, their home studio and much of the band’s musical equipment in the fires.
Those in the live audience and those who watched at home were encouraged several times to go online and make donations toward wildfire relief efforts. Toward the end of the show, Noah said more than $7 million had been raised.
CBS, which broadcast the show, allowed small L.A. businesses such as Orla Floral Studio, Two Dragons Martial Arts and the Paliskates skate shop to be featured in commercial breaks alongside national advertisers.
There was also a moving tribute to 28-time Grammy winner Quincy Jones, a champion for humanitarian causes who died in November 2024.
Chappell Roan won Best New Artist and used her speech to hold record labels accountable.
“I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially for developing artists,” she said. “I got signed so young, I got signed as a minor. When I got dropped, I had zero job experience under my belt, and like most people, I had … quite a difficult time finding a job in the pandemic and [could not] afford insurance.”
Another singer, The Weeknd, ended a four-year boycott of the Grammy Awards, appearing on stage to sing “Cry for Me.” In 2021, the singer accused the Recording Academy of not being diverse enough and claimed “secret committees” blocked his album from receiving any nominations that year.
He was introduced Sunday by Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, who recalled when the institution was called out for lack of transparency in its awards.
“But you know what, criticism is OK. I heard them. I felt his conviction,” Mason said, noting the voting members are now younger and nearly 40% of the academy’s 13,000 members are people of color.
Alicia Keys received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. She also used her time on stage to celebrate diverse representation in music.
“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” Keys said. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift.”
Toward the end of the night, members of the L.A. County Fire Department came on stage to announce the nominees for Album of the Year and to be recognized in turn by the audience. Chief Anthony Marrone thanked the first responders who came from near and far to help. He thanked the celebrity audience and shared condolences for those who lost loved ones, homes and businesses in the fires.
“Thank you for supporting all of us and recognizing the heroes standing behind me, and the she-roes,” Morrone said. “I am confident that we will recover and we will rebuild together because we are L.A. strong.”
Singer Beyoncé took home Album of the Year for “Cowboy Carter.” “I just feel full and very honored,” she said after thanking the firefighters. “It’s been many, many years. I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all of the hard work.”
So many messages were shared on Sunday. So many people were thanked. Those who were rooting for their favorite artists may only have wanted to know who won but our entertainers reminded us that we really do need each other. Every one.
