Most of music’s brightest stars (sans Taylor Swift and Beyonce) gathered at the Staples Center on Saturday night to celebrate and honour the best in the industry at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. While it had originally set out to be another jubilant night, this year’s Grammys started off on a sombre note, as a tribute to Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna, who were tragically killed in a helicopter crash earlier in the day.
Despite the teary affair, the Grammys was still able to create joyous and memorable moments with a line-up of stellar performances as well as triumphant first-wins on stage, underneath the retired jerseys of Kobe Bryant. Here are five of the most memorable moments (in our opinion) from this year’s Grammy Awards.
1. Alicia Keys and Boyz II Men’s Tribute to Kobe Bryant
From the moment the show started, it was clear that everyone was mourning the loss of Kobe Bryant. Host Alicia Keys addressed that loss in her monologue where she honoured his memory and referred to the Staples Center (where the awards were held) as a “house that Kobe Bryant built”. She wrapped up her opening speech with Boyz II Men, who joined her on stage with a rendition of It’s Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday dedicated to the late Laker.
"We love you Kobe." @aliciakeys and Boyz II Men sing in tribute to Kobe Bryant and his family at the opening of the #Grammys https://t.co/kk0nIau0ee pic.twitter.com/v3KpXSkvyW
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 27, 2020
2. Ariana Grande’s Grammy-Deserving Performance
After her no-show at the Grammys last year following a disagreement with producers, Ari returned to the stage with a versatile powerhouse medley performance of songs from her album, Thank U Next. Decked in pink, old-school glamour, the petite songstress showed the Academy just what they had been missing with her powerful vocals and effortless stage presence.
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3. Lil Nas X Brings Star Power to Old Town Road
Hate it or love it, Old Town Road has no doubt been the longest-charting No.1 song in the history of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and the go-to karaoke song since its release. That’s why, it’s no surprise that the Grammys would have Lil Nas X put on a special performance with not just his original collaborator, Billy Ray Cyrus, but also his remix collaborators which included Diplo, Mason Ramsey, Nas, and South Korean K-pop juggernauts, BTS. While it may seem difficult to allocate screen time for each performer, this special stage did well in ensuring each act got their own time to shine before coming together for the big finale.
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4. Demi Lovato’s Raw Debut Since Her Overdose Scare
Since her hospitalisation for an apparent drug overdose in July 2018, days after concluding her Tell Me You Love Me World Tour, Demi Lovato made her anticipated and emotional return to the stage at the Grammys with her new song, Anyone. Although it is dubbed as a new song, the singer had actually recorded Anyone four days before her overdose, with lyrics that seemed like a cry for help. Having to relive those dark days of her past wasn’t easy as Demi became visibly overwhelmed with emotions after a few piano bars into the song, and had to restart her performance.
Demi Lovato performing her new single “Anyone” at the #GRAMMYs https://t.co/XDlmLSQhZc
— Demi Lovato News (@demetriaaalove) January 27, 2020
5. Billie Eilish Breaks Records
It’s not easy being a young artist especially when you’re competing for an award against big weights like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Beyonce. But Billie Eilish proved more than her age when she swept up five wins which included Best Pop Vocal Album as well as Record of The Year, Album of The Year, Song of The Year, and Best New Artist — the four major categories. In addition to her wins, her brother and recording partner, Finneas O’Connell, also took home his own accolade as Producer of the Year in a non-classical category.
Billie’s recognition in these achievements has also earned her the title of being the first woman and second person to win the four bigs in the same year, as well as the title of youngest solo performer to ever win Album of The Year, beating former record holder Taylor Swift who won when she was 20. Congrats, Billie!
"Thank you." In one of the quickest acceptance speech of the night, @BillieEilish and @finneas take the stage to accept the award for record of the year https://t.co/cRGxKFUAFO #Grammys pic.twitter.com/LQmSay7ZpY
— The Hollywood Reporter (@THR) January 27, 2020
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