The 64th annual Grammy awards
Set in Las Vegas and hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, the 2022 Grammys marked the Recording Academy’s 64th annual event. Awards were spread out over a variety of artists and genres. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s band Silk Sonic kicked off the night with an ode to the city the event was held in with their song “777.” Throughout the night, a multitude of other artists put on stunning performances of their new music, including singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile, country singer Carrie Underwood, Grammy-sweeping Jon Batiste, and charismatic performer Lady Gaga.
John Legend, while not up for any awards this year, led a Ukraine Tribute Performance of his song “Free,” which was introduced by a taped recording of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Legend was accompanied by Ukrainian artists on stage, including singer Mika Newton, poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, and musician Siuzanna Iglidan.
While there was no single artist who swept the entire event, jazz and R&B artist Jon Batiste won the highest number of Grammys, coming in at five awards total for his leading eleven nominations. Arguably the biggest win of the night was his win for Album of the Year, We Are. However, he also took home trophies for Best American Roots Song for “Cry,” Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media, Best American Roots Performance for “Cry,” and Best Music Video for “Freedom.”
Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak also did exceptionally well at the Grammys for their joint R&B project Silk Sonic. They won two of the major categories, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, with their single “Leave the Door Open,” as well as Best R&B Performance and R&B Album of the Year.
Olivia Rodrigo, as expected, did well at the 64th annual awards. After being nominated for seven awards for her debut album, Sour, she took home three: Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best New Artist, beating out artists such as Saweetie and The Kid LAROI at just 19 years old. In her acceptance speech, Rodrigo tearfully called the achievement her “biggest dream come true,” and thanked her team, parents, best friends, and producer for helping her make it a reality.
There were also some firsts this year. New categories were introduced, including Best Global Music Performance (won by Arooj Aftab for her song “Mohabbat”), and Best Música Urbana Album (won by Bad Bunny for his album El Último Tour del Mundo). Bad Bunny also won Best Rap Song for “Jail” and Best Melodic Rap Performance for “Hurricane,” bringing him into a tie with Jay-Z for most Grammys won by a rapper at 24 total Grammys each. With three nominations, Jay-Z also reached his own record, now with a total of 83 Grammy nominations throughout the history of his career.
Despite the conflict that occurred at the 2022 Oscars just a couple weeks earlier, this year’s Grammys went smoothly. While dotted with somber and reverent moments such as John Legend’s Ukraine tribute and an in-memoriam feature honoring artists such as Stephen Sondheim, Taylor Hawkins, and Tom Parker, this year’s Grammys were largely lighthearted and celebratory of the music that has made this year so special.