The 64th annual Grammy Awards were held on April 3, 2022 at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas. Musicians from all genres of music made appearances, including Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, Lil Nas X, Justin Bieber, BTS, etc. As the attendees walked the red carpet and made their way to their seats, feelings of anticipation and anxiety were reciprocal between all artists. The night started off with various performances such as Silk Sonic’s “777”, BTS’ “Butter”, and multiple songs by Lil Nas X with a surprise performance with Jack Harlow. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo also performed, with Eilish singing “Happier Than Ever” while wearing a t-shirt with Taylor Hawkins on the front, the former drummer of the Foo Fighters who sadly passed away on the 25th of March. Rodrigo sang her hit song “Driver’s License”, before she was able to walk home with three Grammys. 

Even though many artists were able to walk away with multiple Grammys, there were no clear “sweeps”. The top winner of the night went to Jon Batiste who won 5 out of his 11 nominations. His album, “We Are” managed to get the prestigious honor of being named the Album of the Year. Jon Batiste was the 11th Black artist to ever win the Album of the Year award, and the first in 14 years since Herbie Hancock’s win in 2008. Silk Sonic was able to win 4 out of their 4 nominations, winning Record and Song of the Year. Olivia Rodrigo was also extremely successful, winning 3 Grammys, including Best New Artist and Pop Vocal Album. Doja Cat and SZA were able to take home the award for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with their song “Kiss Me More”. After facing controversy for not greeting fans who had waited outside of her hotel for an entire day in Paraguay, Doja claimed that she was officially quitting music once her former commitments were finished. In her acceptance speech, Doja let everyone know that this award meant a lot to her. 

While the Grammys were extremely rewarding, some artists left the arena empty-handed. Justin Bieber was not able to win a single award out of his eight nominations, and Billie Eilish lost all seven of her nominations. Lil Nas X also lost in his five categories. 

The awards show also featured a “In Memoriam” segment, particularly honoring Stephen Sondheim and Taylor Hawkins. Popular theater actors, Rachel Zegler, Leslie Odom Jr, Cynthia Erivo, and Ben Platt sang some of Sondheim’s most popular numbers like his original song from West Side Story, “Somewhere”. The show also honored other late artists like Charlie Watts, DMX, and Michael Nesmith. 

The night was a large success, with incredible performances, acceptance speeches, plus, history made in multiple forms. After controversy from the prior week’s Oscars with the “slap heard around the world”, the Grammys were able to create a night celebrating the current best artists in music.