We must stop Trevor Noah from hosting the Grammys
Another weekend, another award show. And this past weekend was the biggest night in music, The Grammy Awards. In the last few years, Trevor Noah has hosted the ceremony, and I think we are starting to realize that even though The Weeknd’s tether is charming, he’s not the best host. His opening monologue is simply him pointing out which celebrities are in the audience, and that’s it. What happened to showmanship like Billy Crystal? What happened to a real monologue? We have allowed this man to get away with too much because he’s cute and has an accent. It’s like no one wants to get up and work anymore!
Too much is never a good thing
The Grammy Awards quickly became The Taylor Swift show. Early in the ceremony, Taylor won her first Best Pop Vocal Album award for ‘MIDnight.’ And instead of taking time to thank those who worked on the album, she announced ANOTHER album. The Grammys are not the type of award show to drop the announcement of an album or song. This isn’t the Video Music Awards or Billboard Awards; it’s one of the most prestigious music events. It felt like Taylor already anticipated winning an award and making it a spectacle instead of a night of celebrating the year in music.
Since 2020, Taylor has released an album a year (two in 2020), plus re-releases of her previous albums. Imagine how tired we are. And we can tell how exhausted her peers were by how dry their reactions were when the cameras panned on them.
We never get a reprieve. One would think that once you complete a tour titled The Eras Tour, in which you celebrate your previous eras, it would mean you go away from some time to develop a new theme, sound, and look. But instead, she continues to create lukewarm pop music that doesn’t shapeshift or challenge the culture.
By the end of the evening, Taylor won the biggest award of the evening, Album of the Year, which is her fourth. More than any artist has ever won. More than Stevie Wonder! Is the Recording Academy telling us she’s more talented than STEVIE WONDER?
It’s the year of Taylor, but she has also become inescapable. There isn’t a corner in culture where her presence does not bombard us: sports, music, film, politics. We can’t get a space where she’s not invading it. And when a celebrity hits a peak of this magnitude, there’s only one way to go.
I’m begging Bruno Mars to figure out which Black musical period he wants to cosplay and hit the studio. Can Rich Paul cheat on Adele? SOMETHING! Anything to stop this madness. Those are the only two who can block this woman from winning another Album of the Year.
Other moments at the Grammys that weren’t Taylor
Dua Lipa opened the show with a preview of her newest single, “Training Session,” and that other bad single, “Houdini.” I always tell music fans that Dua’s music is a slow burn; it’s pretty lackluster at first, but after a few listens, it grows on you, and you realize, ‘Wow, what a brilliant pop song.’ I hate to admit it, but this time around, it is not giving that. The songs are lackluster but remain there and have no sustainability. That being said, unlike her peers, Dua is putting the effects after Twitter used to make fun of her lack of dancing ability and stage presence, and with each performance since she has improved. So there’s that!
Miley Cyrus gave an electrifying performance of “Flowers” and a couple of great acceptance speeches that reminded us she’s really one of the best well-rounded pop stars out right now. Unfortunately, she constantly abandons every era whenever she releases an album.
After twenty years, Americans are finally coming back around and appreciating Kylie Minogue, one of the greatest pop artists of our time. Kylie won her second Grammy for “Pandam Pandam,” she won her first one in 2004 for “Love At First Sight.” Do you know how many presidents we have had since then? I will say being a Britney fan over the years has been rough, but imagine being an American fan of Kylie for the last three decades. Knowing this woman constantly delivers stellar albums, but no one you know is aware of it. But thank god, it took one of her worst first singles for Americans to come around and say, “You know, this Kylie is good.” Yes, she’s fantastic. I’d encourage everyone to watch music videos and performances during her albums of Body Language and X, and you’ll learn that Beyonce has been studying and taking notes of this Aussie Queen and applying them to all of her performances over the last few decades.
Finally, Victoria Monet has had her moment in the spotlight after years of crafting great songs for numerous artists such as Ariana Grande. Victoria won three Grammys, including Best New Artist. I want to mention that I wrote a review of her debut album ‘Jaguar’ for The Independent, and my words can even be found on the album’s wiki page. Sorry, I needed to flex once again because I’m Aquarius, and I’m always ahead of the curve (and to remind you, I am an accomplished journalist). I’m so happy to see her celebrated and music fans discovering her incredible catalog.
It’s time for a JLO hate mention
It has been a while since I declared how much I disdain Jennifer Lopez.
I knew I was a fan of Ayo Edebiri, but when TMZ tried to cancel my good Irish sis by sharing an old podcast soundbite where she shared, Jennifer has been scamming us for decades by convincing us she’s a good singer…I knew I would be signing up to get a stan card immediately.
TMZ conveniently found this clip from when Ayo was a comedy writer because she would be hosting Saturday Night Live with the musical guest…Jennifer Lopez.
TMZ did not succeed. Instead, we campaigned around Ayo and made sure she had a successful episode, and of course, Jennifer proceeded to prove Ayo was indeed correct.
As a certified hater, I am obliged to watch her insanely deranged long-form music video for her upcoming album, ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ about how much she loves Ben Affleck, and I will make sure to share my thoughts in the following newsletter.
xo,
britt.