ARUSHI GARG
Why are artists backlashing at the Grammys ?
The most prestigious name in the realm of the music world , which had a reputation for awarding the greatest musical talent , has been under immense scrutiny for the past few years . The Grammy Awards , which have been held every year since 1959 in Los Angeles , has been a platform where the world recognises new music waves and whose stage many legends have performed .
This year saw another tsunami of controversies and negative comments hurdled at the Grammy ’ s when Harry Styles ’ s album ‘ Harry ’ s House ’ won the coveted ‘ Album of the Year ’. Heavyweights like Beyonce , Adele , Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny were the other contenders , and many viewers felt that Styles did not deserve a win . Some felt that it was due to favouritism and preference for white artists , which was behind the outcome . It is also due to the fact that only 11 black artists have won the Album of the Year award since the Grammy ’ s inception .
Over the past years , artists like Jay Z , The Weekend , Childish Gambino , Nicki Minaj , Zayn and Kendrick Lamar have heavily criticised the Recording Academy for their lack of diversity . This came in 2021 when crowd favourite The Weekend , whose chart-buster album and songs were not to be seen in the big four categories . The infuriated artist took to Twitter to voice his frustration and remarked about the ceremony stating , “ The Grammys remain corrupt . You owe me , my fans and the industry transparency .”
This sentiment was shared with Drake , who has also made similar remarks regarding the award ceremony by saying that “ I think we should stop allowing ourselves to be shocked every year by the disconnect between impactful music and these awards and just accept that what once was the highest form of recognition may no longer matter to the artists that exist now and the ones that come after ”. He is amongst the many artists who have refused to send their work for consideration and have backed out .
Besides the backlash from the artists themselves , the Grammys have also witnessed a massive decline in their viewership over the years . With the historic low of 8.8 million viewers in 2021 due to the ongoing Pandemic , the numbers have dipped massively with a cut of 53 per cent . Still , there was an increase in numbers for 2023 at 12.4 million , but it came nowhere near its crowning days . This could be due to the decline of viewership of live award ceremonies , but the reason can also be because of the lack of representation , which can make the fans and audience question its legitimacy .
Though the Recording Academy has time and again voiced the artist ’ s concerns and assured them that they would improve , many feel that these are hollow echoes . Sadly , a ceremony which was a celebration of creativity , musical wisdom , and new talent does not feel the same . Rather it feels like there is more negativity attached to it which could make its credibility go down . Now it ’ s up to the Grammys to change the tide or disappear with it .
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