UHS Talks About the Grammy’s
From Lady Gaga hatching from an egg onstage to Cee Lo Green in a peacock suit, the 53rd annual GRAMMY awards were a spectacle to see.
On Sunday, February 13, 2011, the 53rd GRAMMY awards took place at 7 pm (CT) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA, and ended three and half hours later. Artists that performed at the event include Eminem, Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Bruno Mars, Muse, Usher, Justin Bieber, Lady Antebellum, and many more.
Despite the many impressive and entertaining performances, doubts were expressed all around about the quality of this year’s awards. “Honestly, I felt that only a few artists were recognized this year. If it’s the GRAMMYs, you should see a wider range of music. You cannot honestly pick five songs or albums to represent 2010,” said Freshman Matt Feinberg.
This year’s awards have also been largely thought of as a disappointment, due to some of the winners of the awards. “This year kind of sucked. It was just people no one knows,” said Sophomore Njabulo Hlongwa.
For the previous week (GRAMMY Week) celebrations of music, fashion, and arts education were featured on CBS. This week leading up to the actual awards consisted of the Pre-GRAMMY Gala, GRAMMY Style Studio, GRAMMY Career Day, the Salute To series, and other events as well.
When Freshman Evan Brown was asked if he thought it was a good idea to give awards for music, he said, “Yes, they should. I think it builds artists’ confidence. Even if they don’t win, just being nominated is an achievement and motivation. It also lets them know how good they are and makes them try hard to win the next year. Then with the competition, the music gets better.”
“I don’t think music awards are necessary,” said Senior Anna Mast. “The people who are winning don’t need confidence boosts. If they’re on the GRAMMYS, they don’t need that extra assurance.”
Sophomore Jordi Pakey-Rodriguez admitted to not caring much about any sort of music awards. “It seems like pop music is the only thing that gets wins anything anymore.”
The main winning artist of 2010 was the country group Lady Antebellum, who won Record and Song of the Year for “Need You Now,” as well as Best Country Album. “Lady Antebellum shouldn’t have won all that. First of all, I’ve pretty much never heard of them. Who listens to stuff like Lady Antebellum?” said Junior Marvin Gladney.
It’s safe to say that most (if not all) were surprised when Best New Artist went to jazz vocalist/bassist Esperanza Spalding instead of teen pop star Justin Bieber. This 23-year-old’s win caused uproar throughout the music community, “I don’t even like Justin Bieber, but who is she? No one knows her,” said Hlongwa.
“I don’t like him (Justin Bieber), I mean, I’m jealous, but I don’t like his music. He’s like 12 and making millions off of screaming teens… There’s just no good music anymore,” said Freshmen Zach Heinricher.
Freshman Madison Harrison was also taken aback by the win of the jazz musician. “Esperanza Spalding’s first album came out in like 2006. I think Florence & the Machine should have won. They’re the best Indie band I’ve heard in like five years. They’re different, their music isn’t like everyone else’s.”
Mumford and Sons, an English folk rock band whose first album was released in the U.S. in February 2010, was nominated for Best New Artist. Junior Eli Kling said, “I like every single song on Mumford and Sons’ new album. They’ve got good variety, and they’re a breath of fresh air to the Indie and Folk genre.”
“I honestly shoveled my driveway for over an hour to Mumford & Sons’ album. They definitely deserved to win Best New Artist,” said Feinberg. “I’m going to make you a CD of their album and you are going to listen to it and then agree with me.”
Others supported Drake as the Best New Artist. “His album was a smash hit,” said Senior Elijah Grant “That CD’s lyrical content mentally and physically inspired my passion for music.”
Elijah also hoped for Jay-Z and Alicia Keys to win Record of the Year for “Empire State of Mind.” He says, “Jay-Z is statistically the best rapper alive.”
Esperanza Spalding is the very first jazz musician to win the GRAMMY for Best New Artist. She plays the double-bass instrument and sings along.
When she was 20 years old, she was offered a teaching job at Berklee College of Music, which is, according to Wikipedia, “the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world.”
This year, there are many differing opinions on Eminem scoring as the most nominated artist of this year with 10 nominations, thought he only won in two categories. Some fans believe that this year Eminem has gone mainstream and that his music isn’t as authentic as it used to be.
Freshman Aaliyah Johnson felt strongly that he should’ve win all or at least most of what he was nominated for. “Eminem is amazing. I go with him, he’s like my husband.” When asked what she thought about others’ thoughts that Eminem had gone mainstream with “Recovery,” Johnson said, “People should stop hating. He’s really talented and good at what he does, and they’re just jealous.”
On the other hand, Harrison had a different opinion on Eminem’s notable amount of nominations: “He doesn’t deserve it. He’s got this stuff with addiction, recovery, relapse, and whatever. I mean he does all these drugs and then comes back writing all these songs about being ‘recovered.’ Okay, ‘Love the Way You Lie’ is catchy I guess, but his new songs are all so shallow now.”
Feinberg believes that Eminem is “just an angry person.” “My sociology teacher even told me he’s an angry person. During his acceptance speech, when he was saying how happy he was, he still looked angry. That just shows that lots of money doesn’t make you happy.”
Cee Lo Green’s song “F— You” won Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Freshman Evan Brown thought it should have won Song and Record of the Year: “I freakin’ love that song. The music video is hilarious.”
Freshman Hannah Mohr thinks that Paramore’s song “The Only Exception” should’ve won Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group instead of “Hey, Soul Sister” by Train. “It’s me and my boyfriend’s song. Just kidding, but they played it at homecoming, and it’s everyone’s song.”
Mohr also agrees with Brown about Muse’s winning of Best Rock Album for “Resistance.” She said, “Muse should win because they’re just Muse.”
On the other hand, Freshman Matt Peterson felt Muse was undeserving of the award. “Muse isn’t rock. They’re like their own little thing where all their songs are the same. I like them, but every single song sounds alike.”
Students at UHS may have different opinions on music, and this year’s GRAMMYs just go to show that there isn’t and never will be just one favorite genre. Whether you enjoyed the GRAMMYs or not, the awards always showcase the world’s wide range and taste in modern music.
About The Author
