When this article is published in April, it will be officially two months since this year’s Grammy award ceremony. Just like every year, the praise and criticism of its authority either fades in the public’s eye or remains hardcore. Commentaries often bring up the idea that the music industry should be diverse and celebrated equally, just like what we celebrate here at FDR. The majority point of view of critics, and the public, is the Recording Academy of Music seems to always fail to reach this goal, especially when it comes to the topic of women in music. However, this situation seems to be changed in the 66th Grammy. 

In the 66th Grammy ceremony, Taylor Swift made history by being the first artist ever to accept four of the largest awards in the music industry, for her 2022 record Midnight. This achievement follows her huge commercial success on the Eras tour, making her one of the most, if not the most dominant, figures in this industry. However, honestly, I’m kind of disappointed. This disappointment didn’t come from the success of the album or her connection with her huge fanbase. To put it in simple terms, I’m more disappointed in Midnight than Taylor. The album just seems to be overly generic in terms of its production and its concepts, even though Swift’s lyrics always set a high standard for capturing small details. It is just because of the predominant focus on small details that it fails to mark the general direction of the album, making it bland and a little boring. But it is still exciting that Ms. Swift is going to drop a new album this April, and I will be looking forward to that. (My list is SOS/Ocean Blvd, Guts, The Record, Midnight/Age Of Pleasure, World Music Radio/Endless Summer Vacation)

Aside from the big disappointment, the Grammys always set its standard to focus on the commercial side of the industry; that’s why Midnight is a strong competitor in its nomination. Flower by Miley Cyrus is another example of a nomination for high commercial success. I am not saying the song is bad or anything, but it is definitely not the best track from her 2023 LP Endless Summer Vacation. With this being said, I’m still ok with the two wins (Record Of The Year/Best Pop Vocal Performance) for Miley since her huge success last year can’t be ignored. On the other hand, What Was I Made For?, by Billie Eilish, won Song Of The Year which I would say is well deserved. The O’Connell duo did pull off a new, fresh vocal arrangement, followed by the highly sympathetic lyrics of the track that really set off the overall theme of the movie, “Barbie,” and reflect Billie’s personal career. Although there is still some minor pity for the loss of (Kill Bill) SZA and (A&W) Lana Del Rey in the general category. 

As the general field was revealed, it demonstrates a phenomenal number of all female artists winning the general field, which should be celebrated compared to previous years when male artists still took the dominant position in the industry. No matter if it is the outstanding performance of Boygenius, Paramore, or other female artists like Tyla, Victoria Monet, and Laufey, it is safe to say that women dominated in the 66th Grammy. Even though there is pity for Lana Del Rey, who scored zero wins out of her five nominations, in my personal opinion, she deserved way more than that- and Olivia Rodrigo, who even worse, scored zero wins out of her six nominations. But, at the end of the day, I will cite a quote from Cyrus at the Grammys: “Not everyone in the world will get a Grammy, but everyone in the world is spectacular.”