This year, the 2022 Grammy Awards were interesting, with several notable wins and snubs for each category. The fashion choices of the night also stood out, as the stylists of some stars didn't fully fulfill the dress requirements for the event. Further, the ceremony seemed long and drawn out, with celebrities just walking the carpet or talking amongst themselves for a large part of the coverage.
Big Winners
Record of the Year: The first big win of the night worth mentioning is the award for Record of the Year, which went to “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic (composed of Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak). The duo opened the show with an electrifying performance and went on to complete a clean sweep of all four categories in which they were nominated, including Best R&B Performance, which made waves as it was a tie between Silk Sonic and Jazmine Sullivan. Both artists ended up taking home awards. Silk Sonic also won Best R&B Song, Song of the Year and, of course, Record of the Year.
Best New Artist: This category was well deserved for young artist Olivia Rodrigo, who not only took home this award but also the awards for Best Pop Solo Performance (“drivers license”) and Best Pop Vocal Album (“SOUR”).
Best Rock Performance: The rock category this year was swept by the Foo Fighters, winning every subcategory except Best Metal Performance, which was awarded to Dream Theater for their song “The Alien.” The Foo Fighters won Best Rock Performance for “Making a Fire,” Best Rock Album for “Medicine at Midnight” and Best Rock Song for “Waiting on a War.”
Best Rap Album: The rap category was diverse this year, with all subcategories having different winners. Most notably, Tyler, the Creator won Best Rap Album for “Call Me If You Get Lost,” with other wins going to Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West.
Best Country Album: This year, Chris Stapleton swept almost all of the country subcategories, excluding the win for Best Country Duo/Group performance since he is a single performer. Stapleton took home three awards, winning Best Country Solo Performance for “You Should Probably Leave,” Best Country Song for “Cold” and Best Country Album for “Starting Over.”
Best Song Written for Visual Media: The visual media category sparked some exciting wins, with Bo Burnham deservedly winning this subcategory for his song “All Eyes on Me” from his Netflix special “Inside.” The other tie for the night also happened in this category, with both “The Queen’s Gambit” and “Soul” winning for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.
Best Music Film: The last major win for the night came when Questlove won this subcategory for his documentary “Summer of Soul.” The film about the Harlem cultural festival of 1969 showcases a spread of Black history, music, culture and fashion. It also just earned an Oscar win.
Big Snubs & Points of Confusion
Album of the Year: A notable upset of the night came when Jon Batiste won for the subcategory, with many people thinking it should've gone to any of the other artists nominated. This is not to say Batiste didn't deserve the award, especially considering he was the most celebrated guest of the night, with over 11 nominations and five wins. By the numbers, he was actually the biggest winner of the night.
Best Comedy Album: This year's win for Best Comedy Album was horrid, as Louis C.K. won for his standup performance. The comedian has had a history of sexually harassing and abusing women, and several allegations were made against him that have been confirmed. In his album, he jokes about these accusations and makes light of the violence he has done to so many women over the course of his career. His win cemented the idea that violence against women in the industry is openly accepted and praised. Many people were quick to point out that many male comedians and music artists were loudly voicing their opinion over the slap at the Oscars, but refused to open their mouths about this win and its horrible implications for women everywhere.
To see the rest of the award nominees and winners, visit GRAMMY.com.
