Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
Held in downtown Los Angeles, Sunday night’s Grammy Awards paid homage to a city recovering from devastating wildfires. Host Trevor Noah set the tone in his opening monologue by recognizing audience members who lost their homes to the flames, and later welcomed local firefighters to be honored onstage (one of whom was thrilled to award album of the year to Beyoncé, finally, for “Cowboy Carter”). L.A. native Billie Eilish was one of a few artists to perform in front of a slideshow of nearby landscapes. Compton legend Kendrick Lamar dedicated his record of the year win for “Not Like Us” to the city that raised him, a theme he repeated in his song of the year acceptance speech.
The fire metaphor even extended to a pointed political statement made by Alicia Keys, the 17-time Grammy winner who accepted a career award celebrating global impact. She praised DEI programs, which the Trump administration has attacked in its early days, and said that “when destructive forces try to burn us down, we rise from the ashes like a phoenix.”
Her words earned loud applause from the audience of music luminaries, who were also treated to mood-lightening performances throughout the night. Newer artists dominated the stage, including genre winners like Doechii (best rap album) and Sabrina Carpenter (best pop vocal album). Toward the end of the show, the Grammys stuck to tradition by presenting a strange, intergenerational mix of artists during a Quincy Jones tribute (Herbie Hancock, Stevie Wonder and … Lainey Wilson?). Viewers at home witnessed a lengthy performance of a new song by Lady Gaga, which turned out to be a Mastercard commercial.
Some acts landed. Others fell flat. Here’s a ranking of the night’s performances, from best to worst.
1. Doechii
Where do we even start with Doechii’s performance? There was that exquisite gray Thom Browne schoolgirl uniform and the legion of schoolgirl dancers. There was the capital-F flexibility. (Who raps while holding a split? Apparently Doechii does!) There was the choreography, with Doechii giving us some “Chicago” energy – but in her skivvies and a pair of loafers. Fresh off winning her first Grammy for the mixtape “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” the Florida native performed a medley that was sexy, ferocious and despicably fresh. Though squeezed in between other best new artist nominees, Doechii’s performance was the Grammys at its absolute best: heralding a new voice and elevating a star whose moment has definitely arrived. – Anne Branigin
2. Chappell Roan
It’s been a remarkable year for Chappell Roan, the self-proclaimed Midwest Princess who might one day rule the entire country. Despite experiencing the downside of overexposure, she has continued to speak her mind – evidenced by her acceptance speech for best new artist, in which she advocated for developing musicians to be paid a living wage and granted health insurance. Her performances are just as bold. During a rendition of “Pink Pony Club” that brought audience members to their feet, she rode a giant prop horse and even crawled across the stage. Background dancers dressed in country clothes and clown makeup mimicked her boisterous movements. Never change, Chappell. – Sonia Rao
3. Charli XCX
Brat summer feels like ancient history, but Charli XCX just sang “Von Dutch” like it was Memorial Day. She might have lost album of the year – after earning two Grammys in the pre-telecast earlier in the day – but exuded the confidence of a winner as cameras followed her characteristically unruly performance from the parking garage to the stage. She enlisted a few collaborators to join her there, including producer The Dare, who doubled the chaos by making out with a random woman. If only Billie Eilish had appeared for the “Guess” remix. – Chris Richards and S.R.
4. Sabrina Carpenter
Carpenter knows how to put on a lively show, and her performance of “Espresso” was no exception. She started out singing in a jazzy style, paired with choreography that would have made Bob Fosse proud (maybe), then returned to the hit song’s original style. It’s an upbeat track, so that was fun on its own, but then she tossed in some of “Please Please Please.” Wait, hold on – a tap break? This girl really does it all. – S.R.
5. Raye
If you didn’t know Raye before, you do now! The best new artist nominee’s performance of “Oscar Winning Tears” from her album “My 21st Century Blues” was a showstopper. She was giving off Amy Winehouse vibes with her sprawling range, hitting notes that might have been hitherto unknown. Extra points for the old-school vibes and the jazzy big band. – Herb Scribner
6. Shaboozey
Sporting heeled emerald boots and an eggplant purple suit that looked inspired by the famous Nudie suits of cowboy couture’s flamboyant 1960s heyday, Shaboozey gave a straightforward performance of his hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” With a bevy of line dancers behind him, the 29-year-old gave us a two-step and some finger snapping. But while the Beyoncé collaborator seemed to be having a lot of fun singing “Everybody at the bar getting tipsy” (who wouldn’t when their song spent 19 weeks at No. 1?), the performance had less razzle and dazzle than the rest of his best new artist cohort. – H.A.
7. Billie Eilish
Does Billie Eilish keep getting invited to sing on live television because she’s great at it? Or is she great at singing on live television because people keep inviting her? She made it look easy-breezy again – this time with her song and record of the year contender “Birds of a Feather.” – C.R.
8. Quincy Jones tribute
Well, if you’re gonna do a tribute to Quincy Jones (and you should!), you might as well assemble a dream team of performers for it. We saw Herbie Hancock on the piano while Cynthia Erivo performed “Fly Me to the Moon” – and she absolutely crushed it. Lainey Wilson took over for Erivo with a performance of “Let the Good Times Roll” (with Jacob Collier on keys). And then there was Stevie Wonder, who performed a little “Bluesette” for everyone. Quite a crew! We even got a cover of “We Are the World.” Janelle Monáe wrapped up the tribute with a slick take on “Don’t Stop ’til You Get Enough,” channelling Michael Jackson in her performance. An eclectic mix, but a fun one – kind of like Jones’s résumé. – H.S.
9. Teddy Swims
Teddy Swims showed up with some red sunglasses and a rose-covered coat, and gave the audience a sultry performance of “Lose Control.” Definitely a slower performance compared with the others on the night, but there’s no question his lyrics connected with the crowd and at least made us feel something. – H.S.
10. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars offered a tribute to L.A. with their cover of the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’.” Gaga swayed in circles during the song, while Mars, wearing a cowboy hat, nailed his typical Bruno Mars notes, bringing the crowd to its feet in celebration. It provided a warm moment to honour the first responders and families affected by the fires, but far from the best show of the night. – H.S.
11. Shakira
Shakira certainly knows how to win over a crowd, even if her performance was a little light on substance. There was belly dancing, hips-not-lying, EDM beats and lots of bright lights, but less punch than you’d hope for. – H.S.
12. Dawes (and company)
Of the many, many songs about Los Angeles they had to choose from, the Grammys picked Randy Newman’s fizzy 1983 bop “I Love L.A.” “I Love L.A.” wasn’t a chart-topper when it was first released, but the following year Los Angeles hosted the 1984 Summer Olympics and Newman’s hometown ballad became a hit. The actual lyrics about sunshine and happiness and mountains (and, um, Santa Ana winds) aren’t the point (and have been debated as mildly sarcastic). Really, the whole thing is just an excuse to shout, “We love it!” because – duh! – it’s Los Angeles. What’s not to love? So it made sense the L.A. folk-rock band Dawes would kick off this show in a fire-ravaged city, performing a song with the singular purpose of putting a smile on your face. Backed by a supergroup made up of John Legend, Sheryl Crow, Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard and St. Vincent, the performance was a necessary boost. – H.A.
13. Benson Boone
Sorry to this man – who seems very nice and is talented enough to have spent a considerable amount of time last year on the Billboard Hot 100 – but between the aerobic dancing and an outfit change into a sparkly, light blue jumpsuit, his performance played like a lesser version of the one Sabrina Carpenter delivered earlier in the night. It’s not Boone’s fault that Grammys producers chose to have him perform so soon after her, but we aren’t sure he would’ve stood out elsewhere, either. His viral hit “Beautiful Things,” however, might be stuck in your head for the rest of time. – S.R.
14. Khruangbin
It took us a minute to figure out who was performing, and it wasn’t because we don’t like their music. Coming in straight from a commercial break, Khruangbin played with all the verve of a jazz quartet dutifully pumping out background music to a room full of clanking silverware and cigar smoke. Their showing ended up being part of a set of back-to-back performances from all the best new artist nominees. In retrospect, it was a small mercy that the band wasn’t sandwiched between their livelier, more compelling counterparts. – A.B.
15. The Weeknd and Playboi Carti
Leading into tonight, the Grammys had been teasing a surprise guest performer. A lot of guesses circulated online, but in the end, the only thing more anticlimactic than the reveal – the Weeknd! – was the subsequent performance. In 2021, the Weeknd vowed a permanent boycott of the Grammys after the Recording Academy snubbed “After Hours” – a pretty glaring oversight, considering the lead single “Blinding Lights” was a global smash and he had recently headlined the Super Bowl halftime show. (His pledge also followed several high-profile rebukes of the Academy for the way it has historically overlooked Black and female artists.) His return was presented by Recording Academy chair Harvey Mason Jr. as a triumphant comeback, an indicator of strides the industry has made in recent years. In reality, we got a curiously bundled-up Canadian pop star giving us a perfectly adequate but instantly forgettable performance alongside his compadre Playboi Carti. Was that even the Weeknd underneath that heavy winter coat? We can’t be sure. – A.B.