At the 64th Grammy Awards, Olivia Rodrigo, Silk Sonic, and jazz musician Jon Batiste shared the top prize.
We Are, by Batiste, was named album of the year, while Rodrigo was named best new artist and best pop album. Silk Leave The Door Open, Sonic’s soul throwback anthem, won both the record and song of the year awards. A tribute to Foo Fighters frontman Taylor Hawkins was paid during the ceremony, as was a video plea from Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelensky.
He urged musicians to “fill the silence” left by Russian bombs “with your music” in a pre-recorded message. “Please tell our story. Tell the truth about the war on social media and on television. However, there will be no silence.”
Following his speech, John Legend performed with Ukrainian musicians Siuzanna Iglidan and Mika Newton, as well as poet Lyuba Yakimchuk. Lil Nas X, Billie Eilish, and BTS all gave energetic performances at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, and folk icon Joni Mitchell made a rare on-stage appearance to introduce Brandi Carlile.
The “big four” categories were expanded to include ten nominees each, making this year’s Grammys one of the most open in years. However, the Recording Academy prefers artists who acknowledge their musical roots, which helped Silk Sonic and Jon Batiste win their respective categories.
We Are, Batiste’s album, is steeped in black music tradition, from the New Orleans jazz he grew up with to Al Green’s classic soul to modern R&B.
In 2020, the title track was written in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and the album’s themes of positivity and intergenerational wisdom made it a favourite with voters, who gave Batiste 11 Grammy nominations. Bruno Mars and rapper/drummer Anderson collaborated on Silk Sonic.
Plough a similar furrow, Paak. Leave The Door Open, their sumptuous ballad, is steeped in the 70s soul sounds of acts like The Chi-Lites and Earth, Wind & Fire, delivered with a knowing wink to modern sensibilities.
The duo were clearly ecstatic with their song of the year and record of the year victories.
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