By Julia Sheth
Arts Editor
Unoriginal and over-the-top, this years Grammys – the most watched music awards show – proved to be a disappointment.
Although there were a few engaging stand-out performances, the Grammys failed to live up to what is expected of major awards shows, with too many unnecessarily dramatic and confusing acts.
The highlight act of this year’s Grammy awards show was R&B singer Beyoncé. She had the most refreshing, engaging and socially relevant solo performance. Beyoncé performed the song “Take My Hand, Precious Lord,” paying homage to African American rights, as this song was a popular symbol of the Civil Rights Movement. She promoted social awareness while exuding intense emotion and producing captivating harmonies with a chorus of African American men that stood behind her.
Despite this performance, a majority of the Grammy acts did not impress. The worst performances were pop singers Madonna and Pharrell Williams. Madonna performed her song “Living for Love,” and the whole act ended up being far too provocative and ritualistic. She wore a flamboyant red jumpsuit and was backed by a crew of backup dancers dressed as obscure wild animals. Her vocals were not consistent, and her choreography was so sexual and disturbing that it distracted from the actual music.
Williams performed his song “Happy,” and his performance took his naturally upbeat pop song and turned it into a sci-fi and futuristic disaster. Throughout his performance, there was too much happening on stage, with dancers and brightly dressed violinists, making it hard to understand what was going on. Additionally, Pharrell’s attempt at mixing his pop style with a techno style ultimately failed as both the song’s tempo and pitch sounded awkward at multiple points.
Not only were there multiple disappointing performances at the Grammys, but the host, LL Cool J, failed to impress. His transitions were unenthusiastic and content-lacking, making them completely unnecessary. For example, he would introduce artists who had already been introduced by other speakers. It seemed as though the whole program could have done entirely without him, which would have saved time from the already over-extended show.
Overall, the Grammy Awards were disappointing because, despite a few interesting and relevant performances, the show was riddled with unnecessary and puzzling acts.
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