Every year, people wait for the Grammys to come around, hoping to see their favorite artists on stage whether it be for an award or performance. This year, unlike others, has faced a lot more backlash in regards to its award system.

Despite COVID-19 being an issue, the Grammys held an award show this year following safety guidelines. There were many well known artists who went either because of a nomination or a performance they had planned prior to the ceremony. Senior, Angelique Mauldin, enjoyed this year’s performances since they were done so well.

“A lot of my faves went to the Grammys like Bad Bunny, Megan Thee Stallion, Harry Styles, Doja Cat, Cardi B and a lot more. I’ve watched a few of the performances and everyone really performed well. My favorites had to have been Taylor Swift, Megan, Dua Lipa and BTS,” stated Mauldin.

There were a range of mixed feelings in regards to the award show, people feeling like their favorite artists weren’t given proper attention for their talent. As the years went on, artists have dreamed of finally winning a Grammy through their hard work. However, due to the system, this has been limited. Junior, Mary Harvey, feels like the Grammys aren’t even about music anymore and it’s just about popularity.

“The Grammys are definitely unfair. Rina Sawayama was snubbed for her album even though Elton John said it was the greatest album of 2020. Tyler the Creator also talked about how his album IGOR got a Grammy for the best rap album, but it wasn’t rap which was offensive to him. The way I see it is that the Grammys aren’t an award show celebrating music anymore, it’s mainly a popularity contest. We have plenty of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z and Beyonce protesting against the Grammys,” stated Harvey

Award shows are typical in regards to pop culture, instances like the Oscars and Billboard. A lot of artists hope to make it to these award shows when they start off only to be met with some type of corruption. To Junior, Natalie Mitchell, the music industry as a whole isn’t fair.

“I think that the music industry primarily focuses on white males and their success which leads to big artists who don’t get the recognition they deserve. Now, music shows are based on who gets their song the most played on the radio or TikTok even. Voting on the polls isn’t fair since it’s not even the audience that makes the decision anymore,” stated Mitchell.

As time goes on, more people of color are putting themselves into the music industry and succeeding in terms of their talent. Artists like SZA and BTS are constantly being watched as people enjoy their music. However, the Grammys haven’t brought themselves to see what the rest of the world sees. Sophomore, Rital Bharatee, feels like the Grammys is set up against people of color.

“I do think people of color do have a severe disadvantage when it comes to the Grammys as they are under-acknowledged for their hard work and influence they have made on the music industry. From my understanding, many of the awards that are typically heavily dominated by people of color were not even properly televised on the main broadcast and was aired during a pre show that wasn’t even live,” stated Bharatee.

As people pay more attention to the Grammys, they notice a continuing pattern. Mauldin feels like the award show is continuously becoming more biased as the years go on. This is important to a lot of people since they feel like their artists are being cheated out of what they deserve.

“The same celebrities win awards at the Grammys because the Grammys clearly have favorites. Those who do what they want typically get the award since they are appealing so much to the administration. Their faves always tend to be white artists and rarely give attention to artists of color,” stated Mauldin.

The Grammys have been under fire before, this year just bigger than prior years. A lot of people want a change and are tired of seeing the same artists win awards they get far too easily. WIthout the change, there could be a chance that more and more people will begin to boycott the award show.