TGJ Roundtable: GRAMMY Awards 2024 Review

Now, we give you a front-row seat to the show. In a format similar to ‘The View’ and your favorite panel shows, TGJ editors get real in a very candid way.

Today’s roundtable topic asks each anchor their thoughts on the…

GRAMMYs 2024

Sam

Music’s Biggest Night may have been missing some of the industry’s heaviest hitters, but it delivered in its own way.

In the words of Mariah Carey (who graced the show with her presence), the GRAMMYs 2024 very much gave ”doing the best with what I got.”

For, what it lacked in mega-wattage performances, it made up for across the other pillars of the ceremony – namely its winners and surprise moments.

Let’s get into it!

Beyond Fantasia and Dua Lipa’s electrifying showings, I wasn’t particularly moved by the majority of the ceremony’s other live performances.

While those ladies showed up and showed out with a Tina Turner tribute and a fierce medley of hits (new and known), most of their peers delivered phoned-in offerings.

SZA’s performance, for instance, made for a cluttered watch and adds to the growing list of showings that don’t quite capture the “colossal-ness” of the current era she’s in.

Elsewhere Burna Boy ignited the stage with a heavily plugged spectacle, yet I just couldn’t shake the feeling that it should have been one scorching showing of ‘Sittin’ On Top Of The World’ (the nominated track) rather than a three-song medley that didn’t allow any one song to truly shine in the way the nominated cut could have. Also, 21 Savage standing around like he was waiting for a bus was especially grating. Brandy, as ever, was a treat to watch and hear (the Vocal Bible!).

On the winner’s front, the clean sweeps appear to be a relic of the past. In its place, there’s now a more equal distribution of winners that spread the triumph across a wider pool of acts.

Thus there are a multitude of success narratives to pass around that warm, fuzzy feeling of achievement that comes with a GRAMMY win. From Tyla’s touchdown to the crowning of Victoria Monét’s 15-year grind to Miley Cyrus bagging her first gramophones (including one of the biggest of the night). All of which brought with them impassioned speeches.

Speaking of speeches, JAY-Z – the Global Impact Award honouree – gagged the people with facts and stats that turned the volume up on a sentiment many have felt for a long time. Regarding Beyonce being snubbed and beyond. I love me an off-script moment; it’s what the best shows are made of.

Surprise appearances are also joyous, especially when they come in the form of Celine Dion! Given the health-related headlines that have put a pause on her career, it was amazing to see this bonafide legend in great spirits.

Add Taylor Swift’s surprise album announcement into the mix and this stands as “the” GRAMMY edition where the performance of music was outperformed by…everything else around it.

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Rashad

While admittedly far from excited when I saw the roster heading into the GRAMMYs, a few performances into the ceremony showed me I couldn’t have been more wrong for doubting the prowess of those slated to perform.

A majority of the performers got standing ovations and – from where I stand – they were mostly deserved. Dua set the bar HIGH with her jaw-dropping showing of ‘Houdini’ and new song ‘Training Season.’ As the resident Lipa stan I couldn’t be prouder to see her come out of her shell and really keep upping the ante for herself. Tracy Chapman and Billie Eilish were respectively MESMERIZING, leaving me saying “damn” after both performances.

And while I wasn’t as blown away by SZA as I wanted to be, I still think she gave one of the best showings of her career to date.

The highlight of the night came courtesy of my girl Fantasia who has always proven herself a surefire on the performance front (especially when it comes to tributes), but I don’t think any of us – including audience members – were ready for the fire she was about to set to that stage. She is an absolute phenom.

All-in-all, I will argue this is the best GRAMMYs we’ve seen in a loooong time. The awards went to the expected parties – especially that album of the year win. Either way, my only critique is that it didn’t make sense that Coco Jones and Victoria Monet were both so highly nominated yet neither had a performance slot at the pre- or main show.

Good job GRAMMYs! It was good to see so many female nominees and winners, and great to see Mariah and Celine in the house!

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Joe

This year, the GRAMMYs were FUN! The whole vibe seemed way more chill than in previous years. I’m not sure if it’s a reflection on the contenders’ list or the performers’ one, but the overall ambiance felt very enjoyable.

As good as Dua Lipa’s performance was, it felt a bit too ‘Future Nostalgia’ for my liking, from the sound of the new song to the staging and choreography. Curious to see where they go next with this project.

Miley Cyrus served vocals, dialogue, and… Tina – with the latter being unnecessary considering Fantasia was coming to bring the house down with her own performance. I won’t lie, I would have preferred a heartfelt rendition of the beautiful and powerful song that is ‘Flowers,’ but she was a true rockstar and she delivered solidly.

SZA killed her cinematic performance – pun definitely intended. Olivia Rodrigo didn’t give much. Fantasia by contrast took us all the way down that river Ms. Turner was belting about.

Happy to see the legends on deck. Mariah, Brandy, Tracy Chapman, Joni Mitchell and, of course, Celine Dion came over to bless the youngins with their remarkable presence and talent.

I still don’t get for the life of me why Victoria Monét didn’t hit the stage for a blazing performance of the deserving ‘On My Mama.’ But to see her going home with 3 prizes made it all ok.

Having said all of that, one thing about the GRAMMYs: there’s a consistent thread about recognizing Black artists, and yesterday’s festivities were no different.

While Black excellence was rightfully celebrated, there’s still a “something” clouding things. Although no one is owed any award by any means, the cracks are getting bigger and it’s starting to get really boring.

But hey, we’ll all be tuned in next year to see if they “get it right” as Mr Shawn Carter asked them anyway.

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Do you agree with our picks? Who was spot on? Let us know your thoughts on the latest TGJ Roundtable and your thoughts on the GRAMMYs 2024.

Your thoughts?

[Photo Via: Recording Academy / Getty]