An electric performance by Miley Cyrus which was less singing, more a celebration of her first Grammy win; an awkward run-in between Taylor Swift and Celine Dion where Swift seemed to look away at the wrong moment; and rapper Jay-Z calling out Grammys for not awarding Black artists as much, the 66th Annual Grammy Awards saw plenty controversial moments which made for not just good TV but a memorable awards night. Here is a round-up of some of the key highlights from music’s biggest night:
1. Taylor-Celine's awkward run-in
Celine Dion (left) and Taylor Swift. (Image via Recording Company, CBS)
The 66th Grammy Awards were special for multiple reasons. My Heart Will Go On hitmaker Celine Dion's surprise appearance to present Album of the Year award was one of them.
A legend in her own right, winner of 6 Grammy Awards, Dion's appearance was special because she had spent a considerable time away from the limelight after she was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a neurological disorder which causes muscle stiffness and spasming.
As Swift walked up to accept Album of the Year, she surprisingly didn't make eye contact with Dion, or as much acknowledge her presence while accepting the award, which left many puzzled.
Later, a picture of Dion and Swift hugging backstage emerged, putting to rest all rumours of a feud. Swift hasn't yet commented on the incident.
2. Miley Cyrus throws shade at Liam Hemsworth
Ever since Miley dropped the ultimate self-love anthem last year, we bought ourselves flowers, wrote our names in the sand but the message that Cyrus wanted to send to her ex-lover Liam Hemsworth wasn't entirely lost on us.
Though Cyrus hasn't directly acknowledged it, the song did allude to her history with Hemsworth. Fun fact: it was released on ex-husband Liam's birthday (now, that's a hint!). Its lyrics are literally a reinvention of Bruno Mars song When I was Your Man, which Hemsworth dedicated to Cyrus.
Miley Cyrus. (Image via Recording Company, CBS)
It wasn't particularly surprising when Cyrus, in the middle of her performance at the 66th Grammys, reworked the lyrics on the spot. “I didn’t want to leave you,” she sang, before adding the line, “But had to.” She then sang, “I didn’t want to fight”, before adding the line, “But we did.” The performance continued with Miley singing, “Started to cry but then I remembered… I just won my first Grammy!”
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
3. Jay-Z calls out the Grammys for racism
Jay-Z with his daughter Blue Ivy on the Grammys stage. (Image courtesy Recording Academy website, CBS)
Grammys are known to be comparatively less controversial than the run-of-the-mill music award shows viz MTV VMAs (Video Music Awards), Billboard Music Awards, et al — but last night, rapper Jay-Z caused a stir by calling out the Recording Academy for never awarding Beyoncé Year with Album of the Award.
The rapper who is known for hit songs “Empire State of Mind” and “99 Problems” took the Grammy stage with his daughter Blue Ivy to accept the Dr Dre Global Impact Award. “Even by your own metrics it doesn’t work,” he said while highlighting that Beyoncé, despite having the most Grammy wins, has never won Album of the Year.
The rapper took his sharp critique several notches higher when he said “Some of you don’t belong in the category”, following it up with a cheeky remark “When I get nervous, I tell the truth” — this as the camera panned to Beyoncé in the audience.
Now that’s a moment that will be talked about for days to come.
4. Annie Lennox calls for ceasefire
Annie Lennox called for ceasefire on the Grammys stage. (Image via Recording Academy, CBS)
The 2024 award season has mostly been silent, with very few celebs using their influence to take the centre stage and call for a humanitarian ceasefire over Israel’s bombings of Gaza. During the in-memoriam tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor, Lennox appeared on stage with fellow ’80s icons Wendy & Lisa to give a moving performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U.”
“Artists for ceasefire! Peace in the world!” thundered Lennox from the stage as she raised a fist in the air, in a powerful show of solidarity.
5. Miley goes off at the Grammy audience
Miley Cyrus. (Image via Recording Academy, CBS)
While performing her hit Flowers, Cyrus noticed the Grammy audience wasn’t too enthused or singing along. Cyrus, who has in the past been vocal about how she was snubbed by the recording academy, said mid-performance, “Why are you acting like you don’t know this song?”, addressing the audience directly and calling them out for not singing along.
The camera immediately panned to Swift who was seen mouthing the lyrics to Flowers and Billie Eilesh, who hyped Cyrus through the night. Needless to say, Cyrus was on truth serum on the Grammys night and didn’t hold back when it came to speaking her mind.
6. Lana-Taylor recreate lip-reading scandal
Lana Del Ray and Taylor Swift gossip at the Grammys. (Image via Recording Academy, CBS)
Remember Selena Gomez-Taylor Swift lip reading controversy at the 81st Golden Globes? The professional lip readers on the Internet were convinced Gomez and Swift were gossiping about Timothée Chalamet and Kylie Jenner who were also in attendance that night — this purely based on raw footage from a fan cam which was recorded during the commercials. The video didn’t have the audio and the Internet was more than happy to guess.
During the Grammys, both Taylor and Lana used the accessories of their outfits — giant black fans to cover their lips while conversing with each other, as a way of recreating the now infamous moment.
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