There hasn’t been a theatrical coup worthy of Will Smith’s slap in the face of Chris Rock on Oscar night. On the other hand, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – who was announced at the Academy ceremony but not seen – this time really revealed himself, sending an unequivocal message to the world of music in support of his people’s cause. The Grammys awarded the best of stars and stripes music from the MGM casino in Las Vegas, after the postponement of late January due to Covid. Triumph for the soul-funk duo Silk Sonic composed by Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak: the two artists won for the Record of the Year, for the song of the year and for the best R&B song with Leave the Door Open.
Acknowledgments for Olivia Rodrigo and Gaga-Bennett
The award for the best album of 2021 went to We Are by jazzman Jon Baptiste who had arrived on the eve of the awards with eleven nominations and in the end won five. 19-year-old Olivia Rodrigo, a young starlet born in Disney TV who according to many critics could have stocked up on the most important awards, took home only those for the best pop album (Sour), best individual pop performance (Drivers Licence) and for the best emerging artist. An award – best traditional pop vocal album – went to Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett for Cole Porter’s song album Love for Sale. For the 95-year-old crooner who stayed home because he had Alzheimer’s, it was the 14th Grammy of his long career.
The feat of Jon Baptiste
Great affirmation for Batiste who also won Grammy as the one for best video, beating fierce competition that included Rodrigo, Lil Nas X and Billie Eilish. Receiving the coveted statuette for best album, he recalled that the categories of awards, as well as art, are subjective: «Music for me is more than entertainment. It’s a spiritual practice, ”said the musician who is at home at CBS, being bandleader on the Stephen Colbert Show of the night. Rappers Doja Cat and Sza were awarded for Kiss Me More, judged the best non-individual pop performance: “I’ve never peed so fast in my life,” said Doja, reached by the announcement of the award while in the bathroom. The celebration “in memoriam” recalled, among others, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters who died on tour on March 25 and composer Stephen Sondheim. Foo Fighters win statuettes for best rock album (Medicine at Midnight), best rock song (Waiting on war) and best rock performance (Making a fire).
Zelensky: fill the silence of death with music
The video-recorded appeal of Zelenski dominated everything: the Ukrainian president asked music fans in America to use social media to “tell the truth about the war” and to support the cause of Ukraine “in every possible way. , but not with silence. “Our musicians wear bulletproof vests instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded in hospitals, even to those who don’t hear them, ”he said in English. “But the music will break through anyway. We are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The silence of death. Fill the silence with your music ». Hence the invitation to “fill the silence of death with music”.
