Gabriella Morrone ‘28
At the Grammys, the Album of the Year award is considered the most important award given to an artist. It’s often seen as the equivalent of the Best Picture award at the Oscars, recognizing the overall star quality of an album.
Unlike other Grammy categories that focus on singular songs, Album of the Year focuses on the entire album, including the songwriting, production, performance, and balance across the tracklist. Nominees for the award this year were, Cowboy Carter: Beyonce, New Blue Sun: André 3000, Short n' Sweet: Sabrina Carpenter, BRAT Charli XCX, Djesse Vol. 4: Jacob Collier, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT: Billie Elish, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess: Chappell Roan, and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT: Taylor Swift. This year, Beyoncé took home the big award, and it sparked controversy amongst most music lovers.
For performance, based on the stream count of all albums, Billie Elish’s Hit Me Hard and Soft had the most streams with 6 billion worldwide. Some of the other top contenders were Chappell Roan: with 2.8 billion streams, Taylor Swift: with 1.76 billion streams worldwide, and Beyoncé: with over 1.74 billion streams.
However, success is not all The Academy looks for. They look at the quality of the album as well. Over 13,000 members of the Recording Academy listen to the album and vote on who wins the awards. One of the Recording Academy voters, Adiv, a singer/songwriter, explained why he voted for Beyoncé’s album after the win sparked controversy on the internet. He explained that he believed that artists like Taylor Swift & Billie Elish made a different version of the “same album they always made.” He explained that by creating an album of a completely new genre, Beyoncé showed that she was able to create something new & good.
Amidst the controversy, Bonnies had much to say about who should've won the big award this year. Many voted in favor of Billie Elish’s album Hit Me Hard and Soft. Many called it Billie’s greatest work. They complemented the style of songwriting, showcasing her growth as an artist and expressing her vulnerability & identity.
Anaiah Fowlkes (‘28) stated, “I feel like Billie Elish really put a lot of her essence and soul in Hit Me Hard and Soft… I feel like it was a better album overall, especially since people often listen to pop music rather than country.”
Gianna Franzese (‘28) took a different approach, talking about the success of the album. She stated, “I think Billie Elish deserved Album of the Year because her songs are always on the radio, and not a lot of people know the album that won as much as [Hit Me Hard and Soft]...”
Overall, it is not surprising that the Grammy Awards left people angry, as they do every year. Amid all the controversy, it's important to remember that the Grammys are a night to celebrate all artists' hard work and determination. It’s important to remember to be respectful & kind to artists who win, even though they may not always be your favorites.
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