Grammy Awards That Never Get Out Of Debate

H.E.R. (Instagram @RecordingAcad)

JAKARTA - The Grammy Awards ceremony which is held on Sunday, March 14 always attracts attention. There are many problems and questions that always accompany the broadcast. This year's edition is no exception.

The nominations for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year are a matter of debate among fans. How do you choose musicians to be nominated? Or, what is the difference between the three?

Album of the Year is one of the most prestigious nominations for the Grammy Awards. As the title implies, this nomination awards an album work, from the entire track to production.

Therefore, the nominations counted were an album containing more than one song. It can be said that this award is similar to the Best Picture at the Oscars.

For Record of the Year, these nominations go to performers, producers, sound engineers, sound mixers and more. This category is often confused with Song of the Year due to the selection of individual songs.

This year, singer Billie Eilish won the Record of the Year award for Everything I Wanted. But he was not alone because his older brother, Finneas, also received an award. Why? Because Finneas is the producer.

Then there is Song of the Year where this award appreciates those who wrote the song. How do you know? Judging by the Song of the Year nominee list, the singer's name always side by side with the writer and team behind the song.

An example is the HER song titled I Can't Breathe which won this category. HER was not nominated alone, but he was with Dernst Emile II and Tiara Thomas.

Black Lives Matter Issue

Social issues are always the talk of the Grammys. Audiences must be asking how do they support the movement that is resonating? The answer lies in the musicians who appear at the Grammys.

Black performers use their stage to voice the issue of the balance of race and life of black people.

Lil Baby, while singing The Bigger Picture, references police brutality in which a man in black is arrested before being shot in the back. She sings as the brutal scene is shown - similar to the murder of George Floyd.

HER was also called out when he went on stage to receive a Song of the Year nomination for the song I Can't Breathe. The song was written in response to the George Floyd case.

“We wrote this song through FaceTime and I can't imagine my fear and pain turning into influence and change. Remember, we are the changes we want to see. The struggle that we will do in the summer of 2020, stay with that energy, ”he said during his speech.

Singer Beyonce who set a Grammy history record of 28 trophies gave encouragement to the community. "I want to support and celebrate all the black kings and queens who inspire me and the whole world."

Tribute Controversy for Eddie Van Halen

Former Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone voiced his disappointment over the 'tribute' the Grammy Awards gave the late guitar legend Eddie Van Halen, which was only 15 seconds long. He commented, the legendary figure who changed the world of guitar deserves more than that.

Cherone, better known as the vocalist of Extreme, was joined by SiriusXM host Eddie Trunk, Living Color guitarist Vernon Reid and vocalist Fozzy Chris Jericho. They voiced similar sentiments about the Grammy treatment of an Eddie Van Halen.

The virtuoso was included in the In memoriam grammy section, which also pays tribute to Mary Wilson, Bonnie Pointer, Charlie Daniels, MF Doom and Pop Smoke. At the same time, a special tribute show was also held in memory of the late Kenny Rogers, Little Richard and John Prine.

Shortly after the segment aired, Cherone lashed out at the Grammys by saying, “Maybe an Artist who reimagines how one plays an instrument, continues to influence generations of musicians and, completely changes the course of rock 'n' Roll it deserves more than fifteen seconds. at the Grammys? #LongLiveTheKing "

Maybe an Artist that reimagined how one plays an instrument, who continues to influence generations of musicians and, literally changed the course of rock 'n' roll deserves more than fifteen second at the Grammys? #Long Age of the King

- Gary Cherone (@garycherone) March 15, 2021

Eddie Trunk echoed this sentiment, pulling a three-tweet thread condemning the coverage, saying, “So in more than 3 hours of the show, with 5 months of preparation, this is all #GRAMMYS can muster for one of the most iconic and influential artists in history. music… they reached a new level of shame and disrespect. I'm pissed off #PerfectGrammy. "

So in a more than 3 hour show, with 5 months to prepare, this is all #GRAMMYs could muster for one of the most iconic impactful artists in music history ... they reached new levels of shame & disrespect. I am besides myself. #FuckTheGrammys pic.twitter.com/YRaX55WFWW

- Eddie Trunk (@EddieTrunk) March 15, 2021

Then, Vernon Reid and Fozzy vocalist, Chris Jericho also commented.

SMH. Seriously? @RecordingAcad? https://t.co/ctNcmuSqxG

- Vernon Reid (@ vurnt22) March 15, 2021

Hey @RecordingAcad ... no tribute to @eddievanhalen tonight? You and your bullshit awards can GO FUCK YOUR ASS !! And don't ever try to give my band a nomination. I'd rather win a @RazzieAwards ... #FuckOffGrammys #Grammys

- Chris Jericho (@IAmJericho) March 15, 2021

Fraud

Cheating is one of the problems that have not escaped the discussion. From the selection of the nominations to the announcement of winners, cheating is always an excuse.

At the Grammy Awards this year, many musicians have voiced this cheating. The Weeknd, Drake, Wiz Khalifa, Zayn Malik, Tevana Taylor, and others feel that the Grammy committee is not very transparent in choosing nominations.

When The Weeknd mentioned Grammy Award cheating, the Recording Academy director Harvey Mason Jr. said no fraudulent attempts had occurred in the process.

“We listen to the whole music - even the album, so you play the whole album and spend how much time. It is a long, arduous process, and people risk their self-esteem. "

"The (Grammy committee) folks in the room care: it's not about their agenda here, no" let's cheat this guy ". It's about "Let's just listen and find the strengths."

Mason explained that there were tens of thousands of works submitted. Of course they can only provide support for the things that are on the list. The selection is made by listening and voting.

However, regardless of the issue, Harvey Mason Jr. said that the Recording Academy always evaluates the selection of nominations and there are no issues of cheating or racism that many netizens echo.