The 2020 Grammys Recap: KOBE, LIZZO, CAMILA, LIL NAS X, BILLIE EILISH, & DEMI LOVATO

 1. A Tribute to Kobe Bryant 

Just hours before the event occurred, news was released that the famous basketball star Kobe Bryant and his daughter had passed away in a helicopter crash earlier that morning. The news shocked many people across the nation, and many artists at the Grammys red carpet admitted that it put a somber tone on the occasion. However, Kobe’s name was honored at the top of the show, with Lizzo kicking off the event by announcing “tonight is for Kobe.” Grammys host Alicia Keys also paid tribute to Kobe Bryant through her monologue. Following her heartfelt message for the retired NBA star, Keys was joined onstage by Boyz II Men to sing their hit song “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday.” The performance hit hard to those watching, as Kobe Bryant and his daughter Gianna are remembered at the bittersweet occasion. 

2. Stars Honor Prince and Nipsey Hussle 

The Grammy’s also made sure to honor Prince, about four years after his death. Usher, FKA Twigs and Sheila E. (who collaborated with Prince over many projects for years) took the stage to sing some of the late singer’s hit songs. The audience was entertained with their renditions of “Little Red Corvette”, “When Doves Cry”, and “Kiss.” Later in the show, Meek Mill, Roddy Rich, John Legend, DJ Khaled, Kirk Franklin and YG took the stage to honor Nipsey Hussle, who was fatally shot in Los Angeles last March. DJ Khaled’s song “Higher” featured the late singer, and later won a Grammy for best rap song. The producer dedicated the award to Hussle and expressed his love for him. 

3. Lizzo Kicks off the Show 

After dedicating the night to Kobe Bryant, Lizzo gave a sparkling performance of “Cuz I Love You” and her biggest hit of the year “Truth Hurts”. Her performance was accompanied by a full orchestra and ballerina dancers for the remixed orchestral version of both of the songs. The singer radiated confidence as she sang of self love and women empowerment. Her outfits also evoked the same vibe, as she donned an elegant black sparkly ball gown to an eye-catching bodysuit between songs. At the end of her performance, her flute floated down so she could end the performance on a high note (pun intended). Later in the event, Lizzo won Pop Solo Performance for “Truth Hurts”, Urban Contemporary Album for “Cuz I Love You”, and Traditional 

R&B Performance for “Jerome”. She was also the night’s most nominated artist, as she was also up for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Record of the Year, and R&B Performance.

4. Camila Cabello Honors Her Father 

Camila Cabello moved viewers with her first live performance of her new song “First Man” which is a tribute to her father who was watching from the front row. She sang about the promises she made to her father growing up and documenting their relationship throughout her life. Many people were brought to tears as video clips of her and her father played in the background. At the end of the performance, Camila went up to her father who was very emotional and sang the last part of the song directly to him. After the performance they embraced in a hug as the audience applauded. 

5. Lil Nas X performs Old Town Road

Lil Nas X also took the stage to perform his hit song Old Town Road. Alongside Lil Nas X was all of the artists that featured on the multiple official remixes for the song. The stage set up rotated to show different rooms with each new artist, as Lil Nas X transferred from room to room through a set of doors. The singer was joined by Billy Ray Cyrus, who is featured on the most popular version of the song, 13-year-old yodeler Mason Ramsey, the K-Pop boy band BTS, and Diplo. The only artist that was missing from this collaboration was Young Thug, whose part was taken over by Lil Nas X himself. The Old Town Road singer was also nominated for 6 awards. Later in the event, he won Best Music Video, and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. 

6. Billie Eilish Wins Big 

Billie Eilish swept the show by winning five Grammy awards, including all of the Big Four awards: Song of the Year, New Artist of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. The 18-year-old artist also won Pop Vocal Album for “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”. Billie Eilish set many records in one night, as she is now the second artist in Grammy history to take all four of the big awards and the first woman to accomplish this feat. She is also the youngest Album of the Year and Record of the Year winner in Grammy history, beating out Taylor Swift (who was 20 when she won Album in 2010) and Kimbra and Sam Smith (who were both 22 when they won Record in 2012 and 2014, respectively). Along with her older brother and collaborator FINNEAS, the two siblings took home ten Grammys after the event. 

7. Demi Lovato Returns to the Stage 

After a long struggle with her emotional and mental health, and some time in rehabilitation, Demi Lovato returned to the stage for her first live performance after two years. She was so overcome with emotion as she sang her new song “Anyone”, that she had to restart a second time. The audience showed an immense amount of support both during and after the 

performance, as many people were moved by her vulnerability and the pain-filled lyrics that discussed her battle with mental health and substance abuse. She was praised with a standing ovation at the end of the performance, and many of her peers took to Twitter to congratulate her for her strength and courage for speaking out on such a sensitive topic. 

Overall the 2020 Grammys had a very different tone to it than the previous years, as the music industry honored both the achievements of its top selling artists and the resilience of humans. Through music, many people were able to come together to share in their feelings and honor the names of people that the world has lost. Thus, the Grammys this year was not just a music awards show, but also a tribute to the emotional impact that music can have and the strength of those that are going through hard times. 

To hear all the music from this year's Grammys, you can listen to our Spotify Playlist for the 2020 Grammy Nominees.