The 68th annual Grammy Awards was one for the books, with a few beloved artists making public comebacks for the first time in years.
My favorite part of the Grammys is the performances, and there were some top-tier ones for sure — as well as some not-so-great ones.
Although I would love to include the pre-show performances, I’m not sure we would have enough space on the homepage if I did so. We’re keeping this centered around the main event only — although it’d be a disservice not to shout out Zara Larsson’s acoustic performance of “Midnight Sun.” I also couldn’t possibly move forward without mentioning Post Malone, Reba McEntire and Ms. Lauryn Hill’s tributes and memoriams, which were nothing short of star quality.
Let’s get into it.
1. Tyler, The Creator – If you watched the Grammys this year, you know I don’t really have to say much here. I wasn’t sure how Okonma was going to top his last Grammys performance in 2020, but boy, did he. Like, who else is going to drive a car across the main stage and then dance on top of it? And then he blew it up, on top of that. His performance quality is stellar, and the storytelling aspect really encapsulated that “Chromakopia” vibe.
2. Sabrina Carpenter – If Carpenter is going to deliver on one thing, it’s killing her theme. Beyond that, she sure does know how to put on a show. The dance break in the middle was so cute. “Manchild” is a hard song to sing, for sure, and she sounded amazing in her darling pilot-esque attire. No notes.
3. Olivia Dean – Definitely my favorite out of the Best New Artist segment. Dean is a class act, and her bubbly stage presence kept what would have otherwise been a pretty simple performance very enjoyable.
4. Clipse and Pharrell Williams – I think this is my favorite vocal performance of Williams’ of all time. He sounded heavenly, and choral reinforcements always steal my heart. I was obsessed with the switch-up when Clipse came out. This was so, so good.
5. Justin Bieber – I give Bieber major props for returning back to the stage the way he did. I really enjoyed the stripped-down vibe — literally, he was wearing nothing but boxers — and I love a loop pedal moment. He was a little shaky at the start, but recovered quickly, and his voice sounds just as stunning, if not better than before. Absolutely not bad at all for his first major public performance in four years.
6. Rosè and Bruno Mars – Definitely the right choice for the opening performance, and their vocalism is what puts them at number six for me. Rosé was so fun, and Mars was shredding on guitar. I wasn’t knocked off my feet or anything, but it was good. I feel as if they were almost taken over by the band, though.
7. The Marías – The Marías are always good; I expected nothing less. María Zardoya’s vocals were perfection, and Jesse Perlman’s guitar solo had even Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell grooving out. There was nothing crazy visually here, as they were still and surrounded in a moody blue light, but that matches their typical aesthetic perfectly.
8. Katseye – The transition into their performance was fire, shoutout to Addison Rae. They were great performers, but it was nothing super different from what they usually do. The backstage moment was fire, and they were the first girl group to perform since Destiny’s Child 24 years ago.
9. Alex Warren – Stay with me. I’m not an avid Alex Warren listener in the slightest, but the dude can sing. I’ve seen clips of his live performances before, and he’s never disappointed. His in-ears went out due to a glitch, and the first half of his performance’s timing was shot because of it. Totally not his fault, but he bounced back so well. His second half was super strong, both vocally and visually. The levitating piece of the stage was sick.
10. Bruno Mars (solo performance) – It was good. He’s a great singer with an even better band … but again, I was bored. Like, I definitely could’ve gone without watching Mars stand around in the same spot for three-and-a-half minutes.
11. Lady Gaga – Her performance was visually interesting, as Gaga always is. I definitely enjoyed the different camera angles and unusual shots. However, I just wasn’t Gaga-gagged in comparison to what I’ve seen her do before.
12. Leon Thomas – This was okay! I think I was just expecting more. He’s a very talented singer, no doubt, but this act simply didn’t hold my gaze.
13. Sombr – I’ve heard better vocals out of Sombr, and he’s not my favorite performer to watch, either. He was pretty on par from what I’ve seen out of him before, but I really can’t even form an opinion on this performance. It was just meh.
14. Addison Rae – Unfortunately, the artist’s Grammy debut was a disappointment to me. I was simply not a fan, and I was hoping for way more, considering that her debut album was actually shockingly good in my opinion. The dance break at the end was good, but that was pretty much it. Also, why was she just on the loading dock the whole time?
15. Lola Young – I think Young is extremely talented, and I definitely respect her as an artist — but this performance was nowhere near her strongest. She stripped down “Messy,” and I typically love an acoustic piano take. Alas, this singer-songwriter was just too pitchy here for my tastes.
Regardless of ranking, all of the performers on this list are extremely talented. This year’s performances were full of noteworthy Grammy debuts and returners topping their own previous acts.
Do I think this year’s lineup was better than last year’s? Definitely not. The 67th annual Grammy Awards had a top-notch roster, both in performers and presenters. However, Harry Styles coming out of hiding this year was pretty exciting.
Looking forward, I’m hoping for Noah Kahan to make his debut, and Olivia Rodrigo, as well as Styles, to return to the Grammys stage after all three artists (hopefully, I’m looking at you, Rodrigo) will have dropped their next albums by then.
Until next year.
