EILISH WINS 5 AWARDS AT GRAMMYS

Billie Eilish reigned supreme at the Grammys on Sunday night, winning five awards including best new artist, album of the year and song of the year for Bad Guy – a high point for Generation Z on a night otherwise defined by solemnity for those who have passed too soon.

The shadow of basketball legend Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others mere hours before the show, loomed large over a ceremony held at the Staples Centre in which he played for the Los Angeles Lakers for over 20 years.

“We’re all feeling crazy sadness right now,” said returning host Alicia Keys to a room in which Bryant’s retired jersey numbers shone brightly overhead. “We’re literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built.”

Bryant’s death marred a ceremony already jaded by controversy surrounding the awards’ governing Recording Academy.

The Academy’s president, Deborah Dugan, was recently ousted following allegations of sexual misconduct; Dugan countered with a legal filing last week in which she alleged sexual harassment and voting corruption in the company, and that her predecessor Neil Portnow raped an unnamed female recording artist.

It’s only been two years since Portnow said female artists needed to “step up” in order to be recognised, a comment which spiked long-simmering frustration with the Grammys’ diversity of voting and awards.

But while last year’s ceremony showcased feisty defiance and shout-outs to female empowerment, this year’s event mostly sidestepped any swipes at the recording academy in favour of vulnerability and remembrance.

Tributes to Bryant rained throughout the show, from opening performer and pop solo performance winner (for Truth Hurts) Lizzo to DJ Khaled to a strategically placed jersey in Lil Nas X’s staging of Old Town Road.