Grammys 2022: 5 things to know, from slap jokes to one surprising cameo
LAS VEGAS: With the Oscars slap still fresh in people’s minds, it felt like everyone at the Grammy Awards was on their best behavior.
The 312-hour ceremony on CBS, hosted by Trevor Noah of “The Daily Show,” was fairly surprise-free - save for an unexpected cameo from Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was rumored to appear at the Oscars last weekend but instead showed up Sunday via remote video, reportedly from a bunker in Kyiv. Jon Batiste (a CBS staple as the bandleader on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”) won album of the year and five trophies overall, the most of any act; the Bruno Mars/Anderson .Paak duo Silk Sonic followed close behind with four awards.
Here’s what you missed from the telecast, which took place in Las Vegas a er being delayed two months due to the coronavirus pandemic: 1. Zelensky made a surprise appearance
In a moment that no one in the audience saw coming, Zelensky suddenly appeared on-screen in a prerecorded message and urged the millions of viewers to “support us in any way you can” during the Russian * invasion: “Tell the truth about this war on your social networks, on TV,” he said.
The video led into a performance from John Legend, who introduced a new piano ballad he debuted earlier in the day called “Free.”
He was joined by Ukrainian musician Siuzanna Iglidan, singer Mika Newton and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk, who fled Ukraine only days ago.
2. Jon Batiste made a fine album that probably shouldn’t have won the night’s top honour
Let’s get it out of the way: With “We Are,” Jon Batiste made what the Recording Academy considers a capital-I “Important” album. It has all the signifiers of the type that gets rewarded at the Grammys: a fun and lively sound, genre bending and blending, and reflections on race and identity. But as The Post’s pop music critic Chris Richards said, “It is power-tothe-people music that the people can listen to at brunch.”
Sure, people like brunch music, but it’s not really the thing that should be bestowed with album of the year. The academy could have easily used the honour to continue shining a light on some of the brightest young stars in music such as Olivia Rodrigo (“Sour”) or Billie Eilish (“Happier Than Ever”). Grammy agnostics who keep hoping for more forward-thinking selections will once again ponder the same refrain: There’s always next year.
3. Silk Sonic had a ‘clean sweep’ The Recording Academy really likes Silk Sonic. The duo that is Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak opened the show with a tune apt for the Las Vegas se ing: “777,” an ode to Sin City and the promise of winning big. The pair went on to win in four different categories – song of the year, record of the year, best R&B song and, in a tie with Jazmine Sullivan, best R&B performance – all for their soulful single “Leave the Door Open.” The romantic track, from the pair’s debut album “An Evening With Silk Sonic,” was notably introduced at last year’s ceremony. They later performed the song at the BET Awards.
The song’s award-show journey, combined with our pandemicskewed sense of time, made “Leave the Door Open” feel a bit less novel than when we first saw it performed on the Grammys stage. And perhaps that’s why it was a li le (though not unpleasantly) surprising that Silk Sonic pulled off what .Paak called “a clean sweep.”
4. Olivia Rodrigo had her big Grammys debut – even if it could’ve been bigger
Olivia Rodrigo had a big night at the Grammys. Seven nominations, a coveted performing slot and the momentum of fans of all ages behind the 19-year-old pop star. So, three wins (including best new artist) and a beautiful live rendition of her breakthrough smash “Drivers License” later, why does it still seem like Rodrigo was a bit shorted?
Plenty of her contemporaries went home with less, but Rodrigo was seen as the ascendant star heading into the night and had good odds to officially be anointed by the Recording Academy as a big deal to be reckoned with at future ceremonies. Instead, she lost the two biggest awards of the evening (record and album of the year) to Silk Sonic and Batiste, respectively – industry veterans. Sure, there are probably plenty of awards to come in Rodrigo’s future, but it still felt like a missed opportunity. 5. Questlove got to accept – and present – without interruption
You may have heard that something strange happened just before Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson took the Oscars stage last Sunday to accept his first Oscar for the documentary “Summer of Soul.” But a er a week in which all we could talk about was Will Smith slapping Chris Rock – even when we were not talking about it - the Grammys were largely devoid of remarks about the incident. Questlove, whose Oscars acceptance speech was almost completely overshadowed by Smith’s antics, earned the right to at least reference the slap while presenting the award for song of the year.
“I’m going to present this award and I trust that you people will stay 500 feet away from me,” he joked.