The 62nd annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, January 26th, 2020 at the famous Staples Center in Los Angeles, California.   During the excitement of this nation-wide known day of music celebration, something tragic took over the media instead. Kobe Bryant, a legend of the NBA, as well as his daughter, Gianna Bryant, and 7 other people were killed in a plane crash in Calabasas, California earlier that Sunday morning. 

When the news got out, the sports world was devastated, but the show had to go on. Since the year 2000, the Grammys have been held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The Staples Center happened to be where Bryant spent most of his NBA career. Alicia Keys hosted the award show and didn’t hesitate to mention Kobe. At the very start of the show, Alicia said, “We’re literally standing here, heartbroken, in the house that Kobe Bryant built.” Her powerful words were very moving. Throughout the show, a lot of the winning artists tribute their awards and performances towards Kobe and the other victims of the crash. He was in the back of the mind of every audience member. 

Not only did Alicia Keys host the Grammys, but she was also one of the talented performers on the stage. Alicia sang a tribute to Kobe with vocal backing from Boyz II Men. Some of the other big artists that stole the show were Lil Nas X with Billie Ray who was joined by BTS. Rosalia Stuns is a Spanish star that stunned the stage with her performance of flamenco music. Beloved pop artists like Ariana Grande and the Jonas Brothers hit the stage and helped add to the fun of the night. Tyler the Creator left the Staples Center speechless after his performance. While some of the audience members hated the entire performance, most people liked the uniqueness of his intense set. 

As Tyler the Creator sang some of his new songs, he jumped around stage chaotically with a display of suburban houses on fire behind him. This performance made a mark on the stage of the Grammys, but he made a bigger mark when he accepted his award for Best Rap Album, “Igor.”  At the podium, he had his mom wrapped around him in a hug to accept the award. Tyler starts off by saying, “I don’t know if I’m gonna be up here again…”. He went into thanking everyone he could think of, even though he didn’t have anything prepared. He had an interview afterward and claimed to be half and half for the system of how the Grammy’s works but he also took the time to call out the Grammys for their reluctance to recognize artists of color.

In other news, 18-year old new pop star Billie Eilish won a total of 5 grammy awards making her now the youngest star to receive so many awards in one night. Eilish’s awards included Best New Artist, Song of the year, Record and Album of the year.  “This is my first Grammys. I never thought this would happen in my whole life,” Eilish said. “I genuinely wanna say I am so grateful and I only wanna say that I am so grateful.” Demi Lavato also shared a special moment on Grammy night, it was the first time in two years since she has performed, and for many, it was a tear-jerker. After overcoming her emotions Lavato restarted her performance and swept the stage with her new single “ Anyone.” 

There were 83 individual Grammy awards given out at this year’s awards. Many artists were honored including upcoming artist Lizzo, Lizzo received “Best Pop Solo Performance,” “Best Traditional R&B Performance,” and ”Best Urban Contemporary Album. ”  The Grammy Awards is a time for Artists to come together and congratulate each other on their progress and achievements throughout the year.