The 94th Grammy Awards occurred last week, and there were lots of big names in the music industry that won awards including Bruno Mars, Kanye West and Olivia Rodrigo. These individuals had the most played albums of the year, but does popular always mean the best?
A poll was taken by Pleasant Valley students where the participants were given the same nominees that were presented at the Grammys. Students were also given the choice of “other” for each category where students could pick another artist for a certain vote. Over 100 students took the survey and voiced their opinions.
When it comes to the best new artist of the year, 51% of students agreed that Olivia Rodrigo was the best new artist above other nominees such as The Kid Laroi and FINNEAS; but this was not Rodrigo’s first shot at fame.
Rodrigo, who won three Grammys, was already well-known for her character in the Disney channel show “Bizaardvark.” After accumulating fame from her show, her album took the world by storm.
“Sour,” Rodrigo’s debut album, accumulated over 280 million streams and skyrocketed to the top of the Rolling Stone top 200 list for 2021. It quickly topped trending artists’ albums including songs by J. Cole, Twenty-One Pilots and Lil Baby. Students agreed that Rodrigo’s claim to fame in the pop industry was well-deserved, but there is more controversy when it comes to the rap genre.
Kanye West’s “Jail” from the album “Donda” won Best Rap Song of the Year. However, according to the poll taken by Pleasant Valley students, only 14 out of the 104 respondents agreed that “Jail” was the best rap song of 2021. Despite the low acclaim from students, the release of “Donda” was one of the most anticipated releases of the year, yet after the album was released to all platforms, fans believed that West’s album was “just okay.”
Senior Ethan Kilcoin believes the Grammys are starting to revolve around popularity instead of less known music that could possibly win awards. “I honestly see it getting worse over the years. Large national award ceremonies, like the Grammys and the Oscars, are more about what movie or song is played the most instead of what medium should really win the award,” he said.
Although there is generally more recognition for popular artists, there have also been new upcoming artists who are receiving recognition today. The Kid LAROI, who began his music career in 2019 at the age of 16, worked his way up to becoming one of the most popular rap artists in the industry. LAROI was nominated for two Grammys this year, consisting of the titles of “Best New Artist” and “Album of the Year” from his feature on Justin Beiber’s album “Justice.”
Choir director Meg Byrne often is aware that previously famous people often get awards like from the Grammys. “You always see people who used to previously be a part of bands get recognition. It’s hard to distinguish what is ‘the best’ in music, and it is understandable why people will instantly gravitate to those who already have recognition in the music industry,” she said.
Music is a subjective art, and there is no way of determining which song is inherently “better” than another. Will smaller, more underground artists ever get the same glory that more popular artists have, or will things stay the same?
