The 62nd Annual Grammy Awards were certainly a tear-jerking affair: Alicia Keys commanded the Staples Center with grace and poise, artists paid tribute to the late Kobe Bryant performing under his retired jersey, and well-deserving vocalists took home collections of the Recording Academy’s glowing golden trophies. As music’s biggest night, this year’s Grammy Awards celebrated the modern authenticity of artists across all genres in 2019.
From Billie Eilish’s full sweep of the Academy’s most major awards, something which hasn’t been done since Christopher Cross’s dominating wins in 1981, to Demi Lovato’s heartbreaking debut of her new single “Anyone”, the 2020 Grammy’s championed emotional honesty and gave way to a new era of forward-thinking music in the new year. Among jubilation and bliss, this year’s competition was more fierce than ever.