On May 4, 1959, the first Grammy awards occurred and took off from there. Today, 14.4 million people viewed the Grammys in 2026, igniting conversation about the winners of the Grammys.
“I recorded the Grammys just so I could watch them late after work,” junior Halle Schneider said. “I look forward to them every year. I love seeing the different performances, finding new music and getting to see artists get recognized for their work.”
The winners are not chosen by fans but instead by the Recording Academy members. To become a member, artists must have at least 12 credits in a creative role. Upon becoming a member, artists can vote in their respective fields. But just because fans do not pick the winners, does not mean they do not have opinions about it.
“I was so happy that Billie Eilish won the Grammy for song of the year,” Schneider said. “ ‘Wildflower’ is one of my favorites and she and her brother put in so much work.”
The Grammy for song of the year focuses on the lyrics and melody of the song, not just the artist. Eilish’s “Wildflower” is an emotional song about the pain of breaking girl code. Girl Code is a set of imaginary roles that female friendships follow. The most common rule is that a girl will not date their friend’s ex and when this code is broken, it can lead to feelings of betrayal.
“I absolutely loved ‘Wicked,’” senior Ashley Ju said. “So ‘Defying Gravity’ winning best pop duo performance felt extremely deserved,” senior Ashley Ju said. “Laufey’s ‘A Matter of Time’ is such an amazing album that I listened to on repeat when it came out, so it very much deserved its win.”
The Grammys are a combination of all of the songs that filled out the year and gave people a chance to look back on the music industry. However, just because the song or artist won a Grammy does not mean everyone agrees with the award winner.
“I did disagree with ‘Anxiety’ by Doechii winning for best music video,” Ju said. “I truly thought that ‘Manchild’ by Sabrina Carpenter was going to win because the storytelling and double meanings within the video were so compelling.”
The best music video Grammy is based on video directing and the quality of the video. The “Anxiety” music video visually represents the strength of mental health, and “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter represents the childish behavior of some men that Carpenter experienced in her personal life.
“I think it’s crazy that Sabrina Carpenter didn’t win a single award,” senior Emma Ferruzzi said.“Especially best pop solo performance.”
Although there are disagreements, the Grammys present an opportunity for the artistic community to come together and celebrate music. It honors the people who have put all they have into their music and allows fans to come together and celebrate their beloved musicians, as well as find new ones.
“With Lady Gaga winning so many Grammys, I’m more inclined to listen to her music,” Ju said. “Honestly, I haven’t really delved into her discography as much as others have, but I’m interested to listen to this recent album.”
