The Grammys returned this Sunday, Feb. 2 after an impressive year filled with nominees such as Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Charli XCX and Cowboy Carter herself, Beyoncé. Evidently, 2024 was the restoration of the “Pop Girl” as we were taken to the “Pink Pony Club” this “Brat Summer” with a much needed resurgence of girl power in the mainstream media. 

No one emphasized this more than Charli XCX who came back into the limelight after a decade of critical, though not commercial, success. Her album “Brat” was nominated for seven Grammys winning “Best Dance/Electronic Album” and her song “Von Dutch” winning “Best Pop Dance Recording.”At the live show she performed “360” and “Guess,” bringing a party atmosphere to the venue. Overall, her display of musicality and brand proved Charli XCX to be an authentically inauthentic pop-star who shares her deepest emotions to the backdrop of perfectly crafted synthetic loops and autotune. 

Perhaps a companion to “Brat’s” confidence is Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess.” Her meteoric introduction to fame, and transparent difficulties with it, made her music all the more a representation of embracing one’s personal convictions. Nominated for six Grammys, Roan performed the hit “Pink Pony Club” in cowgirl regalia atop a giant horse surrounded by rodeo clowns. A stunning feature of the song’s live performance was when Roan reached the song’s bridge and encouraged the audience to “Sing it!” The chorus of voices joining Roan and the comradery the song made it feel all the more special as the Midwest Princess won the coveted “Best New Artist” award shortly thereafter. Importantly, Roan’s acceptance speech brought to light issues of oppressive record labels and their refusal to provide health insurance and livable wages to up and coming artists. Her own candor about joining the industry at 17 and being dropped with no alternative job experience showed that artist health deserves to be prioritized just as in any other career with the benefits of insurance. 

Another newcomer to the Grammys, Sabrina Carpenter gained six nominations with two wins for “Best Pop Solo Performance” and “Best Pop Vocal Album” for the deliciously caffeinated “Short N’ Sweet.” Proving her performance abilities, she sang “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” in a style reminiscent of 1950s studio musicals with a touch of slapstick humor. 

Unsurprisingly, Beyoncé was the star of the show with 11 nominations for her album “Cowboy Carter.” This marked a milestone as she reached 99 career nominations, making Beyoncé the most nominated and awarded artist ever in Grammy history. She continually showed herself to be an intellectual cultural-power-house, winning “Best Country Album” and “Album of the Year.” This was among nominations across genre lines from Americana to melodic rap. 

Another artist challenging the bounds of sonic expectations is Doechii. The astounding rapper won “Best Rap Album,” only the third woman to do so, for “Alligator Bites Never Heal,” a retrospective on her life as the Swamp Queen of Tampa, Florida. A highlight of the evening was her performance of “Denial is a River” which has grown in popularity on TikTok thanks to its exaggerated breathing exercise and intriguing narrative. 

Lastly, with seven nominations, Billie Eilish went home empty handed. Though her melodious belting for her performance of “Birds of a Feather” at the start of the show was sentimentally set against a backdrop of the Los Angeles’ mountains to honor her hometown. This was one of many tributes to those impacted by the recent wildfires including Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars’ rendition of “California Dreaming” and host Trevor Noah prompting viewers to donate to “MusiCares Fire Relief Fund” giving aid to music professionals impacted by the wildfires. All in all, centering the show on philanthropy made the evening spectacularly emotional and a genuine celebration of music in Los Angeles and beyond.