The Grammys are one of the most well-known award shows in the world right now, but they are not without their controversies. Throughout the years there have been many debatable topics surrounding not just the Grammys, but other award shows too.
For example, no one born after 1995 has ever won an Oscar for acting, and the Emmys are known to pick mediocre veteran shows over newer, upcoming ones that fans love.
The Grammys are facing many accusations including gender and age inequality, little diversity, bias in voting and choosing legacies over artists with more potential and talent.
One of the reasons for the lack of diversity in the Grammys is the lack of diversity among voters. The awards are not voted on by everyday people or music industry workers, but by members of the recording academy. The recording academy is made up of 13,000 members who have all been accepted via a peer review panel. While in recent years they have made many attempts at making the academy more diverse, however the majority of members are still white men.
Most of the time, these voters don’t represent all kinds of music. Many of them are older and are from different backgrounds, which can make them out of touch with new trends in music. This may lead to them choosing artists who are already well known or have connections to the music industry and also pick artists that resonate with their identities.
Another reason the Grammys are accused of being unfair is because of how some categories are set up. For example, the “Best New Artist” category was originally added to ensure that more upcoming stars participated in the Grammys, but it created another problem. Now, the category is criticized for being too broad. It’s challenging to judge country music on the same scale as rap music. They are two completely different genres, with different strengths and weaknesses. This makes it hard to judge what’s actually the best music. This category is also controversial because artists who have been around for years still get nominated, even if they aren’t really new, like Sabrina Carpenter. For example, she was recently nominated for “Best New Artist” even though she released her first album more than ten years ago.
The Grammys are also known for rewarding artists based on how popular they are or how long they have been in the business, rather than how creative or original their music is. Many times, awards go to huge legacies or well-known artists because they have the most plays or have won other flashy awards in the past.
An example of this is in 2020, when The Weeknd, a newer artist, was left out of many big Grammy nominations, even though his music had been mainstream for almost the whole year. This made many people realize that popularity mattered over an artist’s quality at the Grammys. This also happened during the most recent Grammys with Beyonce and Billie Eilish. Ida B. Wells High School freshman Reesa Kelley said, “I was like really surprised that Beyonce won Best Album. I think that Billie [Eilish] should’ve won because her album affected more people.”
One of the last major issues with the Grammys is gender inequality. Women have historically been underappreciated at the Grammys in nominations and wins. Even though women have made huge contributions to music, they don’t always get the recognition they deserve in the main categories. Since the beginning of the Grammys, only three women have won “Best Rap Album”: Lauren Hill, Cardi B and Doechii. That is one woman for roughly every 10 male winners Despite their many efforts to improve the gender gap, the Grammys still make it very challenging for female artists to get noticed.
While the Grammys are a prestigious event in the music world, they have many problems with their diversity. Until those issues are addressed, many people will continue to criticize whether the Grammys actually reflect the best music and artists of the year. In order to improve themselves the Grammys need to make sure that they recognize all types of music and artists, and not just the ones with the biggest fame or popularity.
