I’m stubborn. Very stubborn. My dad would tell you that to tell me his opinion is like asking for an argument. I would love to refute this, but it is one opinion that I can not argue with. I’m proud of my mind, but my questioning nature is somewhat off-putting to some. What I see as an inquisitive conversation other people see as an attack on their ideas, beliefs, or opinions. I promise it is not meant this way, and honestly you could probably blame my parents for encouraging me to think for myself, but my point is I’m sorry. I’m sorry that this article might diss your favorite artist or song, but I can’t help it. When someone tells me something is the best, I go look for ways to prove they are wrong.
The Grammys are generally a fun time had by all. We all have our favorite songs to sing along to in the car/in the shower/while dancing our hearts out and that is great, but the award show that is meant to celebrate the years best music needs to look beyond Billboard’s Top 100. This is a topic I touched on our Why, Grammys? Why? post. It might not make sense to everyone, but what I think of when someone says ‘best’ is quite specific. The book that makes me cry just thinking about it, the friend who is truly my other half, and when it comes to music, I want something that moves me. A catchy beat, cool lyrics, auto-tune, and hot pink hair might make me listen, but it is not going to make me come back. Music has a way of controlling my moods. It can make me happy, sad, excited, calm, or frantic, and an award show that does not accurately represent the music industry. In a world where I can go on YouTube and find incredible singers, doing both covers and original works, I would think the music industry should be able to expand beyond artists we already know. They could find people with true talent.
Can I just say… I HATE autotune. Especially when the singers have good voices. As much as I don’t want to admit Miley Cyrus is one of those people. There were some incredible songs on her new album this year, but I can’t listen to them because it sounds so fake and showy (and I can’t get the image of a scantily clothed Miley on a wrecking ball out of my head).
There are always exceptions to the rule. So while I say that the Grammys should not pull every nominee from radio station playlists, there are some songs and artists that stood out as amazing. Imagine Dragons put out a stellar album. Sara Bareilles wrote some beautiful songs. And P!nk, who I love, is always amazing. Radio stations have the power to introduce us to new songs and artists, but they rarely do. Instead they play the same 20 songs over and over again until I forget why I liked it at first. I love finding music the stations don’t play. I love giving these songs to friends and having them tell me that they love them. The Grammys have become a popularity contest and I am tired of them promoting artists who sound the same as last year.
I don’t feel like I’m asking for a lot, one night to honor the artists who are truly great, and if that happens to include some of the most popular artists cool, but maybe just maybe I can be amazed by the talent I didn’t know I was missing?
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