I wasted my time. It was a waste of time. I was reminded of why I don’t watch the Grammys. 

Feb. 2, 2025. The Grammys were on that night, and I decided to stay up watching them.

I’m not your typical participant in entertainment news. I may unintentionally come across a headline or two about the hottest celebrity news on the block and mention it in conversation solely for the purpose of being relevant, but I otherwise could care less about Lady Gaga’s new dress or who Pete Davidson is currently dating. On one hand, celebrities are people just like us, whether they’re actors, singers or dancers, but there is another part of me that recognizes that there are thousands of ways in which we are so detached from celebrities. Why do we entertain these people? Why do we tune in to the Grammys?

I think that events like the Grammys are pretty over the top, and I usually do not watch them. I don’t go out of my way to see which albums and songs won awards, and I typically try to find better ways to spend my time.

I willingly sat down with my math homework in front of me, a small smile on my face as I tuned in to watch the Grammys live. I heard my parents mention how it’ll probably come down to Beyoncé and Taylor Swift, but I had my money on someone else. Taylor and Beyoncé have been around for years. I listened to “The Tortured Poet’s Department,” and it was a solid album.

But this year was the perfect year for newer female artists to shine, artists who haven’t been in the industry for as long as Swift and Beyoncé. There was something to be said about the fact that young women were dominant in music this year. After doing some soul-searching, I realized that my reasons for watching this year’s Grammys went beyond just thinking that the artists who started around my age have “made it” at an age that I now see as fast-approaching. This year, I was also interested because I participated in “Brat” summer. I listened to “Short n’ Sweet” when it came out, I added “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Hot to Go” by Chappell Roan on my playlist. I couldn’t escape “Birds of a Feather” and ended up falling in love with “Hit Me Hard and Soft” just a few weekends ago. 

As silly as it sounds, these artists: Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Billie Eilish and Charli XCX were the four who helped me feel more like a teenager this year, more like someone who could just throw their head back, singing and dancing along without a care in the world. I think I speak for the majority here when I say that these four artists, in their own ways, gave last year a lively, youthful feel. 

“Brat,” “Hit Me Hard and Soft” and “Short n Sweet” were so obviously bound to win, and I’m glad that some of their songs or albums and their respective artists did win. 

All but one. 

Towards the end of the ceremony, I was looking for Billie Eilish to snag that Album of the Year win, and I thought that she was going to. Chappell Roan won Best New Artist, Sabrina won two awards: one for the Best Pop Vocal Album, and Pop Solo Performance. Charli XCX won two as well: One for Best Dance/Electronic Album: “Brat” and another for Best Dance Pop Recording: “Von Dutch.” 

But Eilish got nothing. I’m not saying she was entitled to win, and I’m not a Billie Eilish superfan either, but I know she’s accomplished and she released some of her biggest hits when she was just my age. This album, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” was just something unique.

The moment I decided that a song was too slow for me, the vocals would loop, or the beat would drop, or something unexpected would happen that made me bob my head, and the rest of the song would leave me thoroughly impressed.

So when I heard that Album of the Year went to Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter,” I had two reactions. First of all, I forgot that the album existed, and I had to think about what song I’ve heard from this album. When I did remember what “Cowboy Carter” was, I made sure to make an honest attempt to listen to the album to see what on earth made it better than “Hit Me Hard and Soft.” The only thing that hit me from that album was how hard it was to listen to. Maybe it’s a matter of song genres. I don’t like country music much. 

I think that Billie Eilish should’ve won Album of the Year, but that’s okay. I’ll go back to not really being bothered with entertainment news and I can still enjoy the albums I like, Grammy or not. 

This brings me to the crux of my argument. On the surface, yes, I am a wee bit frustrated that Eilish didn’t win anything, especially since whoever was working the cameras that night decided to focus on Eilish applauding Beyoncé’s win (and her loss) as her eyes welled with tears with an unmistakable look of disappointment washed over her face. I felt disappointed for her because I know what it feels like to work hard on something and not receive the attention it should have gotten. 

Somewhere in the process of writing this piece, it dawned on me that the loss of the award is not the issue. Life moves on, and the thing that really matters is that we continue supporting talent when we see it. The Grammys themselves are not what makes music good or influential. I may not be one of the 13,000 members of the recording academy who decide that some artist out there deserves a Grammy, but I will still show my support for talent when I see it. Even without a Grammy, Eilish is still a very talented and widely-recognized face in the music industry, but the same cannot be said for countless others. 

The truth is, there are so many great, talented people in the world, but not everyone gets seen. In fact, a lot of people are invisible and it shouldn’t be that way, so I hereby pledge to acknowledge and applaud any and all talent that I see before my eyes, and I would encourage everyone else to do the same.

Let’s not let prestigious awards define our success and remember that all talent deserves to be appreciated. 

Before I sign off, I’d like to thank Beyoncé for her contribution to this topic. 

Editor’s note: Opinions expressed in editorials are those of the writer(s).  These views may not represent those of the adviser; of the Trail staff as a whole; of the Trail’s advertisers; of the administration, faculty or staff of McIntosh High School; of Fayette County Public Schools or of the FCBOE School Board members.