Arguably, the best Grammy speech of all time, nearly
On the Grammys, pop music and evasive prose
Maintaining the facade of a weekly column, I wanted to mention a little bit about the Grammys. Like many of you (probably), I hate the Grammys but as a perpetually aspiring music journalist, I find myself getting sucked into it every year.
About 10 years ago at the ripe age of 18-years-old, I started putting my little music fan thoughts to paper. And I did the thing I thought all music people were supposed to do— predict the Grammys.
For the 58th Grammys, I boldly wrote that 2015 was “arguably, the best year for music in nearly a decade.”
Oh sweet summer child. Literally. A decade before I wrote this would’ve put me at 8-years-old, which of course is the year when every child has their critical awakening with music. Of course!
I did put in that little “nearly” qualifier before “decade” so I guess I could show myself some grace and say I would’ve been about 10-years-old. How very evasive of me!
Anyway, 2015 saw the release of some critically-acclaimed albums like Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly, Sufjan Stevens’s Carrie & Lowell, Tame Impala’s Currents and a personal favorite, Courtney Barnett’s Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit.
But it wasn’t the greatest music year since 2005? I probably was experiencing my own little renaissance opening myself up to the vastness of music.
A few of the aforementioned albums were nominated for stuff in 58th Grammys alongside some other then-new and notable nominees like The Weeknd, Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton and Alabama Shakes.
However, the pop music world was truly a wreck in 2015. This was the era that gave rise to the white rice and boiled chicken sounds of Ed Sheeran.
Meghan Trainor won Best New Artist at the Grammy’s that year against other raw-celery acts like James Bay, Sam Hunt and Tori Kelly.
If you were curious, I predicted Courtney Barnett would win Best New Artist, not because I actually thought that would happen but because I couldn’t bring myself to predict anyone else.
Fast forward to today, pop music is in a much healthier place, so much so that even the Grammy’s did alright nominating this year. I’m not going to get super deep into the categories, nominees and winners here but I did want to point out one thing:
What Chappel Roan said for her acceptance speech was punk as fuck.
If you missed it, she called out record labels for not providing a living wage and healthcare for all their artists. Referring back to past experiences, she describes feeling dehumanized as a developing artist without those necessities. Chappel has publicly discussed her bipolar II disorder, so I can only imagine the duress she went through years before getting the healthcare she needed.
Some people might scoff at her and say things like, “Well she makes plenty now,” or “She’s just virtue signaling. What good does saying that do?” In reality, Chappel’s the closest thing to an industry outsider any of us could hope to win a major Grammy award and she took the opportunity to advocate for all artists of every level. That’s what a person in her position should do and then some.
Sure there were other cool things said like Doechii’s emotional speech about sobriety and representation in music as well as Lady Gaga’s defense of Trans and Queer folks. But I think what Chappel said helps us bring up issues of universal healthcare and living wages for all again in a new light.
Legitimatized platforms, such as the Grammys, tackling these so-called “radical policies” allow us the opportunity to discuss these things with folks outside of our bubbles. To talk about socialism or communism and why it’s not a dirty word. To talk about the needs of the many over the greed of a few.
So, in the spirit of a bolder and dumber me, I’d like to formally claim that Chappel Roan’s Grammy acceptance speech this year was arguably, the best Grammy award acceptance speech in nearly a decade, at least.
But also, did you catch this clip?
Yeah, that speech was great. Chappel got me to start paying attention to pop music again.
Thx for noting Chappel Roan's great speech re the record industry providing living wage and health care. She makes a great point. I'm surprised that I haven't heard this petitioned before. Like you, I don't pay any attention to the Grammy's so I'm grateful that you brought it to my attention. (I play in a punk band and our fave music gets zero attention at the Gs.) After a few minutes of searching, I didn't find any response from industry execs to her comments. Let us know if you come across some . Keep up the great work.