Some of this year's Grammys was pretty cool, some of it was super weird, some of it was great and some of it was boring as usual. But there were two particular things that I found refreshing and awesome: Adele and an opera singer.
1. For some reason, I don't think I've ever watched Adele sing before. Watching the Grammys last week, it was so refreshing to see a singer who can actually sing. Hmm... what a concept. She didn't need to wear strange costumes, she didn't have an extravagant set, she didn't have 50 background dancers... oh wait, she wasn't even dancing, and she wasn't sing-talking or yelling. She stood in front of a mic and effortlessly sang a beautiful song, pouring out all kinds of emotion without forcing anything... because she's a talented singer.
And the cool thing is that she actually did sweep a lot of the big awards. It was great to see the Grammys celebrating artists who are actually truly good musicians/singers/performers (shout out to Bon Iver as well!!).
2. Today I found out about something else very cool (even cooler, in my opinion) that happened at the Grammys, but it was during the pre-telecast ceremony... so not a lot of people saw it. First of all - I love opera. It's kind of an odd interest that not many young people today share, in a world where opera is just not popular amid all this pop/rap/stuff that our society loves. But I absolutely adore it.
One of my favorite opera singers is Joyce DiDonato, a native of Kansas. Her album of classical arias was nominated for a Grammy (Best Classical Vocal Solo) and she was invited to sing at the pre-telecast ceremony. Turns out, this was the first time a classical singer has sung at the Grammys. Seriously? I mean, I know classical music isn't really "in" with the usual Grammy stuff... but this was the first time??
I think one of the reasons that classical/opera singers feel so out of place at an event like the Grammys is that usually they're not creating new music. Opera is a very old style of music, and these singers have been for the most part singing the same music for hundreds of years! But when you actually watch an opera singer in action, you have to recognize and appreciate that they have amazing control of a huge range of vocal abilities... it's very impressive. And all of the top-level opera singers around the world are this good, but they go largely under-appreciated as singers because the general public is not interested in opera. Turns out Joyce DiDonato won her first Grammy last week and got a standing ovation after her performance. Way to go!
1. For some reason, I don't think I've ever watched Adele sing before. Watching the Grammys last week, it was so refreshing to see a singer who can actually sing. Hmm... what a concept. She didn't need to wear strange costumes, she didn't have an extravagant set, she didn't have 50 background dancers... oh wait, she wasn't even dancing, and she wasn't sing-talking or yelling. She stood in front of a mic and effortlessly sang a beautiful song, pouring out all kinds of emotion without forcing anything... because she's a talented singer.
And the cool thing is that she actually did sweep a lot of the big awards. It was great to see the Grammys celebrating artists who are actually truly good musicians/singers/performers (shout out to Bon Iver as well!!).
2. Today I found out about something else very cool (even cooler, in my opinion) that happened at the Grammys, but it was during the pre-telecast ceremony... so not a lot of people saw it. First of all - I love opera. It's kind of an odd interest that not many young people today share, in a world where opera is just not popular amid all this pop/rap/stuff that our society loves. But I absolutely adore it.
One of my favorite opera singers is Joyce DiDonato, a native of Kansas. Her album of classical arias was nominated for a Grammy (Best Classical Vocal Solo) and she was invited to sing at the pre-telecast ceremony. Turns out, this was the first time a classical singer has sung at the Grammys. Seriously? I mean, I know classical music isn't really "in" with the usual Grammy stuff... but this was the first time??
I think one of the reasons that classical/opera singers feel so out of place at an event like the Grammys is that usually they're not creating new music. Opera is a very old style of music, and these singers have been for the most part singing the same music for hundreds of years! But when you actually watch an opera singer in action, you have to recognize and appreciate that they have amazing control of a huge range of vocal abilities... it's very impressive. And all of the top-level opera singers around the world are this good, but they go largely under-appreciated as singers because the general public is not interested in opera. Turns out Joyce DiDonato won her first Grammy last week and got a standing ovation after her performance. Way to go!
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