In times of political instability, art has been a refuge for many time and time again — which you could argue is supremely unsurprising. Art is a fundamentally political sphere, but also one where ideas of progress and liberalism have almost always dominated. The Grammy Awards are meant to recognize the best of the best in musicianship and recording prowess and span more than three hours of scripted speeches, jokes, wins and losses. With this in mind, one would think that the Grammys would be a similarly political event — one where common values of community, compassion and activism are mutually agreed upon. This hasn’t been the case, however. Up until now, the Producers have carefully distanced the event and its place in the cultural zeitgeist from any sort of unequivocal political stance, which seems antithetical to its purpose to begin with. Recognizing art means to recognize the values that come with it — but to the Grammys, high viewership, overly scripted jokes and luxury have been the main priorities, so it seems. That being said, we as a nation are in a time of great stress. Our current president is toeing the line between elderly semi-lucidity and complete insanity, large swaths of communities across the country are being targeted, injured and killed and millions of voices have risen in an outcry. If there was a time to get political, it would be now, and the Recording Academy seems to have come to the same conclusion. The question is: Is it enough? 

This year, the Recording Academy chose to announce the majority of the Grammys during their Premiere Ceremony. Considering the ever-falling viewership of the Grammys, this decision feels a bit nonsensical; part of the appeal of the Grammys is the celebrities themselves, regardless of whether or not they go home with an award. Seeing Sabrina Carpenter in the audience — at least in my opinion — makes us want to keep watching. Seeing Justin and Hailey Bieber in the audience is exciting because they’re iconic figures in pop culture, not because of the award Bieber is nominated for. Watching Cher present an award is exciting because it’s Cher, not wholly because of the award she’s presenting. With visibility in mind, essentially no one attended the Premiere Ceremony, due to the fact that it is not televised. This in turn led to the Grammys taking two hours to begin in earnest. For all the Grammys did right this year, that mistake does count for something. 

One could blame this on the awkwardness of the Premiere Ceremony, but the Grammys (as well as other awards shows) felt a bit self-indulgent this year, especially in the context of everything happening around the country. This awkwardness was remedied by the willingness of award recipients to use their podiums to speak on pertinent issues today, as well as Trevor Noah’s excitement at the prospect of writing jokes where the current state of American politics is the punchline — after all, the jokes practically write themselves. Tyler the Creator’s performance was a standout, with its incredibly potent and strong finish as the cherry on top: Tyler gets gunned down by an invisible attacker, collapsing on the stage’s stairs. Though this was the only politically motivated performance of the night, its message was powerful and buoyed by the acceptance speeches by the likes of Billie Eilish and Bad Bunny. 

Speaking of Bad Bunny, his latest release “DeBí TiRAR Más FOToS” won Album of the Year, and the album certainly deserved it. The record sees Bad Bunny calling on traditional Puerto Rican rhythms and traditions to supplement his album and give it an unequivocally authentic identity that fits with his discography but is all the same something fresh. For the short film that accompanied the album, Bad Bunny brought on the Puerto Rican Oscar-nominated film director Jacobo Morales. All of this to say, “DeBí TiRAR FOToS” is a release focused on community, authenticity and on melding history with the present, working to make an informed, happier future. The emotional scope of this album feels more American than anything going on in America right now, which makes the Recording Academy’s decision for Album of the Year even more appropriate. Though Bad Bunny deserved the award from a purely musical and creative standpoint, choosing a Puerto Rican singer’s album for the most prestigious award of the Grammys is a decision that firmly places the Recording Academy in direct opposition to the current presidential administration and on the right side of history and music making. 

It has come to light recently that pro-MAGA activists are making an “anti-woke Super Bowl” in a direct response to the decision to have Bad Bunny perform the halftime show. Part of this decision might come from the fact that Kendrick Lamar’s performance last year was deeply entrenched in and defined by political messaging, a brave feat considering that Donald Trump was in attendance. Whether or not Bad Bunny’s performance will be intentionally political is besides the point; the Super Bowl is a celebration of American football, and Bad Bunny’s performance will undoubtedly serve as a celebration of America as the melting pot it was meant to be. The Grammys celebrate art. Art celebrates human life. Anything 

that impedes our ability to live freely and happily is anti-human, and any administration that thrives using dehumanizing rhetoric and violence is similarly anti-human and, one could argue, anti-art. By this logic, the Grammys are not only meant to celebrate art, but human life in general. Various artists’ decisions to speak out about Immigration and customs enforcement and the current administration, Tyler the Creator’s decision to politicize his performance and, of course, the Grammys’ decision to award Bad Bunny with Album of the Year, speak to this sentiment as well as to a global desire to inspire change and activism. The national football league’s decision to have Bad Bunny perform directly supports this idea. While Bad Bunny couldn’t perform at the Grammys, the Super Bowl is coming. A better America is coming too - the question is how long we have to wait.