The 60th Annual Grammy Awards took place on Jan. 28 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. This was the first time the awards were held outside of Los Angeles since 2003, and were hosted by late night talk show host James Corden.

The awards recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists from Oct. 1, 2016 to Sept. 30, 2017.

The evening was filled with inspiring performances and speeches. Miley Cyrus, for example, performed a lovely rendition of “Tiny Dancer” with artist Elton John. 

Janelle Monáe, American singer and actress, gave a compelling introduction for Kesha. Monáe broke through the silence over conversations about sexual harassment. When introducing the next performance, she used her speech to bear a message on account of the females in the industry: “We come in peace but we mean business.”

Monáe drew on the #TimesUp movement that is swirling through social media. She concluded her speech by introducing Kesha who sang her song “Praying,” and fellow female musicians to join Kesha and illuminate her story. The artist was joined by Cyndi Lauper, Camilla Cabello, Andra Day, Bebe Rexha, Julia Michaels, and the Resistance Revival Choir.

“Janelle Monae was absolutely inspiring while introducing [Kesha],” said junior music major Jake McVey, “The performance itself was even better than I could have imagined. You could tell that Kesha was feeling the emotion behind the song and the fact she was singing with so many amazing women from the music industry made it ten times better.”

Aside from the love for Kesha, people were fond of the women power that was brought to the Grammy Awards.

“Patti LuPone singing ‘Don’t Cry For Me Argentina’ was fantastic,” said Ryan Celli, junior music major.

Pink also gave a raw, simple performance. Dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, the singer performed a ballad version of “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” with a sign language interpreter to emphasize the message behind the lyrics.

When asked about her thoughts on the awards show, senior journalism major Miranda Coker stated, “I was disappointed with the best song winner. Every other nominee was [an awesome] woman talking about serious issues, but then it went to Ed Sheeran, the only man nominated, for a song that is pretty much centered around the objectification of a woman’s body.”

This was a common theme among RWU students. Gina Terrasi, junior education studies major, said, “I was really happy for Alessia Cara’s win [for best new artist].”

The Album of the Year award was given to Bruno Mars for “24K Magic,” who also took home Song of the Year for “That’s What I Like.” Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Pop Solo Performance went to Ed Sheeran for “Divide”and “Shape of You”, respectively. Best Song Written for a Motion Picture was given to “How Far I’ll Go” from “Moana.”

If you missed the broadcast of the awards, video clips of performances and results can be found online. The night was filled with surprises, beautiful performances, powerful speeches, and an inspiring sense of unity among the attendees.