Last night, my supermodel wife and I tuned in to the 68th annual GRAMMY® Awards, and honestly, it was a solid show. Trevor Noah was sharp, the jokes landed, and it was genuinely refreshing to see legends like Joni Mitchell and Carole King still doing their thing. Longevity never goes out of style.
The category I was most interested in was Best New Artist. And like many people, until about a week ago, I had no idea who Olivia Dean was. Fast forward seven days and several listens later, she became my pick—and sure enough, she took home the award. Validation feels good. I also discovered a few other nominees along the way and tossed them into my Spotify® rotation, because discovering new music should be part of the fun, not a chore.
That said, there’s something about modern music culture that’s been bothering me for a while—and the GRAMMYs didn’t exactly talk me down.
Somewhere over the last couple of decades, the focus shifted. Music stopped being trusted to stand on its own, and visuals stepped in like an overbearing hype person yelling, “MORE SKIN WILL FIX THIS.” The result? Performances where the choreography and wardrobe seem designed less to complement the music and more to distract from it entirely.
When performers—men and women—are dressed or staged in ways that feel more like shock tactics than artistic expression, the music itself gets lost. The song becomes background noise to the spectacle. And while adults may roll their eyes and move on, younger audiences absorb this stuff like a sponge in a questionable puddle.
The same applies to music that glorifies violence, money, and excess. Yes, music often reflects lived experience. Yes, some genres were born out of real hardship. But reflection doesn’t require celebration. If artists want change—and many rightly call for it—then glorifying the very cycles they criticize doesn’t exactly help shrink the problem.
This is why I gravitate toward artists like Olivia Dean, The Corrs, Sting, Ed Sheeran, Amy Winehouse, Alicia Keys, and Sara Bareilles. They let the music do the talking. No gimmicks. No distraction. Just lyrics, melody, and emotion that actually transport you somewhere meaningful—without needing a warning label.
That kind of music lasts. Long after the flashy performances fade and trends end up in the cultural recycling bin, real songs stick around. And honestly, I’ll take staying power over spectacle every time.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to replay Olivia Dean and feel slightly smug about my Best New Artist pick.
#GRAMMY #musicawards #itsaboutthemusic
