March Issue
By Eliza Getty and Abigail Page /
A&E Reporters
On Feb. 1, the 68th annual Grammy Awards were held in Los Angeles, Calif. at the Crypto.com Arena. The show was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah for the sixth straight year in a row, but this is his final time as the rights to the ceremony are shifting from CBS to ABC next year.
There were numerous special performances from this year’s nominees, including Alex Warren, a nominee for Best New Artist.
Aadhya Gattu, Harpeth Hall freshman, said, “I thought it was really cool listening to Alex Warren… It was really impressive and probably my favorite part.”
Besides the typical moguls, the night was packed, as always, with nominations for artists who call Nashville home. Jelly Roll was one successful example of the night, taking home three awards. His album “Beautifully Broken” won Best Contemporary Country Album. Kelsea Ballerini, a fellow Nashvillian, also received a nomination in this category for her album “Patterns.” Lainey Wilson, also from Nashville, co-presented this award beside actor Jeff Goldblum.
In addition, Jelly Roll won Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song for “Hard Fought Hallelujah,” a collaboration with Brandon Lake, as well as Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Amen,” a collaboration with Shaboozey. These three wins tied Jelly Roll with Bad Bunny for the second-most awards of the night, both artists behind Kendrick Lamar who won five.
However, Jelly Roll was by no means the only successful Nashvillian. Reba McEntire made her Grammys performance debut with the song “Trailblazer” for the “In Memoriam” segment, which takes place to honor important figures in the music community who passed away over the last year. Additionally, the “Queen of Country” received her 18th career nomination with Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her collaboration on “Trailblazer” with Lainey Wilson and Miranda Lambert.
Photo courtesy of Jingli Jurca
Along with being a co-presenter with Goldblum and a co-nominee with McEntire and Lambert, Lainey Wilson also received two individual nominations Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance for “Somewhere Over Laredo.”
Chris Stapleton added to the win count for Nashvillians, taking home Best Country Solo Performance for “Bad as I Used to Be” from “F1: The Movie.” Also, Zach Top won Best Traditional Country Album for “Ain’t in It for My Health,” and CeCe Winans won Best Gospel Performance/Song for “Come Jesus Come.”
Furthermore, there was even a link to Harpeth Hall. Jingli Jurca, Upper School Chinese teacher, is the grandmother of Aura V, the youngest ever winner of a Grammy award at just 8-years-old. Aura V, along with her father, FYÜTCH, won Best Children’s Album for “Harmony.”
Ms. Jurca explained that Aura V has had a natural passion for music since she was very young.
About Aura V’s personality and interests, Ms. Jurca said, “To her, it’s just so fun to play… she’s very free-spirited.”
This year’s Grammy Awards proved to be quite a rewarding night for Music City, and it’s safe to say that Nashville proudly showed out yet again.
