Last summer I became a Member of the Recording Academy, which brought with it some questions. But last night in Los Angeles I attended the GRAMMYs for the first time and then braced myself for the one common inquiry that I know so many will have for me.
“So, how was the GRAMMYs?!”
Rather than dive into the trophy winners, which you can read about pretty much anywhere today, I’m here to instead take you inside the event, not unlike the TikTok that I posted from inside the Crypto.com Arena yesterday before the show began.
I’m only half kidding when I say that I was prepared to tell anyone that asked that, “I’m wearing a suit custom made for me in Beijing, shoes by Merona, and a tie by Van Heusen.” No one asked but I wasn’t disappointed.
But seeing attendees – out in L.A. Live as well as inside the venue – and all the dresses, gowns, shoes, tuxedos, suits, and other formal wear was an element of the experience in and of itself. Think of it. When did you last go to an arena for a concert and wear the best outfit you could?
It has actually been interesting for me today to see clips from last night’s broadcast on social media and react with, “Oh, that’s how it looked on TV?”
And what a production that was. The behind the scenes was another element all of its own. From announcements (coming back from commercials) such as “Return to your seats” and “Please clear the aisles” to the big countdown timer for returning to the live broadcast to how far back on the floor the teleprompter was to even the slight view I had of backstage, I couldn’t imagine having been the stage manager.
In case you couldn’t tell from watching it, there were three different stages, but the main stage was sectioned off to create additional performance spaces.
Did I mention that every seat was full? The seating capacity is approximately 19 thousand and the only empty seats were those that weren’t used because they were blocked by the curtain for the area behind the stage.
But down on the floor? Right in front of the main stage? The best seats in the house? Stars, stars, stars all sitting like fans while performances played out right in front of them.
Watching an A-lister get out of their seats and groove (often times with their spouse) made it look like they could’ve been the average Joe or Joan concertgoer.
Make no mistake, though, this – and not the Super Bowl, as an NFL announcer has tried to dub ‘the big game’ in the past – is music’s biggest night. You could go to a Lady Gaga concert or a Bruno Mars concert or a Tyler the Creator show or Reba McEntire – or you can see star after star perform live on the same stage over the course of three hours.
And what a true worldly mix there was too. While the event takes place in the entertainment mecca of Los Angeles, the 2026 GRAMMYs saw the likes of a Brit (Charli XCX) (or Olivia Dean, for that matter), a Canadian (Justin Bieber), and a Puerto Rican (Bad Bunny).
That being said, I’m not going to lie. It was great to see someone get up there and rock on out, meaning, the Ozzy Osbourne tribute – fronted by Post Malone – during the In Memoriam segment.
And as someone who works, works, and then works some more, I felt ‘seen’ when Pharrell Williams, during his acceptance speech for the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, said, “never stop working. Stop doing anything else but working. Work, man.”
Heck, even Lady Gaga said she had respect for everyone in the room last night. I was in that room.
We have a responsibility as Members of the Recording Academy to adhere to professional standards and set a good example in helping others along the path as they pursue excellence. Just like the Best New Artists nominees last night and just like the now multi-GRAMMY winners. And as I continue recording interviews for my weekly "Now Hear This Entertainment" podcast -- especially with GRAMMY-nominated or GRAMMY-winning guests -- last night will remain a clear picture in my head.
End of acceptance speech. (wink)
A Member of the Recording Academy since last July, I have been helping indie music artists, authors, actors, entrepreneurs, podcasters, filmmakers, small business owners, and more for over twenty years. What challenges are you having in your creator career that I can lend some insight to? Connect with me so you can take advantage of all my experience, and I can help and keep you moving forward.