The Grammys, BRIT Awards, BAFTAs, SAG Awards, and Hollywood Critics Association Awards were held in February. Shourya exclusively examines the music industry trends for Different Truths.

February is buzzing with news in the entertainment industry, from the Grammys and BRIT Awards in Music to the BAFTAs, the Screen Actors Guild Awards and Hollywood Critic Association Awards in Films. There are many moments we need to unravel.

The Grammys were the talk of the town this month, with big wins for many famous musicians. Beyoncé made history by becoming the most-awarded artist at the Grammys on that prestigious night, where she took home four of those tiny golden gramophones for her album ‘Renaissance’. Harry Styles won ‘Best Pop Vocal Album’ and ‘Album of the Year’ for his record-breaking album ‘Harry’s House’, and some people were not happy with Beyoncé being snubbed for ‘Album of the Year’ for the fourth time and started yelling with discontent, which personally was poor of them. However, it is coincidental that all the four times Beyoncé has been up for this award, a white artist has defeated her. Kendrick Lamar won three Grammys for his phenomenal album ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ while Viola Davis won a Grammy for ‘Best Audio Book’, making her a recipient of the title of EGOT (winning Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony).

The 73-year-old singer, Bonnie Raitt, won three Grammys, including ‘Song of the Year’ for her emotional song ‘Just Like That’ while Lizzo won ‘Record of the Year’ for her hit song ‘About Damn Time’. The soundtrack of ‘Encanto’ took home three Grammys at the ceremony. Adele, Taylor Swift, Sam Smith & Kim Petras, Bad Bunny, Samara Joy, Future & Drake & Tems, Brandi Carlile, Steve Lacy, Muni Long, Jack Antonoff and Ozzy Osbourne were other big winners of the night.

I was deadly excited to watch the 65^th Annual Grammy Awards, so I woke up early in the morning, prepared some snacks I never ate, and called my friend for an online meeting, only to realise that the ceremony was not being broadcasted anywhere in India. Bummer. I used social media platforms to get the most out of my tremendous effort to get out of bed. Lizzo took the audience to heaven with her gospel performance of ‘About Damn Time’ and ‘Special’, Sam Smith and Kim Petras flawlessly performed their hit, ‘Unholy’ and took everyone to what is being called “hell” by people who claim the performance to have been “satanic.” Harry Styles performed his hit, ‘As It Was’, and managed to pull it off despite technical malfunctions. Fifty years of Hip-Hop tribute was also a highlight on a glamorous night, along with performances of Bad Bunny, Brandi Carlile, Mary J. Blige, Steve Lacy and Luke Combs, which took my breath away.

Bad Bunny’s opening performances certainly gave some hips to Taylor Swift, who danced all night. While she was having the time of her life, Ben Affleck was tortured by just being there, bearing his frown throughout while his wife, Jennifer Lopez, tried to compensate for his lack of energy by nervously clapping and moving. Trevor Noah left the crowd silent with some of his lame jokes as he made Adele and Dwayne Johnson (excuse me, The Rock) become best friends with just one awkward hug on national television.

Beyoncé sent everyone roaring with laughter as she arrived 20 minutes late to the event, while Madonna shocked everyone with her appearance, where she looked unrecognisable (in a wrong way). Cardi B went viral on social media again as she settled a fight between her husband, Offset, and his bandmate, Quavo, backstage. After being asked about it, the queen she is, she replied, “The only thing I settled was my outfit, honey.” Harry Styles won big again at the BRIT Awards this year, awarded four BRITS, while Beyoncé won two. Indie-rock band Wet Leg won two BRITS.

The sentence, “Ab humari permanent booking hogayi hai”, filled everyone’s hearts with indescribable joy as Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani tied the knot on the 7^th of February and became the cutest Bollywood couple ever. The only thing I could see that day was everyone going crazy over the heartwarming pics, while most people felt lonelier than ever, especially since Valentine’s Day was around. While these two lovebirds got married, Machine Gun Kelly and Megan Fox’s relationship is not looking good, with them supporting each other one day to rumours of them breaking up the other day. Honestly, just let us know what happens after they decide. Speaking of love, Khalid released a new love song (pun intended), as he was featured on the track ‘We Go Down Together’ by Dove Cameron, and I have been listening to it the whole month.

Rihanna shook Arizona with her Super Bowl Halftime Show, where she performed many hits, from ‘Only Girl in the World’ to ‘Diamonds’. She also debuted her baby bump in her first live performance in what seemed like ages. The concert was a bit lacklustre for me, but it was phenomenal for Rihanna to put on such a show while pregnant. Plus, the backup dancers looked like marshmallows. Rihanna gave birth to her second baby with A$AP Rocky and also stunned in a Vogue cover, alongside her boyfriend and her newborn baby. In March, she will perform her song ‘Lift Me Up’ at the Oscars. Talking of babies, Meghan Trainor made us look as she revealed her pregnancy. Nick Jonas and Priyanka Chopra’s newborn daughter, Malti, also made her first public appearance as the Jonas Brothers were awarded on the Walk of Fame. The cutest couple in Hollywood, Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively, will now welcome a fourth baby into their family.

Lana Del Rey released the second single, ‘A&W’, from her upcoming album, and I could not have gone crazier about how iconic and unhinged the song was. Taylor Swift won ‘Best Short Film’ for ‘All Too Well: The Short Film’ at the 2023 Hollywood Critics Association Awards. Jenna Ortega, yet again, shocks us with more information about how she was so anxious and stressed out that she pulled her hair due to the hectic schedule while shooting ‘Wednesday’. Thankfully, she is better now and does not need more cello lessons (because she rocked those scenes). She and Aubrey Plaza amused the Screen Actors Guild Awards crowd with their hilarious conversation while presenting an award. Jennifer Coolidge stole our hearts yet again as she gave an emotional speech while winning a SAG, where she said, ‘You Know’ 20 times. Jamie Lee Curtis won her first SAG Award, while Michelle Yeoh won big at all awards.

Ariana DeBose’s attempt at women’s empowerment backfired, as she opened the BAFTAs with a number heavily memed on social media. Obviously, who could take someone in a bubblegum pink outfit seriously? Her awkward breathing technique and cringe lyrics derailed the sentiment she wanted to convey. So much fun was poked at her that she left social media for a while, which was probably a good decision. Lizzo also parodied her viral performance at her concert. Honestly, the Internet should acknowledge the passion Ariana brought into the rap and appreciate her for doing something others would not.

The world has yet again been taken by storm by the earth-quaking feud of Hailey Bieber and Selena Gomez. As Selena became the most followed female on Instagram, Hailey was accused of making fun of her with Kylie Jenner. Many old clips of Hailey relentlessly copying Selena resurfaced, revealing her toxic obsession with her husband’s ex, Justin Bieber. Many companies came out as ‘Team Selena’, with shops and cafes worldwide making tip boxes for Team Hailey and Selena, and you can guess which box remains empty. Many celebrities unfollowed Hailey, who lost 1 million subscribers and all respect from many fans, while Selena seems to be ignoring the issue and living her life as she should.

Here are my top moments from the month:

·       “Angela Basset did the thing”, and so did Ariana DeBose, as she made a hilarious movement while rapping this viral quote at her BAFTAs Performance.

·       “No one asked, but we’re team Selena”, being posted on the social media accounts of countless organisations amidst the feud.

·       “The only thing I settled was my outfit, honey,” Cardi B stated at the Grammys (Queen Behavior Only).

·       “Beyoncé, I skipped school in 5^th grade to see you perform”, said Lizzo as she gave a phenomenal acceptance speech at the Grammys

·       Måneskin, an Italian rock band, is asked whether the US has better pizza or Italy; their irritated reactions steal our hearts.

·       Machine Gun Kelly said, “I kinda always feel like I don’t fit in here” while being interviewed at the Grammys.

·       Anjali Bhimani fangirled over Ram Charan as he presented an award with her at the Screen Actors Guild Awards.

·       Rihanna’s music took off at a 390% boost in sales after her Super Bowl performance.

·       Are Bad Bunny and Kendall Jenner dating? I can’t wait to see how this goes. 

And I’m signing off till next month.

Thank you for sparing a moment and reading this month’s edition of ‘Pop Talk.’

Picture design by Anumita Roy and music videos from the Internet

Shourya Sharma

Shourya Sharma is a high-school student at Delhi Public School Noida. He has written down stories, songs, scripts, poems and articles since childhood. At the age of 12, he published his first book, “Alive with the Extinct”, which received critical acclaim. He has now refocused his passion for writing on the wonderful web of songwriting. He regards writing as a beautiful way of expressing oneself. He loves writing on fictional, humorous and psychological topics.

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