2018 marked the 60th annual Grammy Awards ceremony, where the year’s most popular music is celebrated. Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar swept away the majority of the night’s awards, but the real focus of the night, as usual, was on the event’s performers.
The 2018 Grammys started with Kendrick Lamar, who performed hits from his recent album, DAMN. His performance was phenomenal, as to be expected, and filled with statements about poverty and revenge, leaving the audience hyped for the night of music to come.
The most feel-good performance of the night came when Bruno Mars and Cardi B hit the stage with their new single, “Finesse.” The upbeat song, holding lighthearted themes of love and happiness, made everyone want to get up and dance.
Later in the evening, DJ Khaled made an appearance alongside Bryson Tiller and Rihanna to perform “Wild Thoughts.” Their unique performance stole the spotlight, highlighted by the display of a South African dance called “gwara gwara.”
The performance of the night was still to come, though. That title belongs to Kesha. During her three-year long sexual harassment battle against her former producer, Kesha didn’t attend a single award ceremony. Appearing at one for the first time since 2012, Kesha still stood strong and proud. Her newest album, “Rainbow,” was nominated for the best pop vocal album, and her song “Praying” was nominated for the best pop solo performance award.
Janelle Monae introduced Kesha to the stage, making a powerful statement and preparing the audience for what was soon to come. “We say time’s up for pay inequality,” she said. “Time’s up for discrimination, time’s up for harassment of any kind and time’s up for the abuse of power.”
With a powerful tone set, Kesha walked on stage, accompanied by other women including Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels, Andra Day and Bebe Rexha, and sang an emotional rendition of her song, “Praying.” All of the performers were dressed fully in an elegant white, showing support for the Time’s Up movement against sexual harassment in the workplace. It was no surprise when the crowd rose to their feet at the end of Kesha’s performance.
In the end, both the best pop vocal album and the best pop solo performance awards were taken home by Ed Sheeran for his album “Divide” and his song “Shape of You.”
To watch Kesha’s performance, click here.
