Story by Jayden Jones, Reporter
Photo courtesy of @arianagrande

Music fills our lives with the sound of purpose and emotion. We rely on it for everyday entertainment, for self-expression, and for human connection. One might expect an event advertised as “Music’s Biggest Night” to be humming with a passion for music.

When it comes to the Grammys, however, we’ve learned to resign ourselves to the smorgasbord of pop culture and unnecessary tributes to musical eras of years past, staying awake only for the stellar performances of gems like Lady Gaga.

Regarding 2019’s show, I’ll spare you the details of Cardi B’s road to Grammy glory or the unfortunate saga of Anthony Kiedis’ (lead singer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers) haircut. What I will turn our attention to is the awards that are often overlooked, mostly because no one knows what exactly they mean.

Best Recording Package

The Best Recording Package is an award that honors the visual appeal of an album. The award doesn’t go to the artist themselves, rather the art director. This year’s winner was Willo Perron, who designed St. Vincent’s album ‘MASSEDUCATION.’ The bright and somewhat obtrusive look of the cover art speaks perfectly to the album’s encapsulation of the brash yet sultry sounds of city life.

Producer of the Year, Non Classical

Producers aren’t often recognized outside of the music industry for the work that they do. This award recognizes the quality of a recording, in which which the producer plays an important role. The producer is responsible for remixing the recording, as well as ensuring the song remains a creative, cohesive unit. This year’s award went (deservingly) to Pharrell, who, more often than not, has had a hand in producing almost every song on and off the radio. He won this year’s Grammy for his work with a number of albums, including Ariana Grande’s ‘Sweetener.’

All in all, however, the person with the best response to the 2019 Grammys was pop superstar Ariana Grande, who, despite winning Best Pop Vocal Album, didn’t even attend the show, instead posting several photos of herself in a surreal blue ballgown with the caption “when @zac posen makes you a custom gown it doesn’t matter if you’re singing or not.”