One of the most interesting parts of watching the Grammy Awards every year is seeing which acts the organization chooses to perform.
This year’s lineup includes fun., The Black Keys, Frank Ocean, Jack White, Mumford and Sons, Taylor Swift, the Lumineers and several others.
Within the vast group of performances will be odd collaborations such as Ed Sheeran and Elton John, and another collaboration between Sting, Rihanna and Bruno Mars.
This diverse group of “top 40” artists seems like a good bunch, Kristi Vandergrift said.
“It seems like they’ve hit all the major popular artists like Carrie Underwood and Taylor Swift,” Vandergrift (junior-elementary education) said. “It seems like they hit it pretty well.”
Justin Timberlake is also scheduled to perform. The pop music veteran released his first single in over six years last month, promising an album to be done later this year.
Timberlake’s performance is something to look forward to after the unveiling of his new single, “Suit and Tie,” Amanda Brody said.
“I’m really excited about Justin Timberlake performing because he hasn’t come out with anything in awhile,” Brody (freshman-communications) said.
Classics like Sting and Elton John change the pace, but both are paired with strong nominees for major awards. This wide range of performers is the Academy’s attempt to satisfy every age group, Connor Camp said.
“Definitely have a more ironic, niche look with The Lumineers, but then you appeal to the baby boomers with Elton John,” Camp (freshman-business) said. “I think it’s a really solid lineup.”
Justin Bieber was completely left out of this year’s Grammy nominees. The absence of the pop star left JB fans disappointed after the release of his album “Believe” last year, Brody said.
“I’m really upset Justin Bieber didn’t get nominated for anything and that he won’t be there,” Brody said. “He’s awesome and iconic and should’ve gotten nominated for his awesome album. Every song was great and he’s very talented.”
Last year’s Grammys featured an electronic battle between the rock band Foo Fighters and a masked Deadmau5. The two genres collaborated on the Foo Fighters’ new single at the time, “Rope.”
A similar EDM performance for this year’s show would be a great addition to the list of performers, Vandergraft said.
The extensive list of mainstream music artists appeals to the masses for the most part, but some students were hoping for the Academy to stray from its usual suspects.
Old Crow Medicine Show, for example, would be an excellent addition, Camp said.
