Feb. 10 was the biggest night in music, the 61st annual Grammy Awards, and the Recording Academy certainly put on quite a show. Filled to the brim with electric performances, surprise appearances, notable wins, and controversy, this year’s Grammys will be one to remember!

Opening the show, host Alicia Keys invited some of her “sisters” on stage, and the audience (as well the Internet) went wild as Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez, and former First Lady Michelle Obama stepped into the frame. Each woman gave a beautiful monologue about what music means to them, making this opening one of the greatest moments of the night. “Music has always helped me tell my story,” said Obama. She continued to explain that music is what allows people to share themselves and listen to each other, that it proves that every story matters. Keys concluded, exclaiming that this is a night to “celebrate the greatness in each other through music.”

Following, some of this year’s top artists took to the stage. A few notable performances include Janelle Monáe, channeling Prince’s energy and giving a shout out to the female reproductive system with her song “Make Me Feel,” Alicia Keys, covering songs while playing two pianos simultaneously, Brandi Carlile’s fiery performance of “The Joke,” H.E.R. with her gorgeous song “The Hard Place,” and Cardi B rapping to “Money” accompanied by the incredibly talented pianist Chloe Flower. Additionally, tributes were made to legends Dolly Parton, Motown, and Diana Ross, whose 75th birthday is coming up in a month.

Taking home major awards of the show, Childish Gambino, although not in attendance, won both Song of the Year and Record of the Year for his song “This is America.”  Ariana Grande received her first Grammy for Best Pop Vocals for “Sweetener.” She was also notably absent after she declined the offer to perform (like many other A-list celebrities) and explained that her “creativity [and] self-expression was stifled by” producer Ken Ehrlich.

Making his surprise appearance after also declining the invitation to perform, Drake walked on stage to accept the Best Rap Song award for “God’s Plan,” and in his speech, took the moment to remind the artists in the room that they already won if they “have people who are singing [their] songs word for word” and “if there’s people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain and snow, spending money to buy tickets” to their shows. “You don’t need this right here. You’ve already won,” he said, holding up his new Grammy. When he leans in again, however, his mic is silenced, and it cuts to the commercial break. Whether it was Drake’s criticism of award shows or for the sake of time, it is unknown why his and many others had their speeches cut short. Whatever the reason, viewers were certainly displeased by the action.

Afterwards, H.E.R. received a Grammy for Best R&B Album for her EP “Her” presented by BTS, the first Korean group to present an award. Winner of the Best New Artist award, Dua Lipa, countered against last year’s producer Neil Portnow, who said that women needed to “step up” if they wanted to be nominated. In her speech, she reminded everyone that women have indeed “really stepped up” and dominated most of the major categories this year. Cardi B became the first solo female artist to win Best Rap Album, although the Recording Academy received waves of criticism for giving her the win instead of Mac Miller, who passed away last September. The controversy escalated as Ariana Grande tweeted (and deleted) the word “trash” immediately after the announcement of the winner. The tweet was later clarified to have not been directed toward Cardi B but rather to the producer who invited Miller’s parents to the show only to witness his loss. Later, Grande moved to Instagram where she posted a picture of herself in the custom blue gown that was meant to be worn to the Grammys. In the caption, she writes that she was sharing her award with Miller.

Arguably the biggest award of the night, Album of the Year, was presented to country singer Kacey Musgraves for her widely praised album “Golden Hour”!

Both groundbreaking and questionable, the 2019 Grammy Awards sparked wild discussion, praise, and criticism. Although, considering the previous year, the improvements should be noted, and hopefully, expectations can be kept high for 2020.