Mara Davis Breaks Down The Best Performances Of The 61st Grammy Awards

February 11th, 2019

Lois Reitzes was joined by Michele Rhea Caplinger and John Driskell Hopkins to discuss the GRAMMY Award voting process.

Don Emmert / AFP/Getty Images

This was the year of the woman and the Grammy Awards pulled out all the stops to showcase mostly women performers. Alicia Keys was the host and she opened up the show with some female icons: Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Michelle Obama and Jennifer Lopez. On “City Lights,” Lois Reitzes sat down with Mara Davis to discuss the awards, surprises and the performances.

Here are some of Mara’s highlights on the 61st Grammy Awards:

1. Opening number with Camila Cabello, rapper Young Thug, Ricky Martin, and J Balvin of her hit song “Havana”

2. Dua Lipa won best new artist and had a performance with St. Vincent. They song both “Masseduction” and “One Kiss.”

3. Performances for the Dolly Parton tribute. She was honored with the MusiCares Person of the Year award. She’s the first country singer to win the award.

4. Kacey Musgraves won big last night. She went home with Album of the Year, Best Country Album, Best Country Song, and Best Country Solo Performance. Back stage when she was asked if she thinks the wins would help get her music on the radio, she replied “To me, radio isn’t necessarily the mark of what makes good music.” She will be in Atlanta on March 22-23 at The Tabernacle.

5. Janelle Monae channeled both Prince and Michael Jackson in an early show standout of “Make Me Feel.”

6. Alicia Keys was one of the nights most notable performers playing dual pianos while slaying a medley of songs, Davis said.

7. Cardi B made history as being the first female to win a solo rap album. She also performed her song “Money” in a leopard print leotard with diamond accent pieces.

8. Drake took the award for Best Rap Song, but made a slight dig at the ceremony during his acceptance speech.

He said ” I want to take this opportunity while I’m up here to talk to all the kids watching, aspiring to do music. All my peers that make music from their heart, that do things pure and tell the truth, I wanna let you know, we play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport. It’s not the NBA where at the end of the year, you’re holding a trophy because you made the right decisions or won games.”

9. Stone Mountain native Donald Glover, aka Childish Gambino, earned four more trophies to add to last year’s inaugural Grammy’s. He won Song of the Year for “This is America,” but wasn’t there to accept the award.

10. Jimmy Carter also earned a nod for Best Spoken Word Album for “Faith-A Journey for All.” He is the only former president to score three Grammys.