With the Grammys now largely serving as a platform for popular contemporary artists and iconic legends to perform in front of tens of millions of viewers, only a handful of the actual awards seem to carry much significance with the mainstream.
That handful, known as the “big four,” includes Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
Predictably, Adele claimed all three for which she was eligible, putting a final exclamation mark on her historic, dominant year in music. “Rolling in the Deep” claimed the Record and Song trophies, while her still-red-hot “21” grabbed the Album of the Year prize.
Bon Iver, meanwhile, beat out more mainstream artists like Nicki Minaj and The Band Perry to win Best New Artist.
Despite the non-stop buzz surrounding Minaj, the top 40 popularity of acts like The Band Perry and J. Cole, and the recent wave of excitement for Skrillex, Bon Iver had always seemed a shoo-in due to the immense praise for the band’s actual music. In recent years, critical acclaim has definitely mattered in the Best New Artist category.