ZOE ROGERS / OPINION EDITOR

The views expressed in the editorial and op-ed sections are not necessarily cessarily those of  The USD Vista staff, the University of San Diego, or its student body.

Each year, the Grammys presents awards to artists regarding various categories. These  include Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and more. The Grammys are often known for wide-ranging advocacy speeches presented by the artists during their  on-stage award acceptance. Even this year, artists used their 90 second speeches to draw attention to social issues. Doechii encouraged Black girls to follow  their  dreams, Chappell Roan demanded a livable wage for musicians and Lady Gaga expressed her support for trans people. 

This year, the Recording Academy took a similar approach in an attempt to solve societal issues. The Grammys used its platform to ask for  donations for the MusiCares Fire Relief from the audience in an attempt to aid the recent tragedies of the Los Angeles fires. The Grammys’ record-breaking $24 million fundraising effort, aimed at helping the fire victims in LA, has given Americans hope that the entertainment industry will serve as a key force for disaster relief now and in the future.  

The Grammys have continuously  posed as a platform for advocacy efforts throughout the years. With a global audience, the Grammys are the perfect opportunity to reflect one’s beliefs and encourage  others  to  act on them. In 2019, Lady Gaga won Best Pop Duo or Group Performance alongside Bradley Cooper. In her speech, Gaga discussed the importance of mental health awareness, its common appearance in celebrities and also encouraged her listeners to reach out to someone for help. 

“So if you see somebody that’s hurting, don’t look away,” Gaga said. “And if you’re hurting, even though it might be hard, try to find that bravery within yourself to dive deep and go to tell somebody and take them up in your head with you.” 

The money donated from the Grammys has aided organizations in their pursuit to rebuild LA.  Photo courtesy of @iafflocal1014/ Instagram

This year, Chappell Roan’s speech regarding healthcare for musicians sparked   conversations revolving around the lack of stability within the music industry. Roan highlighted the financial instability of the majority of artists in the industry who are not A-list celebrities, reflecting on being dropped by her record label at an early age, leaving her with no income or healthcare. 

Touring, independent and freelance artists oftentimes struggle to generate a consistent flow of income that is feasible for living in our world today. Other sources of treatment such as general health care appointments, substance abuse counseling, mental health care and other forms of aid, are often impossible to achieve for underground artists.

Trevor Noah, known for his acting, comedy and political commentary, acted as this year’s television host for the Grammys. Noah reminded the audience members they were able to donate by scanning the QR code provided on the screen, that LA needed their help and any amount of donation would make a difference.

Alongside the Grammys’ efforts to provide relief to the community of LA, celebrities, organizations and companies donated to numerous organizations. According to Forbes, an American business magazine, many celebrities took up the opportunity to better LA such as Taylor Swift, Leonardo DiCaprio, The Weeknd and more. The  artists donated to several associations including MusiCares Fire Relief, Greater Los Angeles Education Foundation, Los Angeles Regional Food bank and others. The Recording Academy donated one million dollars; on top of that, Universal Music Group (UMG) cancelled all parties and donated the money they would’ve spent on the parties to fire relief. 

In 2020, the Grammys harnessed the position of a fundraiser as well. The Grammy Awards, a website run by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, provides information regarding the Grammys’ contribution for COVID-19 relief efforts. 

“Both the Recording Academy and MusiCares have contributed an initial donation of $1 million each, totaling $2 million,” the Grammy  Awards stated. 

Due to the Grammys efforts in supporting its community during past tragedies, we can assume when other disasters arrive, the Grammys will provide financial support to those in need.    

However, not too long ago, Hurricane Helene left catastrophic damage in North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and Virginia. Briticana, a website that provides access to encyclopedias and tools for universities, reported on the effects of Hurricane Helene. 

“Some estimates put the economic impact of the storm, including property and infrastructure damage, as high as $200 billion, which would make Helene the costliest storm in U.S. history,” Briticanna stated. 

While the Grammys  provided  aid  for the  tragedies of the Los Angeles  fires, they failed to focus their attention on other victims of natural disasters. It’s possible to say the recording academy  only aided LA because the fires affected them personally, because the location of  many artists and record companies are based there. The Grammys failed to continue to help citizens from disasters all over the US, leaving fans on the other side of the country in devastation. 

While it’s easy to criticize the Grammys for only providing funds to the city of LA when others are suffering in the south, it’s important to realize the positive impact the Grammys fundraising efforts had on LA. The money generated from the donations of celebrities, companies and the Grammys’ audience members funded organizations such as the California Community Foundation, Direct Relief and Pasadena Community Foundation. With every dollar donated, LA is one step closer to rebuilding what it lost in the flames.

The Grammys harnessed their opportunity to grasp the world’s attention of LA’s devastation in asking their audience to donate. In doing this, the Grammys became a key factor in the relief efforts of the LA community. In a time of grief, the entertainment industry acted as a saving grace to the suffering residents of LA. Now, we can trust the Grammys will continue  to provide relief during devastating  times in the future. 

Doechii gives her support for Black girls to keep dreaming. Photo courtesy of @recordingacademy/ Instagram