Minimalism is in vogue again, but Twitter hasn’t caught up yet. “Madonna out-crazied Kanye!” Of course she did. Have you heard Yeezus? Have you heard “Only One?” Kanye doesn’t care about crazy anymore.  Nor did a stoic Beyonce, or a regal Katy Perry poised like Galadriel, or Rihanna singing her guts out in front of a theatre curtain, flanked by two musicians at least as famous as she who seem utterly unaware of that fact. Hell, a performance as mad as Madonna’s almost seems like an anachronism.
Music seemed to come full circle at this year’s Grammys. Nile Rodgers has apparently joined the Illuminati. Paul McCartney is once again relevant, but largely as an accessory to Kanye; Rodgers underwent the same transition with Daft Punk.  The stars that inhabited last year’s Grammys are gone. No Lorde. No Macklemore. No Daft Punk. But daring Kanye! Legendary Paul! Beyonce, fresh off the best pop album of the decade and poised to plan something even bigger! We are on the cusp of something huge.
The Grammys come at the beginning of the year after the one that gives it its source material. This is essentially the 2014 Grammys, which is why the last ceremony was filled with stars (Robin Thicke, Justin Timberlake) that would soon slide off the map. As such, this year’s Grammys reminded us both of what was missing last year (how else could Sam Smith have won so many awards?) and what is to come next year (Rihanna’s album, Kanye’s album–really those two things are enough, and I have a feeling Frank Ocean will crawl out of his cave soon).
Rihanna’s appearance was a breath of fresh air. The Barbadian megastar used to pump out albums at a ’60s-pop-band rate before dropping off the map after 2012’s abysmal Apologetic. If she’s spent this long working on a new album, it’s going to be Thriller status. She got Loud, one of the best pop albums of the 2010s, done in a year. With three years, who knows what she could do? Not to mention that even if “FourFiveSeconds” is on it and every other track is awful we’ll still end up with a better album than Apologetic.
Let’s talk for a moment about Katy Perry. From Left Shark to Princess Leia, whom she seemed to be channeling this year, Perry has taken on increasing relevance as a performer. This contrasts with her trend-hopping music (did anyone involved in the making of “Dark Horse” expect trap to die out as fast as it did?). She’s a born performer, and she’ll die one, too. She’s set for the Vegas stage. This may seem like a condemnation, but she’ll rock it as hard as Elvis ever did. And as a great lover of kitsch, she’ll enjoy it.
The 21st century is upon us. We will blast Skrillex in our retirement homes. We will reprimand our children for whatever absolutely ballistic music they will be listening to when we are middle-aged. Though the Grammys may be stuck in the past, they help us know the future a little bit better. And the future looks good.