Grammys 2013 was a proper conflict of mainstream versus out-of-the-box and conformity versus controversial in both winners and wardrobe. Taylor Swift kicked off the night with her latest song-that-sounds-like-every-song-she’s-ever-written, aptly named, “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Anyone that knew anything about Grammys 2013, however, were buzzing heavily about the return of Justin Timberlake after a four year hiatus, the Frank Ocean v Chris Brown popularity face-off (no-brainer), and celebrity response to CBS’s appropriate dress code plea. Thankfully, the “forbidden fruit” theory continues to work as stars blatantly ignored pleas for “no side-boobs” and “adequately covered buttocks and female breasts (and genitalia) with plunging necklines and bikini length dresses.
The classic “best-and-worst-dressed” got a bit of a boost at the Grammys 2013, as CBS begged the quirky constituency for some propriety. “Ha!” thought Jennifer Lopez as she flashed the cameras her entire right leg. “Ha-ha!” followed Katy Perry as the twins enjoyed ample sunlight in her Gucci floor-length with a suicidal plunging neckline. Meanwhile, Kelly Rowland bumped Beyonce for best-dressed Destiny’s Child girl, and Rihanna blew everyone out of the water in her red-carpet camouflage colored Alaia halter dress.
As for the hardware winning selection, Grammys 2013 was a testament to the enduring power and popularity of pop(!), with victories by Fun. and Gotye, already-has-beens who never shirked their duty to provide instant-gratification hits for the crowd. Alternatively, timeless pop stars like JT and Elton John got their own fair share of recognition and spotlight, even despite their lack of new material, giving hope to the ongoing legacy of relevant mainstream music.
Finally, Grammys 2013 was the stage for the tense rivalry between Chris Brown and Frank Ocean. Just weeks after a parking lot fight, where a homophobic slur was thrown Ocean’s way, the two faced the audience polls in separate performances. Brown’s Grammys 2013 nomination was met with a smattering of claps throughout the front lines of the audience, in comparison with the roaring applause Ocean met for his win in the “best urban contemporary album.” Ocean clearly took the Grammys 2013 most-loved award, and closed out the night with an unconventionally non-poppy and pure performance of his single “Forest Gump.”
