While attending the Grammy Awards may be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for some artists, Ariana Grande did not hesitate to say “thank u, next” to performing and attending the ceremony when they did not allow her to sing the songs that she wanted. I believe this was an immature and incorrect decision.  

While I do believe that artists should be able to decide what songs they perform at award shows, I think that it was unreasonable for Grande to not attend the show altogether. The Grammys are supposed to be about giving appreciation for the art of music itself, and not showing up to the awards show was somewhat disrespectful to the artists who did choose to perform.

Due to the petty decision that Grande made when the Grammys told her she couldn’t perform her new hit “7 rings,” she missed out on being able to accept her first Grammy. Grande won the Best Pop Vocal Album category with her album “sweetener,” an important and amazing accomplishment in her career.

While I agree with Grande’s decision not to perform, she should have at least gone to the awards show. The singer should have followed the lead of artists like Kendrick Lamar, Drake, and Childish Gambino, who all turned down opportunities to perform but attended the awards show, according to the New York Times.

Another path that Grande also could have followed the lead of Drake by protesting the Grammys in her acceptance speech. Drake put the Grammys on blast while accepting his Grammy for best rap song for his song “God’s Plan.” The Grammys could have been a platform for Grande to express her beliefs, but she took the opportunity away from herself.

Grande had the right to do whatever she wanted, but her decision reflects poorly on herself. There were so many other ways she could have made her point to the Grammys, however it was a bad look to not show up at all. She paid the price for not being able to accept her first ever Grammy.