“So, let’s just be honest. This is a celebration, and y’all didn’t think I was coming out here by myself, did you? Please, can I bring some of my sisters out here tonight?” Alicia Keys happily begins her opening monologue.

The first 10 minutes of the 61st Grammy’s audience had five of the talented and influential women in the entertainment industry. Alicia Keys, Lady Gaga, Jenifer Lopez, Jada Pickett Smith, and Michelle Obama were all there to share one message: the greatness of music and the power it has with every individual person’s soul.

Lady Gaga expressed her vulnerability with the impact of her music making. She fought through judgments and the let downs from the industry because she was too weird. The music she made was the only thing that kept her going giving the world the famous “Bad Romance” and “Poker Face.” Gaga performed through her weirdness and became an icon of no f’s given.

Jenifer Lopez used music to express herself through dance. Just a Latina from the Bronx showing her diversity in dancing whether it be hip hop, pop, or salsa.

“Music has always been the one place we can all feel truly free,” Lopez said.

Jada Pickett Smith has been a voice of empowerment with her hit web series The Red Table. She has used her platform to bring light to the world we live in today. Sexual harassment, racism, and women empowerment in the music industry have been hot topics.

“We express our pain, power, and progress through our music, whether we’re creating it or just appreciating it,” Smith said.

As the for Alicia Keys, she was the fifth female host in Grammys history. It has been 14 years since the last female host which was Queen Latifah.

Keys had a presence that night that had the audience’s attention from beginning to start. With her reassuring beauty and calming voice, she promised the Grammys a good night full of music and surprises.

Starting the Grammys with female empowerment, singer and actress Janelle Monae did a nearly five-minute ode to the vagina monologue during her “Make Me Feel” performance. Her dancers were dressed in latex suits serving body looks throughout the song. At a point, Monae had more backup dancers in pink suits and flared costumes resembling vaginas. Being one of the first female performers, Monae set the tone for future acts.

All the special tributes that night went to legendary female powerhouses: Dolly Parton, Diana Ross, and the late Aretha Franklin. Each performance captured the essence of each genre being performed at the Staple Center by women with major power and voice.