Awards
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Kim Petras may “never cause no drama,” but she’s certainly ready to put an end to it.
At Sunday night’s Grammys (Feb. 5), Petras and Sam Smith took home the award for best pop duo/group performance, making Petras the first transgender winner in the category. In a press conference following her win, the pop singer said that she couldn’t help but think about the people who told her she wouldn’t make it.
“All these years are going through my head of people saying I would be a ‘niche artist’ because I’m transgender and my music would only ever play in gay clubs,” she said, adding that gay clubs “raised” her. “Now, I got a Grammy for making gay club music with my friend, and that’s the best feeling in the world.”
When asked what she hoped people watching could take away from her historic victory, Petras offered up a plea for greater understanding. “Honestly, I just think people need to judge less,” she said. “I hope that there’s a future where gender and identity and all these labels don’t matter that much. I hope all the kids that saw this that are special or different or feel like they don’t belong … feel inspired that, ‘Yes, you can be yourself and get rewarded for your talent rather than your gender or your sexuality.’”
While many watching were excited by the prospect of Petras earning her first Grammy, others online were getting fired up over her performance with Smith. Conservatives online referred to the pair’s fire-and-brimstone performance as “satanic,” with Senator Ted Cruz even weighing in to call the live number “evil.”
As Petras tells it, that was very much the point of their presentation. “It’s a take on not being able to choose religion, and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live,” she said matter-of-factly. “I think a lot of people have labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as ‘religiously not cool.’ I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it, but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it.”
Petras saved her kindest words backstage for Smith, referring to the singer as “a very special friend” and thanking them for their support since the outset of her career. “It’s really special to share this with someone who’s given me such important advice in my life, who has helped me in dealing with the opinions of people,” she said. “So, yeah, Sam will never get rid of me and we will always sing this song for eternity.”
Check out Petras’ full backstage press conference at the 2023 Grammys above.
While the In Memoriam performance at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) paid tribute to the passing of many music stars in 2022, several notable omissions left fans irate, most notably the absences of Gangsta Boo and Lil Keed.
Boo, born Lola Chantrelle Mitchell, died on New Year’s Day this year. She rose to prominence during her teenage years and played an integral role in creating Three 6 Mafia. At the time of her death, Memphis Police Department said in a statement that there were no immediate signs of foul play and the investigation into her death was ongoing. She was 43.
Despite a gripping performance delivered by Quavo for his Migos bandmate and nephew, Takeoff, hip-hop fans chirped on social media about Boo’s exclusion. “Leaving out Gangsta Boo, one of the pioneers of Southern female rap, from the GRAMMY memoriam segment is a sin and a shame,” said one fan. “Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop tonight and forgetting to include Gangsta Boo in the memorial video is disrespectful af @RecordingAcad,” tweeted another.
Viewers also had something to say about the omission of YSL’s Lil Keed,” who died last May. “Grammy’s really didn’t honor Lil Keed. Scum,” said a viewer on Twitter.
According to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner, Keed’s cause of death stemmed from eosinophilia. Eosinophilia is a rare condition in which the number of eosinophils — a type of white blood cell — is greatly increased, according to cancer.gov.
Billboard has reached out to the Recording Academy for comment about the omissions.
Take a look at some of the tweets reacting to Boo and Keed’s omissions below.
Celebrating the 50th Anniversary of Hip Hop tonight and forgetting to include Gangsta Boo in the memorial video is disrespectful af @RecordingAcad.— K E I S H (@MikeishaDache) February 6, 2023
Leaving out Gangsta Boo, one of the pioneers of Southern female rap, from the GRAMMY memoriam segment is a sin and a shame.— AGD. (@TheLexGabrielle) February 6, 2023
Grammy’s really didn’t honor Lil Keed. Scum— dan (@D_Gallagher9) February 6, 2023
Woww they really left Lil Keed and Gangsta Boo out of the #GRAMMYs tribute.😪— Shh the TV On (@shhthetvon) February 6, 2023
How did the Grammys not honor Gangsta Boo during the memorial part of the show?? Unacceptable and so disrespectful.— HXV (@WE_ARE_HXV) February 6, 2023
#GRAMMYs Why was Gangsta Boo not in the tribute to artist we lost? With this being 50 years of hip hop they should have added her picture.— Mzredmoma@gmail.com (@mzredmoma) February 6, 2023
Wow, y’all really gangsta boo off the tribute? Memphis being disrespected left and right this year. #GRAMMYs— Random, naked hoes stop following me!😷 (@WandaNon) February 6, 2023
You know it’s not the same as it was, but we remember it all too well. It’s been more than a decade since Harry Styles and Taylor Swift dated and called it quits, leaving millions of heartbroken fans feeling akin to children of divorced parents. But at the Grammy Awards Sunday night (Feb. 5), the two singers proved that, though long broken up, Mom and Dad are on great terms, taking time to chat and support one another during the ceremony.
In an onsite video captured during Steve Lacy’s performance of “Bad Habit,” Swift can be seen making her way over to Styles’ table in her glitzy, midnight-blue two-piece gown. The “As It Was” singer, who took home the coveted album of the year award and best pop vocal album for Harry’s House that night, stands up to greet her with a hug.
As Lizzo dances along to Lacy’s performance a few chairs down, the former pop power couple talk for about a minute before Swift glides elegantly away. Did she congratulate her “ex man” (to quote “Shake It Off”) on his wins? Did they discuss the best ways to co-parent their joint fanbase? It remains to be known what their brief conversation was about, but whatever it was, they were all smiles throughout.
The moment mirrors Swift and Styles’ reunion at the Grammys two years ago, when it was Swift who was honored with album of the year for Folklore. Just like this year, the two were also spotted on video having a friendly conversation at the 2021 awards, except Harry was the one to approach Taylor.
The “Anti-Hero” singer — whose “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” was nominated for song of the year, which went to Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” — was also filmed passionately applauding Styles after his performance of “As It Was,” giving him a standing ovation. Now that snowmobile accidents, paper airplane necklaces and dozens of songs rumored to have been written about each other (looking at you, “Style” and “Two Ghosts”) are simply things of the past, fans can rest easy knowing that the two pop stars are friendly than ever.
Watch Harry Styles and Taylor Swift reunite at the 2023 Grammys below:
Now this is a another historic #Grammys moment. During Steve Lacy’s performance, Taylor Swift snuck over to talk to Harry Styles. They hug + talk for a long time over his table. pic.twitter.com/MX75UmcxJM— Chris Gardner (@chrissgardner) February 6, 2023
As if people weren’t mad enough at the results of the 2023 Grammys, now conservatives are fired up over two performers wearing devil costumes during the annual telecast. During the ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 5), Sam Smith and Kim Petras offered a rousing performance of their hit single “Unholy,” in which the Petras performed alongside drag stars Violet Chachki and Gottmik dressed in devil costumes, while Smith was in a bright red top hat with devil horns sticking out from it for the final chorus.
Instead of celebrating the fact that the pair made history for the LGBTQ community that night, conservative viewers slammed the performances for promoting the worship of Satan. “I know we on the right probably use the word satanic too often but this performance from Sam Smith is literally a tribute to Satan,” wrote one viewer. Another added some conspiracy-baiting into the mix, saying Madonna (who introduced the performance) looked like a statue erected in New York City that conservatives have called “satanic” as well.
Eventually, right-wing senator Ted Cruz decided to weigh in. Retweeting a video of the performance captured by conservative podcaster Liz Wheeler (who wrote that “demons are teaching your kids to worship Satan”), Cruz simply wrote, “This…is…evil.”
Neither Smith nor Petras have publicly responded to the backlash yet. Billboard has reached out to their reps for comment.
The pair took home the Grammy award for best pop duo/group performance, and Smith gave Petras the stage to celebrate being the first transgender woman to win in the category. “I just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” she said during her speech, especially thanking the late SOPHIE for her constant support. “Everyone who believed in me to this point, I love you so much.”
Check out some of the reactions to Smith & Petras’ “Unholy” performance below:
Last night at the Grammys the satanic ritual performed by Sam Smith was introduced by MadonnaWho “coincidentally” looked like the new pagan statue in New York City pic.twitter.com/TPq8NjecYR— Vision4theBlind (@Michael3147) February 6, 2023
Sam Smith’s satanic performance at the Grammy’s ended with a Pfizer commercial. You can’t get it more on the nose than that. Pfizer and Hollywood deserve each other. pic.twitter.com/4HhFQemiCi— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) February 6, 2023
It’s a little funny — though maybe not to her or her fans — to think about how Beyoncé, now literally the most-awarded artist in Grammy history after her four wins on Sunday (Feb. 5), is also now the figure most associated with long-suffering frustration on Music’s Biggest Night.
Despite her 32 career victories — mostly across the R&B and pop categories (and even a Big Four win, song of the year for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” in 2010) — the discourse surrounding the Grammys has increasingly titled towards album of the year being considered, particularly for veteran stars, as the only award of true Recording Academy validation. It’s almost become like the NBA, where discussion of a player’s regular-season accomplishments is constantly held in the shadow of how many championships they’ve won, if any. And Beyoncé, despite her three prior album of the year nominations and general reputation as one of this century’s greatest album artists, had still yet to win the big one going into this year’s ceremonies.
It was a fact not lost on the producers, host or other nominees of this year’s Grammys — where, of course, Beyoncé was once again up for the top prize, this time for her unanimously acclaimed Renaissance set. Queen Bey’s regal presence was hyped up for at least an hour before she actually arrived at the awards — Trevor Noah joking about the L.A. traffic and promising “she’s on the way!” when she was nowhere to be found upon her “Cuff It” winning best R&B song early in the proceedings. Her record-breaking fourth win on the evening was much teased throughout the evening, and once it arrived (with Renaissance taking best dance/electronic album), much celebrated, including by an emotional Bey herself. Upon “About Damn Time” beating Renaissance single “Break My Soul” for record of the year, Lizzo paid special tribute to the artist she said she’d skipped her 5th grade literature class to see live decades earlier, calling her “the artist of our lives.” The spotlight on the album of the year award just got brighter and brighter throughout the proceedings, and whoever would ultimately rise up to accept it: Beyoncé or Not Beyoncé.
And when host Noah handed the microphone to 78-year-old Harry Styles superfan Reina to read the name of the winner, it was pretty clear Not Beyoncé would triumph for another year. The surprise win for Styles’ Harry’s House — as much as it can be considered a surprise when a monstrously successful and largely acclaimed album by one of the world’s biggest stars achieves basically anything — and fourth straight loss for Beyoncé may lead to a lot of tough questions for the Grammys in the days ahead.
Of course, it must be said that as much as the Grammys are often discussed as if the producers themselves are the ones autonomously deciding to reward artists of their choosing, the Recording Academy in fact has thousands of voting members — from all across various backgrounds and genres within the industry — who vote on the awards, with a variety of voting interests beyond what winners would be best for the Academy. And Beyoncé is far from the only all-time great to never take home album of the year; from Pink Floyd and Elton John to Prince and Madonna to Jay-Z and fellow 2023 nominee Kendrick Lamar, legends from nearly every genre and era can rightfully claim to have been unfairly snubbed in the category.
But Beyoncé’s continued shutout within the category, after being at least a co-favorite in each of her last three nominations, will certainly raise concerns about whether the right voting system (or voting body) is currently in place — either to recognize Beyoncé specifically or contemporary hip-hop and R&B artists in general. And at a time when superstars like Drake and The Weeknd are increasingly outspoken about their distrust of the Grammys, it’s also worth wondering how the Recording Academy will ever be able to prove credibility with fans or artists if the century’s most universally beloved and venerated pop artist keeps getting passed over for the Grammys’ biggest prize.
Grammy post-game discussions about why one album didn’t win invariably end up being unfair to the one that actually did. While the Recording Academy has long been accused of being out of touch with pop’s mainstream, that’s certainly not a credible criticism with regards to Harry’s House — one of the best-performing and best-liked pop albums released in 2022. It’s not an album many would argue necessarily pushed top 40 forward, and it was certainly less musically expansive than Renaissance (or other sets nominated from Bad Bunny and Lamar) but it was also undeniably vital to the year’s culture, and one with millions of passionate supporters no doubt elated today to see it awarded the music industry’s highest annual honor. As far as AOTY winners go, it’s nowhere near a catastrophic or indefensible choice. But it’s still Not Beyoncé — and in 2023, when the Queen has also has a rapturously received album up for the honors, that’s enough to make its selection controversial.
Styles additionally did himself (and the Academy) no favors with a bit of wording in his acceptance speech he’d perhaps like to have back, where he claimed that this kind of win “doesn’t happen to people like me very often.” He likely intended “people like me” to mean former boy band or teen-pop stars, in which case, he certainly wasn’t wrong; Big Four Grammy success has rarely come to anyone outside of Michael Jackson from those worlds. But as artists from so many marginalized groups are fighting so hard to be properly recognized and represented in the industry’s mainstream, for a good-looking cis white man — who’s spent nearly his entire career at the top — to claim any kind of underdog or outsider status doesn’t quite track, especially when a Black woman like Beyoncé — who’s been around for decades longer than Styles, at a consistently sky-high commercial and artistic level — still can’t get through that door.
It’s all also probably a little unfair to the Recording Academy, given the diverse spate of winners across their major categories this year. Black women did take two of the Big Four, with pop star Lizzo an ecstatic winner of record of the year and jazz singer Samara Joy emerging from the most wide-open best new artist race of recent years. While blues-rock veteran Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” might not have been the most culturally urgent song of the year winner — it was the only of the 10 nominees to not reach the Billboard Hot 100 — it was a nice moment of recognition for an artist whose musical excellence has long outlasted her top 40 relevance (particularly in a songwriters category, where she hasn’t always been recognized). And it’s worth noting that while Styles’ gender and background may always give him a leg up in industry races like this, there’s hardly been a parade of white men taking home album of the year at the Grammys recently; Beck was the last one to win, for Morning Light in 2015. (Guess who else was nominated that year, natch.)
The Grammys did paint themselves in a little bit of a corner with this year’s ceremony, though — both via the incredible emphasis placed on Beyoncé Watch throughout the evening’s proceedings, and with the massive hyping of this album of the year race. The award was given even greater focus this year than usual, thanks to a series of pre-filmed videos interspersed throughout the show, in which superfans of each of the 10 nominated artists pleaded their case for their fav to take home the honor, with the 10 fans (including victorious Reina) also appearing at the awards themselves. The combination made it feel like the entire rest of the evening — awards, performances and all — was just a prelude to the album of the year showdown, and that it wasn’t so much a 10-way competition for the top prize as it was Beyoncé vs. The Field.
And it also didn’t help that this year’s Grammys…. well, they really coulda used a Beyoncé win to give the show a little bit of an enduring identity. Despite running for over three and a half hours, the show often felt like it was a little thin on must-see material — with a lot of the biggest stars (Adele, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé herself) deciding they were better off spending the night as attendees rather than performers, and recurring bits like the album of the year segments (and performers getting extended introductions from real-life friends) starting to feel like more like padding as the evening progressed. There were still jaw-dropping moments, like Bad Bunny’s incendiary show-opening mega-mambo, Sam Smith and Kim Petras’ unprecedented win for non-binary and trans visibility, and a truly historic collection of rap legends passing the mic down the timeline for the show’s hip-hop 50th anniversary celebration, but they were far apart and felt disconnected. A closing Beyoncé win really would’ve tied the show together.
It wasn’t to be for 2023, though, and it’s hard to imagine what year it will be for at this point. If Beyoncé wasn’t willing to commit to a performance (or even necessarily an appearance) ahead of time this year — even in a year she was highly likely to make Grammy history regardless of whether or not she took home AOTY — perhaps next time she’s nominated, she won’t even be in the building, making it an unmitigated disaster for the Grammys whether she wins or not. It’s not right that the state of the Grammys should be tied this directly to the success of one artist in one category, but when that artist and that category are both given such an outsized degree of focus, it’s not exactly surprising, either. And if they’re going to continue down this path, they’re going to continue to find themselves in boiling-hot water when the “artist of our lives” isn’t the final artist called to their winners’ circle.
For the first time in years, the 2023 Grammy Awards will likely be remembered for the awards given out as opposed to the performances.
Stars bringing their A-game to the stage is usually what occupies water cooler conversation the day after the Grammys, but this year’s ceremony – which went down at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (Feb. 5) – featured several surprise wins that few saw coming. From best new artist victor Samara Joy to a visibly shocked Bonnie Raitt winning song of the year to an overjoyed Lizzo nabbing record of the year to Harry Styles winning album of the year (in a category that included Beyoncé and Bad Bunny), it was an evening of twists that could only have been matched if you skipped the Grammys entirely and caught M. Night Shyamalan’s Knock at the Cabin instead.
That isn’t to say the performances didn’t leave an imprint on viewers. The Questlove-curated 50th anniversary salute to hip-hop was one of the most wildly entertaining, jaw-dropping performances at any awards show in years, bringing together generation-spanning pioneers such as LL Cool J, Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, Method Man, Missy Elliott, Busta Rhymes, Rakim, Run-D.M.C., Grandmaster Flash, Ice-T, Big Boi and many, many more – plus new genre stars such as Lil Baby and GloRilla. It was the only thing that justified making the 2023 Grammys telecast run nearly four hours.
Below, we’re ranking all the performances at the 2023 Grammys Awards, from least to greatest. One thing worth noting: We are not ranking any of the ‘in memoriam’ performances (by Kacey Musgraves, Quavo, Mick Fleetwood, Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt), in a nod to the tone those moments take in the telecast.
You can’t give out 91 awards without some snubs and surprises – and the 65th annual Grammy Awards, held on Sunday (Feb. 5), had plenty of both.
For the second time in three years, no artist won in more than one Big Four category. Harry Styles’ Harry’s House took album of the year, Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” won record of the year, Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” claimed song of the year, and Samara Joy won best new artist.
In the past 25 years, there have been only three other years where no artist won in more than one Big Four category. This same four-way split occurred at the telecasts in 2004, 2010 and 2021. Sweeps, or at least mini-sweeps, in the Big Four categories have generally been the rule in recent years.
Beyoncé and Maverick City Music were the night’s top winners with four awards each. Brandi Carlile, Kirk Franklin, Kendrick Lamar and Raitt were close behind, with three each.
One of the biggest surprises this year didn’t pertain to awards: It’s that only one of the four artists with the most nominations this year (Carlile) performed on the telecast. Beyoncé, who led the pack with nine nods; Lamar, who finished second with eight; and Adele, who tied with Carlile with seven nods, all declined invitations to perform.
Trevor Noah hosted the Grammys for the third year in a row. But it’s the first time he’s hosted them in their usual home, Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, the result of pandemic-triggered changes the last two years.
Here are the biggest snubs and surprises of Grammy night 2023.
And that’s a wrap on the 65th annual Grammy Awards!
Music’s Biggest Night finally returned to Los Angeles, at Crypto.com Arena, on Sunday night (Feb. 5) for the first time since 2020 prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was certainly a full house. Billboard was positioned on the red carpet, backstage in the media center, and in the audience to bring you all the scoop behind this year’s telecast. (All times in PT.)
12:30 p.m.: Nominees for best Americana performance (The Blind Boys of Alabama), best tropical Latin album (La Marisoul), instrumental jazz album (Bob Mintzer), musical theater album (Shoshana Bean), traditional blues album (Buddy Guy) and gospel album (Maranda Curtis) kick off the Grammy Premiere Ceremony with a stirring performance of “I Just Want to Celebrate.”
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12:45 p.m.: Randy Rainbow, the host of the Grammy Premiere Ceremony, reads through the laundry list of rules for tonight’s pre-celebration before giving the first award of the evening to Encanto for best compilation soundtrack for visual media. Encanto also takes home the trophy for best score soundtrack for visual media, which is awarded to composer Germaine Franco.
12:56 p.m.: Beyoncé wins her first award of the night for best dance/electronic recording with her Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 smash “Break My Soul.” She’s now surpassed Quincy Jones as the living artist with the most Grammys with 29 trophies. If she wins two more awards out of her nine nominations, she’ll tie the late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti for the most wins by anyone in Grammy history. If she wins three more, she’ll set a new record.
1 p.m.: Harry Styles‘ Billboard 200-topping album Harry’s House wins its first award of the night for best engineered album, non-classical. Harry’s House is also up for album of the year and best pop vocal album.
1:13 p.m.: Samara Joy, who’s up for best new artist and best jazz vocal album, gets the audience in a sultry mood with her swoon-worthy performance of her single “Can’t Get Out of This Mood.” Not even 10 minutes later, she wins the Grammy for best jazz vocal album with Linger Awhile.
1:31 p.m.: Reporters excitedly clap and cheer for Viola Davis from the media center while she tearfully accepts her first Grammy for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording during the Grammy Premiere Ceremony. She now officially achieves EGOT status, becoming the 18th person in history to do so.
1:33 p.m.: Muni Long beats Beyoncé, Mary J. Blige, Lucky Daye and Jazmine Sullivan for best R&B performance with “Hrs and Hrs.” She’s also nominated for best new artist and best R&B song.
1:35 p.m.: Beyoncé wins her second Grammy of the evening for best traditional R&B performance with “Plastic Off the Sofa.” She needs to win one more to tie Solti for the most wins by anyone in Grammy history and two more to set the record.
1:36 p.m.: Steve Lacy wins his first Grammy of the evening for best progressive R&B album with Gemini Rights. He’s also nominated for record of the year, song of the year and best pop solo performance for his Hot 100 chart-topper “Bad Habit.”
1:38 p.m.: Purple Disco Machine visits the media center while holding his Grammy for best remixed recording for his remix of Lizzo‘s Hot 100 No. 1 “About Damn Time,” which took him about a week to do. “Her voice was so outstanding, so I just had to remix this one. I thought I’d do it a little bit more disco for DJs,” he said. “I listened to the original version a few times and each would be something in it I really like or I can work with, some funky elements. And then I start thinking of the remix, and once I have an idea, I start doing the remix.”
1:39 p.m.: Kendrick Lamar wins two Grammys for best rap performance and best rap song with “The Heart Part 5,” which will also be up for record and song of the year during the primetime telecast. He’s trailing behind Beyoncé as the second-most nominated artist during this year’s awards show with eight nods.
1:41 p.m.: Producer ATL Jacob accepts the Grammy on behalf of Drake, Future and Tems for best melodic rap performance with “Wait for U.”
1:43 p.m.: Brandi Carlile wins two Grammys of her seven nominations for best rock performance and best rock song with “Broken Horses.”
1:48 p.m.: Andrew Watt and Robert Trujillo accept Ozzy Osbourne‘s Grammy on his behalf for best metal performance with the Tony lommi-assisted “Degradation Rules.” Watt says the Prince of Darkness had only two messages to pass along: “I love you all, and f— off!” Osbourne also wins best rock album with Patient Number 9.
1:52 p.m.: Wet Leg wins back-to-back Grammys for best alternative music performance with “Chaise Longue” and best alternative music album for Wet Leg. The group will also be up for best new artist during the telecast.
2 p.m.: The engineers behind Harry’s House — Jeremy Hatcher, Randy Merrill, Nick Lobel and Oli Jacobs — describe the remote process of mixing of the album during COVID in the media center. “Harry has really high expectations for himself, and obviously, that’s really great to be around,” said Lobel.
2:26 p.m.: Robert Glasper casually strolls into the media room while wearing sunglasses and carrying his Grammy for best R&B album with Black Radio III. “The only thing I feel like I’ve done to bring music to young people is just play music that’s my age. A lot of people when they play jazz, they’re trying to play music that’s 40, 50, 60 years prior to them, and that’s not necessarily their story. I study jazz, I’m aware of the history, but I also have to tell my own story. So by being present and by acknowledging what’s around me and being in my vibe and being influenced by what’s now, I’m making history. And I’m influencing younger people,” he says, adding that he wants his legacy in this industry to be “someone who had the keys to the house of Black music and wandered room to room.” He also teases that there’s a possibility of a joint jazz album between him and Mary J. Blige, whom he defeated in the star-studded category alongside PJ Morton, Chris Brown and Lucky Daye. Glasper was met with a sympathetic “awww” from reporters when he said he was filming the category announcement and telling the camera he was going to lose but happy to be here before eventually winning.
2:46 p.m.: Rhian Teasdale and Hester Chambers of Wet Leg carry one trophy each while timidly answering questions from reporters. When asked if they’re experiencing a “storybook beginning” regarding their journey from the Isle of Wight to Los Angeles, Chambers whispers that they didn’t “expect anything like this to happen” while Teasdale said she “cannot compute” their double wins before giggling to herself.
3:13 p.m.: Carly Pearce — who won the Grammy for best country duo/group performance alongside Ashley McBryde with “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” — explains how this is the first time all women have won in this category. “I’ve always loved Ashley’s music and just was a fan and asked her if she’d write a song with me. So to see this song do what it’s done over the last year and a half for us and just continue to show the girls that are coming up behind us that you can write your truth and you can do everything that you want in this business, I feel very, very lucky,” she said.
3:31 p.m.: Bonnie Raitt wins back-to-back Grammys for best Americana performance and best American roots song for “Made Up Mind” and “Just Like That,” respectively, bringing her overall total to 12.
3:41 p.m.: Dave Chappelle wins best comedy album for the fourth time in his career with The Closer.
3:46 p.m.: Taylor Swift wins her first Grammy of the evening for best music video with All Too Well: The Short Film. She’ll be up for song of the year with “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)” in the telecast.
I can’t put into words what this means to me. For the @RecordingAcad and my peers to acknowledge me as a director, and in doing so, acknowledge my work to try and reclaim my music… I’m blown away. Thank you to all the fans who willed this to happen. https://t.co/nVoR1myP1f— Taylor Swift (@taylorswift13) February 6, 2023
3:49 p.m.: Tobias Jesso Jr. wins the inaugural Grammy for songwriter of the year and thanks “all of the wonderful artists I’ve gotten to work with” during his acceptance speech. Some of the recent songs he’s received writing credits on include “Boyfriends” by Harry Styles; “Can I Get It” and “To Be Loved” by Adele; “C’mon Baby Cry” by Orville Peck; and “Careless” and “Thank You Song” by FKA Twigs.
3:53 p.m.: Jack Antonoff wins producer of the year, non-classical for the second year in a row.
3:56 p.m.: Bonnie Raitt takes a deep breath before being met with a round of applause from reporters, one of whom reminds her she won her first award as a songwriter with best American roots song. But the icon misunderstands the question and corrects her by saying she didn’t win songwriter of the year. “Ok, let me start over. I’m still a little clammy from winning, geez,” she says nervously. “I don’t write that often, so to be recognized… it’s great to get this kind of reception.”
4:36 p.m.: Saul Germaine tells reporters he’s “super honored and so grateful” to have produced Swift’s All Too Well: The Short Film. “Telling this story with Taylor was such an honor. She’s such a gifted filmmaker and to see her step into such a powerful position as both writer and director of the film, it made it very natural to produce,” he said after the short film wins best music video. “I’d be honored to work on everything with her for the rest of my life.”
4:53 p.m.: When asked about the male-dominant producer of the year, non-classical category, Antonoff reminds reporters that they should “look at the fine print,” because he’s co-producing records with Swift, Lana Del Rey, Clairo, Lorde and more female superstars rather than working solo. “In truth, we’re doing them together,” he explained.
5 p.m.: Host Trevor Noah kicks off the main ceremony from a platform overlooking Crypto.com Arena by introducing the evening’s opening performer, Bad Bunny.
5:07 p.m.: Jesso comes back to the media center holding the songwriter of the year Grammy, saying, “I think this is a big step forward. I don’t really think this is for me, this is more for the community of songwriters that I was able to work with. I learned a lot from a lot of people who I’m sure would be equally deserving to be standing right here right now. And I owe a lot of it to a lot of the artists I’ve got to work with. I hope it’s moving in the right direction.”
5:31 p.m.: The media center erupts in applause when Beyoncé’s “Cuff It” wins best R&B song, officially giving the superstar her 31st Grammy and tying the record for the most wins by any individual. She has four more chances during the telecast to break the record for most Grammy wins.
5:55 p.m.: Reporters clap during Kim Petras‘ acceptance speech during the telecast as she announces that she’s the first transgender woman to win best pop duo/group performance, thanks to her and Sam Smith‘s Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Unholy,” which they’ll perform later on in the show.
6:29 p.m.: Applause within the media center hits a new decible once Cardi B announces Lamar won his third best rap album Grammy with Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, which will also be up for album of the year during the main telecast.
6:31 p.m.: Lizzo‘s choir of backup singers are heard harmonizing backstage shortly after her performance of “About Damn Time” and “Special.”
7:04 p.m.: The cheering and clapping heard ’round Crypto.com Arena began before James Corden could even announce that Beyoncé made Grammys history when she won best dance/electronic music album for Renaissance, now giving her the all-time record for most Grammy wins with 32 Golden Gramophones to her name.
7:33 p.m.: The reverberations of the arena from the Grammys’ all-star hip-hop tribute underscores reporters’ cheering during Busta Rhymes‘ lightning-speed performance of his verse from Chris Brown‘s “Look at Me Now,” their echoing of Too $hort‘s “B—-!” from his “Blow the Whistle” performance, and their laughter at Lil Uzi Vert‘s spiky hairdo during his “Just Wanna Rock” performance. This was arguably the loudest and cheeriest the media center had been all day.
7:45 p.m.: Looking gorgeous in a bedazzled red-and-black gown, Kim Petras pulls up to the incredibly jazzed media center with her history-making first Grammy win, exclaiming, “All these years are going through my head of people saying I would be a niche artist because I’m transgender and my music would only ever play in gay clubs and what’s wrong with that? I love gay clubs, they raised me. Anyways, I got a Grammy for making gay club music with my friend, and that’s the best feeling in the world. I just think that people need to judge less, and I hope that there’s a future where gender and identity and all these labels don’t matter that much and for people to just be themselves.” She also describes Smith as “a very special friend and supporter of mine for years” and says they’ve sent a lot of songs back and forth to each other over the years that “weren’t the right fit” until their “little baby” “Unholy” was born. “Sam will never get rid of me, and we’ll always sing this song for eternity,” she rejoiced. Petras also pondered aloud if one can take a shot from the Golden Gramophone, and someone assured her she could, much to her delight. Before she could experiment and “get really, really drunk to process this,” Petras also explained the concept behind her and Smith’s Grammys performance of “Unholy.” “I think a lot of people honestly have labeled what I stand for and what Sam stands for as ‘religiously not cool,’ and I personally grew up wondering about religion and wanting to be a part of it but then slowly realizing it doesn’t want me to be a part of it,” she explained. “It’s a take on not being able to choose religion and not being able to live the way that people might want you to live because as a trans person, I’m kind of not already wanted in religion. And I was kind of Hellkeeper Kim.”
8:06 p.m.: Everyone in the media center erupts, “What?!” nearly in unison as first lady Jill Biden announces Raitt has won the Grammy for song of the year with “Just Like That.” She’s the only nominee in the Big Four category who’s the sole songwriter of their nominated song.
8:13 p.m.: It’s about damn time! Applause erupts when Lizzo is announced as this year’s Grammy winner for record of the year with “About Damn Time,” and the pop star ends her joyous acceptance speech by jumping up and down and screaming, “We won a f—ing Grammy!”
8:21 p.m.: “I’m just so surprised, I don’t know what to say,” Raitt tells reporters humbly when she returns to the media center with her surprising song of the year award, but she visibly becomes more amped as the win settles in. “I can’t believe this is happening! I just can’t. It’s like when I went for Nick of Time [in 1990], I just could not believe that they called my name. And Dr. Biden gave me my damn award! Get the hell out of Dodge! Sorry, I’m losing it,” she exclaims as reporters respond with laughter. “I’m pinching myself. It’s a wonderful thing.”
8:31 p.m.: Reporters are audibly shocked to hear last year’s best new artist winner Olivia Rodrigo call out Samara Joy’s name as this year’s winner.
8:40 p.m.: There’s a mix of joy yet slight confusion when Styles is announced as the winner for album of the year for Harry’s House.
8:52 p.m.: Wearing an all-black leather ensemble with a matching black eye mask, Lacy is the first Grammy winner to come into the media center after the telecast has officially wrapped. He talks about his best progressive R&B album win, defining the category as the “gray area when it comes to Black music. It doesn’t always get acknowledged. I’m grateful for this category to acknowledge those more weird Black artists,” he said, later shouting out his collaborator Fousheé as one of the artists who’s currently inspiring him and calling Static Major his “biggest R&B influence.”
9:02 p.m.: Longtime hitmaker Muni Long — who’s written for superstars like Rihanna, Ariana Grande, Chris Brown and more as Priscilla Renea before embarking on her solo career with the moniker Muni Long — celebrates her first Grammy win, best R&B performance for “Hrs & Hrs,” in the media center. “To be the winner, it just means to me that as long as you trust your heart and go where the joy is that that is always going to be the highest vibration,” she says. “My deepest desire is that somebody is following my story, there’s a little one out there that’s going to see me and understand what it took for me to get here and realize that they can do it, too. Also, hopefully, this means that people will listen to me the first time when I say something and I don’t have to continue to fight to get my vision across.”
9:15 p.m.: An incredibly grateful and joyous Samara Joy walks into the media center to celebrate both wins for best new artist and best jazz vocal album. When asked by Billboard what it means to win best new artist as a Black woman, she sighs with relief before responding, “It means everything because some of my biggest inspirations were in the room, as far as being confident in who you are and… being their own boss — Beyoncé, Lizzo, to name a few. So for me to be able to win this and look at my niece and my little brother and my siblings, my family, my cousins and be like, ‘You can do this. Whatever dream you have, whatever goal that you have, whatever you’re passionate about, go after it no matter what,’” she says.
9:21 p.m.: Styles walks into the media center following his surprise album of the year win with Harry’s House, the last award of the night. When asked by Billboard if he, too, was surprised to win over Beyoncé, whose Renaissance album was expected by many to take home the album of the year award and rectify the many years it took for her to do so, he was visibly stunned. “You never know with this stuff. I don’t think you can look at any of the nominees and not feel like they’re deserving. When I look at this category, it’s all the people that’ve inspired me different times, so it’s not like — you would understand anyone winning. And yeah, I’m really grateful they chose us,” he answered. Styles, accompanied by Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson, spoke for the three of them when he expressed how “overwhelmed” they all felt about the win. “Being nominated for stuff like this kind of really feels like the winning part — being recognized by your peers. It’s obviously incredibly nice to receive this. I don’t think it’s the reason any of us in the room do it. I’m so, so grateful that they thought our album was worthy of it. I think more than anything it just kinda feels like validation that you’re on the right path.”
9:53 p.m.: “About Damn Time” producer Ricky Reed tells reporters about when he first knew that Lizzo’s record would be special, while holding the record of the year trophy. “It started on that big piano chord,” he explains, later identifying it as an E flat, minor 9. “It’s an interesting chord — it’s not major, it’s not really minor, it doesn’t really tell you how to feel, but it has intensity and it has intention. We started there, but when I hit the bass part, when the bass line came in was when [co-producer] Blake [Slatkin], that was when we screamed.”
Aaron Carter’s name was missing from the Grammy Awards’ “In Memoriam” package on Sunday night (Feb. 5), and fans are letting the Recording Academy know about it.
The much-anticipated segment featured many of the big stars who shaped the music world and left us last year, including David Crosby, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Beck, Naomi Judd, Vangelis, Andy Fletcher and Lisa Marie Presley.
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Also during the 65th annual Grammys, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood took the stage to pay musical tribute to the late Christine McVie, best known as one of the singers and songwriters for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Fleetwood Mac; while Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to Loretta Lynn, and , separately, Quavo and Maverick City Music remembered Takeoff.
Carter was namechecked in the official Grammys program, though his name was a glaring omission from the broadcast.
“Really Recording Academy. HOW do you leave Aaron Carter out of the in memoriam??? He sold millions of albums, his life was music. I am stunned and saddened you didn’t include him,” writes one Twitter user, with the handle MelindaWEG.
“In memoriam of Aaron Carter – you deserved more. more recognition, love & time,” tweets calentine’s day.
“Sad that the Grammys ignored Aaron Carter in its otherwise excellent In Memoriam. Aaron was an extremely successful artist who paid a heavy toll for it, had a hard time & unlike some with redemption arcs, was mocked until death. He was a nice kid when I worked with him,” tweets Matthew Rettenmund.
Sad that the Grammys ignored Aaron Carter in its otherwise excellent In Memoriam. Aaron was an extremely successful artist who paid a heavy toll for it, had a hard time & unlike some with redemption arcs, was mocked until death. He was a nice kid when I worked with him. #Grammys pic.twitter.com/VAEyGTPZVF— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) February 6, 2023
A former child star and brother of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, the celebrity died November 2022 at age 34, with a string of chart hits and TV credits to his name.
Carter impacted the Billboard Hot 100 with two titles, including a No. 35 best for 2000’s “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It).” He also landed three albums on the Billboard 200, including a No. 4 best for Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) and a No. 7 peak for 2001’s Oh Aaron.
The cause of Carter’s death is yet to be determined. L.A. County Coroner’s Office hasn’t published results from the pop artist’s toxicology report to determine the official cause of death.
Beyoncé won four awards at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5), upping her career total to 32, which is more than anyone else in Grammy history. Bey surpasses the late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti, who amassed 31 Grammys between 1963 and 1998. Solti died in 1997.
But Beyoncé lost album of the year for Renaissance. It’s her fourth loss in the category, following losses to Taylor Swift, Beck and Adele. Kendrick Lamar also lost album of the year for the fourth time (as a lead artist) with Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers. Like Beyoncé, he did well overall, with three wins. But the losses in the top category are likely to rankle their fans.
Beyoncé was vying to become the first Black female artist to win album of the year as a lead artist since Lauryn Hill took the prize in 1999 for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. Lamar was vying to become the first solo male rapper ever to win in the category. Only two rap or hip-hop albums have ever won the award – Hill’s acclaimed set and OutKast’s Speakerboxxx/The Love Below. Only one other artist in Grammy history (besides Beyoncé and Lamar) has gone 0-4 in album of the year: Sting was nominated once with The Police and three times on his own and lost all four times.
Beyoncé and Maverick City Music were the night’s top winners with four awards each. Brandi Carlile, Kirk Franklin and Kendrick Lamar and Bonnie Raitt were close behind, with three each.
Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” won record of the year. It’s her first win in a Big Four category, but she’s a proven Grammy favorite. Her breakthrough smash “Truth Hurts” won best pop solo performance three years ago – resulting in Billie Eilish’s only loss on her big night, where she became the first artist in 39 years to sweep the Big Four categories.
Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” was the upset winner of song of the year. It’s the first song of the year winner written by a solitary songwriter since Amy Winehouse’s “Rehab” 15 years ago. This is Raitt’s second win in a Big Four category. At the 1990 telecast, Raitt’s Nick of Time was also an upset winner for album of the year. Grammy voters plainly love Raitt. “Just Like That” also won best American roots song. “Made Up Mind” won best Americana performance.
Samara Joy was an upset winner for best new artist. She’s the second jazz artist to win in the category, following Esperanza Spalding 12 years ago. Several of this year’s other nominees were thought to have a better chance of winning, especially Latto, Maneskin, Anitta, Wet Leg and Muni Long.
Adele won best pop solo performance for a record-extending fourth time for her smash ballad “Easy on Me.” She had previously won in the category with “Rolling in the Deep,” “Set Fire to the Rain” and “Hello.” Adele wound up going 1-6 on the night, but that shouldn’t be a source of concern for the singer or her fans. If she had swept the Big Three awards for a third time, that would likely have caused her more career woes in the form of backlash. Now people can relax and not blame Adele for blocking other artists’ path to Grammy glory.
Taylor Swift also had mixed results on the night. She lost song of the year for the sixth time, but “All Too Well: The Short Film” won for best music video. It’s the first video solely directed by the artist to win in this category. Four prior winners had been co-directed by the artist – Missy Elliott’s “Lose Control,” OK Go’s “Here It Goes Again,” Kendrick Lamar’s Humble.” and Beyonce’s “Brown Skin Girl” (a collab with Wizkid and Blue Ivy). Smith may well be nominated for song of the year – for what would be a record seventh time – next year for “Anti-Hero.”
Jack Antonoff won producer of the year, non-classical for the second year in a row. The only other producers to win consecutive awards in this category (which dates to 1974) are Babyface (1995-97) and Greg Kurstin (2016-17).
Ashley McBride & Ashley Pearce’s “Never Wanted to Be That Girl” won best country duo/group performance. It’s the first time an all-female group or collab has won in this category, which was introduced 11 years ago.
New artists did well in the voting. Four best new artist candidates won awards in their home categories. Wet Leg won two awards – best alternative music album for Wet Leg and best alternative music performance for “Chaise Longue.” Muni Long won best R&B performance for “Hrs & Hrs”; Samara Joy won best jazz vocal album for Linger Awhile, Molly Tuttle won best bluegrass album for Crooked Tree (a collab with Golden Highway).
Robert Glasper’s Black Radio III won best R&B album, 10 years after Robert Glasper Experiment’s Black Radio took the prize. This marks the first time an album and a sequel to that album have both won in this category. The only other repeat winners in the category are Alicia Keys and John Legend, with three awards each, and TLC and D’Angelo, also with two.
Dr. Dre was the first recipient of the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. Dre has won seven Grammys in competition. In 2001, he became the first hip-hop producer to win producer of the year, non-classical.
Several artists achieved breakthroughs in their categories. Kim Petras won best pop duo/group performance for “Unholy,” a collab with Sam Smith, becoming the first transgender artist to win in the category. Germaine Franco won best score soundtrack for visual media for Encanto, becoming the first woman of color to win in that category. Michael Repper, conductor of the New York Youth Symphony, won best orchestral performance. In accepting the award, he said it was the first time a youth orchestra has ever won in the category.
Into the Woods (2022 Broadway cast recording) won best musical theater album, 35 years after the original production of the Stephen Sondheim show won in the category. Into the Woods is the fourth show to spawn two winning albums in this category. The first three were Gypsy, Les Misérables and West Side Story.
Judith Sherman won producer of the year, classical for the seventh time, which puts her in a tie with David Frost, Steven Epstein and David Frost for the most wins in the category (which dates to 1979). The producer of the year, non-classical award was launched five years earlier, but no one has won it more than four times. (Babyface is the only four-time winner.) And no woman has ever won it.
Viola Davis became an EGOT, thanks to her Grammy win for the audio book of Finding Me. Davis is the third Black woman to complete the EGOT, following Whoopi Goldberg and Jennifer Hudson. Davis is the 18th person to EGOT. Davis previously won a Primetime Emmy for outstanding lead actress in a dramatic series for How to Get Away With Murder (2015), an Oscar for best supporting actress for Fences (2016) and two Tonys — featured actress in a play for King Hedley II (2001) and lead actress in a play for Fences (2010).