Awards
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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).
How well do the winners at the Grammy Awards align with Billboard chart success? Perhaps not surprisingly, very closely — especially when it comes to trophy recipients reaching the top 10 of the Billboard 200 albums chart and the Billboard Hot 100 songs chart.
Billboard looks at the crossroads of Recording Academy and commercial success in two of the most prominent Grammy categories – album of the year and record of the year – over the last 65 years, from the first awards presented in 1959, a year after the Hot 100 launched and three years after the Billboard 200 began – through music’s latest biggest night in 2023.
Album of the Year Winners on the Billboard 200
Of the 65 album of the year winners, 62 – or 95% – have hit the Billboard 200’s top 10 (two of which did so for the first time following their Grammy victories). Harry Styles’ Harry’s House is the latest contributor to that overwhelming majority, having reigned for two weeks starting upon its debut in June 2022.
A year earlier, Jon Batiste’s victory with We Are contrasted that sharp trend, and halted a run of 26 top 10s winning consecutively since 1996 – the longest streak all-time. Still, We Are surged back onto the April 16, 2022-dated Billboard 200 at a new No. 25 high; it previously spent a week on the survey, at No. 86, in April 2021. The two previous winning sets not to have hit the top 10: Tony Bennett’s MTV Unplugged, which rose to No. 48 after its 1995 win (after it had reached No. 69 before that year’s ceremony), and Glen Campbell’s By the Time I Get to Phoenix, which reached its No. 15 peak ahead of its win in 1969.
Historically, 68% of all winners (44 of 65) have led the list.
Here’s a recap of how all album of the year Grammy Award winners have performed on the Billboard 200. (Album of the year is awarded to artist[s] and featured artist[s], songwriter[s] of new material, producer[s], recording engineer[s], mixer[s] and mastering engineer[s].)
Year, Artist, Title / Billboard 200 Peak
2023, Harry Styles, Harry’s House / No. 1 – 2 weeks
2022, Jon Batiste, We Are / No. 25 (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 86)
2021, Taylor Swift, Folklore / No. 1 – 8 weeks
2020, Billie Eilish, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? / No. 1 – 3 weeks
2019, Kacey Musgraves, Golden Hour / No. 4
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2018, Bruno Mars, 24K Magic / No. 2
2017, Adele, 25 / No. 1 – 10 weeks
2016, Taylor Swift, 1989 / No. 1 – 11 weeks
2015, Beck, Morning Phase / No. 3
2014, Daft Punk, Random Access Memories / No. 1 – 2 weeks
2013, Mumford & Sons, Babel / No. 1 – 5 weeks
2012, Adele, 21 / No. 1 – 24 weeks
2011, Arcade Fire, The Suburbs / No. 1 – 1 week
2010, Taylor Swift, Fearless / No. 1 – 11 weeks
2009, Robert Plant & Alison Krauss, Raising Sand / No. 2
2008, Herbie Hancock, River: The Joni Letters / No. 5 (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 118)
2007, The Chicks, Taking the Long Way / No. 1 – 2 weeks
2006, U2, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb / No. 1 – 1 week
2005, Ray Charles, Genius Loves Company / No. 1 – 1 week (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 2)
2004, OutKast, Speakerboxx/The Love Below / No. 1 – 7 weeks
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2003, Norah Jones, Come Away With Me / No. 1 – 4 weeks
2002, Soundtrack, O Brother, Where Art Thou? / No. 1 – 2 weeks (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 10)
2001, Steely Dan, Two Against Nature / No. 6
2000, Santana, Supernatural / No. 1 – 12 weeks
1999, Lauryn Hill, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill / No. 1 – 4 weeks
1998, Bob Dylan, Time Out of Mind / No. 10
1997, Celine Dion, Falling Into You / No. 1 – 3 weeks
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1996, Alanis Morissette, Jagged Little Pill / No. 1 – 12 weeks
1995, Tony Bennett, MTV Unplugged / No. 48 (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 69)
1994, Whitney Houston, The Bodyguard soundtrack / No. 1 – 20 weeks
1993, Eric Clapton, Unplugged / No. 1 – 3 weeks (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 2)
1992, Natalie Cole, Unforgettable: With Love / No. 1 – 5 weeks
1991, Quincy Jones, Back on the Block / No. 9
1990, Bonnie Raitt, Nick of Time / No. 1 – 3 weeks (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 22)
1989, George Michael, Faith / No. 1 – 12 weeks
1988, U2, The Joshua Tree / No. 1 – 9 weeks
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1987, Paul Simon, Graceland / No. 3
1986, Phil Collins, No Jacket Required / No. 1 – 7 weeks
1985, Lionel Richie, Can’t Slow Down / No. 1 – 3 weeks
1984, Michael Jackson, Thriller / No. 1 – 37 weeks
1983, Toto, Toto IV / No. 4
1982, John Lennon & Yoko Ono, Double Fantasy / No. 1 – 8 weeks
1981, Christopher Cross, Christopher Cross / No. 6
1980, Billy Joel, 52nd Street / No. 1 – 8 weeks
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1979, Soundtrack, Saturday Night Fever / No. 1 – 24 weeks
1978, Fleetwood Mac, Rumours / No. 1 – 31 weeks
1977, Stevie Wonder, Songs in the Key of Life / No. 1 – 14 weeks
1976, Paul Simon, Still Crazy After All These Years / No. 1 – 1 week
1975, Stevie Wonder, Fulfillingness’ First Finale / No. 1 – 2 weeks
1974, Stevie Wonder, Innervisions / No. 4
1973, Various artists, The Concert for Bangladesh / No. 2
1972, Carole King, Tapestry / No. 1 – 15 weeks
1971, Simon & Garfunkel, Bridge Over Troubled Water / No. 1 – 10 weeks
1970, Blood, Sweat & Tears, Blood, Sweat & Tears / No. 1 – 7 weeks
1969, Glen Campbell, By the Time I Get to Phoenix / No. 15
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1968, The Beatles, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band / No. 1 – 15 weeks
1967, Frank Sinatra, A Man and His Music / No. 9
1966, Frank Sinatra, September of My Years / No. 5
1965, Stan Getz & Joao Gilberto, Getz/Gilberto / No. 2
1964, Barbra Streisand, The Barbra Streisand Album / No. 9
1963, Vaughn Meader, The First Family / No. 1 – 12 weeks
1962, Judy Garland, Judy at Carnegie Hall / No. 1 – 13 weeks
1961, Bob Newhart, The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart / No. 1 – 14 weeks
1960, Frank Sinatra, Come Dance With Me / No. 2
1959, Henry Mancini, The Music From Peter Gunn / No. 1 – 10 weeks
Record of the Year Winners on the Hot 100
Of the 65 record of the year winners, 54 – or 83% – have hit the Hot 100’s top 10 (one of which did so for the first time following its Grammy coronation). Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” continues that trend, as 14 winners in a row since 2010 have reached the top 10, the second-longest streak, after a 23-year run in 1965-87.
Historically, 54% of all winners (35 of 65) have topped the tally, with “About Damn Time” likewise upping that share.
Here’s a rundown of how all record of the year Grammy Award winners have fared on the Hot 100. (Record of the year is awarded to artist/producer[s], recording engineer[s] and/or mixer[s] and mastering engineer[s], if other than artist.)
Year, Title, Artist / Hot 100 Peak
2023, “About Damn Time,” Lizzo / No. 1 – 2 weeks
2022, “Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars & Anderson .Paak) / No. 1 – 2 weeks
2021, “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish / No. 8
2020, “Bad Guy,” Billie Eilish / No. 1 – 1 week
2019, “This Is America,” Childish Gambino / No. 1 – 2 weeks
2018, “24K Magic,” Bruno Mars / No. 4
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2017, “Hello,” Adele / No. 1 – 10 weeks
2016, “Uptown Funk!,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars / No. 1 – 14 weeks
2015, “Stay With Me,” Sam Smith / No. 2
2014, “Get Lucky,” Daft Punk feat. Pharrell Williams / No. 2
2013, “Somebody That I Used To Know,” Gotye feat. Kimbra / No. 1 – 8 weeks
2012, “Rolling in the Deep,” Adele / No. 1 – 7 weeks
2011, “Need You Now,” Lady A / No. 2
2010, “Use Somebody,” Kings of Leon / No. 4
2009, “Please Read the Letter,” Robert Plant & Alison Krauss / did not chart
2008, “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse / No. 9
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2007, “Not Ready To Make Nice,” Dixie Chicks / No. 4 (post-Grammys; previously reached No. 23)
2006, “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” Green Day / No. 2
2005, “Here We Go Again,” Ray Charles & Norah Jones / did not chart
2004, “Clocks,” Coldplay / No. 29
2003, “Don’t Know Why,” Norah Jones / No. 30
2002, “Walk On,” U2 / did not chart
2001, “Beautiful Day,” U2 / No. 21
2000, “Smooth,” Santana feat. Rob Thomas / No. 1 – 12 weeks
1999, “My Heart Will Go On,” Celine Dion / No. 1 – 2 weeks
1998, “Sunny Came Home,” Shawn Colvin / No. 7
1997, “Change the World,” Eric Clapton / No. 5
1996, “Kiss From a Rose,” Seal / No. 1 – 1 week
1995, “All I Wanna Do,” Sheryl Crow / No. 2
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1994, “I Will Always Love You,” Whitney Houston / No. 1 – 14 weeks
1993, “Tears in Heaven,” Eric Clapton / No. 2
1992, “Unforgettable,” Natalie Cole / No. 14
1991, “Another Day in Paradise,” Phil Collins / No. 1 – 4 weeks
1990, “Wind Beneath My Wings,” Bette Midler / No. 1 – 1 week
1989, “Don’t Worry, Be Happy,” Bobby McFerrin / No. 1 – 2 weeks
1988, “Graceland,” Paul Simon / No. 81
1987, “Higher Love,” Steve Winwood / No. 1 – 1 week
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1986, “We Are the World,” USA for Africa / No. 1 – 4 weeks
1985, “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” Tina Turner / No. 1 – 3 weeks
1984, “Beat It,” Michael Jackson / No. 1 – 3 weeks
1983, “Rosanna,” Toto / No. 2
1982, “Bette Davis Eyes,” Kim Carnes / No. 1 – 9 weeks
1981, “Sailing,” Christopher Cross / No. 1 – 1 week
1980, “What a Fool Believes,” The Doobie Brothers / No. 1 – 1 week
1979, “Just the Way You Are,” Billy Joel / No. 3
1978, “Hotel California,” Eagles / No. 1 – 1 week
1977, “This Masquerade,” George Benson / No. 10
1976, “Love Will Keep Us Together,” Captain & Tennille / No. 1 – 4 weeks
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1975, “I Honestly Love You,” Olivia Newton-John / No. 1 – 2 weeks
1974, “Killing Me Softly With His Song,” Roberta Flack / No. 1 – 5 weeks
1973, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” Roberta Flack / No. 1 – 6 weeks
1972, “It’s Too Late,” Carole King / No. 1 – 5 weeks
1971, “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” Simon & Garfunkel / No. 1 – 6 weeks
1970, “Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In,” The 5th Dimension / No. 1 – 6 weeks
1969, “Mrs. Robinson,” Simon & Garfunkel / No. 1 – 3 weeks
1968, “Up, Up and Away,” The 5th Dimension / No. 7
1967, “Strangers in the Night,” Frank Sinatra / No. 1 – 1 week
1966, “A Taste of Honey,” Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass / No. 7
1965, “The Girl From Ipanema,” Astrud Gilberto & Stan Getz / No. 5
1964, “Days of Wine and Roses,” Henry Mancini / No. 33
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1963, “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” Tony Bennett / No. 19
1962, “Moon River,” Henry Mancini / No. 11
1961, “Theme From A Summer Place,” Percy Faith / No. 1 – 9 weeks
1960, “Mack the Knife,” Bobby Darin / No. 1 – 9 weeks
1959, “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare),” Domenico Modugno / No. 1 – 5 weeks
Bad Bunny made history with Un Verano Sin Ti, the first Spanish-language album to be nominated for album of the year in the 65-year existence of the Grammy Awards. However, when British star Harry Styles snagged the award for his hit album Harry’s House, social media was flooded with mixed reactions.
“Was holding my breath for @sanbenito at the @RecordingAcad. Un Verano Sin Ti didn’t get AOTY, but it did in the hearts of Latinos. Our day will come, but we already have a winner. Gracias Benito. Felicidades,” wrote one fan.
“Don’t get me wrong Harry’s House is really good but Bad Bunny deserved album of the year,” tweeted another.
Yet another wrote, “As albums go, both Beyoncé and Bad Bunny put together stellar offerings this year. I don’t hate Harry, but there were obviously better choices.”
“Bad Bunny was robbed,” wrote one fan.
“I need to know their reasoning for not voting for Bad Bunny. ‘Cause that doesn’t make sense to me either,” said another one.
Pop juggernauts Beyoncé — who became the top Grammy winner of all time this year — Adele, Lizzo, ABBA, Coldplay, Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar and Brandi Carlile were also nominated in the category.
“I’ve been so inspired by every artist in this category with me. A lot of different times in my life I listened to everyone in this category when I’m alone,” said Styles in his acceptance speech. “I think when moments like tonight it’s so important for us to remember that there is no such thing as best in music.”
From his three nominations, Bad Bunny, who opened the 2023 Grammy Awards, took home the trophy for best música urbana album award, a category in which he competed against Rauw Alejandro (Trap Cake, Vol. 2), Daddy Yankee (Legendaddy), Farruko (La 167) and Maluma (The Love & Sex Tape).
“I made this album with love and passion. When you do things with love and passion everything is easier, life is easier,” he said in Spanish and English. “I want to thank everyone who listened to my music. Thanks to all the Latinos in the world, in the United States. Thanks to all the artists who worked on this album, the producers, Beto, Tainy, Mag … I want to dedicate this award to Puerto Rico, the cradle and capital of reggaeton in the world. I want to dedicate it to all the legends and especially to emerging talents refreshing the movement.”
Earlier in the ceremony, in a round table comprised of 10 fans — one for each album of the year nominee — each made a case for why their idols’ albums should win. “I love that he’s playful, I love that he’s goofy. He has a motto that is ‘yo hago lo que me de la gana’ which means ‘I do whatever I want; I don’t care what people think.’ He dresses up in drag, he kisses his backup dancers of any gender, he’s dismantling machismo,” said Bad Bunny fan Natalia. “As a queer Latina woman it’s so important to me because he’s starting conversations and normalizing inclusivity. Bad Bunny plays by his own rules, and he’s just opening up the dialog.”
Last year, Benito became the highest grossing touring performer in a calendar year with his El Último Tour del Mundo and World’s Hottest Tour. The blockbuster Un Verano Sin Ti earned the 2022 year-end No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart, becoming the first non-English album to ever achieve that feat. For a fourth consecutive year, Benito was named Billboard’s 2022 Top Latin Artist. The Puerto Rican rapper-singer was also the most streamed artist globally for three years in a row.
See below for some of the fan reactions to Bad Bunny losing album of the year to Harry Styles:
Was holding my breath for @sanbenito at the @RecordingAcad. Un Verano Sin Ti didn’t get AOTY, but it did in the hearts of Latinos. Our day will come, but we already have a winner. Gracias Benito. Felicidades ❤️— Gabriela Rodriguez (@GabyRodriguez_4) February 6, 2023
Don’t get me wrong Harry’s House is really good but Bad Bunny deserved album of the year.— c i n d y 🌻 (@__cicee__) February 6, 2023
“This doesn’t happen to people like me very often” – says a white British guy whose “good” wins out over a Black woman’s spectacular. As ALBUMS go, both Beyoncé and Bad Bunny put together stellar offerings this year. I don’t hate Harry, but there were obviously better choices.— Karen Tongson (@inlandemperor) February 6, 2023
DJ Khaled closed out the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) by welcoming an all-star lineup of collaborators including Fridayy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross.
DJ Khaled began the performance inside Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena before the camera cut to the rapper joining Ross and Lil Wayne outside, with Legend seated at an intricately decorated piano and joining on vocals.
The performance reached its pinnacle with a “Last Supper”-esque scene, with the artists seated at a table filled with a spread of fruits, breads, cakes and pies along with candelabras, and Jay-Z rapping a nearly five-minute verse. The song ended with the artists raising their glasses high in tribute, as DJ Khaled looked directly into the camera and said, “We did an eight-minute song on the Grammys!”
The collaborative performance from these major artists was a musical companion and continuation of an evening that had already featured a tribute to 50 years of hip-hop music, with a string of performances (curated by The Roots’ Questlove) from Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes, Run-DMC, GloRilla, LL Cool J and more. The celebration also highlighted Dr. Dre, who was honored with the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.
DJ Khaled was nominated for six Grammy Awards this year, with “God Did” earning five of those nods. The tune was up for song of the year, best rap song, and best rap performance. “God Did” is also the title track of DJ Khaled’s album, which was nominated for album of the year and best rap album. DJ Khaled’s “Beautiful” was also nominated for best melodic rap performance.
Continuing the tradition of former best new artist Grammy winners presenting the award, Olivia Rodrigo took to the stage Sunday (Feb. 5) to speak on the honor.
She then read the winner: Samara Joy. The rising jazz singer from the Bronx seemed truly speechless as she made her way to the front of the room. “I’ve been watching y’all on TV for so long,” she said to the room as the camera pans to artists including Adele, Lizzo and Beyonce.
She spoke on being born and raised in the Bronx, shouting out her family in the audience. “I’ve been singing all my life,” continued the 23-year-old. “Thank you so much for this honor.”
She then spoke again to the artists in the room, saying how inspiring each and every person in the room is to her. “To be here because of who I am, authentically just being myself,” she begins, “I am so thankful.” The camera then pans to Lizzo, who is smiling on with approval for carrying forward her own message of being true to oneself.
The other best new artist nominees included Anitta, Omar Apollo, DOMi & JD Beck, Muni Long, Latto, Maneskin, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle and Wet Leg. All 10 nominees performed earlier this week at Spotify’s annual Best New Artist party. For her set, Joy transported the room to a hazy, late-night jazz club, making the sprawling space feel surprisingly intimate.
Best new artist was the second-to-last award of the night, only followed by album of the year, which went to Harry Styles for Harry’s House. The 65th annual Grammys then wrapped with a star-studded performance of “God Did” featuring DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, John Legend and others seated at a Last Supper-inspired set.
And just like that, Bonnie Raitt has another Grammy to her name. In an upset win, the icon won the 2023 Grammy award for song of the year for “Just Like That” on Sunday (Feb. 5).
Receiving the award from first lady Jill Biden, Raitt called this win “an unreal moment.” And indeed, it sort of was, with Raitt’s bittersweet ballad about a heart transplant beating out mega-hits including Lizzo’s “About Damn Time,” Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Beyonce’s “Break My Soul” and Taylor Swift’s “All Too Well (10 Minute Version).”
“Thank you for honoring me to all the Academy that surrounds me with so much support and appreciates the art of songwriting as I do,” Raitt said in her acceptance speech. “I was so inspired for this song by the incredible story of the love and the grace and the generosity of someone that donates their beloved’s organs to help another person live.”
Raitt then evoked late songwriting legend and friend John Prine, adding that “this story was so simple and so beautiful for these times, and people have been responding to the song partly because how much I love and we all love John Prine, and that was the inspiration for the music for this song, and telling a story from the inside. I don’t write a lot of songs, but I’m so proud that you appreciate this one.”
“I”m just totally humbled,” Raitt concluded.
The award mark’s Raitt’s eleventh Grammy win. She first won in 1990, picking up four awards for her now classic LP, Nick Of Time.