Grammys
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To introduce Sam Smith and Kim Petras‘ Grammy-winning “Unholy,” which earlier on Sunday (Feb. 5) took the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance, Madonna gave a stand-out speech about being daring, provocative, controversial and dangerous in music, deeming it all to be a sign that an artist is doing something important – if not “a bit unholy.”
Smith and Petras then performed a red-hot rendition of their Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit “Unholy.” Smith opened the set — stunning in latex thigh-high platforms — on the circular center stage, surrounded by dancers who looked fresh off the set of The Ring. They then turned it over to Petras for her verse, which she performed on the main stage in a cage as flames burned brightly behind her.
When the cameras returned to Smith, they were donning a red top hat with horns, which, in addition to the whips and latex, played into and poked fun at the naysayers. (Host Trevor Noah later joked on a fake phone call to his mother, “No, that was not the devil.”)
“Unholy” became each artist’s first Hot 100 chart topper. Petras made even more history on Grammys night, becoming the first transgender woman to win the award for pop duo/group performance. During her speech, she thanked Madonna for “fighting for LGBTQ rights,” her mother “who believed me that I was a girl” and the late artist-producer SOPHIE, a dear friend.
“[SOPHIE] told me this would happen and always believed in me,” Petras said during her acceptance speech. “Thank you so much for your inspiration, Sophie. I adore you, and your inspiration will forever be in my music.”
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) served as Quavo’s first TV performance since the death of his Migos bandmate and nephew, Takeoff.
Following Kacey Musgraves’s heartfelt tribute to Loretta Lynn for the ceremony’s “In Memoriam” segment, Quavo and renowned gospel group Maverick City Music delivered a gripping rendition of his record “Without You.” Released in January, “Without You” highlights Quavo and Takeoff’s tight-knit relationship.
“I wish I had a time machine/ Just so you take a ride with me/ I miss just how you smile at me/ Unc & Phew until infinity,” sang Quavo. Maverick City Music matched Quavo’s somber tone with their resiliency as they anchored the ATL star, who performed sitting on a stool.
Soon, singers from the choir emerged and performed Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again.” Quavo — who wore an all-black outfit and a mask covering half his face — grabbed Takeoff’s chain and held it triumphantly in the air as the singers crescendoed.
Shortly after Takeoff’s death in November, Quavo posted a heartfelt message on his Instagram page. “It’s so hard to tell you Ima miss you because you always with me and we did everything together. Since we were kids you been by my side lookin up at me, them eyes waiting on me to make the next move.. then you followed up right behind me,” he wrote at the time. “You always made sure I did it first so you can do it right with me. You never competed with me, we were always on the same team.”
Along with Takeoff and Loretta Lynn being honored, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood paid respect to Christine McVie with “Songbird.”
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Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood took the stage at the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 5) to pay tribute to the late Christine McVie, best known as one of the singers and songwriters for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Fleetwood Mac. The trio played the McVie-led “Songbird,” the understated piano ballad and love song found on their classic Rumors album.
Crow and Raitt took the first lead vocals on the striking performance, trading off verses and harmonizing on the chorus. Crow also played piano for the ballad, and Fleetwood backed them with gentle and lovely background percussion, closing the song on his own before taking off his hat to give it up to the two legendary vocalists.
The trio’s “Songbird” was one of three performances included during the In Memoriam section at this year’s Grammys. Kacey Musgraves also paid tribute to country icon Loretta Lynn with a rendition of “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” and Quavo saluted his late fellow Migo Takeoff with his own recently released tribute “Without You,” also mixed with some of Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s famous ballad “See You Again.”
Though never released as a single, “Songbird” is still one of McVie’s best-known compositions for its inclusion on Rumors, one of the best-selling and most-accomplished albums in rock history. The LP won album of the year at the 1978 Grammys and topped the Billboard 200 albums chart for 31 non-consecutive weeks from 1977-78, and recently celebrated its anniversary, turning 46 this Saturday (Feb. 4).
For at least a few minutes, the Crypto.com Arena became Harry’s House as Harry Styles took the stage for a performance his mega-hit “As It Was” during the 2023 Grammys on Sunday (Feb. 5).
Wearing a jumpsuit that appeared to be assembled entirely of tinsel, Styles began his performance with a crew of dancers who were themselves dressed like they were in a Gap ad. This group appeared on a giant elevated and rotating circle that gave light Jamiroquai “Virtual Insanity” vibes as dancers stayed in motion even while not moving.
Styles alternated between this circle and the mic stand down by his band, with his silver suit bouncing along with him, adding a dazzling element of dynamic motion that was especially pronounced when Styles broke out into big, joyous dance moves that added a dash of electricity to the performance.
For the last portion of the song, the pop star then returned to the rotating circle, performing a sort of lovelorn interpretive dance with the single female dancer left onstage before the entire crew returned to bop around for one final flourish. The performance got a standing ovation from Taylor Swift, Brandi Carlile and her wife, Catherine Shepherd, among many others.
Styles is in the midst of a big night, having already won one Grammy this evening, with Harry’s House taking home the award for best pop vocal album performance.
The superstar is also up for record of year for “As It Was,” album of the year for Harry’s House, song of the year for “As It Was”, best pop solo performance for “As It Was” (Styles won in this category at the 2021 Grammys with “Watermelon Sugar”), best pop vocal album for Harry’s House and best music video for “As It Was.”
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Bad Bunny won best música urbana album for his critically acclaimed set Un Verano Sin Ti. Beating out Farruko (La 167), Daddy Yankee (LEGENDADDY), Rauw Alejandro (TRAP CAKE, VOL. 2) and Maluma (The Love & Sex Tape), the Puerto Rican star delivered a heartfelt speech while accepting his award.
“Gracias! I made this album with love and passion, nothing else,” he said speaking in English and Spanish. “When you do things with love and passion, everything is easier. Life is easier. Thank you to everyone who listens to my music. Gracias a todos los Latinos. Thanks to all the artists who worked on this album, to the producers. I want to dedicate this award to Puerto Rico, the capital of reggaeton. I want to dedicate it to the legends and not only the legends, but also new artists who keep this movement alive and keep refreshing it. To all the talents, let’s keep taking this genre to new levels. I love you all.”
Bad Bunny kicked off the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 5) with a bang. He started his high-energy performance with “El Apagón.”
For his show-stopping performance, he was accompanied by a total of eight plena (a genre from Puerto Rico) dancers, seven pleneros and eight cabezudos — giant characters — in tow. The cabezudos — all manufactured and handled by people from Puerto Rico — were an homage to Puerto Rican legends Tego Calderón, Roberto Clemente, Julia de Burgos, among others. “With a lot of love to all of you,” Bunny said at the beginning.
He then went on to perform his hit mambo song “Después de la Playa,” which Jack Harlow and Taylor Swift danced along to.
Watch his speech above.
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To kick off an extended In Memoriam segment at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Kacey Musgraves took the stage to deliver a somber acoustic take on a Loretta Lynn classic — while strumming Lynn’s personal guitar.
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Musgraves belted out “Coal Miner’s Daughter” while honoring the legendary country singer-songwriter, who passed away at the age of 90 in October. A bouquet of flowers sat at Musgraves’ feet as various music industry luminaries, from Jeff Beck to Pharaoh Sanders to Mo Ostin, flashed onscreen during the segment.
Musgraves’ performance was followed by moving tributes to Migos rapper Takeoff, delivered by Quavo and Maverick City Music, and Christine McVie, performed by Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and McVie’s Fleetwood Mac band mate Mick Fleetwood.
Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” became one of her signature hits upon its 1970 release, topping Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. In 2010, Lynn was bestowed with the lifetime achievement award at the Grammys. Nine years later, Musgraves won the Grammy for album of the year, for her third album, Golden Hour.
Click here for the updating list of Grammy award winners.