Music News

06 Feb 2023

Here’s What Harry Styles Had to Say About Winning 2023 Album of the Year Grammy Over Beyonce

As he was during his acceptance speech at the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Jan. 5) after winning album of the year for his Harry’s House LP, after the broadcast Harry Styles was humble and gracious in talking about coming out on top over some serious competition. In a press room interview following the awards, Styles was asked by Billboard about the many headlines going into the night focused on the possibility that Beyoncé would finally score an album of the year prize for her dance-heavy Renaissance collection.

“I think… 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,” said Styles while cradling his golden gramophone in his left hand. “When I look at this category it’s all people who’ve inspired me at different times. It’s not like.. you would understand anyone winning. I’m really grateful they chose us.”

Styles won out over albums from Bey, Adele (30), a rebooted ABBA (Voyage), Bad Bunny (Un Verano Sin Ti) Mary J. Blige (Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe), Brandi Carlile (In These Silent Days), Coldplay (Music of the Spheres), Kendrick Lamar (Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers) and Lizzo (Special). Styles also took home the best pop vocal album award for House. And though Queen Bey was thwarted a fourth time in her bid for an AOTY honor, she became the most-decorated artist in Grammy history when she scooped her 32nd trophy for best dance/electronic album on Sunday; her win vaulted the singer over late conductor Georg Solti for most Grammy wins of all-time.

At the same press appearance, Styles was asked if he and his co-producers (Kid Harpoon and Tyler Johnson) have begun work on the follow-up to Harry’s House. “We’ve always tried to not really stop writing because it feels like you have this big stop and then you come back to it and it can feel like you’re either trying to prove something or trying to follow something up, so we’re kind of just always writing.”

Check out Harry’s answer below.

06 Feb 2023

Kim Petras Hopes People Learn to ‘Judge Less’ Following Her Historic Grammy Win

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.

06 Feb 2023

Gangsta Boo & Lil Keed Omitted From 2023 Grammys In Memoriam Segment: Fans React

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. 

06 Feb 2023

Taylor Swift & Harry Styles Reunite at the 2023 Grammys: Watch the Moment

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:

06 Feb 2023

Offset Responds to J. Prince’s Comments About Takeoff’s Death: ‘I Don’t Know You From a Can of Paint’

After attending the 2023 Grammy Awards with wife Cardi B on Sunday night (Feb. 5), Offset posted a no-holds-barred response to recent comments made by J. Prince in which the Rap-A-Lot CEO suggested that ‘Set was not there for his Migos bandmate and cousin Takeoff, 28, before Takeoff’s murder last year.  

“N—as be throwing rocks and hiding they hand, and I don’t like them kind of individuals,” Prince said near the end of the latest episode of the Million Dollaz Worth of Game after noting that “nothing changed” in terms of his love for third Migos member Quavo, but that Offset was another situation.

“In reality, the truth of the matter is, n—a you wasn’t really right there with Takeoff when he was alive. So for you to be taking these positions that you taking,” Prince added, suggesting that he’s got people all around and he’s heard “all kinds of things” from unnamed sources about what happened on the night Takeoff was shot and killed during a night out with Quavo in Prince’s hometown of Houston. Prince also made what seemed like a direct warning to Offset, saying, “Don’t ever put me in a position where I have to defend myself. That wouldn’t be healthy for you.”

As you might imagine, Offset did not take kindly to the comments, posting a video in which he reacted to Prince’s latest provocative claims. “Y’all n—as speaking on my real brother… I don’t know what the f–k ya’ll n—as got going on, y’all n—as talkin’ about my real brother,” the Migos MC said in the minute-long black and white clip. “How dare one of y’all n—as even speak on me and Take relationship. I don’t know you n—as from a can of paint. Ya’ll n—as don’t know how me and my brother rock.”

At press time spokespeople for Offset and J. Prince had not returned re Billboard‘s request for comment.

A heated Offset went on to slam Prince for what he said was his “fifth interview” in which he’s discussed Takeoff’s death. “You ain’t think about his momma? You ain’t think about the family n—a?” ‘Set asked. “We ain’t said nothin’. Ain’t nobody said nothing but you n—as. Who y’all n—as think ya’ll n—as is? John Gotti n—a?… And if you heard something from me, I’mma tell you it’s gonna come from me, call my phone.

Speaking directly into camera, Offset derided the “he said, she said” narrative and again encouraged anyone with anything to say to call him directly and stop playing “internet games.”

Following Takeoff’s shooting, Prince posted condolences to the MC’s friends and family on Instagram. “The Prince family would like to send our condolences to the family and friends of a beautiful soul @yrntakeoff,” the statement read. “To Houstonians and families around the world, this one breaks my heart because Takeoff was a brother, a son, a role model, and a God loving human being. Grief is the price of love; a bill people from across the globe are paying right now as we mourn this loss. I’ve been knowing Takeoff, Quavo and Offset for many years and there has been nothing but mutual love for one another and that ain’t going to ever change where we are concerned.”

Lawyers for Patrick Xavier Clark, 33 — the man charged with the shooting of the rapper born Kirsnick Khari Ball — said in court in December that he’s innocent and that “there’s a lot of investigation that needs to be done.” Takeoff was shot in the head and back as more than 30 people were leaving a private party at a Houston bowling alley on Nov. 1. Houston police have said that gunfire followed a disagreement over a “lucrative” game of dice around 2:30 a.m. and that Takeoff was not involved and was “an innocent bystander.”

At Sunday’s Grammys, Quavo and Maverick City Music delivered a moving tribute to Takeoff during the In Memoriam segment when they performed Quavo’s recent single honoring his late nephew/bandmate, “Without You.”

Check out Offset’s video response and J Prince’s comments below.

 

06 Feb 2023

Sam Smith & Kim Petras‘ ‘Unholy’ Grammys Performance Deemed ‘Satanic’ & ‘Evil’ by Conservatives

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:

06 Feb 2023

Kacey Musgraves In Awe After Playing Loretta Lynn’s Guitar During 2023 Grammy Awards: ‘She Paved My Path’

Kacey Musgraves hushed a chattering 2023 Grammy Awards audience on Sunday night (Feb. 5) when she played late country icon Loretta Lynn‘s signature song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” during the broadcast’s In Memoriam segment. Adding to the emotions of the moment, Musgraves played the song on her hero’s 1963 Epiphone acoustic guitar, complete with Lynn’s name emblazoned along the fretboard in mother of pearl.

Hours after the broadcast ended, Musgraves tweeted about how much it meant for her to honor Lynn in this unique way. “10 year old me singing Loretta’s songs would never have imagined I’d be putting my hands right where she made magic for decades. (Her 1963 Epiphone was a dream to play.),” Musgraves wrote along with two screenshots from the performance, including one in which a black and white image of Lynn strumming the same instrument was projected over Kacey’s shoulder.

“Thank you to @LorettaLynn’s daughters for trusting me with this moment of honor tonight. She paved my path,” Musgraves added. The official account for Lynn — who died in her sleep in October at 90 at her Tennessee home — responded with an in-kind thanks to Kacey for creating such a special moment.

“Thank you @KaceyMusgraves, for this beautiful tribute,” it read. “The love all of you have shown us for our mom is beyond words.” Musgraves performed “Daughter” as part of a segment that also featured projected images of late luminaries from Jeff Beck to Pharoah Sanders and Mo Ostin.

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.

Check out the tweets below.

06 Feb 2023

Questlove Invited Will Smith to Be Part of 2023 Grammy Awards Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary Segment

Questlove had a tall order in pulling together the mind-bending 14-minute tribute to hip-hop history at Sunday night’s (Feb. 5) 2023 Grammy Awards. Tasked with telling the story of the genre that has given him a career and produced some of the most iconic music and performers of the past half-century, the Roots drummer looked far-and-wide — from the West coast to the East coast, over to Philly and down to Atlanta and beyond — to ensure that the breadth of the genre was well-represented.

There’s one voice, though, that did not make it to the stage to perform alongside Big Boi, Ice-T, Missy Elliott, Lil Baby, Method Man, Future, De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC and the other legends. Quest told Variety that he invited Will Smith to make a special surprise appearance at the event that featured Smith’s longtime musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff — who rocked the bells with LL Cool J — but that the rapper-turned-actor had to back out due to the filming scheduled for his fourquel, Bad Boys 4.

“I’ll give the spoiler alert away. Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started shooting Bad Boys 4 already this week,” Quest said on the red carpet, where he revealed that the “all-inclusive” vibe he was looking for in the segment originally came in at 27 minutes before producers asked him to cut in way down. “There’s a lot of preliminary shots that he had to do, so we had to lose Will. That was gonna be a surprise moment.”

Quest said the invite was “a shot in the dark,” and that he understood the no-show because, “he’s always shooting movies. We had a lot of people and some of them have other jobs.” For example, he noted that the Roots had to get former David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer to fill-in for them on The Tonight Show last week so that they could prepare for Sunday night’s rap tribute.

While Smith was ultimately a scratch, if he had flown in it would have been the Oscar-winner’s first awards show appearance since last year’s shocking incident at the 2022 Oscars where he slapped comedian Chris Rock — shortly before Questlove accepted an Academy Award for best documentary for his film Summer of Soul. Last week Smith announced that he and Martin Lawrence will be re-teaming for Bad Boys 4.

06 Feb 2023

Chrissy Teigen Skipped the 2023 Grammy Awards to Hang With Baby Esti

John Legend helped shut down the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 5) as part of DJ Khaled’s all-star “God Did” performance. But when the camera swung to the audience for reaction shots during the epic set, Legend’s wife model Chrissy Teigen was nowhere to be found. The always supportive spouse explained why she skipped the broadcast via a sweet picture with the couple’s newborn daughter, Esti.

“happy grammy day!!!,” she wrote alongside the snap of three-week-old Esti taking a nap on her mom’s chest. “had a dress fitting, looked around and realized… what the hell am I trying to prove here. I cannot get up lol.”

Fair enough.

While she was home chilling with their newborn, Legend joined Jay-Z and Rick Ross on a “Last Supper”-like set to perform the title track from Khaled’s latest album.

Last week, Legend explained the meaning behind the baby’s name, saying it was initially Teigen’s idea, but also has a surprising ties to his family tree. “It turns out, my great-grandmother was named Esther,” he said. “It wasn’t intentionally after someone, but once Chrissy told me that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, my great-grandmother’s name was Esther.’ We wanted to already name her middle name Maxine after my grandmother, whose middle name was Maxine. So, it’s a lot of my family in the name.”

Baby Esti joined older siblings Luna and Miles in January to make the singer and model’s brood a family of five, following the devastating loss of their third baby Jack last year when Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant. Following her birth, both proud parents took to social media to share photos of Esti. “Our new love,” Legend captioned his snap of the baby, while Teigen wrote, “Look at u out here lookin’ like a baby” alongside hers.

Check out Teigen’s post below.

06 Feb 2023

2023 Grammys: What You Didn’t See on TV

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.

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.”