The 67th annual Grammy Awards was a notable night that brought some of Hollywood’s biggest music stars together for a night of celebration and musical performances.
The Grammy Awards were hosted by comedian Trevor Noah for the fifth year in a row. The ceremony occurred at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, California.
Prior to the premiere ceremony, Beyoncé held the record for the most Grammy wins, with a total of 32, and the most nominations with 99. Beyoncé still currently holds the record for the most Grammy wins with 35. She also led the nominations Sunday night with 11 nominations.
Arguably, the biggest surprises, and some may say even snubs, of the night were Taylor Swift leaving the Grammy’s empty-handed and Billie Eilish not winning Album of the Year.
Swift did not win any of her six nominations, compared to last year when she won two Grammy Awards. However, Swift celebrated the other winners.
The Grammys had multiple presenters including Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA and Cardi B.
Noah began the awards ceremony by talking about the devastating wildfires in California before adding humor in his opening monologue when talking about how crazy the state of the world is right now.
“There’s been a few changes in Washington, so this may be the last time I get to host anything in this country,” Noah said in his monologue.
MEMORABLE MOMENTS/PREMIERE CEREMONY
Due to the recent wildfires in Los Angeles, both the awards ceremony and the premiere ceremony – where most of the awards were given – were dedicated to supporting wildfire relief efforts and the first responders. The Grammy awards also helped raise funds to help music professionals and other people impacted by the wildfires.
During the Grammys premiere and during the show, there was a QR code where people were able to donate. There were a total of 85 awards that were given out during the premiere ceremony, with only nine awards being presented during the main ceremony.
The Grammys also had American Sign Language interpreters for the first time in Grammy history.
The 67th annual Grammys marked Shaboozey’s first time being at the Grammys along with his first performance and nomination.
During the premiere ceremony, Charli XCX secured her first Grammy win for “Von Dutch” for Best Dance Pop Recording, while also securing two more wins for her album “BRAT” for Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Recording Package.
During the premiere ceremony, Sabrina Carpenter also won her first Grammy with “Espresso” for “Best Pop Solo Performance.”
Jimmy Carter, who died Dec. 29, won a posthumous Grammy for Best Audio Book, Narration and Storytelling Recording for his book “Last Sunday in Plains: A Centennial Celebration.” This win made Carter a four-time Grammy winner.
The Grammys also had its 34th tie in Grammy History with the Best Progressive R&B Album award. The winners were “So Glad to Know You” by Avery*Sunshine and “Why Lawd?” by NXWorries consisting of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge.
The Beatles also made history with their song “Now And Then” winning Best Rock Performance, not only making the Beatles eight-time Grammy winners, but this song is also the first artificial intelligence-assisted song to win a Grammy award. In this song, AI was used to isolate John Lennon’s vocals from an old demo.
Alicia Keys, who is a 17-time Grammy Award winner, won the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award which was presented by Queen Latifah.
Will Smith was also present at the Grammys, which is his first major award show appearance since the well-known 2022 Oscars slap.
RED CARPET FASHION
There were numerous celebrities with amazing outfits on the red carpet, such as Carpenter, Teddy Swims and Gracie Abrams. One look that stood out was Kali Uchis who approached the red carpet wearing a leopard print dress. Swift graced the red carpet with a sparkling sequined red dress, which may be a nod to Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs, and she accepted a white rose from a young girl.
Then what could arguably be considered the most problematic fashion choice of the night, Kanye West and his wife Bianca Cesori showed up on the red carpet with Cesori being fully nude, igniting numerous reactions on social media.
BIG WINNERS
“Best Country Album”
Beyoncé, who announced her “Cowboy Carter” tour Saturday, took home the award for her album with the same name.
Beyoncé also won her 33rd Grammy award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance during the premiere ceremony for the song “II Most Wanted” featuring Miley Cyrus. This marked Beyoncé’s first country Grammy Award and made Cyrus a three-time Grammy Award winner who won a country Grammy before her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, did.
Beyoncé also made history with this win by being the first Black woman to win a Grammy award in a country category in over 50 years.
“Best Pop Vocal Album”
There were big names nominated for this category such as Swift, Ariana Grande, Eilish and Chappell Roan. However, it was Carpenter who took home the award for her album “Short n’ Sweet,” making this her second Grammy win.
“Best Latin Pop Album”
This award was presented by Jennifer Lopez, with Shakira taking home the award for her album “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.” Dedicating her award to all of the immigrant people in the U.S., this award marks Shakira’s fourth Grammy win. Shakira beat out other nominees such as Uchis and Luis Fonsi.
“I want to dedicate this award to all my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country. You are loved, you are worth it and I will always fight with you,” Shakira said in her speech.
“Best Rap Album”
Doechii took home the award for her album “Alligator Bites Never Heal” and burst into tears when her name was called, as it was her first Grammy win. The award was introduced in 1989 and Doechii joins Lauryn Hill and Cardi B as the third woman in Grammys history to win Best Rap Album.
Doechii’s acceptance speech was very empowering, especially with February being Black History Month.
“I know there’s some Black girl, so many Black women, watching me right now. And I wanna tell you, you can do it. Anything is possible,” Doechii said in her speech. “Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you that tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark or that you’re not smart enough or that you’re too dramatic or you’re too loud. You are exactly who you need to be, to be right where you are and I’m a testimony.”
“Album of the Year”
The award was presented by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department who received a standing ovation from the crowd.
Beyoncé won the award for her country album “Cowboy Carter” and extended her wins to 35, making her still the most-awarded artist in Grammy history.
Not only did she win her first country album Grammy, but with winning Album of the Year she is also the first Black woman this century to win Album of the Year, with the last Black woman winner being Lauryn Hill in 1999.
“Record of the Year”
Presented by Cyrus, who won the Record of the Year award last year, this award is arguably one of the biggest awards of the ceremony. “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar won the award and also won awards at the premiere ceremony for “Best Rap Performance,” “Best Rap Song” and “Best Music Video.”
“Song of the Year”
Diana Ross presented the award for “Song of the Year.” “Not Like Us” by Lamar won the award, making Lamar a 22-time Grammy winner.
“Best New Artist”
Chappell Roan, who has popular songs such as “Pink Pony Club” and “HOT TO GO” took home the award for “Best New Artist,” making this her first Grammy win beating out other big artists such as Benson Boone and Carpenter.
Chappell Roan’s acceptance speech was powerful, demanding music labels to do better when it comes to supporting artists.
“Record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you – but do you got us?” Roan said in her speech.
“Best Pop Duo/Group Performance”
Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga took home the award for their hit song “Die With A Smile.” This win marks Mars’s 16th Grammy win and Gaga’s 14th Grammy win. Gaga also broke the record for most “Best Pop Duo/Group” wins at the Grammys with three wins.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
The 67th Grammys had a plethora of performers, including some who were nominated for awards, such as Eilish, Carpenter and Chappell Roan.
Toward the beginning of the show, Eilish performed her hit song “Birds of a Feather” which was nominated for both “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year.”
Carpenter also performed a mashup of her smash hits “Espresso” and “Please Please Please.” Both “Espresso” and “Please Please Please” were nominated for “Record of the Year” and “Song of the Year,” respectively.
Chappell Roan made her Grammy performance debut, introduced by Olivia Rodrigo, and performed “Pink Pony Club.”
The performances that stood out were that of artists who were nominated for “Best New Artist.”
Boone performed his hit song “Beautiful Things” and put on a show by backflipping off a piano. Doechii performed a mashup of her songs “Denial Is A River” and “Catfish” and got the audience on their feet. Teddy Swims performed “Lose Control,” which is arguably his most popular song. Shaboozey performed his hit song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and RAYE performed her song “Oscar Winning Tears.”
The Grammys also had a surprise performer this year, The Weeknd. Back in 2021, The Weeknd said he would not submit any of his music for Grammy nominations due to a change in the rules of eliminating “secret” nominating committees and the Grammy’s lack of transparency. However, during the award show, the CEO of the Recording Academy, Harvey Mason Jr., announced that he and The Weeknd have made amends.
The Grammys had an “In Memoriam” section where Chris Martin from the band Coldplay performed. Music artists who have passed were remembered through a slideshow playing behind Martin. A complete list of nominees and winners is available on the Grammys website.