At the 65th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, Beyoncé broke a record for the most career wins by any artist, winning four prizes for her album “Renaissance.”
However, she was again snubbed in the major categories, with album of the year going to Harry Styles for “Harry’s House,” record of the year to Lizzo for “About Damn Time,” and song of the year to Bonnie Raitt for “Just Like That.”
This marks Beyoncé’s fourth loss for album of the year. Despite the snub, her accomplishment was celebrated throughout the night, and even her competitors cheered her on.
Beyoncé won in the dance/electronic music album, dance/electronic recording, traditional R&B performance, and R&B song categories.
Gender freedom was a theme at the ceremony. Sam Smith and Kim Petras won the pop/duo group performance award for “Unholy,” making Petras the first transgender woman to win the award.
After being disrupted and delayed for two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Grammy Awards returned in full swing to its original location in Los Angeles (now called Crypto.com Arena).
The ceremony brought together the music industry for a night of glamour, competition, and networking opportunities.
Host Trevor Noah welcomed everyone back with excitement, saying, “We made it! We’re back!” The night also showcased the power of stardom as the show opened with Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican superstar who embodies the music industry’s hopes for a young global celebrity with a large following on streaming services and tours.
Bad Bunny won Best Música Urbana Album award for “Un Verano Sin Ti” at the Grammy Awards.
He walked through the arena’s aisles, playing two songs from the album, surrounded by dancers in festive attire and got stars like Taylor Swift dancing in front of the stage.
Bad Bunny expressed his gratitude in his speech for making music with love and passion.
Grammy voters honoured old-fashioned song craft with Bonnie Raitt winning Song of the Year for “Just Like That,” beating out big hits by Adele, Beyoncé, Swift, Lizzo, and Styles.
Samara Joy, a jazz singer who started posting interpretations online, won Best New Artist.
The ceremony also honoured the past, with Stevie Wonder leading a Motown revue and a celebration of hip-hop’s 50th anniversary featuring multiple artists.
A “In Memoriam” segment included Kacey Musgraves singing Loretta Lynn’s “Coal Miner’s Daughter” and Raitt, Crow, and Fleetwood singing “Songbird.”
At the Grammys, Harry Styles performed “As It Was” in a silver sequined suit with tassels while winning the award for Pop Vocal Album.
Kendrick Lamar won three Rap prizes, including Best Performance and Best Song for “The Heart Part 5” and Best Album for “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.”
Brandi Carlile won Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song for “Broken Horses,” and Best Americana Album for “In These Silent Days.”
Willie Nelson, who wasn’t present, won Best Country Album for “A Beautiful Time” and Best Country Solo Performance for “Live Forever.”
Taylor Swift won only one award for Best Music Video for “All Too Well: The Short Film.” The Best Song for Social Change award went to 25-year-old Iranian songwriter Shervin Hajipour for “Baraye.”
The awards were selected by the 11,000-member Recording Academy voting body consisting of artists, songwriters, producers, and other music professionals. Most of the 91 awards were given out in a non-televised ceremony on Sunday afternoon.
Viola Davis received the award for Best Audiobook, Narration and Storytelling Recording for her memoir “Finding Me,” making her the latest recipient of the prestigious EGOT status, which is awarded to those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony.
One of the newly added categories this year was Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical), which honoured the writers behind the scenes.
Tobias Jesso Jr. took home the award for his contributions to songs for artists like Adele and Styles. Stephanie Economou was the first recipient of the award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media for her work on the game “Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarok.”
For artists who have yet to be superstars, the Grammys have the power to impact their careers greatly.
The Tennessee State University Marching Band made history as the first college marching band ever nominated for Best Roots Gospel Album and won with their album “The Urban Hymnal.”
During the acceptance speech, Sir the Baptist, one of the producers, spoke about the inadequate funding of historically Black colleges and universities.
He stated, “HBCUs are so grossly underfunded to the point where I had to use my last dime to get us here. We may have empty pockets, but our hands are full.”
Harry Styles Making History
Harry Styles won the album of the year award at the Grammys, defeating Beyoncé, who now has a record of 4 losses in the category.
Styles, who was the lead singer of One Direction, was honoured for his album “Harry’s House,” which also won awards for best pop vocal album and best-engineered album, non-classical.
Beyoncé Making History
Beyoncé, who holds the record for the most Grammys of all time, lost in all of the top categories, including album of the year, song of the year, and record of the year.
Her only all-genre win was for co-writing “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” in 2010. Kendrick Lamar, who has also lost the album of the year award four times, was a nominee for his album “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.”
No rap album has won album of the year since Outkast’s “Speakerboxxx/The Love Below” in 2004. The Grammy Awards expanded the top categories to 10 nominees in 2022 and 2019.
Beyoncé made history at the Grammy Awards, winning her 32nd Grammy and becoming the artist with the most Grammy wins. She won in the Best Dance/Electronic Music Album category for “Renaissance,” a tribute to Black and queer dance music.
She is now the first Black woman to win in this category since its introduction in 2005. Beyoncé also won three other awards that night, including Best R&B Song for “Cuff It” and two awards during the pre-show ceremony.
In her acceptance speech, she thanked the LGBTQ community for their love and for inventing the genre and her family and God for their support.
Despite her many awards, Beyoncé has yet to win a Song, Record, or Album of the Year award, which is among the top categories at the Grammys.
Kim Petras Making History
Kim Petras and Sam Smith won the Best Pop Duo Performance Grammy for their hit “Unholy.”
Kim Petras, a transgender woman, made history as the first transgender woman to win a Grammy in the pop duo and group performance category.
During her acceptance speech, she thanked Madonna for fighting for LGBTQ rights, the “incredible transgender legends before me,” and her mother, who supported her.
Petras also remembered her late friend, Scottish producer Sophie, who inspired her music. The other nominees in the category were “Don’t Shut Me Down” by Abba, “Bam Bam” by Camila Cabello and Ed Sheeran, “My Universe” by Coldplay and BTS, and “I Like You (A Happier Song)” by Post Malone and Doja Cat.
To Making History
The Grammy Awards ceremony brought together a diverse group of musicians, showcasing their talents and honouring their achievements in the music industry.
With performances and award wins from artists such as Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar, Brandi Carlile, Willie Nelson, and Taylor Swift, the night was filled with excitement and surprises.
Despite declining ratings in recent years, the Grammys continue to recognize the best in the music industry and bring together fans worldwide to celebrate the art of music.
