The 2023 Grammys’ highs and lows, from Beyoncé’s historic win… to Beyoncé’s historic loss
The sixty fifth Annual Grammy Awards, held Sunday at Los Angeles’s Crypto.com Enviornment, was music’s greatest night time — and it was predicted to be a very massive night time for Beyoncé, particularly. And in some methods, it actually was. The diva picked up 4 trophies on the ceremony, bringing her grand whole to 32 and establishing her because the most-decorated artist in Grammy history.
Nonetheless, two of Beyoncé’s awards have been introduced off the air, at Sunday afternoon’s pre-show Premiere Ceremony, and she or he really missed one of her on-air categories as a result of, in accordance with host Trevor Noah, she was caught in L.A. visitors. And she or he was widely predicted to win the night time’s most prestigious honor, Album of the Yr, for Renaissance — her fourth nomination in that class, following her controversial defeats in earlier years to Taylor Swift, Beck and Adele — however as soon as once more, she misplaced, this time to Harry Kinds’s Harry’s Home.
Whereas Harry’s Home was undoubtedly probably the most acclaimed albums of 2022 — in actual fact, in Yahoo Entertainment’s year-end critics’ poll, it ranked second, whereas Renaissance was at No. 3 — the optics weren’t nice right here, bringing to thoughts that awkward 2017 Grammy second when Adele’s 25 received and the British belter spent a lot of her time on the podium virtually declaring that Beyoncé’s Lemonade had been robbed. Kinds’s didn’t go fairly that far in his Album of the Yr acceptance speech Sunday, however his response was noticeably muted.
“I have been so, so impressed by each artist on this class with me in loads of completely different instances in my life. I’ve listened to everybody on this class. … It is clearly so vital for us to keep in mind that there is no such thing as a such factor as ‘finest’ in music,” a dazed Kinds insisted. “I do not assume any of us sit within the studio considering and making selections based mostly on what will get us certainly one of these [awards]. That is actually, actually variety. I am so, so grateful.”
So, whereas Beyoncé set a powerful Grammy report along with her 32 wins, it ought to be famous that with Renaissance shedding Album of the Yr and “Break My Soul” respectively shedding Report and Music of the Yr to Lizzo’s “About Rattling Time” and, in a little bit of an upset, to Bonnie Raitt’s “Simply Like That,” she nonetheless has solely received as soon as in a Massive 4 class — when “Single Girls” was named Music of the Yr method again in 2010. (Lizzo really devoted portion of her Report of the Yr acceptance speech Sunday to praising Beyoncé, even sharing a cute anecdote about ditching faculty within the fifth grade to attend a Beyoncé live performance. “They need to give out a Grammy for Finest Speech as effectively,” an amused Noah remarked.)
“She will get to be Beyoncé, so it’s a win-win,” Noah had joked earlier within the night when predicting Bey’s 2023 Grammy possibilities, and he wasn’t mistaken. However Sunday was nonetheless an evening of highs and lows — if not for Beyoncé, who graciously gave Kinds a standing ovation when he received, then for her pissed off followers who wished to see her lastly take dwelling the highest prize.
Under are among the different highs and lows of a wildly unpredictable Grammy night time.
HIGH: Yo! The Grammy ceremony raps
As Sean “Diddy” Combs argued in a 45-minute speech at Clive Davis’s annual pre-Grammy gala in 2020 — when he sternly advised the Recording Academy, “You’ve bought three hundred and sixty five days to get this shit collectively” — hip-hop has been traditionally neglected on the Grammys. (Solely two hip-hop artists, Lauryn Hill and OutKast, have ever received Album of the Yr, and that was in 1999 and 2004.) The Academy due to this fact gave the impression to be making up for misplaced time this yr, staging a “50 Years of Hip-Hop” all-star medley curated by Questlove of the Roots. The almost 15-minute spectacle featured luminaries of the outdated and new colleges, starting from LL Cool J, De La Soul, Ice-T, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rakim, Run-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa reunited with Spinderella, and each Grandmasters Flash Mele Mel; to Massive Boi, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, the Lox, Technique Man, Nelly, Scarface, and Too $hort; to Future, GloRilla, and each Lil Child and Lil Wayne. (LL Cool J additionally introduced the first-ever Dr. Dre International Affect Award to — fittingly — Dr. Dre.) It was completely essentially the most electrifying efficiency of the night, and whereas Combs didn’t participate, certainly he will need to have been happy.
LOW: DJ Khaled’s final supper is stuffed with empty energy.
Noah claimed that the ceremony’s ultimate efficiency — of DJ Khaled’s “God Did” that includes Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, John Legend, and Fridayy — was one of many best in Grammy historical past. Nevertheless it wasn’t even one of many best of this Grammy night time, particularly following the above-mentioned “50 Years” tour de drive. Khaled didn’t carry extra a lot to the desk, actually and figuratively, than his standard aggressive, motivational-speaker-esque power. And whereas Jay-Z’s verse was the saving grace of this eight-minute mess, it fell flat following the announcement of his spouse’s Album of the Yr defeat simply minutes earlier.
HIGH: Sam Smith and Kim Petras’s “Unholy” alliance makes Grammy historical past
When British pop star Smith and German electropop maverick Petras went to No. 1 on the Billboard Sizzling 100 final yr with “Unholy,” they made historical past because the each the primary brazenly nonbinary solo artist and trans solo artist, respectively, to attain that feat. And the 2 continued to blaze that path at Sunday’s Grammys, when their attractive duet received Finest Pop Duo/Group Efficiency. Smith, who already had 4 solo Grammys to their credit score, let Petras seize the “large second” as the primary trans girl to win this award. Petras gushingly thanked “all of the unimaginable transgender legends earlier than me who kicked these doorways open for me so I might be right here tonight,” her supportive mom, and her idol, Madonna. Later within the night time, in a torch-passing second of kinds, shock visitor Madonna really launched Smith and Petras’s devilish, cage-dancing, red-leather-clad “Unholy” efficiency, declaring, “Right here’s what I’ve realized after 4 a long time in music: In the event that they name you stunning, scandalous, troublesome, problematic, provocative, or harmful, you’re positively on to one thing.” Maybe Petras’s subsequent famous person collaborator can be Madonna herself.
HIGH: Viola Davis reaches EGOT standing
Whereas the actress’s Grammy class, Finest Audio E-book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording, wasn’t introduced on the air, her win for her memoir Discovering Me — which she “wrote to honor the 6-year outdated Viola, to honor her life her pleasure, her trauma” — was a candy spotlight of the Premiere Ceremony. “I just EGOT!” she cheered, as she picked up a Grammy so as to add to the Emmy, Oscar, and two Tony Awards on her mantel at dwelling.
LOW: We’re not a fan of the Grammys’ followers
With the Grammy Awards ceremony working lengthy, at about three hours and 45 minutes, the very last thing it wanted have been a number of pre-taped filler segments that includes random ABBA, Harry Kinds, Beyoncé, Lizzo, and Kendrick Lamar followers debating who ought to win Album of the Yr. Reducing that boring footage may have introduced the printed somewhat nearer to its marketed run time of three hours, or may have freed up a while to current extra classes — like, say, Davis’s! That being mentioned, we do type of marvel what that Beyoncé fan although of Harry Home’s upset win.
HIGH: The In Memoriam is extremely memorable
It’s by no means actually pleasurable to mirror on all of the musical greats that go away us yearly, however this yr’s three beautiful musical tributes have been nonetheless highlights of the night time. Kacey Musgraves delivered an beautiful rendition of “Coal Miner’s Daughter” for Loretta Lynn, and Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood, and Bonnie Raitt honored Christine McVie with “Songbird.” However essentially the most heart-wrenching, gut-punching second got here when Quavo devoted “With out You” to his nephew and Migos bandmate, Takeoff, who was shot useless in November. “Issues ain’t the identical with out you/I don’t know if I’m the identical with out you,” Quavo sang, backed by Christian group Maverick Metropolis Music, whereas a highlight glowed on an empty stool and microphone stand. It was a saddening reminder that if Takeoff have been nonetheless alive, Migos most likely would have been a part of the “50 Years of Hip-Hop” efficiency, and his absence was dearly felt.
LOW: The In Memoriam doesn’t bear in mind everybody
In fact, to incorporate musical tributes to each single trade dying would push the Grammy ceremony effectively previous the 225-minute mark. It was admittedly odd that massive names like Naomi Judd, Olivia Newton-John, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jeff Beck, and David Crosby have been solely talked about in passing, however some stars, like former teen-pop idol Aaron Carter, Modest Mouse’s Jeremiah Inexperienced, Southern rap pioneer Gangsta Boo, and Atlanta rapper Lil Keed, weren’t even talked about throughout the In Memoriam section in any respect. The latter two omissions appeared particularly egregious on an evening honoring hip-hop, however Carter’s snub was the one which generated essentially the most outrage on social media.
HIGH: We love the best way Smokey, Stevie, and Stapleton do the issues they do
The Grammys are well-known for startling cross-genre pairings, and this yr’s such efficiency got here from 2023 MusiCares Persons of the Year honoree Smokey Robinson and his fellow Motown legend Stevie Marvel with nation music star Chris Stapleton. The dynamic duo of Smokey and Stevie would have after all been thrilling performing “The Approach You Do the Issues You Do,” “The Tears of a Clown,” and “Larger Floor” all on their very own, however Stapleton’s shredding elevated the proceedings to the next floor certainly.
HIGH: Machine Gun Kelly retains it actual
A lot of the movie star interviews throughout E!’s pink carpet pre-show have been vapid and fashion-oriented, however when pop-rocker Machine Gun Kelly chatted for a number of minutes with correspondent Laverne Cox, it was removed from a typical “Who’re you sporting?” dialog. At first, when Cox requested if Kelly’s well-known fiancée, Megan Fox, wished to hitch him for the section, Kelly answered quietly, “Fox advised me to present her a glance if I am feeling too susceptible or something, however I really feel all proper.” Kelly, whose Mainstream Sellout had been nominated for Finest Rock Album however had simply misplaced to Ozzy Osbourne’s Affected person No. 9 throughout the Premiere Ceremony, confessed that he’s “at all times fairly uncomfortable” at awards exhibits, then advised Cox: “Finally, I am actually comfortable to be in an organization of celebrated musicians. I did not take the class dwelling, and I virtually really feel like I requested for that lesson. Like, I felt like I lacked self-love and was valuing myself a lot on profession accomplishments that I wanted this [defeat]. The automobile trip right here was very cathartic for me. I realized that … I want to understand what I have already got. And as soon as that self-love occurs for me, issues just like the awards and all that may come.” Cox, discovering Kelly’s rawness and honesty refreshing, shared her personal tales of self-doubt, then advised the rap-rocker, “Thanks a lot. That was so lovely. Thanks for doing that.”
LOW: The-Dream’s acceptance speech is a little bit of a nightmare
When Beyoncé wasn’t but in her seat when her first on-air award, Finest R&B Music, was introduced throughout the ceremony’s first hour, her longtime collaborator The-Dream accepted on her behalf, saying with a shrug, “Y’all know n****s be on CP time.” His tasteless remark was bleeped by CBS, however the uncensored model nonetheless circulated on Twitter.
HIGH: Nile Rodgers retains it stylish
Fortunately, musician/producer Nile Rodgers — a joint Finest R&B Music winner for Beyoncé’s “Cuff It,” as a result of his writing credit score on the disco-infused track — was round to easy over The-Dream’s awkward N-bomb. The neon-suited legend’s (no pun meant) off-the-cuff speech was so stylish and charming that he too was quickly trending on Twitter, for all the correct causes.
The sixty fifth Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, which additionally featured vivacious performances from Dangerous Bunny, Brandi Carlile, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, and Mary J. Blige, befell Sunday, Feb. 5 on the Crypto.com Enviornment in Los Angeles, and aired on CBS and Paramount+. For a whole record of winners in all 91 classes, click on here.
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