The biggest night in the music industry happens every year and is televised for all to see. The GRAMMYs is always an exciting time to see artists get honored for their work, surprise guests, hear wonderful performances, and witness other unexpected moments throughout the night. On Sunday, February 4, the 66th annual GRAMMY Awards took place in Los Angeles and was nothing short of eventful. This article is going to be in two sections: “Awards & Winners” and “Key Moments”
Awards & Winners:
The Grammy Awards that were handed out to the winners spanned across 94 categories. However, these award ceremonies are split into two separate events. Only 10 of the awards are broadcasted because there are also performances, speeches, commercials, and hosting intertwined throughout the show, all of which is on a tight time schedule for the broadcast on CBS. Here is the list of the televised awards and winners.
- Album of the Year: “Midnights” by Taylor Swift
- Record of the Year: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
- Song of the Year: “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish
- Best New Artist: Victoria Monet
- Best Pop Vocal Album: “Midnights” by Taylor Swift
- Best Pop Solo Performance: “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus
- Best Musica Urbana Album: “Manana Sera Bonito” by Karol G
- Best Country Album: “Bell Bottom Country” by Lainey Wilson
- Best R&B Song: “Snooze” by SZA, Kenny B. Edmonds, Blair Ferguson, Khris Riddick-Tynes, Solana Rowe & Leon Thomas
- The Dr. Dre Global Impact Award: Jay-Z
Key Moments:
Every year at the GRAMMYs, there are always surprise guests, unplanned happenings, and monumental moments that are talked about for months, if not years, afterwards. This list is in no particular order, but are all key moments of the night aside from the awards themselves.
- We had two moving performances that left everyone misty-eyed. The first performance began when Luke Combs began to perform his popular cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car”, no one expected who was going to be standing beside him. When the guitar started during the song, the camera pulled away and revealed Tracy Chapman playing guitar. The two performed the song phenomenally, turning the song into a perfect duet.
- The other performance was done by Joni Mitchell singing “Both Sides Now”. This was Mitchell’s first time singing at the Grammys. Mitchell was introduced and then joined by singer Brandi Carlile. Carlile sat beside Mitchell to provide backup vocals and play guitar. The stage was set up beautifully with Joni Mitchell, Brandi Carlile, and the entire band sitting in elegant chairs aligned in a semi-circle and chandeliers sitting behind them.
- Getting to speak on stage always leaves the opportunity for artists to say something unexpected. Jay-Z took that opportunity when he won the “Dr. Dre Global Impact Award”. He brought up his daughter, Blue Ivy, on stage and decided to call out the recording academy directly. He called out the academy for snubbing black artists, specifically referencing that Beyoncé, his wife, has the most Grammy awards, but has never won the biggest honor, Album of the Year. He said to the recording academy, “We want you to get it right — at least get it close to right.” He mentioned that some black artists, including him, have boycotted the award show on multiple occasions. He then told the nominees for Album of the Year, “some of you don’t belong in the category.”
- Billy Joel performed his first new song, “Turn the Lights Back On”, since 2007. This is also the first time Joel has played at the Grammys in 30 years. He was introduced by a video explaining the reason this song exists and briefly mentioned why Joel has not released music for so long. The co-writer of the song, Freddy Wexler, had a dream of meeting Billy Joel and his wife managed to make it happen. Ultimately, after a long lunch together, the two became “unlikely friends” and eventually wrote “Turn the Lights Back On”.
- Taylor Swift had two major moments throughout the night at the Grammys. First, her album, “Midnights”, won Best Pop Vocal Album. That alone is amazing, but Swift took this opportunity to announce her new album, “Tortured Poets Department”, during her acceptance speech. Then, Taylor Swift made history by being the artist with the most wins in the Album of the Year category after her album “Midnights” won. This gave Swift her fourth Grammy award for this category.
- The final moment of the night to go on this list happened during the final award presentation of the night. The presenter of the last, and biggest, award of the night was Celine Dion. Dion has not made many public appearances since her announcement in December 2022 that she was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome. Stiff Person Syndrome is a rare, incurable neurological condition that typically causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms that can be inconsistent and could worsen over time. Dion sent heartfelt “thank you’s” and an inspiring message to the audience and viewers.
