Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Sam Smith Among Winners At 2023 Grammys
Samara Joy, Kim Petras and more also picked up awards
Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, and Sam Smith were among the winners at the 2023 Grammys last night (February 5) as it returned to Los Angeles.
The ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in LA, with the premiere ceremony taking place beforehand at the nearby Microsoft Theater.
Over the course of the two events, Taylor Swift took home the award for Best Music Video for “All Too Well: The Short Film,” while Madison Cunningham won Best Folk Album for Revealer.
Kendrick Lamar picked up a hat trick of trophies with Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “The Heart Part 5” and Best Rap Album for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. In his acceptance speech for the latter, he described the album as “one of my toughest records to make” and thanked “the culture for allowing me to evolve to make a song like ‘Mother I’m Sober.’”
Sam Smith and Kim Petras were victorious in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category for their global smash hit “Unholy.” The win made Petras the first transgender woman to win the award and she thanked those who came before her for opening doors for her. She cited late DJ and producer SOPHIE, in particular, as a big inspiration, and Madonna “for fighting for LGBT rights.” Later, Madonna introduced a fiery performance from Petras and Smith, asking the audience: “Are you ready for a little controversy?”
Elsewhere, Carly Pearce and Ashley McBryde won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Never Wanted To Be That Girl,” while Robert Glasper picked up Best R&B Album for Black Radio III. Muni Long was named victor in the Best R&B Performance category for “Hrs & Hrs,” and Samara Joy took home the hotly-contested trophy for Best New Artist.
Shania Twain was on hand at the main ceremony to present Best Country Album, which went to Willie Nelson for A Beautiful Time, while Dr. Dre was given the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award by LL Cool J. Bonnie Raitt, meanwhile, beat out tough competition to win Song Of The Year for “Just Like That.”
Other performances came from Stevie Wonder, who was joined by Wanya Morris of Boyz II Men for a Motown medley before Chris Stapleton joined him to perform “Superstition.” Kacey Musgraves performed in the In Memoriam segment, honoring Loretta Lynn with a version of “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” before Migos’ Quavo paid tribute to his late bandmate and nephew Takeoff.
The Grammys held a celebration of the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, which kicked off with DJ Cool Herc playing the break beats that kickstarted a global musical revolution. Missy Elliott, Queen Latifah, RUN-DMC, Lil Wayne, Big Boi, Grandmaster Flash, Method Man, Public Enemy, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella and Busta Rhymes were among those taking part in the all-star tribute, which was produced by Questlove, who also served as musical director. Music was provided by The Roots, with Black Thought narrating.
Beyoncé made history at the 2023 Grammys by becoming the artist with the most wins at the ceremony of all time with 32. However, she couldn’t pick up Album Of The Year this time, with the award instead going to Harry Styles for Harry’s House.
The ceremony wrapped up with the camera panning to the street outside the arena, where Lil Wayne performed “Love Me Or Hate Me,” before joining John Legend, Rick Ross, DJ Khaled, Jay-Z, and Fridayy to perform “God Did” at a The Last Supper-inspired banquet.
Visit The Recording Academy’s official website for a full list of Grammy winners.
