SINGAPORE – Women artistes ruled at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards.
And it was Taylor Swift who made history as the first artiste to win Album of the Year four times, after picking up the night’s biggest prize for Midnights.
The ceremony was broadcast live from Los Angeles on Feb 4 (Feb 5 Singapore time).
Swift previously won the same award for her second album Fearless (2008), fifth album 1989 (2014) and eighth album Folklore (2020).
The American pop star, who came into the race with six nominations, also won Best Pop Vocal Album for Midnights, her 10th album, released in 2022.
SZA, who scored the most nominations at nine, went home with three – Best Progressive R&B Album for her second album SOS (2022), Best R&B Song for Snooze and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for Ghost In The Machine, her collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers.
Bridgers’ indie rock supergroup Boygenius – comprising fellow singer-songwriters Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus – won three out of seven nominations: Best Alternative Music Album for their debut album The Record (2023), and Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for Not Strong Enough.
Billie Eilish took home one of the major prizes, Song of the Year, for What Was I Made For?, a tune from the Barbie (2023) movie soundtrack that also won Best Song Written for Visual Media.
Other notable female artistes who won Grammys for the first time included Miley Cyrus for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for her 2023 hit Flowers; Colombian singer Karol G, who won Best Musica Urbana – a prize for Latin albums – for Manana Sera Bonito (2023); and American singer Lainey Wilson, who won Best Country Album for Bell Bottom Country (2022).
The Straits Times recaps the most memorable moments of this year’s 3½-hour extravaganza.
Taylor Swift still has surprises up her sleeve
She bided her time on the Grammys stage to reveal a “secret” she had been keeping from her fans for the past two years – the productive star has been working on a new album, titled The Tortured Poets Department, that will be released on April 19.
She made the surprise announcement while accepting her first win of the night.
Like at previous awards show appearances, she was caught on camera enjoying herself while other acts performed. She was seen singing and dancing along to fellow nominee Olivia Rodrigo’s dramatic rendition of Vampire and SZA’s medley of Snooze and Kill Bill.
SZA gave a shout-out to Swift while accepting one of her awards. “Hi Taylor,” she said with a giggle, after noticing the superstar in the audience. “I love you.”
Swift is also not one to forget her gal pals during celebrations. When it was time for her to receive the Album of the Year trophy, she pulled up on stage her good friend Lana Del Rey, who was also competing for the same award.
Del Rey appeared in Snow On The Beach, one of the tracks on Midnights.
Swift also shared the spotlight with Boygenius backstage during the Grammy winners photo call, and was seen hanging out with the trio in the audience area.
Jay-Z stands up for wife Beyonce
American rap mogul Jay-Z used his time on stage to call out Grammy organisers for their bad judgment.
He accepted the Dr Dre Global Impact Award, a prize that recognises artistes with outstanding legacy, with his 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy.
He pointed out that his wife, American pop diva Beyonce – who was in the audience and close to the stage – has the most Grammy wins of all time at 32, but that she has always been snubbed in the Album of the Year category.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year,” he said.
“So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys, never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.”
Jay-Z also proclaimed that some artistes recognised by the Grammys do not even deserve nominations, but he did not name names.
“When I get nervous, I tell the truth,” he quipped.
While Beyonce did not score any nominations this year, Jay-Z’s public criticism brought to mind the time fellow rapper Kanye West infamously stormed the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards stage after Swift won the Best Female Video award, arguing that the honour should have gone to Beyonce.
Swift’s four Album of the Year Grammy victories stand in contrast to Beyonce’s four losses in the same category.
The return of music legends
Several iconic artistes who have been out of the spotlight for some time made a comeback at the Grammys.
Canadian superstar Celine Dion, who suffers from a rare neurological condition called Stiff Person Syndrome, made a surprise appearance and presented the final prize, Album of the Year. It was the 55-year-old’s first public appearance in three months.
Canadian-American music icon Joni Mitchell, who won her first Grammy 55 years ago, finally staged her first performance at the awards show.
The 80-year-old, who recovered from a brain aneurysm in 2015, sang her classic hit Both Sides, Now, a track from her 1969 album Clouds, which won Best Folk Performance at the 1969 Grammys.
Earlier in the show, she won her 10th Grammy, Best Folk Album, for Joni Mitchell At Newport (Live).
Tracy Chapman, 59, who rarely makes public appearances, delivered an unannounced performance, singing her signature 1998 hit Fast Car with country singer Luke Combs. Combs scored a hit with his 2023 cover of the same song.
Piano Man Billy Joel, 74, performed his first new song in 17 years, Turn The Lights Back On, and closed the ceremony with his 1980 classic You May Be Right.
Miley Cyrus’ Flowers performance
Cyrus was not about to let the audience forget that she had just won the first Grammy – Best Pop Solo Performance for Flowers, one of the biggest pop hits of 2023 – of her 20-year music career.
She peppered her performance of the song with several amusing ad libs. “I just won my first Grammy,” she shouted in the middle of Flowers.
Earlier, she seemingly criticised the attendees when she quipped: “Why are y’all acting like you don’t know this song?”
Cyrus went on to nab her second and bigger Grammy, Record of the Year, later that night.
Killer Mike arrested after his Grammy triumph
In probably one of this year’s most bizarre turn of events, American rapper and activist Killer Mike was arrested and escorted out of the venue in handcuffs after winning three awards at the pre-show ceremony.
According to a police spokesman, the artiste was detained because of an altercation that happened inside the venue earlier in the afternoon, and was booked on a misdemeanour.
Killer Mike’s three wins were for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for Scientists & Engineers, and Best Rap Album for Michael.
During his acceptance speech, he alluded to his criminal past.
“At 20 years old, I thought it was cool to be a drug dealer. At 40, I started to live with the regrets and the things I’ve done. At 45, I started to rap about it. At 48, I stand here as a man full of empathy and sympathy for the things I’ve done.”
List of main winners
Album of the Year: Midnights – Taylor Swift
Record of the Year: Flowers – Miley Cyrus
Song of the Year: What Was I Made For? – Billie Eilish
Best New Artist: Victoria Monet
Best Pop Vocal Album: Midnights – Taylor Swift
Best Pop Solo Performance: Flowers – Miley Cyrus
Best Musica Urbana Album: Manana Sera Bonito – Karol G
Best Country Album: Bell Bottom Country – Lainey Wilson
Best R&B Song: Snooze – SZA
The Dr Dre Global Impact Award: Jay-Z
