Beyoncé finally won Album of the Year and Kendrick Lamar pulled off two remarkable major category victories at the 67th Grammy Awards on Sunday night.
“It’s been many, many years,” Beyoncé acknowledged with a slight chuckle while finally accepting the prize that’s eluded her throughout her illustrious career for Cowboy Carter. She went on to thank her many collaborators and dedicated the win to Linda Martell, the pioneering Black country artist who features on the LP.
“I hope we just keep pushing forward and opening doors,” Beyoncé continued.
While Album of the Year was Beyoncé’s biggest win of the night, she also made history. Earlier in the evening, she became the first Black artist to win Best Country Album, while she also won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus.
Meanwhile, Lamar’s inescapable Drake diss, “Not Like Us,” won a whopping five awards: Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Best Music Video, and, most significantly, Song and Record of the Year — marking the rapper’s first two wins in the major Grammy categories (and prompting a wild moment where the entire Crypto.com arena seemed to shout the line, “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minorrrrrrrr”).
“We’re gonna dedicate this one to the city,” Lamar said during his Record of the Year speech, paying tribute to those affected by the wildfires in his hometown of Los Angeles.
While Beyoncé and Lamar earned the big prizes, several Grammy newcomers also left an indelible mark on this year’s show. Sabrina Carpenter won three awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album for Short n’ Sweet, and Best Pop Solo performance for “Espresso.” And Doechii became the third woman in history to win Best Rap Album for for Alligator Bites Never Heal.
“I know that there is some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there, that are watching me right now, and I want to tell you, you can do it,” Doechii said during her speech. “Anything is possible. Don’t allow anybody to project any stereotypes on you, to tell you that you can’t be here, that you’re too dark, or that you’re not smart enough, or that you’re too dramatic, or you’re too loud. You are exactly who you need to be to be right where you are, and I am a testimony right now.”
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But it was Chappell Roan who made the boldest statement after winning the coveted Best New Artist prize. While the Grammys, like any awards show, is often a grandiose exercise in self-aggrandizement, Roan used her moment to remind the music industry that — like any industry — it wouldn’t function without its workers.
Recalling the difficulties she faced after being dropped by her first record label, Roan demanded that the “labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists” treat those artists (especially developing ones) like employees deserving of a livable wage, health care, and other protections. She closed with the powerful statement, “Labels, we got you. But do you got us?”
The speech drew significant applause from the crowd and even seemed to leave host Trevor Noah a bit speechless, as he did the best he could to segue into a montage about the devastation caused by the L.A. wildfires.
As expected, the wildfires were a major concern throughout the Grammys, with the show fundraising for fire relief efforts throughout the night, and highlighting individuals and local businesses affected by the disaster. There were several special performances, too, starting with a show-opening rendition of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” (with some slightly tweaked lyrics) led by Dawes, and featuring John Legend, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard, and St. Vincent. Not long after, Billie Eilish and Finneas honored their hometown during a performance of “Birds of a Feather,” while later in the night Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga took the stage not to perform their nominated hit, “Die With a Smile,” but the Mamas and the Papas’ “California Dreamin’.”
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Other highlights included Carpenter’s jazzy screwball theatrics during her “Please Please Please” and “Espresso” mash-up, and Roan riding out onstage with a pack of rodeo clowns during “Pink Pony Club.” Shakira returned to the Grammys stage for the first time in 18 years with some signature belly dancing as she performed “Ojos Asi” and “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53.” And Charli XCX — who won her first three Grammys earlier in the night — delivered the night’s final performance, starting in the basement of the Crypto.com Arena with “Von Dutch” before hitting the stage with “Guess.”
There was a big Best New Artist medley, as well, anchored by stand-out performances from Doechii, Shaboozey, and Raye (and featuring a few flips from Benson Boone). And the great Quincy Jones received a fitting tribute that included a moonwalking Janelle Monáe, Cynthia Erivo singing “Fly Me to the Moon,” and Stevie Wonder doing 1975’s “Bluesette” before “We Are the World” (with Herbie Hancock providing the latter two with piano accompaniment).
In one of the night’s biggest surprises, the Weeknd took the stage four years after vowing to boycott the Grammys after his hit album After Hours and its lead single “Blinding Lights” were snubbed in 2021. Following an introduction from Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr., who acknowledged the spat and Abel Tesfaye’s frustration with the alleged lack of transparency in the nominating and voting process, The Weeknd performed two songs off his new album, Hurry Up Tomorrow.
Throwback country favorite Sierra Ferrell quietly had a massive night, winning all four awards she was nominated for and sweeping the Americana categories: Best Americana Album for Trail of Flowers, Best Americana Performance and Roots Song for “American Dreaming,” and Best American Roots Performance for “Lighthouse.”
St. Vincent had a similarly strong showing with three awards across the rock and alternative categories — Best Alternative Music Performance (“Flea”), Best Alternative Album (All Born Screaming), and Best Rock Song (“Broken Man”). And rounding out the rock category, it was those old British invasion rivals — the Beatles and The Rolling Stones — who shared the spoils, with the former winning Best Rock Performance for “Now and Then,” and the latter taking home Best Rock Album for Hackney Diamonds.
Elsewhere, SZA, Residente, Shakira, Chris Stapleton, and Kacey Musgraves all added more Grammys to their collections. Tems took home her second Grammy — and first as a solo artist — for Best African Music performance for “Love Me Jeje.” And in one of the night’s most surprising results, Best Progressive R&B Album ended in a tie between Avery*Sunshine’s So Glad to Know You and NxWorries’ (the duo of Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge) Why Lawd?
Among this year’s many first-time winners were celebrated lyrics Rapsody (Best Melodic Rap Performance for “3:AM”); breakout Mexican singer-songwriter Carin León (Best Música Mexicana Album for Boca Chueca, Vol. 1); and bluegrass whiz Billy Strings (Best Bluegrass Album for Live Vol. 1). French metal favorites Gojira won their first Grammy as well, as did Venezuelan duo Rawayana and indie psych wizards Tame Impala.
But arguably the most notable first-time winner of the 67th Grammy Awards was Sheila E. The legendary percussionist and singer received her first and — up until this year — only Grammy nominations way back in 1985 (including one for Best New Artist) but went home empty-handed that night. Forty years later, she was awarded with the prize for Best Global Music Performance category for “Bemba Colorá,” with Gloria Estefan and Mimy Succar.
