Beyonce Thanks Queer Community for Inventing Dance Genre
Beyoncé walked into Sunday’s show with 28 Grammys and won four honors, breaking the record set by conductor Georg Solti, who had won 31 awards and died in 1997.
Beyoncé walked into the 2023 Grammys with 28 wins and won 4 awards Sunday night, breaking the record set by conductor Georg Solti, who had won 31 awards and died in 1997.
“I’m trying not to be too emotional and I’m trying to just receive this night,” she said onstage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles as the audience cheered her on.
“I want to thank God for protecting me. Thank you God. I’d like to thank my uncle Johnny, who is not here but he’s here in spirit. I’d like to thank my parents — my father, my mother — for loving me and pushing me. I’d like to thank my beautiful husband and my beautiful three children.”
Gay Directors, Gay Films? By Emanuel Levy (Columbia University Press, August 2015).
The singer’s wins include best dance-electronic album for Renaissance, best R&B song for “Cuff It,” best dance-electronic recording for “Break My Soul” and best traditional R&B performance for her groove “Plastic Off the Sofa.”
She’s also nominated for album, record and song of the year.
Kendrick Lamar and Brandi Carlile were also big winners, taking home three awards each.
“First and foremost I want to thank my family for giving me the courage and vulnerability to share my truth with this album,” said Lamar, who won best rap album for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers. “I want to thank my fans for trusting me …. [and] thank the culture for allowing me to evolve.”
Carlile’s wins include best Americana album for In These Silent Days as well as best rock song and best rock performance for “Broken Horses.” She gave a rousing performance of “You and Me on the Rock,” which is nominated for record of the year.
Bad Bunny kicked off the Grammys with a festive performance full of Latin heat. It had most of the attendees out of their seats dancing, including Taylor Swift.
“That album is so fire it makes Trump want to learn Spanish,” host Trevor Noah said of Bad Bunny’s top-selling and top-streaming album, Un Verano Sin Ti. It is the first Latin album to compete for album of the year, and it won best música urbana album during the telecast.
Madonna introduced Sam Smith and Kim Petras, who lit up the stage with the thumping hit “Unholy,” which won best pop duo/group performance.
“Sam wanted me to accept this award because I’m the first transgender woman to win this award,” Petras said onstage, and earned a standing ovation from the crowd. “I just want to thank all of the incredible transgender legends who kicked the doors open.”
Harry Styles had fun onstage as he danced and sang the upbeat hit “As It Was.” He also won best pop vocal album for Harry’s House, which also won best engineered album (nonclassical) for those who engineered the project.
“This album from start to finish has been the greatest experience of my life,” Styles said.
For album of the year, Beyoncé’s Renaissance, Styles’ Harry’s House, Carlile’s In These Silent Days, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti and Lamar’s Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers will battle Adele’s 30, Lizzo’s Special, Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres, Mary J. Blige’s Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe) and ABBA’s Voyage.
Others set to perform include Jay-Z, DJ Khaled, Mary J. Blige, Luke Combs and Steve Lacy. The Grammys will celebrate the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with an all-star performance featuring Missy Elliott, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash, Queen Latifah, RUN-DMC, Lil Wayne, Rakim and more.
Other big winners include Willie Nelson, who won two honors but didn’t attend the show. Encanto won three awards, including best song written for visual media for the No. 1 hit “We Don’t Talk About Bruno.” The honor went to songwriter Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Dave Chappelle won best comedy album for The Closer. And other early winners include Ozzy Osbourne, Rosalia, Wet Leg, Muni Long, Steve Lacy, Robert Glasper, Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce. Drake — who didn’t submit his latest album for awards — won best melodic rap performance for his guest appearance on Future’s “Wait for U.” He shares the win with Future and Tems. And Viola Davis became an EGOT, capturing her first Grammy on Sunday.
