Queen Bey sits alone atop the Grammy Awards throne — but was shut out in Sunday’s top three categories.
Beyonce’ broke the all-time record with her 32nd career Grammy win, achieving the milestone midway through the 2023 ceremony at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena when “Renaissance” was named best dance/electronic music album.
But it was Harry Styles who claimed album of the year for his chart-topping “Harry’s House,” while blues rocker Bonnie Raitt won song of the year for “Just Like That” and Lizzo took home record of the year for “About Damn Time.”
“There is no such thing as ‘best’ in music,” Styles said during his acceptance speech. “I don’t think any of us sit in the studio, making decisions based on what is going to get us one of these. This is really, really kind. I’m so, so grateful.”
Beyonce’ led all artists Sunday with nine nominations, including for song, record and album of the year. Her fourth and final win of the night pushed her past the previous high mark held by the late conductor Georg Solti, whose 31st Grammy came in 1998.
“I’d like to thank my parents, my father, my mother, for loving me and pushing me,” Beyonce’, 41, said. “I’d like to thank my beautiful husband [Jay-Z], my beautiful three children who are at home watching. I’d like to thank the queer community for your love and for inventing the genre.”
Her other wins Sunday included best dance/electronic recording for “Break My Soul,” best traditional R&B performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa” and best R&B song for “Cuff It.”
Styles also won best pop vocal album for “Harry’s House,” while the Bronx-born jazz singer Samara Joy received best new artist. Adele won her 16th career Grammy with best pop solo performance for the hit “Easy on Me.”
Bad Bunny got Sunday’s show off to a hopping start with an opening performance of “El Apagón” and “Después De La Playa” that had Taylor Swift and Jack Harlow out of their seats and dancing along.
The Puerto Rican artist, who was Spotify’s most-streamed artist in each of the last three years, later won best música urbana album for his chart-topping “Un Verano Sin Ti.”
“When you do things with love and passion, everything is easier,” said Bad Bunny, whose real name is Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.
“Un Verano Sin Ti” was a finalist as well for album of the year, making it the first Spanish-language project to be nominated in the category.
Also making history was Kim Petras, who won best pop duo/group performance with Sam Smith for their hit “Unholy.”
“Sam graciously wanted me to accept this award because I’m the first transgender woman to win this award,” Petras said, before calling her late friend, Sophie, an inspiration and thanking Madonna for supporting the LGBTQ community.
“I grew up next to a highway in nowhere, Germany, and my mother believed me that I was a girl,” Petras said. “I wouldn’t be here without her and her support.”
Sunday’s ceremony commemorated the career of rapper and producer Dr. Dre with the inaugural Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. The show then celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop music with a star-powered medley featuring performances by Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, Busta Rhymes, Missy Elliott, Salt-N-Pepa and more.
Film and TV star Viola Davis won her first career Grammy, making her the 18th person to achieve EGOT status as the recipient of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony. Her win came in the best audio book, narration and storytelling recording category for her 2022 memoir, “Finding Me.”
“I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything,” Davis said during an acceptance speech. “It has just been such a journey.”
Davis, 57, is the first person to reach the EGOT milestone since Jennifer Hudson in 2021. Rita Moreno, John Legend, Mel Brooks, Whoopi Goldberg and Andrew Lloyd Webber are among the other EGOT recipients.
Kendrick Lamar won best rap song and best rap performance for “The Heart Part 5? and best rap album for “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.” His six wins in the best rap performance category are the most ever.
Brandi Carlile — whose previous six Grammy wins came in country, American roots and Americana categories — won best rock song and best rock performance for “Broken Horses.” Carlile also won best Americana album for “In These Silent Days,” which was nominated as well for album of the year.
