Superstars Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus were celebrated at the Grammy Awards. There was a standing ovation for Celine Dion.
The Grammy Awards took place on Sunday night in Los Angeles and once again superstar Taylor Swift (34) was the winner of the evening. At the most important international music award, she was honored in the Album of the Year category for her album “Midnights” (2022). Once again a record: This makes her the only artist to ever win Album of the Year four times. Before “Midnights,” “Fearless” (2010), “1989” (2016) and “Folklore” (2021) also received this award.
The award was presented by Canadian superstar Céline Dion (55), who announced in 2022 that she suffers from the rare neurological disease Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). As a result, she had to cancel numerous tour dates.
Taylor Swift’s declaration of love for her profession
In her acceptance speech, Taylor Swift emphasized her love for the music industry: “I would like to tell you that this is the best moment of my life. But I feel so happy when I finish a song or when I crack the key to a story or when I’m in front of the camera for a music video, or when I’m rehearsing with my dancers or my band, or getting ready to go to Tokyo to play a show,” she said, according to People magazine in reference to the start of “The Eras” tour next week.
“For me, the prize is the work. All I want is that I can keep doing this. I love it so much. It makes me so happy. It makes me incredibly happy that it makes some people happy who “We also voted for this award. All I want to do is keep doing this. So thank you for giving me the opportunity to do what I love so much,” Swift gushed in her white dress the stage.
In addition, the now 14-time Grammy winner didn’t want to leave two people unmentioned. “I get to work with one of my best friends, who is not only one of my best friends, but also a one-of-a-kind producer. This is Jack Antonoff. I’m so happy,” she began. And she added: “But I think so many artists wouldn’t be where they are and wouldn’t have the inspiration that they have if it wasn’t for the work that Lana Del Rey has done. I think she is an artist with a legacy, a legend in her prime right now. I’m so lucky to know you and be your friend.”
Swift also used the opportunity to announce a new album: It’s called “The Torted Poets Department” and will be released on April 19th, as Variety reports.
The pop star was also nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album.
More Grammy winners of the evening
Miley Cyrus (31) received the award for the best record of the year for her viral summer hit “Flowers”, which won two Grammys that evening. She said she hopes her life doesn’t change as it is already “beautiful.” The 31-year-old, who wore a sequined black dress with a high side slit, joked according to Sky News: “I don’t think I forgot anyone… But maybe I forgot some underwear”. Cyrus also won the award for best pop solo performance for “Flowers” – she also performed the hit during the awards ceremony.
The song of the year award went to Billie Eilish (22) for her Barbie song “What Was I Made For?” “Damn, I’m shocked,” she said, concluding her speech by saying, “This is crazy, I shouldn’t be here.” The song from the film, which dominated the summer and broke box office records, also won the award for best song written for visual media.
The R&B singer and songwriter Victoria Monet (34) was honored as the best young artist. In her acceptance speech, she first thanked “the champagne servers of the evening” and then dedicated her award to everyone “who has a dream.”
SZA, 34 – who had the most nominations at the start of the night – picked up three awards, including best R&B song for “Snooze.”
Kylie Minogue (55) won the award for best pop dance recording for her hit “Padam Padam” – the second Grammy for the Australian star.
The rapper Jay-Z (54), who wears the Dr. Dre took his daughter Blue Ivy, 12, on stage, joked about her childhood “sippy cup” and said she now has her own Grammy.
Living legends on stage
The awards ceremony featured a number of performances by living music legends, including Joni Mitchell, who made her Grammy debut at the age of 80. Mitchell also picked up the award for Best Folk Album. She had already received the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002.
Other entertainment industry veterans included Stevie Wonder (73), who paid tribute to singer Tony Bennet (1926-2023), Billy Joel (74) and Tracy Chapman (59). Eurythmics star Annie Lennox (69) gave an emotional performance of Sinead O’Connor’s (1966-2023) “Nothing Compares 2 U” during the “In Memoriam” portion of the show, wearing a black suit and a glittering black teardrop ran out of one eye.
Prize winners taken away in handcuffs
An arrest, on the other hand, was not very glamorous: rapper Killer Mike (48) was led away from the ceremony in handcuffs shortly after he had won three awards. The 48-year-old activist and artist won best rap album for his sixth studio album “Michael,” while his song “Scientists And Engineers,” featuring Andre 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane, won best rap song and best rap album. Performance was awarded.
A spokesman for the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed that a man was arrested but did not provide further details.
The 66th annual awards ceremony took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California and was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, 39, who hosted the show for the fourth year in a row.