Taylor Swift made history at the Grammy Awards on Sunday February 4 by winning the album of the year award for the fourth time, considered the crowning glory of this musical equivalent of the Oscars.
With this honor attributed to his record Midnightsthe American singer thus enters the pantheon of the ceremony as the most awarded artist for her albums, ahead of Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon.
“I would like to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I also feel happy when I finish a song”reacted the queen of pop. “Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do what I love so much! I’m blown away! »
The 34-year-old artist stood out against other pop stars like Lana Del Rey and Olivia Rodrigo.
She continues to transform everything she touches into gold: elected personality of the year 2023 by the magazine Time, his “Eras Tour” met with phenomenal success. She generated more than a billion dollars in revenue over sixty dates last year, an amount never seen before in music history.
Taylor Swift was also rewarded at the start of the evening with the prize for best pop album with Midnights, and then took the opportunity to carry out a major marketing coup, by announcing the release of a new album on April 19, entitled The Tortured Poets Department.
Midnightsher tenth studio album, immediately debuted at the top of the Billboard chart in October 2022. It also allowed her to become the first artist to simultaneously occupy the top ten places on the most popular songs chart in the United States.
Taylor Swift was nominated in six categories at this year’s Grammy Awards, including Best Song, a coveted award that recognizes performers who write their own lyrics. She had already won the supreme prize, that of album of the year, three times with her opuses Fearless, 1989 And Folklore.
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In addition to her new productions, the singer is also enjoying resounding success thanks to the reissue of her old albums, which she decided to re-record to control the rights alone, after a dispute with her record company.
The Grammy Awards ceremony celebrated the omnipresence of women at the top of the American musical landscape. “Can we savor for a second the fact that women dominated music this year? »said South African comedian Trevor Noah as he launched the 66th ceremony of this equivalent of the music Oscars. “Seven of the nominees for album of the year are women”he underlined to applause.
Tracy Chapman applauded, Killer Mike arrested, Billie Eilish rewarded
Another star award of the ceremony, that of song of the year, given to Billie Eilish for her melancholy ballad What Was I Made For? composed for the film’s soundtrack barbie. Greta Gerwig’s film was one of the evening’s notable guests, with eleven nominations for its soundtrack.
Miley Cyrus won the gramophone for best pop solo performance at the start of the evening for her hit Flowers, of which she delivered a fiery interpretation on stage.
The all-female trio Boygenius won three trophies in the rock categories, during the pre-ceremony where most of the more than ninety Grammys were awarded.
The first moments of the evening were marked by the standing ovation reserved for Tracy Chapman, who performed her hit Fast Car in a duet with Luke Combs, during a very rare appearance on stage by the American legend. The country singer covered this song that she released in 1988, which earned her a nomination this year.
The Grammy Awards also honored Joni Mitchell, a great figure of the Woodstock generation. At 80 years old, the Canadian performed for the first time on the stage of the ceremony and won the prize for best folk album.
Behind the scenes of the ceremony were also marked by the arrest of rapper Killer Mike. He was handcuffed by the police in the corridors of the Crypto Arena, moments after being rewarded with three gramophones, including best rap album for Michael. Asked by AFP about the reason for this arrest, the Los Angeles police did not immediately respond.
The head of the Recording Academy, which represents professionals in the American music industry, Harvey Mason Jr, said ” optimistic “ on the fact that the strong presence of women is not limited to the 2024 edition.
The Grammys jury has included 2,500 new women and now includes 40% people of color, he assured Agence France-Presse on the sidelines of a gala organized before the official ceremony on Sunday.
“We want to make sure we are up to the task. So there is work to be done. There always is. We need to have more women, more people of color, more diversity”he insisted.