Grammys 2023

Notable moments from the 65th annual music awards

SATVIKA NITYA / ASST. A&C EDITOR / THE USD VISTA

The music industry’s biggest awards ceremony broke records, expectations and history with its 65th run honoring artists all across the music community. The annual Grammys were held this year at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, recognizing the best albums, recordings and artists of the eligibility year from Oct. 1, 2021, to Sept. 30, 2022. 

With an unexpected “Song of the Year” win to dad-joke commentary from host Trevor Noah, here are some of the most loved and the most confusing moments from this year’s Grammys. 

One of the most-awaited categories of the evening was the “Song of the Year” award, with big music names such as Adele, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar making up the list of nominees. So when singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt’s “Just Like That” was announced as the winner, it was definitely a surprise for both the audience, and the artist herself.

“Are you kidding me?” Raitt said, as she sat in shock, jaw dropped, around a wave of applause after the announcement, after which she slowly made her way to the stage to accept the award from First Lady Jill Biden. Viewers also expressed their excitement on social media and took to platforms like Twitter and TikTok to talk about how they had no idea who Bonnie Raitt was to begin with.

USD sophomore Ella Spinder supported this sentiment and talked about her reaction to seeing Raitt win the award. 

“I was a little confused ‘cause I’ve never heard of her or her song before,” explained Spinder. “Everyone on TikTok is posting videos about her winning, with the song playing in the background, and that’s the first time I’ve listened to it. Especially the fact that she was up against so many idols. I thought it was weird, but I can’t judge because I’ve never heard her music.”

Another category that sparked conversations across multiple fandoms was the “Album of the Year,” awarded to Harry Styles for his album “Harry’s House.” Styles’ reaction went viral on social media, after he was overwhelmed with joy, burying his face into his hands, surrounded by artists like Lizzo and Taylor Swift, excited for his win.

USD sophomore Haana Farokhian is a big Harry Styles fan and was super excited after hearing about the Grammys decision.

“I almost cried,” Farokhian said. “I think he deserved to win. I’ve seen the impact his music has had on people, including myself. Especially seeing him grow in his solo career and start off with no connections to the music industry and make it this far is incredible. And objectively, it’s lyrically and instrumentally a phenomenal album.”

While Styles’ fans were overjoyed with his win in the category, others were confused and upset over the loss by other nominees such as Beyoncé and Bad Bunny. With Bad Bunny being the top-streamed artist on Spotify for the past three years and Beyoncé having been nominated four times but never winning in the “Best Album” category, many are questioning the validity of the Grammys and their selection process. So much so that during Styles’ acceptance speech, many viewers from the audience angrily screamed phrases like “Get off the stage” and “Beyoncé should’ve won.”

USD senior Katrina Baha, a loyal member of Beyoncé’s fanbase, the Beyhive, shared her response to Beyoncé’s loss.

“I’m sad that she lost ‘Album of the Year,’ but she’s a super accomplished artist who’s been recognized for her work in other ways,” said Baha. “It is weird that she’s never won the award and even Bad Bunny not winning was surprising, but I also don’t think the Grammys are a good metric for success. Like Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dogg have never won a Grammy, but they’re both undeniably influential and talented artists.”

Despite losing the “Album of the Year” award, Beyonce broke records by becoming the artist with the most career wins in the Grammys, with a whopping 32 wins and 79 nominations. After winning the “Best Dance/Electronic Album” award for ‘RENAISSANCE’, one of three wins that night, Beyoncé surpassed Georg Solti, the Hungarian-born classical conductor who held the record before her.

Another groundbreaking win that broke history was Kim Petras taking home the award for “Best Pop Duo/Group Performance” with Sam Smith for their song “Unholy,” becoming the first trans woman to ever win a Grammy. 

Petras, in her acceptance speech, thanked both Sam Smith and the transgender artists who came before her, for paving the way and giving her the opportunity to earn the Grammy.

Though there were several other awards and moments that made the Grammys night memorable, some of the most notable ones include Samara Joy winning the “Best New Artist” award, Lizzo winning the “Record of the Year” award for “About Damn Time,” Questlove’s 15-minute medley tribute to 50 years of hip-hop and, last but not least, Viola Davis becoming the 18th person to ever win a Grammy, an Oscar, an Emmy and a Tony.