Topline
As the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony aired Sunday, during which music fans watched for a showdown between mega performers like Adele, Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar for the night’s top honors.
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Beyoncé accepts the Best R&B Performance award for ‘Black Parade’ onstage during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Key Facts
The ceremony, which aired at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, will be hosted by Trevor Noah for the third year in a row.
Actress Viola Davis won a Grammy for the recording of the audiobook for her memoir, “Finding Me,” making her the third Black woman in history and the 18th ever to earn an EGOT—An Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.
All eyes were on Beyoncé: She has won 41 Grammys, is nominated for nine, and needed three more to tie, or four more to earn the record for most overall wins in Grammys history (she is tied with her husband Jay-Z for the most nominations, with 88).
So far, has Beyoncé won three awards: Best Traditional R&B Performance (”Plastic Off The Sofa”), Best Dance/Electronic Recording (“Break My Soul”) and Best R&B song (“Cuff It”).
What To Watch For
Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and Quavo will perform during the “in memoriam” segment. Watch for a performance dedicated to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, when the likes of Missy Elliot, Future, Lil Wayne, Run-D.M.C., Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Queen Latifa and other legends will share the stage. Other performers include Bad Bunny, Lizzo and Harry Styles.
Nominees
Find the full list of nominees for the 91 awards here.
Record Of The Year: “Don’t Shut Me Down,” ABBA; “Easy On Me,” Adele; “Break My Soul,” Beyoncé; “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige; “You And Me On The Rock,” Brandi Carlile; “Woman,” Doja Cat; “Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy; “The Heart Part 5,” Kendrick Lamar; “About Damn Time,” Lizzo; “As It Was,” Harry Styles
Album Of The Year: Voyage, ABBA; 30, Adele; Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny; Renaissance, Beyoncé; Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe), Mary J, Blige; In These Silent Days, Brandi Carlile; Music Of The Spheres, Coldplay; Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar; Special, Lizzo; Harry’s House, Harry Styles
Song Of The Year: “abcdefu,” Gayle; “About Damn Time,” Lizzo;“All Too Well (10 Min. Version) (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift; “As It Was,” Harry Styles; “Break My Soul,” Beyoncé; “Easy On Me,” Adele; “God Did,” DJ Khaled; “The Heart Part 5,” Kendrick Lamar; “Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt
Best New Artist: Anitta, Omar Apollo, Måneskin, DOMi & JD Beck, Latto, Muni Long, Wet Leg, Molly Tuttle, Tobe Nwigwe, Samara Joy
Best Pop Solo Performance: “Easy On Me,” Adele; “Moscow Mule,” Bad Bunny, “Woman,” Doja Cat; “Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy; “About Damn Time,” Lizzo; “As It Was,” Harry Styles
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Don’t Shut Me Down,” ABBA; “Bam Bam,” Camila Cabello feat. Ed Sheeran; “My Universe,” Coldplay feat. BTS; “I Like You (A Happier Song),” Post Malone and Doja Cat; “Unholy,” Sam Smith feat. Kim Petras
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Higher, Michael Bublé (WINNER); When Christmas Comes Around…, Kelly Clarkson; I Dream of Christmas (Extended), Norah Jones; Evergreen, Pentatonix; Thank You, Diana Ross
Best Pop Vocal Album: Voyage, ABBA; 30, Adele; Music Of The Spheres, Coldplay; Special, Lizzo; Harry’s House, Harry Styles (WINNER)
Key Background
This year’s Album Of The Year contest mirrored 2017’s, when Beyonce’s Lemonade was up against Adele’s 25. Adele won, and said during her acceptance speech that, “I can’t possibly accept this award, and I’m very humbled, and I’m very grateful and gracious, but the artist of my life is Beyoncé.” Lemonade, “was just so monumental… and so well thought out, and so beautiful and soul-bearing, and we all got to see another side to you that you don’t always let us see… I love you, I always have, and I always will,” Adele said. To be eligible for the awards, music had to be released between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. Still, some of the biggest songs from that time period are noticeably missing from the nominations, including work from Silk Sonic, Drake and The Weeknd, who opted not to submit for consideration.
Further Reading
Beyoncé Dominates 2023 Grammy Nominations—Will Face Off With Adele Again (Forbes)
Adele Vs. Beyoncé: Here Are The Oddsmakers’s Picks For Top Grammy Awards (Forbes)
Silk Sonic Drops Out Of Grammys Consideration—Avoids Faceoff With Beyoncé And Adele (Forbes)