Grammy Awards 2023: A Recap of Music’s Biggest Night

Beyonc%C3%A9%2C+Harry+Styles%2C+Lizzo%2C+Bad+Bunny%2C+Adele%2C+and+Kendrick+Lamar+accepting+their+awards.

KEVIN WINTER/GETTY IMAGES; JOHNNY NUNEZ/GETTY IMAGES; FRAZER HARRISON/GETTY IMAGES; JC OLIVERA/WIREIMAGE

Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Adele, and Kendrick Lamar accepting their awards.

The 65th annual Grammy Awards took place on Saturday, February 5, as millions of viewers eagerly watched to see if their favorite musicians would take home an award. The eventful night included many big wins for big names such as Beyoncé, Lizzo, and Harry Styles, as well as stunning performances from other winners such as Sam Smith, Kim Petras, and Bad Bunny.

The award ceremony was opened by Puerto Rican singer Bad Bunny, who performed a mashup of two songs from his album, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” the most-streamed album of 2022 on Spotify. Later on, Lizzo delivered a powerful performance of her song, “Special,” from her album of the same name, before winning Record of the Year for the hit single “About Damn Time.” Brandi Carlisle and Steve Lacy also performed “Broken Horses” and “Bad Habit” respectively. Both of these songs were popular in 2022.

Kim Petras accepted the award for Best Pop Duo on behalf of herself and Sam Smith, making history as the first transgender woman to do so. She thanked the queer and trans artists who had paved the way for her to achieve this in her emotional acceptance speech, including the late SOPHIE, who was a major influence on Petras’s career. Petras and Smith then performed their Grammy-winning song “Unholy,” which became semi-controversial due to its imagery and themes.

British pop star Harry Styles received two awards: Best Pop Solo Performance and Album of the Year, the latter being the most coveted award. He also performed “As It Was” from his album, “Harry’s House,” though technical difficulties ended up affecting the performance. The song was the most streamed song on Spotify in 2022 and spent 15 weeks at number 1 on the U.S. Billboard chart, the longest any song by a single artist has spent at the top of the chart.

One of the most notable moments of the night occurred when Beyoncé won four new Grammys, breaking the record for the most Grammy wins by a single person with 32 in total. James Corden presented the Best Dance/Electronic Album award for her album, “Renaissance,” stating, “This is an honor. We are witnessing history tonight.” 

Corden’s words represent a sentiment shared by many. The Grammy Awards are a night to celebrate the power of music and the ways it shapes our society. The music of 2022 reflected the cultural events of the year, and based on the music that has already been released in 2023, next year’s awards are shaping up to be even better.