The 2023 Grammy Awards went out of their way to make sure everyone went home happy. No single star took home a raft of trophies. Beyoncé became the most Grammy-winning human to ever live, though she didn’t get any of the night’s most coveted prizes. Grammy magnet Adele won just one award this time. Kendrick added a few to his collection, as did Harry Styles, but the accolades were decidedly spread out. There were a couple of shockers along the way, including Bonnie Raitt beating out all the aforementioned superstars for Song of the Year, and jazz singer Samara Joy coming out on top for Best New Artist. (The full list of winners is here.)
As for the performances, sure, there were some snoozers (it’s the Grammys), but almost everyone at least brought their A game to Music’s Biggest Night. And when it comes to never-ending awards shows, that’s really all you can ask for. Highlights included a hip-hop history lesson for the ages, and Bad Bunny’s loving ode to the Caribbean; lowlights included a lethargic dud from Harry Styles. Read on for more about the best and worst of this year’s show, and check out all of Pitchfork’s Grammys coverage.
The Best
Was Beyoncé actually stuck in traffic, as host Trevor Noah said when she was a no-show for her first televised win of the night, or was she just trying to make a grand entrance upon becoming the most decorated Grammy winner in history? The superstar was nowhere to be found until right before James Corden announced her record-breaking win, set off by Renaissance taking the Best Dance/Electronic Album trophy. Accepting her 32nd (!) Grammy, Bey held back tears and closed her eyes, speaking slowly, “trying not to be too emotional, trying to just receive this night.” She thanked God, her Uncle Johnny, her immediate family, and the queer community “for inventing the genre.” Beyoncé’s awards-show presence always reminds me of that Seinfeld quote: “You either have grace or you don’t.” When she does show up, she’s exceptionally gracious, never lingering over nor downplaying her success. And with all these golden gramophones hanging around—plus a few (fine, 24) belonging to her husband—you kinda have to wonder: Where do you even put that many Grammys?! –Jill Mapes
Who better than the Grammys to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop? Oh, that’s right, just about anyone. But hey, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the hell out of this monumental medley. It may have been a bit disorienting watching them attempt to tell the entire history of rap music through 15-second snippets, but every needle drop was a thrill anyway.
Highlights included: The stage clearing out for Rakim to lay down “Eric B. Is President.” Scarface, fresh off multiple health scares, mustering the energy to do “My Mind Playing Tricks on Me.” Ice-T’s intensity. Queen Latifah’s immoveable presence. JAY-Z rapping along to “Method Man” from the crowd. Missy! Busta Rhymes hitting every syllable of his “Look at Me Now” verse. The Lox doing “We Gonna Make It” (everything is better when you hear “We Gonna Make It”). Glorilla firing up the crowd. Lil Baby’s “Freestyle” being cemented as a modern rap classic. It was, suitably, a lot.
There was some weird shit, too. Big Boi without 3 Stacks?! Ending it all on the Lil Uzi Vert club rap song?! (If they wanted a good club rap song they should have hit up Bandmanrill.) And also too many exclusions to list. No Dipset?! Or Cash Money?! Despite these inevitable quibbles, it really was refreshing to see our rap legends celebrated, even if it had to be by the institution that never celebrated them enough. –Alphonse Pierre
Lizzo and Adele at the fun table. Shania Twain’s red wig. Taylor Swift dancing when no one else is dancing (but everyone is watching). Nile Rodgers getting dapped up by Kendrick Lamar. Ben Affleck really earning his Monday morning Dunkin. Famous people mouthing the words to “Bad Habit.” An extremely confused Bonnie Raitt; an extremely wavy Doja Cat. Sometimes the most enjoyable parts of awards shows come from the B-roll cameras, sifting through banal celeb interactions to find tiny moments of joy and juice. I will remember last night’s Bennifer Is Bored subplot more than some of the performances. –Jill Mapes
Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio is undeniably loveable and deliciously audacious: He kicked off Music’s Biggest Night™ in a simple white tee and pale blue jeans before accepting the award for Best Música Urbana Album in a simple black tux and backwards baseball cap, dressed like a toddler at a quinceañera. During his bilingual acceptance speech, Benito came through in true form, dedicating the award to his island; he’s never been shy about using his platform to celebrate his Puerto Rican roots—and educating the world about the neocolonial injustices ravaging his home.
The same joyful spirit permeated his show-stopping opening medley, an effusive ode to the Caribbean. A troupe of bomba and plena dancers, two traditional art forms grounded in Puerto Rico’s Black roots, followed him onstage, and his entourage also included a parade of cabezudos from the Boricua collective Agua, Sol y Sereno. The human puppets with giant heads are mainstays of the San Sebastián Street Festival, used to pay homage to Puerto Rican cultural figures (here, Bad Bunny honored Ismael Rivera, Roberto Clemente, Tego Calderón, Julia de Burgos, and more). The medley included a performance of the anti-gentrification anthem “El Apagón” and the merengue heater “Después de la Playa,” which lifted both Taylor Swift and Jack Harlow from their seats, where they displayed their unfortunate (but unsurprising) lack of rhythm. Best of all, Dominican band Dahian el Apechao, who appeared on “Después de la Playa” but weren’t credited despite the song’s obvious Dominican influences, joined Bad Bunny onstage—a major look for Dominican artists, who often get neglected despite their music’s inarguable popularity across Latin America. The whole thing almost made up for the cringey closed captions that appeared during Benito’s performance, which simply read, “[singing in non-English].” –Isabelia Herrera
The German pop singer Kim Petras made history last night as the first transgender woman to win in the Best Pop Duo Performance category, for her collaboration with Sam Smith, “Unholy,” delivering one of the night’s most heartfelt speeches. “I just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me, who kicked these doors open so I could be here tonight,” she said, and went on to pay tribute to the late electronic pioneer SOPHIE, who was also her close friend. It was only four years ago that SOPHIE was carelessly misgendered on the Grammy red carpet after being nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Petras’ speech, followed by a gleefully fiendish rendition of “Unholy,” felt like a full circle moment. –Gio Santiago
Upon its official release in 2002, Wilco’s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot received precisely zero Grammy nominations, nevermind a trophy. But that wrong was set right last night, when the album’s elegant, elaborate 20th anniversary reissue won Best Historical Album. YHF still stands as the most important artistic breakthrough for one of the 21th century’s most influential rock bands, a record that captured the mood of its troubled moment in American history as well as a changing music industry at the turn of the century. Two decades later, it’s clear that Wilco anticipated how the tides would eventually turn toward the type of community and artistic independence they were seeking. Along with a Best Liner Notes win for music writer Bob Mehr’s essay for the reissue, last night’s recognition marked another achievement in this album’s storied history. –Sam Sodomsky
Few songs take you on a journey like “Just Like That,” the title track to Bonnie Raitt’s 18th studio album. Writing in the first person, the 73-year-old songwriter describes a stranger approaching her house. Having lost a son, the narrator is reluctant to trust other people, but something about the man seems warm, even familiar, so she lets him in. In the final verse, Raitt delivers the kicker, as the stranger reveals he’s here to thank her: “It was your son’s heart that saved me/And a life you gave us both.” Inspired by the empathetic storytelling of John Prine, it’s a simple song that surges with genuine emotion, human connection, and the beauty of the unexpected. Fittingly, Raitt’s win for Song of the Year embraced those same qualities as she thanked the audience with visible surprise and a hard-won sense of gratitude. –Sam Sodomsky
The Mid
If you look closely, it’s hard to feel a deeper sense of conviction from Steve Lacy. On the one hand, he’s a clear talent: a gifted producer that’s stylish, pretty, and full of TikTok-ready charm that makes Gen Z swoon. It’s rare to see a song like his viral hit “Bad Habit,” an earworm that revels in romantic ambiguity, reach the top of the charts. On the other hand, Lacy’s performance of the song almost fell flat thanks to weak vocals and awkward dancing. It was still a crowd pleaser, though: Beyoncé, Taylor, and Doja could all be seen mouthing along. And yes, it’s exciting to have some youthful energy at the Grammys; Lacy also picked up his first-ever award last night, for Best Progressive R&B Album. But his off-kilter performance felt reflective of his unexpected rise, both refreshing and not quite ready for primetime. –Gio Santiago
The Worst
Harry Styles has always excelled at distracting people from his music. He has an eye-catching sense of style; a cross-platform reach that assures he’s always just one photoshoot, acting role, or tabloid story away from the zeitgeist; and a love of classic rock that allows his name to sit alongside some lofty heroes just by association. There are a million reasons to feel wrapped up in his fame, his ambition, his charm. But where does his music—the thing that’s ostensibly being rewarded on the Grammy stage—fit into the mix?
His exhausted performance of “As It Was” won’t be the thing that convinces the skeptics. For an artist who recently sold out 15 nights at Madison Square Garden, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe his voice was shot from a year of hard touring. Maybe he felt some nerves singing in front of Taylor Swift. But one thing is for sure: Neither the performance’s Gap-commercial choreography nor his silvery mop of an outfit, neither the auxiliary bells dumped into the arrangement nor the spinning stage airlifted right from the video, could help him transcend onstage. In a word, it was boring—the very quality Harry Styles works so hard to convince you he’s not.
“I don’t think any of us sit in the studio making decisions based on what’s gonna get us one of these,” he said later on, holding up the award for Album of the Year. But let’s say an artist did make a record based on this criteria: It might sound a little like Harry’s House (and—conspiracy theory alert—that’s ignoring the fact that the daughter of a Grammys producer was featured on “As It Was”). “This doesn’t happen to people like me very often,” he added, the same message he’s delivered to rapturous audiences at his live shows. But until his music lives up to his multi-dimensional persona, he remains exactly the type of artist the Grammys like to celebrate—to a fault. –Sam Sodomsky
After watching Jerrod Carmichael pull no punches while hosting the Golden Globes last month, Trevor Noah’s Paramount-executive-approved jabs were a downgrade, to say the least. For the third year in a row, he struggled to land a truly memorable joke. Let’s see what I can try to recall: Something about the Chinese spy balloon. A bit about Harry Styles being hot. Setting up a weird hug between Adele and the Rock. That’s all I got.
It seems clear that the Grammys didn’t bring Trevor Noah back again because he’s that funny, but because he’s inoffensive and does what they tell him to do with a smile. Of course, that’s the most boring version of an awards show host; occasionally they need to go off script and make the room of celebs and record execs squirm in their seats. There are other options. Get a mic in Quinta Brunson’s hands. Send Kate Berlant and John Early that email. Whatever it be, it’s time for a shake up. –Alphonse Pierre
Especially after Harry Styles’ sleepy performance of “As It Was,” it was hard to watch several A-list stars grace the Grammys stage—but only as presenters. Cardi B made a short cameo to give out Best Rap Album in a stunning mirrored fringe dress, radiating charisma as always, and yet the ceremony could have better used her presence to debut a track from her long-awaited new album. And even though I was thrilled to see SZA present the award for Best Música Urbana Album (with excellent Spanish pronunciation, might I add) to Bad Bunny himself, I couldn’t help but wish she’d graced us with a delicate rendition of “Blind”—or even the forever-contentious rock bid “F2F.” Honestly any S.O.S. track would have been a miracle. These frustrations were exacerbated by the fact that Trevor Noah teased a surprise performance from a “fan favorite female artist”—a rumor that never actually materialized. –Isabelia Herrera
It famously took soap icon Susan Lucci 19 nominations to win a Daytime Emmy for her deliciously bitchy tenure on All My Children, and it may take Björk just as many to win a Grammy. She’s now been up for 16 awards—mostly in the Alternative Album and Music Video categories—with no wins. Last night, British duo Wet Leg nabbed the Alternative Album trophy, for their gnawingly catchy debut, over Fossora. But hey, it could be worse—Björk once lost the accolade to a one-hit-wonder (Gotye) and a bad, late-career Beck album. Besides the fact that she obviously makes great music, Grammys producers should consider this: Björk went to the Oscars approximately once, and we’re still talking about the Swan Dress. Let this woman shine! –Jill Mapes
