Taylor Swift made history at the Grammy Awards on Sunday by winning the album of the year award for the fourth time, the crowning glory of an evening largely dominated by women, where she also announced the release of a new opus.
Honored for her work “Midnights”, the 34-year-old singer received her prize from Céline Dion. She thus enters the pantheon of the ceremony as the artist most awarded 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,” she reacted. “Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to do what I love so much! I’m blown away!”
Also awarded the prize for best pop album, Taylor Swift took advantage of the evening to carry out a big marketing coup by announcing the release of a new opus on April 19, entitled “The Tortured Poets Department”.
The Grammy Awards confirm her status as queen of pop, after her election as Person of the Year 2023 by Time magazine.
His “Eras Tour” was a phenomenal success. She generated more than a billion dollars in revenue in 60 dates last year, an amount never seen before in music history.
In the other major categories, Miley Cyrus won the gramophone for recording of the year for her hit “Flowers”, of which she delivered a wild version on stage. “This award is extraordinary but I really hope that it will not change anything because my life was beautiful yesterday,” reacted the 31-year-old singer upon receiving this award which salutes the overall quality of a title.
Her competitor Billie Eilish won the song of the year award for her melancholic ballad “What Was I Made For?”, the flagship track from the soundtrack of the film “Barbie”. “It’s crazy,” reacted the 22-year-old star, accepting with his brother Finneas O’Connell this prize which rewards songwriters. “Thanks to Greta Gerwig for making the best film of the year.”
With among others Dua Lipa and Nicki Minaj on its soundtrack, “Barbie” was one of the distinguished guests of the evening and its music won two other trophies.
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Leaving empty-handed, jazzman Jon Batiste was the only man racing in the major categories. A remarkable development for a ceremony that has long been criticized for its lack of diversity.
“Can we savor for a second the fact that women have dominated music this year?” said South African comedian Trevor Noah as he kicked off the evening.
That didn’t stop Jay-Z from causing a little discomfort. Rewarded with an award for his entire body of work, the rapper reignited the controversy surrounding his wife Beyoncé, whom the Grammy Awards have always ignored for the queen award for best album. A paradox, because “Queen B” is the most awarded artist in the history of the ceremony, with 32 gramophones. “Think about it, more Grammys, no album of the year, something is wrong,” he said, with his wife at his side.
The evening started strong with a 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.
Among the other performances of the evening, Joni Mitchell made an impression by performing her hit “Both Sides, Now”. At 80 years old, this figure of the Woodstock generation performed for the first time on the Grammys stage 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, a few moments after being rewarded with three gramophones, including best rap album for his opus “Michael”. Asked by AFP about the reason for this arrest, the Los Angeles police did not immediately respond.
