{"id":1018529,"date":"2023-02-06T08:15:54","date_gmt":"2023-02-06T05:15:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1018529"},"modified":"2023-02-06T08:15:54","modified_gmt":"2023-02-06T05:15:54","slug":"the-12-best-and-worst-moments-of-the-2023-grammys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1018529","title":{"rendered":"The 12 Best and Worst Moments of the 2023 Grammys"},"content":{"rendered":"
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The 12 Best and Worst Moments of the 2023 Grammys<\/h1>\n
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From Beyonce\u0301\u2019s historic feat to Harry Styles\u2019 empty gestures to Bad Bunny\u2019s show-stopping audaciousness<\/div>\n
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By <\/span>Isabelia Herrera<\/span>, Jill Mapes<\/span>, Alphonse Pierre<\/span>, Gio Santiago<\/span>, and Sam Sodomsky<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

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Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, and Beyonce\u0301 at the 2023 Grammy Awards (Photos by Getty Images)<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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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.\u00a0Beyonc\u00e9 became the most Grammy-winning human to ever live, though she didn\u2019t get any of the night\u2019s 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.)<\/p>\n

As for the performances, sure, there were some snoozers (it\u2019s the Grammys), but almost everyone at least brought their A game to Music\u2019s Biggest Night. And when it comes to never-ending awards shows, that\u2019s really all you can ask for. Highlights included a hip-hop history lesson for the ages, and Bad Bunny\u2019s 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\u2019s show, and check out all of Pitchfork\u2019s Grammys coverage.<\/p>\n

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The Best<\/h2>\n
No one else has as many Grammys as Beyonce\u0301<\/div>\n
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\"Beyonc\"<\/span><\/div>\n
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Beyonc\u00e9<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by Francis Specker\/CBS via Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Was Beyonce\u0301 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\u00a0Renaissance<\/em>\u00a0taking the Best Dance\/Electronic Album trophy. Accepting her 32nd (!) Grammy, Bey held back tears and closed her eyes, speaking slowly, \u201ctrying not to be too emotional, trying to just receive this night.\u201d She thanked God, her Uncle Johnny, her immediate family, and the queer community \u201cfor inventing the genre.\u201d Beyonce\u0301\u2019s awards-show presence always reminds me of that\u00a0Seinfeld<\/em> quote: \u201cYou either have grace or you don\u2019t.\u201d When she does show up, she\u2019s exceptionally gracious, never lingering over nor downplaying her success. And with all these golden gramophones hanging around\u2014plus a few (fine, 24) belonging to her husband\u2014you kinda have to wonder: Where do you even put that many Grammys?! \u2013Jill Mapes\u00a0<\/p>\n

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The hip-hop tribute to end all hip-hop tributes<\/div>\n
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\"Queen<\/span><\/div>\n
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Queen Latifah<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Who better than the Grammys to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop? Oh, that\u2019s right, just about anyone. But hey, I\u2019d be lying if I said I didn\u2019t 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Highlights included: The stage clearing out for Rakim to lay down \u201cEric B. Is President.\u201d Scarface, fresh off multiple health scares, mustering the energy to do \u201cMy Mind Playing Tricks on Me.\u201d Ice-T\u2019s intensity. Queen Latifah\u2019s immoveable presence. JAY-Z rapping along to \u201cMethod Man\u201d from the crowd. Missy! Busta Rhymes hitting every syllable of his \u201cLook at Me Now\u201d verse. The Lox doing \u201cWe Gonna Make It\u201d (everything is better when you hear \u201cWe Gonna Make It\u201d). Glorilla firing up the crowd. Lil Baby\u2019s \u201cFreestyle\u201d being cemented as a modern rap classic. It was, suitably, a lot.<\/p>\n

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?!\u00a0Despite 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. \u2013Alphonse Pierre<\/p>\n

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Watching the celebrities in the crowd can be more exciting than watching them onstage<\/div>\n
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\"Lizzo<\/span><\/div>\n
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Lizzo and Adele<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by John Shearer\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Lizzo and Adele at the fun table. Shania Twain\u2019s 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 \u201cBad Habit.\u201d 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\u2019s Bennifer Is Bored subplot more than some of the performances. \u2013Jill Mapes<\/p>\n

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They should just let Bad Bunny open the show every year<\/div>\n
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\"Bad<\/span><\/div>\n
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Bad Bunny<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Benito Antonio Mart\u00ednez Ocasio is undeniably loveable and deliciously audacious: He kicked off Music\u2019s Biggest Night\u2122 in a simple white tee and pale blue jeans before accepting the award for Best M\u00fasica Urbana Album in a simple black tux and backwards baseball cap, dressed like a toddler at a quincea\u00f1era. During his bilingual acceptance speech, Benito came through in true form, dedicating the award to his island; he\u2019s never been shy about using his platform to celebrate his Puerto Rican roots\u2014and\u00a0educating the world about the neocolonial injustices ravaging his home.<\/p>\n

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\u2019s Black roots, followed him onstage, and his entourage also included a parade of cabezudos from the Boricua\u00a0collective Agua, Sol y Sereno. The human puppets with giant heads are mainstays of the\u00a0San Sebasti\u00e1n Street Festival, used to pay homage to Puerto Rican cultural figures (here, Bad Bunny honored Ismael Rivera, Roberto Clemente, Tego Calder\u00f3n, Julia de Burgos, and more). The medley included a performance of the anti-gentrification anthem \u201cEl Apag\u00f3n\u201d and the merengue heater \u201cDespu\u00e9s de la Playa,\u201d 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 \u201cDespu\u00e9s de la Playa\u201d but weren\u2019t credited despite the song\u2019s obvious Dominican influences, joined Bad Bunny onstage\u2014a major look for Dominican artists, who often get neglected despite their music\u2019s inarguable popularity across Latin America. The whole thing\u00a0almost<\/em> made up for the cringey\u00a0closed captions that appeared during Benito\u2019s performance, which simply read, \u201c[singing in non-English].\u201d \u2013Isabelia Herrera<\/p>\n

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Kim Petras used her historic moment to honor SOPHIE<\/div>\n
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\"Kim<\/span><\/div>\n
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Kim Petras and Sam Smith<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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, \u201cUnholy,\u201d delivering one of the night\u2019s most heartfelt speeches. \u201cI just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me, who kicked these doors open so I could be here tonight,\u201d she said, and went on to pay tribute to the late electronic pioneer\u00a0SOPHIE, who was also her close friend. It was only four years ago that SOPHIE was\u00a0carelessly misgendered on the Grammy red carpet after being nominated for Best Dance\/Electronic Album. Petras\u2019 speech, followed by a gleefully fiendish rendition of \u201cUnholy,\u201d felt like a full circle moment. \u2013Gio Santiago<\/p>\n

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A belated win for Wilco\u2019s masterpiece<\/div>\n

Upon its official release in 2002, Wilco\u2019s\u00a0Yankee Hotel Foxtrot<\/em> received precisely zero Grammy nominations, nevermind a trophy. But that wrong was set right last night, when the album\u2019s elegant, elaborate 20th anniversary\u00a0reissue won Best Historical Album.\u00a0YHF<\/em> still stands as the most important artistic breakthrough for one of the 21th century\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s essay for the reissue, last night\u2019s recognition marked another achievement in this album\u2019s storied history. \u2013Sam Sodomsky<\/p>\n

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Bonnie Raitt winning Song of the Year was a shocking twist we can get behind<\/div>\n
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\"Bonnie<\/span><\/div>\n
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Bonnie Raitt<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Few songs take you on a journey like \u201cJust Like That,\u201d the title track to Bonnie Raitt\u2019s 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\u2019s here to thank her: \u201cIt was your son\u2019s heart that saved me\/And a life you gave us both.\u201d Inspired by the empathetic storytelling of John Prine, it\u2019s a simple song that surges with genuine emotion, human connection, and the beauty of the unexpected. Fittingly, Raitt\u2019s 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. \u2013Sam Sodomsky<\/p>\n

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The Mid<\/h2>\n
Feeling ambivalent about the ambivalence of Steve Lacy\u00a0<\/div>\n
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\"Thundercat<\/span><\/div>\n
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Thundercat and Steve Lacy<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by Johnny Nunez\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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If you look closely, it\u2019s hard to feel a deeper sense of conviction from Steve Lacy. On the one hand, he\u2019s a clear talent: a gifted producer that\u2019s stylish, pretty, and full of TikTok-ready charm that makes Gen Z swoon. It\u2019s rare to see a song like his viral hit \u201cBad Habit,\u201d an earworm that revels in romantic ambiguity, reach the top of the charts. On the other hand, Lacy\u2019s performance of the song almost fell flat thanks to weak vocals and awkward dancing. It was still a crowd pleaser, though: Beyonce\u0301, Taylor, and Doja could all be seen mouthing along. And yes, it\u2019s 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. \u2013Gio Santiago<\/p>\n

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The Worst<\/h2>\n
Is that really the best you can do, Harry?<\/div>\n
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\"Harry<\/span><\/div>\n
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Harry Styles<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by Kevin Winter\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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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\u2019s 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\u00a0music<\/em>\u2014the thing that\u2019s ostensibly being rewarded on the Grammy stage\u2014fit into the mix?<\/p>\n

His exhausted performance of \u201cAs It Was\u201d won\u2019t be the thing that convinces the skeptics. For an artist who recently sold out 15 nights at Madison Square Garden, I\u2019ll 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\u2019s 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\u00a0the video, could help him transcend onstage. In a word, it was boring\u2014the very quality Harry Styles works so hard to convince you he\u2019s not.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think any of us sit in the studio making decisions based on what\u2019s gonna get us one of these,\u201d he said later on, holding up the award for Album of the Year. But let\u2019s say an artist\u00a0did<\/em>\u00a0make a record based on this criteria: It might sound a little like\u00a0Harry\u2019s House<\/em> (and\u2014conspiracy theory alert\u2014that\u2019s ignoring the fact that the daughter of a Grammys producer was\u00a0featured on \u201cAs It Was\u201d).\u00a0\u201cThis doesn\u2019t happen to people like me very often,\u201d he added, the\u00a0same message he\u2019s delivered to rapturous audiences at his live shows. But until his music lives up to his multi-dimensional persona, he remains\u00a0exactly<\/em>\u00a0the type of artist the Grammys like to celebrate\u2014to a fault. \u2013Sam Sodomsky<\/p>\n

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If Trevor Noah tells a joke, and no one laughs, is it even a joke?<\/div>\n
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\"Trevor<\/span><\/div>\n
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Trevor Noah<\/p>\n

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After watching Jerrod Carmichael pull no punches while hosting the Golden Globes last month, Trevor Noah\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s all I got.<\/p>\n

It seems clear that the Grammys didn\u2019t bring Trevor Noah back again because he\u2019s\u00a0that<\/em> funny, but because he\u2019s inoffensive and does what they tell him to do with a smile. Of course, that\u2019s 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\u2019s hands. Send Kate Berlant and John Early that email. Whatever it be, it\u2019s time for a shake up. \u2013Alphonse Pierre<\/p>\n

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Lamenting the amazing people in the room who should\u2019ve performed<\/div>\n
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\"SZA<\/span><\/div>\n
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SZA and Taylor Swift<\/p>\n

<\/span>Photo by John Shearer\/Getty Images for The Recording Academy<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Especially after Harry Styles\u2019 sleepy performance of \u201cAs It Was,\u201d it was hard to watch several A-list stars grace the Grammys stage\u2014but 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 M\u00fasica Urbana Album (with excellent Spanish pronunciation, might I add) to Bad Bunny himself, I couldn\u2019t help but wish she\u2019d graced us with a delicate rendition of \u201cBlind\u201d\u2014or even the forever-contentious rock bid \u201cF2F.\u201d Honestly any S.O.S.<\/em> track would have been a miracle. These frustrations were exacerbated by the fact that Trevor Noah\u00a0teased a surprise performance from a \u201cfan favorite female artist\u201d\u2014a rumor that never actually materialized. \u2013Isabelia Herrera<\/p>\n

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Just give Bj\u00f6rk a damn Grammy already<\/div>\n

It famously took soap icon Susan Lucci 19 nominations to win a Daytime Emmy for her deliciously bitchy tenure on\u00a0All My Children,<\/em> and it may take Bj\u00f6rk just as many to win a Grammy. She\u2019s now been up for 16 awards\u2014mostly in the Alternative Album and Music Video categories\u2014with no wins. Last night, British duo Wet Leg nabbed the Alternative Album trophy, for their\u00a0gnawingly catchy debut, over\u00a0Fossora<\/em>. But hey, it could be worse\u2014Bj\u00f6rk once lost the accolade to a one-hit-wonder (Gotye) and a bad, late-career\u00a0Beck album. Besides the fact that she obviously makes great music, Grammys producers should consider this: Bj\u00f6rk went to the Oscars approximately once, and we\u2019re\u00a0still<\/em> talking about the Swan Dress. Let this woman shine! \u2013Jill Mapes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n

Source URL: https:\/\/pitchfork.com\/thepitch\/the-12-best-and-worst-moments-of-the-2023-grammys\/<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Columns The 12 Best and Worst Moments of the 2023 Grammys From Beyonce\u0301\u2019s historic feat to Harry Styles\u2019 empty gestures to Bad Bunny\u2019s show-stopping audaciousness By Isabelia Herrera, Jill Mapes, Alphonse Pierre, Gio Santiago, and Sam Sodomsky February 6, 2023 Bad Bunny, Harry Styles, and Beyonce\u0301 at the 2023 Grammy Awards (Photos by Getty Images) […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1018530,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[54],"class_list":["post-1018529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics","tag-pitchfork-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018529","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1018529"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1018529\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1018530"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1018529"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1018529"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1018529"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}