The 2023 Grammy Awards have come and gone and with it, many historic wins and powerful moments occurred. The show was hosted by Trevor Noah for the third consecutive year, fresh off of his departure from The Daily Show. After the past two years were held in April and March, respectively, the show returns to its usual winter runtime. Throughout the night, some major wins took place.
Harry Styles’s "Harry’s House" won album of the year and best pop vocal album. This marks three wins for the Redditch-born singer-songwriter, with his first earned for best pop solo performance of his song “Watermelon Sugar” during the 2021 Grammys.
While Styles might have taken the top prize, American singer Beyoncé had a lucrative night. She won four awards, including best dance/electric recording for “Break My Soul,” best dance/electronic music album for "Renaissance," best traditional R&B performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa'' and best R&B song for “Cuff It.” She now has the most Grammys of all time with a total of 32, beating out late conductor Georg Solti’s 31 wins.
In a moment that surprised many, 73-year-old blues singer Bonnie Raitt won for her song “Just Like That.” She also earned best American performance for “Made Up Mind” and best American roots song "Just Like That.” Singer Lizzo also took home record of the year for “About Damn Time.”
Rapper and songwriter Kendrick Lamar was also treated to a successful night, securing three awards, including best rap album for "Mr. Morale and The Big Steppers," as well as best rap song and performance for his single “The Heart Part 5.” These wins bring Lamar to 17 total Grammys, placing him just under the tied Kanye West and Jay-Z with 21 wins each.
The show began with Bad Bunny’s song “El Apagón” from his massive commercial and streaming hit album "Un Verano Sin Ti," which received the best música urbana award. This is the second consecutive time he has received the award. The Puerto Rican rapper and singer made history at this year’s show, with "Un Verano Sin Ti" becoming the first Latin album to compete for album of the year.
Kim Petras and Sam Smith won best pop duo/group performance for “Unholy,” making Petras the first transgender woman to receive a Grammy.
At 89 years old, Willie Nelson received three awards for best country album and best roots gospel album "A Beautiful Time" and best solo performance for “Live Forever.”
Viola Davis officially completed her EGOT on Sunday, securing her first Grammy win for best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording for the book "Finding Me."
"Encanto" won three awards, including best song written for visual media with the song “We Don’t Talk About Bruno,” an award accepted by songwriter and Hamilton creator Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Viewership for the Grammys, according to final same-day Nielsen ratings reported by The Hollywood Reporter, totaled roughly 12.55 million viewers, a 31% increase from 2022’s 9.59 million people. This year’s total, however, is still the third lowest reported since 2000, paling in comparison to 2012’s peak of 39 million viewers.
