This 66e edition of the Grammy awards could be summed up in one sentence: Céline Dion (no other!) appeared late Sunday evening on the stage of the Crypto Arena in Los Angeles to present Taylor Swift (no other!) with the prestigious Grammy award. Album of the year for Midnights, its 14e album. The current pop darling thus becomes the most awarded artist in the history of this category, ahead of Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon. But that would only be a summary, which would obliterate the remarkable awards given to Quebecers Allison Russell and Yannick Nézet-Séguin, as well as the merits of SZA, boygenius and Killer Mike.
Favored by her nine nominations, R&B musician SZA ended the evening with three trophies, for Best R&B Song (Snooze), Best Pop Duo Performance (Ghost in the Machinewith Phoebe Bridgers) and Best Progressive R&B Album (for SOS). However, it is the object of all the media attention (and conspiracy theories, during this period of American elections), the singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, who shone the best during this ceremony, winning the prizes for Best pop vocal album of the year and the prestigious Best Album of the Year for Midnights. The star took advantage of her showcase to announce the release of her 11e solo album, The Tortured Poets Department.
Quebecer Allison Russell won the first Grammy of her career, for Best Performance in the American Roots Music category (American roots) for recording Eve Was Blacksong from the album The Returner, released last September and cited in the category of Best Americana Album. Its title song was also cited in the Best American Roots Song category, in addition to being nominated in the Best Americana Performance category.
Allison Russell then took part in the most touching performance of the evening, alongside Joni Mitchell. The icon won his 10e Grammy award, that of Folk Album of the Year, for this miraculous concert recording, Joni Mitchell at Newport ; for the first time at a televised Grammy gala, she performed her classic Both Sides Now (1969), sitting on an armchair, beating time with the cane she held in her hand. The octogenarian had the right voice and the perfect orchestra, offering the best musical number of this rather dull evening in terms of spectacle, which had nevertheless started on a spectacular note with a grandiose Dua Lipa surrounded by her dancers.
Our maestro shone again; Champion is the first opera composed by Louisiana jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard on the story of American boxer Emile Griffith, presented by the Metropolitan Opera in April 2023. This is the second Grammy in this category that Yannick Nézet-Séguin has won for a work signed Blanchard: last year, it was his direction of the orchestra in Fire Shut Up in My Bones which was awarded by the Recording Academy.
At the lectern, Nézet-Séguin thanked the African-American composer “as well as all the voices of our time, these great musicians whom we will continue to honor so that they can occupy the place they deserve on our great stages », in addition to dedicating this prize to her husband. Nézet-Séguin, who campaigns for greater recognition of the talent of African-American composers, was also named as conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra in the category of best orchestral performance for the recording of the Symphony No. 4 of the composer Florence Price (1887-1953) and the Negro Folk Symphony by William L. Dawson (1899-1990). The master will reprise Price’s work at the Maison symphonique on April 19, with the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Bouquet of statuettes
Nearly 80 prizes were awarded during this first ceremony which, in some respects, already gave a glimpse of what awaited viewers during the gala, broadcast on CBS (CityTV in Canada) from 8 p.m. Thus, the favorite SZA (nine nominations) won the very first Grammy of the day, that of Best Duo Performance, with Phoebe Bridgers of the group boygenius, for Ghost in the Machine.
The super-trio boygenius, made up of three singer-songwriters already celebrated as solo artists — Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker — arrived in Los Angeles with six nominations (and a seventh for Bridgers). At the end of the afternoon ceremony, they won three: Best rock performance, Best rock song (for Not Strong Enough) and Best Alternative Music Album, for The Record.
Rapper Killer Mike and country musician Chris Stapleton took over the categories in their respective musical genres. A hat-trick for the MC, who won the Grammy for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for Scientists & Engineersand Best Rap Album for Michael. Thanks to the song White HorseStapleton won the awards for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song.
Among the other notable awards, let us highlight the first Grammy of the Mexican troublemaker Peso Pluma (Best musica mexicana album for Genesis) and the pop-rock group Paramore, twice nominated, twice celebrated, for Best Rock Album and Best Performance in Alternative Music (This Is Why). Three new categories entered the ceremony this year; ecstatic, young South African singer Tyla won the first ever Grammy for Best African Music Performance (Water).
In the category of Best Alternative Jazz Album, tribute to Meshell Ndegeocello (The Omnichord Real Book) and to Australian star Kylie Minogue, who won the first Grammy for Best Pop Dance Recording (Padam Padam). To everyone’s surprise, Miley Cyrus did well during the televised gala by winning two prizes that others would have deserved (including pop star Olivia Rodrigo, big loser of the exercise), those of the ‘Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance for the song flowers.
Finally, by picking up his Grammy for Best Reggae Album of the Year (Colors of Royal by Julian Marley and Antaeus) during the first ceremony, one of the members of the laureates’ orchestra took the opportunity to salute the memory of the legendary bassist and producer Aston “Family Man” Barrett, invaluable accompanist of Bob Marley and the Wailers , died two days ago at the age of 77.