Grammy Awards: Taylor Swift wins Album of the Year
Feb. 4 (UPI) -- The 66th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles saw Taylor Swift winning Album of the Year for Midnights.
The ceremony, hosted by Trevor Noah, ended with Swift accepting the Best Pop Vocal Album award, after earlier accepting the award for Best Pop Vocal Album and announcing her next album.
Earlier, Billy Joel took the stage to perform "Turn the Lights Back On," his first new song in 17 years, and received a standing ovation from the crowd. He closed the show with an encore performance of "You May Be Right."
Meryl Streep and son-in-law Mark Ronson presented the Record of the Year award to Miley Cyrus for "Flowers." She performed the song earlier in the evening and also earned the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for the same song.
Burna Boy became the first Afrobeats performer to ever take the Grammy Awards stage during Sunday's ceremony on CBS and Paramount+, performing "Sittin' On Top Of The World" alongside Brandi and 21 Savage.
The performance was followed by Samara Joy, the 2023 winner of the Grammy of Best New Artist, presenting this year's award to Victoria Monét.
Monét earlier collected awards for Best R&B Album for Jaguar II and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical, alongside John Kercy, Kyle Mann, Patrizio "Teezio" Pigliapoco, Neal H, Pogue, Todd Robinson and Colin Leonard.
Earlier, Joni Mitchell earned a standing ovation for her performance of her 1966 song "Both Sides Now." She earlier collected the Best Folk Album award for Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live).
What a medley of beautiful voices and music on the #GRAMMYs stage with @JoniMitchell! @BrandiCarlile, @outsidechild13, SistaStrings, @ilovelucius, @JacobCollier and @_BlakeMills joined the "Both Sides Now" performance tonight and we cannot stop thinking about it. pic.twitter.com/UolzaGeZTc— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 5, 2024
She was followed by Travis Scott with a performance of "FE!N" with Playboi Carti.
Earlier, Lionel Richie presented the award for Song of the Year to Billie Eilish for "What Was I Made For" from the film Barbie during Sunday's ceremony on CBS and Paramount+. The song also earned Eilish the Grammy for Best Song Written For Visual Media.
The Dr. Dre Global Impact Award was presented to Jay Z.
Stevie Wonder paid tribute to his longtime friend Tony Bennett by singing a duet of "For Once In My Life" alongside a recording of the singer.
Wonder then performed "The Best is Yet to Come" to kick off the In Memorium segment, and Annie Lennox took took over with a performance of Sinéad O'Connor's "Nothing Compares 2 U."
Nothing Compares 2 U and your legacy, #SineadOConnor.⁰⁰#AnnieLennox sang her heart out in a tribute to the GRAMMY winner, and the legends we've lost. pic.twitter.com/s3MhNA6cbL— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) February 5, 2024
The memorials continued with Jon Batiste and Anna Nesby performing a medley including Bill Withers songs "Ain't No Sunshine" and "Lean on Me," closing with Sounds of Blackness' "Optimistic."
Oprah Winfrey then announced Fantasia Barrino, paying tribute to Tina Turner with a performance of "Proud Mary."
U2 performed live from the Las Vegas Globe and presented the award for Best Pop Vocal Album to Taylor Swift for Midnights during Sunday night's ceremony on CBS and Paramount+.
Swift announced during her acceptance speech that her next album, The Tortured Poet's Department, will release April 19.
She posted a preview of the album cover to Instagram.
Multiple-nominee Olivia Rodrigo performed "Vampire" and Lizzo presented the award for Best R&B Song to SZA for "Snooze."
SZA earlier collected awards for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance alongside Phoebe Bridgers for "Ghost in the Machine" and Best Progressive R&B Album for SOS.
The show opened Sunday on CBS and Paramount+ with Dua Lipa performing her single "Training Season."
Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs then performed "Fast Car." The song, originally written and recorded by Chapman, earned Combs a nomination this year for Best Country Solo Performance.
Christina Aguilera and Maluma presented the Grammy for Best Musica Urbana Album to Karol G for Mañana Será Bonito.
SZA then took the stage to perform "Snooze" and "Kill Bill," followed by Billie Eilish performing What Was I Made For.
Several awards were announced prior to the broadcast on CBS, starting with Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, which went to SZA for "Ghost in the Machine" featuring Phoebe Bridgers.
The award for Best Pop Dance Recording went to Kylie Minogue for "Padam Padam," Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) went to Peso Pluma for GÉNESIS and the Best Pop Solo Performance Grammy went to Rubén Blades for "Siembra: 45o Aniversario (En Vivo en el Coliseo de Puerto Rico, 14 de Mayo 2022)."
Barbie The Album scored a win in the Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media category, Ludwig Goransson earned the Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television) for Oppenheimer and the award for Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media went to Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab for Star Wars: Jedi Survivor.
The Beatles won Best Music Video for "I'm Only Sleeping" and the award for Best Music Film went to the David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream.
The award for Best Remixed Recording went to "Wagging Tongue (Wet Leg Remix)" by Wet Leg.
The Best Immersive Audio Album award went to The Diary Of Alicia Keys, by Alicia Keys, George Massenburg, Eric Schilling, Michael Romanowski and Ann Mincieli.
The award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording went to "Rumble" by Flowdan, Fred Again and Skrillex; while Best Dance/Electronic Music Album went to Fred Again for Actual Life 3.
Best Country Solo Performance went to Chris Stapleton for "White Horse," which also earned him the award for Best Country Song.
Allison Russell collected the Best American Roots Performance award for "Eve Was Black," and Brandy Clark won the Best Americana Performance Grammy for "Dear Insecurity," featuring Brandi Carlile.
Best American Roots Song went to Jason Isbell for "Cast Iron Skillet," and Isbell also won Best Americana Album for Weathervanes alongside the 400 Unit.
Bobby Rush won Best Traditional Blues album for All My Love For You and Larkin Poe won Best Contemporary Blues Album for Blood Harmony.
The Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance went to Lecrae and Tasha Cobbs for "Your Power and Best Gospel Album went to All Things New: Live In Orlando by Tye Tribbett.
The Best Contemporary Christian Music Album award went to Lecrae for Church Clothes 4, and Best Roots Gospel Album went to the Blind Boys of Alabama for Echoes of the South.
The award for Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, went to Theron Thomas and the award for Best Gospel Performance/Song went to Kirk Frankin for "All Things."
Best Traditional R&B Performance went to PJ Morton featuring Susan Carol for "Good Morning.
Killer Mike won the Best Rap Performance Grammy for "Scientists & Engineers," a song featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane. Killer Mike also won Best Rap Album for Michael.
Lil Durk and J. Cole won Best Melodic Rap Performance for "All My Life."
Best Spoken Word Poetry Album went to J. Ivy for The Light Inside, and Best Global Music Performance went to "Pashto" by Béla Fleck, Edgar Meyer and Zakir Hussain, featuring Rakesh Chaurasia.
Tyla won the Best African Music Performance award for "Water" and Shakti won Best Global Music Album for This Moment.
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album went to Laufey for Bewitched, and Best Musical Theater Album went to Some Like it Hot.
Supergroup trio boygenius -- Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus -- scored a Best Rock Performance award for "Not Strong Enough" and the group also won Alternative Music Album for The Record.
Best Alternative Music Performance went to Yeah Yeah Yeahs for "This Is Why" featuring Paramore, and the album of the same name was dubbed Best Rock Album.
Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package went to Jeri Heiden & John Heiden for For The Birds: The Birdsong Project.
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album went to Basie Swings The Blues by the Count Basie Orchestra and Best Latin Jazz Album went to El Arte Del Bolero Vol. 2 by Miguel Zenon and Luis Perdomo.
Best Alternative Jazz Album went to The Omnichord Real Book by Meshell Ndegeocello, and Jack Antonoff was dubbed Producer of the Year, Non-Classical.