2023 GRAMMYs RECAP: BEYONCÉ REIGNS WHILE THEY SNUBBED BJORK -AGAIN-

 The 65th Grammy ceremony took place yesterday (Staples Center, L.A.). The Awards started been given before the 'big' ceremony, the one were the stars go, seat and perform and where the 'main' categories are given (The Big Four and the pop ones). This lead , as it happens every year in the Latin Grammys, to giving the awards while the celebrities are on their way to the Grammys or, like it has happened to Bebe Rexha, while they are arriving to the red carpet. In consequence, most of the Grammys that Beyoncé took home yesterday were given in this other ceremony (Best R&B Song for 'Cuff It', Best Traditional R&B Performance for 'Plastic Off The Sofa' and Best Dance Recording for Break My Soul). Even  the singer posted a photo with the awards before the main ceremony had place. That's why they should unify most awards in one ceremony, at least, some of the genres categories (like EDM, hip-hop, rock, latin or country), because these genres MATTER. 

Starting with the list of winners, let's talk about the alternative category, which was swept by Wet Leg (Best Alt. Music Performance and Album). I won't say the problem is to make Wet Leg winners, but to ignore, once more, the work of Bjork, one of the most significant and defining figures of alt music and our contemporary music. Another big snub is Artic Monkeys, that seem to not please the Academy, doesn't matter if they make Arena-rock bangers or they change into their smoother and latest version. 

Talking about the country categories, The Academy has finally got real contry music and has progressed into what has been highlighting of the year, after years of nominating the same boring list of artists. Carly Pearce and  Ashley McBride got the Grammy for Best Country Duo/ Group Performance for 'Never Wanted To Be That Girl', while Willie Nelson won Best Country Solo Performance. Best Country Song was awarded to CodY Johnson's 'Til You Can't' writers. 

In the rock category, Brandi Carlile took home (as always) an award and, in the latin one, Rosalía won the -deserved- Grammy for the indescribable 'Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album', after being snubbed from the AOTY category. Meanwhile, Bad Bunny -who was attending the awards- took home the Grammy for Best Música Urbana Album. 

In R&B, apart from the Beyoncé win (who made history by being the most-Grammy-awarded artist), Steve Lacy won his first award, and in the hip-hop categories, Kendrick Lamar got the Grammy for Best Rap Album that he's gotten with his last three projects and Future (With Drake and Tems) got the prize for Best Rap- Sung Performance.

The Best New Artist Award went to Samara Joy and the one for Best Music Video, to Taylor Swift for All Too Well

Getting to the Pop categories, Harry Styles won the deserved award for Best Pop Album because , in the end, that's what it is, a well-done pop record, while Adele received her only award of the night, for Best Pop Solo Performance for Easy On Me. Sam Smith and Kim Petras took home the award for Best Pop Duo or Group Performance, making history for being the first time that two non-binary people win a Grammy and the first a trans person wins this award. Kim Petras thanked Sophie in the speech and it was a very remarkable moment of the night. Even so, I must say that the pop concept is very diluted with this win and has been for the last years too (with 7 rings ). 

At last, let's get to the Big Categories! First, Lizzo got the Grammy for Record Of The Year (with About Damn Time), which, in my opinion, wasn't defining of the year -at most of the nominees in the big categories- and hasn't reached a special level of engineering and mixing that the category requires. Bonnie Raitt won the award for Song Of The Year and, finally, Harry Styles took the most important award of the night:Album Of The Year. This has received a lot of hate online, but ,as I said is a great pop record and there were some of the nominees that didn't own the category neither. For example, Lizzo's Special or the honorific ABBA nomination.

Regarding the performances, Harry Styles and Lizzo performed and the Grammys decided to honour Hip-Hop this year for the 50 anniversary of the genre. The tribute was directed by QuestLove and was star- studded (mainly by rappers from the New York scene), such as Queen Latifah, Public Enemy, Nelly, De La Soul, Misy Elliott and Big Boi, among others. One of the most special moments was when, in a big screen, the names of hip-hop artists started appearing in the same size to UNIFY, like Queen Latifah sang. On the other hand, I missed a special mention to 2pac. 

DJ Khaled decided to -I guess- make his own tribute with the performance of GOD DID ft Jay-Z or Lil Wayne.

In conclusion, the Grammys blessed, once more, Beyoncé, but they left her outside of the big categories. Additionally, they snubbed -again- Bjork, while Lizzo and Harry Styles kept their position, and the need to unify the awards in one ceremony became evident.