2023 Grammys Takeaways: The Yays, Nays, and Surprises

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Jessica: As expected, the performances last night were great. In just a plain white tee and blue jeans, Bad Bunny opened the show with a vibrant and fun performance that celebrated his Puerto Rican and Caribbean roots. The hip-hop 50 tribute was also well done. The performance seemed to skip over some decades (I’m assuming due to scheduling conflicts with various acts), but Questlove (the curator) and the Recording Academy did a great job of walking viewers through some of the biggest moments in the genre—from Rakim’s “Eric B. Is President” to The Lox’s “We Gonna Make It” to GloRilla’s “F.N.F (Let’s Go).” 

This was also a night of some historic “firsts.” After Beyoncé nabbed the award for Best Dance/Electronic Album, she officially became the most decorated Grammy winner in the ceremony’s history. After 88 career nominations, she won her 32nd Grammy. Then, Kim Petras won the Grammy for Best Duo/Group Performance with Sam Smith for their collaboration on “Unholy,” making her the first openly transgender person to win a Grammy. While it’s frustrating that we are still checking off firsts in 2023, it is still a historic moment worth celebrating and hopefully means other people will be able to break through. 

Jordan: The best thing that happened at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards this year was that Beyoncé made history by becoming the most awarded artist in the history of the award show (now with a total of 32). That honor, which was followed by a stellar performance from Mary J. Blige, felt like a perfect beat for the show’s script and elevated Bey’s historical moment even more. And in terms of performance, another impactful moment was Quavo’s heartfelt rendition of “Without You” to honor Takeoff during the ceremony’s In Memoriam tribute. I wish Offset would have been a part of the tribute, but Quavo finding the heart to perform the track by himself, with Take’s infinity chain in hand, was a moment.

Speaking of moments, few performances slapped more last night than the God MC, Shawn Corey Carter, also known as Jay-Z, performing his entire verse on DJ Khaled’s “God Did” alongside John Legend, Fridayy, Rick Ross, and Lil Wayne while sitting at a Last Supper–style banquet table. It was the perfect way to punctuate the night, and it served as a reminder that even at 53, Hov can still command a stage.

Jessica: Never mind any snubs (it is the Grammys after all). I was more disappointed in the show’s format and run time. For starters, Trevor Noah filled way too much time talking. It’s worth clarifying that I am a fan of the former The Daily Show host, but it was more like watching a standup routine than an awards show. The jokes could have been more brief and the time he spent interacting with the audience could have also been cut. 

This might be an unpopular opinion, but I really didn’t like the show’s format, specifically the segments in which they held roundtables with regular fans. I sort of understand the motivation behind this new addition, but it didn’t work for me. I was in no way invested in what any of the people from the roundtable had to say or who they were voting for. The votes were already in, so it was just another waste of time. Sorry, not sorry. 

Jordan: Bad Bunny and Beyoncé were disrespected last night, despite both of them taking home awards. Beyoncé was nominated for nine Grammys last night and went home winning four when she should have won more. Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti should have also won Album of the Year instead of Harry Styles’ Harry’s House. That might have been the biggest snub of the night and something that no one was expecting. Bunny would have become the first Latin artist to take home that award if he did win, but the Recording Academy must have filled their “history-making moments” quota after Bey became the new record holder for most Grammys won. Also, not giving Viola Davis the shine she deserved after achieving EGOT status for winning Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording felt shady. The award wasn’t televised, so Davis had her moment to celebrate after the fact, but since she is only the fourth Black person to achieve this status (winning an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), they should have made it a bigger deal.

Jessica: There were no surprising moments for me. I know fans are focused on the big categories like Album of the Year and asking why Harry Styles won instead of Beyoncé or Bad Bunny, but this is right on par for the Grammys. Beyoncé has been nominated in the category several times and each time it’s awarded to someone else (Adele, Ed Sheeran, Taylor Swift, etc.). I anticipated this year to be no different than the previous no matter how daring Renaissance was as an album. In other words, the Grammys are the Grammys, and if I thought everyone I wanted to win was going to win, I would always get my feelings hurt. 

Jordan: The Hip-Hop 50 tribute performance was a beautiful reflection of the genre’s past, present, and future, but it did feel like trap music was left out. The transition from Busta Rhymes and the legacy acts to Lil Baby and GloRilla felt shoehorned in and was not a smooth transition at all. I was expecting to see more representation from the South outside of Big Boi, and at least a short segment of trap melodies from T.I. or Gucci Mane or Jeezy before going right into Baby’s “Freestyle.”

On a more positive, surprising note, though, it was beautiful seeing Lil Uzi Vert briefly perform his hit record “Just Wanna Rock” and dance to Jersey club on the Grammy stage. Seeing a niche club scene going from New Jersey parking lots to TikToks to the Grammys is still the most surprising, and rewarding, thing to happen in music over the last few years.