Taylor Swift makes history . After the slew of records achieved in 2023 , last night the singer became the first artist in the 66 editions of the Grammys to obtain the award for best album of the year for the fourth time .
With "Midnights", which adds to the victories of "Fearless" (2010), 1989 (2016) and "Folklore" (2021), the pop star surpasses Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra who had stopped at three awards in this category, considered the most prestigious.
Clad in a custom-made white Schiaparelli dress, Swift took the stage at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles so excited that she neglected to greet the special guest who announced the award: Céline Dion . In a very rare public appearance, the Canadian superstar suffering from a rare neurological disease, stiff person syndrome, presented the final award of an evening dominated by women.
During the three and a half hour ceremony presented by Trevor Noah, Swift also collected the award for the best pop album of the year, announced by U2 via connection from the Las Vegas Sphere. “It's my 13th Grammy,” he began, holding up the golden gramophone. 13 is her lucky number and so the star took the opportunity to announce that her new album, Tortured Poets Department, will be released on April 19th.
The Recording Academy instead voted Miley Cyrus' "Flowers" as the best album of the year , the recognition that evaluates the recording and production of a single. "Thank you. But nothing will change. My life was fabulous yesterday too. Don't think it's not important, but thank you, have a good evening!", cut short the former Hannah Montana of Disney Channel who also won for best pop solo performance.
The best new artist of 2023 is the pop and R&B singer-songwriter born in Atlanta, Georgia, in 1989, Victoria Monét .
On a night where women dominated as winners, announcers and in performances, Billie Eilish raised the Grammy for best song with the piano ballad "What Was I Made For?", written for the Barbie soundtrack together with her brother Finneas. The 22-year-old dedicated the award to the team behind the film that hit the box office last summer.
Above all, it nominated director Greta Gerwig and protagonist Margot Robbie, excluded from the Oscar nominations.
Tracy Chapman, away from performances and concerts since 2009, moved the audience by picking up the guitar again and singing her 1988 hit Fast Car, together with Luke Combs, nominated for the cover of this song. Eyes shining even when another icon like Joni Mitchell appeared on stage. Sitting on a sort of throne, with her hand gripping her cane, the singer-songwriter of Big Yellow Taxi performed one of her triumphs, Both Sides Now. Mitchell accepted the 10th Grammy of his life, but had never sung at the ceremony.
(Unioneonline/vl)