2024 Grammys: 6 Takeaways!

The 66th Annual Grammy Awards were last night, and we were glued to our screens to see music’s biggest and brightest stars! This year’s ceremony was full of moments: big awards, awesome performances, and surprising appearances! Here’s our Top 6 Takeaways from the evening!

1. Taylor Swift had a very big night. She won her first Grammy of the evening for Best Pop Vocal Album, and used the opportunity to announce a surprise to her fans: a new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” out April 19th. She later won the Grammy for Album of the Year for “Midnights,” her fourth win in the category and the most Album Of The Year wins of any artist at the Grammys.
2. Women, especially, had a big night! All nine of the categories represented in Sunday night’s telecast were won by women artists. Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift, Victoria Monet, Billie Eilish, SZA, Lainey Wilson, and Karol G.
3. Nostalgic and moving performances. That duet of “Fast Car” by Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman was simply gorgeous and will go down as one of the most memorable Grammy performances in history. Joni Mitchell performed at the Grammys for the very first time, reminding us all what a gift she continues to be to music. Billy Joel tickled the ivories as only the Piano Man can during his performance of his new song “Turn the Lights Back On.” The In Memoriam segment also brought us some incredible performances: Stevie Wonder performed in honor of Tony Bennett, Annie Lenox sang “Nothing Compares 2 U” in honor of Sinead O’Connor, Jon Batiste did a medley that we had to rewind it was so good, and Fantasia Barrino channeled Tina Turner in a fiery cover of “Proud Mary.” Turner would have been proud, indeed. And we can’t forget Celine Dion’s surprise appearance to hand out the Album of the Year Award. It was wonderful to see Dion looking so happy and healthy after recent health problems.
4. Jay-Z shared some uncomfortable truths. The rapper won the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, and brought his daughter Blue Ivy up on stage with him to accept the award. He pointed out that the Academy doesn’t always get it right: his wife Beyonce has never won Album of the Year but holds the record for most number of Grammys ever won. He also said “Some of y’all don’t belong in the category” and got some nervous laughter from the room. And then said the quote that will live on in memes for years: “When I get nervous, I tell the truth.”
5. Killer Mike won and then got arrested. The rapper won three Grammys before the telecast, and then got into an altercation that ended with him being led away in handcuffs.
6. Trevor Noah should host every year. The comedian nailed it! He was funny, he was smooth, enthusiastic, and complimentary. He wasn’t rude and didn’t roast anyone in the room. It was refreshing to watch an awards show and not be on edge every time he addressed someone in the room.

There you have it! The Grammys in a nutshell. If you want to catch up on even more Grammy news, and re-watch performances, it’s all right here at Grammy.com!