By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Olivia Rodrigo made a powerful Grammy debut, Silk Sonic claimed two main awards and Jon Batiste had essentially the most beautiful victory of the night time successful the highest prize at Sunday’s Grammy Awards.
Batiste gained 5 Grammys Sunday together with album of the 12 months for “We Are” pulling off an upset in a loaded class stuffed with robust competitors from Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift and the mixed abilities of Tony Bennett and Girl Gaga. After his win, the multi-genre performer honored the artists he beat, telling the viewers that “the inventive arts are subjective. Be you.”
“I simply put my head down and I work on the craft day by day,” stated Batiste, who gained for his track “Cry,” the video for “Freedom” and his work with the Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the soundtrack for “Soul.”
Silk Sonic — the all-star union of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak — took residence awards in all 4 classes it was nominated in, together with report and track of the 12 months. Each have been exuberant as they accepted the distinction towards the top of the ceremony.
The wins in each main classes put Mars getting ready to historical past: He turned the one artist together with Paul Simon to take win report of the 12 months thrice. He tied the report for many track of the 12 months wins with two.
“We're actually making an attempt our hardest to stay humble at this level,” .Paak stated. “However within the business, they name that a clear sweep!” later including “drinks is on Silk Sonic tonight!”
Rodrigo’s win for finest new artist put her in esteemed firm together with Carly Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Tom Jones, the Beatles and Billie Eilish.
A veteran of the “Excessive Faculty Musical” collection, she turned the breakout music star of 2021, main along with her huge viral hit “Drivers License” and following with the only “Good 4 U” and the aching album “Bitter,” which took finest pop vocal album.
“That is my greatest dream come true,” she stated after her finest new artist win. She thanked her mother and father for supporting her goals, which at one level concerned being an Olympic gymnast and shortly veered towards music.
“I need to thank my mother for being so supportive for all of my goals, irrespective of how loopy. I need to thank my mother and pop for being equally as happy with me for successful a Grammy as they have been once I discovered how one can do a again stroll.”
The win got here after the night time’s festivities briefly grew somber when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the gathering with an replace on the struggle and numbers together with youngsters injured and killed. “Our musicians put on physique armor as an alternative of tuxedos,” he stated. “We're preventing Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The lifeless silence. Fill the silence along with your music.”
He ended by saying: “Inform the reality concerning the struggle in your social networks, on TV. Assist us in any means you possibly can, however not silence. After which peace will come to all our cities.”
John Legend then carried out “Free” with Ukrainian exiles together with singer-actress Mika Newton and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.
Silk Sonic opened the ceremony in Las Vegas with their high-energy, infectious mixture of retro soul and funk by performing their “777.” They returned to the stage a short while later to gather the track of the 12 months trophy for “Depart the Door Open.”
Each Mars and .Paak jumped out their seat, threw up their arms and danced to their track.
“We’ll be singing this track collectively for the remainder of our lives,” Mars stated to .Paak
Host Trevor Noah launched the duo’s opening efficiency by saying they have been singlehandedly bringing again the Seventies, “which could clarify the inflation.”
Doja Cat and SZA gave an emotional speech after successful finest pop duo-group efficiency for “Kiss Me Extra.” Cat advised SZA that she’s “all the pieces to me” and the “epitome of expertise” as she tried to carry again tears.
“It is a huge deal,” Cat stated after she darted to the rostrum after utilizing the toilet. SZA beat her by just a few seconds regardless of climbing onstage on crutches with the assistance of Girl Gaga.
“I really feel like me and SZA are related in the way in which that we each grew up with non secular backgrounds,” she continued. “However she was excellent for this track.”
It was a household affair from cousins Child Keem and Kendrick Lamar, who gained finest rap efficiency for his or her track “Household Ties.” Lamar gained his 14th Grammy and the primary for Keem, who stated “nothing may have ready me for this second” after stepping out onstage to say his trophy.
By the point the present began on CBS, Batiste had already taken residence 4 Grammy Awards, together with his first ever, throughout a pre-telecast ceremony.
“I'm so grateful for the items that God has given me and the flexibility to share that for the love of humankind,” Batiste stated after amassing his music video award for “Freedom.” “We simply wished everybody to see it. Any despair, any bondage or any darkness that was over your life is totally eliminated by simply the love and the enjoyment of the video.”
Chris Stapleton gained his third Grammy for finest nation solo efficiency for “You Ought to Most likely Depart.”
Tony Bennett prolonged his report because the artist with essentially the most conventional pop vocal album honors with 14 wins with “Love for Sale,” a duet album with Girl Gaga.
Wearing all black, BTS took the stage with a flirty second between V and Rodrigo earlier than the group carried out their hit single “Butter.” They made an look after one of many members examined optimistic for COVID-19. All seven of the members – Jin, Jimin, V, RM, J-Hope, Suga and Jungkook – acted as in the event that they have been secret brokers dodging neon-blue lasers, dancing with easy choreography earlier than going into a short rap portion of the track.
Foo Fighters gained three awards Sunday, however weren't in attendance to choose up their trophies following the latest demise of drummer Taylor Hawkins. An prolonged tribute to Hawkins performed earlier than the present’s In Memoriam section honoring artists and music business figures who’ve died.
Eilish paid homage to Hawkins throughout her efficiency by sporting a black T-shirt along with his picture. She stepped onstage in an upside-down home alongside along with her brother Finneas earlier than strolling right into a downpour to carry out the title observe from her “Happier Than Ever.”
TJ Osborne, who got here out as homosexual final 12 months, fought again tears as he and his brother accepted a Grammy throughout the pre-telecast present for the Brothers Osborne track “Youthful Me.” He famous the track was impressed by his popping out.
“I by no means thought that I'd be capable of do music professionally due to my sexuality. And I definitely by no means thought I'd be right here on the stage accepting a Grammy after having carried out one thing I felt like was going to be life altering and probably in a really destructive means,” Osborne stated.
“And right here I'm tonight, not solely accepting this Grammy Award with my brother, which I really like a lot, however I’m right here with a person that I really like and he loves me again” he stated. “I don’t know what I did to be so fortunate.”
The ceremony shifted in January from Los Angeles to Las Vegas due to rising COVID-19 circumstances and the omicron variant, with organizers citing “too many dangers.”
___
AP Leisure Author Mark Kennedy contributed to this story.
___
For extra on this 12 months’s Grammys, go to: https://apnews.com/hub/grammy-awards