Students React to Award Night Highlights

by PJ Heath

The 65 annual Grammys showcased and awarded several celebrities for their talent in music.

The ‘Queen B’ herself, Beyoncé, became the most decorated artist in history as she earned her 32 Grammy Award, more than anybody in the history of the award. Additionally, she also tied the record for most nominations ever, after securing nine nods to push her career total to 88 which is a record she now shares with her husband, Jay-Z. Beyoncé received acknowledgement for major categories such as Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Album of the Year.

Powerful, electrifying and inspirational singer, Lizzo, won the award for record of the year with her iconic hit song “About Damn Time.” In a tearful acceptance speech, she thanked Beyoncé for her inspiration while also celebrating herself and enjoying her moment in the spotlight. 

Through tears, Lizzo recalled skipping school in fifth grade to see a Beyoncé concert, addressing her idol directly saying, “The way you made me feel, I was like, I want to make people feel this way with my music.”

The down-to-earth Blues singer Bonnie Raitt was shocked when her song “Just Like That” had three Grammy nominations and snapped up two wins for Best American Roots Song and Song of the Year. She gracefully accepted the prize for the latter from under the noses of fellow nominees including Beyoncé, Harry Styles, Adele and Taylor Swift and then humbly expressed her gratitude for the nominations.

“I was so inspired for this song by the incredible story of the love and the grace and the generosity of someone that donates their beloved’s organs to help another person live and this story was so simple and so beautiful for these times,” Raitt said during her acceptance speech.

Viola Davis achieved EGOT status – having won at least one Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award – after picking up her first Grammy. The 57-year-old actress won the award for the best audiobook, narration and storytelling recording for her memoir. She's the third Black woman to claim EGOT status, and the 18 individual to receive the honor overall.

"I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola to honor her life, her joy, her trauma, her everything," Davis said in her acceptance speech. "And it has been such a journey. I just EGOT!"

Rapper and artist, Quavo performed a powerful tribute to Takeoff, his nephew and Migos group member who was killed during a shooting in November 2022. To see Quavo perform his song “Without You” as tribute to Takeoff was like a gut-punch of emotions that led to tears. The rapper took the stage with the Maverick City Music choir for an emotional, poignant performance of his latest song “Without You” which he released in January in remembrance of Takeoff. The choir amplified this song and truly came to life in a soulful accompaniment to the words he sang, as Quavo held up Takeoff's chain. "I wish I had a time machine, just so you can take a ride with me," they sang in harmony.

In the performance, Maverick City Music aimed "to raise awareness around gun violence and keeping the faith during troubled times," a press release announcing the performance read.