LOS ANGELES — The 67th Grammy Awards were transformed by the Los Angeles area wildfires — and last night’s show highlighted the city’s resiliency.
The award show kicked off Sunday night at LA’s Crypto.com Arena in high spirits, drawing attention to first responders and the resilience of the music community.
Host Trevor Noah’s opening speech was dedicated to those affected by the fires, promising a show that not only celebrates them, but one that also celebrates “the city that brought us so much of that music.” The Grammys have also allotted ad time to be used by local businesses affected by the fires.
On a stage set up to look like the mountains of Los Angeles, the LA born-and-raised Billie Eilish and her brother/collaborator Finneas performed her hit “Birds of a Feather.” It was one of a number of ways the show seeks to salute the city. “We love you LA,” she told the crowd at the end of the set.
The show kicked off with a powerful opening performance of Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” by Dawes — whose members were directly affected by the Eaton fire — backed by John Legend, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St. Vincent.
An exciting, early theme of the 67th Grammy Awards? First time winners.
During Sunday’s Premiere Ceremony, a pre-telecast show hosted by songwriter Justin Tranter, some of the biggest names in pop like Sabrina Carpenter and Charli xcx won their first Grammys, as did Música Mexicana star Carin León, French metal band Gojira and country folk artist Sierra Ferrell.
They weren’t the only ones: Veterans took home trophies, as did former President Jimmy Carter. He won a posthumous Grammy Award for narrating “Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration,” recordings from his final Sunday School lessons delivered at Maranatha Baptist Church in Georgia. It was his fourth Grammy win.
The first award of the day, best pop solo performance, was given to Carpenter for “Espresso.” It is her first Grammy win.
Soon afterward, Charli xcx also won her first two Grammys, in the best pop dance recording category for “Von Dutch” and best dance/electronic album for “BRAT.”
Amy Allen won the songwriter of the year, non-classical, a Grammy category that has only existed for three years. She is the first woman to ever win.
“The child in me … is screaming and crying and laughing at the absurdity of this moment,” Allen started her speech. “We are the engine that fuels the entire music industry,” she said of songwriters past and present.
Ferrell won her first Grammys for Americana performance, Americana roots song, Americana album, and American roots performance. She pulled an acceptance speech out of scepter.
“Honestly this is kind of hilarious,” she joked after returning to the stage for a third time. “Yikes!” she started her fourth acceptance speech.
Leading nominee Beyoncé won her first award of the night for her song featuring Miley Cyrus, “II Most Wanted.” It took home the country duo/group performance during the Grammy’s Premiere Ceremony, where a whopping 85 awards will be handed out. It marks Beyoncé’s first win in a country category.
Kenrick Lamar’s ubiquitous “Not Like Us” was an early winner, receiving trophies for music video, rap song and rap performance. It marks his seventh time winning in the latter category.
The Beatles’ “Now and Then,” which used AI technology, took home best rock performance.
Sean Lennon accepted the award on behalf of his father John Lennon. “As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best band of all time,” he said of the Beatles. “Play the Beatles’ music for your kids. I feel like the world can’t afford to forget.”
As Los Angeles continues to recover from fires that destroyed more than 14,000 structures and displaced tens of thousands, the Recording Academy has reformatted its award show to benefit to help wildfire victims.
“We’re also going to recognize the resilience of our community and celebrate our first responders and do our very best to lift up this city that we love,” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. said in his opening remarks.
