Grammys 2022: Six biggest talking points, from Louis CK’s shock win to Zelensky’s surprise appearance
Jon Batiste, Silk Sonic and Olivia Rodrigo among the winners on music’s biggest night
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The 2022 Grammys took place tonight (3 April), with winners on the biggest night in music including Jon Batiste, Silk Sonic and Olivia Rodrigo.
The ceremony, which was originally set to happen in January, took place in Las Vegas, marking the first ceremony since changes to the nomination process were announced.
Jon Batiste was the most-nominated artist ahead of the ceremony with 11 nods. In the end he won five, including the prestigious Album of the Year award for We Are.
Other big winners on the night included Silk Sonic, the R&B superduo composed of singer Bruno Mars and rapper and singer Anderson .Paak, who took home the Grammy for Song of the Year for their single “Leave The Door Open”. Mars celebrated by lighting up a cigarette on stage, leading fans to ask: “Can I bum a smoke?”
Doja Cat and SZA won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for the collaboration “Kiss Me More”, with Doja Cat almost missing the award as she rushed back to the stage from the toilets. “I have never taken such a fast p*** in my whole life,” she joked. “Thank you everybody. I really appreciate it.”
Earlier on, Lady Gaga received a standing ovation from the audience after her performance of “Do I Love You” from her joint album with Tony Bennett, Love for Sale.
Other memorable moments on the night included a video address from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a shock win for comedian Louis CK, fashion designer Donatella Versace appearing on stage with Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish performing in a T-shirt bearing the image of Foo Fighters drummer Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly on 25 March in Colombia, aged 50.
After last week’s eventful Oscars, however, our correspondent Roisin O’Connor found the whole thing majorly dull.
See a full list of 2022 Grammy winners here.
Trevor Noah explains that the Foo Fighters were scheduled to perform at this point in the night before the untimely death of their drummer Taylor Hawkins. Instead there’s a video tribute to Hawkins which concludes with a full-throated Foo Fighters audience singing: “There goes my hero...” This leads into the ceremony’s In Memoriam segment, featuring Ben Platt, Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr and Rachel Zegler singing a medley of Stephen Sondheim songs. It’s all rather powerful and moving.
The most-nominated artist at this year’s Grammys is Jon Batiste, and he takes centre stage for a medley that shows off his phenomenal talent - from tinkling the ivories in a cape to strutting the stage to the strains of recent single “Freedom”.
Justin Bieber opens his performance of “Peaches” playing the piano, in the slowed-down style of a John Lewis Christmas advert. Before long he’s joined by Giveon and Daniel Caesar, and the camera cuts to everyone from Lady Gaga to Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X grooving away in the audience.
There have been few moments tonight as memorable as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s powerful speech. Read it in full here:
Read Ukraine president Zelensky’s Grammys speech in full
Ukrainian president made a virtual appearance at the music awards ceremony, delivering a pre-recorded message from a bunker in Kyiv
Avril Lavigne presents the 2022 Grammy for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance to... “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA. SZA is on crutches but still beats Doja Cat to the stage. “Listen,” Doja announces, out of breath, when she arrives. “I have never taken such a fast p*** in my whole life.”
Multiple Grammy (and Oscar) winner H.E.R. performs with a remarkable backing band featuring legendary R&B producers Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and guitarist Lenny Kravitz - the latter two appearing for a version of Kravitz’s 1993 single “Are You Gonna Go My Way?”
Keith Urban comes out to present the 2022 Grammy for Record of the Year to... “Leave The Door Open” by Silk Sonic. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak dance their way to the stage. “We’re really trying to remain humble at this point,” says Anderson .Paak. “But in the industry we call that a clean sweep.” They’re having such a good time Bruno even lights up a celebratory cigarette. Enjoy it lads!
Carrie Underwood, who’s come a long since winning American Idol in 2005, is here to belt out her single “Ghost Story” with the help of a powerful wind machine and a personal podium which raise her several feet off the stage.
Lenny Kravitz is back to say: “Let love rule!” and to present the 2022 Grammy for Album of the Year to We Are by Jon Batiste. “Wow!” says Batiste after accepting the award. “You know, I really believe this to my core. There is no best musician, best artist, best dancer... the creative arts are subjective, and they reach people in their lives when they need it the most. It’s like a song has a radar to find a person when they need it the most.” He goes on to call music “more than entertainment, it’s a spiritual practice” and says he’s had “out of body experiences” with the music of all his fellow nominees. He signs off: “I love you even if I don’t know you!”
To close the show, it’s country stars Brothers Osborne, fresh from winning the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, to blast through a rollicking good fun version of “Dead Man’s Curve”. What a high-energy way to end the show! Good night everyone!
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