Remember when the Grammys were boring? Well, those days are behind us as the new creative team has upped their game this year, making the show at least watchable. But of course, it wouldn’t be the grammy show without the controversy, puzzling choices, fashion statements and electric performances.  

The night was off to a great start, as the crowd held their stomachs watching Trevor Noah open the show with the best monologue yet. The comedian brought his A game as he filled the stage with clever jokes while also crediting the spectacular stars that were nominated. He won the hearts of Harry Styles, as he praised the actor, “World’s Sexiest Man”. Are you kidding me? No competition- especially now that they killed off the green M&M. To top it all off he surprised Adele by featuring her hero, “The Rock”. 

This was only the start of what was yet to come… 

The Puerto Rican star, Bad Bunny, began his opening performance by marching through the audience with the support of plena dancers and musicians. To honour his fellow Puerto Ricans, the singer launched into the first few lines of “El Apagón” before blasting through the mambo hit “Después De La Playa”.  Bad Bunny captured the energy of Puerto Rico’s traditional festivals as the stage was filled with merengue dancers, Dominican instrumentalists and figures with giant heads of icons such as Ismael Rivera.  

But what caught the eye of many in the audience was his outfit. The superstar may have started a trend for menswear in 2023: normal clothes! The star wore a regular outfit consisting of a plain white shirt, a pair of light-wash jeans, tennis shoes and a backwards snapback hat. Fans went ballistic on Twitter revealing, “he looks just like me for real, except, better”.  

A phrase to describe the performance was that a bomb literally dropped on the stage as it was the liveliest and most energetic performance of the entire night. 

2023 was supposed to be the year Beyonce finally got the high accolade for album of the year. However, she has never been given the award despite her being nominated four times and making significant culture-shaping music and huge hits. Many fans (including me) believed that the ‘Renaissance’ album tribute to the history of dance music could have secured the award but was limited to the win in the best dance/electronic categories. But this did not stop Queen Bey, from making history at yet another Grammy award show as she broke the record for the most Grammy wins in the show’s history. 

Even though Harry Styles is an icon, the star seemed a little low on energy at the Grammys. While his outfit sparkled, the pop star seemed drained while he thanked the academy for his award in a quiet voice. The artist has always been known for the energy and vibrancy he brings to each song that he performs, but his performance of “As it Was” wasn’t very upbeat and energetic. But I totally get it, Harry is human after all and after touring for as long as Styles, it can’t be easy on him especially as the singer has completed 15 sold-out shows. In the end, he received Grammy honours as he won the album of the year award. 

The Grammy’s delivered another heart-warming moment as Kim Petras made history as she accepted the award for the best pop duo/group performance award for ‘Unholy’. Sam Smith graciously stepped back from the mic to let the first-time winner deliver a history-making speech. 

“I am the first transgender woman to win this award, I just want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me,” Petra said.  

In honour of Madonna, the singer covered her face in a Madonna-Esque veil and went on to thank Madonna among the LQBTQ+ community who cleared the path to the moment.  The singer paid tribute to her mother who believed in her and gave her support for her success. The speech was necessary and heartfelt as it was a major step for the acceptance and success of transgender people. 

To wrap the night up, viewers from home couldn’t help but notice Ben Affleck in the crowd supporting his wife J.Lo looking completely bored with the whole thing. One fan mentioned, “However bad of a day you’re having, I promise you’re not as miserable as Ben Affleck at the Grammys right now”. I mean… 

I would happily have taken his seat to witness the Grammy’s this year. What’s not to love? A bit of controversy, buzzing performances and some questionable fashion statements. All the things that make the Grammy’s so iconic.