The 67th Annual Grammy Awards kicked off on Monday (IST) with an electrifying premiere ceremony, a pre-telecast event hosted by songwriter Justin Tranter. The ceremony opened with a rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water, performed by Yolanda Adams, Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying, Angélique Kidjo, and Taj Mahal. The night saw a mix of first-time winners, honour to legendary artists, and even a posthumous win for former US President Jimmy Carter.
Pop stars Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX both celebrated their first Grammy wins. Carpenter took home Best Pop Solo Performance for her hit Espresso, while Charli XCX secured two trophies — Best Pop Dance Recording for Von Dutch and Best Dance/Electronic Album for BRAT.
Former US President Jimmy Carter was posthumously awarded a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album, marking his fourth career win. The honour came for Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration, a narration of his final Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church in Georgia.
Beyoncé, the evening's leading nominee with 11 nods, earned a Grammy in a country category. II Most Wanted, her collaboration with Miley Cyrus, won Best Country Duo/Group Performance, further cementing her genre-spanning influence.
Kendrick Lamar continued his dominance in rap, winning Best Music Video, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance for Not Like Us, bringing his total in the latter category to seven.
Amy Allen made history as the first woman to win Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical, a category introduced only three years ago. In her acceptance speech, Allen said, “The child in me is screaming and crying and laughing at the absurdity of this moment. We are the engine that fuels the entire music industry.”
Meanwhile, Sierra Ferrell, who dominated the Americana categories, provided one of the night’s most entertaining moments. As she accepted her fourth Grammy, she pulled her speech out of a scepter, joking, “Honestly, this is kind of hilarious. Yikes!”
A defining moment of the night came when The Beatles' AI-assisted track Now and Then won Best Rock Performance. Sean Lennon accepted the award on behalf of his late father, John Lennon, saying, “As far as I’m concerned, it’s the best band of all time. Play the Beatles’ music for your kids. The world can’t afford to forget.”
