Grammys 2022: Explosive moments and winner highlights

It was a big night (or rather, morning for us on this side of the world) for music. Originally scheduled for the 31st of January this year, the 64th Grammy Awards—which was postponed for two months due to the uncertainty of the Omicron variant— finally took place at Las Vegas’s MGM Grand Garden Arena and well, let’s just say it was worth the wait. Hosting the show for the second time, Trevor Noah kicked off the event with a not-so-subtle poke at the Will Smith-Chris Rock Oscars fiasco: “We’re going to be listening to some music, we’re going to be dancing, we’re going to be singing, we’re going to be keeping people’s names out of our mouths, and we’re going to be giving out awards all throughout the night,” he exclaimed to a laughing audience.

Meanwhile, one of the most-nominated artists of the night, Olivia Rodrigo, made her Grammy debut by delivering the opening performance of her hit song ‘Driver’s License’. With the stage set up like a suburban street, Olivia sang about her heartbreak in front of a vintage white Mercedes, the very same one from her music video. Later that night, she would walk away with three awards—Best New Artist, Best Pop Solo Performance for ‘Driver’s License’ and Best Pop Vocal Album for ‘Sour’. However, it wasn’t her achievements of the night that would make her viral. But more on that later.

Travelling all the way from Seoul, South Korea, chart-topping megastars BTS gave a never-before-seen performance of their nominated song ‘Butter’, Mission Impossible-style, complete with vocalist Jungkook rappelling in from the ceiling and the boys leaping over illuminated floor sensors. What broke the internet, however, was this intro scene between band member Taehyung (who goes by the stage name V) and Olivia Rodrigo, where he flirtatiously whispered into her ear and pulled out a playing card prop.

Amidst the fun and glamour of the night, the Grammys remembered to shine a spotlight on current affairs with a special musical tribute to Ukraine. Through a video, the country’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave a speech that touched on current conditions. “Our musicians wear body armours instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded. In hospitals. Even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway. Fill the silence with your music. Fill it today. Tell our story,” he urged. This was followed by a beautiful performance of ‘Free’ by John Legend, joined together by Ukrainian musician Mika Newton and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.

More notable moments include four wins by Silk Sonic for ‘Leave The Door Open’, nabbing Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Song, and a tie with Jazmine Sullivan’s ‘Pick Up Your Feelings’ for Best R&B Performance. Lil Nas X brought the heat with his performance of ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and ‘Industry Baby’ with Jack Harlow, where he danced in front of a supersized statue of his face. And finally, the biggest winner of the night, Jon Batiste, who was nominated for 11 categories, walked away with five awards including the honour of the night, Album of the Year. In his heart-warming speech, he said, “[To me] there is no best musician, the best artist, or the best actor. The creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most.” We couldn’t agree more.

Below, see the winners of the 64th Grammy Awards

Record of the Year

Leave The Door Open — Silk Sonic

Song of the Year

Leave The Door Open — Silk Sonic

Album of the Year

We Are — John Batiste

Best New Artist

Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Solo Performance

Driver’s Licence — Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Vocal Album

Sour — Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Kiss Me More — Doja Cat feat. SZA

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Love For Sale — Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

Best Dance Recording

Alive — Rüfüs Du Sol

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Subconsciously — Black Coffee

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Tree Falls — Taylor Eigsti

Best Rock Performance

Making A Fire — Foo Fighters

Best Metal Performance

The Alien — Dream Theatre

Best Rock Song

Waiting On A War — Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett & Pat Smear, songwriters (Foo Fighters)

Best Rock Album

Medicine At Midnight — Foo Fighters

Best Alternative Music Album

Daddy’s Home — St Vincent

Best R&B Performance

Leave The Door Open — Silk Sonic

Pick Up Your Feelings — Jazmine Sullivan

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Fight For You — H.E.R.

Best R&B Song

Leave The Door Open — Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)

Best Progressive R&B Album

Table For Two — Lucky Daye

Best R&B Album

Heaux Tales — Jazmine Sullivan

Best Rap Performance

Family Ties — Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar

Best Melodic Rap Performance

Hurricane — Kanye West Featuring The Weeknd & Lil Baby

Best Rap Song

Jail — Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Kanye West & Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z)

Best Rap Album

Call Me If You Get Lost — Tyler, The Creator

Best Country Solo Performance

You Should Probably Leave — Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Younger Me — Brothers Osborne

Best Country Song

Cold — Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)

Best Country Album

Starting Over — Chris Stapleton

Best New Age Album

Divine Tides — Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

Humpty Dumpty (Set 2) — Chick Corea, soloist Track from: Akoustic Band Live (Chick Corea, John Patitucci & Dave Weckl)

Best Jazz Vocal Album

Songwrights Apothecary Lab — Esperanza