The 67th Grammy Awards are taking place on Sunday in Los Angeles, and joy was felt from the start.
Leading nominee Beyonce 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 Grammys’ Premiere Ceremony, where a whopping 85 awards will be handed out.
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.
Former US president Jimmy Carter 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.
The Premiere Ceremony, a pre-telecast show, began with host/songwriter Justin Tranter setting the scene, giving the first award of the day, best pop solo performance, to Sabrina Carpenter for Espresso.
It is her first Grammy win.
First-time winners were abundant. 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 win. Tobias Jesso J. won in 2023 and Theron Thomas in 2024.
“The child in me is screaming and crying and laughing at the absurdity of this moment,” Allen said. “We are the engine that fuels the entire music industry,” she said of songwriters past and present.
Sierra Ferrell won her first Grammys for Americana performance, Americana roots song, Americana album and American roots performance.
“Honestly this is kind of hilarious,” she joked after returning to the stage for a third time. “Yikes,” she said as she started her fourth acceptance speech.
The energy was high from minute one: Yolanda Adams, Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying, Angelique Kidjo and Taj Mahal opened the premiere ceremony with a soulful rendition of Bridge Over Troubled Water.
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 recognise 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 chief executive Harvey Mason Jr said in his opening remarks.
On Saturday, at the annual pre-Grammy benefit gala hosted by Clive Davis, Mason Jr said the Grammys and its affiliated MusiCares charity has raised “almost five million dollars in aid” for those in the music industry hit by the wildfires.
The Grammys will seek to add to those donations.
Viewers and attendees will still see trophies handed out and a bespoke concert experience, but they will also watch the show raise awareness, drive donations and resources to funds that benefit people in need.
Comedian Trevor Noah will host for a fifth year in a row and history could be made when some of the biggest names in music gather.
