The 65th Grammy Awards were held at the Crypto.com Arena on Feb.  5. The annual event honors some of the biggest musical artists, albums, and songs of the past year. The ceremony was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, who scattered jokes throughout the awards show.

The show kicked off with a high-energy performance by Bad Bunny, who performed songs off his latest album, Un Verano Sin Ti, the biggest album of 2022. Later that night, he would receive the award for Best Música Urbana Album.

Kendrick Lamar dominated the rap category, winning the Best Rap Album award for his critically acclaimed 2022 album, Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers, as well as Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for “The Heart Part 5.”

For rap, the Grammys highlighted the history of hip-hop with a grand performance to celebrate 50 years since the genre’s creation. The performance brought together some of the most prolific names in hip-hop history such as Run DMC and Missy Elliot, with newer names like Glorilla and Lil Uzi Vert.

One of the biggest awards of the night, Record of the Year, went to Lizzo for her hit song “About Damn Time.” In her acceptance speech, she shared appreciation towards artists such as Beyoncé and Prince for inspiring her musical path. 

“When we lost Prince, I decided to dedicate my life to making positive music,” she said. “I stayed true to myself because I wanted to make the world a better place, so I had to be that change.

Harry Styles took home the Album of the Year award for his album Harry’s House.

“I have been so inspired by every artist in this category with me at a lot of different times in my life,” he said in his acceptance speech. “I’m so grateful.”

Some people expressed surprise at Harry’s win. 

“In my opinion, the Album of the Year award should have gone to Beyoncé for Renaissance,” said Deepak Karani (‘24). “I feel it was a much more coherent and enjoyable album than Harry’s.” 

Although nominated for Album of the Year, Beyoncé did not win, making this the fourth time she was nominated and did not win the award.

However, the night was far from a defeat for Beyoncé. This year, she became the most awarded artist in Grammy history with 32 Grammy awards after winning the Best Dance/Electronic Album award for her album Renaissance.

Along with Beyoncé, Kim Petras also made history, becoming the first openly transgender woman to win the Grammy award for Best Pop Duo/Performance.

Throughout the event, many artists were seen connecting with each other and enjoying the show. Ultimately, the Grammys are truly more about bringing musicians together and appreciating art, rather than deeming one artist better than the other.

“It’s so important for us to remember that there is no such thing as best in music. I don’t think any of us sit in the studio making decisions based on what is going to get us one of these. This is really kind, and I’m so grateful,” said Styles in his acceptance speech.