Grammys 2023: Check out the 6 must-see moments led by Beyoncé

Former Daily Show host Trevor Noah guided viewers through the 2023 Grammys on his star-studded return to Los Angeles on Sunday.

After the pandemic upended the previous two ceremonies and last year’s event was moved to Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena, the awards ceremony took over Crypto.com Arena, its usual home, before a packed live audience.

The ceremony was packed with historic moments, from Beyoncé’s record-breaking moment to Kim Petras scoring a landmark win for queer history to hip-hop celebrating a 50th birthday tribute.

Here are six standout moments from the Grammys’ return to LA

Beyoncé breaks record for most Grammys of all time

It’s official: Beyoncé is the Grammy GOAT

With her dance/electronics winning album (“Renaissance”), the singer set a new record for the most Grammy wins of all time with 32 wins. The record was previously set by orchestra conductor Georg Solti. The audience gave Beyoncé a standing ovation after “Late Late Show” host James Corden presented the award.

“Thank you very much. I’m trying not to be too emotional,” the ‘Break My Soul’ artist said during her tearful acceptance speech, pausing to take a deep breath and hold back tears. “I’m trying to just embrace this night .”

She later thanked the queer community “for her love and for inventing this genre,” a nod to house music’s indelible influence on the album. Although her “Renaissance” was the front-runner for album of the year, Harry Styles took home the award for “Harry’s House”.

Petras also became the first transgender woman to win a Grammy for pop duo/group performance on Sunday.

The singer shared the award with Sam Smith for their successful collaboration Unholy. During her speech, Petras spoke about the importance of the groundbreaking moment and paid tribute to her late friend Sophie, a Scottish-born music producer who was a pioneer for the trans community.

Sophie, whose full name was Sophie Xeon, died in January 2021 after falling from the balcony of an Athens apartment in Greece.

“I just want to thank all of the incredible transgender legends ahead of me who opened these doors for me to be here tonight — especially Sophie,” said Petras. “My friend, who passed away two years ago, told me this would happen and he always believed in me. Thank you for your inspiration, Sophie.”

Hip-hop greats unite for 50th birthday

Queen Latifah was part of Sunday’s hip-hop salute day.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

In 1989, the Recording Academy did not televise the first Grammy Award for rap music. A host of rappers, including LL Cool J, Salt-N-Pepa, and DJ Jazzy Jeff, boycotted the show in protest.

More than three decades later, hip-hop took center stage at the 2023 ceremony with a 13-minute performance to celebrate the genre’s 50th anniversary.

Generations of hip-hop greats – from Run-DMC to Nelly and Ice-T to Lil Baby – took the stage on a tour through the history of the genre. Busta Rhymes fired his rapid-fire verse from “Look at Me Now” while Method Man’s bars got Jay-Z joining in from the crowd.

The most electrifying performances came from her rappers, with Salt-N-Pepa shredding “My Mic Sounds Nice,” Queen Latifah rousing the crowd with “UNITY,” and then Missy Elliott shaking the whole room with a frenetic performance of ” Loose control”.

Check out the full set list and artist overview here.

Bad Bunny brings the Grammys to the Caribbean

Bad Bunny, far right, opens Sunday’s ceremony.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

Latino superstar and cultural icon Bad Bunny, dressed in a white t-shirt and dad jeans, kicked off the ceremony with a Caribbean double-take of a Grammys performance.

Backed by a folk dance group from his native Puerto Rico, he entered the room to a pounding of bomba percussion and began with a track from his Grammy-winning album Un Verano Sin Ti, a fight song titled “El Apagón.” or “The Blackout”.

His performance included a faded-out word “cabrón,” a slang term that roughly translates to “badass.” He then delighted the crowd — and even got Taylor Swift out of her seat to dance! – with his explosive mambo track “Despues de la Playa”.

Bad Bunny later won the Grammy for the album Música Urbana for Un Verano Sin Ti.

Bonnie Raitt ‘surprised’ by upset win for song of the year

Raitt’s jaw dropped when she won song of the year with “Just Like That,” hardly the most popular contender in a field that also included songs by Lizzo, Harry Styles, Adele and Beyoncé.

Though a little upset, the legendary singer has been a Grammys darling for decades – with 13 wins and dozens of nominations.

She seemed stunned when she won the award and got a standing ovation from the crowd. During her acceptance speech, she paid tribute to renowned folk musician John Prine, who died of complications from COVID-19 in April 2020.

The In Memoriam segment alludes to the waterworks

Kacey Musgraves plays “Coal Miner’s Daughter” on Loretta Lynn’s guitar.

(Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times)

In the midst of the biggest music party of the year, the Crypto.com Arena fell silent for somber tributes to musicians who died in 2022.

Kacey Musgraves sang “Coal Miner’s Daughter” to country queen Loretta Lynn. Quavo, backed by Christian singing group Maverick City Music, performed “Without You” for his nephew Takeoff of rap group Migos, who was killed in a Houston shooting.

And Raitt, Sheryl Crow and Mick Fleetwood performed “Songbird” for Christine McVie, one of the longtime members of Fleetwood Mac, who died in November. Fleetwood also spoke to The Times on the red carpet about his band’s future without McVie.