2024 Grammy Awards: 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer' notch early wins

5 Feb 2024

Los Angeles Times

Share on XTweet

2024 Grammy Awards Barbie Oppenheimer notch early wins

Read our live coverage of the 2024 Grammy Awards, from the Premiere Ceremony winners and host Trevor Noah through the night's top prizes.

To paraphrase the great Lana Del Rey: Did you know that there’s an awards ceremony on Figueroa Street?

Breathlessly described by the Recording Academy as “music’s biggest night,” the 66th Grammy Awards are underway. Trevor Noah is back to host for the fourth time in a row, and performances are expected by a mix of young stars and old-timers including SZA, Joni Mitchell, Olivia Rodrigo, Billy Joel, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, Travis Scott and U2.

Top nominees in a very strong year for women include Eilish, SZA, Victoria Monét, Boygenius — and, of course, Taylor Swift. (Alas, Swift’s boyfriend, Travis Kelce, has said that prep for next weekend’s Super Bowl will keep him from making the show. A million meme makers mourn.)

Now that Vanessa Franko has filled us in on the Premiere Ceremony winners, The Times’ Mikael Wood and August Brown will be covering the prime-time event as it happens. Stick with us here throughout the night for news, analysis and the occasional mystified reaction to some upset or other.

Winners list | Red carpet fashion | Recording Academy scrutiny | How to watch the show

6:32 p.m. Welp, leave it to Taylor Swift to turn a Grammy speech into a announcement of a new album. Accepting the award for pop vocal album, she just revealed that her latest LP, “The Tortured Poets Department,” is due out April 19.

By the way, “The Tortured Poets Department” will be the ninth album (including her rerecorded versions of her old work) that Swift has released since 2019. Absolutely psychotic. — M.W.

6:30 p.m. I like U2. I like the Sphere. I like the idea of giving Grammy viewers a glimpse inside this building without their having to spend hundreds of dollars. What I do not like is “Atomic City,” quite possibly the corniest song U2 has ever released. — M.W.

This is Sphere’s final form — a room to watch a live concert in, full of gigantic TVs, now watched on a giant TV by a room of musicians, as seen on TV at home in your room. — A.B.

6:28 p.m. That Epstein joke from Trevor Noah is not gonna quell the Taylor/CIA conspiracy theorists. — A.B.

6:25 p.m. A paradox of Olivia Rodrigo’s career, which began with a stint as a Disney child actor, is that she’s a better performer in person than she is on TV. This fake-blood-drenched rendition of “Vampire” was OK but lacked the conviction she had in her voice a few months back when I saw her sing it at L.A.’s Theatre at Ace Hotel. — M.W.

Congrats, I suppose, to Olivia for holding the CBS prime-time line and not letting “fame f—er” slip out on live TV. — A.B.

6:19 p.m. SZA’s “Snooze” is named best R&B song, a win that keeps alive my hope that she takes album of the year with “SOS” later on. — M.W.

“I’m not an attractive crier” — the only false thing SZA’s said all night. Always a treat to see an important young artist watch her place in music history come into view when she wins big. — A.B.

6:12 p.m. The award for country album goes to “Bell Bottom Country” by Lainey Wilson, who’s probably been mainstream Nashville’s biggest success story over the last 18 months or so. Her style is polished yet quirky — kind of a midpoint between Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood. Music Row is already all in on Wilson; I’ll be interested to see if this win — which comes after a year in which country music burned up the charts but which also saw Maren Morris back away from the genre — establishes a place for her closer to the center of pop. — M.W.

6:00 p.m. “Why you acting like you don’t know this song?” Miley Cyrus asks an evidently dead room as she glides through “Flowers” — first as a yacht-rocking disco jam then as a Tina Turner-style soul-rock rave-up. — M.W.

The L.A. Times has a healthy relationship to numbers, and they excite us but do not define us either, Miley. — A.B.

5:58 p.m. About an hour in, this ceremony feels like it’s moving quickly but not hurriedly — perhaps the best an awards show can do? (I realize I’m jinxing us here.) — M.W.

Billie Eilish and Finneas at the 66th Grammy Awards.

5:51 p.m. Billie Eilish will always be a Grammy fave because she’s a young person who knows how to do old-person things. Case in point: This typically spellbinding performance of “What Was I Made For?” that sounds — and looks — like something Barbra Streisand might’ve done 60 years ago at the Bon Soir. — M.W.

Got a sneaking suspicion that “What Was I Made For?” is going to have resonance well beyond the actual “Barbie” movie as time marches on and the memes slip into the ether. Absolutely timeless song, as good as anything Finneas and Billie’s ever written, a total testament to their craft in whatever setting it’s dropped in. — A.B.

5:44 p.m. Not sure whether this very busy performance of SZA’s “Kill Bill” — a black-leather riff on the Quentin Tarantino swordswoman flick — is doing the most for SZA’s wonderfully vulnerable singing. But I suppose being the year’s most-nominated (and most deserving!) act at the Grammys means you get to live out the onstage fantasy of your dreams. — M.W.

Having your own personal swordswoman as a security detail will be the must-have accessory for music’s A-list this year. — A.B.

5:38 p.m. I still haven’t unraveled one of the Grammys’ big mysteries this year, which is why the música urbana album category only had three nominated works. But even with a few more LPs in the mix, Karol G would likely have won: The Colombian singer had a huge 2023, and her “Mañana Será Bonito” demonstrates the kind of stylistic range the academy always respects. — M.W.

5:35 p.m. I wonder if anyone onstage is going to acknowledge the reports of Killer Mike’s arrest tonight. At a time when prosecutors are using rap lyrics to build a case against Young Thug, it’s a pretty rough look to be arresting a rapper backstage on one of the biggest nights of his career. — A.B.

5:25 p.m. Very cool and generous of Tracy Chapman to show up and do “Fast Car” with Luke Combs. After all the sniping about who has a right to make money off that incredible song, Combs looks over the moon to be playing it live with its author, and Chapman is getting her flowers all over again in a whole new context here. Jelly Roll is losing it singing along in the crowd too. Score one for genuine intergenerational admiration. — A.B.

Combs sounds great, but I am loving watching him sing along off-mic as he watched Chapman take the lead. — M.W.

Los Angeles, CA - February 04: Miley Cyrus at the 66th Grammy Awards held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles

5:21 p.m. Miley Cyrus, who’s been in show business since she was a teenager, wins her first Grammy for pop solo performance with “Flowers.” I’m into this choice: I’ve heard “Flowers” probably 250 times and I still haven’t gotten sick of the way her voice scrapes against the song’s slick disco-soul groove. — M.W.

5:14 p.m. Taylor’s late entrance kind of iconic tbh. — M.W.

Ragging on Spotify and TikTok for ripping off artists, courting big applause for Billy Joel and Joni Mitchell — Trevor Noah just coursing with righteous boomer energy right now. — A.B.

Dua Lipa performs at the 66th Grammy Awards.

5:13 p.m. Gonna be really funny when Jon Batiste wins AOTY and obliterates everyone’s Year of the Woman pre-written takes. — A.B.

5:11 p.m. Meryl Streep is in the house, and if you’re wondering why one of Hollywood’s grande dames is at the Grammys, you should know that her daughter Grace Gummer is married to Mark Ronson, who’s nominated for a bunch of awards with his music from “Barbie.” — M.W.

5:08 p.m. Big look for Dua Lipa, who opens the show with a sex-dungeon-ish medley of her latest singles, “Training Season” and “Houdini.” The singer recently told The Times that she was moving away from disco for her upcoming album — but it sure doesn’t sound like it yet. — M.W.

Not fair that Dua Lipa is both such an excellent dancer and podcaster, really incompatible skill sets there but life’s unjust like that. — A.B.

Lucy Dacus of Boygenius wears a white suit and runs up the aisle to accept a Grammy award

5:02 p.m. And we’re off. First rain-in-L.A. joke arrives approximately 12 seconds into the show courtesy of host Trevor Noah. — M.W.

4:58 p.m. Sign of the times: The Recording Academy’s official YouTube feed from the red carpet just showed an uninterrupted 90 seconds or so of Taylor Swift making her way inside the building. — M.W.

4:32 p.m. Reading the tea leaves from the Premiere Ceremony, I’d say Boygenius and Victoria Monét are both in strong positions — maybe stronger than I thought this morning — as we head into the telecast. Boygenius’ wins in the rock and alternative categories suggest that voters still attached to guitars have lined up behind the supergroup that features Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Julien Baker; SZA and Bridgers’ taking pop duo/group performance with “Ghost in the Machine” signals still more love for Bridgers. And Monét’s win for R&B album shows she might have the allegiance of the academy’s sizable soul-music contingent. — M.W.

Jack Antonoff accepts the award for producer of the year, non-classical.

4:19 p.m. Producer of the year, non-classical goes to Jack Antonoff, who wins based on his work with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and the 1975 — and who becomes the first producer to win this award three times in a row since Babyface did it in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Of his time in the studio with Del Rey, he said, “I can’t believe how weird it gets in there and how your brain takes it to these most amazing places.” He also thanked Swift for opening doors for him as a producer by recruiting him to work on her album “1989.”

Is Antonoff’s win a sign of support among voters for Swift’s latest LP, “Midnights,” which is up for album of the year later tonight? Among his competition for the producer prize was Dan Nigro, who oversaw another album contender in Olivia Rodrigo’s “Guts.” — M.W.

4:02 p.m. Drake was nominated for four Grammys this year — the categories in question were handed out during the Premiere Ceremony, and he didn’t win — but the superstar rapper used his Instagram story on Sunday afternoon to air out some thoughts on the subject.

“All you incredible artists remember this show isn’t facts,” he wrote beneath a video clip of himself accepting the rap song award for “God’s Plan” at the 61st Grammys in 2019. He added that “it’s just the opinion of a group of people who’s name are kept a secret” and offered “congrats to anybody winning anything for hip hop but this show doesn’t dictate s— in our world.” — M.W.

3:30 p.m. The Joni Mitchell comeback train keeps rolling with her win in the folk album category for “Live at Newport,” a document of the surprise gig she played at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022.

“I don’t know what to say about this,” Mitchell, 80, told the crowd as she accepted the award. “We had so much fun at that concert, and I think you can feel it on the record. It’s a very joyous record because of the people that I played with, and the spirit of the occasion was very high.” Flanked by Brandi Carlile, who helped organize the Newport show — and will rejoin Mitchell at the Hollywood Bowl for a pair of concerts in October — the beloved songwriter added: “Even the audience sounds like music.”

Mitchell is set to perform later this evening on the Grammys telecast, her first time playing the show. — M.W.

A man stands to the left of Joni Mitchell and Brandi Carlile to her right as Mitchell accepts a Grammy

3:20 p.m. One of the power couples of American politics now has four Grammys between them: Michelle Obama won the award for audio book, narration and storytelling recording with “The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times.” It’s the former first lady’s second Grammy after the spoken word prize she won in 2020. Former President Barack Obama, meanwhile, has two spoken word Grammys — one for “The Audacity of Hope” and one for “Dreams from My Father.” — M.W.

3:05 p.m. As anything but a jazz specialist, I have my misgivings about the alternative jazz award the academy is handing out for the first time this year. (Decades into the life of alternative rock, does that marketing term mean anything more than it ever has?) That said, I’m always happy to see Meshell Ndegeocello get a moment in the sun, as she just did with her win for “The Omnichord Real Book.” — M.W.

2:45 p.m. Three big wins for Boygenius: rock performance and rock song for “Not Strong Enough” — which beat tunes by the Rolling Stones, Metallica and Foo Fighters, among others — and alternative music album for “The Record,” which bested LPs from acts including Gorillaz and Lana Del Rey.

For rock album, meanwhile, Paramore’s “This Is Why” triumphs over Foo Fighters’ “But Here We Are” — a definite surprise to me, given the Foos’ long dominance of the category and the recent death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. — M.W.

2:35 p.m. Every time Metallica is up for a Grammy I have flashbacks to the time Jethro Tull beat the band for best hard rock/heavy metal recording in 1989 in one of the most questionable upsets in the awards’ history. Grammy voters have rectified this in subsequent decades and on Sunday Metallica picked up the best metal performance Grammy for “72 Seasons.” Bassist Robert Trujillo showed up to accept the award because he lives locally.

“Keep those instruments in your hands. Let’s keep the youth making music and keeping the dream alive,” Trujillo ended his speech with a spirited yell. — V.F.

Killer Mike accepts the award for Rap Album at the 66th Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony

2:20 p.m. “It is a sweep!” a very sweaty Killer Mike declares, and so it is: The 48-year-old Atlanta rapper just took the awards for rap performance, rap song and rap album. Can’t say Mike’s music moves me as much as some of his competitors’, but I love his framing of his victory as proof that you can never be too old to rap. — M.W.

2:06 p.m. Victoria Monét’s taking R&B album with “Jaguar II” — a win that required her to beat Babyface, a longtime Grammy fave — bodes well for her chances in the bigger categories, including best new artist. — M.W.

2:00 p.m. Theron Thomas wins songwriter of the year on the strength of his work with Lil Durk, Tyla, Jung Kook and others — and the man couldn’t seem more pumped about it. (Two Red Bulls, you think? Three?) This is just the second time the songwriter award has been handed out, after Tobias Jesso Jr., a frequent Adele and Harry Styles collaborator, took it last year. — M.W.

1:40 p.m. Nice to see the oft-nominated Brandy Clark finally win a Grammy with the Americana performance prize for “Dear Insecurity,” her moving duet with Brandi Carlile, whose role as producer of the singer’s self-titled 2023 album may finally have tipped the academy Clark’s way. — Mikael Wood

Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell accept a Grammy

1:10 p.m. “Barbenheimer” has invaded the Grammys.

“Barbie” notched its first wins of the day for best compilation soundtrack for visual media for “Barbie: The Album” and best song written for visual media for “What Was I Made For,” written by Billie Eilish and Finneas O’Connell.

“This is shocking to me. I was expecting to turn right around and leave,” Eilish said as she accepted the award with her brother.

O’Connell noted that their dad worked as a construction worker at Mattel during their childhood.

Meanwhile, “Oppenheimer” composer Ludwig Göransson won best score soundtrack for visual media for “Oppenheimer.” — V.F.

12:35 p.m. Greetings, music fans! We’re gearing up to cover the 66th Grammy Awards. Will Taylor Swift finally win song of the year? Will she break the record for album of the year wins with “Midnights”? Will we find out a release date for “Reputation (Taylor’s Version)”?

The main show starts at 5 p.m. Pacific, but first, we’ll keep you posted on the big highlights from the Premiere Ceremony, which will award dozens of genre and technical Grammys. We’ll be updating the winners throughout both ceremonies.

The Premiere Ceremony is getting things started with Sheila E., Larkin Poe, Pentatonix and Jordin Sparks,performing Prince’s “Let’s Go Crazy.” As someone who used the same song to start off my wedding reception, I can tell you it’s a smart choice to inject energy into the early ceremony. — Vanessa Franko