Grammys 2024 live updates | Winners, performances and highlights

Last Updated: February 04, 2024 11:36 PM

Published: February 04, 2024 01:00 PM

By BETH HARRIS

The show ended with a crowd singalong to Billy Joel’s “You May Be Right” from 1980, performed by the man himself.

By ANDREW DALTON

Taylor Swift takes home album of the year for “Midnights.”

With it, she breaks the record for the most album of the year wins — at four. Her other album of the year wins? “Fearless,” “1989" and “Folklore.”

She accepted the award from Celine Dion. It was her second Grammy of the night and the 14th of her career.

Celine Dion received a standing ovation when she surprised the Grammys to present album of the year.

“When I say I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart,” Dion said. “Those who have been lucky enough to be here, the Grammy Awards, must not take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people all around the world.”

Dion has been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, which caused her to suspend performing in late 2022.

Billy Joel did something fans have wished he’d do for years: He showed up with new music.

The Long Island-bred piano balladeer sang “Turn the Lights Back On,” the first fresh song from the icon since 2007.

“Time can make you blind,” he sang on the piano-led anthem, wearing sunglasses, a leather jacket and backed by violins, guitars, a sax and a cello. “Pride pride sticks out its tongue/Laughs at the portrait that we’ve become.”

It was the first time he’d performed the song live. Joel teased it Jan. 22 in a surprise statement. He wrote the song with Arthur Bacon, Wayne Hector and the track’s producer, Freddy Wexler.

He earned a standing ovation. “That was worth the wait,” host Trevor Noah said.

Joel has five competitive Grammys, is in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and was a Kennedy Center honoree. In 2014, he began a monthly residency at the 19,500-seat Madison Square Garden that has soared past 150 gigs.

Noah earlier joked about how many times the two men had sold out the Garden and Joel politely asked how many Noah had done it. Noah demurred, saying it wasn’t about the “numbers.”

By ANDREW DALTON

Miley Cyrus took home her second Grammy of the night — and all time — with record of the year for “Flowers.”

Earlier in the night, she won the first award of the telecast for best pop solo performance, also for “Flowers.”

After Meryl Streep and Mark Ronson proclaimed her winner of record of the year, she danced with fellow nominee Billie Eilish as she made her way to the stage.

Cyrus made several swerves during her speech, saying: “My life was beautiful yesterday. So please don’t think this is important. Even though it’s very important.”

Then after giving several thank-yous, Cyrus — clad in at least her fourth outfit of the night — said, “I don’t think I’ve forgotten anyone, but I might have forgotten underwear.”

Meryl Streep’s son-in-law is also known as Mark Ronson.

The relatives by marriage — Ronson is married to Streep’s daughter Grace Gummer — presented record of the year.

Or was it album of the year?

No, Ronson tried to explain, it’s record of the year. Reflecting the confusion that rolls around often this time of year, Streep tried to parse the difference between records, singles and albums.

She then ribbed Ronson for losing song of the year — a songwriter’s category — before giving him a kiss on the cheek.

Best new artist winner Victoria Monét thanked the Champagne servers first before adding her team, her fellow nominees and her mother, a single mom “raising this really bad girl.”

“I just want to say to everybody who has a dream. I want you to look at this as an example,” she told the audience.

She said the award represented a 15-year pursuit and she likened herself to a plant.

“My roots have been growing underneath ground, unseen for so long,” she said. “And I feel like today, I’m sprouting.”

By ELISE RYAN

Victoria Monét has been crowned best new artist.

Monét, 34, won the category against Gracie Abrams, Fred qgain.., Noah Kahan, Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones and The War and Treaty.

She emerged as a frontrunner early — and reigned in The Associated Press’ Grammy predictions — as the only best new artist nominee also nominated in one of the top three general field categories: record of the year.

The best new artist award, which went to jazz artist Samara Joy last year, is one of the Grammys’ most-anticipated as it is often seen as a bellwether for future success. Recent winners include Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish and Dua Lipa. Other winners include Mariah Carey, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Amy Winehouse, Adele and Chance the Rapper.

▶ Read more on her win.

Joined by 21 Savage and Brandy, Burna Boy took the Grammys stage to highlight African musican’s ascendance on the global stage.

Earlier in the evening, South Africa’s Tyla won the first best musical performance Grammy for “Water.”

Nigeria’s Burna Boy, who has a Grammy for 2020’s “Twice as Tall,” was among the other nominees.

“You know, there is no denying that over the past few years, Afrobeats has swept the globe. And I’m proud to say that over the past year, South Africa’s very own amapiano has truly has truly taken over music in a special way. Shout out to Tyla,” host Trevor Noah, who is from South Africa, said in introducing Burna Boy’s performance.

Music from the continent varies in styles, geography and history — there’s no one such thing as “African music.” But the new Grammy was intended to highlight regional musical traditions and recognize “recordings that utilize unique local expressions from across the African continent.”

▶ Read more about the genres hailing from the continent and the success they’ve enjoyed.

Travis Scott brought the flames to his Grammy performance. The rap artist performed songs from his latest album “Utopia” including “My eyes” and “FE!N” where in typical Scott fashion he threw down a chair on a stage of constructed rocks and flames. Scott lost the Grammy for best rap album to Killer Mike.

Killer Mike was detained by police and was seen on video being taken away in handcuffs after winning three awards.

In a pre-performance interview, Scott said his fans give him the energy to perform.

“I go off the energy the fans give me and every night they are ready to go,” he said.

Utopia is Scott’s fourth album after a five-year hiatus.

By ANDREW DALTON

A string quartet made up of musicians of Palestinian, Israeli and Arab descent accompanied the annual Grammy remarks of Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.

“As individuals they sound really good, but together they achieve something beautiful they could never do apart,” Mason said.

He used his yearly speech to praise music’s role in bringing peace and the global reach of this year’s Grammys.

By BETH HARRIS

Taylor Swift made her way across the arena floor to hug and talk to best new artist nominee Jelly Roll during a commercial break.

They spent a long moment in conversation before guests were told to return to their seats. Swift gathered her long white train into her arms as she waded through the crowd.

By ANDREW DALTON

Joni Mitchell turned the huge Crypto.com Arena into an intimate living room.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer sat in a velvet chair surrounded by candles and joined by Brandi Carlile and a chamber orchestra to perform a jazzy, meditative version of her classic “Both Sides Now.”

The performance was a more luminous version of the comeback concert she gave in 2022 at the Newport Folk Festival, 10 years after an aneurysm that threatened her life and left many thinking she would never sing again. That concert led to a live album that won her a Grammy earlier in the evening.

She mixed up the lyrics of the original to reflect the moment.

“They shake their heads and say ‘Joni you’ve changed,’” she sang. “Well something’s lost and something’s gained in living every day.’”

Jay-Z, Beyoncé and Meryl Streep were among those leaping to their feet for a standing ovation.

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.

LAPD spokesperson Officer Mike Lopez said Killer Mike’s detention stemmed from an altercation inside the arena around 4 p.m.

The detention happened after the rapper and activist won three Grammy awards, including his first in more than two decades.

In a video posted by the trade website The Hollywood Reporter, Mike was escorted in handcuffs by Los Angeles police at Crypto.com Arena after some joyous moments for him at the Grammys’ Premiere Ceremony on Sunday, where he won his awards in quick succession.

Further details were not immediately released. A representative for Mike did not respond to emails or text messages requesting a comment.

There are three more major awards for the night: best new artist, record of the year and album of the year.

Here’s who our writers think will win.

By ANDREW DALTON

Billie and “Barbie” won song of the year.

Eilish and brother Finneas O’Connell won the Grammys’ biggest songwriting award for penning “What Was I Made For” from the “Barbie” soundtrack.

“Thank you to Greta Gerwig for making the best movie of the year,” Eilish said. It was her ninth Grammy.

The award is a songwriters’ award, not a performance award.

“Obviously, it’s subjective because, you know, it’s music and it’s opinion based. But you know, some things, you know, I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year,” Jay-Z said, as the camera cut to his wife, Beyoncé. He was accepting the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award.

“So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys; never won album of the year. It doesn’t work,” he said as their daughter Blue Ivy stood beside him.

“Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed. Some of you may get robbed. Some of you don’t belong in the category. All right. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, that was it, no. When I get nervous, I tell the truth,” he said with a laugh.

By ANDREW DALTON

Stevie Wonder sang a virtual duet with the late Tony Bennett, paying tribute to one of his musical heroes, who died last year at age 96 to kick off a sprawling in memoriam segment on the Grammys that also included Annie Lennox, who shouted for a cease-fire in Palestine.

Wonder praised Bennett “not just for his incredible voice” but for “his love for art, his love for peace, his love for unity, his love for civil rights.”

He then broke into “For Once in My Life,” in sync with Bennett singing on a video screen. Bennett even shouted “Stevie” while looking in Wonder’s direction. The two each had individual hits with the song decades ago, and recorded it together for Bennett’s 2006 “Duets” album.

Wonder then sang Bennett’s “The Best is Yet to Come” for a montage that included Harry Belafonte, Robbie Robertson, Jimmy Buffett and Chita Rivera.

Lennox then took over to perform Sinéad O’Connor’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” to honor more of the year’s dead, including O’Connor and Shane MacGowan. She concluded by raising a fist and declaring “Artists for cease-fire! Peace in the world!”

Jon Batiste then sang Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me” to honor others including executive Clarence Avant and Gordon Lightfoot.

Winfrey then paid tribute to Tina Turner, saying “even if those big wheels of time keep on turning, Tina’s voice continues to speak to all of us.”

Fantasia then took the stage to sing Turner’s “Proud Mary.”

By BETH HARRIS

Taylor Swift’s reveal of her new album dropping in April elicited screams from the upper levels of the Crypto.com arena.

Her Instagram post, meanwhile, has racked up more than 4.1 million likes in less than 20 minutes.

Forget her “Reputation.” Taylor Swift has a brand-new album coming out.

Accepting the award for best pop vocal album — her 13th Grammy — Taylor said she’d been keeping a secret for two years.

“My brand new album comes out April 19. It’s called the Tortured Poets Department. I’m going to go and post the cover right now backstage,” she announced.

And so she did.

On her Instagram, Swift posted a black-and-white image of her reclining across pillows. The top half of her face and lower half of her legs are cut off in the low-contrast image.

“All’s fair in love and poetry...” her caption read.

Swift had provoked mass speculation earlier in the night when her site seemed to go down. Some theorized she was gearing up to release “Reputation (Taylor’s Version),” but cryptic clues on the “crashed” site indicated that might be a misdirect.

And so it was.

The site’s back up now, focused around the upcoming album, with preordering and merchandise options.

If you were wondering whether any men (besides Luke Combs!) were performing at the Grammys, the telecast featured a virtual performance from U2 over at The Sphere in Las Vegas.

From more than 250 miles away, Bono introduced the nominees for best pop vocal album. The winner? Taylor Swift for “Midnights.”

Grammy nominee Olivia Rodrigo drove a stake through “vampire” from her “GUTS” album onstage.

Standing alone against a dark backdrop tinged with red, Rodrigo belted the song with blood — or the approximation of it — smeared on her face.

“I love singing about rage,” Rodrigo told The Associated Press ahead of the show. “I think I’m a very happy kind of, you know, generally excited person. And I think that in my music and my songwriting, I can kind of express parts of myself that are not so easy to talk about in everyday life, and so rage definitely applies to that.”

“I love just having a song where I can kind of scream and get all of my emotions out. I think it’s so therapeutic,” she continued.

▶ Read more from the interview here and the AP’s review of “GUTS” here.

By ANDREW DALTON

Lainey Wilson won the lone country award handed out during the telecast.

After dominating the Academy of Country Music Awards and the Country Music Association Awards, where she won entertainer of the year, the 31-year-old who called herself a “fifth-generation farmer’s daughter” from Louisiana added the best country album for “Bell Bottom Country.”

“This is absolutely wild y’all, this is my very first Grammy,” she said from the stage, then paid tribute to the farmers and the tiny community she comes from.

Miley Cyrus debuted a new voluminous hairstyle at the Grammys. Cyrus rocked the new look in homage to her idols, including Tina Turner and her godmother Dolly Parton, on Sunday. Cyrus won her first Grammy for her hit song “Flowers.”

In her third look of the night, Cyrus performed “Flowers” onstage to cheers from the audience as Kylie Minogue danced along.

Changing up the lyrics, Cyrus screamed, “I just won my first Grammy.”

Cyrus walked the red carpet in a barely there shimmering gold look before accepting her award in a glittery jumpsuit.

“I’m out of breath because I was changing, then I took a shot — and I ran here,” SZA said, accepting her Grammy for best R&B song.

She thanked Lizzo, who presented her with the award, and noted they had been friends since 2013.

“I’m just very grateful,” she said, tearing up.

“I’m not an attractive crier,” she ended with, adding a wave as she got a standing ovation from Taylor Swift and Meryl Streep.

Taylor Swift loves an Easter egg. The “Midnights” nominee donned a choker made to look like a watch. And yes, the time was set to midnight (if you turn your head sideways, you’ll see the clock pointing to 12).

While a nod to her Grammy-nominated album, the watch also seems apt given the superstar’s seemingly packed schedule over the next week.

By The Associated Press

With nine nominations, SZA is the lead contender at the 66th Grammy Awards.

▶ Revisit AP’s review of her sophomore album “SOS.”

Victoria Monét’s daughter Hazel had company in the cute-kid-on-the-carpet department. Kelly Clarkson’s son Remington Blackstock accompanied his mom in snazzy red duds.

Curious about the inner workings of the “Barbie” soundtrack after that Billie Eilish peformance?

Mark Ronson broke it down for The Associated Press ahead of the film’s release last year.

(Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” is on the soundtrack, but Ronson doesn’t get a Grammy for that song’s wins as he didn’t write it.)

By BETH HARRIS

Commercial breaks signal table-hopping among the stars. Taylor Swift’s spot is ripe for admirers to stop, chat and pose for photos. Waiters pass out drinks amid the hugs and air kisses that come to a screeching halt when the show returns to air.

By ANDREW DALTON

SZA brought a dumpster fire to the Grammys after a year that was anything but.

On a night when she’s the top nominee and has already won two Grammys, she opened her performance in an alley setting, wearing a slung-low fedora and trench coat with flames shooting out of a dumpster.

She shed the suit and the stage set when her medley shifted to her huge hit “Kill Bill,” and was joined by vinyl-suited dancers doing stunts with swords as though they were in the song’s Quentin Tarantino film namesake.

The eight nominees for best new artist:

▶ More from Spotify’s gala featuring most of the nominees

By JONATHAN LANDRUM Jr.

Killer Mike was detained at the Grammy Awards on Sunday after the rapper won three Grammy awards including his first in more than two decades.

In a video, Mike was shown handcuffed and escorted out by Los Angeles police at the Crypto.com Arena after some joyous moments for him at the Grammys’ Premiere Ceremony, where he won three awards in quick succession.

A police spokesperson didn’t offer a name or additional details, but confirmed a Black male was detained.

A representative for Mike did not immediately respond to an emailed or text request for comment.

▶ Read more.

Karol G won her the Grammy for best música urbana album.

“This is my first time at the Grammys and this is my first time holding my own Grammy,” she said as the crowd cheered.

The Colombian singer, songwriter and actor previously won five Latin Grammy Awards, including best new artist.

“I’m super happy, I’m super nervous, I’m super excited to be in front of so many legends that I admire and respect,” she said.

Tracy Chapman electrified and surprised the Grammy audience by teaming up with Luke Combs for a twangy, soulful duet of her “Fast Car.”

The single from Chapman’s self-titled 1988 debut album reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and earned her three Grammy nominations, including record of the year and song of the year.

The track is written from the point of view of a woman whose life hasn’t worked out the way she envisioned.

“You got a fast car, I want a ticket to anywhere. Maybe we make a deal. Maybe together we can get somewhere. Any place is better startin’ from zero, got nothing to lose,” she and Combs sang.

Combs had a massive hit with his cover version and the song won two awards at the CMA Awards. The country star said he was first drawn to the song while driving with his father.

The cover sparked discussions of what it takes to make a country hit — and who can make one.

Chapman rarely makes public appearances. She has only performed for the cameras three times since wrapping up her last tour in 2009.

By ANDREW DALTON

Miley Cyrus has her first Grammy.

She won the first award handed out on the telecast — for best pop solo performance for “Flowers.”

In a career that goes back to her Hannah Montana childhood, she’s been nominated eight times, but had never won before. She has several more chances tonight, including nominations for record and song of the year.

Miley said from the stage that she “just got stuck in the rain and traffic and thought I was going to miss this moment.”

She kept presenter Mariah Carey on the stage for her speech, saying: “I could’ve missed the award, that’s fine, but not Mariah Carey.”

Cyrus donned a different dress from her carpet walk.

In a marked contrast to Golden Globes host Jo Koy’s jests about Taylor Swift, Grammys host Trevor Noah vowed to defend the artist from the ire of NFL fans.

“Can I just say I think it is so unfair how NFL’s fans have been complaining about the cameras cutting to Taylor Swift? Right. Like she’s controlling the cameras at the games,” he said. “Like just let her live.”

He proposed a spot of revenge: “Every time someone says ‘Taylor Swift,’ I’m going to cut the cameras to someone who played football. That’s what I’ll do. Cut back just like that.”

The camera panned to an unaware Terry Crews, who was a linebacker before becoming an actor.

“Oh, yeah. You like that, Terry Crews? You like that? Terry Crews You better fix your face,” Noah advised the actor, who eventually cracked up.

But Noah still had some jokes for Swift, noting how “as Taylor Swift moves through the room, the local economy around those tables improves.”

“Lionel Richie?” Trevor Noah quipped. “Now Lionel Wealthy.”

By ANDREW DALTON

Dua Lipa went from construction-site chic to disco cool as she opened the Grammys telecast with a medley of her hits including “Training Season,” “Houdini.”

She and about a dozen male dancers opened the show in the middle of the floor among the nominees and other audience members. She climbed an apparatus that looked like part scaffolding, part playground equipment while the men lifted and rolled it.

She made her way to the stage where a group of female dancers joined the crew and the setup shifted to mirrored disco.

She’s up for record of the year later for “Dance the Night” from “Barbie.”

Michelle Obama beat Meryl Streep for a Grammy tonight, but the actor is still in the house for the telecast.

She greeted host Trevor Noah during the telecast’s opening. Her son-in-law, Mark Ronson, is a nominee for masterminding the “Barbie” soundtrack.

Trevor Noah is ready to face one of the toughest audiences of his career — the millions watching as he once again hosts the Grammy Awards.

“It is easily the most nerve-wracking thing that I do, but I love it every single time,” Noah tells The Associated Press ahead of Sunday’s telecast. “Each year there’s a new highlight and a new moment that is embedded into my memory.

He said he’s looking forward to the live performances, especially ones by nominated artists Burna Boy, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa and Travis Scott.

▶ Read more from this interview with Trevor Noah ahead of the Grammys.

There are 10 Grammy award presentations slated for the telecast, including the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award and the top awards, like record and album of the year.

By The Associated Press

By BETH HARRIS

Outside the arena, gale-force winds and pounding rain is making a mess as show goers try to get inside. Matted hair and soggy gowns are ruining some guests’ fashion statements. Lines of black town cars are clogging the waterlogged streets, ensuring the arena is less than full to start the show.

By LESLIE AMBRIZ, GARY GERARD HAMILTON