Yahoo Finance 5 History-Making Moments from the 2023 Grammys
Music's biggest night produced some pretty big headlines.
At the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night in Los Angeles, records were broken, history was celebrated and some artists marked major firsts in their fields. From Bey's big new title to Viola Davis' entry into the EGOT club, here are some of the highlights.
Beyoncé Breaks the Record for All-Time Grammy Wins
She did it! Beyoncé — an 88-time Grammy nominee — officially took the record for most Grammy award wins at 32.
"Thank you so much," she said as she began her acceptance speech for No. 32, best dance/electronic music album for Renaissance. "I'm trying not to be too emotional. I'm trying to just receive this night."
Kevin Winter/Getty Beyoncé
In total on Sunday, Queen Bey, 41, won four awards, including best dance recording for "Break My Soul," best traditional R&B performance for "Plastic off the Sofa" and best R&B song for "Cuff It."
The previous record holder was Hungarian-British conductor Georg Solti, who has 31 Grammy Award wins.
Kim Petras Becomes the First Transgender Woman to Win Her Category
While accepting the best pop group/duo performance award alongside Sam Smith for their collaboration, "Unholy," Kim Petras broke down in tears as she shared she was the first transgender woman to take home the win in that category.
Frazer Harrison/Getty Kim Petras and Sam Smith
"I just want to thank all the transgender artists who kicked the door open in order for me to be here tonight," the 30-year-old singer said.
"By awarding queer artists from so many segments of the LGBTQ community and representing so many musical genres as Grammy winners, the Recording Academy reminded the world just how impactful LGBTQ people are when it comes to creating music," GLAAD's vice president of communications and talent, Anthony Allen Ramos, said in a statement.
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He continued, "From Sam Smith and Kim Petras breaking barriers for non-binary and transgender people in music, to Brandi Carlile and Wet Leg dominating the rock and alternative music categories with multiple wins, and Steve Lacy's win for best progressive R&B album, the Grammy Awards were dominated by more openly LGBTQ artists and musicians than ever before."
Viola Davis Becomes an EGOT
Welcome to the club! Before the show aired, Viola Davis won best audiobook, narration & storytelling recording for her memoir Finding Me — cementing her EGOT status.
"Oh my God! I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her life, her joy, her trauma, everything," Davis, 57, began in her acceptance speech. "And it has just been such a journey. I just EGOT!"
Frazer Harrison/Getty Viola Davis
Davis joins an esteemed group that includes Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, Rita Moreno and Mel Brooks, among others.
RELATED: Grammys 2023: See the Complete List of Winners on Music's Biggest Night
Artists Celebrate 50 Years of Hip-Hop
An all-star lineup of artists came together to celebrate recent history in a rousing tribute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop.
LL Cool J kicked things off, with everyone from Run-DMC and Ice-T to Queen Latifah and Missy Elliott joining in with a steady stream of hits from then and now.
The performance included a homage to Nelly's 2002 "Hot in Herre," 1988's "My Mike Sounds Nice" by Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella and Busta Rhymes pairing with Spliff Star to recite all the lyrics from his verse in Chris Brown's 2011 single, "Look at Me Now," among other major moments that had the crowd on its feet.
Kevin Winter/Getty Queen Latifah performing at the 65th Grammy Awards
Hip-hop's 50th anniversary will be celebrated on Aug. 11, the same day DJ Kool Herc held a back-to-school party at the Bronx's Sedgwick Avenue in 1973.
RELATED: Check out PEOPLE's full Grammys coverage to get the latest news on music's biggest night!
Adele Makes a Record of Her Own
When Adele won the Grammy for best pop solo performance for "Easy on Me" on Sunday night, it marked a special milestone for the 34-year-old: her fourth time winning in that category.
Kevin Winter/Getty Adele wins best pop solo performance at the 65th Grammy Awards
The perennial favorite has previously won for her hits "Someone Like You," "Set Fire to the Rain [Live]" and "Hello."
She dedicated her 2023 win to her son Angelo, telling the crowd, "I wrote this first verse in the shower when I was choosing to change my son's life; he's been nothing but humble and gracious and loving to me the whole time."
