GRAMMY TIME: HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE TELECAST

Warner's Dua Lipa kicks off the Grammy broadcast with the debut performance of her forthcoming single, "Training Season," before transitioning to current single "Houdini." That's her on the jungle gym.

Republic megastar Taylor Swift enters the room.

Miley Cyrus walks away with the first award of the main event, for Best Pop Vocal Performance for "Flowers."

Tracy Chapman takes the stage with Luke Combs (pictured) to perform her "Fast Car," nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for Combs' cover version. A behind-the-music video segment preceded each performance. In this case, Combs explained how "Fast Car" touched him at an early age.

Darkroom/Interscope's Billie Eilish and FINNEAS perform their nominated song, "What Was I Made For?," from the Barbie soundtrack.

In the video segment preceding Cyrus' performance of "Flowers," the Columbia chanteuse confides how she feels about the song's success, enumerates her idols and points out that this is only the third time she's performed the smash in public. Cyrus ad-libs during the bridge, including a reminder that she just won her first Grammy.

Kacey Musgraves presents the Grammy for Best Country Album to Lainey Wilson for Bell Bottom Country—one of the locks of the evening. The broadcast takes a commercial break, during which we learn from a commercial that Musgraves has a new album in the offing. Check out Holly Gleason’s full analysis of the Country categories here.

Best R&B Song is up next. Presenter Lizzo shouts SZA’s given name (Solána Imani Rowe) before clarifying who she's talking about. Hugging ensues. SZA reveals that she and Lizzo have been friends since 2013, when both were taking baby steps toward what would become stellar careers. Near the end of her acceptance speech, SZA says, “Hi, Taylor.”

A brief table tête-à-tête between host Trevor Noah and Billy Joel leads into Olivia Rodrigo's performance of "vampire."

U2 is beamed in from Las Vegas' Sphere in a dazzling display of state-of-the-art videography. Bono calls out the winner of the Best Pop Vocal Album award, Taylor Swift, who points out that Midnights is her 13th Grammy and that 13 is her lucky number. (We thought it was 87.) She surprises all—and nearly breaks the interwebs—by announcing that her next album, The Tortured Poets Department, will be released on 4/19. Per usual, Tay is large and in charge.

Stevie Wonder lends his voice to the "In Memoriam" section of the show, performing a virtual duet with the dearly departed Tony Bennett on Wonder's “For Once in My Life,” an unabashedly emotional moment, before rolling into the jazz standard “The Best Is Yet to Come." Annie Lennox, whose appearance had not been announced, then powers through “Nothing Compares 2 U,” during which an image of Sinead O’Connor materializes. Jon Batiste sings Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine When She’s Gone” and “Lean on Me," leading into a gospel revival that closes out the segment. Nope, it's still going. Oprah celebrates Tina Turner, “our eternal goddess of rock 'n' roll,” setting up a de rigueur rendition of “Proud Mary,” with Fantasia playing the Tina role. Now "In Memoriam" really is over.

JAY-Z brings out daughter Blue Ivy, who stands by his side as he accepts the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award. Among other things, he acknowledges the Black Music Collective and takes a shot at the Grammys for not giving certain big-winning artists the AOTY trophy. "Some of you don't belong in this category," he said, drawing gasps before helpfully explaining, "I tell the truth when I get nervous."

Is this another SZA performance? Well, yes, but it's also a MasterCard ad, part of a reforestation campaign.

Lionel Richie presents the Song of the Year trophy. Billie Eilish and FINNEAS win for their Barbie ballad "What Was I Made For?" Billie notes the incredibly strong entries in the category and confesses, "I'm shocked out of my balls." Their parents seem reasonably proud.

Brandi Carlile brings out Joni Mitchell, noting the incredible debt owed the latter by all aspiring singer-songwriters. Joni's health problems are explained, and the audience learns she just turned 80. The "matriarch of imagination... my hero and yours," as Carlile puts it, walks onto the Grammy stage to perform for the first time. Clutching a cane and seated in a chair, she's very much the winter queen with a somberly retrospective "Both Sides Now." Though her voice is weathered, there are lovely glimmers of her bygone days as those clouds occasionally part. She really has looked at life from both sides now. We looked for a dry eye in the house but didn't see one.

A Travis Scott video opens the Cactus Jack/Epic star's three-song segment, the latter part of which features Playboi Carti. The apocalyptic vibe of this moment is in stark contrast to the rest of the evening. It's followed by a spot for Travis' Nike Air line.

Harvey Mason Jr. then delivers his annual speech. He highlights the global nature of the show and "the world of music," saying, "Music must always be our safe space" and notes the attacks on events from the Bataclan to Supernova. "We mourn the loss of all innocent lives... [but] music must remain the common ground on which we all stand."

Noah recalibrates the mood by proclaiming, "Afrobeats on the Grammy stage for the very first time," bringing out Burna Boy and special guests Brandy and 21 Savage. The brass-heavy grooves have the crowd dancing.

Jon Platt, Jack Antonoff and Jon Bon Jovi get shout-outs for their Grammy-season wins, as does producer and longtime CBS exec Jack Sussman for his service to the awards.

Samara Joy, who won 2023's Best New Artist trophy, bestows this year's award upon Victoria Monét. The songwriter-turned-R&B breakout is understandably emotional, thanking "champagne servers," Grammy voters and her mama, "a single mom raising this bad girl." She likens herself to a plant that was rooting underground and is finally "sprouting." Manager Rachelle Jean-Louis gets a big thank-you.

Producer Mark Ronson and his mother-in-law, Meryl Streep, stride out to present Record of the Year. It goes to Miley for "Flowers" in something of an upset. "This award is amazing, but I really hope it doesn't change anything," she says. "My life was amazing yesterday." She expresses oceans of gratitude and wonders if she forgot anything, venturing, "I might've forgot underwear." Her enduring no-fucks-given attitude is one of our favorite things about Miley.

A sizzle reel for Billy Joel introduces the performance of his first new song in 30 years, "Turn the Lights Back On." Not bad, Billy. Spotted on cello: Laufey.

The legendary Celine Dion then strides out, having recovered sufficiently from her yearslong battle with the rare autoimmune neurological disorder stiff-person syndrome, enchanting the young female stars out front, to bestow Album of the Year, which goes to Taylor Swift for Midnights. Tay's fourth AOTY win makes her the winningest artist in the history of the category. She hails producer Jack Antonoff and salutes fellow nominee Lana Del Rey.

Billy Joel returns to the stage to play out the show with his 1980 hit "You May Be Right."

And just like that, we're done. Smoke 'em if you got 'em.

From the Grammy Premiere Ceremony

Phoebe Bridgers emerged the victor, receiving three awards as a member of boygenius and another trophy for her work with SZA on “Ghost in the Machine.” Bridgers and her boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus won Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song for "Not Strong Enough," while the record was named Best Alternative Music Album.

Their wins came after Killer Mike dominated the rap categories. He closed his speech following his win for Best Rap Performance by saying, “I hope it’s not the last time I see you tonight." Within minutes he had two more Grammys: Best Rap Song and Best Rap Album. He was subsequently detained by the LAPD in connection with an altercation that occurred earlier in the day.

SZA, Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell and The 400 Unit, Fred again.., Lecrae, André 3000, Béla Fleck, Robert Gordon and Deanie Parker each won two trophies during the pre-telecast ceremony, held at the Peacock Theater.

Jack Antonoff was named Producer of the Year for his work with Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and The 1975.

St. Thomas native Theron Thomas, whose credits include Jung Kook & Latto’s monster smash, “Seven,” Tyla’s “Been Thinking” and the Grammy-winning “All My Life,” by Lil Durk f/J. Cole, was named Songwriter of the Year. Treat yourself to his acceptance speech.

The day’s loudest ovation came late in the ceremony when Joni Mitchell stepped up to accept the Best Folk Album award for Joni Mitchell at Newport (Live). “I don’t know what to say about this,” she said, after being helped to the stage by Brandi Carlile. “We had so much fun at that concert and I think you can feel it on the record; it’s a very joyous record.” It’s Mitchell’s 10th Grammy, her first in 23 years for a performance.

SZA started off Grammy day with a win in the first award presented, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, for her song with Bridgers, “Ghost in the Machine.” She later won Best Progressive R&B Album, for SOS.

South Africa’s Tyla won the first Best African Music Performance award for “Water.”

Peso Pluma won his first Grammy, taking home the statuette for Best Música Mexicana Album for GÉNESIS.

EA’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor received the Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games trophy. John Williams won his 26th Grammy, nabbing Best Instrumental Composition for “Helena's Theme," from Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.

Last year’s Best New Artist, Samara Joy, returned to the winner’s circle for “Tight,” the Best Jazz Performance.

Barbie was honored with two Grammys: Best Song Written for Visual Media, which went to Billie Eilish and Finneas O'Connell for “What Was I Made For?,” and Best Compilation Soundtrack, a win for Brandon Davis, Mark Ronson and Kevin Weaver. “This is shocking to me,” Eilish said in accepting the award, her second win in the category. “I’m in awe.”

Performing on the show proved fortuitous for several acts. Minutes after a stirring rendition of “Dear Insecurity” with SistaStrings, Brandy Clark received the Best Americana Performance trophy. Similarly, Kirk Franklin acquired the Best Gospel Performance/Song Grammy after a particularly rousing workout. Laufey also won following a performance, with her Bewitched being named Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.