There are a ton of new faces at the Grammy Awards, and they got the ball rolling early Sunday on music’s biggest night.
New sensation Lizzo, who leads the field with eight nominations, including best new artist, won two Grammys in the pre-show premiere ceremony as did country-rap breakout Lil Nas X, while teenage phenomenon Billie Eilish also took an early victory for pop vocal album.
But even with the youth movement likely to be celebrated at the main ceremony of the 62nd annual Grammys, again hosted by Alicia Keys, some old-school favorites picked up honors, too. Country legend Tanya Tucker won her first Grammys ever, while Gloria Gaynor received an honor four decades after “I Will Survive” took the awards by storm.
Stay tuned for the highlights and wins from the Grammys’ prime-time show (beginning at 8 ET/5PT).
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Here are all the major wins from the pre-show ceremony:
6:47: Eilish gets her first Grammy win – best pop vocal album – for “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” (It also received the best engineered album award earlier in the day.) Her brother Finneas takes producer of the year (non-classical).
6:43: Lil Nas X receives best pop/duo group performance, his second Grammy of the day, for “Old Town Road,” his huge breakout hit with Billy Ray Cyrus. Elvis Costello & The Imposters snags best traditional pop vocal album for “Look Now.” “This is a beautiful thing,” says Costello, who kept a Carole King collaboration on the shelf for years until the album “because I didn’t want to answer to Carole if I didn’t get it right.”
6:28: Lizzo scores her first two Grammy wins, best traditional R&B performance for “Jerome” and urban contemporary album for “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe).” PJ Morton’s “Say So” gets best R&B song and Anderson Paak snags best R&B performance for “Come Home,” his collaboration with Andre 3000, plus R&B album for “Ventura.” “This is a win for R&B,” Paak says. “I’m just going to keep it at my house. if you don’t mind.”
6:16: Gary Clark Jr. takes best rock performance and rock song for “This Land” – he also won best contemporary blues album earlier in the day. Clark thanks “everybody who paid attention and showed love.” Tool’s “7empest” gets best metal performance, Cage The Elephant earns best rock album for “Social Cues,” and Vampire Weekend’s “Father of the Bride” is named best alternative music album.
6:14: The Broadway musical “Hadestown,” which swept the Tonys with eight awards (including best musical) last summer, wins the Grammy for best musical theater album.
5:41: Nipsey Hussle, who was fatally shot last March in L.A., posthumously wins best solo rap performance for “Racks in the Middle.” The performer “was a phenomenal vessel,” says Lauren London, Hussle’s girlfriend and the mother of his son, accepting the Grammy alongside Hussle’s family. “Nip did it not just for the awards but for the people. God allowed him to use this music to speak his truth, give us wisdom and (it’s) something that we will forever be able to live with.”
5:25: Forty years after winning best disco recording for “I Will Survive,” Gloria Gaynor, 70, takes home best roots gospel album for “Testimony.” “I am at least able to balance out my piano,” Gaynor quips. In addition, Kirk Franklin wins best gospel album for “Long Live Love” and best gospel performance for his song “Love Theory.” “Sending prayers to Kobe Bryant and his family,” Franklin added.
5:05: After almost 50 years in the music business, 61-year-old Nashville stalwart Tanya Tucker finally won her first Grammys, best country song for “Bring My Flowers Now” and best country album for “While I’m Livin’.” “There’s no words to express how I feel right now,” Tucker says. Willie Nelson also won best country solo performance for “Ride Me Back Home.”
4:50: Esperanza Spalding, the first jazz artist to win Grammy’s prestigious best new artist honor, snags best jazz vocal album for “12 Little Spells.” “Thank you to whatever mystery life-force energy is moving through us,” says Spalding, wearing a flowery dress with “LIFE FORCE” written on the front. Other jazz Grammys went to Chick Corea & the Spanish Heart Band (Latin jazz album for “Antidote”) and Brian Lynch Big Band (large jazz ensemble album for “The Omni-American Book Club”).
4:45: Legendary composer John Williams wins his 25th career Grammy for best instrumental composition for “Galaxy’s Edge Symphonic Suite,” which he created for the new “Star Wars” lands in the Disney theme parks. And English musician Jacob Collier picks up a couple of arranging Grammys for “Moon River” and “All Night Long.”
4:38: The audiobook for Michelle Obama’s best-selling memoir “Becoming” takes best spoken word album. “I will gladly accept this on her behalf,” presenter Esperanza Spalding says with a grin, earning a cheer from the crowd. The Chemical Brothers win best dance/electronic album for “No Geography” as well as best dance recording for “Got to Keep On,” Patty Griffin’s self-titled effort takes best folk album, and Koffee’s “Rapture” is named best reggae album.
4:20: Backstage, producer Paul Blair (aka DJ White Shadow) says he’s not sure if Lady Gaga is aware of the wins yet. “I texted her, but I’m not sure (if she knows),” he says.
4:05: Lil Nas X wins best music video for “Old Town Road” with Billy Ray Cyrus. He simply says “thank you,” at the microphone when accepting his award. Moments later, Beyonce wins best music film for her Netflix project “Homecoming.” She is not in the room for the win, and producer Steve Pamon accepts instead. He’s the first to reference Kobe Bryant’s death, which hit like a shockwave just an hour prior: “Rest in peace, Kobe, we love you,” he says.
3:45: Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga win best compilation soundtrack for visual media, a year after their Oscar run for the musical film “A Star Is Born.” Sadly, neither star is in the house to pick up the award; album producers accept instead. Gaga and Cooper win again moments later, taking home best song written for visual media for “A Star Is Born” ballad “I’ll Never Love Again.”
