Beyonce breaks record for lifetime Grammy wins

Pop queen Beyonce on Sunday reigned supreme at the Grammys, breaking the all-time record for wins with her 32nd prize and fourth of the night to resounding applause.

The 41-year-old entered the day with the most chances at Grammy gold with nine, following the release of "Renaissance," her rich, layered ode to club music.

She clinched the title by winning the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for her smash "Renaissance," thus surpassing the late classical conductor Georg Solti, who had 31 awards.

"I'm trying not to be too emotional. And I'm trying to just receive this night," Queen Bey said, wearing a shimmering, curve-hugging gown, her hair in mermaid waves as her peers witnessed the history-making moment.

Beyonce thanked her family, and paid special tribute to the queer community, who she credited with inventing the genre she celebrated in her historically layered record that pays homage to pioneers of funk, soul, rap, house and disco.

Beyonce remains a powerhouse contender for the night's major awards of album, record and song of the year -- but the same goes for British balladeer Adele, whose introspective album "30" earned her seven nods.

The 2023 face-off has prompted obvious comparisons to 2017, when Adele swept the top prizes at the glitzy music biz gala, shutting out Queen Bey's culture-shaking "Lemonade.

Despite breaking record after record, when it comes to the big three awards, Beyonce curiously remains something of an underdog in those categories.

She has never won Album of the Year honors and although she has the most Record of the Year nods with eight, she's never won that prize either.

She only scored Song of the Year once, for 2008's "Single Ladies."

- Carlile, Lamar with three wins each -

Both folk rocker Brandi Carlile and rapper Kendrick Lamar had scored three awards by midway through the ceremony.

"This is one of my toughest records to make," Lamar said of "Mr. Morale and the Big Steppers."

"And it allowed me to do that and allowed me to share other people's experiences. Going back and thinking back where I started with rapping, how far I came, I would like to thank the culture for allowing me to evolve in order to make a song."

Actor Viola Davis became the latest showbiz heavyweight to earn a coveted EGOT -- winner of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony -- by taking the Grammy for best audio book, narration and storytelling for her memoir "Finding Me."

Bad Bunny kicked off the 65th annual Grammys gala by bringing the audience to its feet with the first performance, after which Harry Styles jumped out of the gate by winning the award for best pop vocal album for his record "Harry's House."

"Thank you so much. This album, from start to finish, has been the greatet experience of my life," he said onstage.

The star-studded 65th annual gala, hosted once again by comedian Trevor Noah, also featured performances from Styles, Lizzo and Mary J. Blige, as well as ann exuberant tribute to hip-hop music featuring a constellation of stars.

Bad Bunny, indisputably the world's biggest commercial artist, nabbed the prize for Best Musica Urbana album for his major drop "Un Verano Sin Ti," also an Album of the Year contender.

"Thank you to all the Latinos across the entire world," he said in his native Spanish in accepting his award. "We will keep elevating this genre to the next level."

Industry watchers were also waiting to see whether pop juggernaut Swift -- who hit the red carpet in a sparkling, deep blue ensemble alluding to her most recent album "Midnights" -- could win the Song of the Year prize that has evaded her for years.

The superstar -- who has been making good on a vow to re-record her first six albums to gain control of her rights to them -- has a chance at the award celebrating songwriters for her 10-minute version of "All Too Well."

She had already won the Best Music Video prize for her short film based on the song.

- Best New Artist hopefuls strike gold -

After several Grammy years with clear Best New Artist favorites -- Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish -- Sunday's race is wide open.

The category has grown increasingly eclectic and reflective of the internet age's impact on popular music, and many of the nominees -- including Brazil's Anitta, Eurovision rockers Maneskin and rapper Latto -- have all found viral fame on TikTok.

Wet Leg swept the alternative music categories, as several of the nominees jumped forward with early victories: Muni Long stole one of Beyonce's nine opportunities in taking home the award for Best R&B Performance, while Molly Tuttle won for Best Bluegrass Album.

And jazz performer Samara Joy scooped the award for Best Jazz Vocal Album. - AFP