Taylor Swift won album of the year at the 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday, setting a new record for most wins by an artist in the annual ceremony's most prestigious category.
Celine Dion presented the award in one of the most emotional (and surprising) moments of the night.
“When I say I'm happy to be here, I say it from the heart,” he said to a standing ovation. “Those who have been fortunate enough to be here at the Grammy Awards should never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people around the world.”
Dion, who received the award 27 years ago from Diana Ross and Sting, has been out of the spotlight since late 2022, when she revealed that she had been diagnosed with rare stiff person syndrome, an autoimmune neurological disorder.
Swift seemed surprised when she took the stage.
“I get to work with one of my best friends, who is not only one of my best friends, but also a once-in-a-generation producer; That’s Jack Antonoff,” he said. “I am so lucky.”
She also thanked her engineer, Laura Sisk, and Lana Del Rey, who came on stage with her.
“A lot of female artists wouldn't be where they are and wouldn't have the inspiration they have if it weren't for the work she's done,” he said. “I think she's a legacy artist, a legend at the best of her right now.”
“I would love to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song, or when I crack the code for a bridge I love, or when I'm in the shot list for a music video, or when I'm rehearsing with my dancers or my band, or getting ready to go to Tokyo to do a show. For me the prize is work. All I want to do is continue to be able to do this.”
Swift announced a new album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” while accepting the award for pop vocal album that same night.
“Midnights” became the pop superstar’s fourth LP to win album of the year after “Folklore” in 2021, “1989” in 2016 and “Fearless” in 2010. Until Sunday, Swift had been tied to three victories each with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Maravilla and Paul Simon.
Swift's win at the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles comes after a year in which she was never far from the center of the cultural conversation, thanks to her successful Eras tour, her re-recordings of her previous works that headlined the charts and their audience. She romanced Travis Kelce of the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs. Next weekend the 34-year-old singer-songwriter is expected to watch Kelce and the Chiefs compete against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas.
Released in October 2022, “Midnights” is Swift's tenth studio album of new songs. The LP, which she primarily produced with her longtime collaborator Antonoff, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1 with total first-week sales and streams of more than 1.5 million units; It spent an additional five weeks at the top of the chart en route to being certified double platinum. “Midnights” also spawned a number one single in “Anti-Hero.”
After two years in which the Recording Academy selected 10 nominees for each of the Grammys' four main categories, only eight made the cut for this year's show. The other LPs nominated for album of the year were Jon Batiste's “World Music Radio,” Boygenius' “The Record,” Miley Cyrus' “Endless Summer Vacation,” Del Rey's “Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd,” and Janelle. “The Age of Pleasure” by Monáe, “Guts” by Olivia Rodrigo and “SOS” by SZA.
In 2023, Swift's former lover, Harry Styles, took the award with his album “Harry's House.”
