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Jazmine Sullivan is now a two-time Grammy Award winner. During the Sunday (April 3) ceremony, the singer took home the 2022 best R&B album award for her work on 2021’s Heaux Tales— her second award of the night — and delivered a touching speech about the album’s inspirations.
“I wrote this project to deal with my own shame and unforgiveness around some of the decisions I made in my 20s that weren’t favorable. But what it ended up being was a safe space for Black women to tell their stories, for us to learn from each other, laugh with each other and not be exploited at the same time and that’s what I’m most grateful for,” Sullivan said. “Shout-out to all Black women who are just living their lives and being beautiful.”
Sullivan’s road to the Grammys has been a long one. The artist won her first-ever Grammy award earlier in the evening for best R&B performance with “Pick Up Your Feelings” in a tie with Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.” The 34-year-old was nominated for best new artist in 2009 and has since racked up nominations in the best traditional R&B vocal performance, best female R&B vocal performance and best R&B song categories.
Heaux Tales found commercial success, with the LP hitting the Billboard 200 chart at No. 4, where it spent a total of 19 weeks. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Top R&B Albums chart, while its lead single, “Pick Up Your Feelings,” peaked at No. 7 on the Hot R&B Songs tally and earned top 10 placements on the R&B Streaming Songs, R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay, R&B Digital Song Sales and Mainstream R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay charts.
Watch Sullivan’s acceptance speech below:
Foo Fighters – who swept their categories at the 2022 Grammys – were originally scheduled to perform at the Sunday (April 3) night ceremony in Las Vegas, but understandably pulled out after the unexpected death of drummer Taylor Hawkins at age 50 on March 25. Ahead of the 2022 telecast’s In Memoriam section, Hawkins – one of the most beloved drummers in the business — received a special video montage tribute, introduced by host Trevor Noah.
The primary In Memoriam segment doubled as a tribute to the late Stephen Sondheim, who died at the age of 91 last November. It opened with Tony, Grammy and Emmy winner Ben Platt taking the stage for a somber take on “Not a Day Goes By” from 1981 musical Merrily We Roll Along as the names and photos of late artists and music business players flashed on the screen behind him.
Next up was Tony and Grammy winner Cynthia Erivo, who delivered a gorgeous rendition of “Send In the Clowns,” originally from A Little Night Music but also made popular by Judy Collins, whose version went to the top 40 on the Billboard Hot 100. Tony and Grammy winner Leslie Odom Jr. joined Erivo onstage, singing “Not a Day Goes By” as a countermelody to Erivo’s “Clowns.”
Finally, Rachel Zegler – who portrayed Maria in Steven Spielberg’s 2021 remake of West Side Story and won a Golden Globe for it – entered to sing “Somewhere” from West Side Story. It ended with all of them blending their voices on the musical theater classic as the In Memoriam segment wrapped.
Olivia Rodrigo took home the notable best pop vocal album award at the 64th Annual Grammy Awards Sunday (April 3) for her debut album, Sour.
Wearing a floor-length black and purple gown reminiscent of a goth prom dress, Rodrigo gave Sour producer Dan Nigro a long hug before ascending onto the Grammys stage at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas to accept her third ever Grammy award. Dedicating the honor to her parents, Rodrigo shared a sweet story of her childhood gymnast dreams as a 9-year-old, before deciding “the next week” that she’d grow up to win a Grammy. “[My mom] was very supportive even though I’m sure she thought it was a little kid pipe dream,” she said, cradling the golden gramophone in her hands.
The 19-year-old pop star was up against Justin Bieber’s Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe), Doja Cat’s Planet Her, Billie Eilish’s Happier Than Ever and Ariana Grande’s Positions. Earlier in the evening, Rodrigo won best new artist and took home best pop solo performance for her smash single “Drivers License.”
The award was presented to the “Drivers License” singer by 30 Seconds to Mars’ lead man and actor Jared Leto. Sour debuted atop the Billboard 200, and held the top spot for five non-consecutive weeks. Her debut hit “Drivers License,” spent eight weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.
During the first hour of the Grammy Awards ceremony, Rodrigo gave a heartfelt performance of “Drivers License” while appropriately seated behind the wheel of a Mercedes convertible. The stage also transformed into a suburban street to fit the theme.
Watch her acceptance speech below:
Billboard’s Carl Lamarre spoke with Jared Leto on the red carpet of the 2022 GRAMMY Awards.
Billboard’s Carl Lamarre spoke with H.E.R. on the red carpet of the 2022 GRAMMY Awards about her GRAMMY win, getting her album ready, touring and who she’s excited to see tonight.
