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Latin Music's Next Era: How New Festivals & Big Billings Have Helped Bring Reggaeton, New Corridos & More To The Masses
From Viva! LA to Baja Beach Fest and Vibra Urbana, Latin music festivals are experiencing an incredible boom. Dovetailing with the broad genre's increasing popularity, fests bridge "different subcultures and subgenres of music" in one place
As Latin music continues to make extraordinary inroads in the American mainstream — from breaking historic records on the global pop charts to setting new ones in streaming — the festival circuit has also seen a tremendous increase of Latin artists.
More Latin acts than ever performed at top-tier events like Coachella in 2022, a year that also debuted half a dozen exclusively Latin music festivals in the U.S. New events include reggaeton-heavy fests like Chicago's Sueños and Más Flow, and the classic-line-up Bésame Mucho in Los Angeles — all revealing an unprecedented moment for Latin music.
"It's a new era. There's never been this big of a crossover," says Aaron Ampudia, co-creator of Sueños and Mexico’s Baja Beach Fest (BBF). "There's never been a Latin artist like what Bad Bunny is right now, crushing all the records in [the] history of streaming, beating Drake and American artists. That's never happened for Latinos."
Entrepreneurs Ampudia and Chris Den Uijl founded Baja Beach Fest in 2018 in Rosarito’s storied beach venue Papas and Beer, just 20 miles south of San Diego. During that time, there were no sole reggaeton and Latin trap festivals in the region — the closest being 2018’s Latinx indie-heavy Tropicalia in Long Beach. The pair tapped an open market, attracting prospective attendees from both sides of the border all the way up to Los Angeles.
With now-icons Bad Bunny and "Pepas" singer Farruko as headliners, BBF was billed as the "West Coast’s largest Latin trap and reggaeton music festival." By betting on established and upcoming música urbana stars, BBF managed to become a competitive player on the global festival market, doubling in attendance from 15,000 to 30,000 in its first two years and expanding to two weekends, à la Coachella.
"We birthed Baja Beach Fest because we wanted to create an inclusive event for Latinos, specifically young Mexican Americans on the West Coast, and that turned into this movement. It was almost the perfect storm," Den Uijl says. "As the brand has grown, we are now bringing it to the United States. Since Chicago has a massive Latin culture population, we wanted Latinos to have something to celebrate." And their gambit has paid off.
On Memorial weekend, Sueños kicks off in partnership with C3 Presents, the production empire behind Lollapalooza. The festival's expanded genre roster now includes new corridos from Natanael Cano and Fuerza Regida, as well as reggaeton staples Ozuna, J Balvin and Sech. "Having Banda MS come out with Becky G last year [at BBF] was really big," says Den Uijl. "Aaron really pushed it [with the regional stuff] like, ‘Hey, this is something that our culture celebrates.’ It was the moment of the whole entire festival [last year]."
Promoted as "Chicago’s Official Reggaeton Fest," Más Flow debuts in July, focusing its attention on legacy acts, with headliners Don Omar, Zion & Lennox, Tego Calderón and Ivy Queen, among others.
Other música urbana fests in the U.S. that are making a huge splash include Vibra Urbana, which has positioned itself as "The Biggest Reggaeton Festival in the U.S." The festival grew from a backyard reverie in Orlando to an indoor Miami venue in 2020, and will be held in Orlando this June.
"[We started Vibra Urbana] out of love for the music and seeing an empty gap where we felt like we could provide for our city," says festival co-founder David Adan, a Miami-born Cuban American. "Miami is full of Latinos, full of the love for Latin music. Everywhere that you go out, you'll see clubs playing Spanish [language] music. Everyone's talking in Spanish. We needed to make something happen."
The Vibra Urbana team found their niche — and built a significant audience — by gathering some of the hottest new talent of el género. Jhay Cortez, J Quiles, Rauw Alejandro and Myke Towers, who were still in the early stages of their U.S. breakthrough, all performed at the festival’s inaugural year. Such support has contributed to artists' superstar trajectory: Rauw Alejandro graced the cover of Rolling Stone earlier this year, while Jhay Cortez's steady growth continues to uptick by a stream of viral hits.
"We try to put forth the best fan experience, and we put together the artists that we know and who connect with the fans," says Cuban-Lebanese music organizer Kirk Taboada, and partner at Vibra Urbana. The partners' most ambitious festival took place over two days this spring in Las Vegas, where two decades of reggaeton brilliance were on display — from emerging (Dalex, Cauty) to superstar (Anuel AA, Sech) and legendary acts (Don Omar).
"Hopefully in the next five years, we’ll expand it across the globe, to make an impact globally," Taboada adds. "But right now we want to make a huge impact here locally and on the West Coast."
More Latin Talent, More Latin Music Consumption
The 2020 Super Bowl halftime show with Jennifer Lopez and Shakira was a turning point for Latin music, opening more doors for the genre and Latin acts in the live music television space. Since, the presence of Spanish-language acts has increased tremendously on late night television alone, with Kali Uchis, Karol G, the Marías, Nicky Nicole, Natanael Cano, Carlos Vives, Rauw Alejandro, Thalia and Anitta, among others, appearing on the small screen.
The Latin music market has experienced double-digit growth over the past six years. According to the RIAA’s 2021 year-end report, U.S. Latin music revenue generated an all-time high of $886 million, growing by 36 percent year-over-year. Music Business Worldwide predicts that the recorded music market for Latin artists in the U.S. will generate more than $1 billion in 2022.
Read more: 5 Women Essential To Reggaeton: Ivy Queen, Natti Natasha, Karol G, Ms Nina & Mariah Angeliq
The exponential rise of Latin music consumption parallels Latin music festivals’ ascent, with música urbana taking the lead in both. This success opened up more pathways for diverse Latin genres to be (re)introduced to U.S. audiences, as well as the impressive growth of events like Viva! L.A. Music Festival, a compellingly varied fest rooted in Latin indie, inclusiveness and a DIY approach.
"I started with a little music festival in Pomona because I wanted to bring people to the city I grew up in," recalls 31-year-old founder René Contreras, who created the festival as Viva! Pomona a decade ago.
For the first annual Viva! L.A. Music Festival, which will take place at the Dodger Stadium this June, the Chicano entrepreneur partnered with Goldenvoice, the creators of Coachella and Stagecoach. Viva!’s 2022 iteration boasts one of the most eclectic line-ups of the Latin music festival circuit, appealing to a multi-generational audience: J Balvin, Los Tucanes de Tijuana, Carla Morrison, Omar Apollo, Kali Uchis, Willie Colón, Los Fabulosos Cadillacs and Devendra Banhart are among this year's performers.
"[It’s about] bridging different subcultures and subgenres of music, and bringing it all together in one place," says Contreras of the line-up diversity. "You could go to see Eslabon Armado and then you can go and watch Chicano Batman. We have the indie Latinx bands that are really big in L.A., and legends like Daddy Yankee, Ivy Queen, and Paquita la del Barrio, as well as corridos and corridos tumbados. I feel like people listen to all styles of music now. Music is such a big part of our culture and it's really exciting."
"I think it's important to research and try to understand a genre of music from its roots to the top," he adds holding a book called Remixing Reggaetón: The Cultural Politics of Race in Puerto Rico (2015) by Petra R. Rivera-Rideau via Zoom. "You could just book someone and call it a day. But I want to understand the music and its background. Also, going to shows and hanging out after with the artist or manager has helped me understand what it's like to live the creativeness that they're making."
"What Was Once Alternative Is Now Mainstream"
No stranger to alternative Latin music and culture is Nacional Records CEO Tomas Cookman, who also runs the Latin Alternative Music Conference (LAMC) in New York City. Cookman has been championing Latin music in the U.S. since the ‘90s (including briefly through his own festival, Supersónico), and has made a business of betting on indie and niche Latin styles.
In ‘90s, music festivals that held conferences were limited: South by Southwest, CMJ, and New Music Seminar. Hence the birth of LAMC, the first live music/conference space to spotlight a Latin underground that didn’t get shine via radioplay or TV airtime, but resonated loudly in the streets. It also coincided with the first internet boom which, decades later, enables marketing of non-mainstream music and events.
"If a song was a big hit record in London or New York, it probably took six or nine months to hit Mexico City, Bogota, or Buenos Aires [back then]. Nowadays, something comes out, and it's immediate everywhere," says Cookman. "Nowadays, [artists] record in their backyard if they want to. There's still money being spent on recording. But it's so much easier to have a quality of music that resonates on a global level."
The LAMC’s 20th anniversary coincided with the Latin GRAMMYs own, and in 2019 both organizations joined forces at SummerStage to present ChocQuibTown, Guaynaa, Macaco and Vicente García. "Luis Dousdebes from the Latin GRAMMYs came up with that quote," Cookman notes, referring to LAMC's new slogan "What was once alternative is now mainstream."
But the award for ultimate from-alternative-to-mainstream transition goes to Bad Bunny, Rosalía and C. Tangana, who were all featured in LAMC’s 2018 three-CD compilation — when those artists were still independent. "Now it’s a playlist," Cookman says, chuckling.
Although LAMC takes place in New York, Nacional Records’ headquarters is located in Southern California — the area with the U.S.' most concentrated Latin population — where Coachella also takes place and the Bésame Mucho festival.
From the founders of Tropicalia fest, Bésame Mucho arrives in December, with a roster that capitalizes on grupera, banda and rock en español’s glory days, as well as Spanish-language vintage pop. The lineup features legendary performers like Caifanes, El Tri, Los Tigres del Norte, Los Angeles Azules, Sin Bandera and La Oreja de Van Gogh.
"I feel like [nostalgic Latin acts] has been something that's been missing from the [current] festival space. Not just in Southern California, but throughout the U.S.," says Adrian Hernández, founder and creative director of Need Pastel, who designed art for Bésame — as well as the cover for Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti. "I feel like L.A. is the best place for that kind of representation [...] It's almost like a family event, somewhere I could go to with my abuelos."
Siguiendo La Luna: Latin Music’s Next Stop
With the global embrace of Spanish-language and Latin songs, it’s safe to say that American dwellers are truly experiencing a more accepting and diverse moment in history — a new cultural epoch.
"There are lots of similarities to where Latin music is going, where urban music has been for the last 20 years, where it found its important and well-earned space in the market," Cookman says. "I think when people hear Rosalía, J Balvin, or Bad Bunny, they go, "Oh yeah, that could be Drake."
Just the fact that Coachella’s roster doubled in Latin acts since 2020 is a testament to the popularity of today’s Ibero American artists, where Brazil’s Anitta, Colombia’s Karol G, and Mexico’s Grupo Firme and Banda MS were among this year’s performers. "Hopefully, more and more Latino professionals within those companies will have a bigger say in what is important," Cookman adds.
"The growth is unstoppable," Adam chimes in. "I think everyone is noticing now. For reference, Bunny creates songs in a different language [Spanish], and now you have [Hispanophone artists] singing this language, and they have no idea what he’s saying. It’s as simple as that. It's bringing acknowledgement that this genre is here to stay, and ready to keep growing."
11 Essential Bad Bunny Collaborations: Drake, Rosalía, Cardi B, Bomba Estéreo & Others

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10 College Courses Dedicated To Pop Stars And Music: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny & Hip-Hop
In honor of Music in Our Schools Month, check out nine college-level music courses that dissect punk and EDM, global hip-hop culture and the discographies and careers of superstar acts like the Beatles and Harry Styles.
There’s never been a better time to be a music-loving college student.
Beginning in the mid to late aughts, an increasing number of academic institutions have begun offering courses dedicated to major music acts. In the late aughts, rap maverick Jay-Z made headlines after becoming the subject of a Georgetown University course taught by Michael Eric Dyson, a sociologist and best-selling author of Jay-Z: Made in America. In the Sociology of Hip Hop: Jay-Z, students analyzed Hova's life, socio-cultural significance and body of work.
It's easy to see why students would be attracted to these courses — which fill up quickly and are often one-time-only offerings. The intertwining of celebrity and sociology present such fertile grounds to explore, and often make for buzzy social media posts that can be a boon to enrollment numbers. For instance, Beyhivers attending the University of Texas at San Antonio were offered the opportunity to study the Black feminism foundations of Beyoncé's Lemonade in 2016. Meanwhile, Rutgers offered a course dedicated to dissecting the spiritual themes and imagery in Bruce Springsteen's catalog.
Luckily for students clamoring to get a seat in these highly sought-after courses, institutions across the country are constantly launching new seminars and classes about famous pop stars and beloved musical genres. From Bad Bunny to Harry Styles, the following list of popular music courses features a little something for every college-going music fan.
Bad Bunny's Impact On Media
From his chart-topping hits to his advocacy work, Bad Bunny has made waves on and off stage since rising to fame in 2016. Now graduate students at San Diego State University can explore the global superstar's cultural impact in an upcoming 2023 course.
"He speaks out about Puerto Rico; he speaks out about the Uvalde shooting victims and uses his platform to raise money and help them," said Dr. Nate Rodriguez, SDSU Associate Professor of Digital Media Studies. "How does he speak out against transphobia? Support the LGBTQ community? How does all of that happen? So yes, it’s very much relevant to journalism and media studies and cultural studies. It’s all of that mixed into one."
A Deep Dive Into Taylor Swift's Lyrics
Analyzing Taylor Swift's lyrics is a favorite pastime among Swifties, so it's fitting that her work and its feminist themes have been the focus of a string of university courses over the years.
In spring 2022, the Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University launched an offering focused on the "Anti-Hero" singer's evolution as an entrepreneur, race and female adolescence. The waitlisted course — the first-ever for the institution — drew loads of media attention and Swift received an honorary degree from NYU in 2022.
In spring 2023, honors students at Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas can analyze the 12-time GRAMMY winner's music and career in a seminar titled Culture and Society- Taylor Swift.
Kendrick Lamar's Storytelling & The Power Of Hip-Hop
Since dropping good kid, m.A.A.d. City in 2012, Kendrick Lamar has inspired a slew of academics to develop classes and seminars around his lyrical content and storytelling, including an English class that juxtaposed his work with that of James Baldwin and James Joyce.
More recently, Concordia University announced that the 16-time GRAMMY winner will be the focus of The Power of Hip Hop, It’s Bigger Than Us, a course examining the lyrical themes of Lamar’s works, such as loyalty, fatherhood, class and racial injustice.
"No artist speaks to this ethos louder and more intricately than King Kunta, the prince of Compton, Kendrick Lamar, 10 years after good kid, m.A.A.d. City dropped," said Yassin "Narcy" Alsalman, the Montreal hip-hop artist and Concordia Professor who developed the class which launches in winter 2023. “He showed us it was okay to work on yourself in front of the world and find yourself internally, that family always comes first, that community and collective missions are central to growth and that sometimes, you have to break free."
EDM Production, Techniques, and Applications
If you dream of hearing your own EDM tracks played at a massive music festival à la Marshmello, Steve Aoki and Skrillex, this all-in-one course at Boston's Berklee College of Music has you covered. Learn about the cultural origins of the various EDM styles — like techno, trance, drum and bass and more — and the techniques that artists use to achieve these sounds.
In between thought-provoking cultural seminars, students will receive lessons on how to operate the technologies necessary to create their own EDM masterpieces, including synths, digital audio workstations (DAW) and samplers.
Harry Styles And The Cult Of Celebrity
While many celebrity-focused courses center around sociology, the Harry’s House singer/songwriter has inspired his own digital history course at Texas State University in San Marcos: Harry Styles and the Cult of Celebrity: Identity, the Internet and European Pop Culture.
Developed by Dr. Louie Dean Valencia during lockdown, the class will cover Styles’ music along with topics like gender, sexual identity and class — but the singer-songwriter’s personal life is off limits. Stylers who are lucky enough to grab a spot in this first-ever university course dedicated to their fave can expect to revisit One Direction’s catalog for homework.
"I’ve always wanted to teach a history class that is both fun, but also covers a period that students have lived through and relate to," Dr. Valencia wrote in a Twitter post. "By studying the art, activism, consumerism and fandom around Harry Styles, I think we’ll be able to get to some very relevant contemporary issues. I think it’s so important for young people to see what is important to them reflected in their curriculum."
Global Hip Hop Culture(s): Hip Hop, Race, and Social Justice from South Central to South Africa
Since its inception, hip-hop has left a lasting mark on the world, influencing language, fashion, storytelling and beyond. At the University of California Los Angeles, students can learn about how the art form has shaped young minds as they analyze the various hip-hop scenes worldwide.
As part of a mission to establish the university as a leading center for hip-hop studies, UCLA’s Ralph J. Bunche Center for African American Studies launched a hip-hop initiative featuring an artist-in-residence program, digital archives, and a series of postdoctoral fellowships. Chuck D, the founder of the barrier-breaking hip-hop group Public Enemy, was selected as the first artist-in-residence.
"As we celebrate 50 years of hip-hop music and cultural history, the rigorous study of the culture offers us a wealth of intellectual insight into the massive social and political impact of Black music, Black history and Black people on global culture — from language, dance, visual art and fashion to electoral politics, political activism and more," said associate director H. Samy Alim, who is leading the initiative.
The Music Of The Beatles
With their catchy two-minute pop hits, artsy record covers, headline-making fashions and groundbreaking use of studio tech, the Fab Five are among the most influential acts in music history. It’s no surprise, then, that they are the subjects of courses in a number of colleges and universities.
Boston’s Berklee College of Music offers The Music of Beatles, which digs into the group’s body of work as well as the music they penned for other acts. Alternatively, if you’re more interested in their post-breakup works, The Solo Careers of the Beatles dives into those efforts. Meanwhile, the University of Southern California takes a look at their music, careers and impact in The Beatles: Their Music and Their Times.
Symbolic Sisters: Amy Winehouse and Erykah Badu
Whether you want to learn about craft, management, building a career, or marketing your work, the Clive Davis Institute at NYU offers an impressive curriculum for musicians and artists. With seminars focusing on the works of Prince, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, and J. Dilla, a unique duo stands out: Erykah Badu and Amy Winehouse.
Framing the pair as "symbolic sisters," this two-credit seminar explores and compares how each songstress fused different genres and styles to forge a magnetic sound of their own. Winehouse rose to prominence for her retro spin on the sounds of Motown and Phil Spector and rebellious styling. A decade before "Back to Black" singer hit the mainstream, Badu — who is recognized as one of Winehouse's influences — rose to stardom thanks to her seamless blend of jazz, R&B, and hip-hop and captivating urban-bohemian style, creating a template for singers like SZA and Ari Lennox.
Selena: Music, Media and the Mexican American Experience
From ascending to the top of the male-dominated Tejano genre to helping introduce Latin music to the mainstream, Selena Quintanilla's impact continues to be felt decades after her untimely death. Artists including Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Victoria "La Mala" Ortiz, Becky G and Beyoncé cite the GRAMMY-winning "Queen of Tejano" as an influence.
Throughout the years, her legacy and cultural impact have been the focus of dozens of college courses. In 2023, Duke University continues this tradition with Selena: Music, Media and the Mexican American Experience. The course will explore the life, career and cultural impact of the beloved Tejano singer.
The Art of Punk: Sound, Aesthetics and Performance
Since emerging in the 1970s, punk rock has been viewed as a divisive, politically charged music genre. Its unique visual style — which can include leather jackets, tattoos, chunky boots and colorful hair — was absorbed into the mainstream in the '90s, where it continues to thrive (to the chagrin of hardcore punks everywhere). Over the decades, dozens of subgenres have cropped up and taken the spotlight — including riot grrrl and pop-punk — but very few have left the impact of the classic punk sound from the '70s and its anti-establishment themes.
If you're interested in learning more about the genre that inspired bands like Nirvana, check out Stanford University's The Art of Punk seminar, which explores the genre's visual and sonic origins, as well as its evolution and connections to race, class, and gender.

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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The 2023 GRAMMYs Effect: Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar, Lizzo & More See Major Sales And Streams Boost After Record-Breaking Show
Take a look at the impressive gains that 2023 GRAMMYs winners and performers made in Spotify streams and album/song sales, from Beyoncé to Harry Styles.
The 2023 GRAMMYs weren't just historic, they were iconic — and the numbers show it.
The telecast itself saw a 30% increase in viewership, with more than 12.4 million viewers tuning into the Feb. 5 ceremony, the best ratings since 2020 per Nielsen data. In turn, several of the night's winners and performers saw major spikes in sales and streams.
Album Of The Year winner Harry Styles returned to the top 10 of the all-genre Billboard 200 albums chart, as Harry's House — which also took home the GRAMMY for Best Pop Vocal Album — earned 38,000 equivalent album units in the U.S., a 51% gain. His previous two albums, 2019's Fine Line and his 2017 self-titled debut also made gains, the former up 15% and the latter up 11%.
Kendrick Lamar and Adele also enjoyed increases in sales and streams on several albums. Lamar — who won three GRAMMYs this year, including Best Rap Album for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers — had a 20% gain for his fifth LP, as well as a 26% gain for 2015's To Pimp a Butterfly, 11% for 2017's DAMN., and 6% for 2012's good kid, m.A.A.d city.
Adele's 30 had a 25% increase in equivalent album units, while her 2015 album 25 went up 14% and 2011 release 21 went up 10%. (30's lead single, "Easy On Me," earned Adele her fifth GRAMMY for Best Pop Solo Performance — a record in the category.)
After Beyoncé made GRAMMY history at the 2023 ceremony with her 32nd win, her Best Dance/Electronic Music Album-winning RENAISSANCE made a huge jump. The album earned 37,000 equivalent album units, up 109%, helping Bey move from No. 24 to No. 11 on the Billboard 200.
Rising jazz star Samara Joy also had a monumental night, scoring the coveted GRAMMY for Best New Artist. As a result, her 2022 album, Linger Awhile, made its debut on the Billboard 200, with an equivalent album units gain of 319% and a 5,800% increase in Spotify streams in the U.S. The project also hit No. 1 on the Jazz Albums, Traditional Jazz Albums and Heatseekers Albums charts for the first time, as well as the top 10 of the Top Album Sales and Top Current Album Sales charts.
Blues great Bonnie Raitt's win for Song Of The Year (for her 2022 track "Just Like That") served as one of the night's biggest surprises, but also served as a catalyst for some serious streams and sales success. The song spiked from about 10,000 daily on-demand streams in the U.S. on Feb. 3 to 697,000 the day after the GRAMMYs (Feb. 6) — a gain of around 6,700% — according to Luminate. The song's sales were even better, gaining more than 10,000% on Feb. 6; the rest of Raitt's discography also climbed 161%, from 333,000 on-demand U.S. streams on Feb. 3 to 869,000 on Feb. 6.
Most of the 2023 GRAMMYs performers also celebrated sales and streams increases post-telecast. Show opener Bad Bunny saw gains on his GRAMMY-winning albumUn Verano Sin Ti (up 16%), as well as his 2020 albums YHLQMDLG (up 11%) and El Ultimo Tour del Mundo (up 8%). One of the songs Bad Bunny performed, Un Verano Sin Ti single "Despues de la Playa," also saw a 100% increase in Spotify streams in the U.S. in the hour following the telecast.
Lizzo delivered a soaring medley of her Record Of The Year-winning smash "About Damn Time" and the title track from her AOTY-nominated LP Special, the latter of which saw a 260% increase in Spotify streams in the U.S. after the show. Special also moved 11,000 equivalent album units, up 52%.
Steve Lacy won his first GRAMMY in the Premiere Ceremony, Best Progressive R&B Album for his album Gemini Rights. He also took the GRAMMYs stage for a sultry rendition of his hit "Bad Habit," all helping Lacy see a 16% increase in equivalent album units for Gemini Rights.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras also celebrated a historic win at the 2023 GRAMMYs, taking home Best Pop Duo/Group performance for their viral hit "Unholy" — marking the first win in the category by a trans woman. That moment, combined with the pair's risqué performance, helped the song see an almost 80% increase in Spotify streams in the U.S.
The heartfelt In Memoriam segment catalyzed stream increases, the biggest coming from Quavo's "Without U," which he sang in tribute to his late Migos bandmate and nephew Takeoff; the song jumped 890% in U.S. streams following the show. Fleetwood Mac's "Songbird," which Mick Fleetwood, Bonnie Raitt, and Sheryl Crow sang in honor of late Fleetwood Mac member Christine McVie, experienced an almost 100% increase in U.S. streams.
In other U.S. Spotify stream gains for performers, Harry Styles' "As It Was," saw a more than 75% increase; Brandi Carlile's "Broken Horses" saw a more than 2,700% increase; DJ Khaled's star-studded "God Did" (featuring Jay-Z, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, and John Legend) saw a more than 650% increase; Mary J. Blige's "Good Morning Gorgeous" saw a more than 390% increase.
Streaming numbers are from DKC News, a PR representative of Spotify.
12 Classic Moments From The 2023 GRAMMYs, From The Heartwarming To The Surreal

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12 Classic Moments From The 2023 GRAMMYs, From The Heartwarming To The Surreal
From Harry Styles' adorable fan moment to Taylor Swift dancing merengue during Bad Bunny's performance, here are 12 memorable moments from the 2023 GRAMMYs.
When the 2023 GRAMMYs wrapped, viewers weren't just talking about the history-making wins or the dynamo performances.
The internet being the internet, some of the spontaneous, in-between moments — the ones that can only happen during Music's Biggest Night — got a comparable amount of ink, from Adele's surreal meeting with the Rock to Taylor Swift and Bad Bunny's much-memed photo op.
Below, revisit 12 classic, memeable moments from the 2023 GRAMMYs — the ones that the internet is built to receive with laughs, applause and memes galore.
Lizzo Was… A Bouquet?
Lizzo — who won big for Record Of The Year for "About Damn Time" — stepped out in an impressively floral and voluminous getup courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana. Perhaps looking ahead to the vernal equinox, Ms. Bad Bitch O'Clock captioned her Instagram post, "Spring awakening."
Adele Met The Rock For The First Time…
It was her lifelong dream. Shouldn't it be everyone's? And the Rock made it even sweeter with his request to join him onstage, when she won Best Pop Solo Performance: “Get up here, best friend!”
…And Posed With Two Fellow Pop Queens
Everyone seemed to lose their minds over this one — Lizzo included!
Taylor Swift Danced Merengue To Bad Bunny
Swifties might need months of recovery from this moment. As one Twitter user put it, "Taylor Swift dancing to Bad Bunny altered my brain chemistry forever."
Chris Martin's Astronomical Look
Mirroring Coldplay's Music of the Spheres' celestial vibe with his threads, Martin showed up to Music's Biggest Night looking dashingly wizardly.
Lil Uzi Vert's Goku-Like Appearance
During the Hip Hop 50 segment, the celebrated rapper looked ready to go Kamehameha on Crypto.com Arena.
Bonnie Raitt's Astonished Reaction
The Americana legend's Song Of The Year win for "Just Like That," the only nominated song to feature one songwriter, was a massive win for purveyors of songwriting's basics — an instrument, a voice and a pen. Judging by Raitt's expression, she felt the magnitude of the moment completely.
Bad Bunny & Taylor Swift's Photo Op
Trust us: this was memed to the nth degree.
The Crowd Grooved To Hip-Hop 50
A litany of familiar faces — from Bad Bunny to Jay-Z to Taylor Swift — jammed along with the historic salute to hip-hop, which featured countless of the genre's stars from several generations, including Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Scarface, Missy Elliott, Lil Uzi Vert and many more.
Trevor Noah: Special GRAMMY Delivery!
GRAMMY record-setter Queen Bey was famously late to the 2023 GRAMMYs due to traffic — so host Trevor Noah played delivery boy the first golden gramophone she won on the telecast, Best R&B Song for "CUFF IT.".
Harry Styles Celebrated With A Superfan
Last but certainly not least, Album Of The Year winner Harry Styles got to share the big moment with one of his biggest fans — a woman named Reina, one of 10 superfans highlighted throughout the ceremony — as she awarded him his golden gramophone.
Not only did he give her a huge hug upon talking the stage, but he made sure to give her a fist bump after delivering his acceptance speech.
Music's Biggest Night always seems to spawn countless memorable happenings — and we're anxious to see what memeable moments will transpire at the 2024 GRAMMYs!
2023 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Complete Winners & Nominees List

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Lizzo, Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and More Celebrate 2023 GRAMMYs Wins on Social Media
Following the 2023 GRAMMYs, artists including Lizzo, Beyoncé, Kim Petras, reacted and shared award-winning moments from Music’s Biggest Night on social media.
Following the 2023 GRAMMYs, artists including Lizzo, Beyoncé, Kim Petras, and more shared award-winning moments from Music’s Biggest Night with the fans that made their careers possible.
Catch up on the 2023 GRAMMY Awards atlive.GRAMMY.com, where you can watch all of the 2023 GRAMMYs highlights in one place, including GRAMMY performances, acceptance speeches, the GRAMMY Live red carpet special, the full Premiere Ceremony livestream, behind-the-scenes backstage moments, and much, much more.
Lizzo
Lizzo honors the legends that came before her ground-breaking ‘Special’ GRAMMY win for Album of the Year.
Kim Petras
Kim Petras makes GRAMMY history with an important first, winning Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for ‘Unholy’ with Sam Smith.
Samara Joy
First-time GRAMMY-winner Samara Joy celebrates tearfully with her fans live on Instagram.
Beyoncé
Queen Beyoncé poses with her 2023 GRAMMY wins that make her the most GRAMMY-winning artist of all time.