Grammy Ratings Soared During In-Memoriam Tribute Performances

Fantasia Barrino performs during the Grammy Awards in memoriam tribute on Feb. 4, 2024, in Los Angeles. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

Thanks to a string of star-studded performances, the 2024 Grammy Awards brought in nearly 17 million viewers, marking the show’s biggest audience in four years.

A total 16.9 million viewers watched Sunday night’s ceremony on CBS and Paramount+, the network said in a press release. That total marked a 34 percent increase from last year’s 12.4 million viewers, it was also the Grammys highest viewership tally since  2020 — the last show before the coronavirus crisis.

According to early Nielsen figures, the number of people watching the Feb. 4 telecast peaked in the 9:45 p.m. quarter hour during the in-memoriam segment.

Over that 15-minute block, 18.25 million viewers watched Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Jon Batiste, Ann Nesby, and Fantasia Barrino perform tributes to music industry icons who died over the past year.

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Stevie Wonder opened the segment with a tribute to legendary jazz and pop singer Tony Bennett. As a video of Bennett played in the background, Wonder performed the late singer’s hit single “For Once in My Life.”

Annie Lennox followed by performing Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor’s chart-topping single “Nothing Compares 2 U,” which was written by Prince.

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis performed a tribute to their late mentor, music executive Clarence Avant. Joined on the piano by musician Jon Batiste, they opened with the Bill Withers’ singles “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lean on Me.”

As a gospel choir belted out background vocals, Batiste rose to his feet and welcomed soul and gospel singer Ann Nesby to the stage to perform the Sounds of Blackness single “Optimistic,” which was co-written and produced by Jimmy Jam and Terry.

Oprah Winfrey introduced the final tribute to her friend, Tina Turner, who died at age 83 in May 2023. Wearing a sparkling gold mini-dress, singer and actress Fantasia Barrino brought the audience to its feet with an energetic performance of “Proud Mary.”

Trevor Noah hosted the 66th Grammy Awards from the Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles.

The night’s big winners included Taylor Swift, SZA and Victoria Monét.


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About Anita Bennett

Anita Bennett is the editor and founder of Urban Hollywood 411. She can be reached on Twitter @tvanita.