5 Feb 2024

Grammys 2024: Kylie Minogue, Billie Eilish and The Beatles win early awards

12:33 pm on 5 February 2024
(From L) Finneas O'Connell and US singer songwriter Billie Eilish accept the award for best Song Written for Visual Media for "What Was I Made For?" during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards pre-telecast show at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 4, 2024. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

Finneas O'Connell and US singer songwriter Billie Eilish accept the award for best Song Written for Visual Media for 'What Was I Made For?' during the 66th Annual Grammy Awards pre-telecast show. Photo: AFP / VALERIE MACON

Kylie Minogue has won her second ever Grammy Award, as "music's biggest night" gets under way in Los Angeles.

The star won best pop dance recording for 'Padam Padam', the viral hit that became a global smash last year.

Billie Eilish, David Bowie and The Beatles also won early prizes at the mid-afternoon "premiere ceremony" that precedes the main event.

The Beatles won best music video for a new dream-like animated clip for 'I'm Only Sleeping'.

Eilish won the first of what could be many prizes for her Barbie soundtrack song 'What Was I Made For?'

"This is ridiculous and insane. Any time I'm involved in anything like this, I'm shocked," she said.

"Making this song saved me a little bit," added the star, who has previously said the track helped her escape a period of writers' block.

Kylie was not at the ceremony at LA's Crypto.com Arena, but her co-writer Peter Rycroft (aka Lostboy) picked up the prize on her behalf.

"I just want to say thank you to the icon that is Kylie for believing in this record," he said.

"It started in a tiny little studio in north London, and she's taken it around the world."

The prize arrived 20 years after Kylie's first Grammy Award, when she won best dance recording for 'Come Into My World'.

The star was in a dressing room when she heard the news, according to a video she posted on social media.

As an off-camera voice called her a "two-time Grammy winner", Kylie screamed and jumped around in her dressing gown. "Where do I go? Yes!" she shouted.

Female-dominated awards

R&B singer SZA is the night's leading nominee with nine nominations in total.

She picked up the first award of the night - best pop dup performance - for 'Ghost in the Machine', a collaboration with Phoebe Bridgers.

SZA is also up for album, record and song of the year, in a field dominated by female nominees - also including Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Lana Del Rey and Janelle Monáe.

The Barbie soundtrack also fared well in nominations, picking up 11 in total. As well as Eilish's prize, the album has already won the Grammy for best compilation soundtrack for visual media.

The David Bowie documentary Moonage Daydream picked up best musical film,while country star Jason Isbell won best American Roots song for 'Cast Iron Skillet', a story of a family torn apart by racism.

"It makes me really happy that these stories can be told and can resonate with people," said the singer, who recently starred in the Oscar-nominated film Killers of the Flower Moon.

"I want to encourage all new songwriters out there to tell the truth and be as honest as you can, as quickly as you know what the truth is."

The main ceremony starts at 8pm in LA (2pm NZT) and will feature performances from Joni Mitchell, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, SZA, Billy Joel and U2.

The In Memoriam section will also see Stevie Wonder pay tribute to Tony Bennett; Annie Lennox honouring Sinead O'Connor; and Fantasia Barrino remembering Tina Turner.

This story was originally published by the BBC.