‘Old Town Road’ Wins Grammy Award for Best Music Video
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus won their first Grammy of the night for the music video for "Old Town Road." The sprawling, hilarious video features Cyrus and Lil Nas X entertaining an old folks home and patrolling neighborhood streets in a Maserati and by horseback, respectively. It also features cameos from people like Chris Rock, Vince Staples and Diplo.
Director Calmatic accepted the award alongside Lil Nas X. "I’m just so overwhelmed with love right now," the first-time nominee said. "To all the kids in my neighborhood — trust your creative ideas. This video is a perfect example of trusting your ideas and trusting that it can change the world."
Watch: Lil Nas X Performs "Old Town Road" at the Grammys
The win marks the first time Billy Ray Cyrus has won a Grammy Award. Prior to his collaboration with Lil Nas X, Cyrus has been nominated four other times — the last occurring in 1994 as part of Dolly Parton's collaborative song "Romeo." Cyrus' song "Achey Breaky Heart" was nominated in 1993 for Record of the Year and Best Country Vocal Performance, Male. He was also nominated for Best New Artist.
Cyrus' contribution to "Old Town Road" helped cement the song as a bona fide cross-genre hit, breaking charting records and becoming one of the biggest viral sensations in music history.
The original performance first gained traction on the social media app TikTok. Its popularity on streaming platforms led it to quickly climb the country charts. After controversy surrounding the song's classification as a country song, Cyrus stepped in to add an additional country element. The song is also nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at this year's awards.
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