Harry Styles had a big Grammys night on Sunday, receiving two awards including the big one for Album of the Year. But he also received backlash for part of his acceptance speech that left people scratching their heads.
Styles took the stage to accept his award for his album Harry's House and shared his own surprise at beating out Beyoncé—who was favored to win—as well as Adele, Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar.
Styles, in obvious disbelief began:
"Well, sh*t."
He reflected on fellow category nominees and shared his appreciation and the ways they inspired him.
Styles then thoughtfully shared:
"I think on nights like tonight, it's important for us to remember there is no such things as 'best' in music."
"I don't think any of us sit in the studio making decisions on what is going to get us one of these."
As members in the audience nodded and cheered, Styles finished:
"I'm just so... This doesn't happen to people like me very often, and this is so, so nice."
...which left a lot of people baffled for many reasons.
You can witness that last sentence below.
\u201c.@Harry_Styles on his #GRAMMYs win for Album of the Year: "This doesn't happen to people like me very often and this is so, so nice. Thank you very much."\u201d— MTV NEWS (@MTV NEWS) 1675659187
Since Styles didn't elaborate many are filling in the blanks.
The conclusions being drawn made Styles—a cisgender White male—to appear very unaware. A majority of past Album of the Year winners have been White males.
Most entertainment industry awards have gone to White males for decades before women and minorities finally received recognition.
People of color and openly LGBTQ+ people have been underrepresented in nominations and wins.
\u201charry styles, a WHITE MAN, standing up on the grammy stage with the aoty award in his hands talking about \u201cthis doesn\u2019t happen to people like me\u201d is so sinister like sir??? i need you to be so fcking fr it only ever happens to \u201cpeople like you\u201d\u201d— jess\u2077 (@jess\u2077) 1675659613
\u201c"This doesn't happen to people like me often" - @Harry_Styles. We beg to differ, Harry. Mediocre white men get glamourized, rewarded and awarded over exceptionally talented, amazing Black women like @Beyonce all day, every day. Case in point is this AOTY win. #GRAMMYs\u201d— B. Bell\ud83c\udfc1 (@B. Bell\ud83c\udfc1) 1675658852
\u201c"This doesn't happen to people like me very often" - Harry Styles winning AOTY at the Grammys 2023\n\nA black woman hasn't won in over 20 years and a Hip Hop artist hasn't won in 19 years. A white man won in 2015.\u201d— Dedee \ud83e\udd40 (@Dedee \ud83e\udd40) 1675660908
Beyoncé has lost many times for Album of the Year despite being expected to win.
She lost out to Adele in 2017, Beck in 2015 and Taylor Swift in 2010.
And this doesn't happen to black female artists for this category as well... since 1999!!!
— 🙂😵😌 (@vianorae) February 6, 2023
\u201cHarry Styles saying this doesn't happen often to people like me in place where Benito might have become the Puerto Rican to win that album and Beyonce the 1st black women since 1999 is WILD. I need him to explain what identity he was using for that speech cause...\u201d— Chichi (@Chichi) 1675660438
\u201cbeyonc\u00e9 thanking the queer community for her award and acknowledging how our culture has impacted her success only for harry styles to get on stage and say \u201cthis doesn\u2019t happen to people like me\u201d an hour later\u201d— el | tlou spoilers (@el | tlou spoilers) 1675661129
So people are speaking out about his choice of words.
…. It happens to people like him more than any other people…
— Get a life (@Getalifeweirdo_) February 6, 2023
sir you’re a white man- I
— 𝔭. BLACK LIVES MATTER (@radiativejustin) February 6, 2023
what does a white man mean by "people like me"??? is it because he's wearing a crop top?
— •Camilo SS• (@TianSalgar) February 6, 2023
…. It happens to people like him more than any other people…
— Get a life (@Getalifeweirdo_) February 6, 2023
Actually it happens all the time 😩🙄
— Jamie Ro (@JamieRo14) February 6, 2023
Some fans of the "Watermelon Sugar" singer came to his defense.
They guessed "people like me" referred to his past struggles as a member of a boy band.
Or something else unrelated to the music industry's racial, gender and sexuality biases.
\u201cwhen harry styles says \u201cthis doesn\u2019t happen to people like me\u201d\u2026\u2026maybe that\u2019s the only way he has of telling you that he\u2019s not who you think he is\u201d— em \u201cpink and blue forever\u201d stan (@em \u201cpink and blue forever\u201d stan) 1675678347
He's from a single-parent working-class background, that's what he meant. chill
— Jay Richards (@jaykrichards) February 6, 2023
he's talking about being from a boyband not being white😭
— rachel (@rachellynnman) February 6, 2023
Everyone in the comments just stop. You obviously have never been to Harry Styles show to understand what he means by that
— Tasha Siera 🎆🍾🥂🎉 (@TashaSiera) February 6, 2023
Perhaps in the future Styles will clarify what he means.
It would be really helpful if he could explain what he means by 'people like me' ...I genuinely want to know 👍
— Alex (@AlexArn29655846) February 6, 2023
But for now, we bet he's rethinking that sentence altogether.
At least we hope he is.
Jane Rosenberg
Jane Rosenberg
@arianagrande/Instagram
@arianagrande/Instagram