Billy Ray CyrusandLil Nas Xsnagged their first-ever Grammys together.
On Sunday, the collaborators won best music video for “Old Town Road,” their mega-popular song that blends pop, country and rap for a catchy tune that’s also nominated for record of the year and also won best pop duo/group performance.
On Twitter, Cyrus dedicated the wins toKobe Bryantand his 13-year-old daughter Gianna, whoboth died in a helicopter crashon Sunday morning prior to the Grammys ceremony.
Speaking withE!‘sRyan Seacreston the red carpet ahead of the2020 Grammy Awardsceremony, Cyrus, 58, shared his praise for Lil Nas X, 20, and his trailblazing genre-bending talents.
“I’ve got to thank this young man right here for being a visionary and looking at music as there are no walls, you know,” said Cyrus, adding that Lil Nas X “took the walls down.”
Added Lil Nas X, “My vision was to bring these two genres together, and it worked out much better than I even expected.”
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Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus.Rich Fury/Getty Images
Also nominated for best music video were The Chemical Brothers for “We’ve Got To Try,” Gary Clark Jr. for “This Land,” FKA Twigs for “Cellophane” and Tove Lo for “Glad He’s Gone.”
“Thank you to every single person who has been apart of this journey. As I said before, it’s just the beginning! ???⚡️,” Lil Nas Xwrotein a lengthy Instagram caption with a behind-the-scenes look at recording with the country star.
When the rapper’s viral country-trap song wasremoved fromBillboard’s Hot Country chart upon its release, Cyrus spoke out about whether the song should be classified as “country.” In a statement toRolling Stone,Billboardsaid the track “does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version.”
“It was so obvious to me after hearing the song just one time,” Cyrus wroteon Twitterin April. “I was thinking, what’s not country about it? What’s the rudimentary element of a country and western song? Then I thought, it’s honest, humble, and has an infectious hook, and a banjo.What the hell more do ya need?”
Tune into the 62nd annualGrammy Awardsat 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS.
source: people.com