Diplo has clarified his response to Beyoncé’s recent win at the Grammy Awards, amid speculation that he had mouthed “they bought that” when the singer’s name was announced.
Diplo and Beyoncé were both nominated in the Best Dance/Electronic Music Album category at the awards ceremony on Sunday (February 5), for their respective albums ‘Diplo’ and ‘Renaissance’. While clips from the telecast appear to show Diplo mouthing the words “they bought that” upon Beyoncé’s win, the producer insisted yesterday (February 8) that the singer “deserves her flowers.”
Did diplo just said "they bought that"???? pic.twitter.com/kB7UcxKQjG
— 𝑨𝒊𝒎𝒂𝒏🖤🥀 (@LYTLMSTAN24) February 8, 2023
“Swipe to the end to see what I said,” Diplo wrote on Instagram, alongside a clip with the caption: “I’m glad to be part of this”. Diplo, who has produced Beyoncé songs like ‘Run the World (Girls)’ and ‘End of Time’, called himself a “Beyonce stan”, and praised the singer for doing “the work” to find “real producers” for ‘Renaissance’. “What’s important to understand was that her intention was 100%,” he added.
“[Beyoncé] deserves her flowers… and when she won I was just proud to see my nomination on the screen in the huge arena.” Elsewhere, Diplo noted how this year’s ceremony marked the first time the Best Dance/Electronic Music Album category was televised, which he said was a reflection of “one of the strongest years for electronic music.”
Diplo spoke affectionately of the inclusiveness of “the dance music community”, saying it has “united the world during my lifetime”. He continued: “Dance music has and will be the most Inclusive music of our generation… Our community has always been gay / straight, but icy , poor.. white black brown purple.”
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Beyoncé’s victory in the category – which also included Bonobo’s ‘Fragments’, Odesza’s ‘The Last Goodbye’ and Rüfüs Du Sol’s ‘Surrender’ – saw the singer break the record for the most Grammy wins of all time.
Other highlights from the ceremony included Viola Davis achieving EGOT status with her Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling win, and performances by LL Cool J, Busta Rhymes, Queen Latifah and more as part of a celebration of 50 years of hip-hop.