Harry Styles’ granny superfan from Sudbury steals the Grammys

Article content

Beyonce’s Bey Hive might have been lamenting the singer’s Grammys album of the year loss to Harry Styles, but as the former One Direction heartthrob took the stage to accept the night’s biggest prize, a 78-year-old grandmother from Sudbury, Ont., was all anyone wanted to talk about.

Article content

Styles superfan Reina Lafantaisie was one of several “fans” who appeared throughout the night to share why they thought their favourite artist deserved to win the album of the year.

Article content

As host Trevor Noah got set to present the award, he invited the various superfans to the stage.

When he saw that Styles was taking home the hardware on behalf of his Harry’s House LP, Noah turned to Lafantaisie and said, “You read it.”

Clearly stunned, Lafantaisie was greeted by Styles onstage as he bounded up to accept the top prize and give her a big hug.

In a clip that was aired during the show, Lafantaisie’s granddaughter declared she was Styles’ “number one fan.”

“If the Grammys did their job, he’s getting that award,” she said.

Article content

On social media, viewers praised the moment as one of the highlights of the night.

“Seeing a grandmother from Sudbury, Ontario, cheering on Harry Styles is not something I expected to see tonight, but it was incredibly awesome,” one person tweeted, with another adding, “Kudos to Trevor Noah for giving a grandmother from Sudbury, Ontario, the moment of her life.”

Article content

During an interview with morning hosts Roz and Mocha from Kiss 92.5, Lafantaisie said she “probably won’t even sleep for the next three nights.”

“I always knew he would win, in my heart,” she said, per Sudbury.com. “I want to tell him what a great person he is, what a great songwriter he is, and that he deserves every accolade he gets. He’ll be here for a long time.”

Cradling his new trophy, Styles claimed there was “no such thing as ‘best’ in music … This doesn’t happen to people like me very often.”

But it was that last sentence sparked immediate backlash, particularly since he beat Beyonce, who has yet to take home album of the year honours in her 20-plus year career.

“Saying ‘this doesn’t happen to people like me very often’ when a Black woman hasn’t won that award since 1999 is crazy,” one critic swiped.

Article content

“Harry said, ‘Things like this don’t happen to people like him.’ Sir, you are a white, male pop star. Please. The Grammys exist for people like you,” another added.

Article content

Another watcher called the viral moment “cringe.”

“Harry Styles saying, ‘This doesn’t happen to people like me very often’ is so cringe. Yes, he’s worked hard. No one can take that away from him. But read the room. Please.”

When Adele bested Beyonce the last time both were nominated for this award back in 2017, Adele asked reporters after the show, “[What] does she have to do to win album of the year?”

But Lafantaisie was unmoved by the unfolding controversy.

“I think my great-grandkids will still be listening to him,” she told Roz and Mocha.

mdaniell@postmedia.com

Article content

Beyonce’s Bey Hive might have been lamenting the singer’s Grammys album of the year loss to Harry Styles, but as the former One Direction heartthrob took the stage to accept the night’s biggest prize, a 78-year-old grandmother from Sudbury, Ont., was all anyone wanted to talk about.

Article content

Styles superfan Reina Lafantaisie was one of several “fans” who appeared throughout the night to share why they thought their favourite artist deserved to win the album of the year.

Article content

As host Trevor Noah got set to present the award, he invited the various superfans to the stage.

When he saw that Styles was taking home the hardware on behalf of his Harry’s House LP, Noah turned to Lafantaisie and said, “You read it.”

Clearly stunned, Lafantaisie was greeted by Styles onstage as he bounded up to accept the top prize and give her a big hug.

In a clip that was aired during the show, Lafantaisie’s granddaughter declared she was Styles’ “number one fan.”

“If the Grammys did their job, he’s getting that award,” she said.

Article content

On social media, viewers praised the moment as one of the highlights of the night.

“Seeing a grandmother from Sudbury, Ontario, cheering on Harry Styles is not something I expected to see tonight, but it was incredibly awesome,” one person tweeted, with another adding, “Kudos to Trevor Noah for giving a grandmother from Sudbury, Ontario, the moment of her life.”

Article content

During an interview with morning hosts Roz and Mocha from Kiss 92.5, Lafantaisie said she “probably won’t even sleep for the next three nights.”

“I always knew he would win, in my heart,” she said, per Sudbury.com. “I want to tell him what a great person he is, what a great songwriter he is, and that he deserves every accolade he gets. He’ll be here for a long time.”

Cradling his new trophy, Styles claimed there was “no such thing as ‘best’ in music … This doesn’t happen to people like me very often.”

But it was that last sentence sparked immediate backlash, particularly since he beat Beyonce, who has yet to take home album of the year honours in her 20-plus year career.

“Saying ‘this doesn’t happen to people like me very often’ when a Black woman hasn’t won that award since 1999 is crazy,” one critic swiped.

Article content

“Harry said, ‘Things like this don’t happen to people like him.’ Sir, you are a white, male pop star. Please. The Grammys exist for people like you,” another added.

Article content

Another watcher called the viral moment “cringe.”

“Harry Styles saying, ‘This doesn’t happen to people like me very often’ is so cringe. Yes, he’s worked hard. No one can take that away from him. But read the room. Please.”

When Adele bested Beyonce the last time both were nominated for this award back in 2017, Adele asked reporters after the show, “[What] does she have to do to win album of the year?”

But Lafantaisie was unmoved by the unfolding controversy.

“I think my great-grandkids will still be listening to him,” she told Roz and Mocha.

mdaniell@postmedia.com