78-year-old grandma explains how she got to present her favorite artist with a Grammy

The 2023 Grammys was a celebration of joy and love for music, and we cannot get enough of it. Hollywood A-listers and renowned musical artists graced the evening with their presence. Among them was a great-grandmother from Ontario who presented the "Album of the Year" award to Harry Styles. However, 78-year-old Reina Lafantaisie isn't your typical Harry Styles fan. While speaking to The Star, the grandmother of five and great-grandmother of two, who was born in Timmins and now resides in Sudbury has been listening to the former One Direction vocalist from time immemorial. She says she listens to him "daily" and constantly asks Alexa to "play Harry Styles."

"My favorite songs are ‘As It Was,’ ‘Late Night Talking,’ ‘Matilda,’ and ‘Boyfriends,’" she said. Every night, Lafantaisie has to go to bed with her earbuds playing one of Harry's songs just so she can get a good night's sleep. Her husband, Dan, is aware of her being a fan and forgives her for this habit. Her love for Harry Styles was documented by her granddaughter, Renee Grenon, a podcast content creator, on TikTok. Her videos have reached over a million views, even attracting the attention of Grammy producers, who invited her grandma to attend the Grammys. "Over the holidays, all the family got together and we started chatting about music artists, so I gave a little speech to everyone explaining why Harry Styles is a true entertainer."

Lafantaisie often compares Harry Styles with Elvis Presley by drawing similarities between the two. “He’s just like how Elvis (Presley) was, and I’ve seen Elvis twice in my lifetime,” she said. “He is humble, he loves his fans, he can sing, he’s full of energy and he gives an amazing show!” It was Styles' magnetic showmanship and personality that made her fly to Los Angeles last month to see him perform live. During the nominations, Trevor Noah invited some of the superfans onstage and Lafantaisie was in it too. Although, what happened next was something nobody was ready for. “I was totally shocked and honestly was worried I wouldn’t make it,” she said with a laugh. “I was standing there with Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and all these major stars just looking right at me. And then when Trevor Noah asked me to read the winner, I almost fainted.”

Lafantaisie, a retired Ontario real estate agent, says that her biggest worry during the evening was that she didn't have her glasses on. "I was worried I was going to say the wrong thing," she admitted. "Luckily, it all worked out, and it couldn’t have been a more special moment." Soon after, Trevor walked over to Lafantaisie and asked her to announce the winner. She was shaking in her boots, and her slightly trembling voice ushered Harry Styles to come up on stage and accept his well-deserved award for the category "Album of the Year." Not only did he exchange a few words with her, but also hugged her. 

“When you look into his eyes, he is just full of kindness. He hugged me so hard and for so long and it made me wonder if he was thinking of his grandmother at that moment.” Grammy Granny has been going viral on the internet ever since her TV debut in Los Angeles. “My family is completely shocked. We couldn’t tell anyone what was going on until the awards were airing so everyone was just totally shocked.” As for Styles' music, she thinks it's both timeless and iconic.  “His songs are so positive and relatable to people of all ages.” With this, we all know that for Lafantaisie, "You know it's not the same as it was."