STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — Tyler Johnson, a 2004 Steamboat Springs High School graduate, went into the 2023 Grammy Awards not expecting to win despite being nominated for three of the big four categories for his work on Harry Style’s album “Harry’s House.”

“I think that’s the correct way to go into those things,” he said. “We were up against incredible artists.”

Johnson was a writer and producer on the album alongside friend and colleague Kid Harpoon, or Tom Hull. The album, the second the pair wrote and produced with Styles, was nominated for Album of the Year, with single “As it Was” being nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year and a few other categories. Still, he didn’t expect to do well.

He didn’t have to sit with that feeling for long, though, as Harry’s House won the first televised award: Best Pop Vocal Album.

“I didn’t black out but I definitely shook. I got very excited,” he said. “You can see it on screen. I did a little shake.”

With the nature of the category, Johnson wasn’t sure if he would personally get an award. After a little bit of research, he learned he would, which took some pressure off the rest of the evening. 

Johnson said experiencing that victory while looking back at growing up Steamboat Springs made the moment even more surreal. 

To close out the night, “Harry’s House” won one of the biggest honors of the evening: Album of the Year. Other nominees included ABBA’s “Voyage”, Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti”, Lizzo’s “Special” and Beyonce’s “Renaissance”. 

When Styles, Johnson and Hull took the stage to accept the award, some members of the crowd heckled and booed, saying Beyonce deserved the award.

“It’s obviously so important for us to remember that there is no such thing as best,” Styles said in his speech. 

Johnson thanked his family while on stage, and his wife, Lindsay Marias. He echoed a similar sentiment about winning and receiving backlash immediately from those in attendance.

“I think everyone in that category deserved to win,” he said. “It just so happened that we won and that is what it is.”

Even without the awards, Johnson said it would have been a great evening of spending time with friends. One highlight of the evening was getting to meet Adele, who was friends with Hull.

“We really had a good time,” he said. “The show was very enjoyable. The hip-hop 50-year tribute was mind-blowingly good.”

Johnson’s next big project is coming out next month, as he co-produced the song “Flowers” by Miley Cyrus, the lead single on the album “Endless Summer Vacation,” which releases March 10. Johnson said he’s also working on Leon Bridges’ next album, and an album with Cam, a country artist that Johnson and Marias supported through her early days and first hits.

Now that he’s checked off the boxes of getting nominated and winning Grammys, Johnson isn’t quite sure what his next life goals are.

“For me, I am going back to the goal drawing board,” Johnson said. “Maybe it’ll be more about finding life balance and starting a family.”

This story is from SteamboatPilot.com.