Billie Eilish
In 2020, Billie Eilish ruled the Grammys, sweeping the four major categories. A year later, the Grammys spread the love around to a number of musicians, with no one artist dominating on Sunday night. Eilish did close out the show once again, winning Record of the Year alongside her brother Finneas for “everything i wanted.” Eilish was stunned and started her speech by telling Megan Thee Stallion the award should have gone to her for “Savage.”
Taylor Swift won her third Album of the Year Grammy for Folklore, making her the first female artist to win Album of the Year three times. Song of the Year went to the politically charged “I Can’t Breathe” by H.E.R. Megan Thee Stallion did win three times, for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song.
Despite not winning in the most notable categories of the night, Beyoncé won four Grammys overall and set a new record as the most-awarded female artist and most-awarded vocalist in history. She is tied with producer Quincy Jones with 28 Grammys in total. The late conductor George Solti won 31 Grammys and is the all-time record holder. Bey won Best Music Video for “Brown Skin Girl,” two for her collaboration on “Stallion” and Best R&B Performance for “Black Parade.”
Taylor Swift
Fiona Apple won for both Best Rock Performance (“Shameika”) and Best Alternative Music Album (Fetch the Bolt Cutters). Dua Lipa‘s Future Nostalgia was named Best Pop Album while Harry Styles won Best Pop Solo Performance for “Watermelon Sugar.” Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande‘s “Rain on Me” won as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Eilish also surprisingly won for “No Time to Die,” her James Bond theme for a film that has been delayed multiple times and still isn’t even out yet.
Due to the pandemic, the awards themselves were handed out in a small outdoor setting under a tent outside the Staples Center and hosted by Trevor Noah, while the many performances were held inside the arena itself as well as other locations. Some of the notable performances included a show-opening Harry Styles, Da Baby conducting a choir of older women as part of “Rockstar” and Dua Lipa’s medley of “Levitating” and “Don’t Start Now.” Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak debuted their new throwback project Silk Sonic. The traditional “in memoriam” segment including tribute performances to Little Richard, Kenny Rogers and John Prine, before ending with Brittany Howards accompanied by Chris Martin on a version of “You’ll Never Walk Alone.”
Taylor Swift sang a medley of three of her new tunes on a set that recreated a mossy forest setting, complete with a cabin. Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B stole the show with a flashy, explicit performance of their hit “WAP,” following Megan’s own “Body” and “Savage.” Lil Baby staged a cinematic outdoor performance of “The Bigger Picture,” a topical take on the past year’s focus on the police and the treatment of minorities. And K-Pop superstars BTS checked in from oversees for “Dynamite.”
