History was made: With her four wins tonight, Beyoncé now has the most Grammys of any singer ever while Taylor Swift became the first woman to win the Grammy for album of the year three times when “Folklore” earned that honor on Sunday’s 63rd Grammy Awards.
Swift, who had previously won album of the year for “Fearless” and “1989,” thanked the fans for joining her and collaborators including producers Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff for an album in which many fans found comfort during the pandemic weirdness of 2020.
“You guys meet us in this imaginary world that we created,” she said, dressed in floral print gown and matching face mask.
Billie Eilish, who a year ago swept the Grammy’s prestige categories, grabbed another one on Sunday when “Everything I Wanted” won record of the year, the final award of the night.
“Hey, Ringo, what’s up?” the 19-year-old greeted the 80-year-old Beatle who’d presented the award. Then the teen said she didn’t deserve it, that Megan Thee Stallion, whose “Savage” was also nominated in the category, really should have gotten the Grammy.
“Megan, girl,” Eilish said. “I was gonna write a speech about how you deserve this, but then there’s like no way they will choose me.
“You had a year that I think is untoppable. You are a queen. I want to cry thinking about how much I love you.”
Beyoncé, now with 28 Grammys, passed country singer Alison Kraus on Sunday to become the biggest Grammy winner of all time for any singer male or female. She now is tied with producer Quincy Jones and three behind conductor Georg Solti.
“As an artist, I believe it’s my job and all of our jobs to reflect the times,” Beyoncé said after winning best R&B performance for her single “Black Parade.” And it’s been such a difficult time. So I wanted to uplift, encourage, and celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspired the whole world.”
Timely song
The experts didn’t expert H.E.R. to have much of a chance for song of the uear at this year’s Grammys, with Swift, Dua Lipa and Beyoncé all considered more likely winners of the Grammy that goes to the writers of the song.
But when host Trevor Noah opened the envelope, it was H.E.R.’s name he read. (Co-writers Dernst Emile II and Tiara Thomas, the latter of whom accompanied H.E.R. to the stage, shared in the win.)“I Can’t Breathe” is a song with much social relevance, as it was inspired by the death of George Floyd and the protests of 2020 that followed, and its title echoing the last words of Eric Garner, who died in police custody.
“We wrote this song over Facetime and I didn’t imagine that my fear and my pain would turn into impact, and it would possibly turn into change,” H.E.R. said. “That’s why I write music, that’s why I do this.”She thanked God for “the gift of a voice and pen” before mentioning that she’d recorded it in her bedroom at her mom’s house, and that her dad cried when she played it for him.
“Remember, we are the change that we wish to see,” she said. “And that fight we had in us, the summer of 2020, keep that energy.”
Strong sets
Performances, rather than awards, are the heart of the Grammy show, and so it remained Sunday when the first hour of the broadcast delivered live gems from Swift, Bruno Mars Anderson, .Paak, Silk Sonic and Lipa.
Swift opened with “Cardigan” while lying on what looked like the moss-covered roof of a backwoods shack.Then with Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner joining her on acoustic guitars inside the shack, Swift slipped quickly through “August” and “Willow” before joining her fellow nominees for pop solo performance out on the Microsoft Theater patio.
Harry Styles, who’d changed from the green boa and black leather jacket of his earlier performance of “Watermelon Sugar” into a pink boa and yellow plaid jacket, won that Grammy, just the third handed out in the first 90 minutes of the CBS broadcast.
Styles received the Grammy from presenter Rachelle Erratchu, night manager at the iconic Troubadour in West Hollywood, part of the Grammys’ effort to put the spotlight on independent music venues that have struggled over this year of COVID-19 and lockdowns.
Earlier, J.T. Gray of the Station Inn in Nashville handed out the Grammy for best country album to Miranda Lambert for her record “Wildcard.”
Before Swift’s performance and Styles’ win, Silk Sonic, the new ’70s soul-infused duo formed by Mars and .Paak delivered a retro-perfect live debut with the single “Leave The Door Open.” Their outfits — burnt orange three-piece suits with wide, wide lapels — were both delightful and a reminder of why we don’t dress like that anymore.
Dua Lipa, the Kosovo-born, England-raised dance-pop star with a ton of nominations on Sunday also impressed with her performance of a pair of songs; Da Baby, fresh off his own live performance, joined her for “Levitating,” leaving the stage as she segued into “Don’t Start Now.”
Deaths noted
All of the above, though, was nowhere near as touching as the Grammys tribute to those who’d died over the past year, the memorial segment not just a slideshow of the late greats, but a variety show all on its own.
Mars and .Paak raced through a quick tribute to Little Richard. Brandi Carlisle paid musical tribute to John Prine. Chris Martin of Coldplay and Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes performed the classic “You’ll Never Walk Alone” in tribute to Gerry Marsden, who died in January, and Gerry and the Pacemakers who’d had a hit with that same song.
And Eddie Van Halen’s legendary guitar stood alone on stage in the spotlight as his face and a bit of his music played.
Start your engines
Megan Thee Stallion won the first Grammy of the night and the show quickly demonstrated the unpredictable nature of award shows one year into the COVID-19 pandemic.
With presenter Lizzo on stage as ebullient as ever — “I’m presenting ’cause I lo-o-o-o-ve you!” she sang as she arrived at the microphone — the nominees, including Phoebe Bridgers, D Smoke and Noah Cyrus, sat at tables on the outdoor mezzanine between the Microsoft Theater and Staples Center.
“Wait, how you open it?” Lizzo continued, creating some suspense. “Oh my god, wait!”She got it open and we all learned that Houston’s Megan Thee Stallion was best new artist.
“Not talking,” Meg said as she fanned herself and tried to hold back tears. “I don’t wanna cry. But, first of all, I want to say, everybody is amazing. Every artist that was nominated for this award is so amazing.”
As she started into her thanks a car revved loudly in the distance, causing the star to pause for a moment and comment on the unexpected interruption.
“It’s been a hell of a year,” she concluded. “But we made it.”
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