The 2021 Grammy Awards, the annual ceremony recognizing achievements in the music industry, took place in Los Angeles on Sunday night.
Beyoncé made history by setting the record for most Grammy wins for a female artist. Already the recipient of 24 Grammys, Queen Bey added four more trophies on Sunday with wins for Best R&B Performance (“Black Parade”), Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance (“Savage Remix”), and Best Music Video (“Brown Skin Girl’). She now has 28 Grammy Awards to her name — tied for second most all-time.
Speaking of Megan Thee Stallion, she captured the title of Best New Artist in addition to Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Savage Remix”.
For the second year in the row, Billie Eilish won Record of the Year — only the second artist to achieve such a feat. This time, she was commemorated for “Everything I Wanted”. She and her brother Finneas also won for “No Time to Die”, the song they wrote for the upcoming James Bond film of the same time.
Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for folklore. It marked the third time she took home the Grammy for Album of the Year, following Fearless in 2010 and 1989 in 2016. In doing so, Swift became the first female artist to win the Grammy for Album of the Year three different times.
Fiona Apple’s masterful Fetch the Bolt Cutters won the Grammy for Best Alternative Album, beating out formidable contenders including Beck’s Hyperspace, Phoebe Bridgers’ Punisher, Brittany Howard’s Jamie, and Tame Impala’s The Slow Rush. Apple also picked up Best Rock Performance for “Shameika”. These two awards mark the second and third Grammys of Apple’s career and first ones in 23 years (she previously won in 1998 for “Criminal”).
The Strokes claimed their first-ever Grammy Award after winning Best Rock Album for The New Abnormal. Nas, another first-time Grammy winner, captured the title of Best Rap Album for King’s Disease.
In a surprise victory, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me” won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, denying BTS of their first-ever performance Grammy. Another formidable duo, Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé took home the Best Rap Performance Grammy for their remix of “Savage”.
A trio of late musical legends were posthumously honored: John Prine’s final recording “I Remember Everything” won Grammys for Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song. Toots Hibbert was also honored with the Grammy for Best Regge Album for his final album with Toots and the Maytals, Got to Be Tough, and Chick Corea was memorialized with a pair of Grammys for Best Improvised Jazz Solo and Best Jazz Instrumental Album.
Beyoncé’s music video for “Brown Skin Girl”, featuring her daughter Blue Ivy Carter and WizKid, won the Grammy for Best Music Video. At the age of nine, Blue Ivy is the second youngest artist ever to win a Grammy.
Kaytranada swept the Electronic music category, as his collaboration with Kali Uchis, “10%”, won the Grammy for Best Dance Recording, while his album Bubba was awarded Best Dance/Electronic Album. Thundercat’s It Is What It Is was awarded Best Progressive R&B Album.
Kanye West won Best Contemporary Christian Music Album for Jesus Is King. Unsurprisingly, he was not in attendance to accept the award.
The Highwomen — the supergroup featuring Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris, and Amanda Shires — won the Best Country Song Grammy for “Crowded Table”.
Josh Homme’s Desert Sessions Vols. 11 & 12 was awarded Best Recording Package, while Wilco’s Ode to Joy captured Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package. Beck’s Hyperspace won the Grammy for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
Additionally, Talking Heads, Selena, Salt-N-Pepa, and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five all received Lifetime Achievement Awards.
See this year’s notable categories and their respective winners (designated in bold) below.
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Album of the Year:
Taylor Swift – Folklore
Jhené Aiko – Chilombo
Black Pumas – Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition)
Coldplay – Everyday Life
Jacob Collier Djesse Vol. 3
HAIM – Women In Music Pt. III
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Post Malone – Hollywood’s Bleeding
Record of the Year:
Billie Eilish – “Everything I Wanted”
Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé – “Savage”
Beyoncé – “Black Parade”
Black Pumas – “Colors”
DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch – “Rockstar”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Post Malone – “Circles”
Song of the Year:
H.E.R. – “I Can’t Breathe”
Beyoncé – “Black Parade”
Roddy Ricch – “The Box”
Taylor Swift – “Cardigan”
Post Malone – “Circles”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Billie Eilish – “Everything I Wanted”
JP Saxe feat. Julia Michaels – “If the World Was Ending”
Best New Artist:
Megan Thee Stallion
Ingrid Andress
Phoebe Bridgers
Chika
Noah Cyrus
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
Best Solo Pop Performance:
Harry Styles – “Watermelon Sugar”
Justin Bieber – “Yummy”
Doja Cat – “Say So”
Billie Eilish – “Everything I Wanted”
Dua Lipa – “Don’t Start Now”
Taylor Swift – “cardigan”
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande – “Rain on Me”
J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy – “Un Dia (One Day)”
Justin Bieber feat. Quavo – “Intentions”
BTS – “Dynamite”
Taylor Swift feat. Bon Iver – “exile”
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Dua Lipa – Future Nostalgia
Justin Bieber – Changes
Lady Gaga – Chromatic
Harry Styles – Fine Line
Taylor Swift – folklore
Best Dance Recording:
Kaytranada feat. Kali Uchis – “10%”
Diplo & Sidepiece – “On My Mind”
Disclosure feat. Aminé & slowthai – “My High”
Flume feat. Toro y Moi – “The Difference”
Jayda G – “Both of Us”
Best Dance/Electronic Album:
Kaytranada – Bubba
Arca – KiCk i
Baauer – Planet’s Mad
Disclosure – Energy
Madeon – Good Faith
Best Rock Performance:
Fiona Apple – “Shameika”
Big Thief – “Not”
Phoebe Bridgers – “Kyoto”
HAIM – “The Steps”
Brittany Howard – “Stay High”
Grace Potter – “Daylight”
Best Rock Song:
Brittany Howard – “Stay High”
Phoebe Bridgers – “Kyoto”
Tame Impala – “Lost in Yesterday”
Big Thief – “Not”
Fiona Apple – “Shameika”
Best Rock Album:
The Strokes – The New Abnormal
Fontaines D.C. – A Hero’s Death
Michal Kiwanuka – Kiwanuka
Grace Potter – Daylight
Sturgill Simpson – Sound & Fury
Best Alternative Music Album:
Fiona Apple – Fetch the Bolt Cutters
Beck – Hyperspace
Phoebe Bridgers – Punisher
Brittany Howard – Jamie
Tame Impala – The Slow Rush
Best Metal Performance:
Body Count – “Bum-Rush”
Code Orange – “Underneath”
In This Moment – “The In-Between”
Poppy – “Bloodmoney”
Power Trip – “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe) – Live”
Best R&B Performance:
Beyoncé – “Black Parade”
Jhené Aiko feat. John Legend – “Lighting & Thunder”
Jacob Collier feat. Mahalia & Ty Dolla $ign – “All I Need”
Brittany Howard – “Goat Head”
Emily King – “See Me”
Best R&B Song:
Rober Glasper feat. H.E.R. – “Better Than I Imagine”
Beyoncé – “Black Parade”
Tiana Major9 & Earthgang – “Collide”
Chloe x Halle – “Do It”
Skip Marley & H.E.R. – “Slow Down”
Best Progressive R&B Album:
Thundercat – It Is What It Is
Jhené Aiko – Chilombo
Chloe x Halle – Ungodly Hour
Free Nationals – Free Nationals
Robert Grasper – Fuck Yo Feelings
Best Rap Performance:
Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé – “Savage”
Big Sean feat. Nipsey Hussle – “Deep Reverence”
DaBaby – “Bop”
Jack Harlow – “What’s Poppin”
Lil Baby – The Bigger Picture
Pop Smoke – “Dior”
Best Melodic Rap Performance:
Anderson .Paak – “Lockdown”
DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch – “Rockstar”
Drake feat. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now, Cry Later”
Roddy Ricch – “The Box”
Travis Scott – “Highest in the Room”
Best Rap Song:
Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé – “Savage”
Lil Baby – “The Bigger Picture”
Roddy Ricch – “The Box”
Drake feat. Lil Durk – “Laugh Now, Cry Later”
DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch – “Rockstar”
Best Rap Album:
Nas – King’s Disease
D Smoke – Black Habits
Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist – Alfredo
Jay Electronica – A Written Testimony
Royce Da 5’9” – The Allegory
Best Folk Album:
Gillian Welch & David Rawlings – All the Good Times
Bonny Light Horseman – Bonny Light Horseman
Leonard Cohen – Thanks For the Dance
Laura Marling – Song For Our Daughter
The Secret Sisters – Saturn Return
Best Americana Album:
Sarah Jarosz – World on the Ground
Courtney Marie Andrews – Old Flowers
Hiss Holden Messenger – Terms of Surrender
Marcus King – El Dorado
Lucinda Williams – Good Souls Better Angels
Best American Roots Performance:
John Prine – “I Remember Everything”
Black Pumas – “Colors”
Bonny Light Horseman – “Deep in Love”
Brittany Howard – “Short and Sweet”
Norah Jones and Mavis Staples – “I’ll Be Gone”
Best Comedy Album:
Tiffany Haddish – Black Mitzvah
Patton Oswalt – I Love Everything
Jim Gaffigan – The Pale Tourist
Bill Burr – Paper Tiger
Jerry Seinfeld – 23 Hours to Kill
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media:
Hildur Guonadóttir – Joker
Max Richter – Ad Astra
Kamasi Washington – Becoming
Thomas Newman – 1917
John Williams – Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker
Best Song Written For Visual Media:
Billie Eilish – “No Time to Die”
Taylor Swift – “Beautiful Ghosts”
Brandi Carlile – “Carried Me With You”
Idina Menzel & Aurora – “Into the Unknown”
Cynthia Erivo – “Stand Up”
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:
Jojo Rabbit
A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Frozen 2
Best Music Film:
Linda Ronstadt – Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
Beastie Boys – Beastie Boys Story
Beyoncé – Black Is King
Freestyle Love Supreme – We Are Freestyle Love Supreme
ZZ Top – That Little Ol’ Band From Texas
Best Music Video:
Beyoncé – “Brown Skin Girl”
Future featuring Drake – “Life Is Good”
Anderson .Paak – “Lockdown”
Harry Styles – “Adore You”
Woodkid – “Goliath”
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical:
Andrew Wyatt
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
Dave Cobb
Flying Lotus
