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Beyoncé makes history with 28th Grammy and more award show highlights

Beyoncé became the most-decorated woman in Grammys history at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony Sunday night.

Beyoncé, who had nine nominations, the most of any artist in 2021, made history with her 28th win. "Black Parade" took Best R&B Performance honors, putting her across the line set by bluegrass artist Alison Krauss. She also grabbed Best Rap Performance with Megan Thee Stallion, who also took home the Best New Artist award.

Beyoncé — Grammy Awards 2021
Beyoncé accepts the Best R&B Performance award for "Black Parade" onstage during the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021. Kevin Winter / Getty Images

John Prine and Chick Corea were both awarded posthumous Grammys in the pre-ceremony. Both were honored in the ceremony's In Memoriam segment, which honored the performers and behind-the-scenes talent who have died in the last year.

Trevor Noah of "The Daily Show" hosted the ceremony from the Los Angeles Convention Center, and as with other award shows held during the pandemic, there was no audience for the Grammys this year.

Stars performed to each other as part of the nearly four-hour show, including an early performance of "Colors" by the Black Pumas, who were up for Best American Roots Performance, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. 

Eric Burton,Adrian Quesada,Trevor Noah
Host Trevor Noah, center, joins Eric Burton, left, and Adrian Quesada of Black Pumas onstage at the 63rd Grammy Awards at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Chris Pizzello / AP
 

Selena receives Lifetime Achievement award

The Queen of Tejano music, Selena Quintanilla, was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award alongside Marilyn Horne, Salt-N-Pepa, Talking Heads, Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five and Lionel Hampton. 

Selena won the Grammy for "Best Mexican/Mexican American album" for "Live!" at the 36th Grammy Awards in 1994, making her the first time a female Tejano artist had won in the category. The singer, who was known by her first name, was shot and killed in 1995 at 23 years old.

By Amalia Nuñez
 

Billie Eilish wins "Record of The Year"

Billie Eilish accepted the Grammy for Record of the Year for her song "Everything I Wanted" from presenter Ringo Starr, who made a rare appearance at the ceremony Sunday.

Surprised by the win, Eilish dedicated her award to someone else who had a huge year in music: Megan Thee Stallion. In a speech reminiscent of Adele's when her "25" beat Beyoncé's "Lemonade" for Record of the Year in 2017, Eilish said the rapper deserved the award instead.

Eilish took home two Grammys out of her four nominations, including "Best Song For Visual Media" for her song "No Time To Die."

Billie Eilish Wins Record Of The Year At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Amalia Nuñez
 

BTS lights up Grammys stage with "Dynamite"

Global phenomenon BTS made their Grammy debut performing their smash hit "Dynamite" remotely in a pre-recorded performance. The group recreated the Grammy stage in Seoul, South Korea for a performance that highlighted their signature tight choreography.

The seven-member KPop juggernaut was nominated for "Best Duo/Group Performance" for the song, which lost to Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande's "Rain on Me."

By Amalia Nuñez
 

Doja Cat takes the Grammys to "Planet Her"

Doja Cat, who's had a breakout year with her song "Say So," took to the Grammy stage for the first time sporting a futuristic all-black latex cat suit and dancers dressed as Robotic Cats. "Planet Her" is her rumored third studio album expected to drop later this year. 

Doja Cat is nominated for three Grammys including "Record Of The Year" for "Say So." 

Doja Cat — Grammy Awards 2021
Doja Cat performs at 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
By Amalia Nuñez
 

Taylor Swift wins Album of the Year for Folklore

Taylor Swift took home Album of the Year for Folklore, becoming the first female artist to win Album of the Year three times. She has won in the past for "1989" and "Fearless."

Swift beat out Jhené Aiko, Black Pumas, Coldplay, Jacob Collier, HAIM, Dua Lipa and Post Malone for the award.

She thanked collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner, and her boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. To Alwyn, she said, "I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine." She also thanked her fans, saying "You guys met us in this imaginary world that we created and we can't tell you how honored we are forever by this."

Taylor Swift Wins Album Of The Year At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Caroline Linton
 

Lil Baby brings powerful imagery for "The Bigger Picture"

Lil Baby took the powerful imagery of activism and resilience from his video for "The Bigger Picture" and brought it to life featuring Killer Mike and activist Tamika D. Mallory, who called upon Biden to take action for racial equity and justice. Lil Baby is nominated for two Grammys including "Best Rap Song" for "The Bigger Picture"

Lil Baby — Grammy Awards
  Lil Baby performs at 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
Lil Baby — Grammy Awards
Lil Baby performs at 63rd Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
By Amalia Nuñez
 

Beyoncé makes history with 28th Grammy win

A win for "Black Parade" in the Best R&B Performance category put Beyoncé in the history books, making her the most decorated female artist in Grammys history. The award caps off a highly decorated career for the singer, who noted in her acceptance speech she's been working since she was nine.

The win followed awards in the Best Rap Performance category, shared with Megan Thee Stallion for "Savage (Remix)," and Best Music Video category for "Brown Skin Girl," which she shared with her daughter Blue Ivy. 

Beyoncé crossed the mark set by bluegrass artist Alison Krauss, who has 27 Grammys.

Beyoncé Wins Best R&B Performance At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Allison Elyse Gualtieri
 

Dua Lipa's "Future Nostalgia" takes Best Pop Vocal Album

Dua Lipa made good on her 2019 Best New Artist win Sunday, as her "Future Nostalgia" earned Best Pop Vocal Album honors at the 2021 Grammys. 

The performer earned six nominations this year, notching nods in the Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Pop Solo Performance and Pop Performance by a Duo or Group categories, and performed "Levitating" and "Don't Start Now" earlier in the evening.

Dua Lipa Wins Best Pop Vocal Album At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Allison Elyse Gualtieri
 

Post Malone performs "Hollywood is Bleeding"

Dressed in an all-black ensemble, Post Malone brought a dark and moody performance for his song "Hollywood is Bleeding," off his third studio album of the same name. 

Malone is nominated for three Grammys, including "Album of the Year" for "Hollywood is Bleeding"

By Amalia Nuñez
 

Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B bring a "Savage" performance to The Grammys

Megan Thee Stallion — Grammy Awards
Megan Thee Stallion performs at Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images

Starting her performance with an inspiring intro using personal clips off her debut album "Good News," Megan Thee Stallion set the tone with a 1920's showgirl performance for her song "Body" before breaking into a smooth transition into "Savage," complete with a tap dance break by two of her background dancers. Cardi B switched up the mood with a colorful performance of her futuristic take on "Up." 

With smokey hues of purple and pink, Cardi B and Megan took things up a notch by taking the stage together to perform their controversial hit "WAP" featuring giant props - a bed and a platform heel - with dancers dressed as aliens.

Megan Thee Stallion then took home the Best Rap Performance Grammy for "Savage (Remix)," which she shared with Beyoncé, who was featured on the track. Megan Thee Stallion was nominated for a total of four Grammys, winning "Best New Artist" earlier in the evening.

Megan Thee Stallion, Beyoncé Win Best Rap Song At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Amalia Nuñez
 

H.E.R. takes Song of the Year for "I Can't Breathe"

H.E.R. revealed she recorded "I Can't Breathe" in a bedroom at her mom's house during her acceptance speech for Song of the Year. She also addressed the song's inspiration, asking viewers to keep up their energy from the summer of 2020. Protesters had taken to the streets in cities across the country to demonstrate against police killings of Black people and call for reform.

She also notched a win for Best R&B Song for "Better Than I Imagined," which was nominated in the same category as her "Slow Down."

H.E.R. Wins Song Of The Year At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Allison Elyse Gualtieri
 

Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert and Maren Morris bring country music to Grammys stage

Mickey Guyton opened a trio of performances by country artists with her song "Black Like Me." Guyton made history as the first solo Black female artist to earn a nod in a country category: "Black Like Me" is up for Best Solo Country Performance.

Miranda Lambert followed Guyton with her single "Bluebird," which is nominated for both the Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song awards. Lambert had earlier won Best Country Album for "Wildcard."

Maren Morris was joined on her song "The Bones," nominated for Best Country Song, by guitarist John Mayer.

Miranda Lambert — Grammy Awards
Miranda Lambert performs at Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
By Allison Elyse Gualtieri
 

The Grammys remembers the musicians we lost

Artists who died in the past year, including country star Kenny Rogers and songwriter John Prine, were honored in separate star-studded performances. Silk Sonic took the stage to honor pioneer Little Richard with an electric performance of "Good Golly, Miss Molly" while Lionel Richie honored his friend Kenny Rogers with "Lady." 

Little Richard — Grammy Awards 2021
A screen shows Little Richard during an "In Memoriam" segment of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images

Brandi Carlile honored songwriter John Prine with a touching rendition of "I Remember Everything" while Brittany Howard, who had earlier won Best Rock song for "Stay High," and Chris Martin closed out the memorial performances to honor Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers with "You'll Never Walk Alone."

By Amalia Nuñez
 

Harry Styles takes home Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance

Harry Styles won his first Grammy for his solo effort "Watermelon Sugar," which took home the Best Pop Solo Performance award. 

The former One Direction member had helped open the show with a performance of the hit while wearing an open jacket and boa, drawing a joke from host Trevor Noah about his outfit. 

Styles was also nominated in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for "Fine Lines" and Best Music Video category for "Adore You."

Harry Styles Wins Best Pop Solo Performance At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Allison Elyse Gualtieri
 

Taylor Swift performs a mashup of "Cardigan," "August" and "Willow" in front of magical background

Taylor Swift performed in a mashup of three of the songs from her album "Evermore" and "Folklore": "Cardigan," August" and "Willow."

Swift performed with Aaron Dessner of The National and Jack Antonoff of Fun. — both of whom have collaborated with her on her recent albums — and her guitar in front of what appeared to be a house in a magical forest. 

Grammys host Trevor Noah noted Swift was particularly prolific during the pandemic. Swift released two albums in 2020 — "Folklore" and "Evermore" — and last month released a new recording of her 2008 hit "Love Story." Swift has said she will re-record her first six albums over a dispute with the rightsholders.

Taylor Swift — Grammy Awards 2021
Taylor Swift performs onstage for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards broadcast on March 14, 2021. TAS Rights Management 2021 via Getty Images
Taylor Swift — Grammy Awards 2021
(L-R) Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift and Aaron Dessner perform onstage for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards broadcast on March 14, 2021. TAS Rights Management 2021 via Getty Images
By Caroline Linton
 

Miranda Lambert wins Best Country Album

Miranda Lambert picked up the Grammy for Best Country Album for "Wildcard." 

In a short speech, Lambert said "I'm holding this for all of us, especially us girls."

After thanking her husband, family and her crew, she said "I've missed the hell out of y'all, I can't wait to get back out with the fans. I love you so much."

Miranda Lambert Wins Best Country Album At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Caroline Linton
 

Supergroup Silk Sonic debut at the Grammys

Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak are both huge stars in their own right, but together they make the dream team "Silk Sonic." The duo performed their single "Leave the Door Open" for the first time. Their joint project is expected to be released later this year. 

Their performance brought a 70s-inspired take with background singers, brown and tan suits and dance moves reminiscent of popular Motown and R&B bands before them.

By Amalia Nuñez
 

Dua Lipa brings "Future Nostalgia" to the Grammys

Dua Lipa, whose pop music has found an enthusiastic audience amid the pandemic, brought dance moves and Da Baby to the Grammys stage to perform her hits "Levitating" and "Don't Start Now" complete with a moon backdrop, sequined attire and captivating choreography.

Dua is nominated for six Grammys, including "Record of The Year" for "Don't Start Now."

Dua Lipa — Grammy Awards 2021
Due Lipa performs at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. CBS via AP
By Amalia Nuñez
 

Grammy-nominated DaBaby performs "Rockstar," Bad Bunny performs Dakiti

Grammy-nominated DaBaby, Roddy Ricch and Anthony Hamilton, performed "Rockstar" with a choir and violins.

DaBaby — Grammy Awards
DaBaby performing at Grammy Awards live from Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images

Bad Bunny was up next for his first-ever Grammy performance, singing "Dakiti."

Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez — Grammy Awards
Bad Bunny and Jhay Cortez perform at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
By Caroline Linton
 

Harry Styles, Billie Eilish and Haim open the Grammys with back-to-back performances

Fresh off a big year, Harry Styles opened The Grammys with his hit, "Watermelon Sugar" — complete with a live band. After his performance, Billie Eilish was joined by her brother and collaborator Finneas for a moody performance of "All I Ever Wanted." To close out the opening performance, Haim performed "The Steps."

Styles is nominated for three Grammys, including Best Pop Solo Performance for "Watermelon Sugar." Billie Eilish, who has four nominations, won for "Best Song Written For Visual Media" for her song "No Time To Die" off the James Bond film which is expected to be released later this year. Haim's "The Steps" is up for Best Rock Performance.

Harry Styles — Grammy Awards
In this video grab provided by CBS and the Recording Academy, Harry Styles performs at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. CBS/Recording Academy via AP
Billie Eilish — Grammy Awards 2021
Billie Eilish performing with Finneas at the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday, March 14, 2021. Francis Specker/CBS via Getty Images
By Amalia Nuñez
 

Megan Thee Stallion wins Best New Artist

Megan Thee Stallion won the first televised award of the night, Best New Artist. She had earlier picked up an award during the pre-show with Beyoncé for "Savage."

Wearing an orange mask that matched her dress to accept her award from presenter Lizzo, Megan Thee Stallion said "I don't want to cry." 

"It's been a hell of a year, and we made it," she said.

Megan Thee Stallion Wins Best New Artist At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube
By Caroline Linton
 

The Grammys to honor independent venues in live telecast

After a challenging year for live music because of the coronavirus pandemic, music's biggest night is paying homage to independent venues.

The Recording Academy announced that instead of honoring the general managers and owners of the venues, the honor will be for "bartenders to box office managers, those who work day-to-day" at four select venues: New York's The Apollo Theater, Nashville's The Station Inn and LA's the Troubadour and The Hotel Café.

By Amalia Nuñez
 

Early winners announced: Beyoncé on track to surpass record

Beyoncé picked up two Grammys during the pre-ceremony, including best rap performance for "Savage" with Megan Thee Stallion and best music video for "Brown Skin Girl," which she shared with daughter Blue Ivy Carter. At 9 years old, Blue Ivy Carter became the second youngest person to win a Grammy, according to The Associated Press.

Beyoncé's two Grammys puts her at 26 career Grammys, and put her on track to surpass Alison Krauss' record 27 wins.

Other early winners included Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga, Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber, Dan + Shay, James Taylor, H.E.R., Beck, Brandi Carlile, Burna Boy, Tiffany Haddish and Rachel Maddow. 

John Prine and Chick Corea were both awarded posthumous Grammys.

 

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