|
 Beyonce's four Grammys on
Sunday - two of them shared with best new artist
winner Megan Thee Stallion - took her total
career wins to 28, surpassing the previous
Grammy record for a female artist set by
bluegrass singer Alison Krauss.
Swift's surprise record "Folklore," recorded
during coronavirus lockdowns, was named album of
the year and made Swift, 31, the first woman to
take home that prize three times.
In a socially-distanced ceremony of live and
pre-recorded performances, the writers of "I
Can't Breathe" by R&B artist H.E.R won song of
the year.
It was written in response to the Black Lives
Matter protests that roiled the United States
last summer following the police killing of
George Floyd.
Black culture was also celebrated in Beyonce's
single "Black Parade," which was named best R&B
performance.
"It has been such a difficult time," said
Beyonce, reflecting on the cultural reckoning
about racism in the United States.
"I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all
the beautiful Black queens and kings that
continue to inspire me and inspire the whole
world," she added.
Megan Thee Stallion, 26, known for promoting
women's empowerment, came away with two more
wins for her single "Savage" featuring Beyonce.
Eilish's ballad "Everything I Wanted" won record
of the year, and the 19-year-old also won for
her theme song for the upcoming James Bond movie
"No Time to Die."
Eilish said she was embarrassed by the win,
saying it should have gone to Megan. "You
deserve it. Genuinely. Can we just cheer for
Megan Thee Stallion," Eilish said.
The ceremony was also aimed at moving past the
devastating effects of the coronavirus pandemic
on the live music industry, including the
cancellation of music festivals, touring and
concerts.
British singer Dua Lipa won best pop vocal album
for her dance-y "Future Nostalgia" and spoke of
the value of music during hard times.
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 "I'm just so grateful and so
honored because happiness is something that we
all deserve," Lipa said.
Hosted by Trevor Noah, the ceremony was packed
with pre-recorded and live performances by the
likes of Lipa, Taylor Swift, Post Malone, DaBaby,
Black Pumas and Mickey Guyton. Cardi B and Megan
teamed up to perform their summer single "WAP"
in one of the raunchier moments of the night.
It took place both indoors and outdoors in
Downtown Los Angeles but mostly without the
elaborate sets and special effects that
traditionally mark the highest honors in the
music business.
"We're hoping that this is all about what 2021
can be, full of joy, new beginnings and coming
together. Never forgetting what happened in
2020, but full of hope for what is to come,"
Noah said.
Some of Sunday's awards were announced at small
venues in cities like Nashville, New York and
Los Angeles.
"Thank you to the Grammys for putting this
together and letting us, at least, kind of be
together," said Miranda Lambert winner of best
country album for "Wildcard."
K-Pop band BTS lost in the best pop duo or group
performance against Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
for their single "Rain on Me" but performed
their hit English-language single "Dynamite"
from South Korea at the close of the show.
The seven-member band from South Korea had been
hoping to be the first K-Pop act to win a Grammy
after a breakthrough year in the United States
for the genre.
(Editing by Daniel Wallis and Diane Craft)
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