Beyoncé won a record-breaking 32nd Grammy Award, while Harry Styles won album
of the year, at this year’s ceremony in Los Angeles.
The singer, who was a late arrival at the ceremony after being stuck in traffic, won for
best R&B song, best dance/electronic recording, best dance/electronic album and
best traditional R&B performance. She has now won 32 Grammy awards.
“I’m trying not to be too emotional,” the 41-year-old said on stage after winning the
record-breaking prize for dance/electronic album. “I’m trying to just receive this
night.” She also paid tribute to both her “beautiful husband” and the “queer
community for their love and for inventing the genre”.
Harry Styles picked up the biggest Grammy of the night, album of the year, for
Harry’s House. “I’ve been so, so inspired by every artist in this category with me,” he
said winning out over Beyoncé and Adele. “I think on nights like tonight it’s so
important to remember there is no such thing as best in music … this doesn’t happen
to people like me very often.” He also won the award for best pop vocal album.
Adele won best pop solo performance for Easy on Me, her sixteenth Grammy to date.
“I really was just looking forward to coming tonight,” she said at the start of a brief
but emotional acceptance speech that saw her choke up when talking about her son.
Kendrick Lamar brought home best rap performance, best rap song and best rap
album. “I would like to thank the culture for allowing me to evolve,” he said in an
acceptance speech, referring to the album Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers as one of his
“toughest” projects.
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Lizzo won record of the year for About Damn Time. “This is so unexpected,” she said.
“I want to dedicate this award to Prince. When we lost Prince, I decided to dedicate
my life to making positive music.” She also paid tribute to Beyoncé for changing her
life, calling her “the artist of our lives”.
Bonnie Raitt beat out Adele, Styles, Lamar, Lizzo and Beyoncé to win song of the year
for Just Like That. “I’m so surprised, I don’t know what to say,” she said before paying
tribute to her friend and inspiration John Prine. “Thank you so much, I’m just totally
humbled,” she added.
Kim Petras also became the second transgender woman to win a Grammy, bringing
home the award for best pop duo/group performance with Sam Smith for their song
Unholy. “I want to thank all of the transgender legends before me,” Petras said, before
paying paid tribute to the late singer Sophie, saying that her “inspiration will forever
be in my music”. Madonna introduced a performance by Petras and Smith later in the
night, saying: “If they call you shocking, scandalous, troublesome, problematic,
provocative, or dangerous you’re definitely onto something.”
The ceremony returned to Los Angeles after heading to Las Vegas last year as a result
of increased Covid rates in the city. Host Trevor Noah celebrated music as a way of
uniting us despite our differences. “Music isn’t just the harmony of sound but the
harmony of human beings,” he said. He called it a means of “rejecting division to find
moments of joy”.
