The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Bey and Taylor hold court at Grammys
Beyonce has become the most decorated female act in Grammy history, while Taylor Swift secured its top prize in a triumphant night for women.
Queen Bey picked up four gongs, bringing her to 28 wins, overtaking country star Alison Krauss.
Swift won album of the year for her towering lockdown effort Folklore while British star Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish were also among the big winners.
Beyonce’s wins included best R&B performance, rap performance, rap song and music video. She hugged husband Jay-z and gave an emotional acceptance speech, fighting back tears.
“I am so honoured, I am so excited. As an artist I believe it’s my job and all of our jobs to reflect the times and it’s been such a difficult time so I wanted to uplift, encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole world.
“This is so overwhelming. I have been working my whole life, since nine years old and I can’t believe this happened, it’s such a magical night.”
She paid tribute to her children, including oldest daughter Blue Ivy, nine, who won a Grammy earlier.
After winning the top award, album of the year, for Folklore, Swift thanked her collaborators including Justin Vernon of Bon Iver and British actor Joe Alwyn, her boyfriend of five years. She said Alwyn was “the first person who I play every single song I write.”
Her success saw her become the first female singer to win album of the year three times.
The Grammys, delayed by the pandemic from January, were anchored from the Los Angeles Convention Centre and hosted by Trevor Noah.
During his opening monologue, Noah pointed to the masked nominees, seated and socially distanced and said there is “more tension in that tent than at a family reunion at Buckingham Palace.”
Some of the world’s biggest stars performed across different stages.
In the most keenly anticipated performance, Swift delivered a medley of songs from sister albums Folklore and Evermore.
Against the backdrop of a log cabin, she was joined by recent collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner of The National They performed Cardigan, August and Willow.
Harry Styles had kicked off the show with a rendition of Watermelon Sugar, the track that ultimately scored him his first Grammy for pop solo performance.
Eilish sang Everything I Wanted for which she won record of the year.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion, who won best new artist, referenced her late mother, who died in 2019.
H.E.R. won song of the year for I Can’t Breathe. Best country album went to Miranda Lambert for Wildcard,