Beyoncé ties Grammys record; Bad Bunny gets crowd dancing
Beyoncé has tied the late Georg Solti for the most wins in Grammys history after she took home three awards Sunday during the show’s ceremony.
The superstar singer has now won 31 awards, bringing her one last step closer to become the most decorated artist in the show’s history. She won for best dance-electronic music recording category for “Break My Soul,” traditional R&B performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa” and R&B song for “Cuff It,” which was written by several writers including Beyoncé, The-Dream, Nile Rodgers, Raphael Saadiq.
Host Trevor Noah said Beyoncé was on her way to the ceremony but blamed Los Angeles traffic for not being in person to accept it.
Solti, a Hungarian-British conductor, also has 31 Grammys. He has held on to the record since 1997.
Bad Bunny opened the Grammy Awards with a festive, high-energy performance that brought many of the audience including Taylor Swift who rose to her feet and danced near her table.
Noah introduced Bunny calling him a “global force” who is the most streamed and listened to artist in the world.
By the time the show started on CBS, Beyoncé had already won two Grammys. Beyoncé entered Sunday’s ceremony as the leading nominee including album, song and record of the year.
Harry Styles won the main telecast’s first award for best pop vocal album for “Harry’s House,” which included his fun-filled, massive hit “As It Was.” The singer said recording the song was one of the “greatest experiences of my life. It’s been my greatest joy.”
Viola Davis is now an EGOT — a term for those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony — after her win for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. The actor gave an emotional speech and emphatically said “I just EGOT” after she went on stage and collected her award.
“Oh, my God,” she said. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything,” Davis said. “It has just been such a journey.”
Brandi Carlile made a rare appearance during the pre-telecast for a major artist. The singer showed up after her song “Broke Horses” won for best rock performance and best rock song, a songwriter’s award, and best Americana album.
Kendrick Lamar extended his record in the best rap performance category with his sixth career trophy for “The Heart Part 5,” which also recognized his songwriting as a victor for best rap song.
The Tennessee State
University Marching Band beat out the likes of Willie Nelson to win best roots gospel album for “The Urban Hymnal.” The band’s nomination marked the first time a college marching band had been nominated in the category.
With 91 Grammy categories, most of the awards were given out during the Recording Academy’s livestreamed Premiere Ceremony.