BEYONCÉ MAKES HISTORY WITH MOST GRAMMY WINS
NEW YORK: Female performers including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift had a record-making night at the 2021 Grammy Awards, a jam-packed but socially distanced show highlighted by live music sorely absent during the pandemic era.
Four women won the top four prizes on Sunday, including Swift, who became the first female performer to win album of the year three times. Beyoncé — with her 28th win — became the most decorated woman in Grammy history.
NEW YORK: Women performers including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift had a record-making night at the 2021 Grammy Awards, a jam-packed but socially distanced show highlighted by live music sorely absent during the pandemic era.
Four women won the top four prizes on Sunday, including Swift, who became the first female performer to win album of the year three times. Beyoncé - with her 28th win - became the most decorated woman in Grammy history.
H.E.R. won song of the year and Billie Eilish picked up her second consecutive record of the year honour, telling the audience that best new artist winner Megan Thee Stallion deserved the award.
Though women have won all top four awards in the past – including Eilish’s sweep last year – it marked the first time four separate and solo women won the top four honours.
“I feel like there’s been a lot of female empowerment and lots of women winning awards tonight. And so it’s been absolutely amazing to just be alongside all that, to feel that energy,” Dua Lipa, who won best pop vocal album, said backstage.
Swift won the top prize with folklore, the folky, alternative album she released as a surprise last year. She previously won album of the year with Fearless and 1989.
Beyoncé walked into the show with 24 wins and picked up four honours, including best R&B performance for Black Parade, best music video for Brown Skin Girl as well as best rap performance and best rap song for Savage, with Megan Thee Stallion.
“As an artist I believe it’s my job, and all of our jobs, to reflect time and it’s been such a difficult time,” Beyoncé said onstage as she won best R&B performance for Black Parade
Beyoncé now ties producer and multi-instrumentalist Quincy Jones for second place among all Grammy winners. She is only behind the late conductor Georg Solti, who is the most decorated winner with 31 awards.
But Beyoncé didn’t only make history, her whole family did. Jay-Z picked up his 23rd Grammy, sharing the best rap song win with his wife since he co-wrote Savage. And 9-year-old Blue Ivy Carter - who won best music video alongside her mother - became the second youngest act to win a Grammy in the show’s 63-year history.