Beyonce reigns as most decorated artist in history
Styles nabs album of year honor as top awards spread among other artists
Beyonce sits alone atop the Grammy throne as the ceremony’s most decorated artist in history, but it was Harry Styles who walked away with the album of the year honor.
The Grammys spread its top awards among other artists, leaving Beyonce off stage at the end of the night. But the superstar was a constant presence throughout the Feb. 5 ceremony, even when she wasn’t in the room, especially once she won her 32nd award and surpassed late conductor Georg Solti in all-time wins.
“I’mtryingnottobetoo emotional,”Beyoncesaidafter herhistoricwinforbestdanceelectricalbumfor“Renaissance,”asherhusband,Jay-Z, stoodandapplaudedher.The singerthankedherlateuncle, herparents,Jay-Zandher childrenforsupportingher. “I’mjusttryingtoreceivethis night.IwanttothankGodfor protectingme.Thankyou, God.”
The Grammys stage at the end of the night has eluded Beyonce since 2010, when she won song of the year for “Single Ladies.”
Styles was emotional accepting his album of the year award, saying he was inspired by everyone in the category. “A lot of different times of my life, I’ve listened to everyone in these categories. It’s so important to remember that there is no such thing as best.”
The British singer took home three awards in all.
Beyonce missed being in the room when she tied Solti’s record early in the telecast. Host Trevor Noah said she was on her way to the ceremony but blamed
Los Angeles traffic for not being in person to accept it.
Once Beyonce — the night’s leading nominee — finally arrived, Noah presented her with the best R&B song award for “Cuff It” at her table.
She added four trophies in total to her collection for her album “Renaissance,” also winning for best dance-electric music recording for “Break My Soul,” and traditional R&B performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa.”
Lizzo won record of the year for “About Damn Time,” delivering a rousing speech that brought many in the audience — including Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Adele — to their feet.
“Me and Adele were having a good time, rooting for our friends. This is an amazing night. This is so unexpected,” Lizzo said, dedicating her award to Prince.
“I wanted to make the world a better place, so I had to be that change to make the world a better place. Now, I look around and see these songs are about loving your body and feeling comfortable in your skin and feeling good.”
Jazz singer Samara Joy won best new artist, emerging from a pack of nominees that included Wet Leg, Anitta and Maneskin. The
New Yorker was virtually in tears when she collected the award and noted that her little brother was her date. “I’m so, so grateful. Thank you.”
Joy has released two albums as a lead artist and also won the Grammy for best jazz vocal album earlier in the night.
Veteran singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt bested big-name rivals such as Adele, Swift and Beyonce to win the song of the year award.
“I’m so surprised. I don’t know what to say,” a visibly stunned Raitt said, adding that the song “Just Like That” explores organ donation. It capped a night when Raitt won two other Grammys — for best Americana performance and best American roots song.
A who’s who of hip-hop royalty took the stage for an epic, rousing 15-minute tribute to the genre’s 50th anniversary. The performance included Grandmaster Flash doing part of his seminal hit “The Message,” as well as
Run DMC, Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Ice-T, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes and Nelly all taking the stage. It ended with everyone on the stage, and LL Cool J shouting “multigenerational! Fifty years!”
The performance was a crowd-pleasing moment for a ceremony that has long had a shaky history of not recognizing rap.
Bad Bunny opened the show with a festive, high-energy performance that brought many in the audience to their feet to dance at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
Sam Smith and Kim
Petras won best pop duogroup performance for their song “Unholy.” Petras said Smith wanted Petras to make the acceptance speech because “I’m the first transgender woman to win this award.”
“I want to thank all the incredible transgender legends before me who kicked these doors open for me so I could be here tonight,” said Petras.
Petras thanked Madonna for being a tremendous supporter of LGBTQ rights.
“I don’t think I could be here without Madonna,” Petras said. “My mother, I grew up next to a highway in nowhere Germany. And my mother believed me that I was a girl. I wouldn’t be here without her and her support.”
During the in memoriam segment, the Grammys recognized the lives of Loretta Lynn, Migos rapper Takeoff and Christine McVie with several performers paying them homage. The touching performances featured Kacey Musgraves singing “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in tribute to Lynn; Quavo hit the stage with Maverick City Music to honor his nephew Takeoff with the song “Without You;” and Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt performed “Songbird” to remember McVie.
Kendrick Lamar won his sixth career trophy for best rap performance for “The Heart Part 5” and also won best rap album for “Mr. Morales & The Big Steppers.”
“You know, as entertainers, we say things to provoke thoughts and feelings and emotions,” he said. “So making this record is one of my toughest. … I would like to thank the culture for allowing me to evolve in order to make this. I finally found imperfection with this album.”
Viola Davis emerged from the Feb. 5 show 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 onstage to collect her award.