Grammys Honor Taylor Swift (Album), Billie Eilish (Record), H.E.R. (Song), Megan Thee Stallion (New Artist), Beyonce

Taylor Swift (Photo: Tinseltown / Shutterstock.com)

This wasn't your father’s GRAMMYs. If last year's awards were a BILLIE EILISH sweep, this year the ceremony was dominated by BEYONCE, who set a new record with 28 total wins for most by a female artist, and TAYLOR SWIFT for "Folklore" as ALBUM OF THE YEAR. MEGAN THEE STALLION was also a big winner, with BEST NEW ARTIST, BEST RAP PERFORMANCE and BEST RAP SONG.

The RECORDING ACADEMY's 63rd annual awards ceremony, televised on CBS, got underway SUNDAY night (3/14) with its first new executive producer in some 40 years, as BEN WINSTON took over from mainstay KEN EHRLICH, promising an innovative show that includes pre-recorded and live performances taking place in and around the downtown LOS ANGELES CONVENTION CENTER under strict COVID protocols. "Daily Show" host TREVOR NOAH was MC for the proceedings for the first time, standing outdoors "at a social distance" from the STAPLES CENTER. The ceremony had been postponed from JANUARY 31st due to the pandemic. "This time, the white stuff going up people's noses is cotton swabs," joked NOAH. "We are celebrating the music that saved our souls this past year."

BEYONCE had led the list of GRAMMY nominees with nine, and though she was not among the 22 artists scheduled to perform (along with protesting no-shows THE WEEKND and JUSTIN BIEBER), she turned out to be a surprise guest during the three-hour-plus ceremony, accepting BEST RAP SONG for "Savage" with MEGAN THEE STALLION, giving her a tie for the record for most GRAMMYs ever for a female performer. Their win for BEST RAP PERFORMANCE was the first-ever to go to a fully female duo. BEYONCE would later take home BEST R&B PERFORMANCE for "Black Parade," giving her the mark for most GRAMMYs for a female after previously taking home BEST MUSIC VIDEO with daughter BLUE for "Brown Skin Girl."

Live performances mostly took place in a tent that held all the nominees, playing for each other in the round on a giant soundstage. "We are full of hope for what's to come," said NOAH about the new year, introducing the in-the-round set.

The show kicked off with a bare-chested, black leather-clad HARRY STYLES strutting in a vintage ROD STEWART/FACES fur boa, crooning a sultry, come-hither "Watermelon Sugar," followed immediately by BILLIE EILISH, standing on the hood of a car, and brother FINNEAS, sing/whispering the perfectly appropriate "I had a dream ... I got everything I wanted," as an admiring STYLES was shown on camera standing nearby. A fetching HAIM made a triumphant homecoming with a jaunty, rock take on "The Steps," from their GRAMMY-nominated ALBUM OF THE YEAR, "Women In Music Part III," which referenced the bass part to "My Girl," as the other performers around them nodded in approval to the rock guitar riffs. 

First award of the night, BEST NEW ARTIST, was presented by LIZZO to favorite MEGAN THEE STALLION, resplendent in orange, leaving a long train behind her, and thanking 300 ENTERTAINMENT and ROC NATION.

Two-time GRAMMY nominees -- graduates of busking on the SANTA MONICA pier -- the multi-racial BLACK PUMAS offered a soulful "Colors" in a soaring, roots-ish rock-soul take that showed why they are a favorite of RECORDING ACADEMY voters while EILISH and STYLES cheered them on,

RECORD OF THE YEAR nominee DABABY offered one of the evening's highlights, and had a choir and a violinist, donning MICHAEL JACKSON's gloves and GUCCI pins for the aptly named "Rockstar," joined by fellow nominee RODDY RICCH and ANTHONY HAMILTON as DUA LIPA looked on approvingly. 

GRAMMY winner BAD BUNNY followed, joined by JHAY CORTEZ, for a scintillating take on the SPANISH language hip-hop track, "Dakiti," from the "El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo" album, with arguably the world's current top pop-disco diva DUA LIPA crooning a medley of "Levitating" (DA BABY popping in for a chorus) and "Down Start Now," in front of a giant green screen, eventually stripping down to pink lingerie for the dazzling dance finale.

BRUNO MARS and ANDERSON .PAAK's OG soul outfit SILK SONIC made their national live TV debut with a letter-perfect, high-stepping, aching-falsetto '70s homage, "Leave The Door Open," complete with wide-lapel, open-necked shirts and matching rust-brown suits. 

In a tribute to the country's COVID-shuttered indie venues, STATION INN's JT GRAY then presented the award for BEST COUNTRY ALBUM to MIRANDA LAMBERT for "Wildcard" from his NASHVILLE venue.

"When you're young, they assume you know nothing," started TAYLOR SWIFT  for a surreal, pre-recorded take on "cardigan," perched on the roof of an enchanted, moss-covered log cabin in the woods, which she then entered, accompanied by JACK ANTONOFF and AARON DESSNER on acoustic guitars, donning a wizard's outfit to sing "august" and "willow," the latter with the great line, "But I come back stronger than a '90s trend."

TROUBADOUR's legendary night manager (a personal favorite) RACHELLE ERRATCHU gave out the award for BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE to STYLES' "Watermelon Sugar." He thanked SONY's ROB STRINGER, among others, for the honor.

In the midst of the IN MEMORIAM segment, BRUNO MARS donned a head band and pencil-thin mustache, and ANDERSON .PAAK manned the drums for a rousing tribute to the late LITTLE RICHARD, while the solitary FENDER FRANKENSTEIN electric guitar on a stand acknowledged the death of EDDIE VAN HALEN. LIONEL RICHIE remembered one-time duet partner and lifelong friend KENNY ROGERS with a live "Lady." "Miss you KENNY, miss you man," he acknowledged. BRANDI CARLILE closed the segment by performing the late JOHN PRINE's "I Remember Everything." BRITTANY HOWARD, accompanied by COLDPLAY's CHRIS MARTIN on piano, sang "You'll Never Walk Alone," from the BROADWAY show, "Carousel."

A trio of Country female artists was next, starting with MICKEY GUYTON's searing, autobiographical, "Black Like Me," a provocative, neckline-plunging MIRANDA LAMBERT with the twangy "Bluebird" ("Yeah I'm a keeper / I keep digging down for the deep"), followed by MAREN MORRIS in a red gown and JOHN MAYER leaning into her song and wrenching out a few choice guitar crescendos on the smash hit, "The Bones."

SONG OF THE YEAR, a writer's award, was handed to GRAMMY fave H.E.R.'s timely "I Can't Breathe," co-written with ERNST "D MILE" EMILE II, as she remembered recording it at her mom's house and playing it for her father.

Multiple GRAMMY winner MEGAN THE STALLION started out with "Savage," then was joined by CARDI B to perform a shockingly risque "WAP," a song whose title, even never explicitly spelled out, we bet you never thought you'd catch even hinted at on national TV. Their performance prompted a standing ovation from POST MALONE, sporting a sh*t-eating. ear-to-ear grin as he prepared to go on next.

APOLLO THEATER's BILLY "MR. APOLLO" MITCHELL handed out the GRAMMY for BEST RAP SONG to MEGAN THEE STALLION for "Savage."

RECORD OF THE YEAR nominee POST MALONE then launched into a dramatic "Hollywood's Bleeding" in the middle of an apocalyptic light storm. BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM was awarded to DUA LIPA's "Future Nostalgia" in a tight race with SWIFT and STYLES.

LIL BABY brought a dose of reality, performing a powerful version of the protest Rap song "The Bigger Picture" in the middle of a video depicting a police shooting of a black victim, solemnly intoning in rap-a-tat style, "Can't change overnight / But we've gotta start somewhere." He was joined onstage by RUN THE JEWELS' KILLER MIKE, activist TAMIKA MALLORY and actor KENDRICK SAMPSON.

DOJA CAT's "Say So" featured her cat-like moves set on a laser-driven set with a precision, vinyl-jump-suit-clad dance routine.

THE HOTEL CAFE's currently out-of-work bartender CANDICE FOX handed out ALBUM OF THE YEAR to SWIFT's "Folklore." SWIFT accepted along with collaborators JACK ANTONOFF and THE NATIONAL's AARON DESSNER. 

The night ended with K-Pop icons BTS' suitably mind-blowing, expertly choreographed, presumably, pre-recorded rendition of "Dynamite" atop a SEOUL skyscraper, and RODDY RICCH's living and rapping outside "The Box."

RECORD OF THE YEAR was presented by none other than RINGO STARR, who peace-and-loved everyone before handing over the evening's final award to EILISH's "Everything I Wanted," before EILISH tried to give the award to MEGAN THEE STALLION.

Performers included the debut of ANDERSON .PAAK and BRUNO MARS' SILK SONIC, BAD BUNNY, BLACK PUMAS, CARDI B, BTS, CARLILE, DABABY, DOJA CAT, EILISH, GUYTON, HAIM, HOWARD, LAMBERT, LIL BABY, DUA LIPA, MARTIN, MAYER, MEGAN THEE STALLION, MORRIS, POST MALONE, RODDY RICCH, STYLES and SWIFT, most of them also nominees. SWIFT, DUA LIPA and RODDY RICCH all scored six nominations apiece.

The pre-GRAMMY PREMIERE CEREMONY, hosted by JHENE AIKO, was where most of the statues were handed out. Posthumous GRAMMY awards went to JOHN PRINE, TOOTS HIBBERT and CHICK COREA, while a very much alive FIONA APPLE nabbed BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM and NAS BEST RAP ALBUM in the early returns..

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM: FIONA APPLE, "Fetch The Bolt Cutters"
BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM: THUNDERCAT, "It Is What It Is"
BEST R&B ALBUM: JOHN LEGEND, "Bigger Love"
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE, LADY GAGA w/ARIANA GRANDE, "Rain On Me"
BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM: JAMES TAYLOR, "American Standard"
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE: MEGAN THEE STALLION f/BEYONCE, "Savage"
BEST RAP ALBUM: NAS, "King's Disease"
BEST METAL PERFORMANCE; BODY COUNT, "Bum-Rush"
BEST ROCK SONG: BRITTANY HOWARD, "Stay High"
BEST ROCK ALBUM: THE STROKES, "The New Abnormal"
BEST COMEDY ALBUM: TIFFANY HADISH, "Black Mitzvah"
BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM: "Jagged Little Pill"
BEST REGGAE ALBUM: TOOTS & THE MAYTALS, "Got To Be Tough"
BEST FOLK ALBUM: GILLIAN WELCH & DAVID RAWLINGS, "All The Good Times"
BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM: FANTASTIC NEGRIOT, "Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?"
BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM: BOBBY RUSH, "Rawer Than Raw"
BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM: BILLY STRINGS, "Home"
BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG/PERFORMANCE: JOHN PRINE, "I Remember Everything"
BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA: BILLIE EILISH, "No Time To Die"
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA: HILDUR GUDNADOTTIR, "Joker"
BEST DANCE RECORDING: KAYTRANADA f/KALI UCHIS, “10%”
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM: KAYTRANADA, “Bubba”
BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM: SNARKY PUPPY, “Live At The Royal Albert Hall”
BEST GOSPEL ALBUM: PJ MORTON, “The Gospel According To PJ”
BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM: FISK JUBILEE SINGERS, “Celebrating FISK! (The 150th Anniversary Album)”
BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM: GRUPO NICHE, “40”
BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO: CHICK COREA, "All Blues"\
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE: VINCE GILL, "When My Amy Prays" (his 22nd career GRAMMY win)
BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE: DAN + SHAY & JUSTIN BIEBER, "10,000 Hours"
BEST COUNTRY SONG: THE HIGHWOMEN, "Crowded Table" (BRANDI CARLILE, NATALIE HEMBY and LORI McKENNA, songwriter)
BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE: LEDISI, "Anything For You"
BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM: BURNA BOY, "Twice As Tall"
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE.SONG: ZACH WILLIAMS & DOLLY PARTON, "There Was Jesus."
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM: KANYE WEST, “Jesus Is King'
BEST MELODIC RAP PERFORMANCE: ANDERSON .PAAK, "Lockdown"
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL: ANDREW WATT (DUA LIPA, POST MALONE, OZZY OSBOURNE)

For all the winners, go here and in bold below. 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR: JHENE AIKO ("Chilombo"), BLACK PUMAS ("Deluxe Edition"), COLDPLAY ("Everyday Life"), JACOB COLLIER, ("Djesse Vol. 3"), HAIM ("Women In Music Part III"), DUA LIPA ("Future Nostalgia"), POST MALONE ("Hollywood's Bleeding") and TAYLOR SWIFT ("Folklore").

RECORD OF THE YEAR: BEYONCE ("Black Parade"), BLACK PUMAS ("Colors"), DABABY f/RODDY RICCH ("Rockstar"), DOJA CAT ("Say So"), BILLIE EILISH ("Everything I Wanted"), DUA LIPA ("Don't Start Now"), POST MALONE ("Circles"), MEGAN THEE STALLION f/BEYONCE ("Savage")

SONG OF THE YEAR: BEYONCE ("Black Parade"), RODDY RICCH ("The Box"), TAYLOR SWIFT ("Cardigan"), POST MALONE ("Circles"), DUA LIPA ("Don't Start Now")(, BILLIE EILISH ("Everything I Wanted"), H.E.R. ("I Can't Breathe"), JP SAXE w/JULIA MICHAELS ("If The World Was Ending")

BEST NEW ARTIST: INGRID ANDRESS, PHOEBE BRIDGERS, NOAH CYRUS, CHIKA, D SMOKE, DOJA CAT, KAYTRANADA, MEGAN THEE STALLION

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