2021 Grammy Recap: Winners, Performers

Posted on by Wesley Marsh

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards kicked off Sunday night on CBS. The Daily Show’s Trevor Noah hosted the ceremony from the Los Angeles Convention Center, in a departure from its usual home at the Staples Center.

What We Know:

  • Due to the ongoing pandemic, like other award shows this year, the Grammys were held without a live audience. Still, there were several performances from the likes of Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, and Roddy Rich, among others.
  • The Grammy Awards often draw criticism for its controversial nominations and winners. Specifically, fans and artists alike point to the awards’ lack of inclusion when it comes to artists of color and the many times those artists have been snubbed for major awards. In 2014, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, a white duo from Seattle, infamously won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Album over Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City. The Compton native was nominated for seven awards that night, winning none while Macklemore walked away with four. 2017 was no different, with the British-born Adele winning Album of the Year for 25 over Beyoncé’s Lemonade.
  • Ahead of the awards on Sunday night, The Weekend announced he would no longer submit his music for consideration. The Weekend, who headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show last month, was outraged after his hit album After Hours received zero nominations. Citing the predominantly white “secret committees” who determine the nominations and have been accused of bias in the past, The Weekend stated he’ll be boycotting the Grammys going forward. Zayn Malik tweeted in support of him, calling for transparency of the nomination process and an end to favoritism.

  • Nevertheless, it was a historic night for women and Black artists: Taylor Swift became the first woman to win Album of the Year three times with Folklore. In the R&B categories, John Legend won Best Album for Bigger Love, while Thundercat won Best Progressive Album for It Is What It Is. However, Beyoncé stole the show with nine nominations–more than any other artist that night. She won Best R&B performance for Black Parade, while her collab with Megan Thee Stallion on Savage: Remix earned her a record-setting 28th Grammy win–the most by any female artist or singer. In addition, her daughter Blue Ivy became the second youngest Grammy winner after providing extra vocals for Beyoncé’s Best Music Video winning Brown Skin Girl. Megan Thee Stallion won the Grammy award for Best New Artist herself and captivated audiences alongside Cardi B with an electric performance of their hit song “WAP.”

  • Kaytranada became the first black musician to win a Best Dance/Electronic Album Grammy with Bubba. Kanye West won yet another Grammy in Best Contemporary Christian Music for his album Jesus is King. Fans were shocked, as West famously posted a video of himself last year urinating on one of his previous 21 trophies. After 14 nominations, NAS finally got his first Grammy with King’s Disease in the Best Rap Album category. The vocalist H.E.R. took home the award for Song of the Year with I Can’t Breathe, a stirring track on police brutality.
  • In what was perhaps the best performance of the night, the rapper Lil Baby gave his own powerful take on police brutality with a visceral performance of his hit, “The Bigger Picture.” The Atlanta-native was joined on stage by Killer Mike and Tamika Mallory to perform the Black Lives Matter anthem.

  • Moreover, it was the Korean pop group and worldwide sensation BTS who wowed viewers at the end of the night. Performing their English-language hit “Dynamite,” the group became the first South Korean act to perform at the award show, an important milestone in the Grammy’s work to increase diversity.

The full list of the Grammy nominees and winners can be found here.

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