Grammy Awards 2021 winners: Beyoncé, Megan Thee Stallion steal the show

Coming in a little late this year, the Grammy Awards are widely considered the biggest celebration of music in the industry.

The nominees for the 63rd annual Grammys ceremony were announced in November. The ceremony was partly virtual, like the Golden Globes ceremony two weeks ago.

The awards began Sunday afternoon at the Grammys Premiere Ceremony and the majority of winners were announced.

Beyoncé’s anthem about Black pride scored multiple nominations, making her the leading contender with nine going into the main ceremony. At the award show, she won her 28th Grammy, surpassing country star Alison Krauss for the most Grammy wins in history for an individual artist. She broke her past Grammys bad luck streak, too — she had lost album of the year three times and record of the year five times.

Hungarian-British conductor Georg Solti has won 31 Grammys, while producer Quincy Jones has also won 28.

Beyoncé’s whopping 79 nominations over the years is only behind her husband Jay-Z and Jones, who have both earned 80 nominations each. Jay-Z picked up three nominations this year for his contributions to Beyoncé’s songs: He co-wrote Black Parade and Megan Thee Stallion’s Savage (featuring Beyoncé) thus earning nominations for song of the year, best R&B song and best rap song. Jay-Z has won 22 Grammys throughout his career.

Savage went on to win best rap performance and best rap song on Sunday, and Beyoncé, along with nine-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, won best music video for Brown Skin Girl.

Megan Thee Stallion took home the coveted best new artist award, the first female rapper to win since Lauryn Hill in 1999.

H.E.R. won song of the year for I Can’t Breathe, facing some stiff competition including Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Post Malone and Dua Lipa. Dua Lipa took home the best pop vocal album for Future Nostalgia.

Taylor Swift won album of the year for Folklore, which for many music fans encapsulated life during the COVID-19 pandemic. Swift became the first-ever female singer to win record of the year three times.

Eilish won the biggest award of the night: record of the year for Everything I Wanted.

Canadian pop star Justin Bieber went into the ceremony with four nominations, while one of the biggest acts of the year, The Weeknd, had zero.

Less than a week ago, he announced that he was boycotting the awards show going forward.

“Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys,” the 31-year-old said in a statement to The New York Times, referring to a select group of industry executives, vets and artists who decide the nominees in some categories.

Bieber was annoyed by the classification of his music, saying it should be under R&B, not pop. Bieber ended up winning his second Grammy on Sunday — this time in the country music category — along with Dan + Shay for their collaboration 10,000 Hours.

The Grammys also took heat for the lack of diversity in their nominations and awards — the hashtag #GrammysSoWhite took off late last year.

Find below a complete list of all the nominees in the major categories. Final winners will be bolded as the ceremony goes on.

Album of the Year

Chilombo, Jhené Aiko
Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition), Black Pumas
Everyday Life, Coldplay
Djesse Vol. 3, Jacob Collier
Women in Music Pt. III, Haim
Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa
Hollywood’s Bleeding, Post Malone
** WINNER: Folklore, Taylor Swift

Record of the Year

Black Parade, Beyoncé
Colors, Black Pumas
Rockstar, DaBaby featuring Roddy Rich
Say So, Doja Cat
** WINNER: Everything I Wanted, Billie Eilish
Don’t Start Now, Dua Lipa
Circles, Post Malone
Savage, Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé

Song of the Year

Black Parade, Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk & Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)
The Box, Samuel Gloade & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)
Cardigan, Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
Circles, Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk, Austin Post & Billy Walsh, songwriters (Post Malone)
Don’t Start Now, Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa & Emily Warren, songwriters (Dua Lipa)
Everything I Wanted, Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
** WINNER: I Can’t Breathe, Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
If the World Was Ending, Julia Michaels & JP Saxe, songwriters (JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels)

Best New Artist

Ingrid Andress
Phoebe Bridgers
Chika
Noah Cyrus
D Smoke
Doja Cat
Kaytranada
** WINNER: Megan Thee Stallion

Best Pop Vocal Album

Changes, Justin Bieber
Chromatica, Lady Gaga
** WINNER: Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa
Fine Line, Harry Styles
Folklore, Taylor Swift

Best Pop Solo Performance

Yummy, Justin Bieber
Say So, Doja Cat
Everything I Wanted, Billie Eilish
Don’t Start Now, Dua Lipa
** WINNER: Watermelon Sugar, Harry Styles
Cardigan, Taylor Swift

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

Un Dia (One Day), J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny and Tainy
Intentions, Justin Bieber featuring Quavo
Dynamite, BTS
** WINNER: Rain on Me, Lady Gaga featuring Ariana Grande
Exile, Taylor Swift featuring Bon Iver

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Blue Umbrella, Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian
True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter, Harry Connick Jr.
** WINNER: American Standard, James Taylor
Unfollow the Rules, Rufus Wainwright
Judy, Renée Zellweger

Best Rap Performance

Deep Reverence, Big Sean featuring Nipsey Hussle
Bop, DaBaby
What’s Poppin, Jack Harlow
The Bigger Picture, Lil Baby
** WINNER: Savage, Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Dior, Pop Smoke

Best Melodic Rap Performance

Rockstar, DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch
Laugh Now, Cry Later, Drake featuring Lil Durk
** WINNER: Lockdown, Anderson .Paak
The Box, Roddy Ricch
The Highest in the Room, Travis Scott

Best Rap Song

The Bigger Picture, Dominique Jones, Noah Pettigrew & Rai’shaun Williams, songwriters (Lil Baby)
The Box, Samuel Gloade & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)
Laugh Now, Cry Later, Durk Banks, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Ron LaTour & Ryan Martinez, songwriters (Drake featuring Lil Durk)
Rockstar, Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, Ross Joseph Portaro IV & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch)
** WINNER: Savage, Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe & Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé)

Best Rap Album

Black Habits, D Smoke
Alfredo, Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist
A Written Testimony, Jay Electronica
** WINNER: King’s Disease, Nas
The Allegory, Royce Da 5’9”

Best R&B Performance

Lightning & Thunder, Jhené Aiko Featuring John Legend
**WINNER: Black Parade, Beyoncé
All I Need, Jacob Collier featuring Mahalia & Ty Dolla $ign
Goat Head, Brittany Howard
See Me, Emily King

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Sit on Down, The Baylor Project featuring Jean Baylor & Marcus Baylor
Wonder What She Thinks of Me, Chloe x Halle
Let Me Go, Mykal Kilgore
** WINNER: Anything for You, Ledisi
Distance, Yebba

Best R&B Song

** WINNER: Better Than I Imagine, Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)
Black Parade, Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk & Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Collide, Sam Barsh, Stacey Barthe, Sonyae Elise, Olu Fann, Akil King, Josh Lopez, Kaveh Rastegar & Benedetto Rotondi, songwriters (Tiana Major9 & EARTHGANG)
Do It, Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Anton Kuhl, Victoria Monét, Scott Storch & Vincent Van Den Ende, songwriters (Chloe x Halle)
Slow Down, Nasri Atweh, Badriia Bourelly, Skip Marley, Ryan Williamson & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Skip Marley & H.E.R.)

Best Dance Recording

On My Mind, Diplo & Sidepiece
My High, Disclosure featuring Aminé & Slowthai
The Difference, Flume featuring Toro y Moi
Both of Us, Jayda G
** WINNER: 10%, Kaytranada featuring Kali Uchis

Best Dance/Electronic Album

Kick I, Arca
Planet’s Mad, Baauer
Energy, Disclosure
** WINNER: Bubba, Kaytranada
Good Faith, Madeon

Best Rock Album

A Hero’s Death, Fontaines D.C.
Kiwanuka, Michael Kiwanuka
Daylight, Grace Potter
Sound & Fury, Sturgill Simpson
** WINNER: The New Abnormal, The Strokes

Best Rock Song

Kyoto, Phoebe Bridgers, Morgan Nagler & Marshall Vore, songwriters (Phoebe Bridgers)
Lost in Yesterday, Kevin Parker, songwriter (Tame Impala)
Not, Adrianne Lenker, songwriter (Big Thief)
Shameika, Fiona Apple, songwriter (Fiona Apple)
** WINNER: Stay High, Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)

Best Rock Performance

** WINNER: Shameika, Fiona Apple
Not, Big Thief
Kyoto, Phoebe Bridgers
The Steps, Haim
Stay High, Brittany Howard
Daylight, Grace Potter

Best Metal Performance

Best Alternative Music Album

** WINNER: Fetch the Bolt Cutters, Fiona Apple
Hyperspace, Beck
Punisher, Phoebe Bridgers
Jaime, Brittany Howard
The Slow Rush, Tame Impala

Best Country Album

Lady Like, Ingrid Andress
Your Life Is a Record, Brandy Clark
** WINNER: Wildcard, Miranda Lambert
Nightfall, Little Big Town
Never Will, Ashley McBryde

Best Country Solo Performance

Stick That in Your Country Song, Eric Church
Who You Thought I Was, Brandy Clark
** WINNER: When My Amy Prays, Vince Gill
Black Like Me, Mickey Guyton
Bluebird, Miranda Lambert

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

All Night, Brothers Osborne
** WINNER: 10,000 Hours, Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber
Ocean, Lady A
Sugar Coat, Little Big Town
Some People Do, Old Dominion

Best Country Song

Bluebird, Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby & Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
The Bones, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
** WINNER: Crowded Table, Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby & Lori McKenna, songwriters (The Highwomen)
More Hearts Than Mine, Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis & Derrick Southerland, songwriters (Ingrid Andress)
Some People Do, Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, Matthew Ramsey & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Old Dominion)

Best Latin Pop or Urban Album

** WINNER: YHLQMDLG, Bad Bunny
Por Primera Vez, Camilo
Mesa Para Dos, Kany García
Pausa, Ricky Martin
3:33, Debi Nova

Best Comedy Album

** WINNER: Black Mitzvah, Tiffany Haddish
I Love Everything, Patton Oswalt
The Pale Tourist, Jim Gaffigan
Paper Tiger, Bill Burr
23 Hours to Kill, Jerry Seinfeld

Best Musical Theatre Album

Amélie
American Utopia on Broadway
** WINNER: Jagged Little Pill
Little Shop of Horrors
The Prince of Egypt
Soft Power

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
Bill & Ted Face the Music
Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga
Frozen 2
** WINNER: Jojo Rabbit

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

Ad Astra
Becoming
** WINNER: Joker
1917
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

For a complete list of the Grammy Award winners, visit the awards’ official site.

— With files from The Associated Press