The Grammys review and reactions
The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, March 14, 2021, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. With Trevor Noah hosting the ceremony, there was no live audience aside from a select number of performers and nominees including Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Harry Styles, Megan Thee Stallion, and Cardi B. Beyoncé won four trophies and made history by first tying and then breaking the record for the most Grammy wins ever by a female artist and by any singer, male or female, with her third and fourth trophy victories of the night. Her daughter Blue Ivy Carter also made history as the second-youngest Grammy winner of all time after winning in the Best Music Video Category with her mother for “Brown Skin Girl.” Taylor Swift became the first woman to win Album of the Year three times with her album Folklore, and Harry Styles won his first-ever Grammy Award in the Pop Solo Performance category for his hit “Watermelon Sugar.”
Here are the winners of the major categories and a review of their albums, songs, and/or performances that won them a Grammy. A complete list of all the winners and nominees can be found here.
Album of the Year: Folklore, Taylor Swift
Nominees: 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
Folklore won Taylor Swift her third ever trophy in the Album of the Year category and her 11th Grammy overall. Swift’s eighth studio album had an exceptional impact in 2020. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia and Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding, frontrunners for Album of the Year which would have been played nonstop at clubs, parties, and other large public social gatherings, may not have been able to reach their full potential because of the restrictions due to COVID-19. On the other hand, from its surprise release to Swift’s delightful storytelling and powerful vocals, Taylor Swift’s Folklore was what many listeners needed during social distancing. Swift also gave a mesmerizing performance of “cardigan,” “august,” and “willow” with her collaborators Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff.
“I think that Taylor Swift winning album of the year for the third time and being the first woman to do so shows tremendous progress in the music industry relating to women.” Junior Emily Conroy reflected on Taylor Swift’s third Album of the Year trophy, “Taylor Swift for the past few years, and even now, had suffered a lot of criticism for having a lot of boyfriends, but when her male counterparts do the same actions the reaction from the public isn’t the same. So I think that the fact that she overcame that stereotype and set this record is incredible!”
Best New Artist: Megan Thee Stallion
Nominees: Ingrid Andress, Phoebe Bridgers, Chika, Noah Cyrus, D Smoke, Doja Cat, Kaytranada
Megan Thee Stallion topped off a very successful year with four Grammy nominations and three Grammy wins, including Best New Artist. My picks for Best New Artist were Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion, or Phoebe Bridgers. With her phenomenal vocals, Doja Cat ruled TikTok and the airwaves with her massively popular hit “Say So,” and Phoebe Bridgers emerged with her album Punisher. Megan Thee Stallion found success with her collaborations “WAP” and “Savage” with Cardi B and Beyoncé, respectively. In the end, Megan Thee Stallion was victorious, but all of the artists nominated have promising careers ahead of them.
Record of the Year: “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish
Nominees: “Black Parade,” Beyoncé; “Colors,” Black Pumas; “Rockstar,” DaBaby feat. Roddy Ricch; “Say So,” Doja Cat; “Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa; “Circles,” Post Malone; “Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé
Billie Eilish not only won two Grammys, adding to her seven overall wins, but also won the Record of the Year category for the second year in a row for her song “Everything I Wanted.” The race for Record of the Year was a close one, but Eilish beat out Beyoncé, Post Malone, Doja Cat, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion, and DaBaby for the trophy. In typical Billie fashion, Billie Eilish proclaimed that Megan Thee Stallion should have won and showered the rapper with praise in her acceptance speech. All the nominees were equally deserving of the award and phenomenal in their own right, but ultimately Billie Eilish was victorious. Eilish also gave an excellent performance of “Everything I Wanted” while standing on top of a car. Her vocals are amazing.
Song of the Year: “I Can’t Breathe,” H.E.R.
Nominees: “Black Parade,” Beyoncé; “The Box,” Roddy Ricch; “Cardigan,” Taylor Swift; “Circles,” Post Malone; “Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa; “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish; “If the World Was Ending,” JP Saxe Featuring Julia Michaels
H.E.R. won her fourth Grammy overall in the Song of the Year category for her song “I Can’t Breathe.” The powerful song was written in response to the death of George Floyd at the hands of police and reflects the movement for racial justice. “These lyrics were kind of easy to write because it came from a conversation of what’s happening right now … and the change that we need to see,” H.E.R. said when she released the song in June. “I think music is powerful when it comes to change and when it comes to healing and that’s why I wrote this song, to make a mark in history. And I hope this song does that.” With her now Grammy-winning song “I Can’t Breathe,” H.E.R. proves that music can be one of the best ways to express a powerful message. Please listen to the song here.
Best Country Album: Wildcard, Miranda Lambert
Nominees: Lady Like, Ingrid Andress; Your Life Is a Record, Brandy Clark; Nightfall, Little Big Town; Never Will, Ashley McBryde
Miranda Lambert won her third Grammy overall and second trophy in the Best Country Album category for her album Wildcard. Her song “Bluebird” from Wildcard was also nominated in the Best Country Song category. In addition to Lambert, my pick for Best Country Album was Little Big Town. Little Big Town was nominated for their album Nightfall in the Best Country Album category and their song “Sugarcoat” in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance category (they lost to Justin Bieber and Dan + Shay’s “10,000 Hours”).
Best Pop Vocal Album: Future Nostalgia, Dua Lipa
Nominees: Changes, Justin Bieber; Chromatica, Lady Gaga; Fine Line, Harry Styles; Folklore, Taylor Swift
Dua Lipa earned 5 nominations at the Grammys this year in addition to winning the Best Pop Vocal Album category for Future Nostalgia. She also gave a great performance of “Levitating” and “Don’t Start Now,” exhibiting her strong vocals and dance skills. While Taylor Swift was also nominated in this category and won the Album of the Year trophy for Folklore, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia was the pop vocal album that everyone needed while social distancing. Her upbeat songs would have been best played in clubs, parties, and other large public social gatherings, but they still thrived with more than 3 billion streams in 2020. In addition to Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, my picks for Best Pop Vocal Album were Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Harry Styles’ Fine Line. Swift and Styles were both recognized when they won Album of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance, respectively. Lady Gaga also took home the Best Pop/Duo Group Performance trophy for her collaboration “Rain On Me” with Ariana Grande.
Best Pop Solo Performance: “Watermelon Sugar,” Harry Styles
Nominees: “Yummy,” Justin Bieber; “Say So,” Doja Cat; “Everything I wanted,” Billie Eilish; “Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa; “Cardigan,” Taylor Swift
Harry Styles earned his first three nominations this year in addition to his first Grammy for “Watermelon Sugar” in the Best Pop Solo Performance category. While “Watermelon Sugar” is not exactly my favorite Harry Styles song and I thought it was slightly overplayed, I do believe that this Grammy was very well deserved. Further, Styles’ live performance of “Watermelon Sugar” exceeded my expectations by tenfold and is my favorite version of the song. What’s also impressive is that Harry Styles defeated a powerhouse of nominees: Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Taylor Swift. And while Billie Eilish, Dua Lipa, and Taylor Swift each received recognition by winning a Grammy in other categories, Harry Styles earned his well-earned recognition by taking home the Best Pop Solo Performance trophy.
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Rain On Me,” Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande
Nominees: “Un Dia (One Day),” J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy; “Intentions,” Justin Bieber Featuring Quavo; “Dynamite,” BTS; “Exile,” Taylor Swift Featuring Bon Iver
This category probably had the most controversial result of the entire Grammy Awards. BTS made history by being the first K-pop group to earn a Grammy nomination. However, fans were disappointed when the Recording Academy relegated the presentation of the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance trophy to the Premiere Ceremony; in previous years, it had been included in the main ceremony. Many assumed that this meant BTS would win, but the Recording Academy didn’t want to include them in the big event due to racism against Asians. Fans were even more disappointed when Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande won the Grammy for “Rain On Me” instead of BTS. To be honest, this result surprised me the most. Multiple polls also predicted that BTS winning by a large majority. I might be living under a rock, but I hadn’t heard “Rain On Me” anywhere or listened to it at all until I started writing this article. It’s not a bad song at all, but I truly believe that BTS and their song “Dynamite” deserved the trophy more. BTS went out of their comfort zone and sang the entire song in English! If not “Dynamite” then Taylor Swift and Bon Iver’s “Exile” or J Balvin, Dua Lipa, and Bad Bunny & Tainy’s “Un Dia (One Day).” Despite being a relatively catchy song, “Rain On Me” just doesn’t have as much significance as the other songs. Don’t get me wrong, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande exhibited their powerful vocals, but BTS not only made history with “Dynamite” but also took the western music scene by storm while reasserting their dominance in the east. Regardless, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande won their twelfth and second Grammys, respectively, and BTS earned their first-ever nomination and made history while slaying their live performance. Please watch it here.
In response to BTS’s loss, sophomore Clare Ryan expressed her disappointment. “I believe they deserved to win,” she said, “Their records for how talented they are as songwriters, performers, and producers say it all. Dynamite topped the chart, so the fact that they didn’t receive that reward angers me. They worked SO HARD and offered such comfort and light in that time of isolation. Do I have to say more? BTS doesn’t need the Grammys, the Grammys need BTS.”
Best Rap Performance: “Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion Feat. Beyoncé
Nominees: “Deep Reverence,” Big Sean Feat. Nipsey Hussle; “Bop,” DaBaby; “Whats Poppin,” Jack Harlow; “Dior,” Pop Smoke
“Savage” won Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé the Grammys for both the Best Rap Performance and the Best Rap Song categories. In either category, they beat out rappers Big Sean, Nipsey Hussle, DaBaby, Jack Harlow, Lil Baby, Roddy Ricch, Pop Smoke, Drake, and Lil Durk. Beyoncé made history and Megan Thee Stallion secured her first three Grammy wins.
Best R&B Performance: “Black Parade,” Beyoncé
Nominees: “Lighting & Thunder,” Jhené Aiko feat. John Legend; “All I Need,” Jacob Collier feat. Mahalia & Ty Dolla $ign; “Goat Head,” Brittany Howard; “See Me,” Emily King
Beyoncé won a total of four Grammys this year, including the Best R&B Performance for “Black Parade.” The song was released on Juneteenth and is a celebration of blackness, including references to famous black figures from Mansa Musa to Malcolm X. In addition to her wins in the Best Rap Performance and the Best Rap Song Categories, she also won the Best Music Video category for “Brown Skin Girl.” Please listen to “Black Parade” here.