The biggest night in music took place last night. The 63rd annual ceremony was a rather different affair than usual, however, with the awards being socially distanced due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
But that doesn't mean that the performances – and memes – didn't deliver. From Taylor Swift and Beyoncé's history-making wins to the Black Lives Matter tributes, we break down some of last night's most memorable moments...
1. Beyoncé makes history
Much to the delight of her Beehive, Queen Bey set a new record at the Grammys with her 28th win. This makes her the most-awarded woman in the award show's history, overtaking bluegrass-country singer, Alison Krauss.
"I am so honoured, I'm so excited," the former Destiny's Child singer said while taking the trophy for best R&B performance.
2. And so did Taylor Swift...
Taylor Swift also made history at Sunday's ceremony by becoming the first female artists to win Album of the Year three times. In doing so, she joins the likes of Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder.
The singer was awarded the prize for her lockdown album Folklore, after previously winning with 2010's Fearless and 2016's 1989.
"We just want to thank the fans," she said in her acceptance speech.
3. Meghan Thee Stallion got teary
The Savage singer became emotional after receiving the first award presented during the live telecast, Best New Artist.
"I don't want to cry," she said, welling up at the beginning of her acceptance speech. Meghan is the first rapper to win the category since Lauryn Hill in 1999.
4. Harry Style's feather boa
Former One Direction singer, Harry Styles, broke the internet by bringing home his first-ever Grammy while wearing a leather suit and three feather boas to boot.
His sartorial choice sparked a thousand memes, and he's since been lauded as the ceremony's best-dressed star.
Harry won Best Pop Solo Performance for Watermelon Sugar, which he performed last night.
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5. Lizzo curses on live television
Lizzo attended the awards with her trademark enthusiasm. As she stepped out to announce the nominees for Best New Artist, the Truth Hurts singer shouted "b*tch I'm back" before realising she'd swore on live tv. The audience, of course, loved it.
6. 2021's In Memorian tributes
The annual tribute honours those in the music industry who have sadly passed away during the past year, and this number surpassed 1,000 due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It made for some seriously emotional viewing.
In the segment, we saw artists perform iconic songs to pay homage to the late legends.
Anderson .Paak and Bruno Mars performed Little Richard's Good Golly, Miss Molly, Lionel Richie Sang Kenny Rogers' Lay Down Beside me, and Brandi Carlile took on John Prine's I Remember Everything.
The list wasn't conclusive this year, and host Trevor Noah directed viewers to the Grammy's website for a full account of everyone that we lost in 2020.
7. Artists speak out about Black Lives Matter
Lil Baby issued a powerful performance of The Bigger Picture, which directly referenced police brutalist against Black people in the United States.
He was joined by activist Tamika Mallory, who gave a speech, asserting: "It's a state of emergency. It's been a hell of year. Hell for over 400 years. My people, it's time we stand, it's time we demand the freedom that this land promises."
H.E.R also took home the award for Song of the Year for I Can't Breathe – an anthem written in response to the death of George Floyd. "We wrote this song over FaceTime, and I didn't imagine that my fear and that my pain would turn into impact and it would possibly turn into change," she said in her acceptance speech.
Beyoncé was also recognised and received an award for Black Parade, which touches on Black history and activism. "I wanted to uplift, encourage and celebrate all the beautiful black kings and queens who have inspired me and the whole world," she said.
8. Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion perform WAP
The pair performed a slightly pared-down version of WAP, which featured the two rappers dancing on a giant bed together.
9. John Mayer raises eyebrows
John Mayer started trending on Twitter after his Grammys performance over previous racist and misogynistic remarks he's made.
The 43-year-old played the guitar during Maren Morris' performance of her Grammy-nominated track The Bones. However, after the song ended, people took to social media to highlight Mayer's controversial past, referencing his 2010 Playboy interview where he used the N-word and spoke about women in a derogatory manner. He has since apologised for his comments.
"Stop giving John Mayer a platform society has progressed past the need for John Mayer," wrote one Twitter user. "If we learn one thing from John Mayer I guess it’s that you can be openly racist and still perform at the Grammys," added another.
10. The Weeknd is a no-show
The Weeknd followed through on his promise to boycott the 2021 Grammys after he was snubbed in the awards ceremony.
Despite his album After Hours being incredibly well-received, the Canadian star failed to pick up any nominations.
"The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency," he tweeted after seeing the 2021 nominees.
"If you were like ‘Do you think the Grammys are racist? I think the only real answer is that in the last 61 years of the Grammys, only 10 Black artists have won Album of the Year," he told Billboard. "I don’t want to make this about me. That’s just a fact."
Recording Academy Chair and Interim President CEO, Harvey Mason Jr., issued a statement, saying: "We would have loved to have him also perform on the Grammy stage the weekend before [the Super Bowl]. Unfortunately, every year, there are fewer nominations than the number of deserving artists."
The Weeknd announced his decision to boycott this year's proceedings to the New York Times, saying: "Because of the secret committees, I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys." And he was, indeed, a no-show.
Feature Image credit: PA Images.
