The 63rd annual Grammy Awards celebrated the music of the year, especially highlighting women in pop music and themes of justice.
Rapper Megan Thee Stallion won best new artist, and her song “Savage” won best rap performance and for best rap song. She is the first woman rap artist to win best new artist.
Winning the award was an emotional moment for Megan. “I don’t want to cry,” she said while accepting the honor. In her acceptance speech for “Savage”, she thanked her late mother and teared up.
Nineteen-year-old Billie Eilish won record of the year for “Everything I Wanted,” then humbly told Megan that she should’ve won that award.
Album of the year went to Taylor Swift for “Folklore,” an album she created entirely during quarantine. This was the singer’s third time winning album of the year, putting her among greats like Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon.
Beyonce set an incredible record– winning four awards last night brought her lifetime total to 28 Grammys, making her the performer with the most awards in Grammy history. She won best R&B performance for her song “Black Parade,” released as Black Lives Matter protests became widespread last summer.
Beyoncé stated in her acceptance speech, “as an artist I believe it’s my job, and all of our jobs, to reflect the times, and it’s been such a difficult time.” The song was released on Juneteenth, and proceeds go to BeyGood, a partnership with Beyonce and NAACP dedicated to funding Black-owned businesses during the pandemic.
Blue Ivy Carter, Beyonce’s 9-year-old daughter, also took home her first Grammy for best music video for “Brown Skin Girl”, which she won alongside her mother and WizKid.
Singer-songwriter H.E.R. won song of the year for her song “I Can’t Breathe”, a Black Lives Matter anthem. In her speech, she said, “I didn’t imagine that my fear and that my pain would turn into impact, and that it would possibly turn into change.”
Sources: Washington Post 3/15/21; New York Times 3/14/21; Jezebel 3/15/21; NAACP
