Well, the show must go on. Without an in-person audience aside from the artists themselves, the 63rd annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday, March 14th. The awards show was originally scheduled for January 31st, but due to you-know-what, it was postponed. Unlike movies, the pandemic didn’t affect the release of music nearly as much, so this year’s awards had a wide range of contenders.

Aside from the obvious lack of audience, and the glamourous outfits now co-ordinating with facemasks, this year’s show went off pretty seamlessly, and has been lauded online as an example of how to hold a large glamourous event during a time when such things are questionable at best. Harry Styles opened the show with an alluring version of his summer 2020 anthem ‘Watermelon Sugar’, from Fine Line for which he also accepted the award of Best Pop Solo Performance.

History was made at the Grammys this year, when Beyoncé won 4 Grammys including Best R&B Performance for the song “Black Parade,” Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Performance for “Savage” featuring Megan Thee Stallion, and Best Music Video for her song “Brown Skin Girl.” This video features her daughter Blue Ivy, who also won a Grammy for her performance, making her the second youngest person to ever win a Grammy. Jay-Z also received a win for his role in “Savage,” making the song a truly family affair. The wins for Beyoncé make her the most awarded woman in the show’s history with 28 statutes, from 79 nominations.

Beyoncé wasn’t the only talented woman to make history at this year’s Grammy’s. Taylor Swift has become the first female artist ever to win Album of the Year three times. This year, her win was for Folklore, her most recent album released August 2020. Previous wins were for her 2010 album Fearless and her 1989 album in 2016. Megan Thee Stallion also made history, when she - alongside Beyoncé - became the first women ever to win for Best Rap Song.

Keeping up with the theme of strong women, Mickey Guyton became the first black woman to ever be nominated for Best Country Solo Performance. While Vince Gill was the winner of this award, Guyton performed the song “Black Like Me” with beauty and grace. The song and its powerful message were written by Guyton, taking the title from the 1961 book of the same name by John Howard Griffin.

19-year-old Billie Eilish was awarded Record of the Year for the second year in a row for her song “Everything I Wanted,” which she performed with her brother Finneas on piano. She also won Best Song Written for Visual Media, for “No Time to Die,” the title song for the latest James Bond movie, whose release has been repeated delayed due to the pandemic.

Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande are also among female firsts, becoming the first female pop duo to win for Best Pop/Duo Performance for the song “Rain on Me.” This song comes from Lady Gaga’s album Chromatica, which was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. Chromatica is also the name of a limited release Lady Gaga themed type of Oreo cookie.

Some fellow Canadians also won big at the Grammy’s this year. Stratford native Justin Bieber won alongside co-performers Dan + Shay for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for the song “10,000 Hours.” This is the first Country win for Bieber, and Dan + Shay’s third year in a row winning this award. Montreal DJ Kaytranada also won on Sunday, taking home Best Dance/Electronic Album and Best Dance Recording for the album “Bubba.” Also representing Canada, the musical adaptation of Alanis Morissette’s album “Jagged Little Pill,” won for Best Musical Theater Album.

Many musicians were honored in remembrance, including a performance by Bruno Mars honoring the late great Little Richard, who passed last May. Mars performed a medley of Little Richard’s greatest hits, in the high energy style of both Mars and Little Richard. Lionel Richie performed the song “Lady” to honor his late friend and co-performer, Kenny Rogers, who the world lost in March 2020. Honoring the late John Prine, who passed away in April 2020 due to Covid related complications, was Brandi Carlile performing her rendition of “I Remember Everything.” John Prine posthumously won this year’s awards for Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance.

To keep up to date with all of LSC’s latest offerings, please follow LSC on Facebook, on Instagram, on Twitter, our YouTube Channel, and now on Issuu. We also encourage you to subscribe to the LSC Weekly Update, and we hope you check back each and every week on this site for our latest musings on the publishing world.

Happy listening!