Grammy 2021: Many firsts in music as several artists make history

The 63rd Grammy Awards, held on Sunday, saw
several historic moments being recorded. Beyonce, with four Grammy wins in several
categories including Best Rap Performance and Best R&B Performance, totalled
her count to 28 Grammy wins over the years since 1999. With this, the US Pop
icon edged Alison Krauss’ (27) record of having won the most number of Grammys.

“It’s been such a difficult time, so I wanted to uplift,
encourage, celebrate all of the beautiful Black queens and kings that continue
to inspire me and inspire the whole world,” Beyonce said in her acceptance
speech, as per a New York Times report.

Also read: Revisiting Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’, Grammy’s choice for Album of the Year

Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion, on the other hand, won under
the Best New Artist category, becoming the first female rapper to do so since
Lauryn Hill in 1999.

Singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, on the other hand, became
the first woman to ever win the Album of the Year award three times. The former
Country singer’s album ‘Folklore’ became the third to win her Album of the Year
award, after ‘1989’ (2016) and ‘Fearless’ (2010), levelling her at the same
time beside legends such as Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon with
three golden gramophones for best album.

Also read: Grammys 2021: Watch all performances from star-studded ceremony

Aside from the aforementioned, Mickey Guyton became the
first black woman to be nominated for the best country solo performance. She
performed ‘Black Like Me’, a deeply personal track reportedly written days after
the killing of George Floyd in 2020.

Th ceremony in 2021 saw several black artists get highlighted
after questions rising last year regarding the award show’s commitment to the
issue of diversity.