The 2021 “Grammys” will be remembered for years to come, not just for its nearly 3-hour-and-45-minute runtime . . . but for being the show where “WAP” was performed for the first time ever.
It started with MEGAN THEE STALLION doing a solo performance of “Body” and “Savage”. Then she left the stage and CARDI B entered for a live performance of “Up”. Then she launched into “WAP”.
Megan reappeared when her part came up. She and Cardi got onto a giant bed and rolled around together. Behind them, the two giant pillows on the bed had a gap between them that looked like . . . well, I’ll let you figure it out.
They didn’t actually SAY the phrase that “WAP” stands for. In its place, they sang “Wet, wet, wet.”
It ended with host TREVOR NOAH hopping up on the bed and joking about being in bed with Cardi B. Then he said, quote, “We have to cool down. We’re gonna go for a quick break and let the stage dry off.”
The show was heavy on performers, including Billie Eilish, Post Malone, BTS, Taylor Swift, Haim, Lil Baby, DaBaby, Harry Styles, Black Pumas, Dua Lipa, Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert, and Maren Morris with John Mayer.
Even the In Memoriam segment included multiple live performances. Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak did a tribute to Little Richard, Lionel Richie paid tribute to Kenny Rogers, and Brandi Carlile sang John Prine’s “I Remember Everything”.
Brittany Howard from Alabama Shakes ended the segment by singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” with Chris Martin on piano.
Last night may also be remembered as the beginning of BLUE IVY CARTER’s rise to GLOBAL DOMINANCE. At 9 years old, she won her first Grammy. She and her mom won Best Music Video for “Brown Skin Girl”.
Speaking of Blue Ivy’s mom, BEYONCÉ won four, giving her 28 lifetime Grammys, which is the most for a female artist in HISTORY. It’s also the most for a performing artist.
And she’s tied with Quincy Jones for second-most Grammy wins overall.
It was a good night for the ladies, who won the Top Four awards: TAYLOR SWIFT got Album of the Year, BILLIE EILISH won Record of the Year, H.E.R. took Song of the Year, and DUA LIPA got Best Pop Vocal Album.
On top of that, Megan Thee Stallion won Best New Artist . . . becoming the first female rapper to do it since Lauryn Hill in 1999.
And Billie Eilish was VERY adamant that Megan should have won Record of the Year instead of her.
The Grammy Winners
Album of the Year: “Folklore”, Taylor Swift
Record of the Year: “Everything I Wanted”, Billie Eilish
Song of the Year: “I Can’t Breathe”, H.E.R.
Best New Artist: Megan Thee Stallion
Best Pop Vocal Album: “Future Nostalgia”, Dua Lipa
Best Pop Solo Performance: “Watermelon Sugar”, Harry Styles
Best Pop Performance By a Duo or Group: “Rain on Me”, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “American Standard”, James Taylor
Best Rock Song: “Stay High”, Brittany Howard
Best Rock Album: “The New Abnormal”, The Strokes
Best Rock Performance: “Shameika”, Fiona Apple
Best Metal Performance: “Bum-Rush”, Body Count
Best Alternative Music Album: “Fetch the Bolt Cutters”, Fiona Apple
Best R&B Song: “Better Than I Imagined”, Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello
Best R&B Album: “Bigger Love”, John Legend
Best R&B Performance: “Black Parade”, Beyoncé
Best Traditional R&B Performance: “Anything for You”, Ledisi
Best Rap Song: “Savage”, Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Best Rap Album: “King’s Disease”, Nas
Best Rap Performance: “Savage”, Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé
Best Melodic Rap Performance: “Lockdown”, Anderson .Paak
Best Country Song: “Crowded Table”, The Highwomen
Best Country Album: “Wildcard”, Miranda Lambert
Best Country Solo Performance: “When My Amy Prays”, Vince Gill
Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group: “10,000 Hours”, Dan + Shay and Justin Bieber
Best Bluegrass Album: “Home”, Billy Strings
Best Reggae Album: “Got to Be Tough”, Toots and the Maytals
Best Dance Recording: “10%”, Kaytranada featuring Kali Uchis
And here are a few other random winners:
Best Musical Theater Album: “Jagged Little Pill”, Original Broadway Cast
Best Folk Album: “All the Good Things”, Gillian Welch and David Rawlings
Best Contemporary Christian Album: “Jesus Is King”, Kanye West
Best Americana Album: “World on the Ground”, Sarah Jarosz
Best Children’s Album: “All the Ladies”, Joanie Leeds
Best Latin Pop or Urban Album: “YHLQMDLG”, Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: “La Conquista Del Espacio”, Fito Paez
Best Spoken Word Album: “Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth”, Rachel Maddow
Best Comedy Album: “Black Mitzvah”, Tiffany Haddish
Best Score: “Joker”, composer Hildur Guðnadóttir
Best Soundtrack: “Jojo Rabbit”, Various Artists
Best Song Written for Visual Media: “No Time to Die”, Billie Eilish
Best Music Video: “Brown Skin Girl”, Beyoncé, Blue Ivy, and Wizkid
Best Music Film: “The Sound of My Voice”, Linda Ronstadt
