Beyoncé Ties Record For Most Grammy Wins In History

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As the 65th Grammy Awards ceremony aired Sunday, actress Viola Davis won the final award needed for her to achieve an EGOT and Beyoncé tied the record for most Grammy wins in history, as fans watched for a showdown between mega performers like Adele, Harry Styles and Kendrick Lamar for the night’s top honors.

Beyoncé accepts the Best R&B Performance award for ‘Black Parade’ onstage during the 63rd Annual … [+] GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California.

Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Key Facts

The ceremony was hosted by Trevor Noah for the third year in a row.

Davis won a Grammy for the recording of the audiobook for her memoir, “Finding Me,” making her the third Black woman in history and the 18th ever to achieve an EGOT—An Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar and a Tony.

All eyes are on Beyoncé: She has won 31 Grammys, was nominated for nine on Sunday, and needs one more to beat Georg Solti’s record for most overall wins in Grammys history (she is tied with her husband Jay-Z for the most nominations, with 88).

So far during Sunday’s ceremony, has Beyoncé won three awards: Best Traditional R&B Performance (”Plastic Off The Sofa”), Best Dance/Electronic Recording (“Break My Soul”) and Best R&B song (“Cuff It”).

What To Watch For

Kacey Musgraves, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt, and Quavo will perform during the “in memoriam” segment. Watch for a performance dedicated to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, when the likes of Missy Elliot, Future, Lil Wayne, Run-D.M.C., Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Queen Latifa and other legends will share the stage. Other performers include Bad Bunny, Lizzo and Harry Styles.

Nominees

Find the full list of nominees for the 91 awards here.

Record Of The Year: “Don’t Shut Me Down,” ABBA; “Easy On Me,” Adele; “Break My Soul,” Beyoncé; “Good Morning Gorgeous,” Mary J. Blige; “You And Me On The Rock,” Brandi Carlile; “Woman,” Doja Cat; “Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy; “The Heart Part 5,” Kendrick Lamar; “About Damn Time,” Lizzo; “As It Was,” Harry Styles

Album Of The Year: Voyage, ABBA; 30, Adele; Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny; Renaissance, Beyoncé; Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe), Mary J, Blige; In These Silent Days, Brandi Carlile; Music Of The Spheres, Coldplay; Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar; Special, Lizzo; Harry’s House, Harry Styles

Song Of The Year: “abcdefu,” Gayle; “About Damn Time,” Lizzo;“All Too Well (10 Min. Version) (Taylor’s Version),” Taylor Swift; “As It Was,” Harry Styles; “Break My Soul,” Beyoncé; “Easy On Me,” Adele; “God Did,” DJ Khaled; “The Heart Part 5,” Kendrick Lamar; “Just Like That,” Bonnie Raitt

Best New Artist: Anitta, Omar Apollo, Måneskin, DOMi & JD Beck, Latto, Muni Long, Wet Leg, Molly Tuttle, Tobe Nwigwe, Samara Joy

Best Pop Solo Performance: “Easy On Me,” Adele; “Moscow Mule,” Bad Bunny, “Woman,” Doja Cat; “Bad Habit,” Steve Lacy; “About Damn Time,” Lizzo; “As It Was,” Harry Styles

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Don’t Shut Me Down,” ABBA; “Bam Bam,” Camila Cabello feat. Ed Sheeran; “My Universe,” Coldplay feat. BTS; “I Like You (A Happier Song),” Post Malone and Doja Cat; “Unholy,” Sam Smith feat. Kim Petras (WINNER)

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Higher, Michael Bublé (WINNER); When Christmas Comes Around…, Kelly Clarkson; I Dream of Christmas (Extended), Norah Jones; Evergreen, Pentatonix; Thank You, Diana Ross

Best Pop Vocal Album: Voyage, ABBA; 30, Adele; Music Of The Spheres, Coldplay; Special, Lizzo; Harry’s House, Harry Styles (WINNER)

Key Background

This year’s Album Of The Year contest mirrored 2017’s, when Beyonce’s Lemonade was up against Adele’s 25. Adele won, and said during her acceptance speech that, “I can’t possibly accept this award, and I’m very humbled, and I’m very grateful and gracious, but the artist of my life is Beyoncé.” Lemonade, “was just so monumental… and so well thought out, and so beautiful and soul-bearing, and we all got to see another side to you that you don’t always let us see… I love you, I always have, and I always will,” Adele said. To be eligible for the awards, music had to be released between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. Still, some of the biggest songs from that time period are noticeably missing from the nominations, including work from Silk Sonic, Drake and The Weeknd, who opted not to submit for consideration.

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Key Facts

What To Watch For

Nominees

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Further Reading