Beyonc茅, Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish made history at the Grammy Awards. Just as joyously, dozens of creators largely sidelined for a year due to the pandemic got to make music again.

The Grammys on Sunday broke through the Zoom trap that has bedeviled other awards shows with a surprisingly intimate evening that, at its best, felt like viewers were invited into a private club with their favourite musicians.

Four different women won the four most prestigious Grammys. SwiftB次元官网网址檚 quiet surprise, B次元官网网址渇olklore,B次元官网网址� was album of the year; EilishB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淓verything I WantedB次元官网网址� was her second consecutive record of the year winner; H.E.R.B次元官网网址檚 topical B次元官网网址淚 CanB次元官网网址檛 BreatheB次元官网网址� won song of the year and Megan Thee Stallion was named best new artist.

Beyonc茅B次元官网网址檚 four awards Sunday brought her up to 28 Grammys in her career, more than any other female artist. Her celebration of Black history, B次元官网网址淏lack Parade,B次元官网网址� released last Juneteenth, won best R&B performance and she shared two awards for collaborating with Megan Thee Stallion on B次元官网网址淪avage.B次元官网网址�

She ties Quincy Jones for second most Grammys ever and has the leader B次元官网网址� the late conductor George Solti, who won 31 B次元官网网址� in her sights.

Further crowding the family trophy case is husband Jay-Z, whose songwriting on B次元官网网址淪avageB次元官网网址� earned him his 23rd Grammy on Sunday, and even their 9-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, who won best music video together with mom.

B次元官网网址淭his is such a magical night,B次元官网网址� Beyonc茅 said.

Swift, who also found time during the pandemic to make another album and re-record one of her old ones, became the first woman to win the album of the year Grammy for the third time. Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra have also done it. She won in 2009 for B次元官网网址淔earlessB次元官网网址� and 2015 for B次元官网网址�1989.B次元官网网址�

She sang a medley of three songs on the Grammys, B次元官网网址渃ardiganB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渁ugustB次元官网网址� from B次元官网网址渇olkloreB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址渨illowB次元官网网址� from its follow-up disc, B次元官网网址渆vermore,B次元官网网址� with collaborators Jack Antonoff and Aaron Dessner.

B次元官网网址淚 want to thank the fans,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淵ou guys met us in this magical world that we created.B次元官网网址�

After her sweep last year, Eilish became only the third artist to win back-to-back record of the year Grammys. Roberta Flack won in 1973 for B次元官网网址淭he First Time Ever I Saw Your FaceB次元官网网址� and in 1974 for B次元官网网址淜illing Me Softly With His Song,B次元官网网址� while U2 won in 2001 and 2002 for B次元官网网址淏eautiful DayB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淲alk On.B次元官网网址�

Then, when Eilish and her collaborator-brother Finneas accepted the award, she almost gave it away. She brought Megan Thee Stallion to tears by saying the rapper deserved the Grammy for B次元官网网址淪avage.B次元官网网址�

Because of the pandemic, CBS host Trevor Noah handed out the Grammys at an outdoor stage set up across from Los AngelesB次元官网网址� Staples Center, with relatively few nominees and guests in the audience.

Most performances took place at the Los Angeles Convention Center, but multiple artists were often on the cavernous stage at the same time, like when Harry Styles, HAIM and Eilish opened the show. Cameras caught artists enjoying their fellow nominees, like when country singer Mickey Guyton sang along quietly to Miranda Lambert, and Post Malone held up a red cup in glee at Cardi B and StallionB次元官网网址檚 performance of B次元官网网址淲AP.B次元官网网址�

It made for an atmosphere unlike any other Grammy show, British singer Jacob Collier told reporters.

B次元官网网址淭here was something very special about how intimate it was and to have everything stripped back and just to be hanging out with those fellow nominees was just fantastic,B次元官网网址� said Collier, who won his fifth Grammy. B次元官网网址淭o me, thereB次元官网网址檚 something so special about communal celebration, especially after all this time of silence and being on our own.B次元官网网址�

Lambert said that B次元官网网址淚 canB次元官网网址檛 wait to get out as a band.B次元官网网址� Lizzo, even though she was giving out an award and not performing, couldnB次元官网网址檛 hold back: B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 presenting because I L-O-O-O-V-E you,B次元官网网址� she belted.

Some of the performances, like Bruno Mars and Anderson .PaakB次元官网网址檚 Silk Sonic and Dua Lipa, felt like they were on the soundstage of B次元官网网址淪oul TrainB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址� ask your parents, kids.

Even with the stripped-down setting, there was still room for spectacle: the giant bed for B次元官网网址淲APB次元官网网址� belongs in the Grammy hall of fame. Lil BabyB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淭he Bigger PictureB次元官网网址� had an elaborately choreographed scene recreating the police shooting of Rayshard Brooks and subsequent unrest.

The latter joined with B次元官网网址淏lack Parade,B次元官网网址� which Beyonc茅 said was created to honour the worldB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渂eautiful Black kings and queens,B次元官网网址� and H.E.RB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淚 CanB次元官网网址檛 Breathe,B次元官网网址� a reference to Black people like George Floyd and Breonna Taylor who died at the hands of police, as songs and performances that recalled last summerB次元官网网址檚 social unrest.

B次元官网网址淭he fight that we had in us in the summer of 2020 B次元官网网址� keep that energy,B次元官网网址� H.E.R. said.

A particularly effective B次元官网网址渋n memoriamB次元官网网址� section B次元官网网址� lengthened because of coronavirus deaths B次元官网网址� featured Lionel Richie paying tribute Kenny Rogers, Silk Sonic raising the spirit of Little Richard, Brandi Carlile honouring John Prine and Brittany HowardB次元官网网址檚 roof-rattling version of B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檒l Never Walk Alone,B次元官网网址� accompanied by Chris Martin.

Other performances that impressed included DaBabyB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淩ockstar,B次元官网网址� country singer Guyton, the first Black woman nominated for best country solo performance, on B次元官网网址淏lack Like Me,B次元官网网址� and Black PumasB次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淐olours.B次元官网网址�

H.E.R., Fiona Apple and Kaytranda won two Grammys each. Prine and Chick Corea also won two awards each posthumously.

Other notable Grammy winners were Kanye West, whose B次元官网网址淛esus is KingB次元官网网址� won best contemporary Christian album; Canadian pop star Justin Bieber, who shared in Dan + ShayB次元官网网址檚 country award for the collaboration B次元官网网址�10,000 HoursB次元官网网址�; and MSNBCB次元官网网址檚 Rachel Maddow, who won best spoken word album for B次元官网网址淏lowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth.B次元官网网址�

The making of this year's with Executive Producer, .

B次元官网网址� Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad)

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Associated Press music writer Mesfin Fekadu and entertainment writer Kristin M. Hall contributed to this report.

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David Bauder, The Associated Press

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