I’m not usually an award show kind of person—not for any pretentious reason, I just never really got into them. I probably should be an award show junky because they have everything I’m into: celebrities drenched in sparkles and jewels, live-performances that are spectacularly staged, and a glimpse into the life of the fabulously wealthy that I can never truly understand. My big problem with award shows is that I never know when they’re on until they’ve already happened, I feel like the whole world understands exactly when to tune into award shows, and I always miss the mark. I’m going to have to set a calendar for next year.
Anyway, with me not being super invested in award shows, I was pretty reluctant on Sunday night when my little sister begged me to join her in watching the 63rd annual Grammys awards. It was a Sunday night, I just wanted to lay in bed and watch reruns of Criminal Minds, but there I was, watching a weird-post-pandemic-socially distanced version of the Grammys, but color me surprised when I started to really enjoy it.
The 63rd Grammy’s—taking place during women’s history month—was so women-centered. A diverse array of women of different race, body types, and sexuality were featured and celebrated on Sunday. Through the celebration of women, some huge musical history milestones were set. Beautiful speeches bestowed honors, and heartfelt celebration from all the women in attendance left me thinking, “Wow, women are amazing” by the time the show ended. Here are a few of those “women are amazing” moments, in case you missed it.
Megan Thee Stallion Won Her First Grammy
It’s no surprise that Megan Thee Stallion would be honored at this year’s Grammy. She has had some spectacular moments in Music this year. 2020 brought the release of Savage and Body, both instant hits, along with two albums and an EP. Megan Thee Stallion collaborated with Cardi B on the wildly popular WAP, which went straight to the number one spot of Billboard’s top 100. Megan Thee Stallion won her first-ever Grammy for Best Rap Song with her song Savage featuring Beyoncé. It was absolutely fabulous to watch a woman who has contributed so much to rap in just this past year get proper recognition and celebration.
Billie Eilish Won Her Sixth Grammy
Nineteen-year-old Billie Eilish Took Home her sixth Grammy for Best Song Written for Visual Media for her song No Time to Die, written for the upcoming James Bond movie by the same name. The win happened during the pre-show, with Eilish and her brother watching over FaceTime. This is the first time that a song from an unreleased movie has won! Billie has now won seven Grammy (spoiler) at only nineteen years of age, winning her first when she was just eighteen!
Lizzo Presents the Award for Best New Artist to Megan Thee Stallion
Three-time Grammy winner Lizzo presented the Best New Artist award in an absolutely fabulous and sexy lavender dress. In true Lizzo style, she accidentally swore on live television and fumbled with the letter—not being the only person to have trouble with the envelope, Ringo Starr later having a much harder time—her face lit up as she announced that Megan Thee Stallion won! Winning her second Grammy of the night, Megan Thee Stallion looked no less shocked than the first time, as she took the stage to many other adoring and talented women cheering her on in the audience and at home.
Beautiful and Haunting Performances from Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa
There was absolutely no holding back on the sets and the dramatics for the live performances that took place this year. Many of the women’s performances have haunting energy, as several of the sets transported the viewer to a new and ethereal world.
Taylor Swift sang a beautiful melody of three of her songs off her new album Folklore while exploring a huge set decorated like a cabin in the woods with moss and fairy lights. Billie Eilish sang her song Everything I wanted in a dark dystopian set while standing on a sinking car, reminding me of Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album Lemonade, and Dua Lipa brought us back to classic pop-diva by starting her performance in a violet cloudy oasis and then stripping off her gown and doing a choreographed dance routine with DaBaby.
Mickey Guyton was the First Black Woman to be Nominated for a Country Music Award
This probably should’ve already happened a long time ago, but definitely an accomplishment either way. Country artist Mickey Guyton became the first black woman to be nominated for a country music award. It was not just for a regular country song but also for Black Like Me, a biographical song about being a black woman in America! She was the first black woman to be nominated and for a song about her blackness and her womanhood in a very politically charged time. This is huge.
Although Guyton didn’t win the Grammy, she made history being nominated and did an absolutely beautiful Black Like Me performance in a flowing golden dress.
Here are some of the lyrics
“It’s a hard life on easy street
Just white painted picket fences far as you can see
If you think we live in the land of the free
You should try to be black like me”
H.E.R. Took Home the Grammy for Song of the Year for their song “I Can’t Breathe” a Powerful Civil Rights Anthem
Although Mickey Guyton didn’t win for her song about being black in America, singer H.E.R. did! Black singer and songwriter H.E.R. took home the Grammy for Best Song for I Can’t Breathe, a Black Lives Matter anthem about police brutality, racial violence, and blackness in America.
2020 was been full of police brutality, protests, and civil unrest, and to see H.E.R. represent the voice of her generation as pro-black and pro-woman gave me chills.
Here are some lyrics to I Can’t Breathe
“Trying times all the time
Destruction of minds, bodies, and human rights
Stripped of bloodlines, whipped and confined
This is the American pride
It’s justifying a genocide
Romanticizing the theft and bloodshed
That made America the land of the free
To take a black life, land of the free
To bring a gun to a peaceful fight for civil rights
You are desensitized to pulling triggers on innocent lives
Because that’s how we got here in the first place”
Megan Thee Stallion Returns for an Incredible Performance of Savage and Body, later joined by Cardi B for a Performance of WAP
Megan Thee Stallion is basically the Grammy’s sweetheart this year, and I’m 100% here for it. In real rap queen fashion, she came onto the stage in a full glitter one piece and performed both Body and Savage. The performance, sets, and background dancers were absolutely mesmerizing—the performance of the whole night, in my opinion.
Later on, Megan Thee Stallion was joined by Cardi b, and they performed the song that everyone was waiting for: WAP. This was the first time WAP had ever been played live, and it was fabulously done, even if a lot of the song had to be censored for television. The set consisted of a bed made for a giant, and Cardi and Megan dancing together even made me blush!
Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé Win the Grammy for Best Rap Performance for Savage; their Speech was Mostly About Love and Respect for Each Other
Megan Thee Stallion’s third Grammy of the night—and ever—and second Grammy for the song savage was announced, this time with Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé in the studio. Both women came to the stage for their speeches and ended up talking about how much they respect each other.
In the heartwarming moment, Megan Thee Stallion said, “I definitely want to say thank you to Beyoncé. If you know me, you have to know that ever since I was little I was like you know what, one day I’m going to grow up and I am going to be like the rap Beyoncé,” Then Beyoncé responded, “I just want to quickly give my love to Megan, who I have so much respect for and I’m honored that you asked me to be a part of the song.”
It was already very emotional, but then, while the two women were on stage, it was announced that Beyoncé had just tied for the awarded female artist in Grammy’s history. Beyoncé looked absolutely shocked!
Dua Lipa Won Best Pop Vocal Album for Future Nostalgia
After a spectacular performance earlier that night, Dua Lipa won the Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Album. Her third Grammy win and her first win since 2019, the 25-year-old singer was honored beautifully. In her speech, she came off as gracious, kind, and very well-spoken. It was genuinely so nice to see someone achieve something they so deeply deserve.
Beyoncé Took Home the Grammy for Best R&B Performance for her Song BLACK PARADE
Beyoncé took home her second Grammy of the night for her song BLACK PARADE, making her the second black woman to win a Grammy for a song about the black experience in one night! BLACK PARADE definitely has some Lemonade energy, with lyrics about the south, black ancestry, and the power of black people. The powerful and emotional song definitely deserved the Grammy. Her acceptance speech matched the energy of the song, with Beyoncé using her speech to uplift and encourage black “kings and queens” and honor her three children.
This win was also historic, as Beyoncé now has 28 Grammy, breaking the record for most Grammy awards given to any solo recording artist!
Taylor Swift Won Album of the Year for Folklore
Nearing the end of the night, Taylor Swift won Album of the Year for her cottage-core album Folklore. Swift took home her eleventh Grammy on Sunday, and in a very heartwarming show of appreciation, she brought her team up with her on stage, where she let everyone speak and thanked everyone involved. Dressed in a beautiful floral dress, she showed the Grammy’s camaraderie and appreciation while also staying excited and shaky like it was her very first win!
Billie Eilish Won Record of the Year for “Everything I Wanted” and Told the Crowd that it Should’ve Gone to Megan Thee Stallion.
Okay, Billie was absolutely incredible, and I’ve been waiting for this whole article to talk about her. For the last award of the night, Billie Eilish won the year’s record for her song Everything I Wanted. In a beautiful act of appreciation and support to her fellow women, she spent most of her speech expressing that Megan Thee Stallion should’ve won. She said she was “embarrassed” to win and asked for applause from the crowd for Megan.
I thought it was absolutely wonderful to see someone so young and so famous be so humble about an award. Beyond that, take the time to celebrate another woman in the industry, especially a woman of color. I was so charmed by the whole display; it felt genuine, heartfelt, and very special. I love a pure moment of women celebrating other women.
In my opinion, this year’s Grammys was a celebration of women, and moreover, women of colour. After all the turmoil, the hate, the racism, and the misogyny of 2020, it felt amazing to see these beautiful and talented women come together, celebrate, and be celebrated—especially for songs revolving around the black experience and the feminine experience.
I loved watching the Grammys this year for the ladies, and if more Grammys are like this, I might turn out to be an award show person after all.
