Los Angeles (AP) — Beyoncé sits alone atop the Grammy throne.
The Grammy awards spread top honors among artists at Sunday’s show, but the superstar won her 32nd award to surpass the late conductor Georg Solti in all-time wins.
Beyoncé won for best R&B song for “Cuff It,” dance-electric music recording for “Break My Soul,” traditional R&B performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa” and dance-electric album for “Renaissance,” which was nominated for album of the year.
“I’m trying not to be too emotional,” the superstar said after her historic win as her husband Jay-Z stood and applauded her.
The singer thanked her late uncle, her parents, Jay-Z and her children for supporting her. “I’m just trying to receive this night. I want to thank God for protecting me. Thank you, God.”
Viola Davis emerged from Sunday’s show an EGOT – a term for those who have won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony – after her win for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording. The actor gave an emotional speech and emphatically said “I just EGOT” after she marched on stage to collect her award.
“Oh, my God,” she said. “I wrote this book to honor the 6-year-old Viola, to honor her, her life, her joy, her trauma, everything,” Davis said. “It has just been such a journey.”
The show made its return to Los Angeles after the pandemic first delayed, then forced the Grammys to move to Las Vegas last year. Noah hosted the ceremony as well, which saw Jon Batiste take home album of the year.
Harry Styles won album of the year honor. Lizzo won record of the year for “About Damn Time,” delivering a rousing speech that brought many in the audience, including Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Adele, to their feet.
“Me and Adele were having a good time, rooting for our friends. This is an amazing night. This is so unexpected,” Lizzo said, dedicating her award to Prince.
Jazz singer Samara Joy won best new artist. The New Yorker was virtually in tears when she collected the award and noted that her little brother was her date. “I’m so, so grateful. Thank you.” She has released two albums as a lead artist and also won the Grammy for best jazz vocal album earlier in the night.
Veteran singer-songwriter Bonnie Raitt shrugged off big-name rivals like Adele, Swift and Beyoncé to win the song of the year award.
A who’s who of hip-hop royalty took the stage for an epic, rousing 15minute tribute to the genre’s 50th anniversary. The performance included Grandmaster Flash doing part of his seminal hit “The Message,” Run DMC, Chuck D and Flavor Flav along with Ice-T, Queen Latifah, Busta Rhymes and Nelly all taking the stage.
Kendrick Lamar extended his record in the best rap performance category with his sixth career trophy for “The Heart Part 5,” which also recognized his songwriting as a victor for best rap song.
The Tennessee State University Marching Band beat out the likes of Willie Nelson to win best roots gospel album for “The Urban Hymnal.” The band’s nomination marked the first time a college marching band had been nominated in the category.
Sir the Baptist accepted the award for the band, using his acceptance speech to highlight how underfunded historically Black colleges and universities like Tennessee State are, saying he had to “put my last dime in order to get us across the line.”
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