The Grammys award show was held on March 14, 2021, for the 63rd year. Even though it has been a little over a year, COVID-19 limitations and guidelines are still affecting so many annual music and award shows, concerts, music festivals, live venues, and other establishments and traditions in the entertainment industry. Throughout the pandemic, musicians of every kind have written music from their homes, in different countries (mostly due to airline restrictions), from social protests, “over FaceTime” and other social media apps, and anywhere else they could (Sisario).
Weeks before The Grammys, the public viewed and reminisced the list of phenomenal music that got listeners through difficult times and mental breakdowns, and that embodied their happy moments. As the annual award show went on, audiences at home and on the internet saw that many amazing women were nominated in nearly every category, and many women in their nominated categories took home a Grammy Award.
March is the time for women to be given the recognition they deserve for their achievements in this chaotic and dangerous world. During this month — every month, really! — women should also be recognized for the hardships that they have faced in the duration of their lives and will continue to face those difficult struggles and more. Women in the entertainment industry often have difficulty getting recognition for their works and are treated less than respectable, capable, and independent simply due to the public placing them on a pedestal with assumptions of how they are supposed to act, what they are supposed to look like, and what type of music they “should” be making. Watching the women win awards for their hard work during a pandemic and in the wake of social movements was one highlight of the night. Other highlights were singer Lizzo’s reactions on and off stage — her accidental curse on live TV was especially relatable — the memorials for fallen artists this past year, and Post Malone hyping up Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion during their “WAP” performance.
Beyonce made history TWICE for her Black Parade album and the remix of Megan Thee Stallion “Savage” rap song, making her the only musician and the only “female artist of all time” to win 28 Grammy Awards (Horton)!
Another well-known female musician that will go down in history is Taylor Swift for winning a third Grammy for her Folklore album, making her “the first female artist ever to win album of the year three times” (Savage)!
Dua Lipa performed a medley of her songs and won a Grammy for the Future Nostalgia album near the end of the event.
Billie Eilish won yet another two Grammys for her songs “No Time to Die” and “Everything I Wanted.” In regard to the latter, the singer gave recognition to Megan Thee Stallion, stating “You had a year that was untoppable” and that Megan should have won in the category (Truitt).
Singing-sensation H.E.R won an award for “I Can’t Breathe,” a song co-written by Tiara Thomas and Dernst Emile II. This song was written and released after the death of George Floyd, one of the first songs created as a result of social injustice movements like Black Lives Matter.(1)
Even Beyoncé’s 9-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, won a Grammy for “Brown Skin Girl,” making her “one of the youngest people to ever win” (Cho)!
Women are topping 2021, and it has only been three months.
SOURCES
1. Burack, C, & Sánchez, M. (2021, March 15). Women make history at the 2021 Grammys. https://www.dw.com/en/women-make-history-at-the-2021-grammys/g-56874084
2. Horton, A. (2021, March 15). Grammy awards 2021: women rule as Taylor Swift and Beyoncé break records. https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/mar/15/grammy-awards-2021-women-rule-beyonce-taylor-swift-break-records
3. Sisario, B. (2021, March 14). Grammys 2021: Women Sweep Awards Shaped by Pandemic and Protest. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/14/arts/music/grammy-awards-beyonce-taylor-swift.html
4. Savage, M. (2021, March 15). Grammys 2021: Beyoncé and Taylor Swift make history. https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-56397324
5. Cho, D. (2021, March 14). Women Ruled the 2021 Grammys with History-Making Wins and Jaw-Dropping Performances. https://people.com/music/grammys-2021-women-artists-dominate-the-awards/
6. Truitt, B. (2021, March 14). Grammys 2021: Beyoncé makes history with most wins, Billie Eilish wins second record of the year. https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/music/2021/03/14/grammy-awards-2021-winners-live/6951157002/
7. Grammys. (Updated 2021, March 14). 2021 GRAMMYs Awards Show: Complete Winners & Nominees List. https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2021-grammys-complete-winners-nominees-list