However, she failed to collect any of the evening’s biggest prizes. Instead, the Grammys divided the general categories in a typical voting split. Bonnie Raitt won the song of the year prize for “Just Like That.” Lizzo took record of the year for “About Damn Time.” Album of the year went to Harry Styles for his album Harry’s House. He also won best pop vocal album. “This is so kind,” Styles said of the album of the year award, as Beyoncé gave him a standing ovation.
Coming into this year’s awards, Beyoncé already owned 28 Grammys as a lead artist, though only one in the one of the awards’ general categories. She had nine nominations this year, and hit the new record just after 7 p.m. PT, when she won best electronic/dance music album. She cried upon taking the stage, saying, “I’m just trying to receive this night.” Later, she gave credit to her forebears and inspiration, adding: “I would like to thank the queer community for your love, and for inventing the genre,” referring to the house music that grounded RENAISSANCE.
Faced with years of declining and middling viewership, the Grammys hoped to amp up the dazzle this year via this bit of history-making. What the Record Academy had clearly hoped would be an earlier, big live television moment was foiled by urban sprawl. Half an hour into the show, Beyoncé — who was reportedly late to the awards thanks to LA traffic — tied the all-time record for most Grammys won when she and a team of co-writers won best R&B song for “Cuff It.” The iconic musician and composer Nile Rogers, one of the co-writers on “Cuff It,” accepted the award for best R&B song on the team’s behalf along with another of its co-writers, The-Dream. The previous Grammy record of 31 wins was a feat set by the late Hungarian-born classical conductor Georg Solti.
Several of the other nine contenders for album of the year had to be satisfied with other awards. At the beginning of her acceptance speech for her win for record of the year for “About Damn Time,” Lizzo said, “Let me tell you something, Adele and I are just having a great time here.” (Adele took home took home best pop solo performance for her song “Easy on Me.”) Lizzo also paid tribute to Beyoncé, noting that she had skipped school in fifth grade to go hear the megastar perform.
Kendrick Lamar took home the Grammy for best rap album for his Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers; during the afternoon ceremony, Lamar also picked up Grammys for best rap performance and best rap song, both for “The Heart Part 5.” “I would like to thank the culture for allowing me to evolve,” he said in an acceptance speech in which he also thanked his family and fans. “I finally found imperfection with this album.”