Grammys 2021 live: Winners and highlights as they happen

Beyonce had just accepted her first award of the night when host Trevor Noah kept her onstage and stunned her with some big news.

Beyonce, Megan Thee Stallion and Taylor Swift were among the big winners at today’s Grammy Awards, with Beyonce shattering a Grammys record Taylor taking home the coveted Album of the Year award for her critically acclaimed lockdown record Folklore.

Taylor’s win makes her part of a select group of artists who’ve won Album of the Year at three separate Grammys: only Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon had done it before her.

L-R: Laura Sisk, Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff, Jonathan Low and Aaron Dessner accept the Album of the Year award for folklore. Picture: AFP

Last year’s biggest winner Billie Eilish took home the night’s final award, Record of the Year, for Everything I Wanted. It was her second year in a row winning the Grammys’ top award – and she dedicated it to fellow nominee Megan Thee Stallion, who she insisted should have won instead.

“You deserve everything in the world and I think about you constantly and I root for you always and you deserve it, honestly, genuinely, this goes to her, can we please cheer for Megan Thee Stallion, please?” said Eilish.

Billie Eilish accepts Record of the Year. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty

Many initially assumed Beyonce was a Grammys no-show this year – she was nowhere to be seen on the red carpet or as the ceremony got underway. But then, two hours in, she and husband Jay-Z suddenly appeared in the audience, dressed in matching black masks and shades, to watch Song of The Year award be announced. Bey was nominated, but lost to R & B singer H.E.R.

Half an hour later, Bey got her win: She took to the stage alongside Megan Thee Stallion to accept the Best Rap Song award for their collaboration, Savage.

Beyonce and Megan The Stallion accept their award.

After they’d accepted the award, Grammys host Trevor Noah kept them on stage to deliver some news: “With that award, Beyonce has just tied the all-time record for most Grammy wins ever by a female artist and by any singer, male or female,” he explained. That was 27 Grammy wins for Beyonce – who seemed stunned at the record-breaking milestone:

Beyonce finds out she made Grammys history.

Minutes later, Beyonce went one better, taking out the Best R & B Performance award for her song Black Parade, meaning she was now the most-awarded singer in Grammys history.

The award, usually given before the televised portion of the ceremony, was moved to today’s main show at the last minute, suggesting the win wasn’t quite as much of a shock to Beyonce as it may have seemed.

Beyonce accepts the Best R & B Performance award.

Today’s ceremony was a performance-heavy affair, with only a handful of key awards handed out across the three-and-a-half hours, including Record, Song and Album of the Year. Earlier, Doja Cat and Noah Cyrus provided some of the red carpet’s most unusual looks.

Between those awards, a lot of big performances. Harry Styles opened the show with his hit Watermelon Sugar, while Dua Lipa performed a colourful medley of tracks from her album Future Nostalgia.

One of the night’s most anticipated performances: Swift, who prowled a moody woodland set for a medley of songs from her two albums released last year, folklore and evermore.

Taylor Swift performs. Picture: Getty

And rap superstars Megan The Stallion and Cardi B teamed up for a very racy rendition of their world-conquering hit WAP.

Last year’s winner Lizzo presented the night’s first televised award, Best New Artist, to rap star Megan Thee Stallion, who seemed genuinely stunned:

Megan Thee Stallion won Best New Artist.

RELATED: Fans outraged over Grammy result

Presenting the award, Lizzo seemed to surprise herself by accidentally cursing: “Bitch I’m back! Oop, I’m so sorry,” she said, covering her mouth:

Whoops. Picture: Kevin Winter/Getty

She needn’t have worried – former One Direction star Harry Styles later dropped an F-bomb during his acceptance speech (praising his “f**king amazing” fellow nominees), and didn’t flinch, nor was it censored.

All the red carpet action from this year’s Grammys aired from 9am On Foxtel’s E! channel – see the best and worst-dressed celebs here.

Here’s all of today’s big categories, with winners highlighted as they’re announced:

RECORD OF THE YEAR

Black Parade — Beyoncé

Colors — Black Pumas

Rockstar — DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch

Say So — Doja Cat

Everything I Wanted — Billie Eilish – WINNER

Don’t Start Now — Dua Lipa

Circles — Post Malone

Savage — Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Chilombo — Jhené Aiko

Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) — Black Pumas

Everyday Life — Coldplay

Djesse Vol. 3 — Jacob Collier

Women in Music Pt. III — HAIM

Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa

Hollywood’s Bleeding — Post Malone

Folklore — Taylor Swift – WINNER

SONG OF THE YEAR

Black Parade — Beyoncé

The Box — Roddy Ricch

Cardigan — Taylor Swift

Circles – Post Malone

Don’t Start Now — Dua Lipa

Everything I Wanted — Billie Eilish

I Can’t Breathe — H.E.R. – WINNER

If the World Was Ending — JP Saxe Featuring Julia Michaels

BEST NEW ARTIST

Ingrid Andress

Phoebe Bridgers

Chika

Noah Cyrus

D Smoke

Doja Cat

Kaytranada

Megan Thee Stallion – WINNER

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

Yummy — Justin Bieber

Say So — Doja Cat

Everything I Wanted — Billie Eilish

Don’t Start Now — Dua Lipa

Watermelon Sugar — Harry Styles – WINNER

Cardigan — Taylor Swift

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

Un Dia (One Day) – J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy

Intentions — Justin Bieber Featuring Quavo

Dynamite — BTS

Rain On Me — Lady Gaga With Ariana Grande – WINNER

Exile — Taylor Swift Featuring Bon Iver

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM

Blue Umbrella — Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian

True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter — Harry Connick, Jr.

American Standard — James Taylor – WINNER

Unfollow the Rules — Rufus Wainwright

Judy — Renée Zellweger

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

Changes — Justin Bieber

Chromatica — Lady Gaga

Future Nostalgia — Dua Lipa – WINNER

Fine Line — Harry Styles

Folklore — Taylor Swift

BEST DANCE RECORDING

On My Mind — Diplo & Sidepiece

My High — Disclosure Featuring Aminé & Slowthai

The Difference — Flume Featuring Toro Y Moi

Both of Us — Jayda G

10% — Kaytranada Featuring Kali Uchis – WINNER

BEST ROCK ALBUM

A Hero’s Death — Fontaines D.C.

Kiwanuka — Michael Kiwanuka

Daylight — Grace Potter

Sound & Fury — Sturgill Simpson

The New Abnormal — The Strokes – WINNER

BEST ROCK SONG

Kyoto — Phoebe Bridgers, Morgan Nagler & Marshall Vore, Songwriters (Phoebe Bridgers)

Lost in Yesterday — Kevin Parker, Songwriter (Tame Impala)

Not — Adrianne Lenker, Songwriter (Big Thief)

Shameika — Fiona Apple, Songwriter (Fiona Apple)

Stay High — Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard) – WINNER

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM

Fetch the Bolt Cutters — Fiona Apple – WINNER

Hyperspace — Beck

Punisher — Phoebe Bridgers

Jaime — Brittany Howard

The Slow Rush — Tame Impala

BEST R & B SONG

Better Than I Imagine — Robert Glasper Featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello – WINNER

Black Parade — Beyoncé

Collide — Tiana Major9 & Earthgang

Do It — Chloe X Halle

Slow Down — Skip Marley & H.E.R.

BEST R & B ALBUM

Happy 2 Be Here — Ant Clemons

Take Time — Giveon

To Feel Love/D — Luke James

Bigger Love — John Legend – WINNER

All Rise — Gregory Porter

BEST R & B PERFORMANCE

Black Parade – Beyonce – WINNER

Lightning and Thunder – Jhene Aiko

All I Need – Jacob Collier

Goat Head – Brittany Howard

See Me – Emily King

BEST RAP ALBUM

Black Habits — D Smoke

Alfredo — Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

A Written Testimony — Jay Electronica

King’s Disease — Nas – WINNER

The Allegory Royce — Da 5’9″

BEST RAP SONG

The Bigger Picture — Lil Baby

The Box — Roddy Ricch

Laugh Now, Cry Later — Drake Featuring Lil Durk

Rockstar — Dababy Featuring Roddy Ricch

Savage — Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé – WINNER

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

All Night — Brothers Osborne

10,000 Hours — Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber – WINNER

Ocean — Lady A

Sugar Coat — Little Big Town

Some People Do — Old Dominion

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Lady Like — Ingrid Andress

Your Life Is a Record — Brandy Clark

Wildcard — Miranda Lambert – WINNER

Nightfall — Little Big Town

Never Will — Ashley McBryde

BEST COUNTRY SONG

Bluebird — Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby & Miranda Lambert, Songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

The Bones — Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Veltz, Songwriters (Maren Morris)

Crowded Table — Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby & Lori McKenna, Songwriters (The Highwomen) – WINNER

More Hearts Than Mine — Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis & Derrick Southerland, Songwriters (Ingrid Andress)

Some People Do — Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, Matthew Ramsey & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Old Dominion)

Originally published as Grammys 2021 live: Winners and highlights as they happen