Similar to other award ceremonies and events, the 2020 and 2021 versions had to be altered in order to meet guidelines and to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. The Grammys is an awards ceremony where The Recording Academy recognizes achievement in the music industry. The first ever Grammy Awards ceremony was held on May 4, 1959, where artists from 1958 were recognized. The ceremony has been held every year since where it recognizes artists and albums from the previous year. Trevor Noah hosted this year’s ceremony at the Los Angeles Convention Center across the street from the Staples Center where it is normally held. The Grammys are broadcast on CBS, where they have been since 1973. Every year, the ceremony begins with performances from prominent artists from that year. A few of the performances from the 2021 Grammys included Bad Bunny, Cardi B, Miranda Lambert, Billie Eilish, John Mayer, Post Malone, Megan Thee Stallion, Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, and Roddy Ricch. The gold-plated trophies depict a gilded gramophone and they come with the recipient’s name engraved. The Grammys were originally planned to be called the Eddies after Thomas Edison, but the committee chose Grammy instead to pay tribute to Emile Berliner’s gramophone. Georg Solti currently holds the record for the most Grammys one person has ever received with 31. 

Beyoncé had the most nominations with nine this year.  She received her 28th Grammy at the 2021 ceremony and broke the record for the most Grammy wins by a female artist and most Grammy wins ever by a singer. Taylor Swift won her third Grammy for Album of the Year. Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch, and Taylor Swift each had six nominations. Song of the Year was presented to H.E.R. with “I Can’t Breathe,” Album of the Year was presented to Taylor Swift for her album “Folklore,” Megan Thee Stallion was given Best New Artist, Harry Styles won Best Pop Solo Performance for “Watermelon Sugar,” Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Rain on Me,” Dua Lipa won Best Pop Vocal Album for “Future Nostalgia,” Beyoncé won Best R&B Performance for “Black Parade,” Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé won Best Rap Song for their song “Savage,” Dan + Shay and Justin Beiber won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “10,000 Hours,” and Billie Eilish won Best Song Written for Visual Media for “No Time to Die.”

The Grammy Legend Award is a special award given at the Grammys that recognizes an individual or group’s ongoing contributions and influence in the music industry. Since the first Grammy Legend Awards were given out in 1990, only 14 people have received one. These people include Andrew Lloyd Webber, Liza Minnelli, Smokey Robinson, and Willie Nelson in 1990, Aretha Franklin, Billy Joel, Johnny Cash, and Quincy Jones in 1991, Barbara Streisand in 1992, Michael Jackson in 1993, Curtis Mayfield and Frank Sinatra in 1994, Luciano Pavarotti in 1998, Elton John in 1999, and the Bee Gees in 2003. 

Although there were restrictions in place and the ceremony was different than in years past, the 2021 Grammys was a successful ceremony and was still able to recognize the best in the music industry for 2020.