Eyes of family and friends were glued to the screen, firmly planted in front of their television at 8:00 P.M. sharp. Music lovers alike gathered together, anxiously awaiting the arrival of their favorite musical artists strutting the red carpet for the 2021 Grammy Awards. Hosted by Trevor Noah, known for his position as host of  The Daily Show, the 2021 Grammy Awards were held at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California on Sunday, March 14th.

 The 2021 Grammy Awards consisted of the most favored artists and compositions of the eligibility period between the dates of September 1st, 2019 through August 31st, 2020. Due to pandemic regulations, there was no in-person attendance permitted for the awards ceremony; the audience viewed the awards ceremony from the comfort of their own homes. However, this did not stop the nominees from providing one of the most exciting and monumental nights in music history. 

The purpose of the Grammy Awards ceremony is to recognize and celebrate the hard work, dedication, and achievements of musical artists. From performances ranging from Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B to Taylor Swift, the audience was thoroughly engaged and entertained for the duration of the evening’s festivities and awards. The audience watched in awe as the nominees walked the red carpet in never-before-seen outfits and as their favorite celebrities met and were photographed together. 

Throughout the course of the evening, Grammy’s were given in all the various musical categories, ranging from rap to country. This awards ceremony, in particular, was notable due to the fact that it had a very heavy, female-dominated winning group. As pointed out by the New York Times, there were a multitude of female accomplishments, including Billie Eilish’s “Everything I Ever Wanted” winning Record of the Year, Taylor Swift’s Folklore winning Album of the Year, Beyonce bringing her Grammy total to a record-breaking 28, and Megan Thee Stallion winning Best New Artist.

 With women winning all of the nights major awards, the role of females in pop music is being highlighted and praised after years of dispute and criticism towards their work. Besides the awards previously mentioned, there are many other female winning categories that took the evening by storm. Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce’s collaboration on Megan’s original song “Savage” won not one but two separate awards, one for best rap song and another for best rap performance. 

Separately, Beyonce took the award for best R&B performance for her song “Black Parade,” as she reflected on the protests the world has faced in the past year. Singer/songwriter H.E.R. swept the floor and won Song of the Year for “I Can’t Breathe,” which focuses on her pain and fear and raw emotions in regard to current events revolving around Black pride. 

Besides the awards themselves, there were plenty of spectacular, jaw-dropping performances held at the show. One of the most anticipated performances was Harry Styles’s performance of his number one song “Watermelon Sugar,” which later in the evening won Best Pop Solo Performance. Another crowd favorite was Dua Lipa’s performance of her singles “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating,” with artist DaBaby joining her for the latter performance. Fans were overjoyed to see Styles and Lipa perform, especially with their outfits for the show.

Despite the pandemic, the 63rd Grammy Awards show was still a night to remember. Records broken, women sweeping the floor and winning major awards, and show-stopping performances all around. The artists stepped out and did not disappoint on the red carpet, having fans in awe and raving days later about the photos snapped by paparazzi. All of the artists set the stage for the next year in the music industry, setting the bar high for music, videos, and records yet to come.