The biggest stars in music hit the stage for the 61st Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday. Female performers dominated the ceremony and some made history. Country singer Kacey Musgraves took home four awards, including album of the year for “Golden Hour.”
Follow Grammy Awards updates from the show below:
Notable winners
- Kacey Musgraves won four awards, including record of the year for “Golden Hour”
- Cardi B became the first woman to win best rap album
- H.E.R. won two awards, including best R&B album
- Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” won four, including record of the year
- Ariana Grande won her first Grammy, best pop vocals for “Sweetener”
- Here’s a complete list of tonight’s winners
Kacey Musgrave wins album of the year
Kacey Musgrave won album of the year for “Golden Hour.” The country singer said she never dreamed that her album would be met with “such love, such warmth, such positivity, it seriously means the world to me.”
“I love country music with everything that I am,” she said.
Musgraves thanked her husband Rustin and her younger sister for shooting and designing all of her album covers.
J.Lo brings Vegas to her Motown tribute
Jennifer Lopez brought flare from her Vegas performances in to her Motown tribute Sunday. She sang “The Best Things in Life Are Free,” “Do You Love Me” and “Please Mr. Postman.” Smokey Robinson joined her onstage to perform “My Girl.” She was also joined onstage by Alicia Keys and Ne-Yo.
However, some fans criticized Lopez for taking on the tribute for Motown, a record label founded in 1959 that helped black musicians break into mainstream American music.
— Amalia Nunez
Dua Lipa throws shade at Grammy president’s past comments
Dua Lipa won best new artist Sunday and threw shade at Recording Academy President Neil Portnow, who was criticized last year after saying women needed to “step up” if they wanted to see more female artists nominated at the annual ceremony.
“Where I want to begin is by saying how honored I am to be nominated alongside so many incredible female artists this year because I guess this year we’ve really stepped up,” Dua Lipa said Sunday.
This year, women dominated in most major categories. Cardi B was the first woman to win the show’s best rap album award.
Travis Scott takes the show to Astroworld
Taking the Grammy stage for the first time, Travis Scott performed “Mile High” with Jame Blake and Earth Wind and Fire. The Houston rapper then turned up the energy by inviting fans on stage to perform “No Bystanders” off his critically acclaimed album “Astroworld.”
Travis Scott was nominated for three awards including best rap performance for “Sicko Mode.”
— Amalia Nunez
”I’m speechless right now”: H.E.R. wins best R&B album
H.E.R. won the award for best R&B album but was quick to remind the audience that her self-titled work was an EP (extended play).
“The first thing I want to say is this is unbelievable. Second, this is not even an album, it’s an EP,” she said before inviting her team up to the stage.
“I’m speechless right now, I’m holding back tears. But I really want to say thank you so much to God, first and foremost and my parents who are in the building right now and my wonderful sister, mom, dad, this is for all the sacrifices that you made for me.”
H.E.R. recently sat down with “CBS This Morning” to speak about her latest work.
Lady Gaga and Mark Ronson’s performance was anything but “Shallow”
After winning the award for best pop duo/group performance, Lady Gaga took the stage with Mark Ronson to give a stellar performance of “Shallow” from the film
Lady Gaga has won three of her five Grammy nominations, including best pop solo performance for “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?).
— Amalia Nunez
Drake says artists don’t need a Grammy to measure success
As he accepted the award for best rap song, Drake took a slight dig at the ceremony by saying artists shouldn’t measure success by the awards they win.
“I want to take this opportunity while I’m up here to talk to all the kids watching, aspiring to do music. All my peers that make music from their heart, that do things pure and tell the truth. I wanna let you know we play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport, it is not the NBA where at the end of the year, you’re holding the right decisions and won the games,” he said.
Drake said that voters may always understand where hip-hop artists are coming from.
“The point is, you’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word. If you are a hero in your hometown. If there is people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don’t need this right here,” he said, holding his Grammy. “I promise you, you already won.”
Cardi B brings flare to the Grammy stage
In her first solo Grammy performance, Cardi B brought a Josephine Baker-esque style performance to her latest single “Money,” complete with dancers and a grand piano opening. She received a standing ovation from her peers at the end of her performance.
Cardi B was nominated in five categories, including album of the year for her debut “Invasion of Privacy.”
— Amalia Nunez
Dolly Parton performs with Kacey Musgraves, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus
Dolly Parton is performing hits with Kacey Musgraves, Katy Perry and Miley Cyrus. Parton was named the Grammys’ 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year, in honor of her charity work.
She spoke to “CBS Sunday Morning” about the importance of her songwriting and shut down the idea of retiring any time soon.
“That’s my therapy; my little guitar’s my friend,” Parton said. “And when I’m in that zone – I call it my ‘God zone’ – I just love that time.”
Read the rest of Dolly Parton’s interview with “CBS Sunday Morning” here.
”This is America” wins best song
Childish Gambino didn’t attend tonight’s show but he just won his third award for “This is America.” So far he’s won best song, best music video and best rap/sung collaboration.
The song was the point of controversy last year after some listeners accused of plagiarising from New York rapper Jase Harley. “This is America” and Harley’s “American Pharaoh” have a similar sound, and share similar themes in the lyrics. Glover’s team denied the accusations.
Post Malone performs “Rockstar” without 21 Savage
Post Malone performed his hit single “Rockstar” without 21 Savage, who was detained by ICE agents last week. ICE said the British-born rapper entered the country illegally in 2005 and remained in the U.S. after his nonimmigrant visa expired the following year.
Their song “Rock Star” was nominated in two categories: record of the year and best rap/sung performance. Post Malone was joined on stage with Red Hot Chili Peppers and wore a shirt that read “21 Savage” during the show.
Michelle Obama makes surprise appearance
In her opening, Alicia Keys brought out Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez and Jada Pinkett Smith. The stars shared stories of how music led them to success, and the former first lady could hardly get a word in without the crowd erupting.
“From the Motown records I wore out on the South Side (of Chicago) to the ‘Who Run the World’ songs that fueled me through this last decade, music has always helped me tell my story,” Obama said on stage.
“I know that’s true for everybody here. Whether we like country or rap or rock, music helps us share ourselves, our dignity and sorrows, our hopes and joys. It allows us to hear one another, to invite each other in. Music shows us that all of it matters, every story within every voice, every note within every song.”
Camila Cabello kicks off the show
Camila Cabello opened tonight’s show with an energized performance of her hit song “Havana.” She was joined on stage by rapper Young Thug and singers Ricky Martin and J Balvin.
Chris Cornell wins posthumous award
The late Chris Cornell won the best rock performance award for “When Bad Does Good.” His daughter Toni and son Christopher accepted the award for their father Sunday. Cornell, 52, died in May 2017.
“He is a rock icon, the godfather of grunge and the creator of a movement, whose contribution to music history made a lasting impact across genres and generations,” Christopher told the audience, ET reports. “While he touched the hearts of millions, the most important thing he is known for, to us, is being the greatest father and our hero.”
Ariana Grande wins first Grammy
Ariana Grande skipped this year’s ceremony but won her first Grammy Award in her career. The 25-year-old singer won the award for best pop vocals for her album “Sweetener.” She tweeted her thanks Sunday evening.
How to watch 2019 Grammys
Here’s how you can watch tonight’s big show:
Leading the field
Kendrick Lamar has the most nominations of the night with eight. He’s being recognized for his work on the soundtrack of Marvel’s “Black Panther,” including his single “All the Stars” with SZA.
Drake is up for seven awards for his latest album “Scorpion.” His single “God’s Plan” is up for song of the year (for songwriters) and record of the year (for artist, engineers, mixers).
