Beyonce has won the coveted album of the year prize at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Despite being the most nominated artist in Grammy history, Beyonce has never before won in the top category, with the gong evading her four times previously.
Just three women of colour have won album of the year before her, the last being Lauryn Hill 26 years ago.
Beyonce takes best country album – the first black woman to ever do so. Pic: Reuters
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Presented by members of the Los Angeles Fire Department, Beyonce was joined by her 13-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter to accept the top prize for her chart-topping album Cowboy Carter.
She said she felt “honoured,” adding: “It’s been many, many years and I just want to thank the Grammys, every songwriter, every collaborator, every producer, all the hard work.”
She went on to dedicate her win to Linda Martell, the first commercially successful black female artist in Country music.
There was tough competition, with female stars including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift in the mix. Andre 3000 and Jacob Collier made it into the category.
Earlier in the night, a stunned Beyonce told the audience she was “still in shock” after winning best Country album – becoming the first black female artist to take the prize.
Handed the award by Taylor Swift, the Texas-born star said: “Wow, I really was not expecting this. I want to thank God that I’m able to do what I love after so many years.”
She went on: “Genre is a code word to keep us in place as artists, and I just want to encourage us to do what we’re passionate about.”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars performing California Dreamin’
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Beyonce has previously been vocal about the lack of wins in the big Grammy categories for artists of colour, who she said were largely relegated to the genre categories.
Last year her husband, rap star Jay-Z, addressed the oversight, telling the audience: “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year. So, even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.”
Beyonce went on to be snubbed at the Country Music Awards later in the year, despite becoming the first black woman to top Billboard’s country music chart with the album’s lead single Texas Hold Em’.
Beyonce had already made history earlier in the night, winning best country duo/group performance for II Most Wanted featuring Miley Cyrus, but was pipped at the post by Kacey Musgraves, who took best Country song for The Architect.
Ahead of the ceremony, Beyonce announced on social media she would be taking Cowboy Carter on tour.
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Bianca bares all on the red carpet
Before the main ceremony, the stars walked the red carpet with a largely sombre pallet due to the recent wildfires which have left the city reeling.
Those who opted for bursts of colour included Swift in red, Roan in bright yellow and pale blue and Bianca Censori who started the carpet in a floor-length fur coat but ended it in decidedly less.
Her minimalist approach to fashion garnered her plenty of attention.
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Diss track triumph for Lamar
Meanwhile, Kendrick Lamar dominated the night, taking both song and record of the year for his much-talked-about diss track, Not Like Us.
The Compton-born artist dedicated his record of the year win “to the city,” and later said he was “star-struck” to be handed his best song award by Diana Ross.
Disproving the adage, ‘if you haven’t got anything nice to say, don’t say anything,’ the track won all five awards it was up for.
The first award of the main ceremony, best rap album, went to rising star Doechii for Alligator Bites Never Heal. Presented with her award by Cardi B, she became tearful on stage as she became only the third woman ever to take the prize.
Sabrina Carpenter said she was ‘going to cry’ after winning her first Grammy. Pic: Reuters
Thanks mum!
Best pop vocal album went to Sabrina Carpenter for Short N’ Sweet. She said she “might cry” for her first Grammy win, thanking her mum for “driving me to every voice lesson,” before going on to apologise for saying “Hell” three times during her acceptance speech.
Carpenter’s gong was presented by Red Hot Chilli Peppers band members Anthony Kiedis and Chad Smith, who sang a burst of their 1991 hit Under The Bridge, in tribute to the City Of Angles – LA.
The evening had a very different tone to previous shows following the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. Black was a common theme on the red carpet and the evening kicked off by highlighting the city’s resilience.
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Host Trevor Noah’s opening speech spoke of the “entire communities burned to the ground”, going on, “it’s often said in the darkest time the best of humanity shines through…tonight we’re not only celebrating our favourite music but celebrating the city that brought us our favourite music”.
Raising money for those affected by the disaster, Noah said advertising space had also been given to local LA businesses affected by fire.
Charli XCX performs, surrounded by knickers. Pic: Reuters
Chappell Roan calls out the labels
Best newcomer went to Chappell Roan, who wore a giant cone hat with a veil spouting from the top, and which threatened to fall as she accepted her gong.
The 26-year-old singer gave an impassioned speech as she accepted her first Grammy saying: “I told myself if I ever won a Grammy and I got to stand up here in front of the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels and the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a liveable wage and healthcare, especially to developing artists.”
She went on to describe the strain of being signed young, and then dropped by her label, and struggling to afford health insurance, resulting in her feeling “betrayed by the system and so dehumanised”.
In the US, unlike the NHS in the UK, health care is not free at the point of delivery.
Chappell Roan accepts the award for best new artist. Pic: AP
Roan finished with the rhetorical question: “So record labels need to treat their artists as valuable employees with a liveable wage and health insurance and protection. Labels, we got you, but do you got us?”
Earlier, her Pink Pony Club performance had featured a giant pony and host of cowboy clowns.
During the three-and-a-half-hour show, Billie Eilish also performed on an LA hillside set, Sabrina Carpenter gave it some old-school Hollywood glamour, and British star Raye gave a soulful performance of Oscar Winning Tears.
Charli XCX scored her first Grammys for best dance/electronic album and best dance/pop recording, following her culture-shaping Brat album, which was the talk of the summer.
Herbie Hancock and Stevie Wonder perform a tribute to Quincy Jones. Pic: AP
Remembering those who are gone
Stars including Will Smith, Cynthia Erivo, Stevie Wonder and Janelle Monáe headlined a lengthy tribute to the late, legendary producer Quincy Jones, featuring jazz musician Herbie Hancock on the piano, and renditions of We Are The World and Thriller.
Led by Coldplay frontman Chris Martin, the In Memoriam section began by remembering Liam Payne who died in October aged 31 after falling from a hotel balcony in Argentina. It also included actress and singer Marianne Faithful, who passed away over the weekend.