Beyonce has made history, winning the coveted album of the year prize at this year’s Grammy Awards.
Despite being the most nominated artist in Grammy history, this was her fifth shot at the prize, and her first win in the category.
Only three women of colour have ever won album of the year, the last being Lauryn Hill 26 years ago.
It was tough competition this year, with female stars including Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift in the mix. Andre 3000 and Jacob Collier were also in the running.
Members of the Los Angeles Fire Department handed out the award and were given a standing ovation as they took to the stage.
Beyonce takes best country album – the first black woman to ever do so. Pic: Reuters
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.
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.
The first performance of the night celebrated first responders. I Love LA by Dawes, whose members were directly affected by the Eaton fire, were backed by John Legend, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St Vincent.
Sabrina Carpenter said she was ‘going to cry’ after winning her first Grammy. Pic: Reuters
Early performances featured Billie Eilish on an LA hillside set, and Sabrina Carpenter giving it some old-school Hollywood glamour, with a bit of tap dance thrown in for good measure.
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