won song of the year and Billie Eilish picked up her second consecutive record of the year honor, telling the audience that best new artist winner Megan Thee Stallion deserved the award. Beyoncé - with her 28th win - became the most decorated woman in Grammy history.

On a more serious note, Jackson's award was preceded by an elaborate 3-D video of Jackson singing 'Earth Song' with live vocal accompaniment by Usher, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Carrie Underwood and Smokey Robinson.NEW YORK - Female performers including Beyoncé and Taylor Swift had a record-making night at the 2021 Grammy Awards, a jam-packed but socially distanced show highlighted by live music sorely absent during the pandemic era.įour women won the top four prizes Sunday, including Swift, who became the first female performer to win album of the year three times. The Black Eyed Peas went futuristic on 'I Gotta Feeling,' another foundation of the 2009 sound, and Pink performed a remarkable aerial number that crossed the girl on the flying trapeze with pole dancing. Gaga and Beyoncé both performed with a cast of thousands, while Swift sang her omnipresent 'You Belong With Me' with one of her childhood idols, Stevie Nicks.

That was the first of several all-out production numbers that helped make last night's show feel like a rolling music video. The show reflected the shift of awards shows from presentation to promotion, and that started upfront when Lady Gaga segued from her opening 'Poker Face' to a piano duet with Elton John in which they both smudged their faces like orphans out of a Dickens novel. It was a fitting night to honor Jackson, since last night's show focused largely on flashy fashion looks and stylish musical hooks - two areas in which Jackson set a standard when he swept the Grammys for his 'Thriller' album in 1983.

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