The 63rd annual Grammy ceremony was a ladies’ night out with women ruling the big four – Best New Artiste (Megan Thee Stallion); Record of the Year (Billie Eilish’s second win in two consecutive years), Album of the Year (Taylor Swift’s third remarkable win here); and Song of the Year (H.E.R., for her social movement piece ‘I Can’t Breathe’). While these are all impressive feats, the real winner of the night was Houston-born singer, Beyoncé.
She scooped four awards (two with Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’ remix), becoming the night’s biggest winner. She also was the most nominated sans new album in the eligibility window. With her recent wins, she lands on the sweet spot of 28 gongs in her name. Knocking off Alison Krauss (27 wins) as female with most Grammy awards, and tying producer Quincy Jones’ record.
But she isn’t new to stealing the show at the Grammy Awards
In 2004, she won five out of six of her nominations for her debut project ‘Dangerously in Love’ (tie with Alicia Keys, Lauryn Hill, and Norah Jones then). Six years later, she set the record for most wins in a night with six awards. She was equalled by Adele just two years later.
Contrary to recent perception, she hasn’t always been Grammy royalty. In her days with defunct group Destiny’s Child, the trio didn’t receive a nomination following their formation in the early 1990s as Girl’s Tyme, a group that later metamorphosed into Destiny’s Child in 1996. It took an extra four years of sparse hits releases, several group member reshuffles, to secure a nomination in the year 2000 (Y2K) for ‘Bills, Bills, Bills’. Noted for their work then, victory didn’t come until 2001 when they took home two trophies for ‘Say My Name’. In all, the group accounts for three awards to Beyoncé’s name.
One win nights
Known for having more gongs on crossed arms, there were nights she walked home with just a Grammy. The years include 2006, 2007, 2013, 2019, and 2020.
AOTY snub
The Album of the Year (AOTY)category has always flirted with the ‘Beautiful Liar’ singer. The affair started in 2010 with ‘I Am… Sasha Fierce’ Album. Expectations were high for the album that spurned viral hits such as ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’, and celestial-themed ‘Halo’. She lost to Taylor Swift’s ‘Fearless’. This loss was cushioned by the six wins that night.
The following year, she was nominated as a featured artiste on Lady Gaga’s ‘The Fame Monster’, they both lost to Arcade Fire’s ‘The Suburbs’.
Hell was let loose in 2015 when she lost to Beck’s ‘Morning Phase’. Shortly, the Wikipedia page of Beck was allegedly hacked by members of Beyoncé’s fan base (Beyhive), who described him as ‘stealer of Album of the Year.’
2017 was also a bad year for the Beyhive after Beyoncé lost the AOTY for the third time. The effect wasn’t as pronounced as 2015’s loss, Beyoncé was already losing in most categories, so the outcry wasn’t about AOTY loss. She went home that night with just two prizes out of the nine she was nominated in for the culturally relevant ‘Lemonade’.
A single lady’s shot at major categories
Nominated 79 times, Beyoncé had only won once in a major category. ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ earned her Song of the Year in 2010. She has been nominated in the big ‘3’ (Album, Record, and Song of the Year) 15 times.
Loser’s night out
Losing out in the AOTY is bearable if one wins in other categories. In the years 2008, 2009, 2011, 2014, and 2018, Beyoncé walked home empty-handed. the cumulative five years garnered her nine nominations.
Performances
The singer continues to make her mark at the ceremony. Whether it be at the premiere event where she gave a gutsy rendition of Stevie Wonder song during his tribute or a trip to the main Grammy stage where she shared the spotlight with Prince (2004), or with Tina Turner (2008), to exploring themes in the realm of military, motherhood, cabaret, and Broadway in solo performances.
Absence from the Grammy/zero performance
Each time Beyoncé was nominated multiple times, she performed, usually solo. With the Grammys’ 2017 snub on ‘Lemonade’, the singer had steadily assumed a passive presence. Absolving herself of the responsibility to perform onstage.
Her last performance at the Grammy ceremony saw her delivering a medley of ‘Love Drought’ and ‘Sandcastles’ whilst heavily pregnant. She only attended the Grammys the next year out of courtesy for her husband who got nominated eight times on ‘4:44’ but lost in all categories, leading him to take shots at the Grammys the next year on ‘Apeshit’.
In 2019, the couple boycotted the Grammys, as well as rapper Drake and Kendrick Lamar who declined performing on grounds that the academy prevents hip hop artistes from winning the top prizes.
Although nominated four times in 2020, Beyoncé skipped the main show to attend pre-Grammy events. She won for Best Music Film for ‘Homecoming’ that night.
At the 2021 event where she landed most nods, the singer did not perform. All these moments and more are what define Beyoncé’s wins and losses, and her relationship with the Recording Academy. Currently holding the most wins for a singer, it will only take some couple of years or just one night to surpass the reigning king of the Grammys, Sir Georg Solti, an orchestral and operatic conductor. He has won 31 Grammy Awards.