All eyes at the Grammy Awards were on whether the most-nominated artist in the history of the telecast would finally walk away with the coveted album of the year trophy. She did. “We finally saw it happen,” host Trevor Noah said, almost in relief.
Beyoncé winning for “Cowboy Carter” capped a night that turned into a tribute to a suffering Los Angeles, with city firefighters chosen to reveal the winner of the last award and speeches offering words of encouragement for communities devastated. The Grammys almost veered into a telethon; $7 million was pledged from viewers of the show.
It was also a telecast where the best new artist nominees like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter were given plenty of time to show why there’s a deep well of talent coming up. And there was a shock return for The Weeknd, who had been boycotting the Grammys.
Here are some of the night’s notable moments: