Once a year, viewers from all over the world gather together to watch music’s biggest night unfold: the Grammys. This annual event is known to bring great controversy, fame, and success, and this year’s show surpassed these expectations, even seeing history be made.

With the pandemic bringing unprecedented times, the Grammys had to take an unconventional form. Top musicians including Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, and Harry Styles met at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA, at an outside venue where they were only allowed one guest. Moreover, a large part of the show was virtual, from nomination readings to performances. Nevertheless, even with these unconventional times, the award show went off without a hitch.

Kicking off the night with his song “Watermelon Sugar” was Harry Styles, whose high energy performance caught the liking of many on Twitter, even trending at the #1 spot. Harry went on to win Best Pop Solo Performance and came away as a clear winner of the night. Another stand-out artist who came home with three Grammys for Best New Artist, Best Rap Performance, and Best Rap Song was Megan Thee Stallion. She made headlines with rapper, Cardi B, when they performed their hit song “WAP.”  As the night went on, however, attention was turning towards Beyoncé, who proved to make history.

When Megan Thee Stallion and Beyoncé won Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance for their hit, “Savage,” and Grammys host, Trevor Noah made an announcement to the audience that Beyoncé had tied with the most Grammys won by an individual. However, the night was not over, with Beyoncé still being nominated for a few other awards, one of which was Best R&B Performance. As the announcer opened the card and read her name, Beyoncé made history and became the most awarded female artist. When announced, Beyoncé gave a clear expression of shock, later thanking much of her immediate family and those who helped with her song, “Black Parade.”

Another notable winner of the night was Taylor Swift. She took home one of the most prominent awards of the night, Album of the Year, for her sonically unique album Folklore and performed her hit songs from the album: “Cardigan,” “August,” and “Willow.”

However, even with all of this, the Grammys did raise significant controversy regarding nominations and certain losers. Announcing weeks before the award show, popular artist The Weeknd took to social media where he explained that he was boycotting the event. This was because his album, “After Hours” did not receive a single nomination. Additionally, the Korean pop band, BTS, also caused a stir when they lost Best Pop Duo/Group Performance. Though they had not said anything, their impassioned fan base called “Army” took to Twitter with their discontent, getting “#scammys” trending.

Even with the controversy, when the award show came to a close, it was a clear success. With the challenges the pandemic posed, the Grammys were able to work around many issues, creating a night that not only honored the artist, but also many small businesses across the country, giving them a shed of light to an audience of millions. In the end, the awards show presented a successful night to all.