Grammys 2021: The Aftermath

Welp, they came, they went, it was definitely another Grammys. Most importantly, we still don't understand the difference between "Best Record" and "Best Song." When the dust settled, how did your favorite music writers (us) tally their wins against the Recording Academy? I’m here to let you know:

BEST NEW ARTIST

Nominees:

  • Ingrid Andress

  • Phoebe Bridgers

  • Chika

  • Noah Cyrus

  • D Smoke

  • Doja Cat

  • Kaytranada

  • Megan Thee Stallion


Winner: Megan Thee Stallion


Correct: Botts, Slone, Ritter. It was a no-brainer.


SONG OF THE YEAR

Nominees:

  • Beyoncé - “Black Parade”

  • Roddy Ricch - “The Box”

  • Taylor Swift - “cardigan”

  • Post Malone - “Circles”

  • Dua Lipa - “Don’t Start Now”

  • Billie Eilish - “everything i wanted”

  • H.E.R. - “I Can’t Breathe”

  • JP Saxe - “If the World Was Ending (feat. Julia Michaels)”


Winner: H.E.R. - "I Can't Breathe"


Correct: NO ONE, oopsies. Very pleased with this outcome, nonetheless! H.E.R. has one of the best voices and sounds in R&B, and this song captured the emotion and impact of a monumental movement.


RECORD OF THE YEAR

Nominees:

  • Beyoncé - Black Parade

  • Black Pumas - “Colors”

  • DaBaby - “Rockstar (feat. Roddy Rich)”

  • Doja Cat - “Say So”

  • Billie Eilish - “everything i wanted”

  • Dua Lipa - “Don’t Start Now”

  • Post Malone - “Circles”

  • Megan Thee Stallion - “Savage Remix (feat. Beyoncé)”


Winner: Billie Eilish - "everything i wanted"


Correct: NONE! Congrats to Billie for pulling this win off in back-to-back years!


ALBUM OF THE YEAR

Nominees:

  • Jhené Aiko - Chilombo

  • Black Pumas - Black Pumas

  • Coldplay - Everyday Life

  • Jacob Collier - Djesse vol. 3

  • HAIM - Women in Music pt. III

  • Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia

  • Post Malone - Hollywood’s Bleeding

  • Taylor Swift - folklore


Winner: Taylor Swift - folklore


Correct: Slone & Ritter.



FINAL COUNT: Botts (1), Slone (2), Ritter (2)



Other notable wins:

Best Rap Album: Nas - King’s Disease

This one hurts the soul -- Freddie deserved this by a longshot, and Nas gave us the worst album of his career. Let’s just attribute it to late-career pity? We’ve been debating what to call this award show move, either the “DiCaprio Effect” or the “Pacino Award.”

Best Rock Album: The Strokes - the New Abnormal

Speaking of “late-careers” and firsts, the Strokes pulled out a win in a much-contended category. 

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:  Lady Gaga & Ariana Grande - “Rain On Me”

My song of the summer last year pulled through for a much-deserved win. Only a small showing of love for Gaga’s latest album was found at this year’s Grammys.


Best Contemporary Christian Album: Kanye West - Jesus Is King

Yo, Twitter? A little help?



Best Dance/Electronic Album: Kaytranada - Bubba

Kaytra was the artist I was really rooting for this year -- his modern blend of hip-hop and house music into his wonderful two albums is unparalleled, and his personal struggles with coming out in a very homophobic genre, so I definitely wanted to take a second to celebrate this extremely important win.

Best Country Album: Miranda Lambert - Wildcard

I’ll be honest, I thought this came out in 2018, but regardless, I’m happy to see this work receive a much-deserved win.

Best Progressive R&B Album: Thundercat - It Is What It Is

Nothing to say here, Thundercat has worked exceptionally hard for this award. Well done.



PLUS: Harry Styles took home his first-ever win (and Twitter melted down because of it), HAIM delivered a kick-ass performance of “The Steps,” John Mayer is growing his hair out again, and Beyoncé set a new Grammy record for most awards won by any singer. Also, I think we all can agree that Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B's medley performance satisfied the year of missing live music.


You can watch a replay of the show here, but, c’mon, we got you covered.


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What'd the Grammys get right, what'd they get wrong? Let us know in the comments below or holler at us Twitter!


- Ritter

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