It was also, arguably, one of the most uplifting Grammy Awards in recent memory, as some of the most talented female artists around finally got their flowers.
Here are the biggest moments from a spectacular ceremony:
Year of the Women
It was a term that came up multiple times across the night, harking back to the first “Year of the Women” in 1998, when artists including Lauryn Hill and Celine Dion were celebrated at a rare Grammys where women dominated.
This year, seven out of eight nominees for the Album of the Year award were women, while they also ruled over other major categories including Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
SZA won her first Grammy and we had spectacular performances from her, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, Fantasia Barrino and Tracy Chapman.
Host Trevor Noah asserted himself as an ally, defending Swift from criticism over the NFL’s obsession with her support for boyfriend Travis Kelce, and — as he accepted a Global Impact Award — Jay Z called out the Grammys for failing to award his wife and fellow artist, Beyonce, the Album of the Year prize.
He questioned how someone (Beyonce) could be the most-decorated artist in the history of the awards show, while never winning its biggest prize.
A new Taylor Swift album!
That’s right, a brand new Taylor Swift album is on the way.
As she collected her 13th Grammy Award, for Best Pop Vocal Performance, she announced it will be released on April 19.
“Okay this is my 13th Grammy. Which is my lucky number… if I’ve ever told you that,” she joked. “I know that the way the Recording Academy voted is a direct reflection of the passion from the fans.
“So I want to say thank you to the fans by telling you a secret that I have been keeping from you for the last two years… Which is that my new album comes out April 19, it’s called The Tortured Poets Department, I’m going to go and post the cover right now back stage, thank you I love you.”
The best Meryl Streep cameo
Fans of the Oscar-winning Hollywood star were clearly perplexed by her presence at a music awards ceremony, until they realised that her daughter, Grace Gummer, is married to British producer Mark Ronson.
But the big surprise was when Streep walked onstage holding her son-in-law’s hand, to help him present the award for Record of the Year.
We were treated to some classic Meryl humour, too, when she ribbed Ronson for failing to win an Album of the Year award.
Big performances
Dua Lipa kicked things off with a leather-bound, breathless rendition of her hit song, “Houdini”.
A perfect foil, Billie Eilish then gave a crowd-silencing performance of “What Was I Made For?”, dressed as the Poodle Parade Barbie from 1965.
Miley Cyrus struggled to get the crowd back on their feet for her break-up anthem, “Flowers”, asking mid-performance: “Why are y’all acting like you don’t know this song?”
The in memoriam segment was the best in years, featuring standout performances from Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox, Fantasia Barrino and Jon Batiste.
Wonder kicked off the tribute to Tony Bennett with a mash-up of “For Once In My Life” and “The Best Is Yet To Come.”
Sinead O’Connor was honoured by Lennox who ended her performance of “Nothing Compares 2 U” by calling for ceasefire. Barrino honoured Turner with a sparkling performance of “Proud Mary”.
