Rapper Megan Thee Stallion
Credit: © Scott Dudelson, Getty Images

On March 14, 2021, the 63rd Grammy Awards were held in and around the Los Angeles Convention Center. Because of the ongoing pandemic (global outbreak) of the coronavirus disease COVID-19, very few people were in attendance. In an open-air tent, nominees—in masks coordinated with their couture (custom clothing)—sat at their own tables spaced several feet or meters from other guests. Winners accepted their awards on stage. As the winners approached the stage, they removed their stylish, protective coverings, revealing wide smiles and making it easier to understand their acceptance speeches. The South African comedian and television personality Trevor Noah hosted the event.

British singer Dua Lipa
Credit: © Kevin Mazur, Getty Images

Many concert venues have been closed for the past year. So, music’s biggest night acted as a three-hour music festival. The night began with performances by such musicians as Billie Eilish and Harry Styles. Throughout the night, performers from a variety of genres played electrifying sets that spurred dance parties across the country, even if the dance parties were limited to the sofa. The British singer Dua Lipa performed her hits “Don’t Start Now” and “Levitating,” with an appearance by the American rapper Da Baby. Country music artists Mickey Guyton, Miranda Lambert, and Maren Morris gave soulful performances. The American rapper Lil Baby delivered a powerful performance of his song “The Bigger Picture.” Inspired by the worldwide protests set off by the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, the song is anthem for racial justice. Other performers included the Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny, the Korean pop music group BTS, and the American hip-hop musician Post Malone.

Perhaps the most anticipated performances of the night were those by the American rappers Megan Thee Stallion and Cardi B. Megan delivered a rousing show, which included her hit “Savage.” Cardi B then performed her song “Up” and was joined by Megan to sing “WAP.”

Beyoncé is a popular American singer and actress. She first gained fame as a member of the singing group Destiny’s Child. In the early 2000′s, Beyoncé established herself as a successful solo performer. Credit: © Shutterstock

Women dominated the winner’s circle. Taylor Swift won album of the year for Folklore. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia won best pop vocal album. Miranda Lambert took home the award for best country album for Wildcard. For her song “Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish accepted the award for record of the year. In her acceptance speech, Eilish said she believed the award should have gone to Megan Thee Stallion. But, the rapper did not go home empty handed. Megan won the award for best new artist. Megan went on to share two more awards—best rap performance and best rap song—with the American singing legend Beyoncé, who was featured on “Savage.” These wins—along with several others—earned Beyoncé the record for most lifetime Grammy wins by a female artist.

March 21, 2016

Canadian pop megastar Justin Bieber, who turned 22 on March 1, won his first Grammy Award last month. The hit single “Where Are Ü Now” (2015), by the American music producers Skrillex and Diplo (as the group Jack Ü), featuring Bieber on vocals, won a Grammy Award as best dance recording. Bieber has also won a number of other awards for his music, including American Music Awards, ASCAP Awards, Billboard Music Awards, and Juno Awards, which are presented annually to Canadian artists.

Justin Bieber is a Canadian pop singer, songwriter, and musician who gained international fame in the early 2000’s. Bieber became one of the youngest solo male artists to top the United States popular music albums chart. This photo shows him during a performance. Credit: © Shutterstock

The singer, songwriter, and musician gained international fame in the first decade of the 2000’s while still a teenager. Bieber’s first EP, My World (2009) became a huge worldwide hit. EP stands for extended play and is a type of musical recording that includes several songs but is not considered a full-length album. Bieber’s first studio album, My World 2.0 (2010), also became a huge worldwide hit. Bieber received Grammy nominations in 2011 for best new artist and for best pop vocal album for My World 2.0. The success of My World 2.0, released when Bieber was 16, made him the youngest solo male artist to top the U.S. Billboard 200 albums chart since 13-year-old Stevie Wonder in 1963.

Justin Drew Bieber was born on March 1, 1994, in London, Ontario. He grew up in Stratford, Ontario. He taught himself to play piano, drums, guitar, and trumpet. In 2007, when Bieber was 12, he posted a video of himself performing in a local singing competition on the video-sharing website YouTube. Bieber’s popularity grew as his mother posted more videos of him singing. Bieber’s videos were discovered by a music producer named Scooter Braun, who became his manager. Bieber was soon signed to a recording contract.

Bieber’s first single, “One Time,” was released in 2009 and became a hit in more than 10 countries. His other hits include “One Less Lonely Girl,” “Love Me,” and “Favorite Girl” (all 2009); “Baby,” “Never Let You Go,” and “U Smile” (all 2010); “Boyfriend” (2012); and “Love Yourself,” “Sorry,” and “What Do You Mean?” (all 2015). The release of the latter, on Aug. 28, 2015, made Bieber the youngest male artist to debut at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In addition to that record, Bieber has also set five other records in the Guinness Book of World Records. In 2012, his music video for “Baby” (with the American rap performer Ludacris) became the most popular video of any kind online. Also that year, Bieber became the first artist to have three #1 albums in the United States and the United Kingdom before the age of 18, as well as the person with the most widespread social network message in 24 hours, after a message celebrating his 18th birthday was posted 251,878 times on Facebook and Twitter. In 2014, Bieber became the youngest solo artist to have five #1 albums in the United States and the youngest musician with a music channel viewed three billion times.

Bieber’s second studio album, the Christmas album Under the Mistletoe (2011), also became a #1 hit. It was the first holiday album by a male solo artist to open at #1 in the 55 years of Billboard’s album chart. Bieber donated some of the album’s proceeds to his “BELIEVE” charity. Bieber’s third studio album, Believe (2012), also became a #1 hit. His fourth studio album, Purpose, released in November 2015, debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200. It sold 522,000 copies in its first week of release, giving Bieber the largest first-week sales of his career. Bieber also had #1 hits with the remix albums Never Say Never: The Remixes (2011) and Believe Acoustic (2013).

Bieber appeared in the documentary concert films Justin Bieber: Never Say Never (2011) and Justin Bieber’s Believe (2013).

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Feb. 13, 2012

Whitney Houston, one of her generation’s greatest rhythm and blues (R&B) singers, died on February 11 in Beverly Hills, California. She was 48 years old. Her spectacular voice spanned three octaves and combined the sweetness of early pop music with the exuberance of gospel and pathos of soul.

All of Ms. Houston’s studio albums sold more than 1 million copies. Her 1985 debut album–”Whitney Houston”–sold more than 10 million copies in the United States alone. The album included three No. 1 singles, including “Saving All My Love for You,” for which Houston won her first Grammy Award, for best female pop vocal performance. Her second album, “Whitney” (1987), was the first album by a woman to enter the Billboard charts at No. 1 and delivered even more hit singles: “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me),” “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional,” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go.”

Such success drew the attention of Hollywood, and in 1992, Houston played a pop diva opposite Kevin Costner in The Bodyguard. The film’s soundtrack, which included the mega hit “I Will Always Love You,” sold 17 million copies in the United States and won the Grammy for album of the year. “I Will Always Love You,” composed by Dolly Parton, won single record of the year. After two more films, Waiting To Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996), Houston resumed her pop career with another hit studio album, “My Love Is Your Love” in 1998, after which her career went into decline.

Whitney Houston was born on Aug. 9, 1963, in Newark, New Jersey. Her mother, Cissy Houston, was a gospel and pop singer who backed up Aretha Franklin, and Ms. Franklin was Houston’s godmother. Houston’s cousins included singers Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick. As a child, Whitney Houston sang in a church choir. Before becoming a star with her debut album,  she worked as a backup studio singer for Chaka Khan, Lou Rawls, and Teddy Pendergrass among others.

In 1992, Houston married R&B singer Bobby Brown. The following year, she gave birth to a daughter, Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, who survives her. The marriage was troubled, and Houston and Brown divorced in 2007.

Whitney Houston is often cited as one of the most honored female performers of all time. She won 2 Emmy Awards, 6 Grammy Awards, 22 American Music Awards, and 30 Billboard Awards. Her albums, singles, and videos sold more than 170 million copies worldwide.

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