Complete List of 2020 Grammy Award Winners
Clouds of tragedy overshadowed the 2020 Grammy Awards due to the untimely deaths of Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others, who lost their lives in a helicopter crash that very morning. Flowers, candles, balloons, basketballs, and yellow and purple jerseys featuring the number 24 were left lovingly outside of the stadium to memorialize the life of the retired basketball player. Ironically, the 2020 Grammy Awards are scheduled at the Staples Center every year, otherwise known as the “House that Kobe Built,” where the LA Lakers played all of their home games.
Inside the stadium, Ken Ehrlich, longtime executive producer of the Grammy Awards, scrambled to make significant modifications to the show before it broadcasted live on television that night, just like he did when Whitney Houston died in 2012. Ehrlich had less than 24 hours to finagle tributes for Whitney Houston into the 2012 Grammy Awards show, but for his final “music's big night,” he had mere hours to make amendments for Kobe Bryant. This would be the last time Ehrlich would ever have to make eleventh-hour revisions to the annual music celebration, following his retirement announcement last July.
A bizarre concoction of live music performances kept the night fascinating until the end. The finale, a mismatched lineup, including Camila Cabello, Cyndi Lauper, Ben Platt, Common, and Tanya and Michael Trotter from War and Treaty, belting out “I Sing the Body Electric,” from the 1980 musical movie Fame. With a dynamic orchestra, a choir, and choreography reinterpreted by the original choreographer of the movie, Debbie Allen, the song was the grand finale for the original movie, and a compelling tribute to Ken Ehrlich and his 40 years of producing the Grammy Awards.
With the feelings of loss dominating the air, impromptu performances, and last-minute rearrangements, the presentation of the accolades seemed to be an afterthought during the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards. But, the music honours, symbolized with miniature gramophone trophies, were undeniably why musicians and celebrities alike were gathered in the Staples Center on the night of January 26, 2020.
Grammy Awards – The Big Four Sweep
Going home with an armful of golden gramophone shaped trophies was 18-year-old Billie Eilish, the second artist in the history of the Grammy Awards to sweep the Big Four categories. Best new artist, album of the year, song of the year, and record of the year. “Bad Guy” scored her the awards for song of the year and record of the year, while When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? took the win for album of the year.
Back in 1981, people were perplexed. “How in the world did Christopher Cross sweep the Big Four at the Grammy Awards?” After all, he was a newcomer to the music industry. The other nominees for awards in the top categories were big-timers Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand, who were already much more distinguished at the time.
The triumph almost 40 years ago stunned Christopher Cross and his record company, Warner Bros. just as much as it shocked the people watching the show. The Big Four sweep was so surprising Warner Bros. failed to plan a post-Grammys celebration party, a traditional occasion for record labels expecting to receive Grammy awards for their music. Instead, they attended the annual after-party hosted by the Recording Academy.
Christopher Cross was the only newcomer in all of the categories, one of the reasons tossed around explaining why he might have swept the Grammys. Another potential reason: Cross' rivals for album of the year were Frank Sinatra and Barbara Streisand, who appealed to an older, contemporary demographic, and Billy Joel and Pink Floyd rocked the younger generation. Their albums may have split the majority of the vote in those demographics, leaving Cross as the default winner. Cross' debut album, which had us “caught between the moon and New York City” or “sailing” on a yacht somewhere, brought us four popular songs that hit the top 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, more than any other album that made the Grammy nominee list that year.
The Billie Eilish Grammy sweep is inspiring the same question posed about Christopher Cross in 1981. How did this newbie black-and green-haired weirdo of a teen with unique fashion sense and a taste for macabre take the music industry by storm? Besides walking away from the Staples Center stage with more Grammys than she could carry by the end of the night, she became the youngest solo artist to win album of the year, but it was not by far.
In 2010, Taylor Swift was only 20 years old when she won a Grammy for her album, Fearless. Jagged Little Pill won the award in 1996 when Alanis Morisette was 21 years of age. Album of the year Grammy award winners, Adele, Lauryn Hill, and Barbara Streisand were also young when they won. Notice the common denominator here: all of them are female. Considering past winners, the Recording Academy tends to vote for exceptional young female singers.
Commercial success boosts the advantage for potential Grammy award wins, and Eilish certainly had her fair share of that in 2019. Plenty of other artists on the nominee list had popular songs, though. All of the songs nominated for song of the year made it to the Billboards in 2019, and several made it to the number one spot. Ariana Grande put up the biggest fight on the Billboards, by far, but she still fell short of Eilish's success on the music charts. Some argue that Grande should have won the album of the year award, but at the same time, Eilish's Big Four sweep is a victory for young women, as well as any artist who strives to defy the lines drawn between genres.
Word-of-mouth and raving reviews pave the way to earning Grammy awards, as well. Reviews of Eilish's album When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? popped up in publications all over the place in 2019, consistently mentioning she sums up Generation X in one person. Her cutting-edge debut album was bold and brash, and nothing like any other music produced before. Described by a Rolling Stone reviewer as “noir pop with a bite,” you almost forget that the entire album was recorded in a bedroom-studio that Eilish and her older brother Finneas O'Connell put together in their family home in Los Angeles.
The songs on her Grammy award-winning album seem like pages ripped from the journal of a Gen X teen. 'Bury a Friend” was written from the perspective of the monsters under her bed, and tells the tale of being your own worst enemy. “Xanny” is Eilish's reaction to the teenage opioid crisis in America, in which she boasts she is the “only one who's not stoned” at the party and admonishes, “I don't need a xanny to feel better.”
Eilish's reactions, proclamations, and whispers made her personal opinion obvious during the Grammy Awards. She made it clear that she believed another album deserved album of the year. Just before her name was announced, she mouthed, “Please don't be me,” and when she was up on the stage accepting the award, she admitted, “Can I just say that I think Ariana deserves this?”
Full List 2020 Grammy Award Winners
RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Hey, Ma," Bon Iver
"Bad Guy," Billie Eilish *WINNER
"7 Rings," Ariana Grande
"Hard Place," H.E.R.
"Talk," Khalid
"Old Town Road," Lil Nas X & Billy Ray Cyrus
"Truth Hurts," Lizzo
"Sunflower," Post Malone & Swae Lee
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"I,I"- Bon Iver
"Norman F***ing Rockwell," Lana Del Rey
"When We All Fall Asleep Where Do We Go," Billie Eilish *WINNER
"Thank U, Next," Ariana Grande
"I Used to Know Her," H.E.R.
"7," Lil Nas X
"Cuz I Love You," Lizzo
"Father of the Bride," Vampire Weekend
SONG OF THE YEAR
"Always Remember Us This Way," Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna
"Bad Guy," Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell *WINNER
"Bring My Flowers Now," Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker
"Hard Place," Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris, H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins
"Lover," Taylor Swift
"Norman F***ing Rockwell," Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey
"Someone You Loved," Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman
"Truth Hurts," Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John
BEST NEW ARTIST
Black Pumas
Billie Eilish *WINNER
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalia
Tank and the Bangas
Yola
COUNTRY
Best Country Solo Performance
"All Your'n," Tyler Childers
"Girl Goin' Nowhere," Ashley McBryde
"Ride Me Back Home," Willie Nelson *WINNER
"God's Country," Blake Shelton
"Bring My Flowers Now," Tanya Tucker
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
"Brand New Man," Brooks & Dunn With Luke Combs
"I Don't Remember Me (Before You)," Brothers Osborne
"Speechless," Dan + Shay *WINNER
"The Daughters," Little Big Town
"Common," Maren Morris Featuring Brandi Carlile
Best Country Song
"Bring My Flowers Now," Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker) *WINNER
"Girl Goin' Nowhere," Jeremy Bussey & Ashley McBryde, songwriters (Ashley McBryde)
"It All Comes Out in the Wash," Miranda Lambert, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
"Some of It," Eric Church, Clint Daniels, Jeff Hyde & Bobby Pinson, songwriters (Eric Church)
"Speechless," Shay Mooney, Jordan Reynolds, Dan Smyers & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Dan + Shay)
Best country album
"Desperate Man," Eric Church
"Stronger Than The Truth," Reba McEntire
"Interstate Gospel," Pistol Annies
"Center Point Road," Thomas Rhett
"While I'm Livin',"Tanya Tucker *WINNER
RAP
Best rap album
"Revenge Of The Dreamers III," Dreamville
"Championships," Meek Mill
"I am > I was," 21 Savage
"Igor," Tyler, The Creator *WINNER
"The Lost Boy," YBN Cordae
Best Rap Performance
"Middle Child," J. Cole
"Suge," DaBaby
"Down Bad," Dreamville Featuring J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy
"Racks in the Middle," Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy *WINNER
"Clout," Offset Featuring Cardi B
Best Rap/Sung Performance
"Higher," DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend *WINNER
"Drip Too Hard," Lil Baby & Gunna
"Panini," Lil Nas X
"Ballin," Mustard Featuring Roddy Ricch
"The London," Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott
Best Rap Song
"Bad Idea," Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong & Daniel Hackett, songwriters (YBN Cordae Featuring Chance The Rapper)
"Gold Roses," Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, William Leonard Roberts II, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas III & Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross Featuring Drake)
"A Lot," Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage Featuring J. Cole) *WINNER
"Racks in the Middle," Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis, Jr. & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy)
"Suge," DaBaby, Jetsonmade & Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby)
R&B
Best R&B Performance
"Come Home," Anderson .Paak & André 300 *WINNER
"Love Again," Daniel Caesar & Brandy
"Could've Been," H.E.R. & Bryson Tiller
"Exactly How I Feel," Lizzo & Gucci Mane
"Roll Some Mo," Lucky Daye
Best Traditional R&B Performance
"Jerome," Lizzo *WINNER
"Time Today," BJ The Chicago Kid
"Steady Love," India.Arie
"Real Games," Lucky Daye
"Built For Love," PJ Morton & Jazmine Sullivan
Best R&B Song
"Say So" — Pj Morton, Songwriter (Pj Morton Ft. Jojo) *WINNER
"Could've Been" — Dernst Emile Ii, David "Swagg R'celious" Harris, H.E.R. & Hue "Soundzfire" Strother, Songwriters (H.E.R. Ft. Bryson Tiller)
"Look At Me Now" — Emily King & Jeremy Most, Songwriters (Emily King)
"No Guidance" — Chris Brown, Tyler James Bryant, Nija Charles, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Michee Patrick Lebrun, Joshua Lewis, Noah Shebib & Teddy Walton, Songwriters (Chris Brown Ft. Drake)
"Roll Some Mo" — David Brown, Dernst Emile Ii & Peter Lee Johnson, Songwriters (Lucky Daye)
Best Urban Contemporary Album
"Apollo XXI," Steve Lacy
"Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)," Lizzo *WINNER
"Overload," Georgia Anne Muldrow
"Saturn," Nao
"Being Human in Public," Jessie Reyez
Best R&B Album
"1123," BJ The Chicago Kid
"Painted," Lucky Daye
"Ella Mai," Ella Mai
"Paul," PJ Morton
"Ventura," Anderson .Paak *WINNER
POP
"Spirit," Beyoncé
"Bad Guy," Billie Eilish
"7 Rings," Ariana Grande
"Truth Hurts," Lizzo *WINNER
"You Need to Calm Down," Taylor Swift
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
"Boyfriend," Ariana Grande & Social House
"Sucker," Jonas Brothers
"Old Town Road," Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus *WINNER
"Sunflower," Post Malone & Swae Lee
"Senorita," Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello
Best Pop Vocal Album
"The Lion King: The Gift," Beyoncé
"When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?," Billie Eilish *WINNER
"Thank U, Next," Ariana Grande
"No. 6 Collaborations Project," Ed Sheeran
"Lover," Taylor Swift
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
"Sì," Andrea Bocelli
"Love (Deluxe Edition)," Michael Bublé
"Look Now," Elvis Costello & The Imposters *WINNER
"A Legendary Christmas," John Legend
"Walls," Barbra Streisand
Best Comedy Album
"Quality Time," Jim Gaffigan
"Relatable," Ellen Degeneres
"Right Now," Aziz Ansari
"Son Of Patricia," Trevor Noah
"Sticks & Stones," Dave Chappelle *WINNER
LATIN
"#ELDISCO," Alejandro Sanz *WINNER
"Vida," Luis Fonsi
"11:11," Maluma
"Montaner," Ricardo Montaner
"Fantasía," Sebastian Yatra
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album
"El Mal Querer," Rosalía *WINNER
"X 100PRE," Bad Bunny
"Oasis," J Balvin & Bad Bunny
"Indestructible," Flor De Toloache
"Almadura," iLe
ROCK
Best Rock Performance
"This Land," Gary Clark Jr. *WINNER
"Pretty Waste," Bones UK
"History Repeats," Brittany Howard
"Woman," Karen O & Danger Mouse
"Too Bad," Rival Sons
Best Metal Performance
"7empest," Tool *WINNER
"Astorolus - The Great Octopus," Candlemass ft. Tony Iommi
"Humanicide," Death Angel
"Bow Down," I Prevail
"Unleashed," Killswitch Engage
Best Rock Song
"This Land," Gary Clark Jr., Songwriter (Gary Clark Jr.) *WINNER
"Fear Inoculum," Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones & Maynard James Keenan, Songwriters (Tool)
"Give Yourself A Try," George Daniel, Adam Hann, Matthew Healy & Ross Macdonald, Songwriters (The 1975)
"Harmony Hall," Ezra Koenig, Songwriter (Vampire Weekend)
"History Repeats," Brittany Howard, Songwriter (Brittany Howard)
Best Rock Album
"Social Cues," Cage The Elephant *WINNER
"Amo," Bring Me The Horizon
"In The End," The Cranberries
"Trauma," I Prevail
"Feral Roots," Rival Sons
ALTERNATIVE
Best Alternative Music Album
"Father of the Bride," Vampire Weekend *WINNER
"U.F.O.F.," Big Thief
"Assume Form," James Blake
"i,i," Bon Iver
"Anima," Thom Yorke
