Grammy Awards: Kendrick Lamar and Beyoncé Returned Home with Full Hands

The 67th Grammy Awards featured a special achievement for American singer Beyoncé. The ceremony, held on Sunday, February 3, saw her album "Carter's Cowboy" nominated in eleven categories; a rare honor almost akin to Michael Jackson's twelve nominations forty-two years ago for "Thriller." Beyoncé, who was already the record holder for Grammy wins with 32 awards before the ceremony, increased her total to 35 by winning three more awards. Most notably, she won the "Album of the Year" award for the first time. Accompanied by her daughter Blue Ivy Carter on stage, she emphasized that she had been waiting for this award for many years and was very proud and pleased to receive it. The 43-year-old Houston native also secured the awards for "Best Country Album" and "Best Country Duo/Group Performance," with the winning collaboration being her work with Miley Cyrus. Kendrick Lamar, the 37-year-old rapper, returned home with five awards, more than any other artist. He was nominated in five categories for his song "Not Like Us" and won in all five. Lamar dedicated his awards to Los Angeles, the host city that had recently recovered from devastating wildfires. During the Sunday night ceremony, 25-year-old Sabrina Carpenter won the "Best Pop Album" and "Best Pop Performance" awards for her album "Short 'n Sweet" and song "Espresso." She was also nominated for "Best New Artist," but the award went to 26-year-old Chapel Ryan, who was nominated in five categories. This year's ceremony was designed to include a special fundraising segment for victims of recent widespread wildfires that claimed at least 29 lives and left thousands, including many music industry professionals, homeless. Trevor Noah, hosting the ceremony for the fifth consecutive year, stated, "We decided that tonight, in addition to our favorite music, we would also honor the city that has contributed significantly to producing much of this music." He confirmed that over $7 million was raised during the broadcast. Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars also performed a song called "California Dreaming" to thank Los Angeles rescue workers, and the "Album of the Year" award was presented by firefighters. The ceremony also honored Quincy Jones, the influential music producer who passed away less than three months ago. Grammy winners are selected by a vote of 13,000 singers, producers, songwriters, and studio technicians. On the red carpet, Kanye West and his wife Bianca Sensori, who attended the event uninvited, made headlines and were escorted out by security. Bianca, initially wearing a black fur coat, turned in front of photographers and suddenly dropped the coat from her shoulders, revealing that she was not wearing anything else, which surprised attendees and prompted a reaction from security.