Music’s biggest night may have long lost its lustre, but the Grammys dutifully continued their tradition of attempting to honour the supposed best and brightest in music this past week. Originally scheduled to be held in January in Los Angeles, the 64th edition of the annual ceremony saw the festivities moved to an April evening in Las Vegas following a Covid-related delay and shift in venue. And while it all seemed rather stiff and dull, especially after the drama surrounding the previous week’s Oscars, there was at least some solace in the fact that no one slapped anyone onstage! (Although Louis C.K. winning a Grammy did feel like a proverbial slap in all our proverbial faces, so there is that.) Here’s a look at the night’s most triumphant artists…

Jon Batiste

Jon Batiste is on a roll! Last year, the Late Show bandleader received an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and a BAFTA – alongside his collaborators Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross – for his work on the score for Pixar’s Soul. This year, he was the most nominated artist at the Grammys, earning 11 nods in total, eight for his critically acclaimed album We Are and three for Soul (the latter shared with the aforementioned Reznor and Ross).

Batiste continued his winning streak by finishing the night as the most honoured artist at the ceremony, taking home five trophies including the coveted Album of the Year award for We Are. His other wins came in the Best Music Video ('Freedom'), Best American Roots Performance (‘Cry’), Best American Roots Song ('Cry'), and Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Soul) categories.

His genuine, humble Album of the Year acceptance speech stood out as one of the most endearing of the night. “There is no best musician, best artist, best dancer, best actor. The creative arts are subjective and they reach people at a point in their lives when they need it most. It's like a song or an album is made and it almost has a radar to find the person when they need it the most,” he said, before tipping his hat to the people who worked on his album as well as his fellow nominees.

Silk Sonic

Having previously showered Bruno Mars with a whole lot of gold at the 2018 ceremony, the Grammys this time asserted their love for Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars’ R&B outfit with rapper Anderson .Paak.). Their debut single ‘Leave the Door Open’ won the band all four – Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song – awards that they were nominated for. And while the superduo’s debut album An Evening with Silk Sonic had transported us to the ‘70s with its joyous soul and funk fusion, Mars lighting a celebratory cigarette on the Grammys stage transported us to the ‘70s for all the wrong reasons.

Olivia Rodrigo

2021 was undeniably the year of Olivia Rodrigo, so it didn’t come as a surprise when the Disney starlet was crowned the Best New Artist at this year’s Grammys. Triumphant in three of her seven nominations, the singer also won the Best Pop Vocal Album award for her chart topping debut set Sour and the Best Pop Solo Performance trophy for her hit ‘Drivers License’. (The 19-year-old did promptly drop and break one of her three Gramophones, but we’re sure it’s nothing a bit of superglue can’t fix!)

Foo Fighters

It was a clean sweep for the Foo Fighters who dominated the rock categories this year, winning Best Rock Album (Medicine at Midnight), Best Rock Song (‘Waiting on a War’), and Best Rock Performance (‘Making a Fire’). But the band – who are mourning the loss of their beloved drummer Taylor Hawkins – was understandably missing from the festivities. Originally slated to perform during the ceremony, the Foo Fighters had cancelled their appearance following Hawkins’ untimely death a week prior. A video tribute to the revered drummer set to ‘My Hero’ was aired in place of their scheduled performance. Homage to the late musician was also paid by Billie Eilish (who left the evening emptyhanded despite her seven nominations); she wore a custom oversized t-shirt with Hawkins picture on it during her performance of ‘Happier Than Ever’.

Other artists with multiple wins this year included Chris Stapleton and CeCe Winans who won three awards apiece, and Chick Corea, Jazmine Sullivan, and Kanye West, who took home two trophies each.