The Latest: Billie Eilish wins 5 in dominant Grammys

Her album beat a group of nominees that included Lana Del Rey, Lizzo and Ariana Grande.

“Can I just say that I think Ariana deserved this?” Eilish said as she accepted the award.

Her other Grammys include best new artist, and song of the year for “Bad Guy.”

8:28 p.m.

Billie Eilish has won the Grammy for best new artist

It was the third Grammy for the 18-year-old at Sunday’s ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Earlier, she won song of the year for “Bad Guy” and best pop vocal album for “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”

“I feel like the fans deserve everything, they haven’t been talked about enough tonight,” Eilish said as she accepted the award. “I love all fandoms.”

She beat out a group of nominees that included Lil Nas X and Lizzo.

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8:15 p.m.

With tears running down her cheeks, Demi Lovato stood on the Grammys stage in a white ballgown and belted her new single “Anyone,” written just four days before her near fatal overdose in July 2018.

It was the 27-year-old’s first time at the Grammy Awards in two years and her first big performance since that fateful day.

Accompanied by just a piano, Lovato glowed in the Christian Siriano gown on the stage Sunday at Staples Center in Los Angeles, stopping briefly after her voice faltered at the beginning and starting her emotional track once again. She made it through strongly, earning a standing ovation from her peers.

Before the Grammys, Lovato discussed the song with the New Music Daily with Zane Lowe on Apple Music’s Beats 1. She said she recorded “Anyone” before she was rushed from her home in the Hollywood Hills to a Los Angeles-area hospital. Paramedics found her unconscious.

She said before the Grammys that she’s excited for her comeback, including singing the national anthem at the Feb. 2 Super Bowl.

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7:55 p.m.

Sheila E. says FKA twigs made the decision to dance instead of sing alongside Usher during their Prince tribute at the Grammys.

Sheila E. said backstage Sunday that twigs chose against singing because she didn’t have the proper audio equipment for her to hear. She says Twigs decided to appear as a backup dancer, which drew initial criticism from some on social media.

Usher and Sheila E. performed a medley of Prince songs including “Little Red Corvette,” “When Doves Cry” and “Kiss.” Twigs appeared on stage during “When Doves Cry” in a feathery outfit, twirling on a pole before she danced on Usher.

Twigs is a British singer-songwriter who pole danced in her music video “Cellophane.”

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7:45 p.m.

Billie Eilish has won the Grammy for song of the year for “Bad Guy.”

It was Eilish’s second Grammy Sunday, after winning best pop vocal album for “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” during the pre-telecast ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Eilish said from the stage that “I feel like I joke around a lot, but I genuinely want to say that I’m so grateful.”

The 18-year-old told the music stars in the crowd that “I grew up watching all of you.”

She was joined on stage by her brother and musical partner Finneas, who won two Grammys for his work with his sister earlier Sunday.

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7:40 p.m.

Meek Mill and DJ Khaled led a tribute to the late Nipsey Hussle at the Grammys.

“When we lost you it really put some pain on me,” Mill said in the sombre solo rap that opened the tribute to his fellow rapper who was shot and killed 10 months ago at age 33.

Things got more celebratory when Khaled and John Legend appeared.

“Everybody get up out your seats, we’re doin’ this for Nipsey Hussle!” Khaled shouted to the crowd Sunday at Staples Center, as video of a rapping Hussle appeared on a big screen.

They were also joined by Kirk Franklin, Roddy Ricch and YG in paying homage to Hussle, who posthumously won his first Grammy in the pre-telecast ceremony earlier Sunday, taking best rap performance for “Racks in the Middle,” which features Ricch.

The Los Angeles native, whose real name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, was gunned down outside his clothing store just a few miles from Staples Center on March 31. He had been nominated for a Grammy for the first time a few months earlier.

The tribute performance ended with Khaled shouting out the names of Hussle along with those of Kobe Bryant and Bryant’s daughter Gianna, who died in a helicopter crash earlier Sunday.

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7:30 p.m.

The Grammy Awards have included plenty of sincere and explicit tributes to Kobe Bryant on the day of the NBA star’s death, but there were many more subtle ones too.

Billy Ray Cyrus’ guitar had “#24,” Bryant’s number, on his guitar and Lil Nas X had a Bryant jersey draped over a chair at the beginning of their performance of “Old Town Road” during the Grammys on Sunday at Staples Center in Los Angeles, the arena where Bryant played most of his career.

Run-DMC member Joseph “Run” Simmons” held up a white Bryant Jersey during their performance of “Walk This Way” with Aerosmith.

And Lizzo, who dedicated the show to Bryant when she opened it with a performance, accepted the Grammy for best pop solo performance without invoking his name. She simply said that today she realized that after being lost in her own problems all week, she realized that “in an instant all of that can go away.”

The 41-year-old Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and seven others were killed in a helicopter crash just outside of Los Angeles earlier Sunday.

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5:45 p.m.

Lizzo has won the Grammy for best solo pop vocal performance for “Truth Hurts” in what is already shaping up to be a big night for the R&B singer-songwriter.

The award was the first handed out during Sunday’s Grammy Awards telecast from Staples Center in Los Angeles.

But Lizzo had already won two Grammys before the telecast. She won best traditional R&B performance for “Jerome” and best urban contemporary album for “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)” Sunday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

She accepted the third award minutes after opening the show with a medley of “Truth Hurts” and “Cuz I Love You,” a performance she started by dedicating the night to former NBA star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash earlier Sunday.

“This whole week I’ve been lost in my problems, stressed out,” Lizzo said as she accepted her third award. “Then in an instant all of that can go away.”

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5:25 p.m.

Host Alicia Keys said the Grammys are steeped in “crazy sadness” coming just after the loss of Kobe Bryant.

“Earlier today, Los Angeles, America and the whole wide world lost a hero,” Keys said in her opening monologue.

She was then joined by members of Boyz II Men for an acapella rendition of their song “It’s So Hard To Say Goodbye to Yesterday.”

The 62nd annual Grammy Awards are being held Sunday in Los Angeles at Staples Center, the arena where the Lakers legend and former NBA superstar played nearly all of his 20-year career. And the ceremony comes on the day when the 41-year-old Bryant died in a helicopter crash.

“We’re standing here in the house that Kobe Bryant built,” Keys said.

Lizzo had opened the show by saying “Tonight is for Kobe” at the beginning of her performance of “Cuz I Love You.”

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5:10 p.m.

Lizzo has opened the Grammys telecast with a tribute to Kobe Bryant.

“Tonight is for Kobe,” the R&B singer-songwriter declared as she conducted an orchestra and launched into her song “Cuz I Love You” at the start of the show.

Lizzo, who won two Grammys before the telecast started, and Billie Eilish are among those up for the biggest awards at the ceremony hosted by Alicia Keys.

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4 p.m.

Lizzo and Billie Eilish have won their first career Grammys in what could be the beginning of a big night for both of the pop sensations.

Lizzo won best traditional R&B performance for “Jerome” and best urban contemporary album for “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)” during the Grammy Awards pre-telecast ceremony Sunday at Staples Center in Los Angeles.

The 18-year-old Eilish won best pop vocal album for “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” and her brother and musical partner Finneas won best engineered album and producer of the year.

Lizzo and Eilish are among those nominated for the night’s biggest awards, including best new artist and album, song and record of the year, to be presented during the Grammys telecast that begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS.

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2:50

The late Nipsey Hussle has won his first Grammy Award.

Hussle won best rap performance Sunday for “Racks in the Middle,” which also features Roddy Ricch and Hit-Boy.

Lauren London, Hussle’s partner and the mother of his child, accepted the award with several members of Hussle’s family.

London called Hussle “a phenomenal vessel” who “did it not just for the awards, but for the people.”

The Los Angeles rapper whose real name was Ermias Joseph Asghedom, got his first Grammy nomination last year.

Less than two months later, he was shot and killed at age 33 as he stood outside his clothing store.

The award comes on a day when Los Angeles is mourning another local hero, former NBA star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash Sunday at age 41.

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2:40

At age 61, Tanya Tucker has won the first two Grammy Awards of her career, 48 years after her first hit at age 13.

Tucker won best country album Sunday during the pre-telecast ceremony at Staples Center in Los Angeles for “While I’m Livin’,” her first album of original material in 17 years.

She also won best country song for “Bring My Flowers Now,” which is also nominated for overall song of the year, to be presented during the main telecast later Sunday.

Tucker was a 13-year-old country child prodigy when her 1972 song “Delta Dawn” became a huge hit.

Her recordings became increasingly sparse through the years as she went through career and personal struggles, and last year’s “While I’m Livin’” represented the biggest of several comeback attempts.

Tucker has been nominated for Grammys 14 times.

Tucker is still very young compared to the winner of the other major country Grammy, 86-year-old Willie Nelson, who took home best country solo performance for “Ride Me Back Home.” It was Nelson’s ninth Grammy.

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2:15

Hildur Guðnadóttir is taking home a Grammy for music she first thought no one would care to hear.

The female composer won best score soundtrack for the HBO miniseries “Chornobyl” during the pre-telecast ceremony Sunday.

The soundtrack already won her an Emmy late last year. And in January she became the first woman in 19 years to win best original score for “Joker” at the Golden Globes.

“I think it fit really well with the images of the film, and I was happy with how the music worked with the narrative and characters in this series,” she said backstage of the “Chornobyl” soundtrack. “But I never thought anyone would ever listen to the soundtrack record, honestly. I’ve very surprised to be here today.”

She is also up next month for an Academy Award for “Joker.” If she wins an Oscar, she could have three of the four EGOT awards, after her Grammy and Emmy.

Guðnadóttir called the experience “surreal” and an “adventure.” She said she might have plans to go on Broadway, which could present some pressure for her to win a Tony Award.

“Now, I feel a lot of pressure,” she said with a chuckle. “That’ll be the next step. The next project, I guess.”

— Jonathan Landrum Jr.

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1:45 p.m.

Michelle Obama is a Grammy winner.

The former first lady won her first Grammy Award on Sunday for best spoken word album for the audio book of her 2019 memoir “Becoming.”

Obama was not on hand to accept the award handed out at the Staples Center in Los Angeles during the Grammys pre-telecast ceremony.

Her husband, former president Barack Obama, has two Grammys in the same category, one for his 2005 audio book “Dreams of My Father” and another for his 2007 audio book “The Audacity of Hope.”

The spoken word album category includes poetry, storytelling and audio books.

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1:15 p.m.

Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” has won the Grammy Award for best music film.

The Netflix film weaves together Beyoncé’s 2018 performances at the Coachella music festival, which included numerous nods to historically black colleges and universities.

Producer Steve Pamon in accepting the award said those working to graduate from the institutions are their inspiration. He also praised Beyoncé for her leadership on the project.

The superstar did not attend the pre-telecast ceremony where her Grammy win was announced.

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12:45 p.m.

The Grammy Awards pre-telecast ceremony opened with a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant.

Interim Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. opened the ceremony where dozens of Grammys are handed out before the main show, telling attendees, “As most of you may know, we lost Kobe Bryant in a tragic helicopter accident today.”

“Since we are in his house, I would ask you to join me in a moment of silence,” Mason said.

Artists arriving at the show reacted to Bryant’s death and his influence.

Blues artist and Grammys nominee Keb’ Mo’ called Bryant’s death “a huge loss.”

“He’s just a huge role model,” Keb’ Mo’ said.

British artist Labrinth said: “It was insane news to hear this morning. He’s been part of my life for a very long time. … I couldn’t believe it.”

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10 a.m.

Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X are walking into what should be one of the most exciting days of their careers as they attend their first-ever Grammy Awards on Sunday, where they are the top-nominated acts. But 10 days before arguably the biggest night in music, the industry erupted when the Recording Academy announced it had put its recently hired CEO, Deborah Dugan, on administrative leave for misconduct.

Dugan and her lawyers fired back at the academy, claiming that the awards show is rigged. That energy puts a dark cloud over nominees like Lizzo, Eilish and Lil Nas X, breakthrough acts who are competing for top prizes.

The Grammy Awards are being presented Sunday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The main telecast begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on CBS.

The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

The Latest: Billie Eilish wins 5 in dominant Grammys

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