As music icon Mariah Carey presented her with the award, she sobbed, saying, "Oh my God, I just got stuck in the rain and traffic and thought I was going to miss this moment!"

When the Grammy Awards celebration began, thrilling performances on Sunday, including a fierce retaliation from top contender and triple winner SZA, but Taylor Swift secured victory and maintained her focus on the past.

Legend Tracy Chapman and country music sensation Luke Combs, who achieved fame with a copy of her 1988 hit song "Fast Car," gave a touching performance of the song.

Chapman made a rare public appearance, and many in the crowd, including Oprah Winfrey and Taylor Swift, who looked statuesque in a white Schiaparelli gown and black opera gloves, were dancing and singing along to her crystal-clear voice.

"I think you can feel it on the record. We had so much fun at that concert."

Wearing 1950s-style cat-eye eyeglasses and a shawl over her brilliant red hair, Billie Eilish sang a gentle rendition of her emotional, Grammy-winning single off the "Barbie" album, "What Was I Made For?"

Along with the first prizes of the gala, Miley Cyrus won the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for her song "Flowers."

She cried, "Oh my God, I just got stuck in the rain and traffic and thought I was going to miss this moment!" as music legend Mariah Carey gave her the award.

SZA has already won three awards for the evening: best pop duo or group performance with Phoebe Bridgers, best progressive R&B album, and best R&B song.

Dressed in 1950s-inspired cat-eye specs and a shawl covering her striking red hair, Billie Eilish sang a melancholic version of her Grammy-winning track "What Was I Made For?" from the "Barbie" album.

Miley Cyrus received the first prize package from the event in addition to winning the Grammy for Best Pop Solo Performance for her song "Flowers."

As music icon Mariah Carey presented her with the award, she sobbed, saying, "Oh my God, I just got stuck in the rain and traffic and thought I was going to miss this moment!"

Best pop duet or group performance with Phoebe Bridgers, Best Progressive R&B album, and Best R&B song are among the three trophies that SZA has already taken home for the evening.

Boygenius, the supergroup, excelled in the rock categories.

Boygenius members Bridgers, Lucy Dacus, and Julien Baker sprinted onstage to receive three medals, flushed with excitement.

"I feel kinda like a kid, because that was the last time that something like this felt possible," Dacus remarked. Baker concurred, saying: "This band is my family, I love them."

But later on, it's anyone's guess who will win the big awards of the evening, with the unstoppable Swift in the running in one of the most diverse nomination fields in recent memory.

Only one guy, the jazz virtuoso Jon Batiste, is vying for the top Album and Record of the Year awards; all other competitors are women.

-History for Taylor? -

Swift would win Album of the Year for the fourth time, which is more than any other artist has ever done. This would break the existing tie between her with the likes of Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder.

For the 34-year-old, who is already the talk of the music industry, it would be the icing on the cake.

She is always in the news, not least for her relationship with NFL player Travis Kelce, who is too busy getting ready for the Super Bowl the next weekend to attend the ceremony.

Clad in long, silky robes with her trademark beret.

Many industry observers believe it is long time that seven of the eight contenders for Album and Record of the Year are women or people who identify as gender non-conforming.

During the pre-show, "Barbie" music took home two awards: one for best compilation soundtrack for visual media, and another for best song written specifically for visual media, going to Eilish.

Alongside her brother and co-writer Finneas O'Connell, Eilish referred to "Barbie" as the "most incredible, most beautiful empowering movie" during her winning speech.

The movie's soundtrack has a better chance of winning at the broadcast gala.

Rapper Killer Mike emerged victorious in the rap division, winning three awards for tracks from his album "Michael."

"I consciously set out to tell the story of a young Black boy growing up on the west side of Atlanta so that the world can see that our narrative isn't just victimization and losing, but we can win, we can thrive and prosper," he told reporters onstage.

However, his victories were overshadowed when word spread of his alleged police imprisonment.

An inquiry into the issue from AFP was not immediately answered by the Los Angeles Police Department.

Only a few years after an aneurysm raised concerns that she might not be able to perform again, Joni Mitchell smiled broadly as she won the award for best folk album for "Joni Mitchell At Newport," a live recording of her set at the legendary festival.

Clad in long, silky robes with her trademark beret, she stated onstage, "I think you can feel it on the record. We had so much fun at that concert."

Over fifty years after earning her first Grammy, she will make her stage debut at the gala televised ceremony.

End//voice7news.tv