Taylor Swift becomes first woman to win Album of the Year Grammy three times

Taylor Swift took home one of the top awards at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night. With her win for “Folklore,” Swift is now the fourth artist and first woman to win Album of the Year three times. 

Swift has previously taken home the award for her album, “Fearless,” in 2010, and again for her fifth album, “1989,” in 2016. With “Fearless,” Swift was the youngest artist ever to win the category — an honor subsequently topped by Billie Eilish, who took home Album of the Year last year, at the age of 18. 

The surprise quarantine album “Folklore” marks Swift’s eighth. The artist beat out Jhené Aiko, Black Pumas, Coldplay, Jacob Collier, HAIM, Dua Lipa and Post Malone for the award.

In her acceptance speech, Swift thanked collaborators Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Laura Sisk and Jonathan Low.

“I had the best time writing songs with you in quarantine,” she told boyfriend Joe Alwyn, adding that he is the first person she plays new songs for. 

“I’m so excited to meet you someday,” Swift told Justin Vernon, having never met her duet partner due to the pandemic. 

Taylor Swift Wins Album Of The Year At 2021 GRAMMY Awards by CBS on YouTube

The singer and songwriter also thanked her fans, saying, “You guys met us in this imaginary world that we created and we can’t tell you how honored we are forever by this.”

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Dessner, who worked with Swift remotely on the album early on in the pandemic, called her “one the greatest living songwriters, who somehow put trust in me.”

Three men have secured three-peats in the category: Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder. Swift was nominated six times in total Sunday, but lost the other five categories. 

The 11-time Grammy winner also performed Sunday night, featuring a medley of “Cardigan,” “August” and “Willow.” “Cardigan” was up for song of the year, losing to H.E.R. for her song “I Can’t Breathe.” 

“Evermore,” the sister record to “Folklore” was released five months later in December, so it will qualify for nominations at next year’s Grammy Awards.

Taylor Swift, winner of Album of the Year for “Folklore,” poses in the media room during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

Trevor Noah hosted the Grammy Awards ceremony from the Los Angeles Convention Center, just across the street from the award show’s usual home at the Staples Center. As with other award shows held during the pandemic, there was no live audience for the Grammys this year, save for a limited number of performers and nominees.

Performers at the event included Swift, Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion. Beyoncé led the field with nine nominations and, after picking up the 28th Grammy win of her career, she broke the record for the most Grammy wins ever by a female artist and most Grammy wins ever by a singer.