Grammys 2019: Kacey Musgraves and Childish Gambino win big – as it happened

It's over

Well that was an awfully long night that felt less like an awards show and more like an extended concert. Just nine awards were televised tonight in a ceremony that stretched to almost four hours and at many, many times, we really did feel the strain.

But for every misstep (the length, Jennifer Lopez’s Motown tribute, the decision to cut off so many key speeches), there was also plenty to applaud. After last year’s very male ceremony, tonight saw female winners almost double and host Alicia Keys prioritising music and positivity over wisecracks made for a refreshing change.

But next year, please for the sake of us all, keep it under three hours, yeah?

Here’s a look back at the big stories of the night:

And the question everyone’s really asking is:

Just to make sure there’s no bad blood, producers are trying to explain that Drake’s microphone being cut was not supposed to be censorship

Cardi B has been celebrating her big win over on Instagram in exactly the way you would expect while also paying tribute to Mac Miller

In case you haven’t seen Jennifer Lopez’s Motown tribute and would like to make your own mind up then here you go

If you’re already to relive a very long night then here’s a whole bunch of lovely pictures:

And just a reminder of the night’s most gif-worthy moment

One thing that’s surprised many is the lack of conversation surrounding 21 Savage on stage tonight with the rapper, currently facing deportation, only receiving a very late mention from composer Ludwig Göransson.

Here’s a chance to watch Cardi B’s speech, one of the more entertaining of the night:

According to her tweets, Ariana Grande is annoyed with the Grammys for inviting Mac Miller’s mother to the ceremony, knowing that her late son hadn’t won an award.

The tweets have now been deleted but Grande was responding to fans who queried her tweeting “trash” while Cardi B won best rap album. She later clarified why she was so angry.

So while This is America winning song of the year was a landmark win for rap, the fact that it also picked up record of the year is quite something too. It’s the first time either award has been given to a hip-hop track. Somewhere, far away from the Grammys, Donald Glover is surely celebrating.

WINNER: Album of the year - Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour

Rushing to the finish line here, Kacey Musgraves won the night’s biggest award for her country pop crossover album. She was clearly one of the night’s big stars, appearing in three performances and winning a number of awards before the show even began. “Winning this doesn’t make my album any better than any other in this category,” a rather humble Musgraves said on stage.

But again, even for the night’s biggest award, she was cut off just a few sentences into her speech. If there’s one key learning from tonight, it’s that next year’s ceremony needs to be tighter. Running at almost four hours, it’s been wildly overlong.

WINNER: Record of the year - Childish Gambino: This is America

Damn, one of the night’s biggest awards has gone to one of the night’s biggest no-shows. It’s quite the win for Donald Glover, whose political anthem seemed like a less obvious choice over say Cardi B, Lady Gaga or Maren Morris. A big night for hip-hop.

But with time constraints, another speech that was cut short.

After a reminder of all the artists we’ve lost this past year, the Grammys unveiled their big Aretha Franklin tribute. Fantasia, Andra Day and Yolanda Adans came on stage to sing a note perfect rendition of (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

The three were so perfectly picked (Fantasia sang at Aretha’s funeral last year) that they almost made up for the miscast Motown tribute earlier in the evening. Almost.

Before the final awards are announced, if they ever indeed are, here’s a reminder of who has won what tonight:

Hmmmmm