The 2024 Grammys: Taylor Swift wins album of the year, Joni Mitchell sings and Céline Dion appears

The 66th Grammy Awards on Sunday put women in the spotlight, with SZA, Billie Eilish and Miley Cyrus winning big. Taylor Swift made history when she won album of the year for a fourth time, after announcing her next project on stage— and Canadian legend Joni Mitchell brought people to tears with her performance.

The ceremony was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah, whose monologue was pleasantly funny if a touch too reverent (is Ed Sheeran really one of the greatest performers of all time?). The former Daily Show host's mic-drop moment came when he took a swing at TikTok for "ripping off all these artists" — the social media platform is currently in a licensing dispute with Universal Music Group.

Female artists dominated the evening. A teary-eyed SZA won early on (and accepted the award from her contemporary Lizzo, appearing after she was sued by her former dancers for sexual harassment earlier this year), while first-time winner Miley Cyrus channelled her idol Tina Turner with a bouffant and sparkling two-piece. 

But it was Joni Mitchell's gorgeous performance of Both Sides Now that capped the night with an emotional crescendo — even moving Meryl Streep to tears. Mitchell was accompanied on stage by Montreal singer-songwriter and Grammy winner Allison Russell, as well as American artist Brandi Carlisle, who in her introduction of the performance said that any "self-revealing" singer-songwriter who'd found success had done so "standing on the shoulders of one Joni Mitchell."

Other winner-worthy performances included Cyrus's rendition of her summer bop Flowers before it was crowned record of the year. SZA was joined onstage by backup dancers clad in samurai-core and wielding swords as she sang her Quentin Tarantino-inspired ode to romantic jealousy, Kill Bill. Later, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo took to the stage to sing their ballads What Was I Made For? and Vampire, respectively.

Taylor Swift stole the scene, though — and not for any musical performance. While accepting an award for her album Midnights, Swift thanked the recording academy but addressed fans as she announced that her next record, The Tortured Poets Department, will be released on April 19. 

Later in the show, she took home the Grammy for album of the year for Midnights.

Swift was among those rocking out to Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs's crowd-pleasing performance of Chapman's 1988 hit, Fast Car. Chapman expressed admiration for Combs's popular cover of her song earlier this year, and the onstage union between a beloved singer-songwriter and the younger country music star was a touching moment during an evening that was filled with thoughtful recognition of veteran artists. 

That included the in-memoriam segment, which saw Stevie Wonder take to the piano with a tribute to his late friend Tony Bennett, whose rendition of For Once In My Life played in sync with Wonder's performance. Annie Lennox sang Sinead O'Connor's Nothing Compares 2 U, while The Colour Purple star Fantasia Barrino exemplified showmanship during a high-energy take on Tina Turner's Proud Mary.

Canadian powerhouse Céline Dion arrived onstage at the tail end of the show to present the award for album of the year, which she noted was presented to her by Diana Ross and Sting 27 years earlier. It was a rare public performance by the singer, who has been on hiatus from live performance following her diagnosis with an autoimmune disorder. 

"When I say that I'm happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart," Dion said to the crowd. She added, "those who have been blessed enough to be here must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people all around the world."

There were a few missteps scattered throughout the event, like Billy Joel's low-energy debut of his new song Turn The Lights Back On. 

Swift, while accepting the award for album of the year, appeared to snub Dion, looking toward her producer Jack Antonoff as she took the prize from Dion's hands before turning to make her speech.

Jay-Z gave a meandering but memorable speech as he accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact award, chastising the Grammys for snubbing Beyoncé.