Haitian-Canadian entertainer Kaytranada made history at the 2021 Grammys on Sunday, becoming the first Black producer to earn the award for Best Dance/Electronic Album and the first openly gay producer to win in the same category. The 28-year-old earned two awards on the historic night.
The award in the Best Dance Recording category went to his song “10%” featuring Kali Uchis. Minutes later, he accepted an award in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category, getting recognition for his album Bubba, CP24 reported.
"A lot of young kids who aspire to be musicians probably have the same inner struggles as me, being Black and gay just [trying to] fit in," Kaytranada told Billboard. "It could be inspiring to them. That’s why I want to win — that’s who I’m going to dedicate it to."
The artist also expressed his excitement in a remote video feed while accepting his award.
“This is crazy. This is insane,” he said. “I'm taking this one back to Montreal.”
The DJ had a chance to grab a third award but lost to Megan Thee Stallion for Best New Artist.
"Thank u from the bottom of my heart," the producer said in a tweet after his successful night.
thank u from the bottom of my heart
— KAYTRA (@KAYTRANADA) March 15, 2021
Three years before releasing Bubba, Kaytranada published his debut album, 99.9%, Pitchfork reported. The artist, whose legal name is Louis Kevin Celestin, was an infant when he moved from Port-au-Prince, Haiti to Montreal with his family. Some of Celestin's songs reflect his Haitian roots.
"Now I understand that he didn’t forget Haiti!” his father said, according to Pitchfork. “You can feel it!”
As Blavity previously reported, the Grammys also featured Beyoncé, who broke the record for most Grammys won by a female artist, earning her 28th Grammy after winning the Best R&B Performance for "Black Parade." Queen Bey also tied Quincy Jones as the second most awarded musician at the Grammys.
