Kaytranada won for both best dance recording and best dance/electronic album at the 2021 Grammys on Sunday (March 14) — and made history in the process.
The Haitian-Canadian producer took home the best dance recording award for his Kali Uchis collab “10%” from his 2019 album, BUBBA, which itself won best dance/electronic album. This latter win made the 28-year-old artist the first Black producer to win in the category since it launched in 2004. He is also the first openly gay producer to win in this field.
“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,” the producer told Billboard ahead of the event. “It could be inspiring to them. That’s why I want to win — that’s who I’m going to dedicate it to.”
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“thank u from the bottom of my heart,” the producer tweeted following his wins announced during the Premiere Ceremony. During the live telecast later in the evening, Kaytranada was also up for best new artist, an award went to Megan Thee Stallion.
Over in the best remixed recording, Kazakh producer Imanbek won for his edit of Saint Jhn’s “Roses,” which became a global hit when Imanbek, then a railway worker, uploaded the remix to the Russian version of Facebook. It went on to go viral, get licensed and became one of the most ubiquitous dance tracks of 2019 and 2020.
thank u from the bottom of my heart
— KAYTRA (@KAYTRANADA) March 15, 2021