All eyes at the Grammy Awards were on whether the most-nominated artist in the history of the telecast would finally walk away with the coveted album of the year trophy. She did.

“We finally saw it happen,” host Trevor Noah said, almost in relief.

Beyoncé winning for “Cowboy Carter” capped a night that turned into a tribute to a suffering Los Angeles, with city firefighters chosen to reveal the winner of the last award and speeches offering words of encouragement for communities devastated. The Grammys almost veered into a telethon; $7 million was pledged from viewers of the show.

It was also a telecast where the best new artist nominees like Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter were given plenty of time to show why there’s a deep well of talent coming up. And there was a shock return for The Weeknd, who had been boycotting the Grammys.

Here are some of the night’s notable moments:

Local kickoff

Beyoncé and Lady Gaga were right there, as were Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, but the honor of opening the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles was given to two local brothers deeply affected by the wildfires: Taylor and Griffin Goldsmith of the band Dawes.

They lost one brother’s home along with their childhood home, instruments and much else. They’ve advocated for victims, raised money and were included in the FireAid benefit concert on Thursday.

“They truly epitomize the unique spirit that we are seeing in LA right now,” host Trevor Noah said. “What better way to start the Grammy Awards?”

Dawes then played Randy Newman’s “I Love L.A.” surrounded by an all-star backing band: John Legend, Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, Brittany Howard and St. Vincent.

“Look at these firefighters, ain’t nothin like ‘em nowhere,” Taylor Goldsmith sang, altering the line: “Look at these women/There ain’t nothing like ‘em nowhere.”

Best rap album

Doechii won the Grammy for best rap album, only the third woman to win in that category. And, with her mother by her side, she had a strong message for young Black girls.

“I know that there’s some Black girl out there, so many Black women out there, that are watching me right now, and I want to tell you: You can do it. Anything is possible. Anything is possible,” she said.

Best new artist

Chappell Roan was crowned best new artist and then used her speech to demand change in the music business.

“I told myself that if I ever won a Grammy and got to stand up here before the most powerful people in music, I would demand that labels in the industry profiting millions of dollars off of artists would offer a livable wage and health care, especially to developing artists,” she said.

Getting political

Lady Gaga, accepting the trophy for best pop duo or group alongside Bruno Mars for their chart-topping collab, “Die with a Smile,” gave a shout-out to the trans community.

“Trans people are not invisible. Trans people deserve love,” Lady Gaga said.

Not long after, Alicia Keys, being honored with The Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, also backed diversity and inclusion programs.

“This is not the time to shut down the diversity of voices,” said Keys. “We’ve seen on this stage talented, hardworking people from different backgrounds with different points of view, and it changes the game. DEI is not a threat, it’s a gift.”

The Weeknd is back

The Grammy Awards had a powerful way to prove that they’ve changed. They got a surprise endorsement by The Weeknd, who was last on the Grammy stage in 2017.

The pop superstar in 2020 slammed the Grammys, calling them “corrupt” after he landed zero nominations despite a megahit album.

Grammys CEO Harvey Mason Jr. on Sunday said, “We have completely remade our membership, adding more than 3,000 women voting members. The Grammy electorate is now younger, nearly 40% people of color, and 66% of our members are new since we started our transformation. ”

Will Smith returns

Will Smith, hosting a tribute to the late Quincy Jones, marked his first appearance at a major awards show since he slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars in 2022.

“In his 91 years, Q touched countless lives, but I have to say, he changed mine forever. You probably wouldn’t even know who Will Smith was if it wasn’t for Quincy Jones,” he said.

Smith has previously nabbed Grammy wins in the short form music video (“Will 2K”), best rap solo performance (“Getting’ Jiggy Wit It,” “Men in Black”), and best rap performance by a duo or group (“Summertime” as the Fresh Prince with DJ Jazzy Jeff).