LOS ANGELES, Mar 15 — Pop powerhouse Taylor Swift won the Grammy for Album of the Year for folklore, her first of two quarantine records — the third time she has won the coveted trophy, putting her in rarefied company.

Swift bested contenders including Post Malone, Coldplay, Dua Lipa, sister act Haim and the Black Pumas to win the award.

Only three other artists have won Album of the Year three times — Stevie Wonder, Paul Simon and Frank Sinatra.

It’s been a banner year for Swift, the one-time Grammy darling who surprised her legions of fans not once but twice during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, releasing folklore over the summer and "evermore” as an early holiday gift.

"folklore” — which earned the star six Grammy nominations — saw the famously introspective Swift delve into songwriting from the perspective of others, storytelling in the vein of American musical folk storytellers including Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan and the late John Prine.

Today’s big win marked a return to the Grammy spotlight for Swift, who appeared to have fallen out of grace with the Recording Academy in recent years. — AFP