LOS ANGELES, Feb 6 — Harry Styles on Sunday won the coveted Grammy for Album of the Year, a surprising victory over heavy favourites Beyonce and Adele.

The pop sensation scored the award, usually seen as the night’s most prestigious, for his third album Harry’s House, his most intimate yet, which combined twangy synths and soft acoustics with very personal lyrics.

"This doesn’t happen to people like me very often, and this is so nice,” he said onstage.

The album’s release marked an evolution for the one-time boy band heartthrob to the teenage masses, who has steadily grown into a heartthrob for all.

Harry’s House conjures the sonic equivalent of a warmly lit California afternoon by the pool, and showcases Styles’ developing songwriting skills.

But it was not necessarily tipped for Grammy gold, as it faced off against blockbuster releases from pop’s titans.

Prior to Sunday, Styles had just one Grammy to his name, and was perhaps better known for his flamboyant style and campy stage presence than his musical chops.

Earlier in the night, he also scooped the award for Best Pop Vocal Album.

His Album of the Year triumph was sure to draw comparisons to the 2017 Grammys, when Beyonce lost out to Adele in the top category despite releasing the earth-shaking Lemonade.

This year, her album Renaissance was considered a near shoo-in for the night’s top award, especially after she became the winningest artist of all time, with 32 lifetime Grammys.

But it was Styles who ended up with the golden statuette.

"On nights like tonight, it’s obviously so important for us to remember that there is no such thing as bests in music,” he told his peers. — AFP