After Adele’s landslide victory at the Grammys last year, there was no front-runner poised to sweep this year. But have no fear Brit-pop fans, just because Adele did not produce a new album this year does not mean she walked away empty-handed. She released a live version of her hit “Set Fire to the Rain” in time to make the cut for this year’s awards and won for Best Pop Solo Performance. Well played Adele, well played.
In case you were not one of the 28 million viewers who tuned into watch the three-and-a-half hour concert/award show, then here is a recap of the top winners: “Record of the Year” “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gtoye featuring Kimbra; “Album of the Year” “Babel” by Mumford & Sons; “Song of the Year” “We Are Young” by fun. featuring Janelle Monae; and “Best New Artist” went to fun. as well.
The infectious melodies of fun.’s “Some Nights” and “We are Young” have commandeered airways on radio stations for months now and I am thankful that for their Grammys performance, fun. decided to play neither and instead opted for their latest single “Carry On.” A tip in case you ever find yourself asked to perform a musical number: When in doubt, have a rainstorm on stage; it’s much more impressive than T-Swift’s everything-and-the-circus-too performance, complete with acrobats, clowns and fire twirlers.
The real shining stars of the night were performances by Justin Timberlake, Jack White, Frank Ocean, Kelly Clarkson, Rihanna, Mumford & Sons, a duet with Elton John and Ed Sheeran and many more.
This was JT’s first return to the stage since performing at the Grammys in 2009. Needless to say, America was waiting for his return to music. I personally was hoping for an NSYNC reunion. It happened for Destiny’s Child at the Super Bowl, so why not ‘N SYNC, too? JT sang two new songs, “Suit & Tie” with Jay-Z and “Pusher Love,” which were part of a performance that was broadcast on television in black and white.
Newcomer Frank Ocean may be better known for his altercation with Chris Brown last month outside of a Hollywood recording studio, but the R&B singer can now be known for beating Chris Brown for “Best Urban Contemporary Album.” According to the L.A. Times, when Brown’s name was announced as a nominee, a “tomb-like silence enveloped the auditorium”, but when Ocean was named the winner, “rapturous applause exploded across the auditorium – a palpable, implicit rebuke of Brown as well as a valediction for Ocean.”
And sometimes the most talked about artists are the ones who are snubbed; yes, I’m talking about you Justin Bieber. Bieber’s album, “Believe,” was released in June yet received zero nominations, which just goes to show that having a loyal following of 14-year-old girls and their mothers does not guarantee you an award from the Recording Academy. Bieber took to Twitter and threw an online tantrum about the snub and decided that he would do a live stream of his new music at the same time as The Grammys. But Bieber wound up having technical problems, writing that “ustream is over capacity my fans are amazing but this is frustrating.” And “since nothing is working and im super upset i feel i gotta make it up to u.” He eventually posted a video of himself shirtless, sharing a new song. For some reason, I do not think his presence or performance was missed.
Overall, it was a night to remember. Celebrating musical talent was not ruined by interrupted acceptance speeches or Chris Brown getting into a fight.
