It’s that time of year again, when all music lovers and celebrity followers settle in to watch the Grammys on TV. Last Monday, we joined our favorite artists to celebrate music and creativity. For three and half hours we laughed, we cried, we were confused, and we often contemplated turning the channel or going to bed. If you missed the Grammys, here is your chance to get the low-down on what happened.
1. Taylor Swift opened the show with a dramatic performance of her song “Out of the Woods” from her 2015 album 1989. She strutted her stuff in a rhinestone jumpsuit. It was a great performance from Swift, but maybe her arm movements were a little over-the-top.
Swift dominated the Grammys with her win of Album of the Year. In her acceptance speech, she slammed Kanye West for claiming credit for her fame in his song “Famous.” She said, “As the first woman to win Album of the Year at the Grammys twice, I want to say to all the young women out there: there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame. But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there.”
2. Ed Sheeran won Song of the Year for “Thinking Out Loud,” his first ever Grammy award, beating out Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Little Big Town and Wiz Khalifa.
3. Adele showed to the world that even amazing singers like herself are still human. While singing “All I Ask” from her album 25, a mic fell onto the piano strings making a odd guitar-like sound.
4. Kendrick Lamar brought the fire to the stage, literally, with his politically-charged performance of “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright.” Lamar took home the most awards, including best rap album and best rap song.
5. Hamilton, now sold out and more popular than ever, gave audiences a glimpse of the show. Lin-Manuel Miranda is the producer, creator and lead actor in the musical. Hamilton won the Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album.
6. Lady Gaga gave tribute to David Bowie. Her performance consisted of a montage of his most popular songs, many onstage costume changes, Bowie’s signature moves, and a great vocal performance.
7. Meghan Trainor won Best New Artist award and gave a speech that brought her to tears. A sad night for all Tori Kelly fans, but her acoustic duet with James Bay was killer.
8. Chris Stapleton, Gary Clark Jr. and Bonnie Raitt collaborated to pay homage to legendary blues guitarist B.B. King.
9. While presenting the Song of the Year award Stevie Wonder, showed the envelope’s contents, written in braille, to the audience joking as he said, “You can’t read it!” Before announcing the winner, he said, “I just want to say, before saying the winner, that we need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability.”
Pitbull and Sofia Vergara closed the show with a festive performance. It was an exciting night for many artists. Despite a few bumps along the way, the show went on. We can’t wait to see what next year has to hold!