The 56th American Grammy Awards, awarding music from 2013, celebrated emerging artists, highlighted social issues and was the musical party of the year on Sunday evening, held in Los Angeles’ Staples Center.
Retro electronic duo Daft Punk triumphed over country superstar Taylor Swift and hip hop star Kendrick Lamar by taking home the award for Best Album of the Year as New Zealander Lorde immortalized herself as upcoming music queen by blitzing the awards she was nominated for. Featuring an electrifying rendition of her no. 1 hit Royals from her album Pure Heroine, Lorde took home Song of the Year and Best Solo Pop Performance, an incredible feat for the 17 year old Kiwi.
English Adele also won Best Song Written for Visual Media for Skyfall from the Bond movie which also won her an Academy Award last year. This means Adele won her 10th Grammy at this ceremony.
King and Queen of RnB, Beyonce and Jay Z proved their rule over the music world once again by opening the awards with their new hit Drunk In Love, putting on a classy music performance and easily the highlight of the performances. Katy Perry, Robin Thicke, John Legend, Taylor Swift, Imagine Dragons and Stevie Wonder also performed at the ceremony.
Bruno Mars won Best Pop Vocal Album for his album Unorthodox Jukebox with Daft Punk taking out Record of the Year for Get Lucky. Australian Keith Urban was nominated with fellow country artists Tim McGraw and Taylor Swift for Highway Don’t Care in the Best Country Duo/Group Performance but lost to The Civil Wars.
The event also featured a moving performance of the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis nominated song Same Love, which featured Mary Lambert and Madonna in which Queen Latifah officiated 33 straight and gay weddings in the centre. The mass of couples exchanged rings as Madonna sung her classic hit Open Your Heart mashed with the pro-marriage equality song. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis were nominated for seven awards and won Best New Artist, Best Rap Album, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for Thrift Shop.
The Beatles’ Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney came together for a performance of new song Queenie Eye to mark 50 years since the Beatles debut on the Ed Sullivan Show. The Beatles were also awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award, which as accepted by the two living band members.
Originally published on CelebrityOZ, January 27, 2014.
Eden Caceda 