Kendrick Lamar dominates 2016 Grammys
Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar has dominated the 58th Grammy Awards at Los Angeles’ Staples Center today.
Lamar, who had the most nominations of any artist this year with 11, picked up five awards. His 2015 LP To Pimp A Butterfly won the Best Rap Album Grammy; he also won Best Rap Song (Alright), Best rap Performance (Alright), Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (These Walls) and Best Music Video for his track on Taylor Swift’s 1989 album, Bad Blood.
When accepting his first award for Best Rap Album he said: “This is for hip hop. This is for Snoop Dogg, this is for Doggystyle. This is forIllmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever, believe that.”
Ed Sheeran picked up two Grammys with his 2014 single Thinking Out Loud: Best Pop Solo Performance and the coveted Song of the Year.
Taylor Swift picked up three, her award with Lamar, Best Pop Vocal Album for 1989 and Album of the Year, which she’s now taken twice.
During Swift’s acceptance speech for Album of the Year she said:“I want to say to all the young women out there: there are going to be people along the way who are going to 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. And that will be greatest feeling in the world.”
Is @taylorswift13 taking shots at @kanyewest during her acceptance speech at the #GRAMMYS? pic.twitter.com/GC5NMXaSnN
— rob (@R0BaTO) February 16, 2016
Swift performed her single Out Of The Woods, with the track’s co-writer Jack Antonoff (Bleachers, F.U.N) on guitar.
Other performers included Grammy winners Little Big Town, Kendrick Lamar and The Weeknd, along with Adele, who marked her first Grammy performance since 2012.
The Awards’ MusiCares Person of the Year, Lionel Richie, was honoured by Demi Lovato, who covered his single Hello.
Michael Jackson was also honoured on the 35th anniversary of his fifth LP Off The Wall. Miguel paid tribute to the King of Pop with a cover of She’s Out Of My Life.
Justin Bieber picked up his first ever Grammy award with his collaborative single Where Are Ü Now. The track penned by Bieber, along with Jack Ü’s Skrillex and Diplo, and Jason Boyd picked up Best Dance Recording. The Award marks Skrillex’s third Grammy, having previously wonBest Dance/Electronic Album for Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites (2012) and Bangarang (2013).
Australia’s own Courtney Barnett, Tame Impala and Hiatus Kaiyote and Keith Urban missed out Grammy Awards this year.
28-year-old Barnett was nominated forBest New Artist; the Grammy was picked up by Meghan Trainor.
Tame Impala’s ARIA #1 LP Currents lost out to Alabama Shakes forBest Alternative Album.
Hiatus Kaiyote’sBreathing Underwaterlost toseven-time nominee The Weeknd and his trackEarned It in the Best R&B Performance category.
Keith Urban was nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16. The Grammy was nabbed by Chris Stapleton.
Behind the scenes, 800 computer controlled lights, 200 fixed lights, 100 strobe lights and 10 smoke machines were used.
See below for the announced winners:
Record of the Year: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Album of the Year: Taylor Swift,1989
Best New Artist:Meghan Trainor
Best Rock Performance:Alabama Shakes, “Don’t Wanna Fight”
Best Musical Theater Album:Hamilton
Song of the Year: Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”
Best Country Album: Chris Stapleton,Traveller
Best Rap Album: Kendrick Lamar,To Pimp a Butterfly
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk”
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:Tony Bennett & Bill Charlap,The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern
Best Pop Solo Performance: Ed Sheeran, “Thinking Out Loud”
Best Rap Song:Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
Best RapPerformance: Kendrick Lamar, “Alright”
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration:Kendrick Lamar feat. Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat, “These Walls”
Best Alternative Music Album: Alabama Shakes,Sound & Color
Best Rock Album: Muse,Drones
Best Rock Song:Alabama Shakes, “Don’t Wanna Fight”
Best R&B Album: D’Angelo and the Vanguard,Black Messiah
Best Urban Contemporary Album: The Weeknd,Beauty Behind the Madness
Best R&B Performance: The Weeknd, “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)”
Best R&B Song: D’Angelo and The Vanguard, “Really Love”
Best Traditional R&B Performance: Lalah Hathaway, “Little Ghetto Boy”
Best Dance/Electronic Album: Skrillex and Diplo,Skrillex and Diplo Present Jack Ü
Best Dance Recording: Skrillex and Diplo With Justin Bieber, “Where Are Ü Now”
Best Music Video: Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar, “Bad Blood”
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”
Best Country Song: Little Big Town, “Girl Crush”
Best Music Film: Amy Winehouse,Amy
Best Rap/Song Collaboration: Common & John Legend, “Glory”
Best Pop Vocal Album: Taylor Swift,1989
Best Country Solo Performance:Chris Stapleton, “Traveller”
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Tobymac,This Is Not a Test
Best Roots Gospel Album: The Fairfield Four,Still Rockin’ My Soul
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Pitbull,Dale
Best Latin Pop Album: Ricky Martin,A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition)
Best Comedy Album: Louis C.K.,Live at Madison Square Garden
Best Spoken Word Album: Jimmy Carter,A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety
Score Soundtrack for Visual Media:Birdman
Best Gospel Album:Israel & Newbreed,Covered: Alive Is Asia [Live] (Deluxe)
Best Gospel Performance/Song:Kirk Franklin, “Wanna Be Happy?”
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: Francesca Battistelli, “Holy Spirit”
Best Contemporary Classical Composition:Stephen Paulus,Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album:Joyce DiDonato and Antonio Pappano,Joyce & Tony – Live From Wigmore Hall
Best Classical Instrumental Solo:Augustin Hadelich, “Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L’Arbre Des Songes”
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance:Eighth Blackbird, “Filament”
Best Choral Performance:Charles Bruffy, “Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil”
Best Opera Recording: Saito Kinen Orchestra; SKF Matsumoto Chorus & SKF Matsumoto Children’s Chorus, “Ravel: L’Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade”
Producer of the Year, Classical:Judith Sherman
Best Regional Roots Music Album: Jon Cleary,Go Go Juice
Best Folk Album: Béla Fleck & Abigail Washburn,Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
Best Blues Album: Buddy Guy,Born to Play Guitar
Best Bluegrass Album: The Steeldrivers,The Muscle Shoals Recordings
Best Americana Album: Jason Isbell,Something More Than Free
Best American Roots Song: Jason Isbell, “24 Frames”
Best American Roots Performance: Mavis Staples, “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean”
Best Tropical Latin Album: Rubén Blades With Roberto Delgado & Orchestra,Son De Panamá
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano): Los Tigres Del Norte,Realidades – Deluxe Edition
Best Children’s Album: Tim Kubart,Home
Best World Album: Angélique Kidjo,Sings
Best Reggae Album: Morgan Heritage,Strictly Roots
Best Latin Jazz Album: Eliane Elias,Made in Brazil
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: Maria Schneider,The Thompson Fields
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: John Scofield,Past Present
Best Jazz Vocal Album: Cécile McLorin Salvant,For One to Love
Best Surround Sound Album: James Guthrie and Joel Plante,Amused To Death
Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars, “Uptown Funk (Dave Audé Remix)”
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Alabama Shakes,Sound & Color
Best Historical Album: Various artists;The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Various Artists,The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume Two (1928-32)
Best Album Notes: Joni Mitchell,Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced
Best Recording Package:Sarah Dodds, Shauna Dodds & Dick Reeves;Asleep at the Wheel, Still the King: Celebrating the Music of Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: Maria Schneider, “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime)”
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella: Avi Kaplin, Kirstin Taylor,Kevin K.O. Olusola; “Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy”
Best Instrumental Composition: Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, “The Afro Latin Jazz Suite”
MusiCares Person of the Year: Lionel Richie