Since the Obama-beloved album came out, Lamar has made two notorious song debuts on primetime TV: a cathartic piece on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and a fiery, dancehall-and-sax-inflected one on the Grammys last night. But it was his passionate, politically charged performance of “The Blacker the Berry” and “Alright”, featuring chained black men in a prison, and African tribal dancers, that quickly stole the show.
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“The piano mics fell onto the piano strings, that’s what the guitar sound was”.
“Amazing! Thank you Grammys!”
The Weeknd, who had seven nominations, bagged Grammys for Best R&B Performance for “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey)” and Best Urban Contemporary Album for “Beauty Behind the Madness”.
“I never imagined”, Howard said later backstage.
Stapleton lost best country song to “Girl Crush” songwriters Liz Rose, Hillary Lindsey and Lori McKenna, while the group behind “Girl Crush” – Little Big Town – won best country duo/group performance for the hit track. “I know it sounds cliche, but it’s true”.
Bruno Mars started yelling “Let’s do it, Beyoncé!” before she even announced that he and Mark Ronson justifiably won record of the year for Uptown Funk. Sheeran, who also won best pop vocal performance, noted that he had flown them over three times before after he was nominated but hadn’t won.
Tesfaye appeared in a tuxedo, bow tie and cuff links, dancing to his song “Can’t Feel My Face” in a metal cube flashing with bright lights, like a disco in space, before he joined a cellist and pianist for a delicate version of “In the Night”. Grammy producers severely shortchanged his co-writer on “Thinking Out Loud”, Amy Wadge, by cutting away before she could even speak.
Among top moments of Grammy’s past are P!nk flying over the audience, twirling in giant ribbons hanging from the ceiling as she sang “Glitter in the Air” in 2010 and Kanye West marching on stage dressed as a bandleader to perform “Gold Digger” in 2006.
“Kendrick Lamar is a phenomenal artist whose work has served as a catalyst to raise a new level of consciousness for this generation”, Brown in a statement before the ceremony.
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“My heart was exploding”, she said later. This collaboration was definitely one I don’t think anyone will soon forget. “And some will be moved”, she said, seeming to speak to those who were critical of her Super Bowl performance of the anthem, “Formation”.
