'Uptown Funk,' Swift, Sheeran win top Grammys; Lamar gets 4
Taylor Swift continued to cement her status as pop music's preeminent super-starlet and glitterbomber, but the Grammy Awards also felt like embracing their inner Uptown Funk.
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' hit won the big prize, record of the year, at the 58th annual Grammy Awards Monday night in Los Angeles. The catchy tune also walked away with best pop duo/group performance and best remixed recording.
"This is dedicated to the fans right here," Mars said. "We wouldn’t be up here if it wasn't for the people dancing to this song."
Swift was awarded the first honor of the day at the pre-show ceremony — pop vocal album for 1989, where she accepted her trophy via speakerphone — and also snagged album of the year (the first woman to ever win two) for 1989 plus music video for Bad Blood. She also started off the night's main ceremony with a rendition of her hit Out of the Woods.
"I want to say to all the young woman out there: There will be people who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame," Swift said in an impassioned speech. "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 it was you and the people who love you who put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world."
Taylor Swift wins two honors in early Grammys
Kendrick Lamar won best rap album for To Pimp a Butterfly, one of four honors for the artist that also included best rap performance and best rap song for Alright, and best rap/sung collaboration for These Walls with Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat.
"This is for hip hop. This is for Ice Cube. This is for Snoop Dogg. This is for Nas," Lamar said when accepting his rap album award at the 58th annual Grammys. "We will live forever, believe that."
Lips were movin' as pop singer Meghan Trainor won one of the top awards at the 58th annual Grammy Awards, and the teary rookie could hardly get through her acceptance speech.
"I'm a mess, I have to go cry," Trainor said, making sure she thanked record executive L.A. Reid "for looking at me as an artist and not a songwriter."
Ed Sheeran took the big song prize as well as pop solo performance for Thinking Out Loud at the ceremony, and he said he'd have been amazed by being handed an award by Stevie Wonder "at 11 years old, at 5 years old, at any age, really." Sheeran also thanked his parents for coming to the show for the fourth time he's been nominated: "Every time I lose they go, 'Maybe next year!' "
Alabama Shakes shook up the rock categories and took three awards: alternative music album for Sound & Color as well as rock song and rock performance for Don't Wanna Fight.
Grammy performances: Who hit highs and lows?
"Never thought I’d be here doing this," said lead singer Brittany Howard. "When we started this, we were in high school… We just did it for fun. We didn’t think we’d be getting any awards or recognition like this."
Newcomer Chris Stapleton snagged two Grammys, best country album for Traveller and country solo performance for its title track. He garnered a gift even before hitting the stage: "I’d like to thank Taylor Swift for glitterbombing me before this," he deadpanned during his acceptance speech.
After the cast of Hamilton performed live from the Richard Rodgers Theatre in New York City, star and creator Lin-Manuel Miranda rapped his way through his thanks when Stephen Colbert presented him with the show's Grammy for best musical theater album.
Illness sidelines Rihanna at Grammys
Other artists and groups who won multiple honors: The Weeknd with best urban contemporary album for Beauty Behind the Madness and R&B performance for Earned It; and Skrillex and Diplo with best dance recording for Where Are Ü Now, a collaboration with Justin Bieber, and top dance/electronic album for Skrillex And Diplo Present Jack Ü.
