American rapper Kendrick Lamar dominated the 58th Grammy Awards with five notable wins during the highly anticipated ceremony held on Monday night. Icons of the music industry gathered at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California for the awards night, which was hosted by two-time Grammy winner LL Cool J.
The 28-year old artist from Compton, California, took home the coveted gramophones after bagging Best Rap Album for “To Pimp a Butterfly,” Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for “Alright” and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “These Walls.” Lamar also got credit for Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood,” which won in the Best Music Video category.
Lamar, who got 11 nominations for this year’s awards, also treated the live crowd and home viewers with a performance of “The Blacker the Berry.” The socially relevant number showed Lamar and several back-up dancers clasped in chains with the backdrop of a prison. As the song went on, they released their chains and danced, dressed in glow-in-the-dark outfits. He also gave a live rendition of the award-winning “Alright,” while African dancers danced around him. His performance garnered a standing ovation from the audience.
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars took home the Record of the Year Award for “Uptown Funk.” Mars, who earlier performed the song on stage, dedicated their victory to the fans “who danced on this song.” The track also won in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category.
Bagging the Album of the Year is Taylor Swift for her highly successful “1989.” Swift, in her speech, noted that she is the first female ever to win the category twice. As mentioned, Swift also won Music Video of the Year for “Bad Blood.”
Ed Sheeran took home the gramophone for Song of the Year for “Thinking Out Loud” from his album “X.” The 24-year old artist, who co-wrote the track with Amy Wedge, also won the Best Pop Solo Performance for the same song.
Meanwhile, Meghan Trainor got one of the awards biggest honours when she bagged the Best New Artist Award. The artist behind the songs “Dear Future Husband,” “All About the Bass” and “Like I’m Gonna Lose You” tearfully accepted the award. She bested four of today’s biggest newcomers: Courtney Barnett, James Bay, Sam Hunt and Tori Kelly.
The Weeknd, a Canadian singer, songwriter and record producer also collected two Grammy awards: Best Urban Contemporary Album for “Beauty Behind the Madness” and Best R&B Performance for “Earned It” from the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey.” Alabama Shakes, an American rock band formed in Athens, Alabama in 2009, won their first Grammy awards. They brought home three wins: Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance for “Don’t Wanna Fight” and Best Alternative Music Album for “Sound and Color.”
Here is the complete list of Grammy Awards 2016 winners:
Record of the Year: “Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
Album of the Year: “1989,” Taylor Swift
Song of the Year: “Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran & Amy Wadge, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
Best Country Album: “Traveller,” Chris Stapleton
Best R&B Performance: “Earned It (Fifty Shades of Grey,” The Weeknd
Best Rock Album: “Drones,” Muse
Best Pop Vocal Album: “1989,” Taylor Swift
Best Pop Solo Performance: “Thinking Out Loud,” Ed Sheeran
Best New Artist: Meghan Trainor
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Jeff Bhasker for “Ain’t Gonna Drown,” “Burning Doves,” “Burning House,” “Grand Romantic,” “Last Damn Night,” “Never Let You Down,” “Runaway Train” and “Uptown Special”
Best Folk Album: “Béla Fleck And Abigail Washburn,” Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn
Best Americana Album: “Something More Than Free,” Jason Isbell
Best American Roots Song: “Frames,” Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)
Best American Roots Performance: “See That My Grave Is Kept Clean,” Mavis Staples
Best Regional Roots Performance: “Go Go Juice,” Jon Cleary
Best R&B Album: “Black Messiah” D’Angelo And The Vanguard
Best Urban Contemporary Album: “Beauty Behind the Madness,” The Weeknd
Best R&B Song: “Really Love,” D’Angelo & Kendra Foster, songwriters (D’Angelo And The Vanguard)
Best Traditional R&B Performance: “Little Ghetto Boy,” Lalah Hathaway
Best Rap Album: To Pimp a Butterfly, Kendrick Lamar
Best Rap Song: “Alright,” Kendrick Duckworth, Kawan Prather, Mark Anthony Spears & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: “These Walls,” Kendrick Lamar Featuring Bilal, Anna Wise & Thundercat
Best Rap Performance: “Alright,” Kendrick Lamar
Best Comedy Album: “Live At Madison Square Garden,” Louis C.K.
Best Musical Theatre Album: “Hamilton,” Daveed Diggs, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Jonathan Groff, Christopher Jackson, Jasmine Cephas Jones, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Leslie Odom, Jr., Okieriete Onaodowan, Anthony Ramos & Phillipa Soo, principal soloists; Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Sherman, Ahmir Thompson & Tarik Trotter, producers; Lin-Manuel Miranda, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
Best Spoken Word Album: “A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety,” Jimmy Carter
Best Blues Album: “Born To Play Guitar,” Buddy Guy
Best Alternative Music Album: “Sound and Color,” Alabama Shakes
Best Rock Song: “Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes
Best Metal Performance: “Ghost,” Cirice
Best Rock Performance: “Don’t Wanna Fight,” Alabama Shakes
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: “Sylva,” Snarky Puppy & Metropole Orkest
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: “The Silver Lining: The Songs of Jerome Kern,” Tony Bennett and Bill Charlap
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Uptown Funk,” Mark Ronson feat. Bruno Mars
Best Bluegrass Album: “The Muscle Shoals Recordings,” The Steeldrivers
Best Country Song: “Girl Crush,” Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna & Liz Rose, songwriters (Little Big Town)
Best Country Duo/Group Performance: “Girl Crush,” Little Big Town
Best Country Solo Performance: “Traveller,” Chris Stapleton
Best Music Film: “Amy (Amy Winehouse),” Asif Kapadia, video director; James Gaey-Rees, video producer
Best Music video: “Bad Blood,” Taylor Swift Featuring Kendrick Lamar
Best Song Written for Visual Media: “Glory,” Lonnie Lynn, Che Smith & John Stephens, songwriters (Common & John Legend)
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media: “Birdman,” Antonio Sanchez, composer
Best compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media: “Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me,” (Various Artists)
Julian Raymond, compilation producer
Best Latin Jazz Album: “Made in Brazil,” Eliane Elias
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: “The Thompson Fields,” Maria Schneider Orchestra
Best Jazz Instrumental: “Past Present,” John Scofield
Best Jazz Vocal Album: “For One to Love,” Cécile McLorin Salvant
Best Improvised Jazz Solo: “Cherokee,” Christian McBride, soloist
Best Dance/Electronic Album: “Skrillex And Diplo Present Jack Ü,” Skrillex And Diplo
Best Dance Recording: “Where Are U Know,” Skrillex And Diplo With Justin Bieber
Best Tropical Latin Album: “Son De Panamá,” Rubén Blades With Roberto Delgado & Orchestra
Best Regional Mexican Music Album: “Realidades – Deluxe Edition,” Los Tigres Del Norte
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative: “Hasta La Raiz,” Natalia Lafourcade
Best Latin Pop Album: “A Quien Quiera Escuchar (Deluxe Edition),” Ricky Martin
Best Roots Gospel Album: “Still Rockin’ My Soul,” The Fairfield Four
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: “This is Not a Test,” Tobymac
Best Gospel Album: “Covered: Alive in Asia,” Israel & NewBreed
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song: “Holy Spirit,” Francesca Battistelli
Best Gospel Performance/Song: “Wanna Be Happy?” Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, songwriter
Best Contemporary Classical Composition: “Paulus: Prayers & Remembrances,”
Stephen Paulus, composer (Eric Holtan, True Concord Voices & Orchestra)
Best Classical Compendium: “Paulus: Three Places Of Enlightenment; Veil Of Tears & Grand Concerto,” Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor; Tim Handley, producer
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album: “Joyce & Tony – Live From Wigmore Hall,” Joyce DiDonato; Antonio Pappano, accompanist
Best Classical Instrumental Solo: “Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L’Arbre Des Songes,”
Augustin Hadelich; Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)
Best Engineered Album, Classical: “Ask Your Mama,” Leslie Ann Jones, John Kilgore, Nora Kroll-Rosenbaum & Justin Merrill, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (George Manahan & San Francisco Ballet Orchestra)
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance: “Filament,” Eighth Blackbird
Best Choral Performance: “Rachmaninoff: All-Night Vigil,” Charles Bruffy, conductor (Paul Davidson, Frank Fleschner, Toby Vaughn Kidd, Bryan Pinkall, Julia Scozzafava, Bryan Taylor & Joseph Warner; Kansas City Chorale & Phoenix Chorale)
Best Opera Recording: “Ravel: L’Enfant Et Les Sortilèges; Shéhérazade,” Seiji Ozawa, conductor; Isabel Leonard; Dominic Fyfe, producer (Saito Kinen Orchestra; SKF Matsumoto Chorus & SKF Matsumoto Children’s Chorus)
Best Orchestral Performance: “Shostakovich: Under Stalin’s Shadow – Symphony No. 10,”
Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
Best Surround Sound Album: “Amused To Death,” James Guthrie, surround mix engineer; James Guthrie & Joel Plante, surround mastering engineers; James Guthrie, surround producer (Roger Waters)
Best Remixed Recording Non-Classical: “Uptown Funk (Dave Audé Remix),” Dave Audé, remixer (Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars)
Best Engineered Album Non-Classical: “Sound & Color,” Shawn Everett, engineer; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Alabama Shakes)
Best Historical Album: “The Basement Tapes Complete: The Bootleg Series Vol. 11,”
Steve Berkowitz, Jan Haust & Jeff Rosen, compilation producers; Peter J. Moore & Mark Wilder, mastering engineers (Bob Dylan And The Band)
Best Album Notes: “Love Has Many Faces: A Quartet, A Ballet, Waiting To Be Danced,”
Joni Mitchell, album notes writer (Joni Mitchell)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: “The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume Two (1928-32),” Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors (Various Artists)
Best Recording Package: “Still The King: Celebrating The Music Of Bob Wills And His Texas Playboys,” Sarah Dodds, Shauna Dodds & D!ck Reeves, art directors (Asleep At The Wheel)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals: “Sue (Or In A Season Of Crime),” Maria Schneider, arranger (David Bowie)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or a Capella: “Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy,” Ben Bram, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kirstin Maldonado & Kevin Olusola, arrangers (Pentatonix)
Best Instrumental Composition: “The Afro Latin Jazz Suite,” Arturo O’Farrill, composer (Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring Rudresh Mahanthappa)
Best Children’s Album: “Home,” Tim Kubart
Best World Music Album: “Sings,” Angelique Kidjo
Best Reggae Album: “Strictly Roots,” Morgan Heritage
Best New Age Album: “Grace,” Paul Avgerinos