Singer picks up top gongs and leads with six titles at 60th annual gala held in New York, where politically-charged performances set the order of the night that celebrated music
Bruno Mars
A series of political statements marked the 60th Annual Grammy Awards held this morning at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, where celebrities took to the stage to address sexual harassment, racism, gun violence, mental health and suicide prevention. Bruno Mars would have left the venue crooning his hit single, That’s What I Like, which earned him the Song Of The Year nod. He also bagged the coveted Album Of The Year (24K) title. His win inspired many frowns as fellow nominees Kendrik Lamar and Jay Z – who delivered 2017’s top albums, Damn and 4:44 respectively – had emerged as expected winners.
Kandrick Lamar at the Grammy Awards
Even though Jay Z arrived at the awards night leading the nominations with eight titles, he went home empty-handed. Lamar however managed to give Mars’s six wins tough competition by bagging five awards, including the Best Rap Album, and Best Rap Song (Humble). The rapper opened the show with a power-packed act, subtly shunning gun violence. His performance was punctuated by a spoken word segment from Dave Chappelle, who told the crowd, “The only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America.”
Rihanna performs onâÂÂ?ÂÂ?Wild Thoughts
After establishing the theme of the Golden Globes earlier this month, the cause of women against sexual harassment was marked with white roses at the gala. Prior to an emotional outing by Kesha to further the cause, Janelle Monae delivered a message to the industry stating, “We come in peace, but we mean business.” Kesha, draped in white alongside an array of artistes, put up an emotionally-packed performance to Praying, aimed at her alleged abuser, American producer Dr Luke.
Rita Ora flaunted her sculpted legs in a Ralph And Russo gown featuring a thigh-high split
With the focus on performances over awards evident from the onset of the James Corden-hosted show – although there were a whopping 83 gongs to be handed out – there were many a dull moments. With artistes like Pink and Sam Smith picking ballad-style renditions for their acts, there were few performances that uplifted the evening. Mars and Cardi B’s vivacious display of colour and dance spread cheer as they belted out the former’s Finesse. Rihanna seduced the audience alongside DJ Khaled on Wild Thoughts.
Lana Del Ray looked heavenly in a silver and cream star encrusted gown by Gucci
Another highlight of the night involved the unexpected cameo of Hilary Clinton, who joined Corden in taking a jab at US president Donald Trump. The former presidential candidate, along with Cher, Snoop Dogg, Cardi B, John Legend and Khaled, read excerpts from Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House, the book about Trump’s first year in the White House. The bit showed Corden holding auditions for the book reading in the hope of nabbing next year’s best spoken word album.
Joy Villa’s anti-abortion foetus dress made her a frequent name on the worst-dressed lists of the gala
Pink cared little while selecting this multi-coloured ball of mess
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