The 6oth annual Grammy Awards opened Sunday night with a fire, quite literally, as nominee (and eventual winner) Kendrick Lamar opened the show, performing a variety of songs from his Album of the Year-nominated DAMN., along with appearances from U2 and Dave Chapelle. The Grammy Awards made its long-awaited return to the Big Apple, broadcasting live from Madison Square Garden and for the second year in a row, host James Corden took center stage.
A slew of stars, from Kelly Clarkson to Cardi B, spilled onto the red carpet, donning white roses in support of the Time’s Up movement. Grammy nominee, Lorde wore a red Valentino dress with a Jenny Holzer manifesto sown in the back, as her version of a white rose.
Later, Kesha performed her nominated song, “Praying,” backed by Bebe Rexha, Cyndi Lauper, Julia Michaels, Andra Day, and Camila Cabello, along with a chorus of female vocalists all dressed in white. Bringing the audience to tears, the song was released on her comeback album, after a protracted legal battle with her former producer Dr. Luke, who she accused of sexual assault.
The results of last nights show were not well received by many; after Ed Sheeran won Best Pop Solo Performance, #GrammysSoMale began trending. This was because Sheeran was the only male nominee in the category, beating out the other four women. Notably, his song Shape of You is about a woman’s body, leading to further aggravation. In total, the only woman to win a major award was Alessia Cara, for Best New Artist.
In response to the hashtag, Recording Academy president Neil Portnow told Variety, “It has to begin with…women who have the creativity in their hearts and souls, who want to be musicians, who want to be engineers, producers, and want to be part of the industry on the executive level…[They need] to step up because I think they would be welcome.”
Later in the night, The Brothers Osborne, Maren Morris, and Eric Church, who performed at the festival where the Las Vegas Shooting took place, performed Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven” in memory of the victims. Also acknowledging the victims of the attack in Manchester last May, the artists offered up a somber rendition of the song.
Overall, Bruno Mars was the biggest winner last night, the musician won all six awards for which he was nominated, including album, song, and record of the year. Kendrick Lamar followed close behind with five Grammys, including best rap album. JAY-Z led the pack in nominations heading into the night with eight nods total, including Album of the Year for “4:44,” Song of the Year for the titular track “4:44” and Record of the Year for “The Story of O.J.” — but was completely shut out.
Below are the results of last nights show:
Best Rap Album: “DAMN.” -Kendrick Lamar
Song of The Year: “That’s What I Like” -Bruno Mars
Best New Artist: Alessia Cara
Pop Vocal Album: “÷,” -Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Solo Performance: “Shape of You” -Ed Sheeran
Record of The Year: “24K Magic” -Bruno Mars
Album of The Year: “24K Magic” -Bruno Mars
Best R&B Album: “24K Magic” -Bruno Mars
Best Urban Contemporary Album: “Starboy” -The Weeknd