80th Grammys put Bruno on Mars, still a good night for hip-hop and rock
Roll out the carpet. Time to talk about the 60th annual Grammy Awards — music’s biggest night.
The show, hosted by Carpool Karaoke fame and late-night show host James Corden, marked its mighty return back to New York City at Madison Square Garden after a lengthy fifteen-year departure. It was last convened in NYC in 2003, a city still recovering from the attacks on 9/11 attacks.
Billboard: Kendrick Lamar opening the Grammys with “XXX”
Kicking off the show with dancers dressed in hoodies, Kendrick Lamar — one of the big winners of the night with four awards and seven nominations on deck — spat lyrical fire with the politically-charged “XXX.” Accompanying guests Bono and The Edge (of U2) came out to provide vocal and guitar support on the chorus while comedian Dave Chappelle — winner of Best Comedy Album — supplied some comic relief-meets-reality check wisdom halfway into the performance: “I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a black man being honest in America, is being an honest black man in America.” With messages focusing on police brutality and being POC in Trump’s America, Lamar lept into “King’s Dead.” After the performance concluded, Lamar earned a standing ovation.
Lamar also won Best Rap Album as well as Best Rap/Sung Performance for “Loyalty,” which featured Rihanna. He thanked Rihanna, who joined him on stage during his acceptance speech, stating that the “Work” singer “gassed me on that record.”
Bruno Mars winning Grammy for Album of the Year
But it was clearly Bruno Mars who walked away as king of the 24-karat Grammy gold. The pop star won the top three highest honors of the night — Album of the Year and Record of the Year — forthe R&B-funk odyssey 24K Magic. Mars indeed had some stiff competition, facing off with a handful of big-name rappers including Jay-Z, Childish Gambino and Kendrick Lamar in the category for Album of the Year. For Record of the Year, a more technical award given to performers, Mars faced off with Luis Fonzi & Justin Bieber’s popular summer anthem “Despacito” and the same cast of rappers that faced off with him for Album of the Year. Mars concluded the trifecta of the evening with the big win for Song of the Year (“That’s What I Like”). Earlier in the evening, Mars had lit the fire with big wins in the R&B categories, winning Best R&B Album, Best R&B Song and R&B Performance.
Although some of the best hip-hop albums and songs of 2017 were shut out by Mars’s trophy domination, it still proved to be a relatively good night for black artists, especially for Kendrick Lamar, CeCe Winans (sweeping in the black gospel divisions with two wins), Childish Gambino (Traditional R&B Performance) and The Weeknd (winning Urban Contemporary Album).
Alessia Cara, 21, won Best New Artist, beating a crowd of talented newcomers including SZA, Julia Michaels and rapper Khalid. “I just want to say there are some incredible artists out there making music that deserve to be acknowledged that don’t always get acknowledged because of popularity contests or numbers games and that’s kind of unfortunate,” she said during her acceptance speech. “I just want to encourage everyone to support real music and real artists because everyone deserves the same shot.”
Other surprises throughout the evening showed up in genre categories, especially among those who earned earlier stamps of approval on HiFi‘s “best of 2017” roundup. Portugal.The Man won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their addictive Motown-esque hit “Feels So Right,” a song crowned Top Song of 2017 by HiFi. Jason Isbell & the 500 Unit took home two trophies in both the Americana categories. For Best Rock Album, The War on Drugs took home their first Grammy for A Deeper Understanding. The Rolling Stones picked a win for their blues-loaded tribute album Blue & Lonesome in the Best Traditional Blues Album category.
It also was a mighty good night for “Tennessee Whiskey” singer Chris Stapleton, who swept victories in all the main country categories, including Best Country Album, Best Country Song (“Broken Halos”) and Country Solo Performance (“Either Way”). Stapleton, who can be heard on new single “Say Something” with Justin Timberlake, also performed a touching tribute with Emmylou Harris to the late Tom Petty with a warm acoustic rendering of “Wildflowers.”
Many of the live performances, mostly marked by collaborations, were quite noteworthy. An emotional tribute to the victims of the Las Vegas massacre last year was carried by country stars Eric Church, Brothers Osbourne and Maren Morris singing Eric Clapton’s “Tears in Heaven.” Elton John, who announced last week the launch of his three-year farewell world tour, was joined by Miley Cyrus for a performance of “Tiny Dancer.” Other musical tributes to lost icons included a medley honoring rock ‘n roll legends Chuck Berry and Fats Domino, performed sufficiently by Jon Baptise and Gary Clark, Jr. During a performance with Khaled and Bryson Tiller of “Wild Thoughts,” a saucy Rihanna showed off her curves in flapper-like attire in a performance that paid homage to the Harlem Renaissance. Little Big Town offered a splendid version of the Grammy-winning “Better Man,” a song Taylor Swift wrote in the spirit of her country pop era. On piano, Lady Gaga — channeling her inner Elton John — was joined with hit producer Mark Ronson on acoustic guitar for a combo of “Joanne” and “A Millon Reasons.”
And for fun, giving the evening the best moment in the category of uptempo, Bruno Mars with Cardi B rocked the house dressed in loud ’90’s gear with “Finesse.” And although Justin Bieber was absent, there was Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, who got the crowd up with the Latin pop “Despacito.”
Entertainment Tonight covering Kesha’s performance of “Praying” at the 80th annual Grammy Awards
Other performances got political, even controversial. Taking on the #MeToo narrative headlong, Kesha — dressed in white — belted out the Grammy-nominated “Praying” with an all-female choir featuring additional vocal support from Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello and Andra Day. P!nk, also dressed in white, gave a moving soulful performance of “Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken” with a sign language interpreter unleashing a visual presentation full of drama and passion. And although Sam Smith dodged the bullet of sociopolitical commentary, his white attire and choice to perform “Pray” with a soaring gospel choir piggybacked on Kesha’s assignment, although it was more subtle.
Logic also performed Song of the Year candidate “1-800-273-8255” alongside Khaled and Alessia Cara, inserting an updated ad-lib that hammered at Donald J. Trump’s “bullshit countries” comments and a message of hope for DREAMers.
A complete list of the winners and the nominees can be viewed below. Winners are highlighted in bold red.
TOP-TIER CATEGORIES
Record of the Year:
“Redbone” — Childish Gambino
“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar “24K Magic” — Bruno Mars
Album of the Year: “Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino 4:44 — Jay-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar Melodrama — Lorde 24K Magic — Bruno Mars
Song of the Year:
“Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton, songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber)
“4:44” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
“Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
“1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury & Khalid Robinson, songwriters (Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid) “That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
Best New Artist: Alessia Cara
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA
POP FIELD
Best Pop Solo Performance:
“Love So Soft” — Kelly Clarkson
“Praying” — Kesha
“Million Reasons” — Lady Gaga
“What About Us” — P!nk “Shape Of You” — Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
“Something Just Like This” — The Chainsmokers & Coldplay
“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber
“Thunder” — Imagine Dragons “Feel It Still” — Portugal. The Man — WINNER
“Stay” — Zedd & Alessia Cara
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version) — Michael Bublé Triplicate — Bob Dylan In Full Swing — Seth MacFarlane Wonderland — Sarah McLachlan Tony Bennett Celebrates 90 — (Various Artists) Dae Bennett, Producer — WINNER
Best Pop Vocal Album: Kaleidoscope EP — Coldplay Lust for Life — Lana Del Rey Evolve — Imagine Dragons Rainbow — Kesha Joanne — Lady Gaga ÷ (Divide) — Ed Sheeran — WINNER
Best Dance/Electronic Album: Migration — Bonobo 3-D The Catalogue — Kraftwerk — WINNER Mura Masa — Mura Masa A Moment Apart — Odesza What Now — Sylvan Esso
CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL FIELD
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album: What If — The Jerry Douglas Band Spirit — Alex Han Mount Royal — Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge Prototype — Jeff Lorber Fusion — WINNER Bad Hombre — Antonio Sanchez
ROCK FIELD
Best Rock Performance: “You Want It Darker” — Leonard Cohen — WINNER
“The Promise” — Chris Cornell
“Run” — Foo Fighters
“No Good” — Kaleo
“Go To War” — Nothing More
Best Metal Performance:
“Invisible Enemy” — August Burns Red
“Black Hoodie” — Body Count
“Forever” — Code Orange “Sultan’s Curse” — Mastodon — WINNER
“Clockworks” — Meshuggah
Best Rock Song:
“Atlas, Rise!” — James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica)
“Blood In The Cut” — JT Daly & Kristine Flaherty, songwriters (K.Flay)
“Go To War” — Ben Anderson, Jonny Hawkins, Will Hoffman, Daniel Oliver, David Pramik & Mark Vollelunga, songwriters (Nothing More) “Run” — Foo Fighters, songwriters (Foo Fighters) — WINNER
“The Stage” — Zachary Baker, Brian Haner, Matthew Sanders, Jonathan Seward & Brooks Wackerman, songwriters (Avenged Sevenfold)
Best Rock Album: Emperor Of Sand — Mastodon Hardwired…To Self-Destruct — Metallica The Stories We Tell Ourselves — Nothing More Villains — Queens Of the Stone Age A Deeper Understanding — The War On Drugs — WINNER
ALTERNATIVE FIELD
Best Alternative Music Album: Everything Now — Arcade Fire Humanz — Gorillaz American Dream — LCD Soundsystem Pure Comedy — Father John Misty Sleep Well Beast — The National — WINNER
R&B FIELD
Best R&B Performance:
“Get You” — Daniel Caesar Featuring Kali Uchis
“Distraction” — Kehlani
“High” — Ledisi “That’s What I Like” — Bruno Mars — WINNER
“The Weekend” — SZA
Best Traditional R&B Performance:
“Laugh And Move On” — The Baylor Project “Redbone” — Childish Gambino — WINNER
“What I’m Feelin'” — Anthony Hamilton Featuring The Hamiltones|
“All The Way” — Ledisi
“Still” — Mali Music
Best R&B Song:
“First Began” — PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)
“Location” — Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters (Khalid)
“Redbone” — Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
“Supermodel” — Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Solana Rowe & Pharrell Williams, songwriters (SZA) “That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars) — WINNER
Best Urban Contemporary Album: Free 6LACK — 6LACK “Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino American Teen — Khalid Ctrl — SZA Starboy — The Weeknd — WINNER
Best R&B Album: Freudian — Daniel Caesar Let Love Rule — Ledisi 24K Magic — Bruno Mars — WINNER Gumbo — PJ Morton Feel the Real –Musiq Soulchild
RAP FIELD
Best Rap Performance:
“Bounce Back” — Big Sean
“Bodak Yellow” — Cardi B
“4:44” — Jay-Z “HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
“Bad And Boujee” — Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert
Best Rap Song:
“Bodak Yellow” — Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe, Washpoppin & J White, songwriters (Cardi B)
“Chase Me” — Judah Bauer, Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton, Michael Render, Russell Simins & Jon Spencer,
songwriters (Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels & Big Boi) “HUMBLE.” — Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar) — WINNER
“Sassy” — Gabouer & M. Evans, songwriters (Rapsody)
“The Story Of O.J.” — Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (Jay-Z)
Best Rap Album: 4:44 — Jay-Z DAMN. — Kendrick Lamar Culture — Migos Laila’s Wisdom — Rapsody Flower Boy — Tyler, The Creator
COUNTRY FIELD
Best Country Solo Performance:
“Body Like A Back Road” — Sam Hunt
“Losing You: –Alison Krauss
“Tin Man” — Miranda Lambert
“I Could Use A Love Song” — Maren Morris “Either Way” — Chris Stapleton — WINNER
Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
“It Ain’t My Fault” — Brothers Osborne
“My Old Man” — Zac Brown Band
“You Look Good” — Lady Antebellum “Better Man” — Little Big Town — WINNER
“Drinkin’ Problem” — Midland
Best Country Song:
“Better Man” — Taylor Swift, songwriter (Little Big Town)
“Body Like A Back Road” — Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Sam Hunt) “Broken Halos” — Mike Henderson & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton) — WINNER
“Drinkin’ Problem” — Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne & Mark Wystrach, songwriters (Midland)
“Tin Man” — Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert & Jon Randall, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
Best Country Album: Cosmic Hallelujah — Kenny Chesney Heart Break — Lady Antebellum The Breaker — Little Big Town Life Changes — Thomas Rhett From a Room: Volume 1 — Chris Stapleton
NEW AGE FIELD
Best New Age Album: Reflection — Brian Eno SongVersation: Medicine — India.Arie Dancing On Water — Peter Kater — WINNER Sacred Journey Of Ku-Kai, Volume 5 — Kitaro Spiral Revelation — Steve Roach
JAZZ FIELD
Best Improvised Jazz Solo:
“Can’t Remember Why” — Sara Caswell, soloist
“Dance Of Shiva” — Billy Childs, soloist
“Whisper Not” — Fred Hersch, soloist “Miles Beyond” — John McLaughlin, soloist — WINNER
“Ilimba” — Chris Potter, soloist
Best Jazz Vocal Album: The Journey — The Baylor Project A Social Call — Jazzmeia Horn Bad Ass and Blind — Raul Midón Porter Plays Porter — Randy Porter Trio With Nancy King Dreams and Daggers — Cécile McLorin Salvant — WINNER
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: Uptown, Downtown — Bill Charlap Trio Rebirth — Billy Childs — WINNER Project Freedom –Joey DeFrancesco & The People Open Book — Fred Hersch The Dreamer Is the Dream — Chris Potter
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album: MONK’estra Vol. 2 — John Beasley Jigsaw — Alan Ferber Big Band Bringin’ It — Christian McBride Big Band — WINNER Homecoming — Vince Mendoza & WDR Big Band Cologne Whispers on the Wind — Chuck Owen And The Jazz Surge
Best Latin Jazz Album: Hybrido – From Rio To Wayne Shorter — Antonio Adolfo Oddara — Jane Bunnett & Maqueque Outra Coisa – The Music Of Moacir Santos — Anat Cohen & Marcello Gonçalves Típico — Miguel Zenón Jazz Tango — Pablo Ziegler Trio — WINNER
GOSPEL/ CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC FIELD
Best Gospel Performance/Song:
“Too Hard Not To” — Tina Campbell
“You Deserve It” — JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise Featuring Bishop Cortez Vaughn
“Better Days” — Le’Andria
“My Life” — The Walls Group “Never Have To Be Alone” — CeCe Winans — WINNER
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song:
“Oh My Soul” — Casting Crowns
“Clean” — Natalie Grant “What A Beautiful Name” — Hillsong Worship — WINNER
“Even If” — MercyMe
“Hills And Valleys” — Tauren Wells
Best Gospel Album: Crossover: Live From Music City — Travis Greene Bigger Than Me — Le’Andria Close — Marvin Sapp Sunday Song — Anita Wilson Let Them Fall in Love — CeCe Winans — WINNER
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album: Rise — Danny Gokey Echoes (Deluxe Edition) — Matt Maher Lifer — MercyMe Hills and Valleys — Tauren Wells Chain Breaker — Zach Williams — WINNER
Best Roots Gospel Album: The Best Of the Collingsworth Family – Volume 1 — The Collingsworth Family Give Me Jesus — Larry Cordle Resurrection — Joseph Habedank Sing It Now: Songs of Faith & Hope — Reba McEntire — WINNER Hope for All Nations — Karen Peck & New River
LATIN FIELD
Best Latin Pop Album: Lo Único Constante — Alex Cuba Mis Planes Son Amarte — Juanes Amar Y Vivir En Vivo Desde La Ciudad De México, 2017 — La Santa Cecilia Musas (Un Homenaje Al Folclore Latinoamericano En Manos De Los Macorinos) — Natalia Lafourcade El Dorado — Shakira — WINNER
Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album: Ayo — Bomba Estéreo Pa’ Fuera — C4 Trío & Desorden Público Salvavidas De Hielo — Jorge Drexler El Paradise — Los Amigos Invisibles Residente — Residente — WINNER
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano): Ni Diablo Ni Santo — Julión Álvarez Y Su Norteño Banda Ayer Y Hoy — Banda El Recodo De Cruz Lizárraga Momentos — Alex Campos Arriero Somos Versiones Acústicas — Aida Cuevas — WINNER Zapateando En El Norte — Humberto Novoa, producer (Various Artists)
Best Tropical Latin Album: Albita — Albita Art of the Arrangement — Doug Beavers Salsa Big Band — Rubén Blades Con Roberto Delgado & Orquesta — WINNER Gente Valiente — Silvestre Dangond Indestructible — Diego El Cigala
AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC FIELD
Best American Roots Performance: Killer Diller Blues — Alabama Shakes — WINNER
Let My Mother Live — Blind Boys Of Alabama
Arkansas Farmboy — Glen Campbell
Steer Your Way — Leonard Cohen
I Never Cared For You — Alison Krauss
Best American Roots Song:
“Cumberland Gap” — David Rawlings
“I Wish You Well” — The Mavericks “If We Were Vampires” — Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit — WINNER
“It Ain’t Over Yet” — Rodney Crowell Featuring Rosanne Cash & John Paul White
“My Only True Friend” –Gregg Allman
Best Americana Album: Southern Blood — Gregg Allman Shine On Rainy Day — Brent Cobb Beast Epic — Iron & Wine The Nashville Sound — Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit — WINNER Brand New Day — The Mavericks
Best Bluegrass Album: Fiddler’s Dream — Michael Cleveland Laws Of Gravity — The Infamous Stringdusters — WINNER (TIE) Original — Bobby Osborne Universal Favorite — Noam Pikelny All The Rage – In Concert Volume One [Live] — Rhonda Vincent And The Rage — WINNER (TIE)
Best Traditional Blues Album: Migration Blues — Eric Bibb Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio — Elvin Bishop’s Big Fun Trio Roll And Tumble — R.L. Boyce Sonny & Brownie’s Last Train — Guy Davis & Fabrizio Poggi Blue & Lonesome — The Rolling Stones — WINNER
Best Contemporary Blues Album: Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm — Robert Cray & Hi Rhythm Recorded Live In Lafayette — Sonny Landreth TajMo — Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ — WINNER Got Soul — Robert Randolph & The Family Band Live From The Fox Oakland — Tedeschi Trucks Band
Best Folk Album: Mental Illness — Aimee Mann — WINNER Semper Femina — Laura Marling The Queen Of Hearts — Offa Rex You Don’t Own Me Anymore — The Secret Sisters The Laughing Apple — Yusuf / Cat Stevens
Best Regional Roots Music Album: Top Of the Mountain — Dwayne Dopsie And The Zydeco Hellraisers Ho’okena 3.0 — Ho’okena Kalenda — Lost Bayou Ramblers — WINNER Miyo Kekisepa, Make A Stand [Live] — Northern Cree Pua Kiele — Josh Tatofi
REGGAE FIELD
Best Reggae Album: Chronology — Chronixx Lost In Paradise — Common Kings Wash House Ting — J Boog Stony Hill — Damian “Jr. Gong” Marley — WINNER Avrakedabra — Morgan Heritage
COMEDY FIELD
Best Comedy Album: The Age Of Spin & Deep In The Heart Of Texas — Dave Chappelle Cinco — Jim Gaffigan Jerry Before Seinfeld — Jerry Seinfeld A Speck Of Dust — Sarah Silverman What Now? — Kevin Hart
PRODUCTION, NON-CLASSICAL FIELD
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical: Every Where Is Some Where — Brent Arrowood, Miles Comaskey, JT Daly, Tommy English, Kristine Flaherty, Adam Hawkins, Chad Howat & Tony Maserati, engineers; Joe LaPorta, mastering engineer (K.Flay) Is This The Life We Really Want? — Nigel Godrich, Sam Petts-Davies & Darrell Thorp, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Roger Waters) Natural Conclusion — Ryan Freeland, engineer; Joao Carvalho, mastering engineer (Rose Cousins) No Shape — Shawn Everett & Joseph Lorge, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Perfume Genius) 24K Magic — Serban Ghenea, John Hanes & Charles Moniz, engineers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer (Bruno Mars) — WINNER
Producer Of the Year, Non-Classical:
Calvin Harris Greg Kurstin — WINNER
Blake Mills
No I.D.
The Stereotypes
Best Remixed Recording:
“Can’t Let You Go (Louie Vega Roots Mix)” — Louie Vega, remixer (Loleatta Holloway)
“Funk O’ De Funk (SMLE Remix)” — SMLE, remixers (Bobby Rush)
“Undercover (Adventure Club Remix)” — Leighton James & Christian Srigley, remixers (Kehlani)
“A Violent Noise (Four Tet Remix)” — Four Tet, remixer (The xx) “You Move (Latroit Remix)” — Dennis White, remixer (Depeche Mode) — WINNER
MUSIC VIDEO/FILM FIELD
Best Music Video:
“Up All Night” — Beck
“Makeba” — Jain
“The Story Of O.J.” — Jay-Z “Humble.” — Kendrick Lamar — WINNER
“1-800-273-8255” — Logic Featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid
Best Music Film: One More Time With Feeling — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds Long Strange Trip — (The Grateful Dead) The Defiant Ones — (Various Artists) — WINNER Soundbreaking — (Various Artists) Two Trains Runnin’ — (Various Artists)
