Just like any awards show, the 58th Grammy Awards was full of ups and downs. Sadly for the Grammys, it was more on the down side since the recent deaths of famous artists David Bowie, Glenn Frey and Maurice White. It was full of unexpected surprises, technical difficulties and sad musical tributes. Although there were many negatives in the night, there were also many positives for old and new artists to celebrate.
After five album releases, Justin Bieber is finally able to say that he has won a Grammy! He received Best Dance Recording Track for his hit song, “Where Are Ü Now,” with Skrillex and Diplo. Bieber thanked all of his fans on Twitter and posted a short video further showing his appreciation. His ex-girlfriend Selena Gomez even showed her excitement for Bieber and said she was very happy that he was able to win the award. Winning a Grammy wasn’t the only exciting event for Bieber that night. He performed “Love Yourself” and “Where Are Ü Now” onstage for everyone to enjoy. This was one of Bieber’s most emotional performances that he’s ever had.
If you were to ask who had the best performance of the night, I think everyone would agree when I say it was Kendrick Lamar. It’s only fitting that the rapper had the most ambitious album in the running for Best Album; he also had the best live performance. Lamar was able to combine his hit song “Alright” with his less known song “The Blacker The Berry” to create a moving and stellar performance. Lamar’s night got even better as he took home four awards, but Taylor Swift stole the most important: Album of the Year.
The 2016 Grammy Awards was not one of Adele’s finest moment. Besides not even being nominated for an award, she had many technical difficulties during her performance of “All I Ask.” Right before she began her performance, the microphone fell on the piano, creating a loud banging sound. The microphone sound also dropped out mid-performance, creating an awkward silence for everyone. Some people think Adele was able to recover gracefully, but I believe it made for an uncomfortable rest of the performance. She later tweeted out to fans what had taken place and that these types of events are bound to happen.
The night ended with an unforgettable and high-energy performance by Pitbull. “Mr. Worldwide” sang one of his hits, “El Taxi,” which even featured Sofia Vergara dressed as a taxi dancing onstage. Robin Thicke, Joe Perry and Travis Barker joined Pitbull on stage to sing his brand new single, “Bad Man.” This song is a mix of rap, jazz and rock creating an unforgettable sound from four of today’s biggest artists.
The night of course can’t end without a Taylor and Kanye moment. That came true when Swift mentioned Kanye by saying “As the first woman to win Album of the Year twice, I want to say to all the young women out there: there are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame.” I guess we’ll have to wait until the next award show for Kanye’s response.
