The 6 must-see moments from the Grammy Awards
The 60th Grammy Awards took place in New York on Sunday and were filled with several water-cooler moments, and, as always, even more head-scratching ones.
The ceremony was poised to make Grammy history, with a promising and diverse crop of nominees up for awards in the top categories, but it was Bruno Mars’ funk/pop homage that swept the show.
Attendees wore white roses to show solidarity with the Time’s Up movement, Miley Cyrus and Elton John sang a duet, Childish Gambino wooed the audience and country stars paid tribute to the Las Vegas shooting victims.
Comedian Dave Chappelle, U2’s Bono, Sting and Shaggy made repeat appearances, while Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Lorde and even Hillary Clinton (reading a passage from Michael Wolff’s Trump book “Fire and Fury”) made brief ones. And, oh yeah, there were a few awards handed out.
Here are a few of the memorable highlights:
Kendrick Lamar opens the ceremony then gets a win
Before taking home the first award of the night, the Compton rapper opened the ceremony with an intense medley centered on his “XXX” track. Lamar shared the stage with Bono and the Edge and comedian Dave Chappelle and went on to win awards for rap/sung collaboration and rap album, making him the early favorite to sweep the telecast.
But the Recording Academy went more mainstream, crowning Bruno Mars the king of music’s biggest night.
The complete list of 2018 Grammy Awards winners »
Dave Chapelle shares a few words at the Grammys about being a black man in America.
The comedian made several cameos on Sunday, the first being a brief spoken-word appearance during Lamar’s opener.
“I just wanted to remind the audience that the only thing more frightening than watching a black man be honest in America is being an honest black man in America,” Chappelle said.
Later, the comic took home the comedy album prize and delivered a short acceptance speech that concluded with “see you on Monday.”
Janelle Monáe addressed the crowd at the Grammys on Sunday night with a speech about the #TimesUp movement. “We come in peace, but we mean business,” she said. “And to those who would dare try to silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s up.”
Janelle Monáe advocates for Time’s Up and #MeToo
Grammy nominee and actress Monáe delivered a searing speech about the Time’s Up movement and its place in her industry, advocating on behalf of her “fellow sisters in this room who make up the music industry.”
“Artists, writers, assistants, publicists, CEOs, producers, engineers and women from all sectors of the business. We are also daughters, wives, mothers, sisters, and human beings. We come in peace, but we mean business,” she said. “And to those who would dare try and silence us, we offer you two words: Time’s up.”
Kesha and Co. deliver a showstopping ‘Praying’
After Monáe’s speech, embattled-yet-triumphant pop star Kesha took the stage with Cyndi Lauper, Camila Cabello, Julia Michaels, Bebe Rexha and Andra Day, who were backed up by the Resistance Revival Chorus. Led by a visibly emotional Kesha, the women performed a devastating version of “Praying” about Kesha’s years of alleged abuse and gave the evening it’s #MeToo punch of the night.
Patti LuPone shows everyone how it’s really done
There was no shortage of nods to New York during the telecast — among them was LuPone’s showcase of “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” from “Evita” during a segment paying tribute to Broadway legends Leonard Bernstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber.
It’s actually Madonna (who starred in the 1996 film version of “Evita”) whom you who should be crying for, as LuPone showed a room full of pop stars how a real diva belts out a hit.
Bruno Mars sweeps the telecast
“That’s What I Like” singer Mars had ample stage time on Sunday, performing “Finesse” with rapper Cardi B and making his way to the podium to accept awards on three separate occasions. The jubilant winner of song, album and record of the year told tales of his youth, showing gratitude to his collaborators and love to his fans.
Follow me: @NardineSaad
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