Grammys: Michelle Obama, Lady Gaga, J-Lo take centre stage
Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga led a powerful display to open the Grammys, then women and rap stole the show.
Women and rap triumphed at the Grammy Awards as female acts took home top prizes including album of the year and best new artist, and Childish Gambino made history when his hit This Is America became the first rap-based track to win record and song of the year.
Kacey Musgraves’ country-pop release Golden Hour won album of the year, and British singer Dua Lipa won best new artist — a year after female voices were somewhat muted at the 2018 ceremony and the Grammys were criticised for the low number of female nominees.
Musgraves and Gambino were the night’s top winners, taking home four awards each. Gambino’s This Is America also won best music video and best rap/sung performance.
‘They said I was weird’
The Grammy Awards kicked off with a group of powerful women, including Michelle Obama and Lady Gaga, describing the role of music in their lives — a display that came a year after female voices were somewhat muted at the 2018 ceremony.
“Music has always helped me tell my story,” Obama said at the Staples Center in Los Angeles as the show opened.
“Whether we like country or rap or rock, music helps us share ourselves. It allows us to hear one another.”
Gaga told the crowd: “They said I was weird, that my look, that my choices, that my sound wouldn’t work. But music told me not to listen to them.”
Jada Pinkett Smith and Jennifer Lopez also spoke and stood in solidary with Obama, Gaga and Alicia Keys, who is hosting the show airing on CBS. “Yes, ladies,” Keys said.
“There’s nothing better than this.”
The opening contrasted with last year’s Grammys, where male acts dominated in nominations and the only woman competing for the top award, Lorde, didn’t get a chance to perform onstage.
But this year, Gaga, Brandi Carlile and Kacey Musgraves won multiple awards.
Musgraves triumphs
Kacey Musgraves, one of country music’s most critically praised artists, took home the Grammy for Album of the Year Sunday, an upset win for a genre-bending musician who infused Golden Hour with elements of psychedelia.
The Nashville-based musician’s third studio album beat out a crowded field of heavyweights including rappers Kendrick Lamar and Drake.
She also bested fellow female artists including Cardi B, Janelle Monae and Brandi Carlile to snare the coveted prize, in a year that saw women recognised across the top categories, after largely being snubbed in 2018.
Musgraves picked up best country album for Golden Hour, best country solo performance for Butterflies and best country song for Space Cowboy. “I never dreamt that this record would be met with such love,” she said onstage.
She also gave a shout-out to her husband who was in the audience, saying she wouldn’t have been able to make the album if he “didn’t open my heart like you did.”
When asked about the lack of women in the top categories at the 2018 Grammys, Recording Academy CEO Neil Portnow said women need to “step up.” He later acknowledged that it was a “poor choice of words,” and his much-criticised remarks forced the academy to launch a new task force focused on inclusion and diversity.
Gaga for Shallow
Gaga picked up three awards, including best pop duo/group performance, a win she shared with Bradley Cooper.
“Thank you so much. I got to thank God, thank you for looking out for me. Thank you for my family,” she said. “I wish Bradley was here with my right now.” Gaga, now a nine-time Grammy winner, won best pop solo performance for Joanne, while hit Shallow from A Star is Born was named best song written for visual media.
The song is nominated for an Oscar and also won at the Golden Globes, Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Satellite Awards.
J-Lo owns Motown
One performer stepping up after another pre-Grammys controversy was the irrepressible Jennifer Lopez, who turned the Motown tribute into the J-Lo show.
Her selection to perform the Motown salute received mixed response earlier this month —
some complained that a black artist should be involved in the tribute, while others said stronger vocalists should perform over Lopez.
But the 49-year-old silenced critics with her usual bedazzling performance, inserting her energetic dance-pop flavour into memorable Motown melodies such as Dancing Machine and Dancing in the Street, amid a flurry of on-stagecostume changes, a bevy of back-up dancers and vocals from Smoky Robinson and Ne-Yo.
Dolly and Miley
Musgraves performed Rainbow from Golden Hour during the show, and hit the stage for a second time to honour Dolly Parton. Musgraves and Katy Perry joined forces for Here You Come Again, later joined by Parton herself.
The icon sang a duet version of Jolene with Miley Cyrus, who often covers the classic song. But the country music icon truly shined when she sang Red Shoes with country foursome Little Big Town providing background vocals.
R&B singer H.E.R., who won best R&B performance for Best Part with Daniel Caesar, stunned as she played her guitar and sang. Monae grooved onstage during Make Me Feel, backed by several dancers. Post Malone performed with Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Cardi B grinded and twerked onstage during her latest single, Money.
Cardi B beats the boys
An overwhelmed Cardi B won her first Grammy Award, making history as the first solo woman to win best rap album. Invasion of Privacy beat out albums by the late Mac Miller, Nipsey Hussle, PushaT and Travis Scott.
“Oh my goodness,” she said, struggling to gather herself. “Whoa, child.” Cardi B is just the fifth woman ever nominated in the category, which was created in 1995.
Grande’s first Grammy
Ariana Grande won her first Grammy in the same week that she publicly blasted Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich and accused him of lying about why she was no longer performing at the show.
“I know i’m not there tonight (trust, i tried and still truly wished it had worked out tbh) and i know i said i try not to put too much weight into these things … but (expletive) … this is wild and beautiful. thank you so much,” she tweeted after learning about her win.
Childish Gambino won three honours for his No. 1 hit, This Is America, including song of the year, best rap/sung performance and best music video. Tori Kelly and Lauren Daigle won two awards each. Beyonce, Jay-Z, Ella Mai, Pharrell Williams, Hugh Jackman, Stingy, Shaggy, Dave Chappelle, “Weird Al” Yankovic, the late Chris Cornell, Greta Van Fleet and even former President Jimmy Carter also picked up early awards ahead of the live show. There was a tie for best rap performance, and Drake was surprisingly not one of the winners. Drake’s Nice for What lost to Anderson Paak’s Bubblin’ and Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake’s King’s Dead from the Black Panther soundtrack.
Beck was a double winner during the pre-telecast, taking home best alternative music album and best engineered album (non-classical) for Colours. Emily Lazar, one of the engineers who worked on the album and won alongside Beck, said onstage that she was the first female mastering engineer to win in the latter category.
Several big stars did not attend the Grammys, including Grande, Taylor Swift, Lamar, the top nominee with eight, and Drake, nominated for seven awards.
Aussies clean up
Director Alan Hicks is the latest Australian to enjoy awards success for his film about music great Quincy Jones, although country music star Keith Urban missed out.
Hicks and Jones’ daughter, co-director Rashida Jones, won the Best Music Film Award for the film, Quincy, at the ceremony held in Los Angeles on Sunday. Hugh Jackman’s soundtrack for the musical movie The Greatest Showman won the award for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media.
In a battle of the Aussies, Perth drummer Paul Mabury also won a Grammy ahead of Australian Christian band For King & Country.
Mabury, Lauren Daigle and Jason Ingram were victors for best Contemporary Christian Performance/Song for You Say.
For King & Country, led by Australian brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone, were nominated in the category for their hit Joy.
Urban, a past winner of four Grammys, was nominated for Best Solo Country Performance for Parallel Line.
Kacey Musgraves was the winner for Butterflies.
Melbourne-born New Age musician Lisa Gerrard was nominated for Best New Age Album for Hiraeth.
The gong was won by Opium Moon for their self-titled album.
Drake’s speech silenced
Drake surprised the music world when he emerged on stage to accept the best rap song trophy but told the room of musicians that winning awards isn’t necessary if you have real fans attending your concerts and singing your songs.
Drake, who rarely attends awards shows, won the honour for his massive hit God’s Plan.
“You’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown. Look, if there are people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain and the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don’t need this right here. I promise you. You already won,” he said.
He tried to continue speaking but was cut off as the ceremony suddenly went to a commercial.
— AP, AAP
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