The 2016 Grammy Awards, which were concluded in the wee hours of Tuesday at the Los Angeles’ Staples Center provided a lot of moments, while also saving room for a number of huge disappointments.
Here are the highlights from the event:
K Dot delivers a powerful performance
Picking up 5 awards on the night, Kendrick Lamar gave an outstanding rendition of Alright and The Blacker the Berry.
This was one performance that was pregnant with meanings and sent out a strong and powerful message.
From Kendrick Lamar standing on stage with the word ‘Compton’ superimposed over Africa, to the historical and political images being portrayed in the form of a jail cell, handcuffs and a riot- it was indeed power-packed.
It was hectic, aggressive, confrontational and jaw-dropping. And we loved every minute of it.
.@kendricklamar on fire! ??? #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/ITZV526YK2
— Recording Academy (@RecordingAcad) February 16, 2016
Rihanna’s cancelled performance
It was a sad moment for fans of the BBHMM singer after it was discovered she had cancelled her performance on doctor’s orders.
The pop singer was slated to perform during the telecast but pulled out in the eleventh hour due to a bout with bronchitis.
Rihanna showed up to the Staples Center and rehearsed her performance twice but left afterwards.
“Based on Rihanna’s examination, after Grammy rehearsal today, Rihanna’s doctor put her on vocal rest for 48-hours because she was at risk of hemorrhaging her vocal chords. The antibiotics she has been on for three days did not kill the infection adequately therefore she cannot perform safely,” a statement from the singer read.
Rihanna, who was set to debut a live performance of ‘Kiss It Better’, didn’t appear in front of cameras and reporters on the red carpet either.
Stevie Wonder’s comic jibe
It was all fun and jokes when Stevie Wonder announced the winner for the Song of the Year category and because the result envelope was tailor-made for the blind performer, he took a swipe at his co-presenter.
‘Y’all can’t read this, you can’t read Braille’, he taunted Kirstin Maldonado from Pentatonix, as well as the audience- with a huge smile creased on his face.
‘I just want to say… we need to make every single thing accessible to every single person with a disability’, he added, before announcing Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud as winner of the category.
Adele’s sub-par performance
Many have blamed it on technical hitches- as Adele was left to rely solely on the dexterity of her vocals to save her from an embarrassing performance of All I Ask off her 25 album.
Crowd goes nuts for Adele. #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/me3Ae4XcSl
— Ryan Faughnder (@RFaughnder) February 16, 2016
The Weeknd’s flat performance
Before tonight, The Weeknd’s performance was one of the most anticipated. However, it was one that the Can’t feel my face singer would want to quickly forget- as his over-reliance on theatrics more than his actual talent, let him down.
Taylor Swift’s more confident Grammy performance
Taylor Swift’s Grammy opening performance showed just how far the singer has come.
From the sparkly dress to the tree set design, the stage, literally and figuratively, was aptly set for her bold performance of Out Of the Woods off her 1989 album.
“A new Grammy moment” is how LL Cool J described the performance.
Drake goes home empty-handed
Meek Mill must be thanking his maker at the moment and having a little laugh after Drake didn’t pick up any plaque despite having five nominations at the awards.
Nominated for rap song, rap album, rap/sung collaboration (with Nicki Minaj) and rap performance for his diss track “Back to Back” aimed at the Philly rapper, the Canadian rapper went home empty-handed.
Rather, it was his colleague from Compton who shone on the night- with a clean sweep of the rap categories.
Lady Gaga’s ‘near-perfect’ David Bowie tribute
In her tribute to the late fame monster, Lady Gaga performed through the recently-deceased artiste’s ’70s and ’80s work- which she did spectacularly.
Taylor Swift shades Kanye West in Grammys acceptance speech
Taylor Swift might just have confirmed she wasn’t too happy about
The Lionel Richie Tribute
This year’s MusiCares recipient, Lionel Richie was honoured with a six-song medley expertly delivered by John Legend, Demi Lovato, Luke Bryan, Meghan Trainor, Tyrese and Richie himself- who joined the crew at the end for a rousing sing-along to “All Night Long” that got everyone in the crowd clapping.
Ariana Grande’s ‘pun of the century’
While introducing The Weeknd‘s performance of “Earned It”, the 22-year-old singer might have gotten herself into a major TV goof with a failed pun.
“How did this next performer land his 7 nominations tonight, including Album of the Year and Song of the Year,” Grande asked the crowd.
“Well, ladies and gentlemen, get ready for the pun of the century… he earned it.”
The pun was met with a largely stoic reaction from the audience and she saved herself from the embarrassing moment by singing.
We love us some Ari, but was anyone else cringing during this #GRAMMYs moment? https://t.co/c5nrnkui6G https://t.co/s9UeTQBQwr
— cambio (@cambio) February 16, 2016
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