Adele wins top awards at Grammys, Beyonce dazzles with her performance

Last Updated 13 February 2017, 06:24 IST

Beyonce may have dazzled with her power-packed performance but the night belonged to British singer Adele, who walked away with major prizes -- Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year -- in a surprise upset at the 2017 Grammys.

Adele won in all the five categories that she was nominated for including Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album, triumphing over Beyonce, who was the front-runner in the race with nine nods for "Lemonade" out of which she won just two - Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video.

The 28-year-old "Hello" singer, who suffered technical issues second year in a row at the ceremony, acknowledged Queen Bey, as Beyonce is popularly known among fans, in her speech.

"All us artists adore you. You are our light. My queen and my idol is Queen B. I adore you," Adele said to Beyonce. "The way you make my friends feel, the way you make my black friends feel is empowering," Adele said while accepting Album of the Year.

Beyonce may have lost out the top trophy to Adele during the 59th annual Grammys, but her performance on "Love Drought" and "Sandcastles" was the highpoint of the ceremony, as the pregnant singer revealed her baby bump.

At the end of her nine-minute-long fiery performance, the star grinned and blew kisses to her rapper husband Jay Z and five-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy, who were cheering her from the audience.

Indian tabla player Sandeep Das was part of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble "Sing Me Home" which won the Grammy in the World Music category that also included sitarist Anoushka Shankar's "Land of Gold".

Yo-Yo Ma's "Sing Me Home" features tunes composed or arranged by different global artists as it examines the ever-changing idea of home.

"It is third time lucky for us. I am very proud of who I am and where I come from be it culturally or musically. I wish there were more acknowledgment from my own country for the music that is deep-rooted and in our blood," Sandeep told PTI over phone from LA just after his win.

Chance the Rapper became first Black rapper to win the Best New Artist since 1999 at Grammys. The 23-year-old star picked up the trophy for for his third official mixtape, "Coloring Book".

The music star took home Best Rap Album as well as Best Rap Performance for "No Problem" with 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne.

Beyonce took to the Grammys stage to give a powerful speech to empower "every child of every race." Along with her husband, Jay Z, and her daughter, Blue Ivy, Beyonce thanked "everyone who worked so hard to beautifully capture the profundity of deep southern culture."

"It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families, as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House, and the Grammys, and see themselves, and have no doubt that they're beautiful, intelligent, and capable," Beyonce, who recently announced that she's pregnant with twins, continued.

Adele opened the James Corden-hosted award ceremony with an epic performance of her hit song "Hello.

The soul superstar was later invited to honour the memory of the late George Michael and took the stage at the Staples Center in Los Angeles to perform a reworked version of "Fast Love."

However, Adele was hit with sound problems moments into the performance and halted the music.

"I know it's live TV, I'm sorry, I can't do it again like last year," she said, referring to the audio issues which almost derailed her 2016 Grammys rendition of "All I Ask."

After letting slip an expletive, which producers managed to censor just in time for the live broadcast, Adele continued, "I'm sorry for swearing, and I'm sorry for starting again... I'm sorry, I can't mess this up for him."

David Bowie's 25th and final studio album "Blackstar" won five posthumous trophies at the award ceremony.

The late icon's album was honoured for Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, Alternative Music Album, Recording Package and Engineered Album (non-classical), sweeping in all nominated categories.

Although he received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2006, this posthumous victory marks Bowie's first wins in musical categories.

Beyonce's sister Solange also registered a win by taking home Best R&B Performance trophy for "Cranes In The Sky". Megadeth won Best Metal Performance for "Dystopia".

The Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album went to "Summertime" by Willie Nelson while the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance was honoured to "Stressed Out" by Twenty One Pilots.

The Chainsmokers song "Don't Let Me Down" featuring Daya was named Best Dance Recording. The Best Dance/Electronic Album was won by Flume for "Skin". Snarky Puppy's "Culcha Wulcha" won Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, while Best Rock Album went to Cage The Elephant's "Tell Me I'm Pretty".

Best Traditional R&B Performance went to "Angel" by Lalah Hathaway. Best Country Solo Performance was given to Maren Morris for "My Church".

(Published 13 February 2017, 06:12 IST)

Adele wins top awards at Grammys, Beyonce dazzles with her performance

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