When you’ve got a show running for over 56 years, with a reputation of upsets and triumphs better than any fictional soap opera, there’s nothing stopping you from staying relevant. Yes, a lot of people will tell you how they’ve forgotten about the Grammy Awards, which awards the best in music from across the world in several (83, to be precise) categories but, on the morning of Monday, February 9, you were somehow brought up to speed on the 2015 Grammy winners. Social media, news outlets, blogs and office conversations all revolved around some of the most memorable moments at the 57th annual Grammy Awards, held in Los Angeles.
While 22-year-old British pop singer was the toast of the Grammys, his angelic voice — best heard on the song ‘Stay with Me’ — gained him four Grammy wins; the other big winners were equally predictable — Beyoncé picked up three awards, as did singer Pharrell Williams for one of the viral sensations of the year, his cheer-me-up tune ‘Happy’. But everyone, including the Grammy awards show organisers, knows that this event is about more than just who wins. Here’s how the Grammys made news and continued to stay relevant through a televised show in the age of the Internet.
Domestic abuse and commentary on racism were the things that were most applauded, often as triumphantly as award winners. Prince, the often-reclusive funk legend, opened his speech with, “Like books and black lives, albums still matter” and stole the show. Later on, Pharrell’s super-dramatic rendition of ‘Happy’ with help from pianist Lang Lang and composer Hans Zimmer contained a reference to the Ferguson shooting protests.
He’s not exactly the leader of the free world, but the U.S. president is certainly one of the most relevant political figures in the globe. To see him address the issue of domestic abuse came across as a hug of support to his countrymen and an example to the rest of the world that even on Music’s Biggest Night, we can talk about serious issues without frivolity.
He’s kind of a big deal. The American rapper has always been one of Beyoncé’s biggest supporters, especially at award shows. Ever since he upstaged Taylor Swift at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards to let the world know “Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time,” Kanye West has had a penchant to be the one-to-watch at award shows and this time, just as Beck won Best Album over West’s pick, the rapper almost stepped in to steal the mic from Beck during his speech, but showed restrained and pulled away. You (probably) can’t write this stuff into a script.
For those of you who couldn’t wake up early enough to see it live, Australian rock legends AC/DC were back to demolish the Grammys after 14 years. Given the declining preference for heavy music at the Grammys, AC/DC were a treat to watch, as they opened proceedings at the Grammys, kicking in with their latest ‘Rock or Bust’ and then switching gears into their most blistering number, ‘Highway to Hell’. Even Lady Gaga, standing next to the veteran mellow pop singer Tony Bennett, was shouting along. AC/DC, who have had their share of problems while releasing their latest album Rock or Bust — with founding member Malcolm Young calling time due to health issues and drummer Phil Rudd getting arrested — were in full form at the Grammys, proving a return to the good old heavy days.
Well, the biggest surprise winner of the night was, in fact, Beck, who beat the likes of Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, Ed Sheeran and Sam Smith, the night’s big favourite. The likes of Iggy Azalea, The Black Keys and Coldplay were among the empty-handed but that wasn’t the real controversy. If you think a Grammy was worth anything to a metal band, you’d be disappointed at the news that comedy rockers Tenacious D took home the Best Metal Performance Grammy; that too for a cover song called ‘The Last in Line’ written by Dio, beating the likes of Mastodon, Anthrax, Motorhead and Slipknot.
As much as the Grammys make news for who walked away with the most number of golden gramophones, the idea of winning a Grammy in any category is still a big deal. That’s how important the brand remains. Which is why, closer home, Indians had a reason to be proud of Bangalore-based composer and producer Ricky Kej, whose collaboration with South African flautist Wouter Kellerman won him the Best New Age Album award. Kej, who had released his 14th album, Winds of Samsara , with Kellerman has now shot into national fame. He rightly lamented, however, that his work has never been known in India despite 14 albums. Let’s hope that the Grammy win changes that, showing exactly how relevant it can be not just to music fans and musicians themselves, but to the entire world.
