It was an unpredictable Sunday night full of talented musicians, awards and style at the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, held on Feb. 10 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
The red carpet was packed with some of the biggest stars in Hollywood, all decked out from head to toe and looking their best. Girls were swooning left and right when Justin Timberlake made an appearance wearing a classic black suit and bow tie.
Despite the new dress code policy imposed by CBS Program Practices, some celebrities managed to push the envelope, such as Kelly Rowland, who went for a daring-diva look wearing a black dress with large cutouts. Katy Perry also turned heads in her mint green Gucci dress with a dramatic plunged neckline. But despite the number of beauties on the red carpet, many argued Rihanna was among the best dressed of the night in her romantic and feminine long, red gown.
Taylor Swift opened the show with a strange, but memorable performance of “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.” Swift dressed in an elaborate costume as the Mad Hatter during this circus-style song. Her performance also included a troop of mimes and a man on a tricycle with a flamethrower attached.
Unexpected duet performances of the night included Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z performing “Suit & Tie” and “Pusher Love,” Sting and Bruno Mars performing “Locked Out of Heaven,” Elton John and Ed Sheeran performing “The A Team,” Miguel and Wiz Khalifa performing “Adorn” and Alicia Keys and Maroon 5 performing “Daylight” and “Girl On Fire.”
There was also an element of tension in the venue as artists competed for various awards. Frank Ocean beat rival Chris Brown in the category of best urban contemporary album. Brown, who had a scuffle with Ocean last month, was a sore loser and remained seated as Ocean walked to the stage during a standing ovation.
Fun. claimed major awards including song of the year for its hit anthem “We Are Young” and best new artist, causing something of an upset for Ocean. Fun.’s lead singer, Nate Ruess, said he honestly didn’t think it was going to win that category because the band was against amazing artists such as Frank Ocean, Hunter Hayes and The Lumineers.
Dan Auerbach of The Black Keys was the night’s top winner with four trophies, including producer of the year and three rock category victories. The ceremony ended with a bang as London folk rockers Mumford & Sons wrapped up the show with what was considered one of the most surprising wins of the night, taking home album of the year for “Babel.”
See below for a full list of this year’s Grammy winners.
Album of the year: Babel, Mumford & Sons
Record of the year: “Somebody That I Used to Know,” Gotye feat. Kimbra
Song of the year: “We Are Young,” Fun.
New artist: Fun.
Pop solo performance: “Set Fire to the Rain (Live),” Adele
Pop vocal album: Stronger, Kelly Clarkson
Rock performance: “Lonely Boy,” The Black Keys
Urban contemporary album: Channel Orange, Frank Ocean
Rap/sung collaboration: “No Church in the Wild,” Jay-Z and Kanye West, feat. Frank Ocean and The-Dream
Country solo performance: “Blown Away,” Carrie Underwood
Country album: Uncaged, Zac Brown Band
Pop/duo group performance: “Somebody That I Used to Know,” Gotye featuring Kimbra
Traditional pop vocal album: “Kisses on the Bottom,” Paul McCartney
Rap performance: “N—-s in Paris,” Jay-Z, Kanye West
Rap song: “N—-s in Paris,” Jay-Z, Mike Dean, Chauncey Hollis, Kanye West
Rap album: Take Care, Drake
R&B performance: “Climax,” Usher
Traditional R&B performance: “Love on Top,” Beyonce
R&B song: “Adorn,” Miguel
R&B album: Black Radio, Robert Glasper Experiment
Rock song: “Lonely Boy,” The Black Keys
Rock album: El Camino, The Black Keys
Hard rock/metal performance: “Love Bites (So Do I),” Halestorm
Alternative music album: Making Mirrors, Gotye
Dance” recording: “Bangarang,” Skrillex feat. Sirah
Dance/electronica album: “Bangarang,” Skrillex
Latin pop album: “MTV Unplugged Deluxe Edition,” Juanes
Latin rock, urban or alternative album: Imaginares, Quetzal
Latin jazz album: Ritmo!, The Clare Fisher Latin Jazz Big Band
Tropical Latin album: Retro, Marlow Rosado Y La Riquena
Country duo/group performance: “Pontoon,” Little Big Town
Country song: “Blown Away,” Josh Kear, Chris Tompkins
Gospel song: “Go Get It,” Mary Mary
Gospel album: Gravity, Lecrae
Blues album: Locked Down, Dr John
Folk album: The Goat Rodeo Sessions, Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile
Americana album: Slipstream, Bonnie Raitt
Bluegrass album: Nobody Knows You, Steep Canyon Rangers
Reggae album: Rebirth, Jimmy Cliff
World music album: The Living Room Sessions Part 1, Ravi Shankar
Children’s album: Can You Canoe?, The Okee Dokee Brothers
Spoken word album: Society’s Child: My Autobiography, Janis Ian
Comedy album: Blow Your Pants Off, Jimmy Fallon
New age album: Echoes of Love, Omar Akram
Jazz vocal album: Radio Music Society, Esperanza Spalding
Jazz instrumental album: Unity Band, Pat Metheny Unity Band
Large jazz ensemble album: Dear Diz (Every Day I Think of You), Arturo Sandoval
Pop instrumental album: Impressions, Chris Botti
Compilation soundtrack album: Midnight in Paris, various artists
Score soundtrack album: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross
Song written for visual media: “Safe & Sound feat. The Civil Wars” (From “The Hunger Games”), Taylor Swift, John Paul White, Joy Williams
Musical theater album: Once: A New Musical, Steve Kazee, Cristin Milioti
Producer of the year, classical: Blanton Alspaugh
Producer of the year, non-classical: Dan Auerbach
Instrumental composition: “Mozart Goes Dancing,” Chick Corea
Orchestral performance: “Adams: Harmonielehre & Short Ride in a Fast Machine,” Michael Tilson Thomas (San Francisco Symphony)
Opera recording: “Wagner, Der Ring des Nibelungen,” James Levine and Fabio Luisi
Choral performance: “Life & Breath: Choral Works by Rene Clausen,” Charles Bruffy
Short-form music video: “We Found Love,” Rihanna feat. Calvin Harris
Long-form music video: “Big Easy Express,” Mumford & Sons
Historical album: The Smile Sessions (Deluxe Box Set), Alan Boyd, Mark Linett, Brian Wilson, Dennis Wolfe
