KACEY MUSGRAVES, CHILDISH GAMBINO, CARDI B WIN BIG AT 61ST ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS – (02/11/2019)

The biggest night in music, the Grammy Awards, celebrated its 61st anniversary last night live from Madison Square Garden in New York City. Hosted by Alicia Keys, the evening consisted of warmth, performances, awards and more.

Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour took home Album of the Year. Musgraves also won the awards for Best Country Album, Best Country Solo Performance (“Butterflies”), and Best Country Song (“Space Cowboy”).

Childish Gambino won Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Rap/Sung Performance for “This is America,” marking the first time a rap song to win either of the major awards, Song of the Year and Record of the Year, and achieving both firsts for hip-hop in the same year with the same track.

Cardi B won Best Rap Album for Invasion of Privacy, becoming the first solo female performer to win in that category. Dua Lipa was named Best New Artist, and Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Shallow” from A Star is Born.

Other big winners included Ariana Grande for Best Pop Vocal Album for Sweetener; Drake for Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan”; Greta Van Fleet for Best Rock Album for From the Fires; and Brandi Carlile, who took home multiple awards: Best Americana Album for By The Way, I Forgive You and Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance for “The Joke.”

Host Alicia Keys’ kicked off the show by introducing “some of [her] sisters” to the stage: Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Michelle Obama – who was met with wild applause. The women took turns extolling the value of music. “Music helps us share ourselves, our dignity and sorrows, our hopes and joys,” Obama said as the five women end the opening in a embrace.

The unlikely duo of Bob Newhart and Alessia Cara presented the Best New Artist award to Dua Lipa. Newhart won Best New Artist for a 1961 comedy album, while Cara won the award last year. She told the comedian that her great-grandmother had all his albums, with Newhart feigning outrage as she kept upping the age of her relatives who enjoyed his work.

Other Notables From The Night:

Ariana Grande skipped this year’s ceremony but won her first Grammy Award in her career. The 25-year-old singer won the award for best pop vocals for her album “Sweetener.”

The late Chris Cornell won the Best Rock Performance award for “When Bad Does Good.” His daughter Toni and son Christopher accepted the award for their father. Cornell, 52, died in May 2017.

Drake made an unexpected appearance to accept the award for Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan.”

Hugh Jackman, an Emmy and Tony winner, won his first Grammy, picking up Best Compilation Soundtrack for visual media for The Greatest Showman.

Jay-Z and Beyoncé, as The Carters, won for Best Urban Contemporary Album for Everything Is Love. This was Hov’s 22nd Grammy, breaking a tie with Kanye West to become the rap artist with the most Grammy Awards in history. They were not there to accept.

PERFORMANCES

• Camila Cabello Opened with “Havana” with special guests Ricky Martin, Arturo Sandoval, J Balvin, Young Thug and her real-life family for a dazzling tribute to Latin music.
• Shawn Mendes and Miley Cyrus performed Mendes’ hit “In My Blood.” Shawn was playing the piano as he belted his Grammy-nominated track. He stood up and continued to play the song on his guitar before being joined by Cyrus. The two closed the performance with a hug.
• Kacey Musgraves performed her Golden Hour track “Rainbow.” Musgraves was accompanied by a pianist as she performed the touching ballad. The steps behind her were illuminated with various colors to showcase the song’s title.
• Janelle Monae performed “Make Me Feel.” The performance highlighted her characteristically neo-futurist flare. It featured a slew of dancers, some wearing the pants that were in the “Pynk” music video, and a triangular stage. Monáe ended the performance in the middle of the audience, with trumpeters surrounding her.
• Post Malone and the Red Hot Chili Peppers performed a medley of “Stay,” “Rockstar” and the Red Hot Chili Peppers song “Dark Necessities.” Malone started his set with an emotional acoustic performance of “Stay.” He then lightened the mood with a rendition of “Rockstar” before transitioning into his collab with the Chili Peppers. Malone played guitar with the band for “Dark Necessities” and sang backing vocals. Sadly, 21 Savage, who is featured on “Rockstar,” couldn’t make it to the award show this year because of his deportation case.
• Dolly Parton, an eight-time Grammy winner, was serenaded by her goddaughter, Miley Cyrus, Little Big Town, Katy Perry, Maren Morris and Kacey Musgraves. During the opening with Musgraves and Perry, Parton joined the duo to sing her hit, ”Here You Come Again.” Next up was a duet between Parton and Cyrus who sang her 1984 song,” Jolene.” Dolly then sang “Red Shoes” from her 2018 album, Dumplin’ – white wearing a pair of killer red stilettos. At the end of the moving tribute, the artists joined Parton to sing her hit “9 to 5,” written for the 1980 film of the same name that starred Parton, Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.
• H.E.R performed her hit song “Hard Place.” The rendition started simply, focusing on H.E.R.’s vocals and guitar strumming, before a handful of backup singers and violin players took to the stage to join her for the big finish.
• Cardi B rocked her hit “Money” in a short flapper-style wig and bejeweled, leopard print bodysuit, bringing the crowd to their feet and eliciting ecstatic cheers from her estranged husband, Offset.
• Alicia Keys paid tribute to some of her favorite artists during a musical interlude, showing off her Hazel Scott-inspired keyboard skills by playing two pianos at once, before singing “Killin’ Me Softly” and “Doo-Wop (That Thing)” as a birthday tribute to Lauryn Hill. Keys then covered Juice WRLD’s “Lucid Dreams” and Nat King Cole’s “Unforgettable,” and played a Coldplay lick from “Clocks,” noting “Who doesn’t wish they wrote this song?” She then sang a bit of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody,” crooned “In My Feelings” to hubby Swizz Beatz and brought Ella Mai to tears when she covered “Boo’d Up.”
• Dan & Shay performed a stripped-down version of “Tequila” with Dan on the guitar and Shay on piano, the latter only leaving his keys to belt one the final note of the song.
• Introduced by her adorable 9-year-old grandson, Raif-Henok, Diana Ross brought the crowd to their feet and to tears with her performance of “The Best Years of My Life,” which she crooned in a flowing red gown as her family sang along in the front row. She then got the entire crowd singing and swaying to “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” thanking everyone for helping celebrate her milestone 75th birthday, “Happy birthday to me!” On Ross’ actual 75th birthday, March 26th, nearly 700 theaters will show Diana Ross Live in Central Park, a concert film documenting her stormy two nights of performing at Central Park’s Great Lawn in 1983.
• Lady Gaga channeled “Hair Body Face”-era Ally for a performance of the Grammy-winning anthem, “Shallow.” Covered head-to-toe in jewels, with a jewel-covered microphone and sky-high boots, Gaga threw herself around the stage, whipping her hair wildly, but sounded flawless. Mark Ronson stepped in as Gaga’s stage partner, but left the vocals to her while he accompanied on guitar.
• Travis Scott’s performance kicked off with an low-key rendition of “Mile High” with James Blake and Earth, Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey, before Scott jumped in a cage surrounded by rowdy fans to perform “No Bystanders.”
• During a Motown tribute, Jennifer Lopez donned feathers and went back in time for a retro glam medley of “Dancing in the Streets” and “Please Mr. Postman,” then revealed a bejeweled leotard for lively renditions of “Money (That’s What I Want),” dueted with Smokey Robertson on “My Girl,” and pulled off one last quick-change to end atop a piano as Ne-Yo played.
• In her first-ever Grammy Performance, Brandi Carlile performed her Grammy-winning song, “The Joke,” following a glowing introduction by Kelsea Ballerini. She gave a stirring rendition of the song with a full band, a shiny jacket, and gold filigreed lyrics on the big screen behind her.
• Beyoncé protégées Chloe X Halle wowed with a soulful, mesmerizing cover of Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway’s “Where Is the Love.”
• St. Vincent and Dua Lipa performed together for the first time, delivering a medley of “MASSEDUCTION,” “R-E-S-P-E-C-T,” and “One Kiss.”
• Following an “In Memoriam” segment which included tributes to Carol Channing, Joe Jackson, Avicii, Mac Miller, and more members of the recording industry who passed over the last year, Yolanda Adams, Fantasia and Andra Day took the stage to show off their vocals with a rendition of “Natural Woman” in celebration of Aretha Franklin, who died last August.

WINNERS LIST

• Album Of The Year: “Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
• Record Of The Year (goes to artist, engineers, mixers): “This Is America” – Childish Gambino
• Song Of The Year (goes to writers): “This Is America” – Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
• Best New Artist: Dua Lipa

POP CATEGORIES

• Pop Solo Performance: “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)” – Lady Gaga
• Pop Duo/Group Performance: “Shallow” – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
• Pop Vocal Album: “Sweetener” – Ariana Grande 

COUNTRY CATEGORIES

• Country Solo Performance: “Butterflies” – Kacey Musgraves
• Country Duo/Group Performance: “Tequila” – Dan + Shay
• Country Album: Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
• Country Song (goes to songwriters): “Space Cowboy” – Luke Laird, Shane McAnally & Kacey Musgraves, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)

ROCK CATEGORIES

• Rock Album: “The Fires” – Greta Van Fleet
• Alternative Music Album: Colors – Beck
• Rock Performance (single or track): “When Bad Does Good” – Chris Cornell
• Metal Performance: “Electric Messiah” – High On Fire
• Rock Song (goes to songwriters): “Masseduction” – Jack Antonoff & Annie Clark, songwriters (St. Vincent) 

RAP CATEGORIES

• Rap Performance (single or track): (Tie) “King’s Dead” – Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake ; “Bubblin” – Anderson .Paak
• Rap Album: Invasion Of Privacy – Cardi B
• Rap Song (goes to songwriters): “God’s Plan” – Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake) 

R&B CATEGORIES

• R&B Album: H.E.R. – H.E.R.
• Urban Contemporary Album: Everything Is Love – The Carters
• R&B Performance: “Best Part” – H.E.R. Featuring Daniel Caesar
• Traditional R&B Performance: (Tie) “Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand” – Leon Bridges; “How Deep Is Your Love” – PJ Morton Featuring Yebba
• R&B Song (goes to songwriters): “Boo’d Up” – Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)

AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC CATEGORIES

• American Roots Performance: “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile
• American Roots Song: “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
• Americana Album: By The Way, I Forgive You – Brandi Carlile

OTHER CATEGORIES

• Song Written For Visual Media: “Shallow” – Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, written by Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt (Track from: “A Star Is Born”)
• Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: The Greatest Showman.
• Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: Black Panther
• Comedy Album: Equanimity & The Bird Revelation – Dave Chappelle
• Musical Theater Album: “The Band’s Visit”
• Spoken Word Album: “Faith – A Journey For All” – Jimmy Carter
• Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: Squeeze Box: The Complete Works Of ‘Weird Al’ Yankovic – “Weird Al” Yankovic
• Best Music Video: Childish Gambino – “This Is America”
• Best Remixed Recording: “Walking Away (Mura Masa Remix),” Alex Crossan, remixer (Haim)
• Producer Of The Year: Pharrell Williams
• Best Recording Package: Masseduction – St. Vincent)