Dressed in a tuxedo and looking the part of young music mogul, Ukrainian TV host and prankster Vitalii Sediuk weasled his way onto the stage during Sunday night's Grammy Awards.
"It’s such an honor to receive this award,” and “I love you, Adele,” Sediuk managed to say quickly before a confused Jennifer Lopezswatted him away.
After Sediuk walked off the stage, he was grabbed by Grammy's security and held until LAPD took him away to spend the night in a jail cell.
Sediuk now has a March 4 court date for the charge of trespassing.
Watch the Grammy crasher in action below:
Sediuk sat down with The Hollywood Reporter Monday to explain his prank, saying "I'm not a crazy guy, I just think differently."
The TV host continued, “My channel didn’t get credentialed, so I went with friends who had tickets. They didn’t check how many we had, so I was let in. First I went to the media line and interviewed quite a few celebrities, like Jennifer Lopez and Nicole Kidman ...Then I just followed one girl in a green dress through the [Staples Center] gates. They checked my pockets but never asked to see a ticket."
One thing led to another and Sediuk found himself on-stage next to his "favorite singer" Adele.
Watch Sediuk explain exactly how he crashed the Grammys below:
Last year, Vitalli almost got punched in the face by Will Smith after the reporter tried to kiss the actor on the lips on the red carpet:
Looking for this year’s best music? Now that the Grammy winners have been announced, you may want to put that top single on repeat or check out the full album for more great hits.
You don’t need to shell out $1.29 for each MP3 song or $9.99 or more for full albums to hear your favorite songs. Instead, head over to sites where you can play Grammy-nominated music free or download full albums starting at $2.99.
Here are six sites to get your fix of free or cheap music from this year’s Grammy Awards.
GrooveShark
If you’re looking for a free Web-based service similar to Spotify, GrooveShark offers free streaming music that you can share with friends.
Many Grammy-nominated songs and albums can be played right from the Web for free, like Kelly Clarkson’s album Stronger or Blunderbussby Jack White.
If sharing music with your friends is important, GrooveShark also integrates with social networks. Users can add their friends to see what they’re listening to and share artists and playlists by email and using Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites.
Google Play
For more discounts and free music downloads, check out Google Play.
Google Play also offers free songs that are updated regularly and can be added to your library with one click.
Do you have another great source for listening to your favorite Grammy nominees? Let us know on our Facebook page.
Spotify
Spotify is a free streaming service with an advantage over other options: You choose the songs you want to hear. Spotify gives you access to 20 million songs on-demand, meaning you can listen to “Call Me Maybe” all day if you’d like.
You’re not limited to just hit singles. Listen to full albums from this year’s Grammy nominees, like Gotye’s Making Mirrors and Some Nights by Fun.
If you’d rather listen to just the hit songs, check out Grammy playlists Spotify users have created. With the “ShareMyPlaylists” plug-in, you can listen to more than 40 tracks by this year’s Grammy nominees with one click.
Pandora
If you’d rather put your music on autopilot, Pandora allows you to listen nonstop based on your tastes.
Pandora acts more like a radio than a library of music. Users create “stations” based on their favorite artists, songs, and music genres. Create a “Mumford & Sons” station, and you’ll hear their songs mixed in with similar artists.
Pandora’s algorithm chooses music based on what you like and what you don’t. Give songs you love a “thumbs up” to hear more, or click “thumbs down” for tracks you don’t like and you’ll never hear that song again.
To make finding Grammy-nominated music easier, Pandora has a list of Grammy stations by genre that you can play with one click.
While you can’t hear your songs whenever you want, Pandora mixes music from your favorite artists with songs you might not have heard before. If you’re looking to discover new music similar to your favorite artists, Pandora may offer some pleasant surprises.
Amazon.com MP3 Store
If you prefer to own music rather than just streaming, Amazon.com is offering deals on this year’s winners as well as past nominees.
Amazon also offers free downloads with Grammy artists mixed in. Browse their listings and check back often for new additions that you can add to your digital library.
YouTube
If you’re looking for the quickest way to listen to your favorite songs gratis, search for top tracks on YouTube. Most artists have their own channels with official music accompanied by HD video.
Sunday night, Adele took home her first Oscar for Best Original Song.
The award brings the "Skyfall" singer one step closer to achieving what is considered the Triple Crown of acting awards: an EGOT.
This occurs when an individual acquires wins from each of the big competitive Awards shows: the Emmys, Grammys, Oscars, and Tonys.
With her first Oscar and numerous Grammys, Adele is well on her way to achieving the title since releasing her first album "19" in 2008.
Here is just how successful she is:
9 Grammys
Through 12 nominations, Adele won one Grammy in 2009, 2010, and 2013 and took home six last year including song and record of the year.
4 American Music Awards
Adele took home awards for favorite artist and album "21" between 2011 and 2012.
12 Billboard Music Awards
From a total of 20 nominations, she's taken home: Top Artist of the Year Top Female Artist of the Year Top Billboard 200 Artist of the Year Top Digital Songs Artist of the Year Top Radio Songs Artist of the Year Top Hot 100 Artist of the Year Top Digital Media Artist of the Year Top Pop Artist of the Year Top Streaming Song of the Year (Audio), "Rolling in the Deep" Top Alternative Song of the Year, "Rolling in the Deep" Top Billboard 200 Album of the Year, "21" Top Pop Album of the Year, "21"
4 Brit Awards
Her wins from nine nominations span from 2008 to 2013.
A Golden Globe for "Skyfall"
And, now, she has her first Oscar.
Now, here's the kicker.
Adele's managed to do all of this at the age of …
.................
...
Not 30.
..........
...
Not 27.
..........
...
Not even 25.
.................
...
Adele is 24 years old with an Oscar and nine Grammys.
She also had her first child, a baby boy, in October.
Adele told reporters after the Oscars she has some ideas for how she can go about earning the other two awards to gain her EGOT.
"Maybe I'll do an HBO special like Beyoncé did." she said. "And a Tony, I'm not so sure. Maybe someday I'll do a musical."
Perhaps they're taking requests?! As long rumored -- and wished-for! -- both Beyonce and husband Jay Z will indeed perform at the 2014 Grammys next Sunday, Jan. 26.
CBS quietly confirmed the highest-of-high-profile performers in a Sunday, Jan. 19 commercial which listed both Beyonce, 32, and Jay Z, 44, among the list of performers.
Making it all the more momentous? A source confirms exclusively to Us that the spouses of nearly six years will perform together!
No word yet on which tracks Blue Ivy's mom and dad might perform. Their latest collaboration -- which follows such classics as "03 Bonnie and Clyde" and "Crazy in Love" -- is "Drunk in Love," a lead single off Beyonce's self-titled smash fifth album, in which Jay Z guest-raps.
Other scheduled Grammys performers set to follow in their wake include Taylor Swift, Lorde, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Daft Punk, Paul McCartney, Katy Perry and Kendrick Lamar.
One more pop music royal expected at the Grammys? Madonna, who will reportedly provide guest vocals during one segment at next Sunday's awards fest as well -- although her name has not yet officially been posted among the night's performers.
Although Madonna and Beyonce are not expected to share the stage, the fellow divas are mutual fans. During a screening of her surprise Beyonce visual album, the younger singer explained: "I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire."
Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.The Grammy Awards are in their 56th year, which means there have been a whole lot of amazing memories over the last 5 decades.
Beyoncé always brings the moves, but in 2008, she brought them alongside a living legend: Tina Turner.
The pair's rendition of "Proud Mary" practically exploded heads, as did Turner's unstoppable silver-covered stems.
2. Green Goddess
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Jennifer Lopez must have worn a zillion green dresses since her 2000 Grammy appearance, but simply mention "green dress" and "J.Lo" to anyone now and her plunging gown still comes to mind.
The silk chiffon Versace gown definitely got people talking and the songstress later said she "had to have it," and, "Those fashion moments happen by mistake — you can’t plan things like that."
3. Such Great Heights
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Leave it to Pink to bring the circus to the Grammys! The daring songstress performed her hit "Glitter in the Air" while quite literally in the air in 2010.
She did some crazy acrobatics while dressed in a scandalous nude bodysuit and at one point turned upside down while hanging from the ceiling and continued to sing after being dunked in water (on purpose).
Awards season is in full swing and Hollywood’s best and brightest in all categories are being recognized for their work this year.
While we already saw the Golden Globes in early January and the Screen Actor’s Guild Awards last weekend, in just a few days, we’ll switch gears to music with the upcoming Grammy Awards on Sunday, Jan. 26.
One of the Grammys’ most revered awards goes to the Best New Artist of the year, an award that begin in 1960 — Macklemore and Ed Sheeran are among the nominees to win this year.
While the award is meant to recognize the next biggest star on the airwaves (such as The Beatles, who won the award in 1965), history has proven otherwise.
A majority of the winners for Best New Artist went on to have not-so-hot records, while their fellow nominees have earned millions through successful pop careers.
Let’s take a look at some of the most surprising losers and who took the trophy, instead.
1. LeAnn Rimes beat No Doubt
LeAnn Rimes had “Can’t Fight The Moonlight” and “How Do I?” No Doubt had the world singing along to ‘Hey Baby,” “Don’t Speak,” “Underneath It All,” and “Just A Girl.” PLUS, frontwoman Gwen Stefani went on to launch a successful solo career. It seems a little odd that LeAnn Rimes won over the L.A.M.B queen, but hey, she’s just a girl.
2. Christina Aguilera beat Britney Spears
Not as surprising, but equally interesting, is Christina Aguilera’s win over Britney Spears for Best New Artist. While both pop princesses got their start on the Mickey Mouse Club and had tremendously successful debut solo albums, Spears far surpasses Aguilera in net worth and studio albums.
3. Bon Iver beat Nicki Minaj
Oh, c’mon. Is this even a competition? Bon Iver may have won the Best New Artist Grammy, but he has been no match for the overwhelming commercial success of Nicki Minaj.
4. Amy Winehouse beat Taylor Swift
At the time, Taylor Swift didn’t seem like competition for the soulful Amy Winehouse when she won the award, but now everything Swift touches turns to gold.
5. Tom Jones beat Sonny and Cher
Tom Jones only had a couple hits, while Sonny and Cher captured the hearts of America with their music, television show, and later with Cher’s entire solo career spanning decades.
6. Norah Jones beat John Mayer
We don’t know why Norah Jones’ career hasn’t really taken off since her first album, but since her Best New Artist win, she doesn’t even compare to John Mayer’s multiple hits and tours.
7. Marc Cohn beat Boys II Men
Don’t know who Marc Cohn is? He’s responsible for that catchy tune “Walking in Memphis,” but that’s pretty much it. Boys II Men, on the other hand, went on to rule the pop industry with the rest of the mega-star boy bands of the ’90s and early 2000s.
8. Esperanza Spalding beat Justin Bieber
While Esperanza Spalding was the first jazz artist to win the award, she surprisingly beat out Justin Bieber, Drake, AND Florence + The Machine, making it one of the most surprising Best Artist wins in the history of the award. While Bieber, Drake, and Florence are all thriving in the pop industry, we haven’t heard much about Spalding since her win.
Beyoncé and Jay Z opened the Grammys with a performance of "Drunk in Love" off the singer's new album.
Beyoncé was stunning.
Check out the performance below:
Here are some shots from the performance:
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Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Jay Z and Beyoncé back to back.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.And two GIFs:Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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Here are the two after the performance:Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Pink had one of the most creative Grammy performances.
Rather than take to the stage, she took to the sky, swinging swiftly through the air showing off her gymnastic moves in an aerial performance of "Try."
Check it out below:
Photos from her performance:Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Record of the year "Get Lucky" -- Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers -- WINNER "Radioactive" -- Imagine Dragons "Royals" -- Lorde "Locked out of Heaven" -- Bruno Mars "Blurred Lines" -- Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell
Album of the year "The Blessed Unrest" -- Sara Bareilles "Random Access Memories" -- Daft Punk -- WINNER "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" -- Kendrick Lamar "The Heist" -- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis "Red" -- Taylor Swift Song of the year "Just Give Me a Reason" -- P!nk featuring Nate Ruess "Locked Out of Heaven" -- Bruno Mars "Roar" -- Katy Perry "Royals" -- Lorde -- WINNER "Same Love" -- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Best new artist James Blake Kendrick Lamar Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -- WINNER Kacey Musgraves Ed Sheeran
Best pop solo performance Sara Bareilles -- "Brave" Lorde -- "Royals" -- WINNER Bruno Mars -- "When I Was Your Man" Katy Perry -- "Roar" Justin Timberlake -- "Mirrors"
Best pop duo/group performance
Daft Punk featuring Pharrell Williams and Nile Rodgers -- "Get Lucky" -- WINNER P!nk featuring Nate Ruess -- "Just Give Me a Reason" Rihanna featuring Mikky Ekko -- "Stay" Robin Thicke featuring T.I. and Pharrell -- "Blurred Lines" Justin Timberlake and Jay Z -- "Suit & Tie"
Best pop instrumental album Herb Alpert -- "Steppin' Out" -- WINNER Boney James -- "The Beat" Earl Klugh -- "Handpicked" Dave Koz, Gerald Albright, Mindi Abair and Richard Elliot -- "Summer Horns" Jeff Lorber Fusion -- "Hacienda"
Best pop vocal album Lana Del Rey -- "Paradise" Lorde -- "Pure Heroine" Bruno Mars -- "Unorthodox Jukebox" -- WINNER Robin Thicke -- "Blurred Lines" Justin Timberlake -- "The 20/20 Experience -- The Complete Experience"
Best dance recording "Need U (100%)" -- Duke Dumont featuring A*M*E & MNEK "Sweet Nothing" -- Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch "Atmosphere" -- Kaskade "The is What it Feels Like" -- Armin Van Buuren featuring Trevor Guthrie "Clarity" -- Zedd featuring Foxes -- WINNER
Best dance/electronica album "Random Access Memories" -- Daft Punk -- WINNER "Settle" -- Disclosure "18 Months" -- Calvin Harris "Atmosphere" -- Kaskade "A Color Map of the Sun" -- Pretty Lights
Best traditional pop vocal album "Viva Duets" -- Tony Bennett and various artists "To Be Loved" -- Michael Bublé -- WINNER "The Standards" -- Gloria Estefan "Cee Lo's Magic Moment" -- Cee Lo Green "Now" -- Dionne Warwick
Best rock performance Alabama Shakes -- "Always Alright" David Bowie -- "The Stars (Are Out Tonight)" Imagine Dragons -- "Radioactive" -- WINNER Led Zeppelin -- "Kashmir" Queens of the Stone Age -- "My God is the Sun" Jack White -- "I'm Shakin' "
Best metal performances Anthrax -- "T.N.T." Black Sabbath -- "God is Dead?" -- WINNER Dream Theater -- "The Enemy Inside" Killswitch Engage -- "In Due Time" Volbeat featuring King Diamond -- "Room 24"
Best rock song "Ain't Messin' 'Round" -- Gary Clark Jr. "Cut Me Some Slack" -- Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic, Pat Smear -- WINNER "Doom and Gloom" -- The Rolling Stones "God Is Dead?" -- Black Sabbath "Panic Station" -- Muse
Best rock album Black Sabbath -- "13" David Bowie -- "The Next Day" Kings of Leon -- "Mechanical Bull" Led Zeppelin -- "Celebration Day" -- WINNER Queens of the Stone Age -- "... Like Clockwork" Neil Young with Crazy Horse -- "Psychedelic Pill"
Best alternative music album Neko Case -- "The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You" The National -- "Trouble Will Find Me" Nine Inch Nails -- "Hesitation Marks" Tame Impala -- "Lonerism" Vampire Weekend -- "Modern Vampires of the City" -- WINNER
Best R&B performance Tamar Braxton -- "Love and War" Anthony Hamilton -- "Best of Me" Hiatus Kaiytoe featuring Q-Tip -- "Nakamarra" Miguel featuring Kendrick Lamar -- "How Many Drinks?" Snarky Puppy with Lala Hathaway -- "Something" -- WINNER
Best traditional R&B performance Gary Clark Jr. -- "Please Come Home" -- WINNER Fantasia -- "Get It Right" Maysa -- "Quiet Fire" Gregory Porter -- "Hey Laura" Ryan Shaw -- "Yesterday"
Best R&B song "Best of Me" -- Anthony Hamilton "Love and War" -- Tamar Braxton "Only One" -- PJ Morton featuring Stevie Wonder "Pusher Love Girl" -- Justin Timberlake -- WINNER "Without Me" -- Fantasia featuring Kelly Rowland and Missy Elliott
Best urban contemporary album Tamar Braxton -- "Love and War" Fantasia -- "Side Effects of You" Salaam Remi -- "One: In the Chamber" Rihanna -- "Unapologetic" -- WINNER Mack Wilds -- "New York: A Love Story"
Best R&B album Faith Evans -- "R&B Divas" Alicia Keys -- "Girl on Fire" -- WINNER John Legend -- "Love in the Future" Chrisette Michele -- "Better" TGT -- "Three Kings"
Best rap performance Drake -- "Started From the Bottom" Eminem -- "Berserk" Jay Z -- "Tom Ford" Kendrick Lamar -- "Swimming Pools (Drank)" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Wanz -- "Thrift Shop" -- WINNER
Best rap/sung collaboration J. Cole featuring Miguel -- "Power Trip" Jay Z featuring Beyoncé -- "Part II (On the Run)" Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake -- "Holy Grail" -- WINNER Kendrick Lamar featuring Mary J. Blige -- "Now or Never" Wiz Khalifa featuring the Weeknd -- "Remember You"
Best rap song "F***in' Problems" -- A$AP Rocky featuring Drake, 2 Chainz and Kendrick Lamar "Holy Grail" -- Jay Z featuring Justin Timberlake "New Slaves" -- Kanye West "Started From the Bottom" -- Drake "Thrift Shop" -- Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -- WINNER
Best rap album Drake -- "Nothing Was the Same" Jay Z -- "Magna Carta ... Holy Grail" Kendrick Lamar -- "Good Kid, M.A.A.D City" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis -- "The Heist" -- WINNER Kanye West -- "Yeezus"
Best country solo performance Lee Brice -- "I Drive Your Truck" Hunter Hayes -- "I Want Crazy" Miranda Lambert -- "Mama's Broken Heart" Darius Rucker -- "Wagon Wheel" -- WINNER Blake Shelton -- "Mine Would Be You"
Best country duo/group performance The Civil Wars -- "From This Valley" -- WINNER Kelly Clarkson featuring Vince Gill -- "Don't Rush" Little Big Town -- "Your Side of the Bed" Tim McGraw, Taylor Swift and Keith Urban -- "Highway Don't Care" Kenny Rogers With Dolly Parton -- "You Can't Make Old Friends"
Best country song "Begin Again" -- Taylor Swift "I Drive Your Truck" -- Lee Brice "Mama's Broken Heart" -- Miranda Lambert "Merry Go 'Round" -- Kacey Musgraves -- WINNER "Mine Would Be You" -- Blake Shelton
Best country album Jason Aldean -- "Night Train" Tim McGraw -- "Two Lanes of Freedom" Kacey Musgraves -- "Same Trailer Different Park" -- WINNER Blake Shelton -- "Based on a True Story" Taylor Swift -- "Red"
Best Latin pop album Frankie J -- "Faith, Hope y Amor" Ricardo Montaner -- "Viajero Frecuente" Draco Rosa -- "Vida" -- WINNER Aleks Syntek -- "Syntek" Tommy Torres -- "12 Historias"
Best Latin rock, urban or alternative album Café Tacvba -- "El Objeto Antes Llamado Disco" El Tri -- "Ojo Por Ojo" Illya Kuryaki and the Valderramas -- "Chances" La Santa Cecilia -- "Treinta Dias" -- WINNER Los Amigos Invisibles -- "Repeat After Me"
Producer of the year, nonclassical Rob Cavallo Dr. Luke Ariel Rechtshaid Jeff Tweedy Pharrell Williams -- WINNER
Best compilation soundtrack for visual media "Django Unchained" "The Great Gatsby" (deluxe edition) "Les Miserables" (deluxe edition "Muscle Shoals" "Sound City: Real to Reel" -- WINNER
Best score soundtrack for visual media "Argo" "The Great Gatsby" "Life of Pi" "Lincoln" "Skyfall" -- WINNER "Zero Dark Thirty"
Best song written for visual media Coldplay -- "Atlas" -- "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire" Jessie J -- "Silver Lining" -- "Silver Linings Playbook" Adele -- "Skyfall" -- "Skyfall" -- WINNER Colbie Caillat featuring Gavin DeGraw -- "We Both Know" -- "Safe Haven" Lana Del Rey -- "Young and Beautiful" -- "The Great Gatsby" (deluxe edition) Regina Spektor -- "You've Got Time" -- "Orange is the New Black"
Best music video Captial Cities -- "Safe and Sound" Jay Z -- "Picasso Baby: A Performance Art Film" Macklemore & Ryan Lewis featuring Ray Dalton -- "Can't Hold Us" Justin Timberlake featuring Jay Z -- "Suit & Tie" -- WINNER Jack White -- "I'm Shakin'"
Best music film Coldplay -- "Live 2012" Green Day -- "¡Cuatro!" Ben Harper With Charlie Musselwhite -- "I'm in I'm Out and I'm Gone: The Making of Get Up!" Paul McCartney -- "Live Kisses" -- WINNER Mumford & Sons -- "The Road to Red Rocks"
Queen Latifah took the stage during Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' performance of "Same Love" at the 56th Annual Grammys to marry a 33 gay and straight couples.
Lewis told the New York Times the mass wedding "will be in our minds the ultimate statement of equality, that all the couples are entitled to the same exact thing."
Madonna also joined in near the end of the performance and ceremony.
Watch the performance below:
Here's how it went down: Macklemore came out on stage performing "Same Love."Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Near the end of the performance, Queen Latifah stepped out to join the couples in marriage.
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Here's the view from above of all the couples: Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
The ring exchange:Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view. Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
"By the power vested in me by the state of California, I now pronounce you a married couple!" Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Everyone got really emotional.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.Even singer Keith Urban was brought to tears.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.And Madonna came out (with a cane) to serenade everyone with her song, "Open Your Heart."Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
Taylor Swift may not have taken home any awards during Sunday night's Grammys, but she does win the prize for "best hair flipping head banger" for her performance of "All Too Well."
Around the 2:30 mark, Swift goes nuts. Watch below:
Given the group’s sonic ownership of last summer with Get Lucky, it seems apt that Daft Punk collaborators dominated last night’s Grammy Awards. They had a total of seven wins, including Album of the Year for Random Access Memories and Record of the Year for that ubiquitous single. But for all the evident popularity of the enigmatic French duo amongst younger audiences and the perennial hipness of collaborator Pharrell Williams, theirs was ultimately a victory for old school approaches to music.
The album was a loving homage to the funk, disco and soft rock music of the 1970s and 1980s. It was imbued with retro cool via the use of modular synths and the involvement of veteran musicians Giorgio Moroder and Nile Rodgers. A highly visible (and audible) nod to the past in the present, Random Access Memories can be seen as an ideal representation of the contemporary music world as celebrated by the Grammys.
Criticism of the Grammys tend to fall into a few well established areas. Probably the most consistent is that the awards merely represent the self-congratulation of the corporate music industry and underline the essentially commercial nature of music-making and consumption. But this could hardly be otherwise. An academy devoted to recorded sound is an academy that implicitly celebrates the commodification of music as inaugurated by Edison’s invention of the phonograph and Berliner’s of the gramophone.
Those fans and artists who look for the artistic in music and who criticise the Grammys for celebrating commercialism conveniently overlook the fact that they too access music via commodified forms. Perhaps the problem with the Grammys is the sight of commodification writ large, a monstrous reflection of that part of art that we’d rather not acknowledge.
Another line of critique forms around the Grammys’ focus on essentially mainstream, established music making – music shaped by the industry for industry recognition. Here, the lack of acknowledgement for genuinely new music is seen as problematic, especially so in the supposedly fast-moving world of pop. Given the eligibility dates for awards (1 October 2012 to 30 September 2013 for the latest ceremony), the New Artist category can seem rather behind the times and music that flashes up between cut-off date and ceremony inevitably misses out.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, the winner’s of this year’s New Artist award, were certainly new to the academy, but perhaps not new in pop terms; Macklemore has been releasing music for more than a decade. And Beyoncé might have been on fine form kicking off the main event with a performance alongside husband Jay-Z, but her latest self-titled album, released unexpectedly in December 2013, could not be considered for an award. Taylor Swift, also performing at this year’s awards, was nominated for an album released in late 2012.
Of course, there have to be cut-off points and Beyoncé and her record label know very well how these things work. There are prime times to strategise releases for Grammys, just as there are to capitalise on Christmas and other buying periods. But the time-lag only supports the suspicion of a rather slow-moving industry dragging out the happening in pop for longer than its audience might wish to allow.
Which brings us to perhaps the most fundamental criticism aimed at the Grammys. The industry module they recognise – that built up through the phonographic era of the 20th century – is one that is in the processing of being relegated to history. The changes that have taken place with the production, consumption and exchange of music in the internet age are not just about changes in attitude towards styles or genres of music; rather, they represent a seismic shift in the way in which people – especially, but not exclusively, young people – access music.
The Grammy, named after a nineteenth century invention, simply isn’t representative of the internet-driven manner in which music is now circulated and consumed. Maria Schneider – winner of the Contemporary Classical Composition award – used her acceptance speech to talk about the time spent creating take-down notices and fighting online music sharing. It was an emblematic moment that showed the tensions between old and new understandings of music consumption, and between creative artists and their audiences.
What all of this highlights is the way in which the Grammys showcase an essentially traditional, established world of music that either doesn’t feel the need to – or simply can’t – reflect the major challenges facing the industry. This is not an issue that those involved in film, theatre and television have had to deal with to the same extent, marking the Grammys as perhaps more out of touch than the Oscars, Tonys and Emmys.
But to make this point is also, arguably, to buy into the youth-oriented focus that has been placed on music – all genres of music – for more than half a century. Contemporary music’s indebtedness to tradition goes far beyond the recognition of “folk”, “country” or “traditional R&B” (all Grammy categories), as Led Zepplelin’s victory in the rock category proved conclusively. Perhaps instead we should see the Grammys as a space in which we witness musical worlds hardening into tradition.
Richard Elliott does not work for, consult to, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has no relevant affiliations.
Pharrell Williams may have taken home four Grammy awards last night — including Producer of the Year — but all anyone was talking about was his ridiculous, oversized Vivienne Westwood hat.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
First, it got its own Twitter account — @Pharrellhat — that in less than 24 hours has already amassed over 15,000 followers.
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Arby's quickly picked up on the fact that Pharrell's hat humorously resembled their logo:
If you've never heard of the country singer, here's a quick crash course on what you need to know about the Grammy winner.
Expect to hear a lot more from her in the future.
1. She's been around since 2008.
Musgraves stepped onto the country scene in '08 releasing her first self-titled indie album a year earlier. However, she didn't get any big recognition until last year when two singles "Apologize" and "See You Again" were released along with her Grammy-winning album, "Same Trailer Different Park."
This marked the first year the country singer was up for Grammys.
Musgraves co-wrote every song on the album.
2. She's older than Taylor Swift.
Don't let that kiddie frock fool you. At 25, Musgraves is a half a year older than Swift.
3. These are her most-listened-to songs.
Not familiar with Musgraves' music? These are her most-listened-to songs on Spotify:
The 56th Annual Grammy Awards took place last night and Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' “The Heist” beat out Kendrick Lamar’s critically-acclaimed “Good Kid, m.A.A.d. City” for best rap album.
Not only were rap fans displeased with this news, but it seems Macklemore himself felt it necessary to text an apology to Lamar, and then take a screen shot of that text and post it to Instagram.
On Instagram, Macklemore captioned the photo,
“My text to Kendrick after the show. He deserved best rap album… I’m honored and completely blown away to win anything much less 4 Grammys. But in that category, he should have won IMO. And that’s taking nothing away from The Heist. Just giving GKMC it’s proper respect.. With that being said, thank you to the fans. You’re the reason we were on that stage tonight. And to play Same Love on that platform was a career highlight. The greatest honor of all. That’s what this is about. Progress and art. Thank you. #grammys”
Here's the text. We imagine Lamar responded with a simple "K."
Daft Punk and Lorde were the big winners at the Grammys Sunday evening, but the big song everyone was listening to after the awards' show was one from Stevie Wonder.
Spotify tracked songs streamed from Sunday to Monday and found streams of Wonder's "Another Star" saw a 635% increase in the US, according to data shared with Business Insider.
Wonder performed the 1977 song with Record of the Year winners Daft Punk during the ceremony.
Daft Punk songs also saw saw an increase of 205% plays, according to the streaming service.
Here are artists who Spotify saw an increase in streaming activity for in that time frame. Most surprising is that a lot of people listened to Taylor Swift despite her heading out with any Grammy wins and that Kacey Musgraves — the country singer who beat out Swift for two awards — doesn't make the cut below.
Paul McCartney: 126%
Kendrick Lamar: 99%
Taylor Swift: 67%
Macklemore: 65%
Metallica: 63%
Keith Urban: 60%
Pharrell: 54%
Lorde: 46%
Imagine Dragons: 37%
Madonna: 28%
Katy Perry: 25%
Robin Thicke: 26%
Check out the Grammy performance of "Another Star" below:
International superstar Rihanna has released the music video for her new song, "FourFiveSeconds," featuring former Beatle Paul McCartney and rapper Kanye West. It's the first single from Rihanna's highly-anticipated eighth studio album.
