Entertainment

GRAMMY AWARDS 2015

BRITISH SINGER SAM SMITH STAR OF EVENING

USPA NEWS - Sam Smith was star of the night, with four awards, including record and song of the year and new artist of the year. The 57th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday were a mix of old songs and new faces. The 22-year-old British singer barely known to America audiences a year ago, won 3 of the 4 top prizes.
On the other hand, Beck became victor of album of the year. Mr. Smith took best artist as well as both record and song of the year for "Stay With Me,"a moody ballad that became a smash on pop radio stations all over Europe as well as in the United States.
"I weant to thank the man who this rdcord is about," Mr. Smith said when accepting the prize for record of the year. "Thank you so much for breaking my heart, because you got me four Grammys."
Besides those awards, Smith also won best vocal album, for "In The Lonely Hour," one of last year's biggest hits.
Beck's win, for "Morning Phase," was a classic Grammy surprise, as the awards' voters chose a modest-selling but critically admired album in a rock context over bigger pop hits. Among its competitors were Smith's "In The Lonely Hour"; Beyonce's self-titled, multimedia album; and Ed Sheeran's "x," a hit around the world on streaming services like Spotify.
Among the night's winners, Pharrell Williams took home three prizes: "Happy" won best music video and, in a live version, best pop solo performance, while "GIRL" won best urban contemporary album.
Beyoncé, who like Mr. Smith had been up for a total of six awards, also won three: best R&B performance and R&B song, for “Drunk in Love,“ and best surround sound album, for “Beyoncé.“
Accepting the award for best R&B performance, Beyoncé thanked God and her husband, Jay Z, who appears on the track. But she made sure to thank her fans as well, with whom she keeps in constant contact through social media.
Kendrick Lamar and Eminem split the four rap trophies. Mr. Lamar, a fast-rising young star who had walked away empty-handed last year, took best performance and song this year for “I.“ Eminem won best rap album for “The Marshall Mathers LP 2“ and shared best rap/sung collaboration with Rihanna, for “The Monster.“
In the rock categories, Jack White took best performance for his album “Lazaretto,“ and the comedy-rock duo Tenacious D beat out Anthrax, Motörhead, Mastodon and Slipknot for best metal performance. Paramore´s “Ain´t It Fun“ won best rock song, and the singer St. Vincent´s self-titled release took best alternative album.
Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga sang “Cheek to Cheek,“ an 80-year-old song by Irving Berlin; their album by that title also won best traditional pop vocal album. Beyoncé sang the gospel hymn “Precious Lord, Take My Hand,“ dressed in diaphanous white and surrounded by a company with outstretched hands.
Annie Lennox of Eurythmics joined Hozier, a 24-year-old Irish singer-songwriter, for his song “Take Me to Church“ and then sang an intense version of Screamin´ Jay Hawkins´s 1957 song “I Put a Spell on You“ that seemed to grip the stars in the front rows. After singing his song “Thinking Out Loud,“ Mr. Sheeran, 23, joined the reunited Electric Light Orchestra for their 1970s number “Mr. Blue Sky.“
This year, lifetime achievement awards went to the Bee Gees, George Harrison, the classical conductor and composer Pierre Boulez, the blues guitarist Buddy Guy and Flaco Jiménez.
Held at the Staples Center,the show was broadcast by CBS.
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