Music’s Biggest Night – Winners, Performances, Ratings

Missed this year’s Grammys? Well, so did a lot of people, (24.95 million viewers tuned in, which is a 9.4% decline compared to last year and the lowest number since 2009) but do not worry for a second, because we are here to fill you in on all the most important moments of the event.

Starting with the winners, Kendrick Lamar tops the list this year with 5 wins (Best Rap Album, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Rap Song, Best Rap Performance and Best Music Video), followed by Alabama Shakes with 4 (Best Rock Performance, Best Alternative Music Album, Best Rock Song and Best Engineered Album/Non Classical). As for the main categories, Taylor Swift took home the trophy for Album of the Year (for “1989”), becoming the first female artist to be crowned the winner is that category twice. Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” was chosen as the Record of the Year, while Ed Sheeran and Amy Wadge were victorious in the Song of the Year category for “Thinking Out Loud”. Lastly, Meghan Trainor, who took the charts by storm with her hit single “All About that Bass,” was named the Best New Artist.

Moving on to the show itself, this year’s Grammys featured a live performance from Broadway for the very first time… And it was fantastic! Hamilton Cast lived up to the expectations of both the audience and the critics, becoming one of the most talked-about moments of the evening. Both the B. B. King (Chris Stapleton, Bonnie Raitt and Gary Clark Jr.) and David Bowie (Lady Gaga) tributes also earned high praise, while Taylor Swift’s opening number was called “flawless” by Billboard’s Joe Lynch. Other highlights included the all-star Lionel Richie (John Legend, Demi Lovato, Meghan Trainor, Luke Bryan, Tyrese & Richie) tribute, Alabama Shakes’ performance of “Don't Wanna Fight” and an Andra Day/Ellie Goulding collaboration, however, none of the aforementioned performances were lauded as much as Kendrick Lamar’s. The 28 year old rapper closed the 58th Grammy Awards with a spectacular number, which will undoubtedly go down in history.

Overall, the 2016 edition of Grammy Awards was met with mildly positive reviews from critics, with praise focused on the performances and the criticism – on the ceremonial part of the telecast.

You can check out the full list of winners on Grammys.com

Beqa Kirtava