From the moment Lady Gaga took the stage in a Tinkerbell-inspired ensemb through Taylor Swift closing out the night becoming the youngest musician ever to win Album of the Year for her multi-platinum Fearless, the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards broadcast wasn’t short on high notes.
Here are some of our favorite moments, along with the Recording Academy’s Official List of Winners.
Lady Gaga and Elton John
The reigning pop diva making waves worldwide and the iconic rock legend got things off to a rockin start, with Lady Gaga performing her “Poker Face” solo and then joining Elton John for a mash-up of his “Your Song” and her “Speechless.”
They even altered some of the lyrics, with John singing, “How wonderful life is with Gaga in the world.”
Bonus: Lady Gaga’s outfits were the talk of the red carpet and the auditorium, including her custom-made Giorgio Armani Privi gown that some compared to a space orbit. Lady Gaga’s at the center of the music universe right now, so that might be appropriate!
Beyonce is Fierce
Though Beyonce didn’t take home Album of the Year, The I Am . . . Sasha Fierce singer was still the big winner of the night, taking home six Grammys – the most ever for a female artist in one Grammy night.
Her first big win of the night was for Song of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” which also won props for Best R&B song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance. Beyonce also won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Halo” and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for “At Last.” Sasha Fierce was named the Best Contemporary R&B Album.
She also gave a dynamite performance, teaming up her “If I Were a Boy” with a cover of “Alanis Morissette’s “You Oughta Know.”
Pink Makes a Splash
Without a doubt one of the most-talked about Grammy performances was Pink’s “Glitter in the Air,” which her label released today as her newest single. Wrapping herself in stretches of silk suspended from the Staple Center ceiling, Pink dazzled the audience and home viewers alike with her Cirque du Soleil style acrobatic feats, twisting and turning through the air throughout her song and even plunging into a pool of water, all the while giving an amazing vocal performance.
Kings of Leon
After winning three Grammys last night, Kings of Leon’s bassist Matthew Followill said “It’s really weird, because this is our fourth album, and it seems like in America it was our first album.”
Recognition is better late than never, right? Kings of Leon took home Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song and even Record of the Year for “Use Somebody.”
The Zac Brown Band
The Zac Brown Band won Best New Artist, beating out Keri Hilson, MGMT, Silversun Pickups and The Ting Tings.
They brought country-flair to the Grammys, performing a medley of songs including their own “Chicken Fried” as well as “America the Beautiful.”
A Tribute to Michael Jackson
No one can dispute that the voices behind the Michael Jackson tribute were powerful. Featuring Celine Dion, Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Usher and Carrie Underwood, “Earth Song” deservedly received one of the night’s standing Os. Far more noteworthy than the special effects (the song was broadcast in 3D), the tribute concluded with two of Michael’s children, Paris and Prince Michael, accepting a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award on their father’s behalf. During Michael’s lifetime, he famously shielded them from the spotlight and their appearance at the Grammys had many buzzing about whether Michael would want them on stage. Regardless, the tribute was definitely befitting the King of Pop.
Taylor’s Impossible Becomes Possible
“I just keep thinking back to when you’re in second grade, and you sing at your talent show for the first time, and people joke around and they say, ‘Oh, maybe we’ll see you at the Grammys someday,’” said Taylor as she accepted an award for Best Country Album. “But that seems like an impossible dream. I feel like I’m standing here accepting an impossible dream right now and I thank you so much for that.”
She also won Best Country Song and Best Country Vocal Performance in addition to becoming the youngest musician to win Album of the Year in Grammy history.
She graced the stage to perform her new single, “Today Was a Fairytale,” and also performed a duet with Stevie Nicks of Fleetwood Mac’s Rhiannon and Swift’s own “You Belong With Me.”
Your Favorites
What were your favorite moments of the night? Black Eyed Peas, Green Day, and the Haiti Relief song featuring Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli were also all noteworthy.
Anyone who you think should have won but didn’t? Check out the official full list of nominees and winners here and share your thoughts!
Tags: Grammys, Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band
I think everybody expects this star to create more succesfull songs.