The 64th annual Grammy Awards took place on Sunday night at Las Vegas. It was originally scheduled to be presented in Los Angeles on January 31, but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The show held in Las Vegas for the first time at the MGM Grand Garden Arena and Trevor Noah returned as the host. A majority of the awards were presented at the premiere ceremony which held before the telecast.
Rodrigo, BTS, Lil Nas X, Silk Sonic, Billie Eilish, J Balvin, Carrie Underwood and Lady Gaga amongst others performed at the event. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine made a surprise appearance, appealing for help and a performance by John Legend of his song “Free” followed. The show remembered Taylor Hawkins, the drummer for the Foo Fighters who died in late March, during the in memoriam segment, which featured songs by Stephen Sondheim.
Jazzman and bandleader Jon Batiste led the night with five awards including Album of the Year. Retro act Silk Sonic, the group project of Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak won four awards including Record and Song of the Year while Pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo won three awards and was named Best New Artist.
Below is a list of some of the winners of the 64th annual Grammy Awards:
Best Country Song
“Cold,” Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon and Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
Best New Age Album
“Divine Tides,” Stewart Copeland and Ricky Kej
Best Improvised Jazz Solo
“Humpty Dumpty (Set 2),” Chick Corea, soloist
Best Global Music Performance
Mohabbat,” Arooj Aftab
Best Global Music Album
“Mother Nature,” Angelique Kidjo
Best Instrumental Composition
“Eberhard,” Lyle Mays, composer (Lyle Mays)
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
“Meta Knight’s Revenge (From ‘Kirby Superstar’),” Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band featuring Button Masher)
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
“To The Edge Of Longing (Edit Version),” Vince Mendoza, Arranger (Vince Mendoza, Czech National Symphony Orchestra and Julia Bullock)
Best Recording Package
“Pakelang,” Li Jheng Han and Yu, Wei, Art Directors (2nd Generation Falangao Singing Group and the Chairman Crossover Big Band)
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
“All Things Must Pass: 50th Anniversary Edition,” Darren Evans, Dhani Harrison and Olivia Harrison, art directors (George Harrison)
Best Album Notes
” The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-1966,” Ricky Riccardi, album notes writer (Louis Armstrong)
Best Historical Album
“Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967),” Patrick Milligan and Joni Mitchell, compilation producers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Joni Mitchell)
Best Music Video
“Freedom,” (Jon Batiste); Alan Ferguson, video director; Alex P. Willson, video producer.
The 64th edition of the Grammy Awards had some surprises in major categories as nominated Nigerian artistes Wizkid, Femi Kuti and Made Kuti lost out of the race to win Best Global Music Album and Best Global Music Performance.
