Adele sweeps Grammys in shock victory over Beyonce
LOS ANGELES: Adele won the top three Grammy awards on Sunday, taking home the statuettes for album, record and song of the year in a shock victory over Beyonce.
Adele won all five Grammys for which she was nominated, including for her comeback album “25” and her single “Hello”.
Beyonce, who had gone into Sunday’s awards show with a leading nine nominations for her “Lemonade” album, won just two.
“My queen and my idol is Queen B. I adore you,” Adele said to Beyonce as she accepted her award.
“The ‘Lemonade’ album was so monumental,” she added.
Beyonce and Adele also had the most talked- about moments on a night marked by political statements, an emotional tribute to British pop star George Michael, and a rocking memorial to pioneering funk musician Prince.
In her first public appearance since her announcement 12 days ago that she is expecting twins, Beyonce donned a sheer, glittering gold dress and halo to sing ballads “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” from her album “Lemonade”.
Moments later, Adele literally stopped the show after flubbing the start of a tribute to the late British pop star Michael.
“I’m sorry. I know it’s live TV,” she said, cursing, stopping her slow ballad version of Michael’s “Fastlove” and asking to start again. “I can’t mess this up for him (Michael),” she said.
Adele, 28, was competing headon with Beyonce, 35, the only other artist to be nominated this year for all three top awards — album, song and record of the year.
Chance the Rapper was named best new artist while Twenty One Pilots won the Grammy for best pop duo/group performance for “Stressed Out”.
The other big Grammy winner was late British singer David Bowie, who won all five of the nominations for his final album “Blackstar”, including best rock song. Bowie, who was always more recognised in his native Britain than in his adopted home the United States, was controversial ly passed over for Album of the Year.
B u t “Blackstar” won in its five categories -including Best Rock Song, Best Rock Performance, Best Alternative Music Album and best engineering on a non-classical album.
“Blackstar” also won Best Package, for Jo na t h a n Barnbrook. Bowie released “Blackstar” on his 69th birthday in January 2016, just two days before he died from a previously undisclosed battle with cancer. The album showed Bowie, famous for his chameleon- like skill in adapting to new genres, to be musically innovative until Recording artist the end.
He collaborated on “Blackstar” with the avant- garde jazz saxophonist Donny McCaslin, whose instrument duels in the songs with Bowie’s voice.
“I’m a better artist and a better person for having known him,” an emotional McCaslin, wearing a “Blackstar” T- shirt under his suit, said as he accepted one of the awards. — Reuters