The 59th annual Grammy awards took place on February 12, 2017 at 8 pm EST. The ceremony, which late night talk show host James Corden hosted, opened with Adele singing “Hello,” and James Corden doing a rap and dance number of his own.
The first winner of the evening was Chance the Rapper, who won the Grammy for Best New Artist. This was his first-ever Grammy award, and he gave all glory for this achievement to God. He is also the first Black hip-hop artist to win this category.
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Paris Jackson announced Daft Punk and The Weeknd’s performance. The crowd roared when she stepped on stage and she replied with, “We can really use this kind of excitement at a pipeline protest, guys. #NoDAPL.”
Other notable performances included Keith Urban and Carrie Underwood singing “Blue Ain’t Your Color,” Ed Sheeran singing his latest single, “Shape of You,” and Lukas Graham and Kelsea Ballerini doing a mashup of “Peter Pan” and “7 Years.” Beyoncé performed a medley of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” off her album Lemonade.
Lady Gaga teamed up with Metallica to perform the band’s “Moth into Flame.” Bruno Mars and The Time performed together, paying tribute to Prince, who passed away in last year in April. Adele returned to the stage to sing an emotional rendition of “Fast Love” by the late George Michael to pay tribute to him.
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Demi Lovato, Andra Day, Tori Kelly, and Little Big Town performed a medley of Bee Gees hits in honor of the 40th anniversary of Saturday Night Fever. Pentatonix then performed an acapella rendition of “ABC” by the Jackson 5.
Sturgill Simpson, who performed with the horn section of the Dap-Kings, won the Grammy for the Best Country Album for A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. Solange Knowles won her first Grammy for the Best R&B Performance for her song “Cranes in the Sky.”
Beyoncé’s Lemonade took home the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album. Maren Morris won the Grammy for the Best Solo Performance for “My Church.” “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots won Grammy for the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.
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David Bowie won in every category he was nominated in for Blackstar, his 25h and final album that was released January 8, 2016, just two days before his passing. Chance the Rapper won three Grammy Awards overall, including the aforementioned Best New Artist and Best Rap Album.
Adele walked away with five Grammy wins. 25 won Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year. “Hello” took the Grammy for Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. She dedicated her Record of the Year and Album of the Year to Beyoncé.
The Grammy Awards also present smaller awards that are not as widely discussed. Keith Hancock, a chorus teacher from California, won the Grammy’s Music Educator Award. Hymns That Are Important to Us by Joey and Rory won the Best Roots Gospel Album, a fitting tribute to Joey after her passing in 2016 from cancer.
Overall, it was night of celebrating the best music that emerged over the past year and paying tribute to musicians who have passed. There were political statements made in tasteful ways and performers who nailed their performances, even when microphones decided to fail at the beginning of a song. Congratulations to all of the winners and nominees!