2012 Grammy Awards Wrap-Up

February is awards season, when the biggest stars come together in Los Angeles to celebrate the biggest successes in entertainment. The Grammys, of course, celebrate the year’s best musical artists and their albums. However, this year’s ceremony was also forced to address the tragic death of one of the music industry’s finest, Whitney Houston, who passed away this weekend at a Beverly Hills hotel.
 
Not surprisingly, Adele won big with six golden gramophones. Her powerhouse album “21” was the year’s best-seller and won best pop vocal album. The heart-wrenching “Someone Like You” captured her best pop solo performance and “Rolling in the Deep” was named song of the year. Adele also performed the hit live for the first time since undergoing vocal chord surgery, which she mentioned in her emotional acceptance speech. The Foo Fighters were also big winners, finishing the night with five awards and a strong finish for rock music.

 
Along with Adele’s, the ceremony also featured performances from top artists like Chris Brown and perennial favorites Bruce Springsteen and Paul McCartney. The night marked the first time Brown had performed on-stage since 2009, when he was forced to drop out after assault charges stemming from his highly-publicized fight with Rihanna, who also performed that night. Brown also won best R&B album and thanked his fans for sticking with him through his difficulties.
 

The always over-the-top Nicki Minaj also performed, but her controversial exorcism-themed number garnered extremely negative reception. She lost best new artist to indie favorite Bon Iver. Other surprise winners included dubstep pioneer Skrillex. The DJ also known as Sonny Moore won three awards and fellow electro favorite Deadmau5 was also in attendance. The 2012 ceremony is one of the first that has begun to feature the electronic music that is so popular on our college campuses.

 
The festivities also included an Alicia Keys tribute to jazz legend Etta James, a Beach Boys reunion, and a farewell performance by country star Glen Campbell. The most powerful performance, however, was Jennifer Hudson’s moving rendition of Whitney Houston’s classic, “I Will Always Love You.” Hudson wore black and fought back tears, as did many artists across the music spectrum. Houston was a close friend to many in the industry, as well as a source of inspiration. The cause of her sudden death on the eve of the 2012 Grammys has yet to be determined. 

All photos from Google.