Grammys 2019: Best moments and winners

BEST MOMENTS

After Camila Cabello’s opening performance of ‘Havana’ along with Young Thug, Ricky Martin, Arturo Sandoval and J Balvin, host Alicia Keys kicked off the ceremony joined by a handful of very special guests for an ode to music and sisterhood. Keys, Lady Gaga, Jada Pinkett Smith, Jennifer Lopez and Michelle Obama each told personal stories of how music changed their life. Thunderous cheers and applause erupted in the room as the former first lady used her moment on stage to speak of music as a pillar of strength and unity:

“From the Motown records I wore out on the South Side (of Chicago) to the ‘Who run the world’ songs that fuelled me through this last decade, music has always helped me tell my story. I know that’s true for everybody here. Whether we like country or rap or rock, music helps us share ourselves, our dignity and sorrows, our hopes and joys. It allows us to hear one another, to invite each other in. Music shows us that all of it matters, every story within every voice, every note within every song.”

Another moment that surely left a smile on everyone’s faces has to be the tribute to Dolly Parton, who was named Grammys’ 2019 MusiCares Person of the Year in honour of her charity work. The all-star performance saw the likes of Miley Cyrus, Kacey Musgraves, Katy Perry, Maren Morris, Little Big Town, as well as Parton herself performing some of her biggest hits.

Dolly Parton and her goddaughter Miley Cyrus share a moment on stage

“I always wanted to play two pianos,” said Alicia Keys as she opened the second half of the show. Needless to say, her wish was fulfilled. She expertly juggled two grand pianos with one hand on each, playing some of the songs that have inspired her through the years, including Nat King Cole’s ‘Unforgettable’, Roberta Flack’s Killing Me Softly, Lauryn Hill’s ‘Doo Wop (Than Thing)’ and Kings of Leon’s Use Somebody, before rounding it up with her very own ‘Empire State Of Mind’.

Alicia Keys with that dual piano flex #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/TEP0joEyA3

— UPROXX (@UPROXX) February 11, 2019

Drake’s appearance at the Grammys probably raised a few eyebrows at the beginning of the evening, seeing how the rapper is a vocal critique of the Grammys. We reckon he showed up just so he can give this speech after he won best rap song for ‘God’s ‘Plan’:

“I want to take this opportunity while I’m up here to just talk to all the kids that are watching this that are aspiring to do music, all my peers that make music from their heart, that do things pure and tell the truth. I want to let you know we play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport. So it’s not the NBA where at the end of the year you’re holding a trophy because you made the right decisions and won the games.”

“This is a business where sometimes it’s up to a bunch of people that might not understand, you know, what a mixed-race kid from Canada has to say or a fly Spanish girl from New York or anybody else. The point is, you’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you’re a hero in your hometown. Look, look if there is people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending…”

That is as far as he got before his mic was abruptly cut off. The show producers later explained that it wasn’t deliberate, because he took a pause and they thought he was done. Hmmm.

Kacey Musgraves and Childish Gambino’s ‘This Is America’ emerge the night’s biggest winners with four awards each. Musgraves took home the covetable title of Album of the Year, while ‘This Is America’ makes history by being the first rap song to win both song and record of the year. Speaking of firsts, BTS became the first K-pop group to present at the Grammys, where they handed the Best R&B album award to H.E.R. The hugely popular group also had their album Love Yourself: Tear nominated in the category of best recording package.

BTS looking sharp on the red carpet

FULL LIST OF WINNERS

Album Of The Year Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves

Record Of The Year “This Is America,” Childish Gambino

Best New Artist Dua Lipa

Best Rap Album Invasion Of Privacy, Cardi B

Best R&B Album H.E.R., H.E.R.

Best Rap Song “God’s Plan,” Drake

Best Country Album Golden Hour, Kacey Musgraves

Song Of The Year “This Is America,” Childish Gambino

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance “Shallow,” Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical Pharrell Williams

Best Rap/Sung Performance “This Is America,” Childish Gambino

Best Rap Performance King’s Dead, Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future & James Blake / Bubblin, Anderson .Paak

Best Rock Album From The Fires, Greta Van Fleet

Best Rock Song “Masseduction,” St. Vincent

Best Metal Performance Electric Messiah, High On Fire

Best Rock Performance When Bad Does Good, Chris Cornell

Best Urban Contemporary Album Everything Is Love, The Carters

Best R&B Song “Boo’d Up,” Ella Mai

Best Traditional R&B Performance Bet Ain’t Worth The Hand, Leon Bridges / How Deep Is Your Love, Pj Morton Featuring Yebba

Best R&B Performance “Best Part,” H.E.R. Featuring Daniel Caesar

Best Latin Jazz Album Back To The Sunset, Dafnis Prieto Big Band

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album American Dreamers: Voices Of Hope, Music Of Freedom, John Daversa Big Band Featuring Daca Artists

Best Jazz Instrumental Album Emanon, The Wayne Shorter Quartet

Best Jazz Vocal Album The Window, Cécile Mclorin Salvant

Best Improvised Jazz Solo Don’t Fence Me In, John Daversa

Best Reggae Album 44/876, Sting & Shaggy

Best Dance/Electronic Album Woman Worldwide, Justice

Best Dance Recording “Electricity,” Silk City & Dua Lipa Featuring Diplo & Mark Ronson

Best Contemporary Classical Composition Kernis: Violin Concerto, James Ehnes, Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony

Best Classical Compendium Fuchs: Piano Concerto ‘Spiritualist’; Poems Of Life; Glacier; Rush, Joann Falletta

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album Songs Of Orpheus – Monteverdi, Caccini, D’india & Landi, Karim Sulayman

Best Classical Instrumental Solo Kernis: Violin Concerto, James Ehnes

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance Anderson, Laurie: Landfall, Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet

Best Choral Performance Mcloskey: Zealot Canticles, Donald Nally

Best Opera Recording Bates: The (R)Evolution Of Steve Jobs, Michael Christie, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Sasha Cooke, Edward Parks & Jessica E. Jones

Best Orchestral Performance Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11, Andris Nelsons

Producer Of The Year, Classical Blanton Alspaugh

Best Engineered Album, Classical Shostakovich: Symphonies Nos. 4 & 11, Andris Nelsons & Boston Symphony Orchestra

Best Pop Vocal Album Sweetener, Ariana Grande

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album My Way, Willie Nelson

Best Pop Solo Performance Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?), Lady Gaga

Best Country Song “Space Cowboy,” Kacey Musgraves

Best Country Duo/Group Performance Tequila, Dan + Shay

Best Country Solo Performance “Butterflies,” Kacey Musgraves

Best Music Film Quincy, Quincy Jones

Best Music Video “This Is America,” Childish Gambino

Best Regional Roots Music Album No ‘Ane’I, Kalani Pe’a

Best Tropical Latin Album Anniversary, Spanish Harlem Orchestra

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano) ¡México Por Siempre!, Luis Miguel

Best Latin Rock, Urban Or Alternative Album Aztlán, Zoé

Best Latin Pop Album Sincera, Claudia Brant

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling) Faith – A Journey For All, Jimmy Carter

Best Children’s Album All The Sounds, Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats

Best Folk Album All Ashore, Punch Brothers

Best Contemporary Blues Album Please Don’t Be Dead, Fantastic Negrito

Best Traditional Blues Album The Blues Is Alive And Well, Buddy Guy

Best Bluegrass Album The Travelin’ Mccourys, The Travelin’ Mccourys

Best Americana Album By The Way, I Forgive You, Brandi Carlile

Best American Roots Song The Joke, Brandi Carlile

Best American Roots Performance The Joke, Brandi Carlile

Best New Age Album Opium Moon, Opium Moon

Best Song Written For Visual Media “Shallow,” Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media Black Panther, Ludwig Göransson

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media The Greatest Showman, Hugh Jackman (& Various Artists)

Best World Music Album Freedom, Soweto Gospel Choir

Best Roots Gospel Album Unexpected, Jason Crabb

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album Look Up Child, Lauren Daigle

Best Gospel Album Hiding Place, Tori Kelly

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song “You Say,” Lauren Daigle

Best Gospel Performance/Song “Never Alone,” Tori Kelly Featuring Kirk Franklin

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album Steve Gadd Band, Steve Gadd Band

Best Immersive Audio Album Eye In The Sky – 35th Anniversary Edition, The Alan Parsons Project

Best Remixed Recording “Walking Away (Mura Masa Remix),” Haim

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical Colors, Beck

Best Historical Album Voices Of Mississippi: Artists And Musicians Documented By William Ferris

Best Album Notes Voices Of Mississippi: Artists And Musicians Documented By William Ferris

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package Squeeze Box: The Complete Works Of “Weird Al” Yankovic, Weird Al Yankovic

Best Recording Package “Masseduction,” St. Vincent

Best Arrangement, Instruments And Vocals “Spiderman Theme,” Randy Waldman Featuring Take 6 & Chris Potter

Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Cappella “Stars And Stripes Forever,” John Daversa Big Band Featuring Daca Artists

Best Instrumental Composition Blut Und Boden (Blood And Soil), Terence Blanchard

Best Alternative Music Album “Colors,” Beck

Best Musical Theater Album The Band’s Visit, Original Broadway Cast

Best Comedy Album Equanimity & The Bird Revelation, Dave Chappelle