For the past 55 years, the Grammy Awards has celebrated musical accomplishments with an elaborate ceremony to honor the artists. On Feb. 10, musical giants and other celebrities gathered for “Music’s Biggest Night” as 28 million people worldwide watched and listened eagerly.
Hosted by LL Cool J in the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the show featured performances by Taylor Swift, Miguel and Frank Ocean, among others.
Swift opened the show with a memorable presentation of her hit song “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together.”
“I loved T-Swift’s performance,” said junior Rick Roy. “She’s always solid, but [Swift] really impressed me at the start of the show.”
This set the scene for a night of impressive live performances including musical legend Elton John joined up-and-coming British artist Ed Sheeran to sing Sheeran’s “The A Team.”
Justin Timberlake and Jay-Z performed Timberlake’s new single “Suit & Tie” in front of the Grammy crowd. Timberlake had previously been on a five year hiatus from music before releasing the song.
“JT hasn’t had a new song in a while and it was a good comeback,” said junior Mohith Subbarao. “He’s a really good performer. He was dancing and singing at the same time and made it look effortless.”
The night also held a tribute to the late reggae star Bob Marley. Bruno Mars, Rihanna, Sting and Marley’s two sons performed a trio of songs in dedication to Marley and his contributions to the music industry.
Toward the end of the show, Frank Ocean sang “Forrest Gump” in his first performance on the Grammy stage. Accompanied by a piano and a projector, he sang while a video of Ocean running played in the background.
The night ended with another tribute, this one to late hip-hop icon Adam Yaunch of the Beastie Boys. Host LL Cool J, emcee Chuck D (of Public Enemy), guitarist Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine), drummer Travis Barker (of Blink-182) and DJ Z-Trip performed the classic Beastie Boys song “No Sleep Till Brooklyn.”
The 55th annual Grammy Awards was as, per usual, an eventful and exciting night for music fans and artists around the world. With the night over, many artists solidified their place in the music industry while others found a foothold into relevancy.
