Grammys 2015: Sam Smith shines at the annual music awards

British singer Sam Smith wins Four Grammy Awards while Beck, Beyoncé and Pharrell also took home a haul

The British singer Sam Smith is celebrating after enjoying a fantastic night at the Grammy Awards, winning four of the top prizes.
Musical newcomer Smith dominated the 57th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday. The 22-year-old Stay With Me singer took home four Grammys, including song of the year, record of the year, best new artist, and pop vocal album.

Smith’s golden streak started early in the evening, with the 22-year-old crooner taking the first trophy of the night, the coveted best new artist award.

Smith, who also won best pop vocal album for The Lonely Hour, revealed that he only found success in music once he found his own voice.
Among his haul were the prestigious prizes for record and song of the year and best new artist.

In his final appearance on stage, Smith wryly thanked the former lover who inspired the music on his million-selling album “In the Lonely Hour.” “Thanks so much for breaking my heart, because you got me four Grammys,” he said.

There were also performances from Rihanna and Paul McCartney, Madonna, and Jessie J and Tom Jones, as Alastair Leithead reports from LA.

Beck’s Morning Phase has won album of the year at the 2015 Grammy awards. The US singer triumphed over competition from Beyoncé’s self-titled album, Ed Sheeran’s x, Sam Smith’s In the Lonely Hour and Pharrell’s Girl.

Beyonce Knowles and Pharrell Williams won early Grammy awards as the music industry gathered in Los Angeles to honor its best work

As the Grammys pre-show ended, Rosanne Cash led with three Grammys, while Beyonce, Pharrell, Eminem and Kendrick Lamar earned two awards apiece.

“Reagan was president last time I won a Grammy,” said Cash, who won best American roots performance, American roots song and Americana album Sunday. “I just showed up for work for 35 years and this is what happened.”

Lamar, who lost in seven categories last year, marked a redemption by winning best rap performance and rap song fori.

Beyonce won best R&B song for Drunk In Love and surround sound album for Beyonce. The album lost best urban contemporary album to Pharrell’s G I R L, with hitmaker picking up best music video for the ubiquitous jam, Happy.

Eminem won best rap album, beating Common and Iggy Azalea. He also won best rap/sung collaboration for The Monster with Rihanna. Chick Corea and the Frozen soundtrack also won two awards each.

Grammy performances put #blacklivesmatter centre stage

The stars of the Grammys took advantage of the event’s huge audience to pay tribute to the #blacklivesmatter movement that has swept the US following the shooting by police of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, in August and the killing by police of Eric Garner in Staten Island in July.

Beyoncé’s backing dancers performed the “hands up, don’t shoot” gesture, an image that became a powerful symbol of the protest movements after grand juries in Ferguson and Staten Island both declined to indict Brown’s and Garner’s killers.

The ceremony had already taken a turn for the political after a presidential video highlighting domestic violence was shown to the audience, but it was Ferguson that provided the most powerful political imagery.

Grammy awards 2015: list of winners

Record of the year: Stay With Me (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith

Song of the year: Stay With Me (Darkchild version) – Sam Smith

Album of the year: Beck – Morning Phase – WINNER

Best R&B performance: Drunk in Love – Beyoncé feat. Jay Z

Best country album: Platinum – Miranda Lambert

Best pop vocal album: In the Lonely Hour – Sam Smith

Best rock album: Morning Phase – Beck

Best pop solo performance: Happy (Live) – Pharrell Williams

Best new artist: Sam Smith 

Best traditional pop vocal album: Cheek To Cheek – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

Best dance recording: Rather Be – Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glynne

Best dance/electronic album: Syro – Aphex Twin

Best rock performance: Lazaretto – Jack White

Best rock song: Ain’t it Fun – Paramore

Best alternative music album: St Vincent – St Vincent

Best R&B song: Drunk in Love – Beyoncé feat. Jay Z

Best rap performance: i – Kendrick Lamar

Best rap/sung collaboration: The Monster – Eminem feat. Rihanna

Best rap song: i – Kendrick Lamar

Best urban contemporary album: Girl – Pharrell Williams –

Best rap album: The Marshall Mathers LP2 – Eminem

Producer of the year, non-classical: Paul Epworth

Best comedy album: Mandatory Fun – “Weird Al” Yankovic

Best spoken word album: Diary of a Mad Diva – Joan Rivers

Best country solo performance: Something in the Water – Carrie Underwood

Best country/duo group performance: Gentle on my Mind – the Band Perry

Best country song: I’m Not Gonna Miss You – Glen Campbell

Best compilation soundtrack for visual media: Frozen

Best song written for visual media: Let It Go – Idina Menzel (from Frozen)

Best remixed recording, non-classical: All Of Me (Tiesto’s Birthday Treatment Remix) – John Legend

Best music video: Happy – Pharrell Williams

Best pop duo/group performance: Say Something – A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera