Monday, February 09, 2015

Watch AC/DC Kick Off Grammys With Devilishly Explosive Medley

Watch AC/DC Kick Off Grammys With Devilishly Explosive Medley:

AC/DC set the Grammy Awards on their own "Highway to Hell" with their explosive opening performance, starting as LL Cool J introduced them. The Aussie hard rockers blasted the audience with the title track of their latest album, last year's Rock or Bust. In standard form for the group, frontman Brian Johnson gyrated in his signature Andy Capp hat, as lead guitarist Angus Young headbanged and duck-walked in his schoolboy uniform.

As soon as they finished with that tune, Young blared out the opening chords to "Highway to Hell" and Johnson grinned from ear to ear. The whole audience donned light-up devil horns, including Katy Perry who gave the devil-horns with her fingers, as some pyro lit things up behind them. Even Tony Bennett –who, along with his date for the night, Lady Gaga, was not be-horned – seemed to be enjoying himself. When LL Cool J came back to host, he called the performance "devilishly good."

AC/DC have won only one Grammy Award in their career, for the Black Ice song "War Machine" in 2010. In November, the Australian hard rockers released Rock or Bust, their first album without rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young, who backed out of the band to battle dementia. His nephew, Stevie Young, played on the album and is performing live with the group.

The release was marred by the arrest of drummer Phil Rudd who was charged with drug possession and threatening to kill in New Zealand last November. His role in the band has been a point of speculation since then. "I'm going back to work with AC/DC, and I don't care who likes it and who doesn't," Rudd said in an interview with New Zealand's One News a month after the arrest.

The medley marked the group's first new performance with past AC/DC drummer Chris Slade. Prior to their Grammys performance, rumors sparked online that Slade, who played on the band's 1990 LP The Razors Edge and departed in 1994, would be behind the kit at the awards show.

Blabbermouth reported that the drummer, who had recently been playing in an AC/DC tribute group, had postponed a meet-and-greet (oddly scheduled at an optometrist's clinic) because of "big news" regarding his career. The drummer confirmed the news the day before the Grammys, according to Blabbermouth.

Slade also confirmed that he will join the band on their upcoming tour, which will take place after a headlining gig at Coachella in April. He'll replace Rudd, whose next court appearance is scheduled for April.

In happier news, 2015 marks the 35th anniversary of Back in Black, the band's first with lead singer Brian Johnson.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:09 PM
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Watch Ariana Grande's Poignant Performance at the Grammy Awards

Watch Ariana Grande's Poignant Performance at the Grammy Awards:

Ariana Grande made her Grammy Awards debut with the power ballad "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart." Backed by several violinists, Grande let her massive voice take center stage and brought the drama for the earnest song. It's a huge shift from the more dance-driven singles she's been touting lately and that have won producer Max Martin his Producer of the Year award. "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart" was co-written by One Direction's Harry Styles.

This is the former Nickelodeon star's first year as a nominee at the Grammy Awards, where she was nominated for two awards. While her 2014 album My Everything earned a nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album, her collaboration with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj, "Bang Bang," also garnered recognition in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Jessie J's all-star jam "Bang Bang" had been Grande's most frequent awards show number, though she did treat fans to "Love Me Harder" with duet partner the Weeknd at the American Music Awards and Saturday Night Live.

Grande will also be making an appearance at the special Grammy program Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute next week. She'll be joined by the Band Perry, Usher, Ed Sheeran and more who will honor Wonder by singing some of his most famous hits.

On February 25th, Grande will kick off her Honeymoon Tour in Independence, Missouri, with British pop group Rixton joining her in both North America and Europe. Following her tour, Grande will return to TV in a recurring role in Ryan Murphy's latest horror anthology Scream Queens. The show stars Glee's Lea Michele and True Blood's Joe Manganiello and will debut this fall.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:09 PM
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Katy Perry on Super Bowl: 'God Said, 'You Got This''

Katy Perry on Super Bowl: 'God Said, 'You Got This'':

Katy Perry got some last minute encouragement from the big man upstairs before her performance at last week's Super Bowl Halftime Show — a message confirmed and reiterated by a corporeal form while she was onstage.

"I was praying and I got a word from God and he says, ‘You got this and I got you,'" Perry told E!'s Ryan Seacrest on the Red Carpet before the Grammy Awards. "And then I was on top of the lion and a random guy looked at me with a headset that I’d never communicated with before, he looked me straight in the eyes and said 'You got this.' And I was like, 'Oh, that’s God confirming I can do this!'"

Perry also detailed the exhaustive amount of work that went into her halftime performance. "We got to prepare for a whole month," she said. "Before I stepped on that stage last Sunday at the Super Bowl I had done it over 40 times, so it was almost like I was so used to it — that's why people were saying that I looked so relaxed... I overprepared myself and did a lot of prayer and meditation." Even with all that practice, Perry was so determined to keep a cool, clear head before her performance that she declined to watch any of the big game until it was over.

Though it's only been a week since her Super Bowl Halftime Show, Perry will take the stage at the Grammys for a performance of Prism closer "By the Grace of God." Perhaps in response to the criticism the NFL has come under this year for its poor handling of domestic abuse cases involving high profile players, Perry has enlisted activist and domestic abuse survivor, Brooke Axtell, to read a written-word piece during her Grammys performance.

Perry was also nominated for two Grammys this year, though her single with Juicy J, "Dark Horse," was already bested by A Great Big World and Christina Aguilera's "Say Something" for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:08 PM
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Watch Miranda Lambert Perform High-Speed 'Red Wagon' at Grammy Awards

Watch Miranda Lambert Perform High-Speed 'Red Wagon' at Grammy Awards:

Following opening performances by AC/DC, Ariana Grande and an unlikely duet between Tom Jones and Jessie J, Miranda Lambert gave the 2015 Grammy Awards its first dose of country twang (and pyrotechnics), ripping through her current single, "Little Red Wagon," at highway speed.


Lambert, who launched a cross-country arena tour last month, took the stage with her beefed-up road band, whose newer members include fellow Platinum blonde (and former Top 40 country hit-maker) Carolyn Dawn Johnson on backup vocals and Steelism's Spencer Cullum, Jr., on pedal steel guitar. Absent from the mix — but still playing a key role in the Grammy performance — was Oklahoma-bred songwriter Audra Mae, who wrote "Little Red Wagon" and released her own version in 2012, two years before Lambert revived the song for her own Platinum.

Lambert — who released her first Grammy-nominated single, "Kerosene," in 2005 — was up for four awards, including Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "Somethin' Bad," her girl powered duet with Carrie Underwood, and Best Country Album for Platinum (which she won one hour later, beating out high-profile contenders like Eric Church and Dierks Bentley). "Automatic," Platinum's kickoff single, was responsible for the remaining pair of nominations, earning nods for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. "Little Red Wagon" wasn't in the running this year… but there's always 2016.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:08 PM
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Watch Ed Sheeran Get Wistful and Romantic at Grammys

Watch Ed Sheeran Get Wistful and Romantic at Grammys:

Introduced by James Corden and accompanied by John Mayer on guitar, Ed Sheeran gave a wistful, romantic performance of his sweet single "Thinking Out Loud" during the Grammys. Questlove also joined in on the mid-show soft rock jam session right before ELO took the stage. Sheeran later joined ELO for "Mr. Blue Sky."

Sheeran made his Grammy debut in 2013, singing his single "The A Team" with Elton John. The song received a nod for Song of the Year, and the following year Sheeran was up for a Best New Artist trophy. This year, his sophomore album x was nominated in two categories, including Album of the Year. His contribution to the soundtrack for The Hobbit, "I See Fire," was also recognized.

Following his Grammy performance, Sheeran will be performing at the special Grammy program Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life – An All-Star Grammy Salute alongside several other Grammy performers and nominees, including Ariana Grande, John Legend and Lady Gaga. In concert, Sheeran has covered several Stevie Wonder songs, including "Master Blaster" and "Superstition."

This year, Sheeran will be playing a number of sold out arenas while touring in support of his album. On February 25th, Sheeran will find out if any of the four categories he has been nominated in at the Brit Awards earn the singer more accolades.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:07 PM
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Electric Light Orchestra Delight Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift at Grammys

Electric Light Orchestra Delight Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift at Grammys:

Jeff Lynne's recently revived Electric Light Orchestra played the Grammys, indoor sunglasses and all, where they pulled out a couple of their Seventies Top 40 hits: the piano-rocking 1975 single "Evil Woman" and 1978 tune "Mr. Blue Sky." The performance took place just after Ed Sheeran's mega-collaboration, and the redhead, who was born more than two decades after ELO formed, came out to play acoustic guitar and sing on the latter song.

Paul McCartney stood up, clapped and sang along with "Evil Woman" until he was spotted by a camera and sat down. Taylor Swift and the Haim sisters danced with their arms in the air, as Nicole Kidman tried to get husband Keith Urban into dancing to "Mr. Blue Sky." Beyoncé also got into the "Blue Sky" mood, standing up to watch the show.

Sheeran came into the Grammys with three nominations: Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album for X and Best Song Written for Visual Media, for his Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug contribution "I See Fire."

Regarding his nominations, Sheeran recently told Capital FM, "I think just being nominated for a Grammy, all the artists say this, but honestly, [I'm] not too fussed about winning, just because I probably won't." Pressed as to why he felt that way, he said, "I never win anything! I won one year at the BRITs because I was a male and Adele won everything else."

The singer-songwriter first reported that he would be doing a duet with Lynne and ELO on Wednesday, followed by the announcement of a "solo performance" planned with Herbie Hancock, Questlove and John Mayer. Two days later, it was announced that ELO would also be a part of the performance.

Original ELO members Jeff Lynne and Richard Tandy recently reunited and played their first full concert in 28 years last September in London, USA Today reports. The band is currently working on a new album, following up 2001's Zoom, and will be touring the U.S. later this year. The group's new material will factor into its upcoming shows, NME reports Lynne as saying at the Classic Rock Honours last year.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:07 PM
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Watch Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani Get Emotional at Grammys

Watch Adam Levine, Gwen Stefani Get Emotional at Grammys:

Directly following Ed Sheeran and ELO at the Grammys, Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani performed their duet "My Heart Is Open" from Maroon 5's 2014 album, V. While Stefani brought a heavy dose of emotiveness to her half of the duet, Levine kept it simple for the ballad. Following Ariana Grande's massive drama for "Just a Little Bit of Your Heart," Levine and Stefani's slow song felt a little lackluster.

As Stefani prepares her third solo release, slated to come out this year, Levine and his Maroon 5 bandmates are still riding high on the success of V (though the album was not nominated for any awards this year). Maroon 5 has won three Grammy Awards, including a 2005 Best New Artist win over Kanye West. All of Stefani's Grammy wins came before her first solo album release and included two with No Doubt and one for her collaboration with Eve on "Let Me Blow Ya Mind."

Levine has been a staple of the Grammy performance roster in recent years. His last appearance, in 2013, included duets with Alicia Keys on Maroon 5's "Daylight" and Keys' "Girl on Fire." The year prior, he joined Foster the People and the Beach Boys for a tribute to the latter. Stefani's last appearance as a Grammy performer was in 2005 as part of medley with Maroon 5, Black Eyed Peas, Los Lonely Booys and Franz Ferdinand where she sang "Rich Girl" with Eve.

Stefani debuted her new song "Start a War" at a pre-Grammy concert Saturday night; her first solo concert in nearly eight years. Keeping with Stefani tradition, the singer chose not to perform any No Doubt tracks live without her band mates, instead focusing completely on her solo work.

Stefani's time as a fellow coach with Levine on The Voice was short-lived, as Christina Aguilera will be returning to the chair when the show's eighth season premieres on February 23rd. The "Baby Don't Lie" singer has also collaborated with fellow coach Pharrell Williams recently on the song "Shine" for the film Paddington as well as her latest single for her forthcoming album "Spark the Fire."

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:06 PM
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Pharrell Adds Drama to 'Happy' With Gospel, Piano at the Grammys

Pharrell Adds Drama to 'Happy' With Gospel, Piano at the Grammys:

Pharrell Williams performed his inescapable Girl single "Happy" on the Grammys with newfound drama, since classical pianist Lang Lang, who played with Metallica at last year's Grammys, and film composer Hans Zimmer joined him. Dressed like a bellhop in white gloves, blue shorts with yellow shoes, Pharrell led a cinematic intro to the tune that gave way to a typically blissful version of the song with breaks for piano sonatas and gospel breakdowns. In the midst of it, the dancers wore hoodies and raised their hands in the "hands up, don't shoot" motion, showing support for last year's protests in Ferguson, Missouri. But it wasn't all heavy: in a more upbeat moment, Questlove clapped along, as a white-gown-wearing choir made their way up the aisle. "As you can see, I'm at your service, Lord," Pharrell said at the end.

Williams was nominated in several categories this year, including his collaborations with Beyonce and Ed Sheeran against himself in Album of the Year, and, as a solo artist, was nominated in four categories: Album of the Year for Girl, Best Pop Solo Performance for "Happy," Best Urban Contemporary Album for Girl and Best Music Video for "Happy." He'd already won trophies for the latter three awards by the time he performed; Album of the Year had not yet been announced.

"I won't keep this awkward and long because I was so prepared for everybody else that is so talented in that category to walk away with that award," the singer and producer said in his acceptance speech for Best Pop Solo Performance earlier in the evening. After thanking the Academy, and again saying how super awkward he felt, he offered to moonwalk his way off the stage.

Pharrell originally released the song on the soundtrack for Despicable Me 2 in 2013, and created the world's first 24-hour music video to accompany it. Months later, he revealed to Howard Stern that he had originally written it with CeeLo Green in mind and that that singer had actually recorded it. Williams said that CeeLo sounded amazing but that "the powers that be" vetoed its release.

The song was previously nominated for an Oscar last year – Pharrell even performed it at the Academy Awards – but it went to another ubiquitous children's movie song: Frozen's "Let It Go."

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:06 PM
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Kanye West, Rihanna, Paul McCartney Debut 'FourFiveSeconds' Live at Grammys

Kanye West, Rihanna, Paul McCartney Debut 'FourFiveSeconds' Live at Grammys:

The powerhouse ensemble of Rihanna, Kanye West and Paul McCartney dazzled with their pop collaboration "FourFiveSeconds" in a relatively stripped-back performance at the Grammys. The former Beatle passionately strummed the tune's propulsive riff, as the singer and rapper sang their verses, joining in on the choruses. The majority of the performance took place in front of a white-light backdrop, until it lifted up to reveal dark curtains. West and Rihanna faced one another toward the end of the song, leading a clap-along with Kim Kardashian and Jay Z joining in.

On E!'s red carpet special before the show, West explained how the collaboration came together in the first place. "I'm executive producer of Rihanna's album, and I said I'd done a few songs with Paul McCartney and she couldn't get past this record," he told Ryan Seacrest. "She had to have it on her album.... So now we at the Grammys doing it."

When Seacrest pressed West when Rihanna's album would be coming out, the rapper demurred. "I'm not sure about what her release date is," he said. The track is also set to appear on West's upcoming album, which also does not have a public release date.

Last week, the trio released their beautiful black-and-white video for the acoustic single. In the clip, all three are sporting denim looks as proposed by West, which Rihanna revealed in the making-of clip. "Kanye came up with the idea of just doing some real street, denim, all-American-type look," she said in the behind the scenes video. "Denim never goes out of style. It's classic, it's iconic, just like the fucking Beatles."

In 2005, West made his dramatic Grammy debut, performing "Jesus Walks" on a church set and the frantic shadow dancing that would be featured during his Yeezus era, most notably during his VMA performance of "Blood on the Leaves." Rihanna made her debut at the ceremony in 2008 singing ubiquitous hits "Umbrella" and "Don't Stop the Music."

Fifty years ago, at the 1965 ceremony, the Beatles were awarded the Best New Artist trophy. Since then, McCartney has been a Grammy regular, having taken the stage as recently as last year when fellow Beatle Ringo Starr joined him for "Queenie Eye." In the same show, the Beatles were also awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:05 PM
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Eric Church Performs Understated 'Hometown' at the Grammys

Eric Church Performs Understated 'Hometown' at the Grammys:

Eric Church delivered a decidedly subdued performance of "Give Me Back My Hometown" on tonight's 57th annual Grammy Awards — subdued by Church's standards, anyway. Backed by his muscular band, the singer, in his requisite aviator sunglasses, was focused more on the nuances of his Number One single and his high-register vocals than on his usual onstage stomping and chest-thumping.

Written by Church and Luke Laird, the slow-burning ballad is a broken and disenchanted man's view of his small town — complete with hazy streetlights and a forlorn Pizza Hut. Once a refuge for the narrator, the town and its landmarks are now forever haunted by the memory of his ex-lover, whom he sees around every corner.

Keith Urban, sporting a Nineties ponytail, introduced Church's performance. The pair shared a nomination this year for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their duet "Raise 'Em Up," Urban's new single. The Band Perry triumphed in that category for their take on Glen Campbell's "Gentle on My Mind."

Church was nominated for three other Grammys at this year's ceremony. "Give Me Back My Hometown" competed in both the Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance categories. It lost to Campbell's "I'm Not Gonna Miss You" in the Song race, and was bested by Carrie Underwood's "Something in the Water" in the latter. Church's album The Outsiders was nominated for Best Country Album, alongside releases by Dierks Bentley, Lee Ann Womack, Best New Artist nominee Brandy Clark and Miranda Lambert, whose Platinum took home the prize.

This year's recognition brings Church's overall Grammy nominations to seven. At the 55th Grammy Awards, he scored a pair of nods for his Number One single "Springsteen" off 2011's Chief, which was nominated at the 54th Grammys for Best Country Album.

Church, whose latest single "Talladega" recently hit Number One, is currently in the middle of his Outsiders World Tour. Last week, he delivered a full concert in Salt Lake City with only his guitar after his band and crew were taken ill with a stomach flu.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:04 PM
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Watch Brandy Clark Perform 'Hold My Hand' With Dwight Yoakam at the Grammys

Watch Brandy Clark Perform 'Hold My Hand' With Dwight Yoakam at the Grammys:

When Best New Artist nominee Brandy Clark was invited to sing on the 57th annual Grammy Awards, she was asked to name eight "world class guitar players" with whom she'd love to perform. At the top of her list was her fellow opening act, Dwight Yoakam, from last year's Eric Church Outsiders World Tour... and the Recording Academy didn't have to look beyond his name.

"I was standing up there thinking, 'Wow, this is the guy.... One of my favorite songs ever was [Yoakam's] 'Try Not to Look So Pretty,'" Clark said after Grammy rehearsals last week. "Am I cool enough to stand on stage with this guy?"

"I became a fan walking the halls, listening to her performances before I'd go on at night," Yoakam recalled of their shared nights on the Church tour. "I love her melodies. Her instincts and intuition are spot on."

The two performed "Hold My Hand" — what Clark calls the most emotional song on her breakthrough, Best Country Album nominee 12 Stories — on the Grammy broadcast. Co-written with Mark Stephen Jones, the song waxes poetic on the insecurities that come when running into your current love's old flame.

“I've had people say that this is the heart of a woman, or the heart of a human. It's very vulnerable," the Washington native says of the ballad. "I think everyone has felt that way, where you're with somebody who is not quite over somebody that they used to be with and you run into their ex. It's a moment of truth. They have to make a statement to their ex that they love you the way you used to love them, but deep down inside, you both know that they still have feelings for that person."

It's a storyline that needs no bells or whistles. So, dressed in relatively understated suits, Clark and Yoakam performed the tune on a round stage with just a few lights, two guitars and two voices. It was the most stripped-down performance of the 2015 Grammys, and the one where touching lyrics shared center stage with only Clark's spotless, honeyed vocals.

The singer lost in both of her categories (Sam Smith took Best New Artist; Miranda Lambert won for Country Album of the Year), but Sunday's performance no doubt catapulted her from Nashville's best-kept secret to a national household name.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:04 PM
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Katy Perry Spotlights Domestic Abuse in Grammy Performance

Katy Perry Spotlights Domestic Abuse in Grammy Performance:

Following a video message from President Barack Obama and an emotional, poignant speech from domestic violence activist Brooke Axtell, Katy Perry showed a different side at the Grammys than her high-energy, colorful Super Bowl Halftime performance.

Obama's message was a PSA encouraging artists to take a stand condemning rape and violence against women. Specifically citing statistics of rapes on college campuses, Obama urged the night's attendees to be more vocal in activism against assault.

Axtell served as an example of the power in speaking out. A survivor of domestic violence, Axtell shared her story in a room-silencing spoken word piece before introducing Perry. Axtell is the Director of Communications for Allies Against Slavery, but also uses performance art to speak out against domestic violence.

Wearing all white and in front of dancing shadows, Perry belted out the powerful piano ballad "By the Grace of God," off Prism. Perry allowed the song and powerful statements that came before her to take center stage. It's a huge shift from the Perry who performed one week earlier and brought an explosion of color and energy to the Super Bowl alongside Missy Elliott and Lenny Kravitz.

Since 2009, Perry has been nominated for 13 Grammy Awards, but has yet to snag a trophy. This year, both Prism and her single "Dark Horse" were nominated in the Pop categories. In 2014, Perry was joined by Juicy J for a performance of her Grammy-nominated "Dark Horse." In 2011, she turned "Teenage Dream" and "Not Like the Movies" into an emotional medley for the awards show.

Following this, Perry will be bringing her Prismatic World Tour to Europe and Asia through May.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:03 PM
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Watch Kristen Wiig Join Sia to Swing from 'Chandelier' at Grammys

Watch Kristen Wiig Join Sia to Swing from 'Chandelier' at Grammys:

Even with her face still hidden from view at the Grammys, Sia still finds new ways to give compelling performances of her singles. With Maddie Ziegler and Kristen Wiig on dancing duties, Sia faced the back wall of a pop-up set featuring a messy room. As she belted out "Chandelier," Ziegler and Wiig wore matching blonde bob wigs and stripped down by the end of the performance to nude bodysuits. Their choreography was a mix of both "Chandelier" and "Elastic Heart," with the two dueling sides of Sia battling it out before uniting during the performance.

Shia LaBeouf, the star of Sia's controversial "Elastic Heart "video, introduced the performance with a dedication to the singer. Sia earned four nominations, including a nod for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Her last nomination was in 2013 for "Wild Ones," her collaboration with Flo Rida.

Having shifted her career primarily to songwriting and guest appearances, 1000 Forms of Fear had been the singer's big return to being a solo artist. Given her past struggles with fame, Sia's performances have been unconventional, with the vocalist rarely showing her face and shying away from being the star of her public appearances.

Sia has been bringing Ziegler with for most of her TV appearances, with the young dancer doing reinterpretations of her quickly viral video routines. Most recently, the pair appeared on The Ellen Degeneres Show, where Sia announced her Grammy performance, to perform "Elastic Heart." In the past, she has also performed with Lena Dunham, with Shia LaBeouf co-starring with Ziegler in the "Elastic Heart" video.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:03 PM
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Watch Beck Harmonize With Chris Martin After Big Grammy Win

Watch Beck Harmonize With Chris Martin After Big Grammy Win:

Shortly after Beck won Album of the Year and deflected a literal "Kanye moment" at the Grammys, the singer performed his Morning Phase tune "Heart Is a Drum" with help from Coldplay's Chris Martin. Even though he was probably pumping with adrenaline, Beck kept his cool throughout the song, settling into a gentle groove and letting the song flow out of him. The Coldplay singer leaned into a microphone and crooned at the singer-songwriter, who undauntedly strummed an acoustic guitar on the folkish tune.

Beck was nominated for five awards this year, and won three, including Album of the Year, Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. He has previously won three Grammys, including awards for his 1996 album Odelay and its hit single "Where It's At." The singer earned his last win in 2000, when Mutations took home the trophy for Best Alternative Music Performance.

Coldplay's Ghost Stories garnered three nominations this year for Martin and the band. The singer has received seven Grammy awards over the course of his career, the last of which was in 2009 for Coldplay's Viva la Vida.

Martin is no stranger to Grammy night collaborations, though. In 2012, Coldplay joined Rihanna onstage to perform "Princess of China" before taking on "Paradise" without the pop star's assistance. In 2009, Jay-Z helped Coldplay sing "Lost."

In 1997, Beck performed "Where It's At" at the ceremony right before receiving his award for the track. Morning Phase, the singer's first album since 2008's Modern Guilt, leaned more towards folk and country like its companion piece, 2002's Sea Change.

Beck will be playing Hangout Music Festival in Alabama this May. The festival's lineup also includes Foo Fighters, Zac Brown Band, My Morning Jacket and Spoon. He recently appeared on the Annie soundtrack, performing the duet "Moonquake Lake" with fellow nominee Sia.

Martin recently helped assist a Bono-less U2 as guest singer during the World AIDS Day concert in Times Square last December. Following the Grammy performance, he will be making an appearance at Stevie Wonder: Songs in the Key of Life - An All-Star Grammy Salute alongside fellow Grammy nominees and performers Ariana Grande, Ed Sheeran and more.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:03 PM
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Watch Sam Smith, Mary J. Blige Perform Emphatic 'Stay With Me' at Grammys

Watch Sam Smith, Mary J. Blige Perform Emphatic 'Stay With Me' at Grammys:

Sam Smith, already having a big Grammy night with four wins, enlisted Mary J. Blige for a glorious rendition of his hit "Stay With Me." Accented by the warm glow of lamps all over the stage, an orchestra and a choir, Smith and Blige gave some of the night's best vocals on the British pop-soul singer's Grammy-winning single.

Smith and his debut album In the Lonely Hour were nominated for six awards, including Best New Artist and Album of the Year. In his Rolling Stone cover story, the singer noted that he hoped to lose to Beyonce in the Album of the Year category. "She deserves it way more than I do," said the superfan. "I'd be embarrassed if I got it over her. If I got it, I'd give it to her."

Beck ended up winning Album of the Year for Morning Phase, but Smith dominated the awards, winning four trophies, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Smith contributed songwriting credits on several tracks for Blige's last album, The London Sessions, including her single "Therapy." Over the course of her career, Blige has won nine trophies and has been honored with 31 nominations.

Recently, Smith has been embroiled with some legal issues over his hit single "Stay With Me" against classic rocker Tom Petty. The publishers for Petty's hit "I Won't Back Down" claimed that the song's melody had been ripped for Smith's tune. The pair reached a settlement quietly, with Smith agreeing to give co-writing credit to Petty and Jeff Lynne. "I have never had any hard feelings toward Sam," Petty wrote. A musical accident no more no less. I wish Sam all the best for his ongoing career."

On February 25th, Smith will see if any of his five Brit Awards nominations come to fruition. The singer ventures out on a world tour this spring.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:02 PM
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Watch Beyonce Triumph Without Moving at Grammys

Watch Beyonce Triumph Without Moving at Grammys:

Beyonce, having already won three Grammy awards for her self-titled album, introduced John Legend and Common's performance of the Golden Globe-winning song "Glory" from the film Selma with a booming, emotional performance of the gospel standard "Precious Lord, Take My Hand."

Gwyneth Paltrow introduced the singer, helping detail the history of the song. Written by Reverend Thomas A. Dorsey, the song was a favorite of Martin Luther King Jr., who is the subject of the Oscar-nominated Selma.

Beyonce appeared angelic in all white, surrounded by a choir of male singers in white suits. Her delivery of the hymn was triumphant but somber, staying still as she sang through the classic. After silencing the orchestra, she thanked the audience and introduced Common and Legend, who will also perform the song at the Academy Awards on February 22nd.

On Sunday, Beyonce won for Best Surround Sound Album, Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance. The latter two were both with her husband Jay Z for their collaboration "Drunk in Love." The pair opened last year's show with their sensual duet.

Beyonce has won 20 Grammy awards both as a solo artist and member of Destiny's Child. Prior to this year, her last award was in 2012 for Best Traditional R&B Performance for "Love on Top." Paltrow performed at the Grammy awards with CeeLo Green in 2011, singing Green's hit "Fuck You."

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:02 PM
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Sam Smith, Beck Dominate Grammy Awards 2015

Sam Smith, Beck Dominate Grammy Awards 2015:

Sam Smith and Beck were the big winners at the 57th annual Grammy Awards, dominating the biggest categories on Music's Biggest Night. At his first-ever Grammys, Smith converted four of his six nominations into wins, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Stay With Me (Darkchild Remix)," while Beck's Morning Phase scored a surprise victory in the Album of the Year category.

Smith set the winning tone early by claiming the first award of the night, Best New Artist, becoming the first British act since Adele in 2009 to win the honor. The Rolling Stone cover star was then handed the Best Pop Vocal Album Grammy for In the Lonely Hour. Smith's perfect night was dashed when Pharrell Williams' "Happy" won Best Pop Solo Performance, but the English singer returned to the stage to perform his breakthrough hit "Stay With Me" alongside Mary J. Blige on the Staples Center stage.

"This is the best night of my life," Smith said after receiving Record of the Year. "I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart because you won me four Grammys."

Earlier in the day, Beck was shut out in both the Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance categories, but he later took home one of the Grammys' most desired awards when his Sea Change quasi-sequel Morning Phase earned Album of the Year, upsetting heavy favorites like Sam Smith's In the Lonely Hour and Beyoncé's Beyoncé. In fact, Kanye West was so stunned that Beyoncé didn't win that he briefly (and jokingly) crashed the stage, a nod to when he infamously interrupted Taylor Swift's VMAs speech after she beat out "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" in 2009.

Morning Phase was Beck's third LP to earn an Album of the Year nomination (alongside Odelay and Midnite Vultures) and also scored trophies for Best Rock Album and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical. The ageless rocker, who received his Album of the Year Grammy from the similarly ageless Prince, also shared the stage with Coldplay's Chris Martin for a duet of Morning Phase's "Heart Is a Drum."

Even before Beyoncé entered the Staples Center, she had already won two Grammys in the pre-ceremony festivities: "Drunk in Love" locked up Best R&B Song (and later Best R&B Performance during the big show), plus Beyoncé was handed Best Surround Sound Album, with Beyoncé credited as "surround producer" on her self-titled LP.

Also in the pre-Grammy ceremony, Roseanne Cash won three Grammys while staging a clean sweep in the Americana categories: Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song for "A Feather's Not a Bird" and Best Americana Album for The River & The Thread. As Cash joked during the first of her three consecutive acceptance speeches, this was her first Grammy win since Ronald Reagan's presidency.

While only nine Grammy Awards were presented over the live ceremony's three-and-a-half hours, the pre-ceremony featured plenty of surprises, including Aphex Twin's Syro winning in the Best Dance/Electronic Album category and Jack White pocketing a pair of awards, one for Best Rock Performance thanks to "Lazaretto" as well as an unlikely victory in the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package for his role as art director on The Rise & Fall of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27).

The late Joan Rivers won a posthumous Grammy as her Diary of a Mad Diva took the Best Spoken Word Album category. "Weird Al" Yankovic won his fourth career Grammy as Mandatory Fun succeeded in the Best Comedy Album, the satirist's first win in the category since 2004. Elsewhere, Pearl Jam's Jeff Ament (and Eddie Vedder, using his pseudonym "Jerome Turner") won Best Recording Package for their Lightning Bolt.

Max Martin was named Producer of the Year on the strength of his work on Taylor Swift's "Shake It Off," Katy Perry's "Dark Horse" and Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj's "Bang Bang," just to name some of his Grammy-eligible singles. Remarkably, despite a two-decade run as one of pop music's greatest producers that dates back to the Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playing Games With My Heart," the win marked Martin's first ever Grammy.

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Posted by Nelio Inacio at 1:02 PM
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