Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar Win Big at 2016 Grammys
Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar were the big winners at the 58th annual Grammy Awards Monday night, with Swift picking up three trophies, including Album of the Year, for her smash 1989. With the win, Swift became the first female artist ever to win Album of the Year twice, following her 2010 win for Fearless.
“As the first woman to win Album of the Year twice, I want to say to all the young women out there: There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” Swift said in her Album of the Year acceptance speech, a subtle reference to Kanye West’s claim that he made the singer famous. “But if you just focus on the work, and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you are going, you will look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you that put you there and that will be the greatest feeling in the world.”
Swift’s winning ways started immediately as the singer was awarded the very first Grammy in the pre-show ceremony, with 1989 garnering Best Pop Vocal Album. Prior to this year’s awards, Swift had nine Grammys in her trophy case; she upped that total by three by the time Music’s Biggest Night had ended. Swift, with seven nominations, was also recruited to open the show, with the singer delivering “Out of the Woods” in a sparkling jumpsuit alongside Bleachers’ Jack Antonoff on guitar.
Lamar, who led this year’s Grammy field with 11 nominations, took home five awards. The rapper opened the night with a sweep of rap categories, collecting Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for his “Alright” as well as Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for his “These Walls” featuring Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat. The rapper also filled the stage with an extraordinary, fiery and cathartic performance of “The Blacker the Berry,” “Alright” and a blistering new song.
Despite facing off in a number of the major categories, both Swift and Lamar were victors in the Best Music Video category, as the all-star video for Swift’s “Bad Blood” remix featuring the rapper won the Grammy.
Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” was another big winner, nabbing the prestigious Record of the Year as well as Best Pop Group/Duo Performance. In another major Grammy category, Meghan Trainor was named Best New Artist.
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