By: Allison Wisyanski ~Staff Writer~
This year, LL Cool J hosted the 57th annual Grammy Awards, music’s biggest night when artists are recognized and honored for their craft. While Sam Smith and Beck dominated the evening, plenty of others left with a Grammy award in their pockets.
Smith had a huge night, putting Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Best Pop Vocal Album under his belt.
Other artists who went home with a win that night were Miranda Lambert whose “Platinum” won for Best Country Album, Christina Aguilera and A Great Big World’s “Say Something” for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga’s “Cheek to Cheek” for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album.
The most nominated individuals of the night were, not shockingly, Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams and Smith, who all had six nominations.
Beyoncé, became the most nominated woman in the Grammy’s history, with 53 nominations total. As for the nominations, each year the audience formulates its opinions about whether or not an artist belongs in a certain category. This year, the topic of conversation was Iggy Azalea for her nomination in the Best Rap album category.
Similar to the controversy last year when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis won the award over Kendrick Lamar and Kanye West in this category, it had potential to serve as a blow to the hip-hop genre’s credibility.
Viewers wondered whether or not the Grammy Awards ceremony would redeem itself and, this year, Eminem won the award for Best Rap album over newcomer Iggy Azalea.
The Best New Artist category is also another that is always up in the air because viewers often wonder how some artists are considered “new” and what it really takes to be in the category.
Some may wonder why the Grammy’s considered Iggy Azalea as new, even though she dropped her first mixtape in 2011, or that Bastille dropped their first EP during that same year.
The presentation of Album of the Year to rock artist Beck also caused some controversy primarily for West’s “interruption” and its surprise win over the over nominations.
The Recording Academy said on its website that a new artist is “defined for the Grammy process as any performing artist or established performing group who released, during the eligibility year, the recording that first establishes the public identity of that artist or established group as a performer.”
Regardless, the Grammy’s this year shed an equal amount of light on both new and older artists.
