In a major Grammys upset, Canadian rockers Arcade Fire won the coveted album of the year, pipping favoured contender Eminem.
In a ceremony dominated by pop, R&B and hip-hop acts, few pundits had given the defiantly independent Montreal band any chance of taking the top prize.
They too were shocked to hear their album's name, The Suburbs, called by presenter Barbra Streisand.
After a short speech, the band delivered an unscheduled performance of Ready to Start to close the show.
It was the rockers' only win; they had been nominated for two other awards.
Country trio Lady Antebellum ended up with the most awards, winning five out of the six categories in which they were nominated, including the coveted song and record of the year Grammys for their crossover hit Need You Now.
Eminem, who led the field with 10 nominations, ended up with just two awards in the rap categories.
Riding a natural high after a successful comeback album recounting his near-fatal struggle with addiction, he had been expected to dominate music's night of nights.
Flamboyant pop singer Lady Gaga - who arrived at the event in an alien-like egg - and rapper Jay-Z won three awards each.
The winner of the best new artist Grammy was also a shock, with American bassist Esperanza Spalding taking the honour over teen idol Justin Bieber.
0 comments:
Post a Comment