2016 Grammy Awards

2016 Grammy Awards. The 58th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held on February 15, 2016, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, honoring the best in music for the year 2015, as determined by the members of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), including Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd. The ceremony was broadcast live on CBS, with LL Cool J serving as the host for the fifth consecutive year, and featured performances by Adele, Kanye West, and Rihanna. The eligibility period for the 58th Annual Grammy Awards was from October 1, 2014, to September 30, 2015, and the nominations were announced on December 7, 2015, by CBS This Morning anchors Gayle King and Charlie Rose, with Ed Sheeran and Meghan Trainor.

Background and nominations

The 2016 Grammy Awards nominations were dominated by Kendrick Lamar, who received a total of 11 nominations, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for his album To Pimp a Butterfly and single Alright, respectively, as well as Song of the Year for These Walls. Taylor Swift and The Weeknd each received seven nominations, including Album of the Year for 1989 and Beauty Behind the Madness, respectively, and Record of the Year for Blank Space and The Hills, respectively. Other notable nominees included Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, Mark Ronson, and Bruno Mars, who were all nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year for their respective singles Thinking Out Loud, Stay With Me, Uptown Funk, and Locked Out of Heaven. The nominations were also marked by the absence of Adele, who was not eligible for the 2016 Grammy Awards due to the release of her album 25 after the eligibility period, but would go on to win several awards at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year and Record of the Year for Hello.

Performances

The 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony featured a total of 18 performances, including Adele, who performed her hit single Hello, and Kanye West, who performed his new single Ultra Light Beams. Other performers included Rihanna, who performed her single Kiss It Better, and The Weeknd, who performed a medley of his hits The Hills and Can't Feel My Face. The ceremony also featured a tribute to Lionel Richie, who was honored as the MusiCares Person of the Year, with performances by John Legend, Demi Lovato, and Luke Bryan. Additionally, the ceremony included a performance by Stevie Wonder, who sang a tribute to Maurice White, the founder of Earth, Wind & Fire, who passed away on February 4, 2016, and was also honored with a performance by Pentatonix and Stevie Wonder.

Presenters

The 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony featured a total of 22 presenters, including Anna Kendrick, James Corden, and Nicole Kidman, who presented the award for Best New Artist to Tori Kelly. Other presenters included Don Cheadle, who presented the award for Best Rap Album to Kendrick Lamar for To Pimp a Butterfly, and Ice Cube and O'Shea Jackson Jr., who presented the award for Best Rap Song to Kendrick Lamar for Alright. The ceremony also featured a presentation by Dave Grohl, who presented the award for Best Rock Album to Muse for Drones, and Carrie Underwood, who presented the award for Best Country Album to Chris Stapleton for Traveller.

Winners and nominees

The 2016 Grammy Awards winners included Kendrick Lamar, who won a total of five awards, including Best Rap Album for To Pimp a Butterfly and Best Rap Song for Alright. Taylor Swift won three awards, including Album of the Year for 1989 and Best Music Video for Bad Blood, featuring Kendrick Lamar. Other winners included Ed Sheeran, who won two awards, including Song of the Year for Thinking Out Loud, and Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars, who won Record of the Year for Uptown Funk. The ceremony also featured a win by The Weeknd, who won two awards, including Best Urban Contemporary Album for Beauty Behind the Madness, and Sam Smith, who won Best Pop Vocal Album for In the Lonely Hour.

Critical reception

The 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony received generally positive reviews from critics, with many praising the performances and tributes, including the tribute to Lionel Richie and the performance by Stevie Wonder. However, some critics noted that the ceremony was marred by technical issues, including a sound problem during Adele's performance, and a lack of diversity among the winners, with some arguing that the ceremony did not adequately represent the diversity of the music industry, including the lack of wins by Kendrick Lamar in major categories. Despite this, the ceremony was widely watched and generated significant buzz on social media, with many fans and artists taking to Twitter to discuss the ceremony, including Kanye West, who tweeted about the ceremony, and Taylor Swift, who posted about her wins on Instagram.

Ratings and viewership

The 2016 Grammy Awards ceremony was watched by a total of 7.7 million viewers, according to Nielsen Media Research, making it one of the most-watched Grammy Awards ceremonies in recent years, and a significant increase from the previous year's ceremony, which was watched by 7.0 million viewers. The ceremony also generated significant buzz on social media, with a total of 17.1 million interactions on Twitter and Facebook, according to Nielsen Social, making it one of the most-social Grammy Awards ceremonies in history, and a significant increase from the previous year's ceremony, which generated 13.4 million interactions. The ceremony was also broadcast in over 150 countries, including Canada, Mexico, and Australia, and was streamed live on CBS All Access, making it one of the most-widely available Grammy Awards ceremonies in history. Category:Grammy Awards ceremonies