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Producer / Composer GLASYS

GLASYS

Photo: Hunter Paye

News
How social media gets new artists discovered glasys-meets-t-pain-why-social-media-new-ar

GLASYS meets T-Pain: Why social media is the new A&R

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The connective power of the internet is breaking down barriers to new artist discovery and bringing GRAMMY-winning artists in ever closer contact with young talent on the edge of stardom
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Jun 23, 2017 - 11:57 am

The internet is a strange and fascinating place.

The likelihood of an encounter with a celebrity — especially an anonymous encounter — has become several orders of magnitude more likely for the average citizen. Furthermore, the opportunities offered by decentralized platforms such as YouTube and SoundCloud mean that the chances of a young artist's discovery by one of their idols have likewise increased immeasurably.

Take the case of Gil Assayas, a Portland, Ore.-based vocalist, producer and multi-instrumentalist. Performing under the stage name GLASYS since late 2016, Assayas has built a strong hometown following, earned endorsements and recognition from major instrument manufacturers such as Dave Smith Instruments and Nord Keyboards, and built a successful YouTube presence. 

After he was approached by software company Polyverse Music to create a demo video for a new vocal processor, Assayas posted the video to his YouTube channel, and then to the popular content aggregator site Reddit.com. Within 24 hours of posting the video, the top comment on Assayas' post was a word of praise from none other than two-time GRAMMY winner T-Pain.

GRAMMYs

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GLASYS - We Can Change 062217 Zeitgeist

 

Comment from discussion This is the most multitasking I've ever done. Would love feedback! :).

"At first I was skeptical that it was really him, but other Reddit users confirmed it," says Assayas. "I was really excited by his comment. … You don't see many artists of his caliber browse a site like Reddit, respond to fans and share their posts on his social media accounts."

Assayas and T-Pain have continued to communicate via Twitter, with several other artists chiming to wish the young keyboard player well and praise his talents.

https://twitter.com/TPAIN/status/877574399972474880

Looks like we don't have a choice but to make this happen for the world!

— T-Pain (@TPAIN) June 21, 2017

Assayas' experience adds to a growing list of young performers who have been discovered online or had their careers amplified through social media support by GRAMMY winners.

Atlanta-based R&B singers Chloe x Halle experienced a similarly life-changing moment in 2014 when their cover of Beyoncé's "Pretty Hurts" was shared by the 22-time GRAMMY winner via her Facebook page.

The young sisters' video quickly racked up some 12 million views, and less than a year later Beyoncé signed the duo to her new management company, Parkwood Entertainment. Since linking up with Queen Bey, Chloe x Halle have traveled the world as the opening act on the European leg of her Formation World Tour, released their debut EP, Sugar Symphony, and collaborated with Bey on her Best Urban Contemporary Album GRAMMY-winning LP, Lemonade.

Canada's Maria Aragon had her first brush with super-stardom at just 10 years old, when she posted a video of herself covering Lady Gaga's "Born This Way" to her sister's YouTube channel. The video was initially discovered by gossip blogger Perez Hilton, who sent it to the six-time GRAMMY winner and her team. After retweeting the video to her own massive fanbase, the Fame Monster further shocked the young singer by calling into a local radio show hosting Aragon for an interview.

GRAMMYs

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After the two connected, Aragon was invited to join Gaga for several duet performances of "Born This Way," including the Toronto tour date of her 2011 Monster Ball Tour. Aragon was later signed to a major label and continues to release music.

Arguably one of the most famous social media-based talent discoveries has to be the 2010 blog post by GRAMMY winner Drake that helped launch the career of GRAMMY winner The Weeknd.

The original videos for "What You Need," "Loft Music" and "The Morning" that The Weeknd — aka Abel Makkonen Tesfaye — uploaded back in 2010 have since been taken down, but their impact remains.

After stumbling across three demo tracks The Weeknd uploaded to YouTube, Drake quickly posted all three to his OVO Blog with the simple preface, "Introducing The Weeknd."  Thereafter, Drake took to Twitter to promote the singer, and rumors began to swirl of a possible signing to the rapper's OVO Label.

https://twitter.com/Drake/status/45907471608446977

Follow the young king @theweekndxo

— Drizzy (@Drake) March 10, 2011

https://twitter.com/Drake/status/49553451885137920

@theweekndxo @lamarxo @hyghlyxo @4letterword @docmckinney @omarishakirxo @tharealmoosemac @illangelo XO GANG.

— Drizzy (@Drake) March 20, 2011

Following their meeting, The Weekend contributed five songs as a writer or featured artist on Drake's multiplatinum and 2012 Best Rap Album GRAMMY-winning album Take Care. Thereafter, The Weekend made his presence further known as an internationally famous solo recording artist, winning two GRAMMYs at the 58th GRAMMY Awards for Best R&B Performance for "Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)" and Best Urban Contemporary Album for Beauty Behind The Madness.

Artists giving back: The Weeknd donates $100,000 to Uganda health center

So what do these stories of other artists' past successes mean for a performer like GLASYS? Only time will tell. If history is any indication, a chance online encounter with a supportive artist can easily be the spark that ignites a huge career when all parties involved are willing to go the distance.

Remix culture: The Hood Internet mashup historic hip-hop

SZA and 21 Savage performing in 2017

SZA and 21 Savage

FilmMagic / Contributor / Getty Images, Aurora Rose / Contributor / Getty Images

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SZA, 21 Savage leverage huge deals sza-21-savage-leverage-huge-deals-master-recording-ownership

SZA, 21 Savage leverage huge deals, master recording ownership

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Young artists use the power of social platforms to create their brands and build their audience bases, bringing massive bargaining power to major label deals
Brian Haack
GRAMMYs
Jul 13, 2017 - 6:18 pm

The wild west of self-promotion opportunities afforded by modern internet and its ever-expanding interconnected spheres of social media have opened unprecedented doors of opportunity for young artists in recent years. Barriers against entry to the big leagues of the mainstream music industry continue to dissolve, and these changes occur at an increasing rate of acceleration.

Previously, a young artist's biggest barriers to entry may have been the struggle to reach untapped markets of prospective fans, which they would historically need the promotional strength of a major label to identify and activate. Now, the proliferation of peer-connected social music streaming platforms such as SoundCloud, Spotify and AppleMusic make it possible for artists with genuine appeal to cultivate and capture a large audience before ever signing a major record deal.

As a natural outgrowth of this era of upheaval in our industry, there has been a fascinating shift in the balance of power. The deals certain young artists are able to sign, as well as the heretofore un-heard-of leverage they can bring to the table during their first encounters with major league players has become a fresh success story of the modern music industry.

This ability to independently create first a fan base, and then a movement, has helped exciting young artists — notably Russ, SZA and 21 Savage — leverage deals making headlines.

New Jersey-based rapper/producer Russ, for starters, recently made a major a splash with his series of successful SoundCloud releases, many of which have garnered more than 2 million plays in less than six months.  However, long before taking his talents for outputting hot rap singles to SoundCloud, he spent more than 10 years building a following and honing his craft.

During that time, he released 11 full albums and cultivated a hardcore legion of ride –or-die fans. When it came time to finally cut a deal with a major, Russ had built an engaged audience that allowed him a 50/50 share of the profits for any releases on the label.

"Basically, you either get a profit split deal or you get a royalty deal," said Russ. "Royalty deals are s*** but new artists aren’t getting profit split deals out the gate. I was able to. That has to be part of the narrative."

St. Louis-based R&B/neo-soul singer SZA utilized her social following, with the help of Top Dawg Entertainment, to cut a joint deal with RCA Records that was so strong that even music executive Jimmy Iovine took notice.

GRAMMYs

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 Yet another young artist making thoughtful moves to protect his profits and his longevity is 21 Savage. In response to an article from venerable hip-hop blog DJ Booth highlighting SZA's success story, Savage's manager triumphantly revealed that, due to the huge following Savage built prior to signing with L.A. Reid's Epic Records, he was able to leverage a deal that awarded 100 percent ownership of all master recordings to the artist — a deal unheard of even five to 10 years ago.

https://twitter.com/keiopensdoors/status/882839280967491584

Similar to ours, but Savage owns his Masters. And is signed to Slaughter Gang. https://t.co/UrXcw0qX5d

— JT Stan account. (@keiopensdoors) July 6, 2017

 

The obvious through line connecting these three young artists is quite simple: they understand the power of the medium they use to deliver music to their fans, and they've paid attention to the history of artists who've gone before them.

21 Savage's case in particular is a fascinating yet simple lesson many artists have yet to learn: ownership of the master recordings is crucial.

For some artists, the battles over publishing rights and masters ownership has become the stuff of industry legend — cautionary tales for wiser rising stars to take to heart.

Prince is arguably one of the most famous cases, having spent decades of his career fighting to regain financial control over the rights to the masters of some of his most beloved recordings, a battle the singer waged from the mid-1980s until 2014.

Paul McCartney fought for nearly half a century to recover ownership rights to the Beatles' massive catalog of hits, finally settling the dispute to his satisfaction just a few weeks ago.

As Iovine pointed out in his summation of the changes SZA's label deal signify, artists who understand the power of current technology are in an incredible position to leverage vastly different deals with major labels than ever before. Meanwhile, the role labels play remains pivotal — perhaps now more than ever.

With equal efforts supporting artist development and activating new fan bases now coming from both artists and labels, previously unthinkable new pathways for creating successful music brands will open. The truly exciting aspect now is waiting to see what will come next.

How did Jimmy Iovine, Dr. Dre get their start? Industry heavyweights talk HBO's "The Defiant Ones"

Jamie Foxx onstage at the 51st GRAMMYs

Jamie Foxx performs at the 51st GRAMMY Awards in February 2009

Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com

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52nd GRAMMY lineup: T-Pain, Eminem, Slash added t-pain-lil-wayne-eminem-added-52nd-grammy-lineup

T-Pain, Lil Wayne, Eminem added to 52nd GRAMMY lineup

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Jeff Beck, Drake, Eminem, Jamie Foxx, Lil Wayne, and T-Pain among latest performers added
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

(For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Award winners, please click here.)

Current GRAMMY nominees Jamie Foxx and T-Pain with Slash and Doug E. Fresh; nominees Drake, Eminem, and Lil Wayne with Travis Barker; a special tribute to guitar virtuoso Les Paul featuring Jeff Beck and Imelda May; the cast of "American Idiot" appearing with Green Day; four-time GRAMMY winner Roberta Flack; five-time GRAMMY winner Elton John; and three-time GRAMMY winner Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland are the latest performers announced for the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Actor Simon Baker ("The Mentalist"), comedian and TV host Stephen Colbert, rock legend Alice Cooper, nine-time GRAMMY winner Sheryl Crow, actress Kaley Cuoco ("The Big Bang Theory"), seven-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Plácido Domingo, actor Robert Downey Jr., three-time GRAMMY winner Wyclef Jean, GRAMMY and 17-time Latin GRAMMY winner Juanes, country artist Miranda Lambert, six-time GRAMMY winner John Legend, actress/singer Jennifer Lopez, actress/singer Lea Michelle ("Glee"), actor Chris O'Donnell ("NCIS: Los Angeles"), pop singer Katy Perry, four-time GRAMMY winner Lionel Richie, TV and radio host Ryan Seacrest, four-time GRAMMY winner Seal, Academy Award-winning writer/director Quentin Tarantino, and two-time GRAMMY winner Keith Urban are the latest presenters announced for Music's Biggest Night.

Previously announced performers include Beyoncé; the Black Eyed Peas; Bon Jovi; the Dave Matthews Band; Green Day; Lady Antebellum; Lady Gaga; Maxwell; Pink; Taylor Swift; the Zac Brown Band; Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher in a special 3-D GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson; and Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli in a special fund-raising segment for Haitian relief.

Previously announced presenters include actress Kristen Bell, pop/R&B singer Justin Bieber, actor Jeff Bridges, pop singer and actress Miley Cyrus, actor Josh Duhamel, pop sensation the Jonas Brothers, nine-time GRAMMY winner Norah Jones, pop singer/songwriter Ke$ha, two-time GRAMMY winner LL Cool J, GRAMMY winner and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Ricky Martin, 10-time GRAMMY and three-time Latin GRAMMY winner Carlos Santana, and nine-time GRAMMY winner Ringo Starr.

T-Pain and Urban each have four nominations: T-Pain with Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals for "Blame It" (with Jamie Foxx), Best R&B Song for "Blame It" (with James T. Brown, John Conte Jr., Jamie Foxx, Christopher Henderson, Brandon R. Melanchon, Breyon Prescott & Nathan L. Walker), Best Contemporary R&B Album for Thr33 Ringz, and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "I'm On A Boat" (with the Lonely Island); and Urban with Best Male Country Vocal Performance for "Sweet Thing," Best Country Collaboration With Vocals for "Start A Band" (with Brad Paisley), Best Country Album for Defying Gravity, and Best Long Form Music Video for Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy World Tour Live.

Foxx and nine-time GRAMMY winner Eminem are each up for three awards: In addition to those mentioned above, Foxx has a Best Contemporary R&B Album nomination for Intuition. Eminem's nominations are Best Rap Solo Performance for "Beautiful," Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group for "Crack A Bottle" (with Dr. Dre & 50 Cent), and Best Rap Album for Relapse.

Drake has two nods: Best Rap Solo Performance and Best Rap Song for "Best I Ever Had."

Four-time GRAMMY winner Beck, Colbert, Perry, and Seal are each nominated: Beck for Best Rock Instrumental Performance for "A Day In The Life," Colbert for Best Comedy Album for A Colbert Christmas: The Greatest Gift Of All!, Perry for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Hot N Cold," and Seal for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "If You Don't Know Me By Now."

So that viewers at home can enjoy the unique 3-D tribute to Jackson, CBS and Target have partnered to provide millions of free 3-D GRAMMY Glasses. From Sunday, Jan. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 31, Target stores nationwide will exclusively offer these 3-D GRAMMY Glasses so that fans have the opportunity to see the film that was very personal to Jackson. Additionally, the audience at Staples Center will share the 3-D experience, wearing the same glasses as those being worn by viewers at home.

Blige's and Bocelli's performance (audio and video) of the Simon & Garfunkel classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" will be made available for download at iTunes.com/Target following the telecast, and all proceeds will go to the American Red Cross, benefiting ongoing earthquake relief efforts in Haiti. This year marks the 40th anniversary of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" receiving GRAMMY Awards for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, and Song Of The Year, and the song will provide a moving tribute to the survivors of the tragic events in Haiti.

As part of Bon Jovi's performance on the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, fans will have an opportunity to decide which Bon Jovi hit the band will perform. For this "You Pick It, They Play It!" special segment, viewers can log on to CBS.com now and vote in the final round for one out of three of their favorite hit Bon Jovi songs: "Always," "It's My Life," and "Livin' On A Prayer." There is no registration to vote, and fans may vote as often as they wish. Additionally, a 30-second clip of each song may be viewed. Voting will continue until Bon Jovi's performance on Jan. 31, when the song with the most votes is revealed live during their segment.

Additionally, the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards Pre-Telecast ceremony will take place from 1–4 p.m. PT at the Los Angeles Convention Center and will be streamed live internationally on GRAMMY.com beginning at 1 p.m. PT.

Well-attended by nominees and industry VIPs, current GRAMMY nominees Tia Carrere and Kurt Elling will host the star-studded ceremony, which will feature performances by nominees including Montreal-based duo Beast (vocalist Betty Bonifassi and drummer/composer Jean-Phi Goncalves); jazz vocalist Elling; contemporary R&B singer Lalah Hathaway; classical guitarist Sharon Isbin; and R&B singer Charlie Wilson as well as a special bluegrass performance by nine-time GRAMMY-winning singer Ray Benson, country instrumentalist Alison Brown, two-time GRAMMY winner Jim Lauderdale, singer/songwriter Michael Martin Murphey, three-time GRAMMY winner Bryan Sutton and singer/fiddle player Gabe Witcher. Presenting GRAMMY Awards in 99 categories will be current nominees Colbie Caillat, Mick Fleetwood, LMFAO, and Tonex as well as percussionist Sheila E., Flack, and five-time GRAMMY-winning producer/songwriter and Recording Academy Chair Emeritus Jimmy Jam. The live stream of the Pre-Telecast will remain on GRAMMY.com as video on demand for 30 days following the event.

The 52nd GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.
 

GRAMMYs

Jamie Foxx performs at the 51st GRAMMY Awards in February 2009

Photo: John Shearer/WireImage.com

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check-out-grammy-performers

Check Out The GRAMMY Performers

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A handy users guide to Music's Biggest Night's performance lineup
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

(For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Award winners, please click here.)

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards will feature three-and-a-half hours of performance-rich television.

Performances include:

Jamie Foxx and T-Pain with Slash and Doug E. Fresh

Nominees Drake, Eminem, and Lil Wayne with Travis Barker

A special tribute to guitar virtuoso Les Paul featuring Jeff Beck and Imelda May

The cast of "American Idiot" appearing with Green Day

Four-time GRAMMY winner Roberta Flack; five-time GRAMMY winner Elton John

Three-time GRAMMY winner Jennifer Nettles of Sugarland were announced last Thursday

Beyoncé

The Black Eyed Peas

Bon Jovi

The Dave Matthews Band

Green Day

Lady Antebellum

Lady Gaga

Maxwell

Pink

Taylor Swift

The Zac Brown Band

Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Smokey Robinson, Carrie Underwood, and Usher in a special 3-D GRAMMY tribute to Michael Jackson

Mary J. Blige and Andrea Bocelli in a special fund-raising segment for Haitian relief

The 52nd GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Jan. 31 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube. Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

The 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich and John Cossette are executive producers, Louis J. Horvitz is director.
 

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beyonc%C3%A9s-golden-record

Beyoncé's Golden Record

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THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 3:22 pm

(For a complete list of 52nd GRAMMY Award winners, please click here.)

By Tammy La Gorce 

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More GRAMMY photos »

It was a night of pure GRAMMY gold for Beyoncé. The R&B songstress picked up six wins, a record for a female artist at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards, including Song Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance, Best R&B Song, and Best Contemporary R&B Album. Country sensation Taylor Swift was the evening's runner-up with an impressive four GRAMMY wins, including taking Album Of The Year for Fearless, besting Beyoncé. Equally impressive, at the age of 20 Swift became the youngest artist to pick up Album Of The Year honors.

Black Eyed Peas and Kings Of Leon won three GRAMMYs each, the latter picking up the coveted Record Of The Year for "Use Somebody." Picking up two GRAMMYs each were Eminem, banjo maestro Béla Fleck, composer Michael Giacchino, Lady Gaga, Maxwell, Jason Mraz, and conductor Michael Tilson Thomas.

And in an evening of spirited, sometimes joyous performances, the broadcast's more reflective moments might have been its most memorable. Following a star-studded tribute to Michael Jackson, the King of Pop's children appeared, brave-faced and in armbands, to accept an award on his behalf. Later, Andrea Bocelli and Mary J. Blige sang a stirring duet of "Bridge Over Troubled Water" to raise funds for earthquake-devastated Haiti.

The 52nd GRAMMY Awards kicked off in grand fashion, literally, with Lady Gaga opening the festivities solo, emerging in a green-sequined bodysuit with angel wings, accelerating from a purr to a powerful roar for her No. 1 "Poker Face," surrounded by a fleet of male dancers. Then, she faced a rhinestoned Sir Elton John — a 1970s fashion headline-maker himself — from opposite ends of a pair of conjoined pianos for a pair of songs: "Speechless" and "Your Song."

If anyone in the audience wasn't starstruck to begin with, they surely were by the time the pair passed the spotlight to first presenter Stephen Colbert. After cracking jokes — including one about a possible collaboration that would result in a group called the Pink-Eyed Green Peas — Colbert announced the winner for Song Of The Year, Beyoncé's "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)."

Jennifer Lopez then introduced the cast of "American Idiot," a new Broadway show based on the Green Day hit album. The cast deployed big Broadway voices for a rendition of "21 Guns" before Green Day themselves thundered into the spotlight, reminding the world that it's been a long time since the lovable but much less profound Dookie made the trio stars.

Beyoncé, the field-leader with 10 GRAMMY nominations, took total command of the stage to open her performance. After parading down the aisle with a SWAT team of dancers, she launched fiercely into "If I Were A Boy," at one point dropping to one knee in front of a crowd of fist-pumping fans, before segueing into a version of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know." If she is known largely as a pop/R&B diva, that's due to change as Beyoncé proved she can not only belt, she can also rock.

Pink sauntered onto the stage solo to sing the gentle "Glitter In The Air." Despite a quiet start, her trademark guts and grace were on full display as she slipped out of a white robe and into a swing that lifted her high above the stage, an acrobatic move that saw her suspended upside down and bathed in dripping water, helping add drama to a daring performance.

It was destined to be a good night for the Black Eyed Peas, nominated for six GRAMMYs. A fashionable Fergie, will.i.am, apl.de.ap, and Taboo lit into "Imma Be," prancing and hip-shaking before bouncing in time alongside a team of dancing robots to their omnipresent smash "I Gotta Feeling."

Lady Gaga wasn't the only Lady sensation in attendance at the 52nd GRAMMY Awards. Lady Antebellum, who picked up a GRAMMY for Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, sang the earnest "Need You Now," the title track from their new album, with harmonic grace and country prettiness. Everything about the performance suggested long-term promise for the Nashville-based vocal trio.

The multi-talented Jamie Foxx threw the audience a curveball in posing as a cloaked opera singer, but in short order got us feeling loose alongside his generous collaborator T-Pain — who was disguised momentarily as a wig-wearing conductor — with the contagious hit "Blame It." By performance end, Foxx was strutting, T-Pain's dreads were shaking, and Slash joined the fun, adding some wailing guitar pyrotechnics.

Best New Artist winners the Zac Brown Band struck a patriotic chord by opening a country-laced medley with "America The Beautiful." Leon Russell, resplendent at the piano with his long white beard, then joined in for "Dixie Lullaby." Brown, the band's huge-voiced singer, closed the medley with a feel-good acoustic blast of their No. 1 country hit "Chicken Fried." He capped the performance with a fiery solo on his classical guitar, calling to mind a pair of dueling banjos. What was clear, though, was that few musicians would want to engage in a duel with this guitarist.

Swift and everyone's favorite singing gypsy Stevie Nicks would at first glance seem to have little in common. Swift sings as if reading from her own diary, as she did on "Today Was A Fairytale," and Nicks — with whirling sleeves and deep vocals — made her name on mystery. But when Nicks joined Swift for Fleetwood Mac's classic "Rhiannon," the two voices blended to reveal something at once sweet and unique. Nicks stuck around to lend a hand on "You Belong With Me," adding vocal depth and shaking a tambourine.

Lionel Richie's spirit-lifting introduction to the evening's Michael Jackson tribute preceded a video clip, voiced by Jackson, recalling the tragedy of the King of Pop's death as well as his commitment to multiple worthy causes. Celine Dion led an all-star, 3-D rendition of "Earth Song," harmonizing with Usher before Carrie Underwood, Jennifer Hudson, and Smokey Robinson joined in. As the song built to its dramatic crescendo, each superstar took turns asking, on behalf of Mother Earth, the song's sad refrain: "What about us?"

It was directly after the performance that Jackson's children Prince and Paris took the stage to accept their father's Lifetime Achievement Award. Eyes around the audience filled with tears as the children delivered touching speeches in honor of their father.

Following an acknowledgment of GRAMMY Salute To Industry Icons honoree Doug Morris, presenter Sheryl Crow explained the mystery performance to come. While Bon Jovi would take the stage to sing two predetermined songs, the audience — which had placed votes up until the band's performance at CBS.com — picked the group's No. 1 classic "Livin' On A Prayer." The ageless Jon Bon Jovi led his Jersey-bred bandmates on the group's new anthem of hope, "We Weren't Born To Follow." Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles joined Bon Jovi for their GRAMMY-winning song "Who Says You Can't Go Home." Nettles stayed onstage to close out the medley with the aforementioned "Prayer," helping the band close out the medley with characteristic high energy.

Wyclef Jean, a native of Haiti, thanked the United States for its generosity in the wake of the devastating earthquake that recently struck the island. He introduced Blige and Bocelli, who teamed for a beautiful and graceful duet of Simon And Garfunkel's aforementioned classic "Bridge Over Troubled Water" — which is celebrating its 40th anniversary GRAMMY wins for Record and Album Of The Year. Bocelli opened in perfect voice and was joined by a stunning Blige, turning in a unique performance, raising voices in support of those in need.

Special presenter Adam Sandler congratulated the Dave Matthews Band on its 20th anniversary before the group, nominated for two GRAMMYs, launched into "You And Me" off Big Whiskey And The GrooGrux King. A string section and members of the GRAMMY Jazz Ensembles backed the upbeat performance that reinforced the reasons for the band's longevity: artistic sense, limitless imagination and, possibly, freewheeling dancing that owes more to fun than gracefulness.

Maxwell, who was nominated for six GRAMMYs, may have disappeared from music for a few years, but he — like Roberta Flack, with whom he shared a tender duet on the classic "Where Is The Love" — is not easily forgotten. Flack's rich warm vocals fit like a glove around Maxwell's sexy neo-soul vocal tone. And though Flack's voice can't help invoking '70s nostalgia, Maxwell's modern touches imbued the song with retro-hip stylishness. The effortless charm of his opener "Pretty Wings," from his GRAMMY-winning album Blacksummers' Night, instantly got to the heart of why Maxwell was sorely missed during his long hiatus.

Actor Jeff Bridges has an underdog's reputation, which made him an excellent choice for presenting the evening's Les Paul tribute. Paul, the incomparable musician and guitar innovator who died in 2009, was honored with a high-spirited and clearly heartfelt performance by GRAMMY-winning guitar legend Jeff Beck, who appropriately brandished a Gibson Les Paul, and vocalist Imelda May on the chestnut "How High The Moon."

Combine rappers Drake, Eminem and Lil Wayne and what you get is a whole lot of swagger and personality — maybe too much — to fit into one GRAMMY performance. Not so. On the "Drop The World"/"Forever" medley, Eminem spat mightily before Drake fell in to offer up proof of the following "Forever" lyric: "Like a sprained ankle boy/I ain't nothing to play with." Weezy's moment came late, but wasn't diminished. The hip-hop superstar trio added up to one of the night's most pumped-up performances, providing a punctuating finale to the evening's musical lineup.

The evening's final statue was presented to Swift for Album Of The Year, which the young singer/songwriter accepted with youthful exuberance and a surprising long-term point of view:

"This is the story…when we are 80 years old, and we are telling the same stories over and over to our grandkids, and they are so annoyed with us, this is the story we are going to be telling over and over again: In 2010 that we got to win Album Of The Year at the GRAMMYs!"

(To view photos from the 52nd Annual GRAMMY Awards and other GRAMMY Week events, click here.)

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