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GRAMMY Rewind: 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards

Arcade Fire wins Album Of The Year and Lady Antebellum rises to superstardom

GRAMMYs/Dec 3, 2014 - 05:06 am

Music's Biggest Night, the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards, will air live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. In our final installment, we look back to last year when Lady Antebellum rose to GRAMMY stardom.

53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards
Feb. 13, 2011

Album Of The Year
Winner: Arcade Fire, The Suburbs
Eminem, Recovery
Lady Antebellum, Need You Now
Lady Gaga, The Fame Monster
Katy Perry, Teenage Dream

In a surprise, indie rock reigned supreme with Arcade Fire picking up Album Of The Year honors for The Suburbs. The quartet closed out the GRAMMY telecast with a performance of "Month Of May." Eminem received his third career nod for Album Of The Year. Though short-handed here, Recovery won Best Rap Album honors. Lady Antebellum's Need You Now was one of country music's biggest hits in 2010. The album won Best Country Album honors. Lady Gaga's The Fame Monster would spawn three awards, including Best Pop Vocal Album. Gaga is nominated for Album Of The Year this year for Born This Way. While Perry would miss out on Album Of The Year, Teenage Dream would go on to spawn a record-tying five No. 1 singles, including "Firework," which is nominated for Record Of The Year this year.

Record Of The Year
Winner: Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now"
B.o.B & Bruno Mars, "Nothin' On You"
Eminem & Rihanna, "Love The Way You Lie"
Cee Lo Green, "Forget You"
Jay-Z & Alicia Keys, "Empire State Of Mind"

Lady Antebellum scored big with five wins at the 53rd GRAMMY Awards. "Need You Now" would also net awards for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance By A Duo Or Group. B.o.B & Bruno Mars teamed for "Nothin' On You," featured on B.o.B's debut album, B.o.B Presents: The Adventures Of Bobby Ray. The song was produced by the Smeezingtons, the production trio consisting of Mars, Ari Levine and Philip Lawrence. GRAMMY winners Eminem and Rihanna teamed for the hip-hop ballad "Love The Way You Lie," which was accompanied by a video featuring actress Megan Fox. The smash reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200. "Forget You" is the expletive-free version of "F* You," Green's hit that was also produced by the Smeezingtons. Green won two GRAMMYs previously as part of the duo Gnarls Barkley with Modest Mouse. Jay-Z & Alicia Keys teamed for "Empire State Of Mind," an contemporary ode to New York. The song netted wins for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration and Best Rap Song.

Song Of The Year
Winner: Lady Antebellum, "Need You Now"
Ray LaMontagne, "Beg, Steal Or Borrow"
Cee Lo Green, "Forget You"
Miranda Lambert, "The House That Built Me"
Eminem & Rihanna, "Love The Way You Lie"

Three of the five songs also garnered nods for Record Of The Year. "Need You Now" was written by Lady Antebellum members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelly and Dave Haywood with producer Josh Kear. The New Hampshire-born LaMontagne penned "Beg, Steal Or Borrow," a song from God Willin' & The Creek Don't Rise, which won Best Contemporary Folk Album. "Forget You" was co-written by Green with the Smeezingtons and Christopher "Brody" Brown. Performed by Lambert, "The House That Built Me" was co-written by Tom Douglas and Allen Shamblin. The song earned Lambert Best Female Country Vocal Performance honors. "Love The Way You Lie" was co-written by Alex da Kid and Skylar Grey. Grey is nominated for three GRAMMYs this year, including two nods for “I Need A Doctor, a collaboration with Dr. Dre and Eminem.

Best New Artist
Winner: Esperanza Spalding
Justin Bieber
Drake
Florence & The Machine
Mumford & Sons

Arguably the year's biggest upset, jazz artist Spalding walked away with Best New Artist honors. Spalding co-hosted last year's Pre-Telecast Ceremony and is scheduled to present an award at this year's ceremony. Though Bieber lost out here, the teen heartthrob had a banner year in 2010. His sophomore album, My World 2.0, peaked at No. 1 and spawned the hits "Baby" and "Somebody To Love." Canadian hip-hop artist Drake teamed with Rihanna for a performance of "What's My Name?" on the GRAMMY telecast. The song is nominated this year for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, one of Drake's four total nominations. Florence & The Machine is the brainchild of London-born Florence Welch. The indie collective won the Critic's Choice Award at the 2009 BRIT Awards. Mumford & Sons performed on the 53rd GRAMMY telecast with the legendary Bob Dylan. The British folk rockers are up for four awards this year, including Record and Song Of The Year for "The Cave."

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition 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 worldwide via Westwood One/Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube.

Follow GRAMMY.com for our inside look at GRAMMY news, blogs, photos, videos, and of course nominees. Stay up to the minute with GRAMMY Live. Check out the GRAMMY legacy with GRAMMY Rewind. Keep track of this year's GRAMMY Week events, and explore this year's GRAMMY Fields. Or check out the collaborations at Re:Generation, presented by Hyundai Veloster. And join the conversation at Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube.

GRAMMY Rewind: Beyoncé Strives For Accountability And Change After Winning A GRAMMY For 'Lemonade' In 2017
Beyoncé at the 2017 GRAMMY Awards.

Photo: Dan MacMedan/WireImage

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GRAMMY Rewind: Beyoncé Strives For Accountability And Change After Winning A GRAMMY For 'Lemonade' In 2017

As Beyoncé accepted the GRAMMY for Best Urban Contemporary Album in 2017, she stressed that it's vital to "learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes."

GRAMMYs/Mar 24, 2023 - 04:20 pm

At the height of America's tense political climate, Beyoncé's Lemonade brought confidence to Black women nationwide silenced by misogynoir. It was a celebration of unapologetic femininity and southern culture while also taking back the power in relationships stained by infidelity and generational trauma. As Beyoncé explained in her 2017 GRAMMY acceptance speech, the intention of Lemonade was "to give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness, and our history."

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we turn back the clock to the evening Beyoncé made her empowering speech after winning Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 59th GRAMMY Awards. Fresh off of her iconic, nine-minute performance of Lemonade's vulnerable deep cuts, "Love Drought" and "Sandcastles," Beyoncé was glowing as she took the stage to accept her golden gramophone.

"Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to beautifully capture the profundity of deep southern culture," Beyoncé proudly praised before acknowledging her husband, kids, and fans.

"It's important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror... and have no doubt that they're beautiful, intelligent and capable," Beyoncé said. "This is something that I want for every child of every race. And I feel it's vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes."

Press play on the video above to watch the entirety of Beyoncé's thoughtful acceptance speech for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2017 GRAMMY Awards, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

Billy Porter Is Ready To Show Fans His True Musical Side: "You're Not Gonna Want To Stop Listening"

GRAMMY Rewind: The Chicks Give A Tear-Filled Speech For Their Industry-Altering Song Of The Year Win In 2007
The Chicks at the 2007 GRAMMYs.

Photo: Vince Bucci/Getty Images

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GRAMMY Rewind: The Chicks Give A Tear-Filled Speech For Their Industry-Altering Song Of The Year Win In 2007

The Chicks were full of emotions after winning a golden gramophone for "Not Ready to Make Nice," the song made in response to the criticism they faced in 2003.

GRAMMYs/Mar 17, 2023 - 05:00 pm

Flashback to 2003, the Chicks frontwoman Natalie Maines made her infamous statement advocating for peace against the invasion in Iraq. The seemingly unthreatening comment quickly led to nationwide backlash, including a boycott of the Chicks by country music's fans, radio stations and musicians.

But more importantly, Maines' progressive endorsement prompted a conversation surrounding America's conservative expectations for country artists. Maines' courage to speak out was an inspiration to the next generation of women in country, including Taylor Swift and Kacey Musgraves, who credit the Chicks for empowering them to publicly claim their liberal beliefs.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we fast forward four years after the career-changing controversy to the 2007 GRAMMYs, when the trio won Song of the Year alongside folk singer/songwriter Dan Wilson for "Not Ready to Make Nice," the track made in response to the massive criticism they faced.

"This is overwhelming," said Emily Strayer, holding back tears. "Thank you, Dan, for writing with us … It was very important that you [understood] what we were trying to get across. Thank you for helping us to get all of this out and into a song."

Before heading off the stage, Maines took the time to express appreciation for her bandmates: "For the first time in my life, I'm speechless. Thank you, Martie and Emily, for sticking by me. I told you I'd take it to the GRAMMYs!" Maines joked. (The trio were the big winners that night, also taking home the GRAMMYs for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best Country Album.)

Press play on the video above to watch The Chicks' complete acceptance speech for Song of the Year at the 2007 GRAMMY Awards, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

10 College Courses Dedicated To Pop Stars And Music: Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny & Hip-Hop

8 Artists Who Were Inspired By Their Teachers: Rihanna, Adele, Jay-Z & More
John Legend sings for students at Duke Ellington School of the Arts in 2012.

Photo: Sarah L. Voisin/The Washington Post via Getty Images

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8 Artists Who Were Inspired By Their Teachers: Rihanna, Adele, Jay-Z & More

In honor of Music In Our Schools Month this March, take a look at how teachers made a heartwarming impact on superstars like Katy Perry and John Legend.

GRAMMYs/Mar 16, 2023 - 03:55 pm

Before Rihanna, Billy Joel and Jay-Z became some of the biggest names in music, they were students just like the rest of us. Without some particularly special teachers, they might not be the superstars they are today, and they all remember who first encouraged them.

Within the past few years, Rihanna made a special trip to a cricket match in England to reunite with her old P.E. teacher from Barbados, who she calls her "MVP"; Joel traveled back to his New York hometown to honor the teacher who said he should be a professional musician; and Jay-Z told David Letterman that his sixth grade English teacher made him fall in love with words. 

In honor of Music In Our Schools Month — which raises awareness for supporting and cultivating worthwhile music programs in K-12 — GRAMMY.com highlights eight artists who have praised their teachers for making a lifelong impact.

Billy Joel

After watching Joel tackle Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor, Op. 23, his high school music appreciation teacher Chuck Arnold suggested that he consider music as a career.

"He said to me, you should be a professional musician," Joel recalled of his Hicksville High School mentor during a 1996 event at C.W. Post College. "Now, for a teacher to say that, it's like condemning someone to a life of poverty, drug taking, alcoholism and failure.

"A teacher is telling me this," he added seriously. "It had a huge influence on me."

In 2022, Joel was on hand to congratulate Arnold during the dedication of the Charles "Chuck" Arnold Theatre at the school. "This is for the coolest teacher there ever was," he praised.

Lizzo

In 2019, CBS Sunday arranged a surprise visit with the singer and Manny Gonzales, the former band director at her alma mater, Elsik High School in Houston. She told the network that Gonzales helped her get a scholarship to study classical flute at University of Houston.

"You told my ass!" Lizzo exclaimed as she squeezed him. "You were like, 'Get it together, girl, 'cause you are special. Apply yourself!' Those moments meant so much to me."

Lil Jon

The Atlanta DJ/producer and king of crunk has done more than take parties to the next level — he has invested in the educational future of children in Africa by building two schools in Ghana with the non-profit organization Pencils of Promise. He credits a mentor at Frederick Douglass High School in Atlanta for sparking his brain when he was a teenager.

"It was my music teacher [who inspired me to dream bigger]," he said in a 2019 interview with Yahoo! "I wanted to play drums, and if I didn't play drums, I wouldn't make music, and drums are the foundation for what I do."

Rihanna

Roddy Estwick was Rihanna's P.E. teacher in Barbados and is now the assistant coach of the West Indies cricket team. The two had an emotional reunion at the 2019 Cricket World Cup in England.

"He made a lasting impact on my life and he really offered great advice to me and many others when we were at school at Combermere," she told Barbados Today amid their reunion. "I just wanted to let everyone know what he meant to me in my development and what he did for us back at school in Barbados." Essence reported that Rihanna described him as, "My mentor, my champ, my MVP" on her Instagram stories.

John Legend

The Ohio native credits his English teacher Mrs. Bodey at North High School in Springfield for setting him on the path that culminated in his music career.

"Until her class, I hadn't believed in my ability as a writer," Legend shared in a 2017 op-ed for Huffington Post. "She recognized my potential and showed me that I could write with creativity, with clarity, with passion."

He continued, "Mrs. Bodey, along with a few other teachers, helped me gain confidence in my skills and pushed me to challenge myself. They pushed me to graduate second in my class. They pushed me to deliver the speech at our graduation. They pushed me to earn a scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, to hone my writing as an English Major and, ultimately, toward a successful career as a songwriter."

Adele

The singer was reunited with the most pivotal teacher in her life during her "An Audience with Adele" concert special in 2021. While the singer took questions from the crowd, actress Emma Thompson asked Adele if she had a supporter or protector in the past.

"I had a teacher at [south London high school] Chestnut Grove, who taught me English. That was Miss McDonald," Adele said. "She got me really into English literature. Like, I've always been obsessed with English and obviously now I write lyrics… She really made us care, and we knew that she cared about us."

Miss McDonald then surprised Adele on stage, and the singer was brought to tears — a touching highlight of the special. She even told her former teacher that she still has the books from her class!

Katy Perry

While Perry has admitted that she wishes she had a better overall education, her former music school teacher gave her confidence to pursue singing seriously.

"I'm kind of bummed at this stage that I didn't have a great education because I could really use that these days," she said in a 2014 interview with Yahoo! "There was a teacher named Agatha Danoff who was my vocal teacher and music teacher at the Music Academy of the West. It was very fancy and I didn't come from any money… and she always used to give me a break on my lessons. I owe her a lot of credit and I appreciate that she looked out for me when I didn't have enough money to pay."

Jay-Z

Picture a young Shawn Carter — now better known as Jay-Z —  with his head stuck in a dictionary.

"I had a sixth grade teacher, her name was Ms. Lowden and I just loved the class so much," Jay-Z said during his appearance on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman in 2018. 

He later realized how much Renee Rosenblum-Lowden, who taught him at Intermediate School 318 in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn, had an influence on his passion for language. "Like, reading the dictionary and just my love of words," he explained. "I just connected with her."

"I knew he was extremely bright, but he was quiet," Rosenblum-Lowden told Brut in 2019, sharing that he scored at the 12th-grade level on a sixth-grade reading test.

"He's been very kind," she added. "Every famous person has a teacher who probably influenced them, and I wish they would all shout out the way Jay-Z did."

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Rihanna Offers Inspiring Performance Of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Song "Lift Me Up" At 2023 Oscars
Rihanna performing at the 2023 Oscars

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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Rihanna Offers Inspiring Performance Of 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' Song "Lift Me Up" At 2023 Oscars

Following her Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, Rihanna continues her 2023 comeback with another televised performance — this time, of "Lift Me Up" from 'Black Panther: Wakanda Forever' at the 2023 Oscars.

GRAMMYs/Mar 13, 2023 - 03:07 am

Rihanna shone with soft glory at the 2023 Oscars tonight with her lustrous performance of "Lift Me Up," the Oscar-nominated song from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.

"Lift Me Up" is Rihanna's first Oscar nomination, and other collaborators on the track include Tems, Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Göransson. Göransson composed the original film's score alongside Kendrick Lamar.

Other nominees in the Best Original Song category are “Applause” from Tell It like a Woman (Diane Warren), “Hold My Hand” from Top Gun: Maverick (Lady Gaga, BloodPop), “Naatu Naatu” from RRR (M.M. Keeravaani, Chandrabose), and “This Is A Life” from Everything Everywhere All at Once (Ryan Lott, David Byrne, Mitski).

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever also received nominations for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Best Costume Design, Best Visual Effects, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Ruth E. Carter made history as the first Black woman to win two Oscars, winning for Best Costume Design this year and in 2019 (for the original Black Panther).

The performance comes after the nine-time GRAMMY winner's spectacular Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show, which marked her first live performance in seven years (and made for one iconic baby bump reveal).

​​GRAMMY Rewind: Witness Rihanna Accept Her First-Ever GRAMMY Win With JAY-Z For "Umbrella"