In tune with Chamikara Weerasinghe The Grammy Awards 2009 The Grammy Award is Hauls five Event : 51st annual Grammy awards shaped like an old gramophone. Venue : The Staples Center, Los Angeles Date : February 8, 2009 The 2009 Grammys are official- Sand, Record Of The Year (for ly over. A surprising duo cleaned- “Please Read The Letter” ), Best up this year—Alison Krauss and Pop Collaboration With Vocals (for Robert Plant, who took home five “Rich Woman”), and Best Country awards, including Album of the Collaboration With Vocals (for Year for their album, Raising “Killing The Blues”). Best Country Song Former Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant and bluegrass queen Alison Krauss hold their Gram- my awards. Plant and Krauss scooped five awards, including the coveted album of the year honor and record of the year prize for work stem- ming from their acclaimed “Raising Sand.” AFP Best Rap Solo CHAMIKARA WEERASINGHE The experts can only vote in the The Grammy Award is the categories for which they have most prestigious award for a expertise. They are also allowed to recording artists to win in the nominate in the four general cate- world of music.The Grammys gories, which are The Record of are to honor artistic achieve- the Year, The Album of the Year , ment, technical proficiency and The Song of The Year and Best overall excellence in the New Artiste. These catgories can recording industry, without contain artistes from any genre. regard to album sales or chart They also nominate in a maxi- position. mum of nine of 31 categories. The first Grammy Awards was Once the music experts have done held in 1959 in Los Angeles at the their nominating of the recording Beverly Hilton. It was also known artists, the final step is for those as “Gramophone Awards” then. who are members of the Academy The 51 st Annual Grammy Awards to vote on those artists who have was held on February 8 at Staples been nominated. Performer Sheryl Crow (left) presents the Grammy Award for the Best Country Song Centre Los Angeles. to Kristian Bush (centre) and Jennifer Nettles (right) of Sugarland. AFP The Grammys are given by the VOTING National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., US, which The members of the Academy was formed in 1957. vote in the same four general cat- Best Male Pop Vocals Best Metal The Grammy Awards have been egories as the music experts and in Rapper Lil Wayne accepts the Best Rap Solo Per- an American music institution for no more than eight of the 31 cate- formance award AFP nearly half a century. gories. Once the members have voted, the winners are tallied by an NOMINATION PROCESS accounting firm that has the responsibility of keeping the win- “Be OK” Let’s look at the Grammy nomi- ners identities a secret until the nation process. It is not done by live telecast in which the Grammy public vote or anything. Awards are presented. It is the Record Companies There are so many different which are allowed to nominate the Grammy Awards presented during recording artistes that they feels is the awards show that many of deserving such nominations. them are presented prior to the live A group of about 150 music telecast and are not seen by the experts review the recordings of viewing public. To a recording the nominated artistes who deter- artist, a Grammy Award is the ulti- mine their suitability for nomina- mate honor to receive as a result of tions in 31 different recording their hard work in the recording fields. world. Chrisette Michele (right) and Will.i.am hold the John Mayer acknowledges the audience Robert Trujillo from Metallica holds the Grammy award for the Best Urban/Alternative after receiving the award for Best Male Grammy award for the Best Metal Perfor- Best Female “Still Pop Vocal Performance. AFP Performance for “Be OK” AFP mance for “My Apocalypse” AFP Country Vocals Unforgettable” Best New Artiste Best Rock Album Natalie Cole holds the Grammy British singer Adele holds the Grammy awards Chris Martin (2nd left) and other members of the band Coldplay, celebrate after win- Carrie Underwood holds the Grammy award for the Best Traditional Pop for the Best New Artist and Best Female Pop ning the Grammy Award for the Best Rock Album for their album “Viva La Vida Or award for the Best Female Country Vocal Vocal Album for “Still Unforget- Vocal Performance for “Chasing Pavements AFP Death And All His Friends” AFP Performance for “Last Name”, AFP table” AFP BEST NEW ARTIST BEST POP COLLABORATION WITH BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM BEST ROCK ALBUM BEST URBAN / ALTERNATIVE PER- Adele VOCALS “Jingle All The Way,” Béla Fleck & The Coldplay, Viva La Vida Or Death And All FORMANCE ALBUM OF THE YEAR Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Rich Flecktones His Friends “Be OK,” Chrisette Michele Featuring Alison Krauss & Robert Plant, Raising Woman” BEST SOLO ROCK VOCAL PERFOR- BEST ALTERNATIVE ALBUM will.i.am Sand BEST POP PERFORMANCE, FEMALE MANCE Radiohead, In Rainbows BEST R&B SONG SONG OF THE YEAR Adele, “Chasing Pavements” “Gravity,” John Mayer BEST FEMALE R&B VOCAL PERFOR- “Miss Independent,” (Ne-Yo)M.S. Erik- “Viva La Vida,” Guy Berryman, Jonny BEST POP PERFORMANCE, MALE BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE BY A MANCE sen, T.E. Hermansen & S. Smith, songwrit- Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, John Mayer, “Say” DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS “Superwoman,” Alicia Keys ers songwriters (Coldplay, artist) “Sex On Fire,” Kings Of Leon BEST R&B ALBUM RECORD OF THE YEAR BEST POP PERFORMANCE BY A BEST HARD ROCK PERFORMANCE BEST MALE R&B VOCAL PERFOR- “Jennifer Hudson,” Jennifer Hudson Robert Plant and Alison Kraus, “Please DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS “Wax Simulacra,” The Mars Volta MANCES BEST CONTEMPORARY R&B ALBUM Read The Letter” Coldplay, “Viva La Vida” BEST ROCK INSTRUMENTAL PER- “Miss Independent,” Ne-Yo “Growing Pains,” Mary J. Blige BEST DANCE RECORDING POP COLLABORATION WITH FORMANCE BEST R & B PERFORMANCE BY A BEST RAP ALBUM Daft Punk, “Harder Better Faster VOCALS Peaches En Regalia,” Zappa Plays DUO OR GROUP WITH VOCALS Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III Stronger” “Rich Woman,” Robert Plant and Alison Zappa Al Green feat. John Legend, “Stay With BEST RAP PERFORMANCE BY A BEST ELECTRONIC/DANCE ALBUM Krauss BEST METAL PERFORMANCE Me (By The Sea)” DUO OR GROUP Daft Punk, Alive 2007 Metallica, “My Apocalypse” BEST TRADITIONAL R&B VOCAL T.I. feat. Kanye West & Lil Wayne, “Swag- BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL PERFOR- BEST ROCK SONG PERFORMANCE ger Like Us” ALBUM MANCE Bruce Springsteen, “Girls In Their Sum- “You’ve Got The Love I Need,” Al Green BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION “Still Unforgettable,” Natalie Cole “I Dreamed There Was No War,” Eagles mer Clothes” Featuring Anthony Hamilton Estelle feat. Kanye West, “American Boy” Grammy Winners Grammy =.