Grammys 2015: Kanye Cries Foul, Annie Lennox Steals the Show and Sam Smith Cleans House

The 57th annual Grammy Awards went on as scheduled as music’s finest and brightest took centerstage to celebrate achievements and milestones.

The Staples Center in Los Angeles provided the venue for all the eclectic mayhem and there was certainly enough of that to go round with the brilliant opening courtesy of AC/DC that rocked the glittered foundation to its core.

Ariana Grande was stunningly ripe as she belted out Just a Little Bit of Your Heart, it was clearly a nerve-wrecking moment for the young singer but her gorgeous voice carried her through it.

The fruitful partnership between Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga was on display as they aroused the crowd with their version of the classic Cheek to Cheek by Irving Berlin. It is no wonder their album snagged the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album.

John Legend and Common continued their award season trek with their impeccable offering from the Oscar-nominated film Selma – Glory, Aside from the fact that the message is coherently timely, both performers dole it out in such an affectingly effortless way.

Madonna’s return to the stage was long overdue and as usual she didn’t disappoint. Decked out in a an exquisitely vibrant ensemble that showcased her still formidable template, the Like a Virgin singer gave it her all while unleashing her latest single, Living for Love and it worked like a charm.

But the most memorable performance had to be the pairing of Hozier and Annie Lennox. It was a delightful treat to be under the spell of Lennox whose soulful vocals blended perfectly with Hozier’s hit Take Me to Church and the primal response evidently echoed the sentiment. It was without a doubt the most stirring and flawless production of the night.

Other highlights included the surprise wins and aggravating losses. British crooner Sam Smith dashed Iggy Azelea’s hopes by garnering the best new artist trophy, which must have provided some comforting validation to those who find the Australian rapper irksome. Smith’s controversial fling with his hit Stay With Me didn’t seem to hamper his ability to come out on top in the key major categories, including record of the year, song of the year, and best pop vocal album.

Pharrell Williams expectedly took home the Grammy for best pop solo performance for his infectious tune, Happy.

Beyonce and Jay Z won for best R&B performance for Drunk in Love but Queen Bey lost her chance at claiming the prestigious album of the year, since that honor went to Beck who also took home the best rock album prize.

Beyonce’s loss turned out to be more than Kanye West could handle as he attempted to resurrect the folly from the 2009 VMAs – when he dramatically stormed the stage and made Taylor Swift feel like a loser for poaching an award that he vocally declared belonged to Beyonce. It was a hilariously awkward moment that never gets old but the idea that the restless rapper was ready to replicate it seemed too good to be true and almost terrified the wits out of the king and queen of hip-hop.

But Kanye politely backed out of that deal and later cited his daughter “North, wife Kim Kardashian and his clothing line” as the reasons why he was able to restrain himself. But during an engaging interview with E! after the telecast, Kanye reverted back to his renegade ways and called out the Grammys for not recognizing and rewarding true “artistry” He also succeeded in making Beck feel like a thief in the night by demanding that the Grammy winner offer up his trophy to Beyonce.

“I just know that the Grammys, if they want real artists to keep coming back, they need to stop playing with us. We ain’t gonna play with them no more.” “And Beck needs to respect artistry and he should’ve given his award to Beyonce”.

As biting and combative as he may be, very few can disagree with the lifetime protége of Jay Z and though his approach can be deemed as questionable, there are more of us who secretly enjoy the prospect of having Kanye West provide the best improvisational moments in TV history.

Click here for a complete list of winners.