Sam Smith stole the show at last night’s Fifty-seventh Annual Grammy Awards where some of the biggest artists in the business united to celebrate music. Other Grammy favorites were Beyonce, Pharrell Williams and Beck.

After a flashy performance from AC/DC to open the night, four-time host LL Cool J invited Taylor Swift to the stage to present the first award. A recipient of seven awards herself, Swift presented the first of the prestigious “Big 4,” “Best New Artist,” to England’s Sam Smith.
Even though critics and fans lauded Smith’s victory, Convent of the Sacred Heart senior Anabeth Bostrup hoped for a different winner.
“I was really pulling for Bastille since I feel like they really deserved it, but I do think Sam Smith is incredibly talented,” Anabeth said.
Along with Beyonce and Pharrell Williams, Smith was nominated for six Grammy awards and won four that night, including “Best Pop Vocal Album” for In the Lonely Hour. 
“Before I made this record I was doing everything to try and get my music heard,” Smith said during his second acceptance speech. “I tried to lose weight and was making awful music. It was only until I started to be myself that the music flowed.”
Beyonce also did not go home empty-handed. The “Drunk in Love” singer received three Grammy awards for “Best R&B Performance,” “Best R&B Song” and “Best Surround Sound Album.”
Instead of going to Smith or Beyonce, the distinguished “Album of the Year” award went to Beck for Morning Phase. Beck, an indie-rock, singer-songwriter known for his low-fi melodies, also won “Best Rock Album” and “Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.”
Musical performances were interspersed throughout the evening from nearly 23 artists ranging from a new remake of “Happy (Live)” from Williams to a stripped-down ballad of “Just a Little Bit of Your Heart“ from Ariana Grande.
Country fans cheered on singer and songwriter, Miranda Lambert, who won “Best Country Album” for Platinum, while rap followers supported Eminem on his “Best Rap Album” win for The Marshall Mathers LP2.
Behind the stage, one of several new features of this year’s Grammy Awards was GRAMMY Live, a “unique experience that complements at-home viewing for GRAMMY Awards watchers,” according to grammy.com.
Viewers at home could use GRAMMY Live to view red carpet coverage, behind the scenes footage and the 57th GRAMMY live-blog, whose Official Special Guest Blogger this year was British singer and songwriter, Rita Ora.
Music fans in all countries could also connect with each other by watching Snapchat stories posted on the official Grammy Snapchat account.
As the evening neared its final half hour, viewers both in the Staples Center and at home awaited which artist would win “Song of the Year.” Up against Meghan Trainor, Sia, Swift and Hozier, Smith made his way to the stage for a third time accepting the award for his melodic tune, “Stay With Me.”
Smith went on to accept the esteemed “Record of the Year,” winning the last of the “Big 4” awards. He surpassed other nominees, Iggy Azalea, Sia, Swift and Trainor.
Singer Jennifer Hudson also stepped on stage, not to accept an award, but to launch The GRAMMY Creators Alliance, an organization that will advocate fair pay and equal rights among music-makers of different platforms.
“Together, we will advise those who make policy in music and in government so that our next generation of creators are able to make tomorrow’s music as great as tonight’s,” Hudson said.
Music’s biggest night closed with back-to-back performances from Beyonce, and John Legend and Common. While viewers will not see the Grammys for another year, they can remember this year’s event as a night filled with memorable performances and some big wins for pop favorites like Beyonce, but also for newcomers like Sam Smith.
– Molly Geisinger, Co-Features Editor