Expectations were high for Australian artists Sia Furler, Iggy Azalea and Keith Urban to bring home ten golden gramophones between them this year. But unfortunately, all walked home Grammy-less from Sunday’s ceremony in Los Angeles.
The evening kicked off with an electrifying performance by AC/DC of Rock or Bust and their 1979 classic, Highway to Hell. Even thought they needed a teleprompter to remember the words to their new single, the Aussie rockers – minus drummer Phil Rudd – still managed to light up the stage and fire up the guests, getting Lady Gaga, Jane Fonda and Katy Perry (donning a pair of Acca Dacca red devil horns) up on their feet, rocking out and banging their heads.
Now THAT is how you kick off a show. @acdc going big. #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/b4753XcoOj
— iTunes Music (@iTunesMusic) February 9, 2015
AC/DC gets a Teleprompter assist at #GRAMMYs. “It’s rock or bust.” pic.twitter.com/F8yHQBD32Q — Jim Roberts (@nycjim) February 9, 2015
Chandelier by Sia Furler – pictured above in an outrageously oversized wig with her dancer – both in out was nominated for four awards but lost to Pharrell Williams and Sam Smith. Furler lost the awards for Best Music Video and Best Pop Solo Performance to Happy by Williams, and Record and Song of the Year, two of the night’s biggest awards, to Smith who took the gongs for Stay With Me and bagged two other awards to boot.
In accepting the Record of the Year, Smith said: “I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you for breaking my heart because you got me four Grammys.”
Furler made up for her Grammy disappointment with a sparkling performance of Chandelier where she stood with her back to the audience while dancer Maddie Ziegler and actor Kristen Wiig wore blonde bob wigs as they stripped down to nude leotards.
Iggy Azalea was nominated for four categories, but lost Record of the Year and Best New Artist to Smith, Best Rap Album to Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP2 and Best Pop Duo or Group Performance to A Great Big World feat Christina Aguilera with Say Something.
Azalea’s hairstyle did manage to steal the limelight however, and even began trending on Twitter:
why does iggy look like julius caesar pic.twitter.com/fzpDh3cOBG
— little spoon (@lwtftdimple) February 9, 2015
Keith Urban lost Best Country Solo Performance for Cop Car to Carrie Underwood’s Something In The Water and Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Eric Church to The Band Perry’s Gentle On My Mind.
But Australian-American brothers Joel and Luke Smallbone from Christian pop band For Kind & Country won best Contemporary Christian Music Album and Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
Australian composer Fiona Joy was associated with a win as her song Grace featured on the best new age album Winds of Samsara, by Indian musician Ricky Kej and South Africa’s Wouter Kellerman.
Alt-rock veteran Beck snatched two big surprise Grammy wins for Best Rock Album and Album of the Year for Morning Phase and was nearly interrupted by Kanye West (yes, again) who thought it would be funny to mimic his controversial 2009 MTV Video Music Awards outburst.
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