The 2012 Grammy Awards: It's All About Adele

The 54th Annual Grammys aired this past Sunday, and it was by far the best it has been in years.  Most of the performances were top notch, and the awards (for the most part) went to everyone who deserved them.  It is undeniable that the show was all about Adele, despite the sudden passing of Whitney Houston which left a somber air to linger over the whole show.  Adele was nominated for six awards, including Album of the Year, and unsurprisingly she won all of them.  Adele recently had vocal cord surgery, and not only did she win every award she was nominated for but she also gave her first live performance since the surgery.  To say that Adele was not the main attraction would be ludicrous.

Although Adele was the star of the show, Nicki Minaj had the best performance of the night.  In a spectacle that angered and confused most people, Nicki told an entire story of Roman's failed exorcism.  She performed 'Roman's Holiday', a song off her upcoming album, complete with a religious backdrop.  I think the reason why most people did not enjoy it was because they simply did not understand it.  Roman Zolanski is Nicki Minaj's gay brother alter ego who has recently flown of the handle, and his mother is worried he's possessed because he's different, so she calls in a priest to perform an exorcism.  The exorcism ultimately fails because he is not possessed; he's simply Roman.  Nicki has redefined what it means to be a rap artist with this performance.  Whenever rappers get on stage there isn't much of spectacle; nine times out of ten I'm bored to death.  But what Nicki is doing is fusing the world of pop and its elaborate theatrical performance art with the world of rap.  The song was absolutely sick, and it's the only performance that I've watched more than once from Sunday night.  Roman's coming to slay!

Katy Perry's performance was a close second for me.  The song itself is just okay, but that performance was one of the best she's ever done.  And I'm diggin' the blue hair!  Adele was stunning as always.  That voice always gives me chills.  And Jennifer Hudson's tribute to the late Whitney Houston?  Simply divine.  The pipes that woman has is incredible.  My biggest qualm, however, with the show was the fact that Chris Brown performed not once, but twice.  Why this woman beater is even allowed to perform on television is an absolute mystery to me.  Why is the music industry rewarding him by letting him perform, and why are we pretending like he didn't do what he did?  It sickens me every time I see him on my TV screen.  If you don't agree with me please check this out.

Anyhow, I'll leave you with videos of some of my favorite performances of the night.  Hope you enjoyed the Grammys!