The 57th Annual Grammy Awards were held on February 8, 2015, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The show was broadcast live by CBS at 5:00 p.m. PST (UTC−8). Rapper LL Cool J hosted the show for the fourth consecutive time.
The Grammy nominations were open for recordings released between October 1, 2013, and September 30, 2014. Breaking from tradition of a prime-time concert approach, the Grammy nominees were announced during an all-day event on December 5, 2014, starting with initial announcements on the CBS This Morning telecast, followed by updates made through The Grammys' official Twitter account.
Sam Smith won four awards, including Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year for "Stay with Me" and Best Pop Vocal Album for In the Lonely Hour. Beck's album Morning Phase was named Album of the Year. This prompted Kanye West, who later said he thought Beyoncé should have won, to jokingly leap onstage to interrupt Beck in a re-enactment of his 2009 MTV VMA scandal, but West left the stage without saying anything. Both Pharrell Williams and Beyoncé took three honors; with her wins, Beyoncé became the second-most-honored female musician in Grammy history following Alison Krauss. Lifetime Achievement awards were given to the Bee Gees, George Harrison, Pierre Boulez, Buddy Guy, and Flaco Jiménez.
In all, 83 Grammy Awards were presented, one more than in 2014.
The show aired simultaneously on Fox8 in Australia, Sky TV in New Zealand, and on Channel O in South Africa.
Pre-telecast ceremony
Not all Grammys were presented during the live telecast. As in previous years, most awards were handed out during the so-called pre-telecast ceremony, held at the Nokia Theater next to the Staples Center, which takes place during the afternoon before the main show. From 2015 on, this ceremony has been known as the Premiere Ceremony. Approximately 70 Grammys were presented at this ceremony, consisting of the "minor" categories.
Performers
During the ceremony, United States President Barack Obama delivered a pre-recorded message in which he spoke about domestic violence against women. His message was followed by a plea from domestic violence advocate Brooke Axtell and singer Katy Perry performing her ballad "By the Grace of God" as a dedication to the victims of the crime.
Presenters
Taylor Swift – presented Best New Artist, introducing Sam Smith and Mary J. Blige Anna Kendrick – introduced Ariana Grande Jessie J and Tom Jones – presented Best Pop Solo Performance Dierks Bentley – introduced Miranda Lambert Pentatonix and Barry Gibb – presented Best Pop Vocal Album Miley Cyrus and Nicki Minaj – introduced Madonna Josh Duhamel, Julian Edelman, and Malcolm Butler – presented Best Rock Album Smokey Robinson and Nile Rodgers – presented Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance James Corden – introduced Ed Sheeran and John Mayer Ryan Seacrest – introduced Adam Levine and Gwen Stefani Meghan Trainor and Nick Jonas – presented Best Country Album The Weeknd – introduced Pharrell Williams and Lang Lang Katharine McPhee – introduced Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett Keith Urban – introduced Eric Church Gina Rodriguez – introduced Juanes Prince – presented Album of the Year Shia LaBeouf – introduced Sia Enrique Iglesias – presented Song of the Year Dave Grohl – introduced Beck and Chris Martin Jamie Foxx and Stevie Wonder presented Record of the Year Gwyneth Paltrow – introduced Beyoncé
Winners and nominees
The eligibility period for the 57th Annual Grammy Awards was October 1, 2013, to September 30, 2014. The nominees were announced on December 5, 2014. The Album of the Year nominees were announced during A Very Grammy Christmas, which was broadcast on the same day.
General
Record of the Year
"Stay with Me" (Darkchild Version) – Sam Smith
Steve Fitzmaurice, Rodney Jerkins and Jimmy Napes, producers; Steve Fitzmaurice, Jimmy Napes and Steve Price, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer "Fancy" – Iggy Azalea featuring Charli XCX The Arcade and The Invisible Men, producers; Anthony Kilhofler and Eric Weaver, engineers/mixers; Miles Showell, mastering engineer "Chandelier" – Sia Greg Kurstin and Jesse Shatkin, producers; Greg Kurstin, Manny Marroquin and Jesse Shatkin, engineers/mixers; Emily Lazar, mastering engineer "Shake It Off" – Taylor Swift Max Martin and Shellback, producers; Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Sam Holland and Michael Ilbert, engineers/mixers; Tom Coyne, mastering engineer "All About That Bass" – Meghan Trainor Kevin Kadish, producer; Kevin Kadish, engineer/mixer; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer