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43rd Annual Grammy Awards winners
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Editor's note: The 43rd Annual Grammy Awards began by adding two categories (to make a full 100) last year, grew controversial by nominated rapper Eminem in the Album Of The Year category in January, and ended on Wednesday night by bringing the celebration of diverse musical genres to TV's most spectacular evening of music.
In today's issue, we'd like to introduce to you three winners: Faith Hill, Sting and Shelby Lynne.
Faith Hill
A RADIANT Faith Hill took to the stage in the Grammy press area, barely able to hang on to the three trophies she was cradling.
The young country singer had a phenomenal night, scoring wins in the Best Female Country Vocal Performance (Breathe), Best Country Album (Breathe), and Best Country Collaboration With Vocals (Let's Make Love) categories, sharing the latter with husband Tim McGraw. “What do you think of these?" she smiled, displaying her night's catch. “Pretty cool, huh?"
Hill said the awards beautifully marked the success of her Breathe album, a record that has meant a great deal to her. “Over and over, time and time again this album has changed the course of my career. I got to spend some incredible moments with all the people involved in creating this music, and that's really been the best part of this whole process."
Hill was emphatic in insisting that the commercial pressures that may come with such success will not change the way she finds and approaches material. “I'll take advice from people, but I've never done anything because somebody else wanted me to do it. I listen to hundreds of songs for every project I go into, and from the very beginning of my career right to the very end, I'll always pick the songs that hit me in the heart and the soul."
Husband McGraw briefly joined Hill on stage and heaped praise on his triumphant spouse. “I've been crying the last 15 or 20 minutes," he said. “This woman is incredible. She carries me, she carries our family, and she does it with class and grace." The emotion got to McGraw again, and he choked up and left the stage after giving his wife a gentle kiss.
In just six years, the 32-year-old Mississippi-born Hill has sold more than 11 million records, garnered eight No 1 singles and 10 No 1 videos. This past year alone, she received countless nominations and statues from the Country Music Association, the Grammy Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, Blockbuster Awards and TNN Music City News Awards.
And how has she learned to deal with motherhood, marriage and her newfound super-stardom? “The biggest issue for me now is how to take it all in," says Hill. “It's a challenge."
But you can count on one thing. Whether or not Hill finds time to “breathe”, she will always stay true to those things that got her here: dedication and passion.
“Everything is going great," says Hill. “Each day I try to get as much out of life as I can to keep it real, sincere and very honest. Hopefully, people can get that from my music. (SD-Agencies)
Sting
IN one of the biggest upsets in Grammy history, veteran Sting won the Best Male Pop Vocal Artist on Wednesday, beating the presumed favourite, Ricky Martin.
Nicknamed Sting, Gordon Sumner was raised in the bleak industrial town of Newcastle by a hairdresser mother and milkman father. His mother was a classically trained pianist who taught him his scales so well that he was offered an advanced piano scholarship.
But jazz and guitar were Sting's real loves, and after digging ditches and teaching, he moved to London to play professionally. American drummer Stewart Copeland caught his act and convinced him to try rock. Joined by Brit guitarist Andy Summers, the trio formed the Police in 1977.
Their rock-reggae sound broke through with Roxanne, a song written as a plea for a prostitute not to "put on the red light", which was subsequently banned by the BBC, making it an instant hit.
In fact, the single proved so successful that A&M rushed to release their first album, Outlandos D'Amour. In quick succession, the band's next albums, Regatta De Blanc, Zenyatta Mondatta and Ghost in the Machine were released, with at least one hit single emerging from each.
The release, in 1983, of Synchronicity and its monster single, Every Breath You Take, secured their place in pop history.
After a triumphant world tour, Sting decided he had achieved all he could with the Police, and the band dissolved at the height of its popularity.
Sting's solo career has proved no less successful. His first album, the jazz-influenced Dream of the Blue Turtles, went platinum (已售出100万张的白金唱片奖).
1991's Soul Cages, dealing with the loss of his parents (who died within a few months of each other), and 1993's Ten Summoner's Tales, revealed a maturity in his songwriting not previously seen, and both albums won Grammys.
1996's Mercury Falling continued in a meditative vein, as the 45-year-old artist ruminated on aging and his own mortality.
A political activist, Sting has put himself on the line to help save Brazilian rainforests. His film career has run hot and cold, but his performances in such films as Brimstone and Treacle have been good. He and longtime companion (and now wife), Trudie Styler, live a relatively quiet life on their estate outside London with their children and dogs.
Other nominees in this category are:
Marc Anthony/You Sang To Me
Don Henley/Taking You Home
Ricky Martin/She Bangs
Brian McKnight/6, 8, 12(SD-Agencies)
Shelby Lynne
“THIRTEEN years and six albums” after she first began her career, country rocker Shelby Lynne was named Best New Artist (最佳新人奖) for her critically hailed disc, I Am Shelby Lynne. “I stand here tonight and represent nothing but music,” she said.
Raised in a country music-loving household in Alabama, Lynne began singing at an early age and made an appearance on TNN's “Nashville Now" at age 18. By 1988, the young sensation entered into a recording contract with Epic Records.
In 1989, she released her debut album, Sunrise, followed by Tough All Over in 1990 and Soft Talk in 1991. Two years later, Lynne released the critically acclaimed Tempation, an eclectic combination of big-band jazz, western swing （强节奏爵士音乐） and the blues. Despite its lack of radio airplay, more than 200,000 copies of the collection were sold.
After Temptation, Lynne switched labels and signed on with Magnatone Records — releasing her fifth album, Restless. Released in 1995, Restless was produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Brent Maher. The album is filled with country-flavoured songs — some of which she co-wrote — complete with fiddles and steel guitar.
Lynne resurfaces (重新露头) with a knock out, intimate turbulent album, I Am Shelby Lynne, titled from a note written to her manager Elizabeth Bottrell. Produced by Bottrell, the 10-cut disc is a true rare find. Lynne has written some of her most beautiful melodies sketching narrative stories about pain, inner turmoil, lost love and injustice.
“Every song is about my true feelings. Pain, Loneliness, being cheated, loss. This is a record about my acceptance of me,” says Lynne.
“I wanted to make a whole record that would last as a great piece of work, something I loved. I even listen to this record and it feels good to me every time,” said Shelby Lynne.
Other Best New Artists nominees are:
Brad Paisley
Papa Roach
Jill Scott
Sisqo(SD-Agencies)
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