Lights flashing, crowds cheering—it was the best of the Grammys tonight with Beyoncé and Jay Z opening the night with a kickoff that sizzled with “Drunk in Love.”
As celebs such as Taylor Swift and Bruno Mars shook the stage with gusto, the winners were pumped up with energy. And when it came time to take their prize, nothing could have made them prouder.
But winning isn’t just about getting a glimmering gold statuette. It’s about honoring those who helped make the whole process happen. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis couldn’t have made the top hits without their fans. Even Jay Z accredits God for his amazing rise in the music industry.
These celebrities know that winning the gold is only a part of the entire music career. And tonight at the Grammys’, they gave their best moments to their fans, their families and their colleagues. Tonight’s wins honor those who won and those who helped make that dream come true.
Here we present the best quotes from the thank-you speeches of Grammys’ top winners.
Photo Courtesy of WikiMedia Commons
Lorde
Pop singer Lorde lists her gratitude for fellow pop stars and expresses her thanks for their inspiration:
“Well, hello, this is the one thing that I did not expect the most about tonight, so thank you so much…Mostly to Bruno, to Katy, to Justin, to Sara: I’ve been so inspired by all of your vocal work at some point in my life, so thank you so much.”
Jay Z
Here, Jay Z gives thanks to God, and mentions his daughter Blue Ivy when he takes the prize:
“I want to thank God for this award, but I also want to thank him mostly for putting this beautiful light of a young lady in my life…I also want to tell Blue, Daddy got a gold sippy cup for you.”
Paul Williams
On accepting award for album of the year, in collaborating with Daft Punk’s album Random Access Memories, Paul Williams references the 33 couples that got married when Macklemore and Ryan Lewis performed tonight:
“I just got a message from the robots…They wanted me to say that as elegant and classy as the Grammys have been…the moment when all those couples got married. All that love is fantastic.”
Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear
As songwriters Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear receive their gold for rap song “Holy Grail,” Grohl accredits Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr for making the whole success happen:
“We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Paul and for Ringo...This song was two hours in my studio. I called up Paul and said, ‘Hey, man, do you want to come jam with some friends of mine? He came over, we knocked this out in a couple of hours, and to me, that's what rock 'n' roll is all about.”
Kacey Musgraves
Kacey Musgraves, who won top place for her country album “Same Trailer Different Park” and top place for her country song “Merry Go ’Round,” expresses her deepest feelings:
“I got to make a record I poured myself into and that I am so proud of.”
Macklemore and Ryan Lewis
Upon winning four places—new artist, rap album The Heist, rap performance and rap song “Thrift Shop” from The Heist—rappers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis honor their fans for helping make their musical success possible. Macklemore speaks for the duo:
“First and foremost, I want to thank our fans, the people that got us on this stage…Before there was any media, before there was any buzz…it spread organically through them, and without them, there would be no us.”
Pharrell Williams
Upon winning top place for pop duo/group performance with Daft Punk for “Get Lucky,” Pharrell Williams expresses his own gratitude for playing with one of the top rap bands in the U.S.
“Dude, on behalf of the robots, I’d like to say, man, thank you, thank you, thank you. There’s a lot of great, like, nominees and we’re honored to be considered. Of course, they want to thank their families. And of course, man, the incredible Nile and everybody that worked on the album.”
Cedric Gervais
On receiving a Grammy for his remix of “Summertime Sadness,” Cedric Gervais admits his surprise at winning:
“It’s a sad ballad that I made into a club [record]. I never expected it to be a Top 40 hit.”
Ed Sheeran
Upon realizing that he was just nominated for best new artist, Ed Sheerman admits that he did not expect to be nominated for the evening, and he gives a quick confession of what he felt like:
“I think that would be the worst thing, waking up hung over and finding a speech in your pocket when you didn’t win.”
Sheerman was also nominated for album of the year with Taylor Swift’s “Red.”
Robert Lamm from Chicago
Robert Lamm from the band Chicago gives thanks for the band’s success:
“We’ve performed all kinds of places in our long career. To finally be on the Grammys after not being around when we won [the band was on tour] is a real thrill.”