Grammy Mysteries Solved! Katy's Hair, Sam's Heartbreak, Taylor's Date & More
We may never figure out why Madonna thought it was a good idea to flash her derriere on the red carpet, or why the Staples Center audience was so incredibly unenthusiastic about Electric Light Orchestra’s actually amazing performance. But thankfully, other Grammy Awards mysteries are more easily solvable.
[Related: Grammy Highs and Lows: Annie Lennox, Sam Smith Take America to Church; Madonna Doesn’t]
Here are some of your 2015 burning Grammy questions, answered.
How did Katy Perry’s hair go from lavender to brown in one night?
All signs indicate that Perry’s shaggy lavender ‘do on red carpet, which earned rave reviews from fashion critics, was a wig. By the time she took the stage for her “By the Grace of God” performance, she was back to brunette. So which is the real deal? Given the fact that she was photographed at a Grammy event earlier in the week with long brown hair, our money is on the brunette tresses.
What was the deal with that Shia LaBeouf poem?
When introducing Sia’s epic “Chandelier” performance, Sia’s controversial “Elastic Heart” video co-star, Shia LaBeouf, recited the following bizarre poem more suited to Open Mic Night than the Grammy Awards:
For Sia: I feel like this may be strange to say this here. I love you so. Punch me if I stop crying. I raised a white flag for you, defeated finally. If strength were made of broken pieces, you and I would always win. It is, though, and building and statues wink at us. I could squeeze you to zero. I’ll never know another. What am I going to do? Punch me if I stop crying, and I’ll do the same. Love, Erik.
Erik? Who’s Erik? While that was never mentioned on the air, all signs point to Sia’s new husband, filmmaker Erik Anders Lang. The notoriously press-shy singer (who performed at the Grammys with her back to the audience) and her groom made a rare public appearance on Grammy eve at Clive Davis’s annual gala. As to why Shia thinks Sia should punch Erik, or why Erik should never stop crying… well, that’s a Grammy mystery likely to remain unsolved.
(UPDATE: Rolling Stone now reports that the note was actually a surprise love letter from Sia’s husband. “Erik and Shia conspired together and did this as a gift to Sia,” a source said. “She was completely surprised and had no idea.” Aw.)
Who was that domestic violence speaker?
Katy Perry’s somber, totally Left Shark-free “By the Grace of God” performance was preceded by a powerful speech from woman identifying herself as a domestic-abuse survivor. It was an interesting and probably not coincidental move, considering that Perry had just performed at last week’s Super Bowl amid all the domestic violence controversy currently surrounding the NFL.
"Authentic love does not devalue another human being," the brave speaker declared onstage at the Grammys. "Authentic love does not silence shame and abuse."
The woman was Brooke Axtell, director of communications for Allies Against Slavery (a nonprofit organization that fights human trafficking) and founder of SHE (Survivor Healing + Empowerment). According to an interview Axtell did with Slate, she was a young victim of trafficking herself, before becoming trapped in an abusive relationship as an adult.
For more information on Axtell, go to http://www.alliesagainstslavery.org, or follow her on Twitter at @SurvivorHealing.
Who was Taylor Swift’s Grammy date?
Swift is still eschewing romantic companionship for gal pals these days. But instead of bringing one of her famous friends, like Lorde or one of the HAIM sisters, to this year’s Grammys, Taylor invited Abigail Anderson, the longtime bestie immortalized in her song “Fifteen.”
"We’ll try to dress as well in 2015 as we did in 2005," Taylor tweeted Friday, posting a flashback photo of her and Abigail. Ten years later, the duo is still as adorable as ever.
Who is the man that broke Sam Smith’s heart?
"This is the best night of my life… I want to thank the man who this record is about, who I fell in love with last year. Thank you so much for breaking my heart, because you got me four Grammys," Smith cheekily quipped in his acceptance speech for Record of the Year. But it turns out that Smith, the first openly gay person to win a Best New Artist Grammy, wasn’t referring to an ex-boyfriend, but to an unrequited crush.
[Related: Sam Smith Triumphs With 4 Grammy Wins, Beck Gets Best Album]
Last summer, Smith told Fader magazine that his Grammy-nominated debut album In the Lonely Hour “is about a guy that I fell in love with last year, and he didn’t love me back. I think I’m over it now, but I was in a very dark place… I told him about it recently, and obviously it was never going to go the way I wanted it to go, because he doesn’t love me. But it was good as a form of closure, to get it off my chest and tell him. I feel better for it. I feel almost like I signed off this part of my life where I keep giving myself to guys who are never going to love me back.”
Clearly, Sam Smith was feeling plenty of love from the Grammy committee on Sunday.
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