Taylor Swift used her acceptance speech for Album of the Year at Monday night's Grammy Awards to hit back at Kanye West, whose track about having sex with Swift — along with his claim that he made "the b**** famous" — infuriated the 26-year-old pop superstar.
“I want to say to all the young women out there: There are going to be people along the way who will try to undercut your success or take credit for your accomplishments or your fame,” Swift said while she accepted the award for her album "1989". “But if you just focus on the work and you don’t let those people sidetrack you, someday when you get where you’re going, you’ll look around and you will know that it was you and the people who love you who put you there. And that will be the greatest feeling in the world. Thank you for this moment."
Swift and West became forever linked in pop culture when West interrupted Swift's acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards — using the now-famous phrase "I'ma let you finish" — to say that Beyonce's "Single Ladies" should have beaten Swift's "You Belong With Me" for best female video.
"Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! Of all time!" West told Swift, as well as a stunned crowd at New York's Radio City Music Hall and millions watching on live television.
Swift looked shocked when she won Album of the Year Monday, her third Grammy of the night, beating out Kendrick Lamar, Chris Stapleton, Alabama Shakes and the Weeknd. Record of the Year went to "Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson featuring Bruno Mars, while Meghan Trainor won new Artist of the Year.
Swift opened the show by performing "Out of the Woods" in a sequined jumpsuit, a departure from her red carpet attire, which had featured a tiny coral orange top. By the time she took the stage, Swift had already won two awards during the pre-broadcast portion of the program.
Host LL Cool J followed Swift's performance with a powerful message about music. "With all that divides us today, our shared love of music unites us, all of us," he intoned.
The show featured several live performances, some of which were better received than others. Powerhouse vocalists Adele and Carrie Underwood were heavily criticized on social media.
Adele later took to Twitter to explain the fiasco.
Other live performances went off more smoothly, with Ellie Goulding and Andra Day impressing viewers.
The show took a turn for the serious when Kendrick Lamar took the stage with chains around his hands and a bruise on his eye. He went on to fuse rap, jazz, reggae and African sounds for a commanding performance as he rapped "The Blacker the Berry" and the Grammy-nominated "Alright" passionately, receiving a standing ovation. Lamar took home the first award presented on the live CBS telecast, winning best rap album for "To Pimp A Butterfly," one of five he won on the night.
"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure...this is for hip hop...we will live forever," Lamar said as he accepted his award.
The ceremony also included tributes to three music legends who passed away earlier this year. Lady Gaga performed in David Bowie-inspired makeup and gear as she ran through 10 of the icon's hits, including "Space Oddity," "Changes," "Fame," "Let's Dance" and "Heroes." Stevie Wonder, joined by Grammy-winning a capella group Pentatonix, sang "That's the Way of the World" in honor of Earth, Wind & Fire founder Maurice White, while members of the Eagles and Jackson Browne sang "Take It Easy" for Glenn Frey.
One performer missing from the show was Rihanna. The singer's representative said in a statement that the pop star couldn't perform at the show due to doctor's orders.
"After Grammy rehearsal today, Rihanna's doctor put her on vocal rest for 48 hours because she was at risk of hemorrhaging her vocal chords. The antibiotics she has been on for three days did not kill the infection adequately therefore she cannot perform safely," the statement read.
Ed Sheeran walked away with his first-ever Grammy, winning song of the year for "Thinking Out Loud."
"We wrote it on a couch in my house," he said of his hit song, which also won him best pop solo performance. The night also saw first wins for Justin Bieber, the Weeknd, Stapleton, Pitbull and Alabama Shakes.
The Weeknd, who won two awards in the pre-broadcast, performed in a cube that was brightly lit for his smash hit "Can't Feel My Face" before he switched to a piano-tinged version of the upbeat "In the Night."
Stapleton, who has written for dozens of country acts, won best country album for "Traveller."
"This is something you never ever dream of so I'm super grateful for it," he said.
Stapleton was nominated for four awards, including album of the year, but lost best country song to Little Big Town's "Girl Crush." The foursome, who also won best country duo/group performance, earned a standing ovation when they performed the hit.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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