Prince takes stage at Grammys for first time in decade

To the delight of Hollywood’s packed Staples Center auditorium attending the 57th ceremony of the Grammy awards, swaggering on stage to Funknroll, Prince, brandishing his trademark cane entered stage left and clad in what was a very outlandish orange suit. Prince was greeted with a standing ovation to present the award of album of the year. Prior to revealing the nominees his opening speech made reference to Black Lives Matter a movement which surfaced in the wake of the high profile deaths of two young black men in Ferguson, Missouri and in Staten Island, New York.

“Albums – remember those? Albums, like books and Black Lives, they still matter” said Prince.

Prince then announced Beck the winner for Morning Phase, a result which left many insiders surprised, believing Beyoncé more deserving to claim the prize. Beyoncé’s friend Kanye West followed Beck on to the stage in protest, later arguing that the Grammys were disrespectful towards ‘real artists’, saying “Beck needs to respect artistry and he should have given his award to Beyoncé.”

But despite the Grammys promise of “something very, very special in the works!” Prince did not perform, however the ‘very special’ might well have been Prince’s vivid orange, light shimmering jumpsuit, which fashion watchers likened to Indian guru Sathya Sai Baba was the talking point of the evening. The Grammys have been accused of rewarding style over substance in their winners of 2015 and Prince’s expression when presenting the award for best album revealed his thoughts on the quaility of the evening’s nominees and the depth of contemporary music.