Call Her Queen B

2014 Grammy Noms

See our list of snubs and surprises. Read More »

For the majority of her performance, Lorde stared as if singing to the same camera that filmed her “Royals” video. She wasn’t — she was singing at the Grammy nominations concert, performing a song up for Record of the Year but acting as if such acknowledgment barely mattered, not when she already insists on being called Queen B. When the song started to end though, her eyes bugged out slightly. When it did end, she immediately turned to her left and walked off the stage, her arms crossed. It’s as if she finally realized why she was there, particularly as the crowd stood up to applaud her, shocked.

No-brainer nominees performed as last night’s concert, too. Katy Perry sang “Roar.” Taylor Swift performed “I Knew You Were Trouble” via broadcast from her Sydney concert. But it was particularly exciting to see first-time nominees like Lorde perform, no matter how ubiquitous their songs have become. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis stormed in from the lobby and tossed “Thrift Shop” finds out into the crowd. Robin Thicke belted “Blurred Lines” with a huge smile across his face, as T.I. popped up to shuffle as he does in the video — that is, as he should for the rest of his life. (You can call him Rap Game Fred Astaire.)

See Lorde perform up top, then check out the rest after the jump. (This also includes a terrific duet by Keith Urban and Miguel, covering Bill Withers‘ “Ain’t No Sunshine.”) More »