Rolling in the awards: Kelly Clarkson and Adele take top honours at the Grammys... as pop's glamour girls Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Rihanna go home empty-handed (2024)

• Set Fire to the Rain earns Adele NINTH golden gramophone for Best Solo Pop Performance
• British singer sees off Katy Perry and Rihanna in the same category
• Kelly Clarkson walks away with Best Pop Vocal Album for Stronger
• Taylor Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together loses Record of the Year to Gotye's Somebody That I Used to Know
• But Swift is honoured for a minor award, Best Song Written for Visual Media, for Safe and Sound
• Album of the Year goes to Babel from Mumford & Son

By Amelia Proud

Published: 03:39 BST, 11 February 2013 | Updated: 07:39 BST, 12 February 2013

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You can't keep a good girl down, and so it was perhaps no surprise that the 55th Grammy Awards opened with inimitable British chantreuse Adele walking away with her NINTH award from the coveted ceremony.

But in typically self-deprecating style, the 24-year-old acted like it was her very first, as did Kelly Clarkson - who was making it a hat-trick.

Adele was honoured for Best Pop Solo Performance for Set Fire to the Rain (Live), while Clarkson received Best Pop Vocal Album for Stronger.

It was a real victory for substance over style, as these two fabulous singers were honoured while superstars Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and Rihanna went home empty-handed.

Scroll down for the best videos from the night and a full list of winners...

Perry and Rihanna lost out to Adele with Wide Awake and Where Have You Been? while Swift's We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together was pipped to Record of the Year by Gotye's Somebody that I Used to Know, a sparser and sadder break-up song than Swift's and so simple in concept that it made her all-singing, all-dancing opening segment seem a tad ridiculous.

Dressed in a red vintage-inspired dress by Valentino that divided opinion on the carpet, the London-born singer was overwhelmed to receive the award.

But in the press room shortly afterwards, she admitted that she's 'sh***** herself' about singing at the Oscars later in the month, she's nominated for her Bond song, Skyfall.

Carrie Underwood also got to breathe a sigh of relief and joy early on when she was called out to accept Best Country Solo performance for Blown Away.

Lost out: Taylor Swift, Katy Perry and Rihanna are used to being the centre of attention but didn't win big tonight; Swift, who was awarded a minor gong, was nominated for the prestigious Record of the Year for We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together but lost to Gotye, while Katy and Rihanna were nominated for Best Solo Pop Performance for Wide Awake and Where Have You Been?

But the British invasion continued apace with Mumford & Sons, who came out to perform their smash hit, I Will Wait.

They won the coveted Album of the Year Award for Babel, and an another for Best Long-Form music video for Big Easy Express.

A man riding a tricycle with a flame-thrower attached and a company of mime clowns helped Swift open the Awards.

Swift dressed as the Mad Hatter in white top hat, tails, shorts and tall boots during the surreal version of her hummable hit We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together, but it would prove to be a night where gimmicks were not rewarded.

The singer pretended to talk to the offending boyfriend on the phone: 'I'm busy opening the Grammys and we're never getting back together,' in what seemed like a dig at ex Harry Styles of boyband, One Direction.

Her performance was quickly followed by Ed Sheeran and Elton John teaming up to sing Sheeran's nominated hit The A Team.

Beyonce won for best traditional R&B performance, Mumford & Sons took their first Grammy, winning along with Old Crow Medicine Show and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros for their long form video documentary Big Easy Express.

A tribute to Bob Marley and an appearance from Keith Richards-obsessed actor, Johnny Depp, mixed up the rollcall of awards.

Jay-Z joined comeback kid, Justin Timberlake, on his new single, Suit and Tie.

JT may have been out of the music business for years, but Suit and Tie has had the highest first week play on pop radio for 20 years.

The Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album then went to Frank Ocean for Channel Ocean.

Ocean says that in order to feel comfortable on stage, he doesn't want to imagine the crowd naked, he imagines them all as children instead.

The applause, was somewhat muted for Chris Brown, who has his arms wrapped protectively around girlfriend Rihanna all night.

It seems that some audience members find it hard to forget that he's still on probation for beating her ahead of the Grammy Awards in 2009.

But The Black Keys distracted everyone by winning best rock performance for Lonely Boy and best producer for Dan Auerbach.

Maroon 5 swiftly followed to perform Daylight.

Then Brown's partner, Rihanna, hit the stage to sing Stay with Mikky Ekko to a more rapturous response.

Best Rap/Sung Collaboration went to No Church in the Wild with Jay-Z, Kanye West, Frank Ocean and The-Dream.

'I would like to thank the swap meet for his hat,' Jay-Z says about The-Dream's baseball cap.

The Black Keys then showed their worth by joining Dr. John and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band to sing Lonely Boy.

Next up, Kelly Clarkson paid a beautiful tribute to Patti Page with The Tennessee Waltz then Carole King via her beloved tune (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman.

Bruno Mars then kickstarted a Bob Marley tribute with his own song Locked Out Of Heaven.

Sting chimed in with own Walking on the Moon before Rihanna and Ziggy Marley step out singing the late great reggae star's, Could You Be Loved.

Damian Marley joined them as the camera pans to audience members like Taylor Swift soaking up the magic.

The Lumineers anthemic, Hey Ho, came next, followed by rock legend Jack White with Love Interruption and Freedom at 21.

Next Katy Perry took to the stage to introduce Best New Artist and says: 'I was never even nominated in this category and I have my own eyelash line.'

Showing off their trinkets: Jay-Z proudly shows off his gongs for Best Rap Song Collaboration and Best Rap Performance, while Carrie Underwood flaunts her country performance honour and Swift flashes her minor achievement

The winner was Fun, who are embraced by Girls star Lena Dunham, the partner of band member Jake Antonoff.

Prince finally arrived to present the Grammy for Record of the Year.

The award went to Somebody That I Used to Know performed by Gotye and Kimbra.

'Oooh, she never did! Adele and Ellen seem to be enjoying a salacious chat

Adele got biggest laugh of night with a 'don't get knocked up' warning. Plus Rihanna and Chris Brown are together

Rihanna also joins the likes of Beyonce, Katy Perry at the top of the style parade...