Christina Aguilera sounded like the precocious teenager she is as she accepted the Grammy for Best New Artist on Wednesday (Feb. 23).
"My God, thank you so, so much, you guys," a doe-eyed Aguilera, dressed in a glittering light-blue dress, told the crowd, repeating the expression "you guys" several times in her subsequent remarks. The 19-year-old's self-titled debut album is certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The Roots celebrated their Grammy win for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group in a calmer, more collected style.
"Yo, we taking this back to Philly right here," shouted Roots rapper Black Thought (born Tariq Trotter). Black Thought wore a silver jacket, shades and a big smile as he hoisted the award over his head.
The Roots won for the song "You Got Me" (RealAudio excerpt), their duet with singer Erykah Badu. Badu, in a large white head-wrap, offered the words "Peace and love. Yeah!" when she stepped to the mic.
The award was presented by Garbage singer Shirley Manson, techno-rocker Moby and actor Michael Clarke Duncan. Moby wore a tuxedo; Manson dressed as a Catholic schoolgirl, complete with a short, pleated blue skirt.
Minutes earlier, 27-year-old Detroit rapper Kid Rock played a solo piano performance of his Lynyrd Skynyrd–inspired ballad "Only God Knows Why" before a purple curtain behind him opened to reveal his band Twisted Brown Trucker. The unshaven Kid Rock, wearing a black muscle shirt and his trademark black derby, leapt on his piano to begin "Bawitdaba" with a growling "My name is KIIIIIDDD ROOOOOCK!"
He ended with a faithful cover of Grand Funk Railroad's "We're an American Band." U.S. flags draped the stage and the giant screen behind him. A woman dressed in a skimpy blue outfit rode the rapper offstage on a red motorcycle.
"What the hell was that?" asked host Rosie O'Donnell. "Why does it scare me to death?"
Pop singer Britney Spears also created a spectacle with her performance of the hit "
