Step aside winners. The Grammy awards have long belonged to performers and unexpected moments – and Sunday’s show was no different with Kanye West rushing to the stage, Pharrell’s orchestral bash and Prince’s “black lives matter” moment. To mention a few of last night’s show-stopping moments.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Mk-_fuVak0g

West, in perhaps a tongue-in-cheek gag on his infamous outburst rushing to the stage in protest of singer Taylor Sift winning an award over Beyonce at the 2009 MTV Video Music awards, approached album of the year winner Beck on stage before flashing a quick grin, waving his hand and retreating.

But it did not stop there. West later told reporters that “Beck needs to respect artistry, he should have given his award to Beyonce”.

Meanwhile, Pharrell, dressed as a hotel bellboy in shorts, found a way to recast his uptempo international smash Happy as a soaring orchestral song with Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang, film composer Hans Zimmer on guitar and a choir of 20.

But the singer-producer’s allusions to the protest chant “hands up, don’t shoot” and hooded sweatshirts about the killings of unarmed black teens cast the shadow of civil rights, the predominant theme at the show’s close.

However, Pharrell’s juxtaposing the song’s happy, clappy feeling with references to the recent deaths of US black teens at the hands of police officers, rendered the performance quite awkward.