You may have won six Grammys, Beyonce, but pop belongs to Susan Boyle

Published on Monday 1 February 2010 21:53

POP diva Beyonce has cemented her reputation as one of the music industry's biggest stars by sweeping the board at the Grammy music awards, winning a record six titles.

• Beyonce Knowles

Despite her success it was Scottish singer Susan Boyle who was credited with the unofficial award of "saving" the recording industry in 2009.

The event's host, comedian Stephen Colbert, mocked his star-studded audience when he praised SuBo.

Addressing the audience he said: "You may be the coolest people in the world.

"This year your industry was saved by a 48-year-old Scottish cat lady in sensible shoes."

Starting the evening with ten nominations, Beyonce's awards included song of the year and best R&B song, both for Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It).

The others included best contemporary R&B album for Sasha Fierce, best R&B female vocal for Single Ladies and best traditional R&B performance for At Last, which she performed at President Obama's inauguration.

The haul of awards takes the 28-year-old diva's career tally to 16.

However, it was another diva – Taylor Swift – who stole the top honour, album of the year, for her best- selling Fearless, which was last year's best-selling album in the US of any genre.

Despite her record-breaking haul of titles, Beyonce, who is married to rapper Jay-Z, was low-key. Accepting the award for best female pop vocal on Halo, she said: "This has been such an amazing night for me and I'd love to thank the Grammys.

"I'd like to thank my family including my husband, I love you."

Editor of the pop music website Popjustice, Peter Robinson, said that the singer had beaten tough competition to earn the plaudits: "It was a pretty competitive field this year, it's not as if the categories she was in were particularly easy.

"I think she's one of the most famous singers in the States but also one of the most successful and popular.

"She has saleability as a singer and an artist, so it doesn't surprise me at all.

Actually, what is surprising is that it's taken her so long to have one of these years, and it's interesting that after this many years, she's still defining new highs for herself."

Mr Robinson added that wins were another step in Beyonce establishing herself as a long-term superstar and that she had now risen above the genre of R&B to become a full-blown pop star in her own right.

Last year's big new name, Lady Gaga, won two Grammys during the unbroadcast section of ceremony, though she did not get a chance to show her multitude of outrageous dresses during the live prime time show, losing out on record, song and album of the year.

While the evening was dominated by US acts, veteran rock act, AC/DC broke a four-decade drought when they won their first Grammy.

The band, two of whom are Scottish, won the best hard rock performance, for the song War Machine.

Other big-named rock winners included Kings of Leon, who won record of the year and rock song of the year for their single Use Somebody.

Swift, who received a total of eight nominations also won best country album.

The show also included a special 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson featuring a video clip he made of Earth Song as Usher, Carrie Underwood, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson sang along.

Jackson's young children, Prince and Paris, accepted a lifetime achievement award for their late father.