The 41st Annual Grammy Awards took place on February 24th, 1999 in Los Angeles.
The 23-year-old New Jersey singer, Lauryn Hill, who had already won two grammys in 1996 as a member of the rap trio The Fugees, was the favorite coming into the show. Lauryn was nominated in eight categories for her own album , called The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and in two other categories for a project on which she had worked with Aretha Franklin. So, having been nominated ten times, Lauryn set a record. The singer’s very first acceptance speech touched on spirituality, family and a personal history of pain and triumph. She read out a biblical passage, thanked her children ë’for not spilling anything on Mommy’s outfit’’and saluted their father, Rohan Marley, for being ë’a lion’’. Hill’s success will most likely be remembered as ëa landmark’ because of the number of awards she garnered for hip-hop. At the end of the evening she went home with five awards, including album of the year and best new artist of old school R&B and hip-hop.
She performed ë’To Zion’’, a dedication to her eldest son. 
Madonna came into the night with over sixteen years of hits and only one grammy, which she won in 1991 for best video, but left on the 24th with three more. The 40-year-old’s explorations of sexuality in her music and image had never won over the traditionally staid voters in the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences.
But this year everything changed as her album ë’Ray of Light’’, which is her biggest commercial and critical success of the 1990s, won best pop album, and best dance recording and even short form music video for the title track.
As was expected, the Titanic song ë’My Heart Will Go On’’ from the soundtrack, which was an Oscar winner last year, was nominated record of the year, song of the year and won the best female vocal award for Céline Dion. ë’My Heart Will Go On’’also won the award for songs written for motion picture or television.
One thing is clear, however: this year’s nominations were dominated by women.
Alanis Morissette, for example, won two awards for best rock song and female rock vocal for ë’Uninvited’’, while Sheryl Crow took the Grammy for best rock album for her album ë’The Globe Sessions’’.
Shania Twain’s country album ë’Come On Over’’ was passed over by Grammy voters in favour of the more tradition-bound Dixie Chicks and their ë’Wide Open Spaces’’. Shania, who was nominated in six categories, only took two awards for best country song and best female country vocal performance.
Other highlights of the event were the performances, including those of Madonna, Shania Twain, Lauryn Hill and Alanis Morissette.
Charlotte & Lena.
Lycée Classique Echternach, Luxembourg.
Teacher : Jos Bertemes : jos.bertemes@ci.educ.lu
