British pop-star Adele is set to perform at next month’s Grammy Awards. It will be her fourth live performance at the prestigious annual music awards, due to be held in Los Angeles at the Staples Centre on February 12th. She will share the stage with John Legend, Metallica, Carrie Underwood and Keith Urban.
Adele is nominated in five categories this year. Her album, ‘25’, is up for Best Pop Vocal and Album of the Year, and her single from the album, ‘Hello’, is hoping to win Record of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Song of the Year.
A winner of 10 previous Grammy Awards, Adele may be interested to know a little history behind the award itself. The trophies are handcrafted in a studio in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado and the iconic ‘gramophones’ are 24 carat gold-plated. They are produced in batches of 30 and require about 15 hours of man labour for each one. Including around 230 trophies for the Latin Grammys, there are approximately 580 trophies produced each year.
The first trophies were originally made from lead, but are now manufactured using a special alloy, affectionately known as ‘Grammium’. Over the years, the trophies have been streamlined to prevent breakages and currently weigh around five pounds and stand eight and a half inches tall.
At the award ceremony, ‘stunt’ Grammys are used, which can be handled, kissed and hugged without fear of damage. The winners receive their fully engraved trophies about 60 days later. As with any prize, whether gold, glass or crystal awards, the recognition of achievements is always greeted with a sense of pride.
