LOS ANGELES, United States (AFP) — Pop singer Meghan Trainor, whose tongue-in-cheek play on weight issues “All About That Bass” became an Internet sensation, on Monday won the prestigious Grammy for Best New Artist.
The 22-year-old Trainor broke down in tears as she accepted the award, the culmination of years of growing recognition for her musical ability.
Trainor thanked her family and Epic Records executive L.A. Reid, who signed her after hearing her perform “All About That Bass” on ukulele.
The song had already been in circulation in an earlier form but other artists, notably Adele, did not want it.
The song resonated with the curvy Trainor, who took the song as a celebration of body shape.
The video, featuring an innocent-looking Trainor shaking her body with fellow dancers in what appears to be a teenager’s room, became a viral sensation online. It is the ninth most viewed video ever on YouTube with more than 1.2 billion views.
Trainor followed the song’s success with an album, “Title,” that also pays homage to 1950s pop. She had another hit with the album’s song “Dear Future Husband,” although Trainor had increasingly come under criticism from what some saw as anti-feminist themes in her music.
In a sign of her rapid success, “All About That Bass” was nominated last year both for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, although it did not win in either category, losing to Sam Smith’s ballad “Stay With Me.”
Under Grammy rules, acts are still eligible for Best New Artist if they have not previously released a full album.
Trainor beat out nominees for Best New Artist including Sam Hunt, an American football player turned country sensation, and Australian indie rocker Courtney Barnett, who has won wide acclaim for her ironic lyricism.
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