Mars bars rivals but Brits miss a beat at Grammys

Jay-Z, real name Shawn Carter, had led the field with eight nominations but was overshadowed by his younger contemporary Kendrick Lamar, who won five times.

The show, hosted in New York by the British comedian and US talk show host James Corden, was said to be the most diverse in the event’s 60-year history, even though only one woman – best new artist Alessia Cara – took home a solo award,

Following the huge success last year of the London singer Adele, it was a disappointing night for British nominees, although the Halifax-born singer Ed Sheeran did win best pop vocal album with Divide and best solo performance with Shape Of You. He was not at the ceremony but contributed a Pythonesque video later, featuring his pet cat.

The veteran crooner Tony Bennett, meanwhile, said he was “just starting out” after winning his 19th Grammy, at 91, for his album Tony Bennett Celebrates 90, which was produced by his son. His first Grammys came in 1962 for I Left My Heart In San Francisco.

Awards were given posthumously to Leonard Cohen and Carrie Fisher, who won for best spoken word album with a reading of her memoir.

The country singer Maren Morris dedicated an emotional performance of Eric Clapton’s Tears In Heaven to the 22 victims of the Manchester Arena bombing last May.