Affirming her role as one of the reigning queens of pop music, Beyoncé was the top winner at the 52nd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday night, taking six prizes, including song of the year for her inescapable hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It).”

But she shared the spotlight with Taylor Swift, the poised 20-year-old country-pop singer, who was crowned a new superstar with four wins, including the top prize, album of the year, for “Fearless.”

Right behind Beyoncé, with three awards each, were the Black Eyed Peas, a powerhouse of radio-friendly hip-hop, and the alternative rock band the Kings of Leon.

Kings of Leon won record of the year for the boogieing blues-rock song “Use Somebody.” (The record category is for performers; song of the year recognizes songwriters.) Beyoncé’s “Single Ladies” also took best R&B song and best female R&B performance, and her “Halo” won best female pop vocal performance.

The Black Eyed Peas won for best pop vocal album (“The E.N.D.”) and best pop performance by a duo or group, and the R&B singer Maxwell won best male R&B performance and best R&B album (for “BLACKsummers’ Night”). The Zac Brown Band, a country-rock group from Atlanta, won best new artist, though since 2004 it has released three albums.

The ceremony, packed with splashy performances, celebrated the power of pop celebrity in an age when the foundations of the recording industry are being shaken, and it linked older, established stars with their younger progeny, whose record sales may not be as great but are reaching for the same level of fame.

Lady Gaga opened the show, held at the Staples Center, in a duet with Elton John, both singers covered in soot as they faced each other for a medley of Lady Gaga’s “Speechless” and Mr. John’s “Your Song.” It was a typically meta statement by Lady Gaga about her travails through the machinery of “the fame factory,” as the stage set proclaimed. “How wonderful life is with Gaga in the world,” Mr. John sang.

Jay-Z from took three awards for singles, including best rap song and best rap/sung collaboration for “Run This Town,” and best rap solo performance for “D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune).”

A 3-D tribute to Michael Jackson featured Smokey Robinson, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson and Carrie Underwood singing along with Jackson’s recorded voice in the ecological hymn “Earth Song.” Jackson’s two oldest children, Prince and Paris, accepted their father’s lifetime achievement award. “In all his songs, the message was simple: love,” Prince said, haltingly. “We will continue to spread his message and help the world. Thank you.”

Other eye-catching performances included Pink singing “Glitter in the Air” suspended acrobatically from a snow-white swatch of silk, dripping what looked like sparkling water over the Staples Center’s orchestra seats. Beyoncé sang a medley of her song “If I Were a Boy” and Alanis Morissette’s girl-power anthem “You Oughta Know,” which won two Grammys in 1996.

Lifetime achievement awards were also given to Leonard Cohen, André Previn, Loretta Lynn, the 89-year-old jazz trumpeter Clark Terry, the 94-year-old blues guitarist David (Honeyboy) Edwards and Bobby Darin (who died in 1973).

1. 

   Jerry

   February 1, 2010 at 1:45 am

   The grammy’s this year wasn’t good. Britney wasn’t mentioned or shown. Britney Spears is the best singer and the Queen of Pop. They didn’t show her at all on the tv. It was unfair.