A triple nominee herself, the ‘Worst’ hitmaker will be joined by Rufus Wainwright among others during the Premiere Ceremony, and is expected to help announce early winners.
- Mar 3, 2021
AceShowbiz – R&B star Jhene Aiko is taking on hosting duties to help fans gear up for the 2021 Grammy Awards with the pre-show ceremony.
She will be joined by singers Rufus Wainwright, Burna Boy, Lido Pimienta, and Poppy, as well as classical pianist Igor Levit, jazz band Terri Lyne Carrington + Social Science and blues musician Jimmy ‘Duck’ Holmes, who will all perform during the event, dubbed the Premiere Ceremony.
Aiko, a triple nominee herself, will also have the honor of helping to announce a number of early Grammy winners before the main televised prizegiving, and introduce a tribute set celebrating the 50th anniversary of Marvin Gaye classic “Mercy, Mercy Me (The Ecology)”.
The special performance will feature the likes of nominees Kamasi Washington, Ledisi, Anoushka Shankar, Alexandre Desplat, PJ Morton, Gregory Porter, Grace Potter and Thana Alexa, among others.
The Premiere Ceremony will begin at 3 P.M. ET on March 14, and will be livestreamed on Grammys’ official site. The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards will then be broadcast live on U.S. TV from 8 P.M. ET.
Aiko was up for the prestigious Album of the Year prize and the Best Progressive R&B Album kudo at the upcoming Grammys thanks to her “Chilombo” album. She also collected Best R&B Performance nomination for “Lightning & Thunder”.
The triple nominations, however, was “bittersweet” for the “Worst” hitmaker. During an interview on “The Late Late Show with James Corden“, she revealed that the announcement came on the same day her uncle lost his battle with COVID-19.
“I didn’t remember that the Grammy nominations were happening that day, and when I looked at my phone, I saw all these [texts saying], ‘Congratulations…,’ ” she recounted. “At the same time, I was getting messages from my family because I found out that my uncle had passed from COVID that same moment.”
Source: Music - aceshowbiz.com
