More stories

  • in

    Grammys Lineup 2021: Taylor Swift, BTS, Billie Eilish and More

    AdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyTaylor Swift, BTS and Megan Thee Stallion Will Perform at the GrammysThe awards show next Sunday night will feature a mix of live and taped appearances shot in downtown Los Angeles.From left: Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa are among the artists announced as performers for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards.Credit…Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images For Iheartmedia, Rich Fury/Getty Images For Visible, Kevin Winter/Getty Images For DcpPublished More

  • in

    Grammy Awards Postponed as Covid-19 Rages in Los Angeles

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Best of 2020Best ComedyBest TV ShowsBest BooksBest MoviesBest AlbumsAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyGrammy Awards Postponed as Covid-19 Rages in Los AngelesThe delay comes less than four weeks before the ceremony was to be held, on Jan. 31. The event will now be held on March 14.Beyoncé is the most-nominated artist for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, which will no longer take place in January.Credit…Robyn Beck/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesBen Sisario and Jan. 5, 2021The 63rd annual Grammy Awards, set to be presented this month, have been delayed over concerns about Covid-19, which has been spreading rapidly in the Los Angeles area.The show will now be held on March 14, according to a statement from Grammy organizers, although few other details were available about where, and how, the event would go on.“The deteriorating Covid situation in Los Angeles, with hospital services being overwhelmed, I.C.U.s having reached capacity, and new guidance from state and local governments have all led us to conclude that postponing our show was the right thing to do,” said the statement, which was signed by executives at the Recording Academy, which presents the Grammys, and CBS, its longtime broadcast partner.“Nothing is more important,” it added, “than the health and safety of those in our music community and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly on producing the show.”The delay comes less than four weeks before the ceremony was to be held, on Jan. 31, and as unions and entertainment industry groups have called to suspend in-person television and film production in Los Angeles, citing the surging virus and overwhelmed hospitals. Several late-night shows have moved back to remote formats.The pandemic has kept this year’s Grammys under a cloud of uncertainty for months. In an interview in November, when nominations were announced, Harvey Mason Jr., the chairman and interim chief executive of the academy, said that an event was planned for a small audience in Los Angeles, but that many other details were still being worked out. Trevor Noah, from “The Daily Show,” was to be the host.Even the news of the postponement on Tuesday left the music industry confused. After Rolling Stone reported that the ceremony had been postponed, neither the academy nor CBS made any official public statement for hours. An email to academy members — and the Grammys’ official website — both said that the new date was March 21. That was quickly rescinded, although the incorrect date continued to bounce around social media and was picked up by some news outlets.Beyoncé has the most nominations for the ceremony, with nine in eight categories. Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and the rapper Roddy Ricch are among the other major contenders for awards. In classic Grammys fashion, controversy — or at least loud complaints — have swarmed around this year’s nominations, as stars like the Weeknd and the country singer Luke Combs, who had some of the biggest hits of the period, were left off the ballot.Despite offstage griping, the Grammys remain one of the most high-profile moments in the year in pop music, with stars relishing the TV exposure and record executives schmoozing during glittery industry gatherings. Even if muted by the pandemic, the Grammys had been expected to represent a major media moment for the music world.This year was set to mark a new era for the Grammys. Ken Ehrlich, its producer for four decades, stepped down after last year’s ceremony. The new show is to be produced by Ben Winston, who has worked with James Corden. In an interview with Variety last month, Winston said he was “looking to do something quite exciting with independent venues” around this year’s Grammys.The telecast is also a major tent-pole event for CBS, though the show’s ratings have been sagging. Last year 18.7 million people watched the Grammys live on television, a 12-year low.Other major awards shows have attempted a variety of approaches during various stages of the pandemic, with mixed results. The BET Awards, held in June; the MTV Video Music Awards, in August; the Billboard Music Awards, in October; and the Latin Grammys, in November, were televised without audiences, and artists appeared remotely from soundstages to perform and accept awards.The Country Music Association Awards held an in-person ceremony in Nashville in November, with a live audience consisting mostly of the show’s performers, who were socially distanced but largely unmasked. A month after the awards, the singer Charley Pride, 86, died of complications from Covid-19, although where he was exposed remains unknown.In other industries, the pandemic forced the Emmy Awards to stage a largely virtual event in September. The Tony Awards announced in August that the show would go ahead, online, at an unspecified date, after initially postponing its June date.The Oscars were postponed two months from their original Feb. 28 date to April 25, with the format of the ceremony not yet determined. A week after that delay was announced, the Golden Globes then said that it would hold its ceremony, typically scheduled for January, in-person — as usual, at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif. — on Feb. 28 instead.AdvertisementContinue reading the main story More

  • in

    Armando Manzanero, Mexican composer of hits by Luis Miguel, Elvis Presley, dead at 86

    #masthead-section-label, #masthead-bar-one { display: none }The Coronavirus OutbreakliveLatest UpdatesMaps and CasesThe Stimulus PlanVaccine InformationF.A.Q.TimelineAdvertisementContinue reading the main storySupported byContinue reading the main storyArmando Manzanero, Influential Mexican Balladeer, Is DeadHe was known as one of the great romantic composers. His songs were performed by Elvis Presley, Andrea Bocelli, Christina Aguilera and many others.The singer-songwriter Armando Manzanero performing in 2017 in Alamos, Mexico. He was hospitalized with Covid-19 in the days before his death.Credit…Luis Gutierrez/Norte Photo, via Getty ImagesJan. 1, 2021, 1:28 p.m. ETArmando Manzanero, one of Mexico’s greatest romantic composers, whose ballads were performed by the likes of Elvis Presley and Christina Aguilera, died on Monday in Mexico City.Mr. Manzanero’s family gave his age as 86, though some sources have said that he was 85.His death was announced on national television by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and by the Society of Authors and Composers of Mexico, of which Mr. Manzanero was president.“A great composer, among the best of the country,” and “a socially sensitive man,” Mr. López Obrador said.Mr. Manzanero had been hospitalized with Covid-19 and placed on a ventilator a week before his death, but his son, Diego Manzanero, said the cause was cardiac arrest following complications of kidney problems.In a seven-decade career, Mr. Manzanero wrote more than 400 songs, including hits like “It’s Impossible” and “Adoro” (“I Adore You”). He received a Grammy lifetime achievement award in 2014. He was also a lauded singer and producer.After touring with several well-known Mexican musical artists early in his career, he recorded his first songs in 1959 and released his first solo album, “A Mi Amor … Con Mi Amor” (“To My Love … With My Love”), in 1967. He went on to release dozens of albums, some of them consisting of duets.In 1971, Mr. Manzanero received a Grammy nomination for song of the year for “It’s Impossible,” a translation of his 1968 song “Somos Novios,” sung by Perry Como. The song, with a lush melody and syrupy lyrics, has remained popular. Elvis Presley recorded, as did Andrea Bocelli, in a duet with Ms. Aguilera.Luis Miguel sang several of Mr. Manzanero’s songs for his album “Romances,” released in 1997. A worldwide success, the album was credited with giving new popularity to Latin romance music, which had lost favor to some degree with the rise of Latin pop in the 1980s and ’90s.Often deceptively simple but imbued with tenderness and passion, Mr. Manzanero’s love songs have resonated for decades across cultures and languages.“A song has to be written with sincerity,” he told Billboard magazine in 2003. “It can’t be written with the desire to have instant success or passing success.” Rather, he said, it should be written to last.The Coronavirus Outbreak More

  • in

    How Phoebe Bridgers Got Her Grammys Good News

    When Phoebe Bridgers’s phone started “going crazy” on Tuesday afternoon, at first she feared the worst. “I was like, ‘Who died?’” she said.But the news, of course, was much happier: The 26-year-old singer and songwriter from Los Angeles had earned her first four Grammy nominations, including a nod in one of the four big categories, best new artist. (The others are best alternative music album for “Punisher” and best rock performance and song for “Kyoto.”)[embedded content]“Punisher,” Bridgers’s second studio album, features bleak ballads suffused with a 20-something’s candor. The LP is “a showcase of Bridgers’s great strength as a songwriter,” Lindsay Zoladz wrote, reviewing the album in The New York Times, “weaving tiny, specific, time-stamped details (chemtrails, Saltines, serotonin) into durable big-tent tapestries of feeling.” Bridgers brings another side of herself to Twitter, where she’s a funny and irreverent voice guaranteed to liven up your lockdown.On Wednesday afternoon, Bridgers talked about women nominees dominating best rock performance, how that “Iris” cover with Maggie Rogers came about and how she knows a song is complete. These are edited excerpts from the conversation.How did you find out you were nominated?I was in bed with a migraine — these things give me a lot of anxiety. Then I saw all these messages from my mom — she was crying and sent a picture of a bottle of champagne she bought two days ago that she hadn’t wanted me to know about, just in case nothing happened.Did you watch the Grammys growing up?My mom and I watched pretty much every award show, but this one was always more fun because I actually give a [expletive] and pay attention to music.Do you have any plans for the ceremony? Have you been asked to perform?No, but I hope we get to do some semblance of something fun, whether it’s from this apartment or elsewhere.This is the first time the rock performance category has all women nominees. Do you think the Grammys are pandering after being criticized for poor gender representation?Maybe. But it’s also funny and shocking because it’s probably been all men for every award ceremony at some point. But who gives a [expletive], they’re great choices. I’m honored to be nominated with those people.You scored your first Billboard Hot 100 single this week for a cover of the Goo Goo Dolls’ “Iris” you recorded with Maggie Rogers. How did that come about?It started as just a riff. I’d rediscovered that song after watching the movie “Treasure Planet,” and then I just made a joke on Twitter that if Donald Trump loses, I’ll cover “Iris.” And I let the tide of the internet take me wherever it would. I wanted to do it for charity, and Maggie suggested Fair Fight, which was such a good idea.How long have you been politically engaged?I saw Obama’s inauguration, which was this huge moment. And I thought that white privilege and racism were over, and that everything was good now that Obama was president. Then I took part in SlutWalk in high school, which is this anti victim-blaming march, and we had a feminism club. I just slowly realized that just because we had a Black president didn’t mean that every problem was over in America.Where are you finding songwriting inspiration right now?I’m doing a new type of therapy and lots of memories are resurfacing, so I don’t need to look for it. I’m processing a lot of [expletive] because time is so stagnant, and I feel like I have songs just building up inside me. I’m like, “How will I write every song about everything?”How are you a different person than you were a year ago?I hope I’ve experienced some sort of ego death with not being cheered for every night. I’ve been forced to come into my own and self-soothe, in a way. If the worst that happens to me all year is that I’ve been bored, I will have had a great year.Is the candor and stinging honesty in your music something you’ve had to work up to, or have you always had that confidence?I maybe still am working up to it. I wrote more songs before where I wanted to portray emotion and darkness, but I was shielding myself a bit and my lyrics weren’t as good. And I think “Motion Sickness,” from my first record, was where that really shifted. I was like, “What if I wrote like this instead of doing more frilly songs?”How do you know a song is finished?When every line brings me sort of joy, which is weird in the context of my music, but I don’t want there to be any parts that people skip to get to better lyrics.The Grammys love to bring together artists from different generations for performances. In general, who would be your dream collaborator?If I could conquer Bob Dylan, I feel like life would be pretty complete. More

  • in

    Grammy Nominations 2021: See the List

    The 63rd annual Grammy Awards will be broadcast by CBS from Los Angeles on Sunday, Jan. 31 — but not much else is known about the ceremony, one of the many awards shows taking place as the coronavirus pandemic and its resulting restrictions continue.After 40 years, the show’s longtime producer, Ken Ehrlich, has retired from the awards, and Ben Winston (known for his work on James Corden’s late-night show and “Carpool Karaoke”) will be taking over. Trevor Noah, from “The Daily Show,” will host. But who will perform — and how — are still big questions.Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch picked up the most nominations. The Weeknd and Luke Combs were among the artists surprisingly snubbed this year.Record of the Year“Black Parade,” Beyoncé“Colors,” Black Pumas“Rockstar,” DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch“Say So,” Doja Cat“Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish“Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa“Circles,” Post Malone“Savage,” Megan Thee StallionAlbum of the Year“Chilombo,” Jhené Aiko“Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition),” Black Pumas“Everyday Life,” Coldplay“Djesse Vol. 3,” Jacob Collier“Women in Music Pt. III,” Haim“Future Nostalgia,” Dua Lipa“Hollywood’s Bleeding,” Post Malone“Folklore,” Taylor SwiftSong of the Year“Black Parade,” Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)“The Box,” Samuel Gloade and Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)“Cardigan,” Aaron Dessner and Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)“Circles,” Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk, Austin Post and Billy Walsh, songwriters (Post Malone)“Don’t Start Now,” Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa and Emily Warren, songwriters (Dua Lipa)“Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)“I Can’t Breathe,” Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. and Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)“If the World Was Ending,” Julia Michaels and JP Saxe, songwriters (JP Saxe featuring Julia Michaels)Best New ArtistIngrid AndressPhoebe BridgersChikaNoah CyrusD SmokeDoja CatKaytranadaMegan Thee StallionBest Pop Solo Performance“Yummy,” Justin Bieber“Say So,” Doja Cat“Everything I Wanted,” Billie Eilish“Don’t Start Now,” Dua Lipa“Watermelon Sugar,” Harry Styles“Cardigan,” Taylor SwiftBest Pop Duo/Group Performance“Un Dia (One Day),” J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny and Tainy“Intentions,” Justin Bieber featuring Quavo“Dynamite,” BTS“Rain on Me,” Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande“Exile,” Taylor Swift featuring Bon IverBest Pop Vocal Album“Changes,” Justin Bieber“Chromatica,” Lady Gaga“Future Nostalgia,” Dua Lipa“Fine Line,” Harry Styles“Folklore,” Taylor SwiftBest Rock Performance“Shameika,” Fiona Apple“Not,” Big Thief“Kyoto,” Phoebe Bridgers“The Steps,” Haim“Stay High,” Brittany Howard“Daylight,” Grace PotterBest Rock Album“A Hero’s Death,” Fontaines D.C.“Kiwanuka,” Michael Kiwanuka“Daylight,” Grace Potter“Sound & Fury,” Sturgill Simpson“The New Abnormal,” The StrokesBest Alternative Music Album“Fetch the Bolt Cutters,” Fiona Apple“Hyperspace,” Beck“Punisher,” Phoebe Bridgers“Jamie,” Brittany Howard“The Slow Rush,” Tame ImpalaBest R&B Performance“Lightning & Thunder,” Jhené Aiko featuring John Legend“Black Parade,” Beyoncé“All I Need,” Jacob Collier featuring Mahalia and Ty Dolla Sign“Goat Head,” Brittany Howard“See Me,” Emily KingBest R&B Song“Better Than I Imagine,” Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello and Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper featuring H.E.R. and Meshell Ndegeocello)“Black Parade,” Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk and Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)“Collide,” Sam Barsh, Stacey Barthe, Sonyae Elise, Olu Fann, Akil King, Josh Lopez, Kaveh Rastegar and Benedetto Rotondi, songwriters (Tiana Major9 and Earthgang)“Do It,” Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Anton Kuhl, Victoria Monét, Scott Storch and Vincent Van Den Ende, songwriters (Chloe X Halle)“Slow Down,” Nasri Atweh, Badriia Bourelly, Skip Marley, Ryan Williamson and Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Skip Marley and H.E.R.)Best Progressive R&B Album“Chilombo,” Jhené Aiko“Ungodly Hour,” Chloe X Halle“Free Nationals,” Free Nationals“____ Yo Feelings,” Robert Glasper“It Is What It Is,” ThundercatBest Rap Performance“Deep Reverence,” Big Sean Featuring Nipsey Hussle“Bop,” DaBaby“What’s Poppin,” Jack Harlow“The Bigger Picture,” Lil Baby“Savage,” Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé“Dior,” Pop SmokeBest Melodic Rap Performance“Rockstar,” DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch“Laugh Now, Cry Later,” Drake featuring Lil Durk“Lockdown,” Anderson .Paak“The Box,” Roddy Ricch“Highest in the Room,” Travis ScottBest Rap Song“The Bigger Picture,” Dominique Jones, Noah Pettigrew and Rai’shaun Williams, songwriters (Lil Baby)“The Box,” Samuel Gloade and Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)“Laugh Now, Cry Later,” Durk Banks, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Ron LaTour and Ryan Martinez, songwriters (Drake featuring Lil Durk)“Rockstar,” Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, Ross Joseph Portaro IV and Rodrick Moore, songwriters (DaBaby featuring Roddy Ricch)“Savage,” Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe and Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé)Best Rap Album“Black Habits,” D Smoke“Alfredo,” Freddie Gibbs and the Alchemist“A Written Testimony,” Jay Electronica“King’s Disease,” Nas“The Allegory,” Royce Da 5’9”Best Country Solo Performance“Stick That in Your Country Song,” Eric Church“Who You Thought I Was,” Brandy Clark“When My Amy Prays,” Vince Gill“Black Like Me,” Mickey Guyton“Bluebird,” Miranda LambertBest Country Song“Bluebird,” Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby and Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)“The Bones,” Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins and Laura Veltz, songwriters (Maren Morris)“Crowded Table,” Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby and Lori McKenna, songwriters (The Highwomen)“More Hearts Than Mine,” Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis and Derrick Southerland, songwriters (Ingrid Andress)“Some People Do,” Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, Matthew Ramsey and Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Old Dominion)Best Country AlbumLady Like,” Ingrid Andress“Your Life Is a Record,” Brandy Clark“Wildcard,” Miranda Lambert“Nightfall,” Little Big Town“Never Will,” Ashley McBrydeBest Latin Pop or Urban Album“YHLQMDLG,” Bad Bunny“Por Primera Vez,” Camilo“Mesa Para Dos,” Kany García“Pausa,” Ricky Martin“3:33,” Debi NovaBest American Roots Performance“Colors,” Black Pumas“Deep in Love,” Bonny Light Horseman“Short and Sweet,” Brittany Howard“I’ll Be Gone,” Norah Jones and Mavis Staples“I Remember Everything,” John PrineBest Global Music Album“Fu Chronicles,” Antibalas“Twice as Tall,” Burna Boy“Agora,” Bebel Gilberto“Love Letters,” Anoushka Shankar“Amadjar,” TinariwenProducer of the Year, Non-ClassicalJack AntonoffDan AuerbachDave CobbFlying LotusAndrew WattBest Music Film“Beastie Boys Story,” Beastie Boys“Black Is King,” Beyoncé“We Are Freestyle Love Supreme,” Freestyle Love Supreme“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice,” Linda Ronstadt“That Little Ol’ Band From Texas,” ZZ TopSee the full list of nominees at the Grammys’ website. More

  • Grammy Awards to No Longer Use 'Urban' Term in Major Category

    Following in the leads made by Republic Records, the Recording Academy makes the announcement as part of the organization’s annual changes to its rules and guidelines.
    Jun 11, 2020
    AceShowbiz – The Grammy Awards will no longer use the term “urban”, America’s Recording Academy announced Wednesday, June 10.
    As part of the organization’s annual changes to its rules and guidelines, the term, typically used to describe black music, will be removed from its awards and language. It comes after Republic Records announced last week that it too will cease to use the term “urban.”
    Best Urban Contemporary Album has been renamed Best Progressive R&B Album, to highlight albums that include the more progressive elements of R&B and may include samples and elements of hip-hop, rap, dance and electronic music.
    While Best Rap/Sung Performance Category has been renamed Best Melodic Rap Performance to represent the inclusivity of the growing hybrid performance trends within the rap genre.
    “It’s something we’ve been discussing for a couple of years, and the term has been a hot button for a while,” interim president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. tells Variety. “A lot of creators and people in that genre didn’t like that description and felt it pigeonholed certain styles of music, so when our constituents brought that to us in the form of a proposal, we listened and voted to approve, as asked by the people in that community.”
    He continued, “It’s all part of what I hope will be a and a new chapter in our history. We’re listening to and learning from our partners and constituents and stakeholders; we’re trying to make sure we’re able to pivot and change and adapt; and we want to be really inclusive.”

    The changes, part of an effort to advance a “very transparent and transformed Recording Academy,” also include updates to the Best New Artist category, Latin, R&B and Rap Fields, and Nominations Review Committees.

    You can share this post!

    Next article
    ‘Cops’ Being Shelved Indefinitely Amid Black Lives Matter Protests

    Related Posts More

  • in

    Grammy Organization Facing Investigation by California Attorney General

    grammy.com

    Complaints about the Recording Academy have been received by the attorney general and are being examined following allegations of corruption and rape cover up.
    Feb 9, 2020
    AceShowbiz – California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is examining a number of complaints about the Recording Academy’s governance structure.
    The organisation has been shrouded in controversy since chief executive Deborah Dugan was put on administrative leave last month, January 2020 after just five months on the job, after making an allegation of misconduct.
    She then fired back with a sexual harassment lawsuit against the Academy’s General Counsel, and made various serious accusations about the academy – including questioning the integrity of their voting process for the Grammy Awards.
    According to Billboard, Becerra’s office has not formally launched an investigation, but the state attorney general’s office has received several complaints regarding the organisation’s board of trustees, the power of the academy’s executive committee and their approval of expenditures of millions of dollars in legal fees to two powerful law firms, as well its handling of a rape investigation of its former president and CEO Neil Portnow.
    Officials with the Recording Academy insisted they are unaware of any investigation, telling Billboard, “We have not been contacted about any such review by the Attorney General or any other agency.”
    The complaints also urged Becerra to look into the Recording Academy’s large expenditures, including $770,000 designated for hospitality at an event in September 2016 at the Four Seasons in Westlake Village. Officials from the Recording Academy insisted money is spent “judiciously.”
    The state’s inquiry comes as the Recording Academy pursues an investigation of its own into issues cited in Dugan’s allegations of voting irregularities in the nomination process, sexual harassment and conflicts of interest within the board of trustees.

    You can share this post!

    Next article
    Bella Thorne Admits to Darkening Her Skin and Hair to Look More ‘Latin’

    Related Posts More