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Barack and Michelle Obama, if you don’t already have plans for Saturday night, Clive Davis would like a word. When asked whom he’d like most to attend his and the Recording Academy’s Pre-Grammy gala who never has, the legendary executive and chief creative officer of Sony Music says the 44th president and his wife. “They should come this year, they’d love it!” he adds with a laugh. No sitting or past president has ever attended the event, though former Vice President Al Gore attended in 2007 with his then wife Tipper.
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Obamas in attendance or not, Davis will preside over the Feb. 3 event — as he has since the first gala in 1976 — at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, which promises to bring together the usual constellation of stars from the worlds of music, sports, film and politics. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is expected to attend for the 24th or 25th time (Davis can’t remember exactly), as are athletic greats Scottie Pippen, Serena Williams and Martina Navratilova. SZA, this year’s top Grammy nominee (whom Davis met Wednesday at Billboard’s Power 100 party), will be there, as will best new artist nominees Noah Kahan, Ice Spice and Jelly Roll, as well as icons like Gladys Knight, Diana Ross and Berry Gordy.
Not in attendance this year (though certainly invited) will be Taylor Swift, whose touring rehearsals didn’t permit for her to come, Davis says — before he launches into a touching story of how his respect for Swift grew even greater when she sang every word to “Chances Are” in 2015 as the renowned crooner Johnny Mathis performed a greatest hits set.
Davis, clad in a resplendent purple blazer and purple pullover — with his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Charlie, by his side at the Beverly Hilton — talked with Billboard about this year’s gala on Thursday (Feb. 1), as well as some memories of past years. As always, the list of performers remains secret until the evening, though attendees can expect the usual mix of hot newcomers, superstars and at least one classic artist among the 10 or 11 performances. The most Davis will reveal is to tease a possible duet between two artists who have never met.
See our conversation below.
When you started the party in 1976 to honor Barry Manilow and his Grammy nominations, did you imagine it would still be going 48 years later?
It never occurred to me. What I did know was Barry had come to me — he said, “Every label has a party, where’s our party?” And I said, “Barry, we just started, we’ll have two tables at Chasen’s. We can have the party the night before. We just started Arista; people will want to wish us well.” We ended up having it at the Bel Air Hotel. Stevie Wonder came, John Denver came, Elton John came. That is why that tradition has continued, and it is unceasingly touching that every company’s top players [attend].
Are you already thinking about the 50th?
No. I take it one year at a time.
When do people start asking you for an invite?
I would say months in advance, because it’s not based on any one factor, [like] who’s performing. They know the tradition; they know the history. What they usually ask if they have come before is for a plus-one, which is usually out of the question.
And then the most painful thing, as we welcome the new players from Spotify, from the streaming world, from the new organizations and those who have become president of labels that have never been there, we have a finite number of people we can invite. For every new member, we really have to cancel either a plus-one or say, “I’m sorry.” It’s not just they want to be there, they feel if they’re professionally in the music business, somewhat diminished [if they don’t receive an invitation]. And that is painful. And I don’t want to talk about that lightly or matter of factly. It’s painful especially to me, who’s been in the business as long as I have. And we have no other choice because they’re not really still active.
You could move it to a bigger location.
We don’t want to do it any place bigger. I mean, you can taste the performances; you can see them interact, artists asking John Legend to help on this song, Melissa Etheridge to help on that song. That framework’s a part of the evening.
What can you say about the documentary that’s in the works about the gala?
The documentary is pure and simple the history of the party. The team is going over the history of the entire party and gasping at the incredible history of legendary performances. I mean, Whitney [Houston] played the party six times. The year [2000] that I started J Records and she knew that we were not going to work together, we never knew we’d be reunited as quickly as we were. But that year, the party had only two performers out of choice. That was Santana, because of the hugeness of their success, and Whitney. And the coverage of Whitney performing, and coming over to me and singing to me, “I Believe in You and Me” and “I Will Always Love You” — oh, I mean, it will tear your heart out. So, they’ve got all that, they’re thrilled with what’s there.
Has every party been filmed?
They’re going through it. We have a lot of parties that have been filmed. Certainly, they’ve been filmed the last few years, but we have coverage of [past parties.]
You mentioned the Obamas as people you’d like to attend. Who is someone you wish had performed, living or dead?
Prince. He attended, but he never performed. He’s been in the audience.
We lost so many amazing artists this past year, including Jimmy Buffett and Tina Turner. Are you paying homage to them or any of the other people we lost this year?
We have done, in the past, tributes. We’re not doing a tribute [this year]. In a way we’re celebrating one artist, but not because we’ve lost this artist. The evening will end with a tribute to one artist.
That’s another tantalizing hint. This year, Sony Music Publishing’s chairman/CEO Jon Platt will receive the Industry Icons Award. Does he get to select any of the performers?
The honoree will have two artists, historically, to perform in his honor that he has chosen. We’ve never really worked together, but I’m a big admirer of his talent. I admire the talent of someone who has established a deep personal connection with artists, where they feel they’ve got to show up and represent for him. That’s a big talent. And he’s one of those people that has a wonderful personal connection with artists. [Davis confirmed to Entertainment Tonight that Platt’s friends, Beyonce and Jay Z, would be in attendance].
How much attention do you pay to the seating chart — even though your son, Doug, and longtime event producer Stacy Carr, handle many of the details?
I pay a lot of attention — because, with all due respect to them who make the initial [seating chart], having been in the industry all those years, you really want to seat people so that they understand that there is parity between them and others. It’s human nature amongst those artists. So I do look it over very carefully, and the [seating chart] board will be rolled out, probably beginning tonight.
Where will you watch the Grammys on Sunday night?
I have a select number of people watch with me in my suite at the hotel. I like the close-ups. It’s definitely more personal. I have a number of people come over, some business associates and friends, and we watch it together. And then I’ll go to the Sony party.
From Taylor Swift to Boygenius to SZA , these stars could dominate this year’s Grammys ceremony.
Mariah Carey and Lenny Kravitz took center stage before a packed and cheering ballroom for The Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective (BMC) Thursday evening (Feb. 1) in Los Angeles. The two music icons were saluted as this year’s Global Impact Award recipients — a CEO Merit Award “honoring the essence and evolution of Black excellence,” as Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. noted in his opening remarks.
And with Mason’s declaration, “Let’s get this party started,” a stellar array of music performances and emotion-packed acceptance speeches rocked the rafters of the Fairmont Century Plaza. Leading the charge was Davido with a spirited performance of “Mona Lisa” that that got the audience on its feet, dancing and waving napkins around the room.
That moment was just the first in a series of standing ovations setting the tone prior to the award presentations. Among the evening’s noteworthy performances, under the direction of the event’s music supervisor Adam Blackstone, was Andra Day’s powerful rendering of the Billie Holiday classic “Strange Fruit,” Gabby Simone’s insightful interpretation of Nina Simone’s “Four Women” and Erica Campbell’s soul-clenching take on the gospel standard “I Love the Lord.”
Just as stirring were the performances and speeches given on behalf of the honorees, beginning with H.E.R. paying tribute to singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist Lenny Kravitz. Referencing one of his hits, she said, “’American Woman’ made me say to my dad, ‘I want to play guitar. I want to be a rock star like Lenny Kravitz’ … Thank you for breaking so many barriers and paving the way for artists like me. Thank you, Lenny Kravitz, for teaching us all to let love rule” — (a nod to the title of Kravitz’s 1989 debut studio album).
Kravitz began by sharing early musical memories that helped shape his legendary career, such as being a 5-year-old sitting on the lap of Duke Ellington in the Rainbow Room while the latter played “Take the A Train.” And Kravitz’s dad taking him to see the Jackson 5 at Madison Square Garden and afterwards “wanting to be the sixth brother.” The four-time Grammy winner further invoked a host of additional influences such as Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind & Fire, James Brown, Nina Simone, Grandmaster Flash, Parliament-Funkadelic and Bob Marley.
Lenny Kravitz accepts the Global Impact Award onstage during the Recording Academy Honors presented by The Black Music Collective during the 66th GRAMMY Awards on February 01, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Leon Bennett/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
“I could go on all night,” he continued. “I love this music because it feeds our hearts and strengthens our resolve to keep conveying hope and healing to a whole new world. To be a part of this lineage is a privilege I cherish. It is with deep gratitude that I thank you, knowing that music in every corner of the planet uplifts and expresses the goodness of God’s everlasting love.” Then fellow musicians Andrew Watt, Chad Smith, Verdine White, George Clinton and Quavo joined forces to perform “Fly Away” to roaring applause — and hearty hugs from Kravitz on stage.
More cheering ensued when Stevie Wonder took the stage to pay tribute to Mariah Carey in word and song. “Every time we meet and talk, it’s like having a brand new day,” he began. “I thank you for your friendship, your heart and the consistent spirit of love that you show … and I’m just going to say this …” That’s when Wonder segued into the choruses of two of his songs: “Knocks Me Off My Feet” (“I don’t want to bore you with it, but I love you, I love you”) and “All I Do” (“all I do is think about you”) and ad libbing at the end, “you are my hero.”
After thanking Wonder (“I will never not get excited to be in the company of your greatness!”), Carey drew plenty of audience laughter as she held the award and remarked that she hadn’t won a Grammy in a long time. She went on to thank Harvey Mason jr. and the Academy, congratulate fellow honoree Kravitz and wish everyone a happy Black History Month, the five-time Grammy winner said in part:
“When I first started in the music business, I was often told to conform to certain expectations. I wasn’t encouraged to focus on my love for Black music. It took countless arguments, endless tantrums and mostly unwavering determination. But eventually, I was able to reveal my authentic self, as they say, and create music that came from my heart … I discovered a newfound sense of freedom and fulfillment. As I accept this award, I do so with gratitude for all of you here and every person who has supported me along this journey; the fans that have stood by me through thick and thin.
“But most importantly,” she continued, “I accept this award on behalf of every person who has ever felt silenced or marginalized, who has ever been told their voice doesn’t matter. Your truth matters. We will continue to pave the way together for a future where authenticity is celebrated, diversity is embraced and music has the power to change the world.”
Additional performers feting Carey in song included Babyface (“Everytime I Close My Eyes”) Busta Rhymes (“I Know What You Want”), Tori Kelly (“Vision of Love”) and Yolanda Adams (“Make It Happen”). And among the Recording Academy executives who shared remarks were BMC chair Rico Love and Ryan Butler, the Academy’s vp of diversity, equity and inclusion.
Prior to the event — produced by MVD Inc. — guests were treated to striking black-and-white portraits of Jay-Z, Nipsey Hussle and other artists in the Icons Gallery curated by music executive and photographer Lenny S.
Media reports today that Taylor Swift won’t perform on the 2024 Grammy telecast, which is set for Sunday (Feb. 4), are a big blow to the Recording Academy, CBS and Swift’s many fans. Swift’s apparent decision also runs counter to the usual pattern when an artist dominates a year the way Swift owned 2023. Swift […]
As always, NMPA president David Israelite kicked off its annual Grammy week showcase (in partnership with Billboard) with a gentle reminder: The bar will close during performances, and guests are expected to remain silent.It’s all part of the NMPA’s ethos to better support songwriters, and throughout the night, attendees also had the pleasure of watching songwriters support one another. At one table sat Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey and Kelsea Ballerini. Jelly Roll, Lainey Wilson and hit songwriter Jessie Jo Dillon were seated to their right, with Dan Nigro and Chappell Roan seated just behind and Leon Thomas and his mother nearby.
Throughout the intimate and star-studded evening on Wednesday (Jan. 31), the audience was treated to performances by best new artist nominees Jelly Roll and Noah Kahan, rising pop star Conan Gray and country star Kelsea Ballerini — plus an impassioned speech from Del Rey about Vanguard Award recipient Antonoff, during which she couldn’t help but announce her upcoming country album Lasso, out this September.
Kahan, who was being honored with the Rising Star award, joked before his set that “I’ve been around longer than this [award title] would suggest … Don’t tell the Grammys.” Later, Nigro contested his own award title, saying, “I don’t consider myself a hitmaker” — though his track record on the charts proves otherwise.
Dillon — who is Grammy nominated for songwriter of the year alongside Edgar Barrera, Shane McAnally, Justin Tranter and Theron Thomas — summarized the evening best while accepting her Breakthrough Songwriter award. “There is no music without songs and no songs without songwriters — and we deserve to be compensated fairly.”
As for each performer, they all shared a similar sentiment about the life-changing power of a hit — and how they would never have gotten there where they are today without their incredible and trusted co-writers.
“Our community is really interesting and there’s a lot of anxiety sometimes,” shared Antonoff during the night’s final speech. “I feel very very proud to be here.”
Lana Del Rey
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Lana Del Rey speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jelly Roll
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jelly Roll performs at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jack Antonoff
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jack Antonoff speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Chase Stokes & Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
David Israelite speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Leon Thomas
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Leon Thomas attends the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Lainey Wilson & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Lainey Wilson and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Conan Gray
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Conan Gray performs at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Leon Thomas
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Leon Thomas speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Noah Kahan & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Noah Kahan and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Kelsea Ballerini performs at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Lana Del Rey
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Lana Del Rey at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Conan Gray & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Conan Gray and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Kelsea Ballerini speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jelly Roll
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jelly Roll at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jessie Jo Dillon
Image Credit: Nick Agro for NMPA
Jessie Jo Dillon speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jack Antonoff & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jack Antonoff and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Dan Nigro
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Dan Nigro speaks onstage at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Kelsea Ballerini & Jessie Jo Dillon
Image Credit: Nick Agro for NMPA
Kelsea Ballerini and Jessie Jo Dillon at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Golnar Khosrowshahi
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Golnar Khosrowshahi and guest at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Dan Nigro & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Dan Nigro and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Mike O’Neill, Elizabeth Matthews & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Mike O’Neill, Elizabeth Matthews and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Chase Stokes & Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Chase Stokes and Kelsea Ballerini at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Jelly Roll & David Israelite
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Jelly Roll and David Israelite at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
Mitch Glazier
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
Mitch Glazier and guest at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
David Israelite & Kelsea Ballerini
Image Credit: Nick Agrò for NMPA
David Israelite and Kelsea Ballerini at the NMPA + Billboard Grammy Week Showcase at EDEN Sunset in Los Angeles, CA on January 31, 2024.
The country contingent of this year’s Grammy Awards may be the closest that Nashville ever gets to time travel.
This year’s crop of nominees for the Feb. 4 ceremony includes best new artist candidates Jelly Roll and The War and Treaty, a Dierks Bentley collaboration with Billy Strings, best country album finalists Lainey Wilson and Zach Bryan, and Luke Combs’ remake of “Fast Car.”
Each of those nominations – and most of the other country contenders, too – manage to move in two different directions on the time continuum, pushing the genre into the future while still hanging onto something out of the past.
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The Grammys, according to John Carter Cash, are drawn to performances that are both “forward-thinking and connecting with the roots.” He should know: He’s nominated as an arranger on a new version of “Folsom Prison Blues” – most closely associated with his father, Johnny Cash – recorded by String Revolution featuring Tommy Emmanuel. The performance is an adventurous instrumental piece that wraps “Folsom” in folk and jazz ideals, absolutely widening the footprint of the song. Yet it remains significantly old-school: the original melody is intact during much of the recording, and it employs guitars that belonged to the Man in Black and his original guitarist, Luther Perkins.
The Grammys come under criticism every year among some country executives and broadcasters because the nominations don’t particularly line up with the biggest current projects in the genre. But that was never the intent of the awards, which are voted on by the creative class, rather than marketers and managers. Those creatives – including musicians, songwriters and producers – tend to reward the craft as much as the commerce, and the slate typically recognizes performances that build on bedrock influences while making a new statement. Sometimes, as in Bryan’s Kacey Musgraves Billboard Hot 100-topping collaboration “I Remember Everything,” that includes some of the most popular current music. But in others, such as Brandy Clark’s twice-nominated “Buried,” that means elevating music from outside the mainstream.
The nominations tend to honor artists and performances that respect the past without being bound by it. That is, to be sure, how the most original artists operate. “If you love country music, and you’re trying to do it, you love the old stuff,” Bentley notes. But “you can’t just go back and redo the old stuff. It’s already been done.”
There are exceptions. Combs’ revision of “Fast Car,” up for best country solo performance, is a faithful update of a classic, though the current circumstances are different: male singer Combs renders it from a different perspective than female originator Tracy Chapman, and it re-emerged in country instead of the folk/pop arena where she introduced it. Solo competitor Dolly Parton’s “The Last Thing on My Mind” is a reworking of a song she first cut with duet partner Porter Wagoner in 1967. And Vince Gill is a best country duo/group finalist with steel guitarist Paul Franklin for bringing attention to “Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold),” an obscure Ray Price song re-recorded for a tribute album.
“When I first heard Vince Gill, I thought, ‘Whoa, this is so cool, so new,’ and it was, of course,” Bentley remembers. “Listening to Vince now, that’s nothing but traditional country music, but the way he did it, it felt new. It’s the same thing with Morgan Wallen now. A lot of his songs are super country. My daughter listens to him, she goes, ‘Oh my god, this is so cool and new and different.’ I’m like, ‘That’s pretty country: dobro, and Bryan Sutton on the acoustic.’ So you kind of kind of trick everyone a little bit.”
Carly Pearce’s ability to walk the line between old and new is one of the reasons her Chris Stapleton collaboration “We Don’t Fight Anymore” secured a best country duo/group performance nomination. The spare, acoustic arrangement builds on the genre’s origins, as does its mature lyrical portrait of a debilitated relationship. But the melody and the phrasing are notably modern.
“They’re looking for artistic expression,” Pearce suggests. “That song is one of the most authentic to me, so I think it resonates, obviously, in a commercial way, but more in an artistic way, which is what I love about the Grammys. They see the whole vision of an artist and not just what’s played on the radio. For it to have that marriage together is really [key].”
Even Kelsea Ballerini’s best country album entry Rolling Up the Welcome Mat has that forward-thinking, roots-respecting aura. Compiled as a series of songs that documents her emotional journey following a divorce from Morgan Evans, it mostly features a boundary-testing, pop-leaning sound, though mining her inner world for her art is very much an old-school Hank Williams kind of approach.
“In my brain, it’s like I made a movie,” she says. “It’s solely focusing and zooming in on the songwriting and the storytelling, and to me, that is honoring the genre that I dig my heels into every day. The sonic elements that accompany it, to me, don’t hold as much weight as the story that you’re telling.”
Even personal history can influence the artistic time-machine effect. Songwriter of the year nominee Jessie Jo Dillon (“Memory Lane,” “Halfway To Hell”) compares Jelly Roll’s rise from a prison background and drug abuse to Johnny Cash’s messages about forgiveness. And Wilson sees Jelly Roll’s willingness to mine his experiences as a major influence on the format moving forward.
“Everybody’s past and everything – none of that matters,” she says. “We’ve all done things, we’ve all messed up. It’s about what’s on the inside, and Jelly Roll is nothing but good.”
Ultimately, the creatives who vote for the Grammys all draw from the same musical past as the nominees, and the country finalists list is a qualitative statement about how the genre can continue to evolve.
“It’s very, very difficult to know where you’re going if you don’t know where you come from,” says The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr. “We like to pay respect, homage, pay a nod to the past — because it’s still our present.”
At the Grammys, that past dictates how country moves into its future.
The 2024 Grammys are almost upon us, which will provide the answer to this year’s biggest Grammy-related question — and we don’t mean whether Taylor Swift will make history as the first artist to win album of the year four times. We mean: Can you make it through the whole thing?
The telecast is scheduled to run three and a half hours, from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. ET, but veteran Grammy watchers know that the day actually begins at 3:30 p.m. ET with what the Recording Academy rather grandly calls the Premiere Ceremony, but what you probably call the pre-telecast awards. More than 80 of the 94 Grammy categories are announced on that show, which will stream on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com.
If you manage to make it through both shows, that’s eight hours – assuming the telecast doesn’t run over (which it often does). So, it’s not only Music’s Biggest Night, it’s Music’s Longest Day and Night.
As always, the telecast will have something for everybody. Performers range from 20-year-old superstar Olivia Rodrigo to music legend Joni Mitchell, who is still adding to her considerable legacy at 80.
The show will be held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where it has been held for 21 of the past 25 years. U2 is set to take the stage from Sphere just outside Las Vegas, where the band’s acclaimed U2:UV Achtung Baby Live at Sphere show is playing. It will be the first live broadcast from the venue.
Billy Joel will perform his just-released single “Turn the Lights Back On.”
Luke Combs and Tracy Chapman will team to perform “Fast Car,” which Combs revived last year. His version, a pop and country smash, is nominated for best country solo vocal performance. Chapman’s original version won 35 years ago for best pop vocal performance, female. Chapman performed the song to close the 1989 telecast.
Other expected collaborations are Burna Boy (with 21 Savage and Brandy) and Mitchell (with Brandi Carlile).
Trevor Noah will host the Grammys for the fourth consecutive year. He received a nod for best comedy album for I Wish You Would, and is vying to become only the second Grammy host to win a Grammy that same night. The first was Kenny Rogers, who won best country vocal performance, male for “The Gambler” in 1980, when he hosted the show for the first of two times.
It is unknown whether Taylor Swift will perform, though CBS has promoted the fact that she will be “in the building” to accept any awards she may win. Any additional performers will be added to this report as they are announced.
Songwriter Justin Tranter will host the Premiere Ceremony live from Peacock Theater, which is adjacent to Crypto. Tranter is nominated for songwriter of the year, non-classical in recognition of their work with such artists as Miley Cyrus, Måneskin and Reneé Rapp. This is just the second year that that award has been presented and the first since the category was bumped up to the General Field, which also includes the Big Four categories – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist.
Producer of the year, non-classical was also bumped up to the General Field this year. Jack Antonoff is vying to become the first producer to take that award three years running since Babyface, who won it three in a row from 1996 to 1998.
Presenters on the main telecast include Samara Joy, last year’s surprise winner for best new artist, and Meryl Streep, who is nominated for best audio book, narration and storytelling recording for Big Tree. If she wins, it will be her first Grammy, after seven nominations. Streep has won three Oscars and three Primetime Emmys.
Performers on the Premiere Ceremony will include Harvey Mason (not the CEO of the Recording Academy – that’s Harvey Mason Jr.). The elder Mason, a highly regarded drummer, amassed 10 Grammy nominations between 1975 and 2009.
The 66th annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, Feb. 4, live on both coasts beginning at 8 p.m. ET on CBS, and will stream live and on-demand on Paramount+. The show will be produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins are executive producers.
The Premiere Ceremony will stream live that same day, beginning at 3:30 p.m. ET on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com. This year’s Premiere Ceremony is produced by Branden Chapman, Ruby Marchand, Chantel Sausedo, and Rex Supa on behalf of the Recording Academy. Greg V. Fera is executive producer and Cheche Alara is music producer and music director.
Main Telecast
Host
Trevor Noah
Performers
Burna Boy (with 21 Savage and Brandy)
Luke Combs (with Tracy Chapman)
Billie Eilish
Billy Joel
Dua Lipa
Joni Mitchell (with Brandi Carlile)
Olivia Rodrigo
Travis Scott
SZA
U2
Presenters
Christina Aguilera
Samara Joy
Lenny Kravitz
Maluma
Lionel Richie
Mark Ronson
Meryl Streep
Taylor Tomlinson
Oprah Winfrey
Premiere Ceremony (pre-telecast awards)
Host
Justin Tranter
Performers
Adam Blackstone
Brandy Clark
Bob James
Gaby Moreno
Harvey Mason
J. Ivy, Larkin Poe, Pentatonix, Sheila E., Jordin Sparks (opening number)
Kirk Franklin
Laufey
Robert Glasper
Terrace Martin
Presenters
Carly Pearce
Jimmy Jam
Molly Tuttle
Natalia Lafourcade
Patti Austin
Rufus Wainwright
The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences announced some rule changes on Thursday (Feb. 1), which include requiring potential nominees in music categories to supply more information. “For categories identified as music categories (these are music direction and composition and original song in the Daytime Emmys), nominees will be REQUIRED to provide complete publishing […]
Five people are headed to the 2024 Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 4) as both current nominees and trustees of the Recording Academy. One of them, Michael Romanowski, has a stunning four of the five nominations for best immersive audio album.
Romanowski served as the immersive mastering engineer on Ryan Ulyate’s Act 3 (Immersive Edition), George Strait’s Blue Clear Sky, Alicia Keys’ The Diary of Alicia Keys and Bear McCreary’s God of War Ragnarök (Original Soundtrack). Romanowski has won four Grammys since 2021, including two in this category.
The other four people who will attending the Grammys both as trustees and current nominees are Chuck Ainlay, J. Ivy, PJ Morton and Marcus Baylor.
Ainlay is nominated alongside Romanowski for best immersive audio album for this edition of Strait’s 1996 album Blue Clear Sky. Ainlay served as immersive mix engineer and immersive producer to Romanowski’s immersive mastering engineer. Ainlay has won four Grammys since 2006, including one when this category was known as best surround sound album.
Ivy is nominated for best spoken word poetry album for The Light Inside. Ivy won in that category last year – the first year it was presented – for The Poet Who Sat by the Door. Ivy won a second Grammy last year for best roots gospel album for The Urban Hymnal.
Morton is nominated for best traditional R&B performance for “Good Morning” (featuring Susan Carol). Morton has won four Grammys since 2019, including one in this category.
Baylor is nominated for best jazz performance for his featured role on Adam Blackstone’s “Vulnerable (Live).” The track features The Baylor Project & Russell Ferranté. Baylor has received 10 nominations since 2003, but has yet to win.
The Academy wants to have people on its board of trustees who are current, active and successful in their careers. But their nominations, while they are serving as trustees, raise a question of whether being a current trustee gives them an unfair advantage in the voting.
Billboard has reached out to the Academy for comment.
The current 41-member board of trustees (counting four officers) includes six other people who are past Grammy winners, but are not nominated this year. They are EGOT recipient John Legend, who has amassed 12 Grammys since 2006; Angélique Kidjo (five Grammys since 2008), Yolanda Adams (four Grammys since 2000), Natalia Ramirez (three Grammys since 2020), Jonathan Yip (two Grammys in 2018) and Ledisi (one Grammy in 2021).
Other current trustees who have been nominated in years past (but did not win) are Terry Jones, Mike Knobloch, Paul Wall and Thom “TK” Kidd.
Boygenius received the Universal Music Group x REVERB Amplifier Award at the Billboard Power 100 event in Los Angeles on Wednesday night (Jan. 31).
The group, signed to Interscope, was presented with the honor by Universal Music Group chairman/CEO Lucian Grainge, who began his speech by praising Republic Records megastar Taylor Swift, who dethroned him at the top of the Power 100 list this year.
“Let me say that I’ve never, ever, in my entire career been so thrilled to be No. 2 on a list,” he said at the event, which was held at NeueHouse Hollywood. “I suppose I’m honored as well as a bit relieved to be named No. 2. Many, many, many congratulations, Taylor, on your No. 1 award. You thoroughly deserve it. You are completely unique, and to see the heights that you have gone to worldwide with your voice has given all of us who know you and work with you enormous pleasure and enormous pride.”
During his brief time on stage, Grainge made no direct mention of the elephant in the room: The music giant’s industry-shaking decision to pull its music from TikTok after licensing renewal talks between the two companies collapsed. But he did appear to make a subtle nod to the dispute, which involves, in large part, disagreements over both artist compensation and artificial intelligence.
“I also wanted to be here tonight … to highlight the importance of using this room for collective good,” Grainge said. “There’s an enormous amount of power in this room, that’s why it’s called the Power awards. And I feel extremely strongly and grateful that we’re in an industry that has provided us with such pleasure, such joy and a living. But we have the platform to be able to use it for our artists, to fight for them to be fairly compensated, as well as protected, particularly against unethical A.I.”
While introducing Boygenius — the trio composed of Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, who are up for a whopping five Grammys this year, including album of the year — Grainge said its members “exemplify what it means to use power for good” before ceding the mic.
The first of the trio to speak was Dacus, who opened by shouting out Pass the Mic Foundation, the non-profit organization that organized land acknowledgements at each of the band’s recent tour stops. She proceeded to make a land acknowledgement from the stage, noting that Los Angeles County “occupies land originally and still inhabited and cared for by the Tongva, Tataviam, Serrano, Kizh and Chumash peoples.”
Dacus continued by recognizing Landback — a movement “to get Indigenous Lands back into Indigenous hands,” according to landback.org — as well as three other organizations the band worked with on its 2023 tour: Reverb, the Ally Coalition and Calling All Crows. All of them, she said, helped organize tabling at the group’s tour stops to educate fans “about local and national organizations that work to defend LGBTQ rights, abortion access and environmental concerns.”
When Baker stepped up to the podium, she said of receiving the award, “We realize it’s useful to publicly acknowledge and recommit ourselves to these values … in order to draw attention to causes we care about. But ultimately, this is a community effort. It should be important to everyone, because it’s important for everyone’s individual well-being. This is not a task for those with more power to participate in, that those with less may not participate in. The perceived scale of a person’s impact doesn’t increase or diminish your individual responsibility to act each day in a way that protects and proves or makes more equitable the world we inhabit together.”
Lastly, Bridgers acknowledged all three band members’ history of being “made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe in concerts when we were kids or in work environments later when we started making music ourselves.” She also shouted out Calling All Crows, which she said did “a demonstration for us and our tour about how to spot and stop sexual harassment or sexual violence, whether you see it in a crowd or on your own crew.”
Bridgers also mentioned, as she has previously, that she had an abortion while she was on tour in 2021 before noting that the band worked “with local organizations who make sure that other people get easy, safe access to abortion” on its 2023 tour. She concluded: “We like to create a show environment that we would have benefited from as kids. But hopefully someday, everybody’s doing it, and nobody’s getting awards.”