Awards
Page: 211
Following the 65th Grammy Awards Feb. 5, multiple songs, albums and artists show sizable surges in U.S. streams and sales, equating to gains on Billboard charts dated Feb. 18.
Among the most impactful: Sam Smith and Kim Petrasâ âUnholy,â which lifts 5-4 on the multi-metric Billboard Hot 100 after being performed during the ceremony (broadcast on CBS) and winning for best pop duo/group performance.
In the Feb. 3-9 tracking, the former No. 1 earned 17.9 million official U.S. streams, up 16%, according to Luminate.
A pair of songs that were also part of the festivities â BeyoncĂ©âs âCuff Itâ and Harry Stylesâ âAs It Wasâ â sport gains as well, the former returning to the Billboard Hot 100âs top 10 while the latter extends its run in the region. âCuff It,â which vaults 15-6 for a new high, earned a 37% boost in streams to 9.4 million, along with 78,000 in sales, up 4,026%, due in part to newly released remixes and its Grammy win for best R&B song.
Former 15-week Hot 100 No. 1 âWasâ dips 9-10 but jumped 21% in streams to 12.4 million and 289% to 7,000 sold. Styles performed the song during the broadcast, while parent album Harryâs House took home album of the year honors.
Outside the Hot 100âs top 10, Lil Uzi Vertâs âJust Wanna Rock,â the closing song of the Grammyâs 50th anniversary pf hip-hop medley, backtracks to No. 12 from its No. 10 high but is up in overall metrics, garnering a 5% gain to 15.7 million streams, alongside 2,000 sold, up 18%. Elsewhere within the top 30, Luke Combsâ âGoing, Going, Goneâ pushes 24-23 after his performance of the song during the telecast, with 10.7 million streams, up 6%, and 3,000 sold, up 71%.
Lizzoâs former two-week Hot 100 No. 1 âAbout Damn Timeâ climbs 50-41 after she performed the song and it won for record of the year nod, garnering 6.2 million streams, up 20%, and 5,000 sold, up 295%.
In all, 10 songs performed during the Grammy broadcast are among the 2,000 most-streamed titles of the week Feb. 3-9 in the U.S. and garnered at least a 5% gain:
Performed
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, âUnholyâ (17.9 million streams, up 16%)
Lil Uzi Vert, âJust Wanna Rockâ (15.7 million streams, up 5%)*
Harry Styles, âAs It Wasâ (12.4 million streams, up 21%)
Steve Lacy, âBad Habitâ (11.6 million streams, up 6%)
Luke Combs, âGoing, Going, Goneâ (10.7 million streams, up 6%)
Lil Baby, âFreestyleâ (8.1 million streams, up 6%)*
Lizzo, âAbout Damn Timeâ (6.2 million streams, up 20%)
Bad Bunny, âDespuĂ©s de la Playaâ (3.1 million streams, up 34%)
Nelly, âHot in Herreâ (1.8 million streams, up 5%)*
DJ Khaled feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy, âGod Didâ (1.7 million streams, up 57%)
(*performed during the Grammyâs hip-hop medley)
Additionally, nine songs that won Grammy awards, either during the main ceremony or during the pre-telecast, were both up at least 5% and within the top 2,000 songs in U.S. streams Feb. 3-9.
Won
Sam Smith & Kim Petras, âUnholyâ (17.9 million streams, up 16%) (best pop duo/group performance)
Future feat. Drake & Tems, âWait for Uâ (10.9 million streams, up 5%) (best melodic rap performance)
BeyoncĂ©, âCuff Itâ (9.4 million streams, up 37%) (best R&B song)
Lizzo, âAbout Damn Timeâ (6.2 million streams, up 20%) (record of the year, best remixed recording, non-classical)
Adele, âEasy on Meâ (5.8 million streams, up 16%) (best pop solo performance)
Cody Johnson, ââTil You Canâtâ (4.8 million streams, up 7%) (best country song)
BeyoncĂ©, âBreak My Soulâ (3.5 million streams, up 41%) (best dance/electronic recording)
Muni Long, âHrs and Hrsâ (3.5 million streams, up 8%) (best R&B performance)
Taylor Swift, âAll Too Well (Taylorâs Version)â (3.3 million streams, up 9%) (best music video)
Concurrently, the Billboard 200 dated Feb. 18 reflects multiple bumps for albums either prominently featured during the Grammys or by artists who appeared at the ceremony. Leading the way, Bad Bunnyâs Un Verano Sin Ti rises 8-7 with 45,000 equivalent album units, up 16%. Aforementioned album of the year winner Harryâs House follows, jumping 13-9 with 38,000 units, a 51% boost.
Samara Joyâs Linger Awhile also appears on the Billboard 200 for the first time, debuting at No. 158 (8,000 units, up 319%) following her best new artist victory.
Beyoncé, Berry Gordy, Clive Davis, Anita Baker and George Clinton are among 60 nominees for the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Class of 2023.
More than 230 artists and others have been inducted since 2013. The roster includes James Brown, Prince, B.B. King, The Temptations, Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Jackie Wilson and Whitney Houston.
Most of this yearâs nominees are Black, but the list also includes Davis, who has signed and championed many Black artists, including Sly & the Family Stone, Whitney Houston and Alicia Keys, throughout his long career; Burt Bacharach, the peerless composer who wrote hits for Dionne Warwick, Patti LaBelle, Chuck Jackson and many more; Daryl Hall & John Oates, the blue-eyed-soul duo that topped Hot Soul Singles (as the chart was called in 1982) with âI Canât Go for That (No Can Do),â and Average White Band, which had such hits as âPick Up the Piecesâ and âCut the Cake.â
Most of the nominees are primarily known as artists, but the list also includes record executives Gordy, Davis and Dick Griffey; songwriters Bacharach, David Porter and Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff; radio personalities Jeff Fox, King Arthur and Jae The Gospelkidd; music and event producers and promoters Robert Brown and Sweet Boogie Productions; Malaco Records, the Mississippi-based indie label that signed Johnnie Taylor Bobby Bland, Denise LaSalle, Dorothy Moore, Tyrone Davis and more; and The Recording Academy.
The latter nomination will be welcome news to the Academy, which has been criticized by such major figures in the culture as Magic Johnson and Spike Lee for perceived disrespect. The criticism flows from frustration that BeyoncĂ© has been nominated four times for album of the year (as a lead artist), but has yet to win what is widely regarded as the Grammysâ top award.
Most of the nominees are individuals, but the list includes 14 groups â New Edition, Jr. Walker & the All Stars, The Isley Brothers, Bell Biv Devoe, SWV, Xscape, Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, Earth, Wind & Fire, The Stubbs Girls, Blue Magic, Jodeci and The Controllers â as well as Hall & Oates and AWB.
Fans may vote now at rbhofvote.com. Voting is set to run through April 24. This yearâs inductees will be announced at a press conference on May 1.
The National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Foundation had its groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 30, 2022, in Marks, Miss.
The foundation will honor four individuals with the following awards, to be given annually â The LaMont D. Robinson Founders Award, The Aretha Franklin Lifetime Achievement Award, The Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame Living Legend Award and The Mary Wilson Global Music Industry Award.
The foundation has also developed another annual musical event coming in 2024, the R&B Music Honors, that will honor and showcase the best of todayâs R&B music.
Hereâs the complete list of 2023 nominees for the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame. The capsule descriptions of each nominee are provided by the organization.
BeyoncĂ©Â â singer
Jay-Z â rapper/producer
John Legend â singer/songwriter Â
Berry Gordy â music executive/songwriter
Burt Bacharach â composer/songwriter/producer
David Porter â singer/songwriter/producerÂ
New Edition â group
Recording Academy â Grammys
Clive Davis â music executive
Aaliyah â singerÂ
Mary J. Blige â singer
Morris Day â singer
Dee Dee Warwick â singerÂ
Dick Griffey â music executive
Gerald Alston â singerÂ
Anita Baker â singer
Roz Ryan â singer
Carla Thomas â singer/songwriter
Daryl Hall & John Oates â groupÂ
Janet Jackson â singer Â
Robert Brown â music & event promoter
Malaco Records â record company
George Clinton â performer/songwriter Â
Clyde McPhatter â singerÂ
Brook Benton â singer
Jr. Walker & The All Stars â group Â
Rufus Thomas â singerÂ
The Isley Brothers â groupÂ
Frankie Beverly â singerÂ
Mavis Staples â singer Â
Ruby Andrews â singer
Jeff Fox â radio personality
Jermaine Dupri â music executive/producer
Chaka Khan â singer
Bell Biv DeVoe â group
Dee Dee Sharp â singer
SWV â group
King Arthur â radio personality
Xscape â group
Latimore â singer Â
Willie Clayton â singer
Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes â group
Earth Wind & Fire â group
Peabo Bryson â singer
Tyrone Davis â singer
Sweet Boogie Productions â music production & events
Deniece Williams â singerÂ
Luther âSkywalkerâ Campbell â rapper/music executive/songwriter Â
The Stubbs Girls â groupÂ
Priscilla Price â singer   Â
Freddie Jackson â singer
Kenny Gamble & Leon Huff â songwritersÂ
Jae The Gospelkidd â radio personality Â
Average White Band â groupÂ
Blue Magic â group
Babyface â singer/songwriter Â
Jodeci â groupÂ
G.C. Cameron â singerÂ
Al Lindsey â singer
The Controllers â group
Itâs been nearly two weeks since Sam Smith and Kim Petras danced with the devil at the 2023 Grammys. Now, thanks to a new performance, theyâre back in the controversial spotlight.
On Wednesday (Feb. 15), U.K. broadcasting regulator Offcom revealed that Smith and Petrasâ performance at the 2023 Brit Awards on Sunday (Feb. 12) had received more than 100 complaints, despite not engaging in the same devilish imagery as their Grammys set.
For the Brit Awards, Sam and Kim took a more literal approach to their âBody Shopâ metaphor from the songâs lyrics, with an industrial set, flying sparks and mechanicâs outfits on both performers and their dancers. While it is unclear which parts of the performance received complaints, Offcom received 106 complaints for the 2023 Brit Awards, the majority of which were aimed at Smith and Petras.
The complaint comes after the pairâs highly publicized Grammyâs performance, which also drew plenty of criticism for its use âsatanicâ imagery from viewers and even a few right-wing politicians, including Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene. The Church of Satan itself ended up weighing in, saying the pairâs performance felt pretty tame.
The ongoing controversy seems to have followed Smith into their daily life â in a viral video posted on Wednesday, Smith can be seen in New Yorkâs Central Park Zoo ignoring a yelling woman, who refers to them as a âpedophile,â âdemonic,â and âevil,â while also declaring âSam Smith belongs in hell.â
Check out what all the fuss was about with Sam Smith and Kim Petrasâ âUnholyâ performance at the Brit Awards above.
Two 2023 Oscar contenders, Son Lux and Diane Warren, each won awards in competition at the fourth annual SCL Awards, presented by The Society of Composers & Lyricists. Emmy winner Darren Criss hosted the event, which was held on Wednesday (Feb. 15) at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.
Son Lux, Oscar-nominated for best original score for Everything Everywhere All at Once, won outstanding score for an independent film. The award was accepted by the trioâs Ryan Lott. Warren, Oscar-nominated for best original song for âApplauseâ from Tell It Like a Woman, won outstanding song for a drama/documentary.
Michael Abels was a double winner on the night. He won outstanding original score for a feature film for Nope as well as a Jury Award for Omar, an opera he composed with Rhiannon Giddens.
The SCL presented two 2023 Jury Awards in recognition of the increasing number of ways music is used in an audiovisual context. These awards are voted on by the SCL board of directors. The other went to the audiovisual concert experience Women Warriors: The Voices of Change, for which Amy Andersson is musical director.
The Spirit of Collaboration Award was presented to composer Justin Hurwitz and director Damien Chazelle, who have collaborated on five films, including La La Land, for which they each won Oscars, and the 2022 film Babylon, for which Hurwitz is again nominated for an Oscar for best original score. The presentation was accompanied by a musical performance which included âAudition (The Fools Who Dream)â from La La Land, the First Man theme for harp and theremin, and a Babylon medley.
The Spirit of Collaboration Award, considered the SCLâs most distinctive and perhaps most meaningful, is presented to a composer and filmmaker who maintain a distinguished creative partnership. Previous recipients are Thomas Newman and Sam Mendes, Carter Burwell and the Coen Brothers, and Terence Blanchard and Spike Lee.
Additionally, filmmaker/lyricist Guillermo del Toro and lyricist Roeban Katz accepted their award for outstanding original song for a musical or comedy for âCiao Papaâ from Guillermo del Toroâs Pinocchio, which they co-wrote with Alexandre Desplat.
Nami Melumad, who became Star Trekâs first female composer with Star Trek: Prodigy, won the David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent for Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.
Stephanie Economou, who received the first ever David Raksin Award at last yearâs ceremony, won best original score for interactive media for Assassinâs Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök. Also, Emmy-winning composer Cristobal Tapia de Veer won outstanding original score for a television production for White Lotus for the second year in a row.
The Society of Composers & Lyricists is a leading organization for professional film, television, video game, and musical theater composers and lyricists. The 77-year-old organization is focused on education and addressing the creative, technological and legal issues affecting the music for visual media community.
Here are the nominees for the 2023 SCL Awards, with winners identified:
Outstanding score for a studio film
Alexandre Desplat â Guillermo Del Toroâs Pinocchio
Carter Burwell â The Banshees of Inisherin
Winner: Michael Abels â Nope
Michael Giacchino â The Batman
John Powell â Donât Worry Darling
Outstanding score for an independent film
Leo Birenberg, Zach Robinson â Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Sharon Farber â Brainwashed: Sex-Camera-Power
WINNER: Son Lux  â Everything Everywhere All at Once
Rob Simonsen â The Whale
Mark Smythe â The Reef: Stalked
Outstanding song for a musical/comedy
WINNER: Alexandre Desplat, Roeban Katz, Guillermo Del Toro â âCiao Papaâ From Guillermo Del Toroâs Pinocchio
Khiyon Hursey, Sukari Jones, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul, Mark Sonnenblick â âGood Afternoonâ From Spirited
Danny Elfman â âLight the Matchâ From Central Park
Billy Eichner, Marc Shaiman â âLove Is Not Loveâ From Bros
Weird Al Yankovicâ- âNow You Knowâ From Weird: The Al Yankovic Story
Outstanding song for a drama/documentary
WINNER: Diane Warren â âApplauseâ From Tell It Like a Woman
Taylor Swift â âCarolinaâ From Where the Crawdads Sing
Lady Gaga, Bloodpop â âHold My Handâ From Top Gun: Maverick
Tems, Rihanna, Ludwig Göransson, Ryan Coogler â âLift Me Upâ From Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross â â(You Made It Feel Like) Homeâ From Bones and All
Outstanding score for television
Nicholas Britell â Andor
Siddhartha Khosla â Only Murders in the Building
Bear Mccreary â The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
Theodore Shapiro â Severance
WINNER: Cristobal Tapia De Veer â The White Lotus
Outstanding score for interactive media
Nainita Desai â Immortality
WINNER: Stephanie Economou â Assassinâs Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök
Bear Mccreary â God of War Ragnarök
Winifred Phillips â Jurassic World Primal Ops
Christopher Wiliis â Cat Burglar
David Raksin Award for Emerging Talent
Dara Taylor â The Invitation
Anna Drubich â Barbarian
DeAndre James Allen-Toole â Godâs Country
Esin Aydingoz â Simchas and Sorrows
WINNER: Nami Melumad â Star Trek: Strange New Worlds
Billy Porter received the 2023 Anthem Beacon Award at the second annual Anthem Awards. The virtual awards program was launched by The Webby Awards in 2021 to recognize social impact work across the globe.
Porter received the award âto recognize his career-long commitment to breaking barriers for LGBTQ folks, destigmatizing HIV and empowering marginalized people everywhere.âÂ
âThis is precisely the time when artists go to work,â Porter said in accepting the award. âThereâs no time for despair, no place for self-pity. No need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. This is how civilizations heal. Please remember this, and know, be hopeful, because the change has already happened. God bless.â
Porter has won two Tonys (for his starring role in Kinky Boots and as one of many producers of A Strange Loop), an Emmy (for his starring role in Pose) and a Grammy (for the Kinky Boots cast album).
Poet Amanda Gorman, who received her first Grammy nomination in November for best spoken word poetry album for Call Us What We Carry: Poems, received the Anthem New Icon award.
Gorman was honored âfor the joy, elegance, intelligence and hope she brings to all her poems, from the Presidential Inauguration to the Super Bowl.â
âMy call to action would be to vote,â Gorman said in accepting the award. âThe future isnât just something we hope for, itâs a future we must vote for.â
Other special honors went to: Gloria Steinem, Anthem Lifetime Achievement; Ben Cohen & Jerry Greenfield, founders of Ben & Jerryâs, Anthem Vision Award; Gabrielle Giffords, Anthem Advocate of the Year; Oleksandra Matviichuk on behalf of the Center for Civil Liberties and the People of Ukraine, Anthem Movement of the Year; Quannah Chasinghorse, Anthem Special Achievement; Abigail E. Disney, Anthem Special Achievement; and Hamdi Ulukaya, Anthem Special Achievement.
Winners in other categories included Lil Nas X, Ciara, Killer Mike, Tracee Ellis Ross, Stephen Colbert, Last Week Tonight, Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Selma Blair and the cast of This Is Us.
Anthem winners were selected from nearly 2,000 submissions from 43 countries around the world by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences.
âSince launching The Anthem Awards in June of 2021, we have seen that social change continues to emerge as a dominant force in mainstream culture,â Jessica Lauretti, Anthem Awards managing director, said in a statement.
The Anthem Awards were founded by The Webby Awards in partnership with the Ad Council, Born This Way Foundation, Feeding America, GLAAD, Mozilla, NAACP, NRDC, WWF and XQ.
Fans can experience Anthem Call-To-Action Speeches from every winner including special achievement honorees at anthemawards.com.
Sting will become an Academy Fellow, the highest honor The Ivors Academy bestows, at the 2023 Ivors, which will be presented at Grosvenor House in London on May 18.
Sting is the 23rd Fellow that the Academy has inducted in its 79-year history. He follows such songwriting greats as Sir Paul McCartney, Kate Bush, Joan Armatrading and Peter Gabriel. The latter received the award last year.
âOf all the awards in the world of music, The Ivors are for me, the most prestigious,â Sting said in a statement. âSongwriting is a skilled craft and The Ivors Academy are its guild. So, I am delighted and honoured to be offered this Fellowship of the Academy, joining and acknowledging this extraordinary group of fellow songwriters, and all of those who went before us.â
Sting has won seven Ivor Novellos, including their Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002. He was inducted into the New York-based Songwriters Hall of Fame that same year.
Sting has won 17 Grammys, including two in songwriting categories â the 1983 award for song of the year for âEvery Breath You Takeâ and the 1991 award for best rock song for âThe Soul Cages.â He won a 2002 Primetime Emmy for outstanding individual performance in a variety or music program for A&E in Concert: Sting in TuscanyâŠAll This Time. In addition, he has been nominated for the two other EGOT awards. He has amassed four Oscar nods for best original song and a 2015 Tony nod for original musical score for The Last Ship.
Speaking on behalf of The Ivors Academy, Armatrading, Stingâs labelmate at A&M Records from the late â70s into the early â90s, said: âAcross all of Stingâs work as a solo artist and with the iconic band The Police, he is without doubt one of the UKâs foremost successful songwriters and performers and is certainly deserving of one of the most prestigious awards in the music business. My huge congratulations on being made a Fellow of The Ivors Academy, Sting.â
Sting is managed by Martin Kierszenbaum of Cherrytree Music Company.
The Ivor Novellos, which were first presented in 1956, are judged by songwriters and composers from The Ivors Academy, the U.K.âs professional association for songwriters and composers. Past winners include Adele, Stormzy, Little Simz, Cathy Dennis, Annie Lennox, Amy Winehouse, Dave and John Lennon.
This yearâs nominations will be announced on Tuesday April 18. The winners will be revealed at The Ivors on Thursday May 18.
The Ivors Academy also announced that Amazon Music is the new title sponsor of The Ivors as part of a multi-year, global deal. Amazon Music will bring music creators to the forefront through exclusive content offerings, as well as live performances, an immersive red carpet and backstage interviews that will be livestreamed on the Amazon Music UK Twitch channel in 2023.
Tom Gray, chair of The Ivors Academy, said, âGlobally, songwriters are justly demanding the recognition that they deserve. As we push back against the historic undervaluing of the song and songwriter, we are delighted to collaborate with Amazon Music to celebrate songwriters, explore their craft and firmly place their value and originality at the centre of music. Together, we will make sure that The Ivors is recognised around the world as the most important celebration of songwriting.â  Â
Amazon Music will integrate this yearâs Rising Star nominees into their global developing artist program, Breakthrough, which provides long-term, customized global plans for emerging artists. This support includes video and audio content, global marketing, increased visibility across Amazon Music playlists and programming and high-profile Amazon Original tracks available only on Amazon Music.
Tom Winkler, head of songwriter, publisher and society relations for Amazon Music explains, âBy globally amplifying the exceptional work of The Ivors Academy, Amazon Music will continue to celebrate songwriters and empower fans to discover the craft behind the music.â
To commemorate Stingâs honor, an unheard, Amazon Original demo of âIf Itâs Love,â taken from the musicianâs most recent studio album, 2021âs The Bridge, is being released exclusively via Amazon Music. This is the seventh installment of the newly-launched demos program, which provides Amazon Music customers with the opportunity to hear demos of artistsâ songs. Previous demo releases include songs by Walker Hayes and Maren Morris.
As we reported earlier on Wednesday (Feb. 15), Tim Rice is this yearâs recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award, the top honor given by the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Rice joins a long list of Mercer Award recipients which includes Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Paul Simon, Stephen Sondheim, Billy Joel, Stevie Wonder, Smokey Robinson, Dolly Parton and Neil Diamond.
Mercer died in 1976, so you can be excused if you donât know all that much about him. Mercer was a top lyricist of the Great American Songbook era, but his creative peak extended beyond that era. He won back-to-back Oscars in 1962-63 for co-writing âMoon Riverâ and âDays of Wine and Roses.â Henry Mancini, who composed both of those hits, saluted Mercer with a memorable line from âMoon Riverâ when they won for âDays of Wine and Roses,â saying âand my huckleberry friend, Johnny Mercer.â
Mercerâs other most famous songs include âHooray for Hollywoodâ (a perennial on the Oscars), âOne for My Baby (And One More for the Road)â (a classic saloon song that is one of Frank Sinatraâs signature hits), âSummer Windâ (another Sinatra classic from 1966), âFools Rush Inâ (which Rick Nelson revived in 1963), âDreamâ (one of the most melancholy ballads of the World War II years), âAc-Cent-Tchu-Ate-the-Positiveâ (it appeared recently in M3GAN), âIâm an Old Cowhand (From the Rio Grande)â (Lucy and Ethel sang it on a 1954 episode of I Love Lucy), âThat Old Black Magicâ (Louis Prima & Keely Smithâs classic version was a winner at the first Grammy Awards) and âI Wanna Be Aroundâ (Tony Bennettâs highest-charting Hot 100 hit).
Here are more Mercer songs you probably know: âAutumn Leaves,â âBlues in the Night,â âJeepers, Creepers!,â âCome Rain or Come Shine,â âI Remember You,â âCharade,â âSkylarkâ and âToo Marvelous for Words.â
Scan these 13 Fun Facts and learn more about the man for whom the Songwriters Hall of Fame named their top award.
Tim Rice will be the 2023 recipient of the Johnny Mercer Award at the 52nd annual Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner, which is slated for Thursday, June 15, at the Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York City.
Rice, who teamed with Andrew Lloyd Webber to write such classics as Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita, is the first songwriter primarily known for his work in theater to receive this award since Stephen Sondheim in 1999.
Rice is the second EGOT recipient to receive the Johnny Mercer Award â following Alan Menken. The two songwriters shared an Oscar and three Grammys for their work on Aladdin.
Heâs the fifth songwriter or songwriting team from the U.K. to receive the honor, following Jule Styne (1993), Phil Collins (2010), Elton John & Bernie Taupin (2013) and Van Morrison (2015).
The Mercer Award, the SHOFâs highest honor, is reserved for a songwriter or songwriting team who has already been inducted in a prior year and whose body of work upholds the standards set by Johnny Mercer, a four-time Oscar-winner.
âI am truly honoured to be chosen to receive the Johnny Mercer Award,â Rice said in a statement. âMy induction into the SHOF in 1999 was itself a highlight of my writing career and I never expected to receive any further recognition from the most distinguished gathering of songwriters in the world. So, I am bowled over (a cricketing metaphor) with gratitude. I have attended quite a few SHOF events in the past 25 years and they have always been among the most enjoyable of entertainment world extravaganzas â unpretentious, unpredictable, and spectacular. So, June 15, 2023, is a golden booking in my electronic diary.â
Inductees at this yearâs Songwriters Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Dinner are Sade Adu, Glen Ballard, Snoop Dogg, Gloria Estefan, Jeff Lynne, Teddy Riley and Liz Rose. The recipient of a second honorary award, the Hal David Starlight Award, will be announced at a later date.
SHOF Chairman Nile Rodgers said, âTim Rice is an artisan. He has crafted some of the greatest lyrics and stories in musical history with Jesus Christ Superstar, and his incredible work with Andrew Lloyd Webber being amongst my favorites.â
Rice has won an Emmy, five Grammys, three Oscars and three Tonys. He won an Oscar and three Grammys for his work on Aladdin; two Tonys, a Grammy and an Oscar for Evita and its film adaptation; a Tony and a Grammy for Aida; an Oscar for The Lion King and an Emmy for Jesus Christ Superstar: Live in Concert.
Rice has worked in music, theatre, and films since 1965. In addition to his work with Webber, Â Rice has worked with such other top composers as Elton John (The Lion King, Aida), Menken (Aladdin, King David, Beauty and the Beast) and Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson (Chess). He has also written with Freddie Mercury, Burt Bacharach and Rick Wakeman, among others.
Riceâs recent musical From Here to Eternity returned to London in November 2022. A new Broadway presentation of Chess is set to open in the fall of 2023. In early 2024, a new production of Aida will make its U.K/West End dĂ©but. Rice is currently writing and presenting a podcast, Get Onto My Cloud, in which he reminisces about his years in music, theater and film.
With the 2023 Oscars just weeks away, Son Lux is in rarified company. They are the first band to receive a scoring nomination, credited as a band, since The Beatles won best original song score in 1971 for Let It Be.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Son Lux, which consists of Ryan Lott, Rafiq Bhatia and Ian Chang, is nominated for best original score for Everything Everywhere All at Once. This is their first film score as a band.
Son Lux originated as a solo project of Lottâs, but became a three-piece band with the addition of Bhatia and Chang. It was as a band that they released the studio albums Bones (2015) and Brighter Wounds (2018) and the Everything Everywhere All at Once soundtrack.
The Beatles, who had broken up a year earlier, werenât present at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles on April 15, 1971 when they won the Oscar. The award was accepted on their behalf by Quincy Jones, who was the music director for that yearâs Oscar telecast.
In addition, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, the two current members of Nine Inch Nails, have been nominated three times for best original score, but under their own names, not as NIN. They won in 2011 for The Social Network and again in 2021 for Soul (shared with Jon Batiste). They were also nominated for Mank in 2021.
Several other band members have been nominated for â and in some cases have won â scoring Oscars, but not in collaboration with other members of their bands. These include Pete Townshend of The Who (Tommy, 1976), Prince of Prince and the Revolution (Purple Rain, 1985), David Byrne of Talking Heads (The Last Emperor, 1988), Will Butler of Arcade Fire (Her, 2014) and Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead (Phantom Thread, 2018 and The Power of the Dog, 2022).
Lott shares a second Oscar nomination for best original song with David Byrne and Mitski for âThis Is a Life.â It is performed in the film by Son Lux, Byrne and Mitski.
Spike Lee didnât mince words when it came to sharing his opinion about BeyoncĂ©âs loss at the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Speaking to The Guardian, the director explained that while heâs by no means âthe male president of the Beyhive,â he does have âlove and supportâ for the superstar. âHer album is amazing,â he continued. âI know sheâs won multiple Grammys, but four times nominated for album of the year and sheâs lost every time? No disrespect to those artists like Adele or Harry Styles who won â itâs not their fault â but thatâs some straight-up bullshâ.â
She is the most-awarded artist in Grammy history, but BeyoncĂ© has gone zero-for-four when it comes to album of the year nominations as a lead artist. The singer has also only ever one once in any of the Big Four categories â taking home song of the year in 2009 for âSingle Ladies (Put a Ring on It).â
In his interview, Lee eventually widened the scope of his remarks to reflect on Black artistry as a whole. âWe all know their work is great, because art speaks for itself,â the BlacKkKlansman filmmaker said. âBut then it always comes down to this tricky territory of validation. Do black artists say âFâk it,â or seek white validation and chase awards?â
While BeyoncĂ© is still without a Grammy for album of the year, her latest single âCuff Itâ reached a new high mark on the Hot 100 this week by leaping to No. 6 (chart dated Feb. 18).