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When the nominations for the 66th annual Grammy Awards are announced Nov. 10, Taylor Swift and SZA are each likely to receive nods for album, record and song of the year. It will be a bit harder to crack the Big Four categories than it was the last two years: The Recording Academy is cutting the number of nominees in each of those categories from a bloated 10 to eight, which was the magic number from 2018 to 2020. (Before that, it was generally five.)
And this year’s eligibility period closes two weeks earlier than usual, running from Oct. 1, 2022, through Sept. 15, 2023. Following are Billboard’s best bets for who will be in contention.
In a welcome change, the academy reinstituted a baseline of involvement needed to receive a nomination in this category. Credited and featured artists, songwriters, producers, engineers, mixers and mastering engineers must have worked on at least 20% of an album’s playing time to receive a nod. This is up from no baseline the last two years, when the academy handed out nominations in this category like they were Halloween candy.
Boygenius, The Record
The trio, consisting of Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus, co-produced its long-awaited debut album with Catherine Marks. Previous “supergroup” collaborations to be nominated in this category include Crosby, Stills & Nash; the all-star Trio consisting of Dolly Parton, Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris; Traveling Wilburys; and The Three Tenors. Billboard 200 peak: No. 4.
Drake & 21 Savage, Her Loss
This year’s 50th anniversary of hip-hop has received yearlong coverage, which boosts the already good chance that at least one rap album will make the finals. Her Loss was up for album of the year at the BET Awards in June. This would be the third album of the year nomination as a lead or co-lead artist for Drake (following Views and Scorpion) and the first for 21 Savage. Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (one week).
Lana Del Rey, Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Del Rey’s ninth studio album could yield her second nod in this category, following Norman F–king Rockwell! four years ago. Del Rey co-produced the album with Jack Antonoff, Benji, Zach Dawes, Drew Erickson and Mike Hermosa. Billboard 200 peak: No. 3.
Foo Fighters, But Here We Are
One of the Grammys’ favorite bands collaborated with one of the Grammys’ favorite producers, Greg Kurstin, a two-time winner for producer of the year, non-classical. The Foo Fighters’ 11th studio album — their first since the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins in March 2022 — could yield their third nod in this category. Billboard 200 peak: No. 8.
Olivia Rodrigo, Guts
Rodrigo’s upcoming second album could very well follow her debut, Sour, to an album of the year nod. It was produced by Dan Nigro, who also did the honors on Sour. This would be the second time Rodrigo has been nominated alongside one of her idols, Taylor Swift, in this category. Sour competed with Swift’s evermore two years ago.
SZA, SOS
This tied for album of the year at the BET Awards with Beyoncé’s Renaissance (a Grammy nominee in this category last year). SZA’s second studio album had multiple producers, including Babyface, Jeff Bhasker, Benny Blanco and Shellback. Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (10 weeks).
Taylor Swift, Midnights
This would be Swift’s sixth nomination in this category, which would put her in a tie with Barbra Streisand for the most nods by a woman in Grammy history. Swift co-produced Midnights with Jack Antonoff, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet and Keanu. She could make history when the Grammys are presented Feb. 4, 2024, becoming the first person to win album of the year four times. She’s currently tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon with three wins each. Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (six weeks).
Morgan Wallen, One Thing at a Time
This would be the first country album to be nominated in this category since Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour five years ago (which won) and the first by a male country artist since Chris Stapleton’s Traveller eight years ago. Joey Moi, Cameron Montgomery, Charlie Handsome and Jacob Durrett co-produced the collection, which is Wallen’s third studio album. Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (15 weeks — longer than any other album since Adele’s 2011 release, 21).
Within Reach: Luke Combs, Gettin’ Old; Miley Cyrus, Endless Summer Vacation; Jelly Roll, Whitsitt Chapel; Noah Kahan, Stick Season; Karol G, Mañana Será Bonito; Lil Baby, It’s Only Me; Metro Boomin, Heroes & Villains; Janelle Monáe, The Age of Pleasure; Paramore, This Is Why; Ed Sheeran, – (Subtract); Sam Smith, Gloria; Tanya Tucker, Sweet Western Sound; Lainey Wilson, Bell Bottom Country
Clockwise: Luke Combs, Miley Cyrus, Taylor Swift and Rihanna.
Illustration by Andrei Cojocaru. Jeremy Cowart; Brianna Capozzi; Christopher Polk for PMC; Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.
Swift is still looking for her first win in this category, as are past contenders such as SZA and Rihanna. “Calm Down” by Rema & Selena Gomez, which would have been a strong contender, was released before the start of the eligibility year. Rema’s solo recording of the song was entered, but not nominated, for best global music performance last year.
Miley Cyrus, “Flowers”
Cyrus’ father, Billy Ray Cyrus, has received two record of the year nods — for “Achy Breaky Heart” and “Old Town Road,” his collaboration with Lil Nas X. The Cyruses would become just the third parent and child to each receive record of the year nods, following the Sinatras (Frank and Nancy) and the Coles (Nat “King” and Natalie). Billboard Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (eight weeks).
Luke Combs, “Fast Car”
Tracy Chapman’s original version of this song was a 1988 record of the year nominee. This would become only the second song in Grammy history to be the basis of two singles that received record of the year nods. The first was “Mack the Knife.” (Bobby Darin’s recording was the 1959 winner, while Ella Fitzgerald’s was a 1960 nominee.) Hot 100 peak: No. 2 (so far).
Lil Durk & J. Cole, “All My Life”
The melodic chorus on this hip-hop smash gives it broad-based appeal. This would be the first collaboration by two rappers to receive a nod in this category since DaBaby’s “Rockstar” (featuring Roddy Ricch) three years ago. J. Cole finally won his first Grammy (after amassing 12 nominations) four years ago for “A Lot.” Lil Durk is still looking for his first win. Hot 100 peak: No. 2.
PinkPantheress & Ice Spice, “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2”
This is vying to become the third collaboration by two women in the past four years to land a nod in this category. Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage” (featuring Beyoncé) was nominated three years ago, and Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA) was a contender two years ago. Hot 100 peak: No. 3.
Rihanna, “Lift Me Up”
This soulful ballad from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever arrived at the start of the eligibility year. This would be Rihanna’s fourth record of the year nominee, and her first on her own. She was previously nominated for collaborations with Jay-Z (“Umbrella”), Eminem (“Love the Way You Lie”) and Drake (“Work”). Hot 100 peak: No. 2.
SZA, “Kill Bill”
This would be SZA’s third record of the year nominee, and her first on her own. She was previously nominated for collaborations with Kendrick Lamar (“All the Stars”) and Doja Cat (“Kiss Me More”). Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week).
Taylor Swift, “Anti-Hero”
This would be Swift’s fifth nod in this category. She was previously nominated for “You Belong With Me,” “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together,” “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.” Swift would be the first artist whose first five nominations in this category were for solo recordings (and not collaborations or group/duo recordings) since Frank Sinatra in the ’50s and ’60s. Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (eight weeks).
Morgan Wallen, “Last Night”
This single and/or Combs’ “Fast Car” would be the first country single (going by Grammy performance category placements) to receive a record of the year nod since Lady A’s “Need You Now” 13 years ago (which won). Taylor Swift’s subsequent “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, but vied for a performance nod in the pop field at the Grammys. Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (13 weeks).
Within Reach: Zach Bryan featuring Maggie Rogers, “Dawns”; Lana Del Rey, “A&W”; Jelly Roll, “Need a Favor”; Labrinth, “Never Felt So Alone”; Coi Leray, “Players”; Lil Uzi Vert, “Just Wanna Rock”; Dua Lipa, “Dance the Night”; Janelle Monáe, “Lipstick Lover”; Paramore, “This Is Why”; P!nk, “Trustfall”; Olivia Rodrigo, “Vampire”; Ed Sheeran, “Eyes Closed”; Toosii, “Favorite Song”; Tanya Tucker & Brandi Carlile, “Ready As I’ll Never Be”
From left: Tanya Tucker & Brandi Carlile, Jelly Roll & Lil Durk.
Illustration by Andrei Cojocaru. Gary Miller/WireImage; Chum Daddy; Katie Jones for WWD.
Last year, six of the 10 record of the year nominees were also nominated for this songwriter’s award. This year, five out of eight could double up. Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” won’t be eligible because it was already well-known. Tracy Chapman was nominated in this category in 1988 for writing it.
“A&W”Songwriters: Lana Del Rey, Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew
Del Rey and Antonoff were nominated in this category four years ago for co-writing “Norman F–king Rockwell.” He won this honor 11 years ago for co-writing fun.’s “We Are Young” (featuring Janelle Monáe). This would be Dew’s first nomination in the category.
“All My Life”Songwriters: Lil Durk, J. Cole, Dr. Luke, Rocco Did It Again!, Ryan OG, LunchMoney Lewis, Theron “Uptown AP” Thomas
This would be Dr. Luke’s third nomination in this category following nods for Katy Perry’s “Roar” and the Doja Cat-SZA collaboration “Kiss Me More.”
“Anti-Hero”Songwriters: Taylor Swift, Jack Antonoff
“Anti-Hero” could give Swift a record seventh nomination for song of the year, which would surpass Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie for the most nods in the history of the category. Surprisingly, this would be the first Swift-Antonoff collaboration to be nominated for this award.
“Flowers”Songwriters: Miley Cyrus, Gregory “Aldae” Hein, Michael Pollack
This would be the first nod in this category for all three co-writers. The song is a modern twist on such hits as “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers,” a nominee in this category 45 years ago, and Bruno Mars’ “When I Was Your Man,” a nominee for best pop solo performance 10 years ago.
“Kill Bill”Songwriters: SZA, Carter Lang, Rob Bisel
This would be SZA’s third nod in this category; she was among the co-writers of “All the Stars” and “Kiss Me More.” Lang was also nominated in this category for co-writing the latter. Bisel was nominated for record of the year as an engineer-mixer on the irresistible pop smash.
“Lift Me Up”Songwriters: Ludwig Göransson, Rihanna, Tems, Ryan Coogler
This would be the first nomination in this category for Rihanna, Tems and director Coogler. Göransson won this award five years ago for co-writing Childish Gambino’s “This Is America.” “Lift Me Up” would be the first Academy Award nominee for best original song to also be nominated for the top songwriting Grammy since “Fight for You” from Judas and the Black Messiah two years ago.
“Need a Favor”Songwriters: Jelly Roll, Rob Ragosta, Joe Ragosta, Austin Nivarel
This song, released as the lead single from Jelly Roll’s breakthrough album, Whitsitt Chapel, has a refreshingly honest and affecting chorus, which begins: “I only talk to God when I need a favor/And I only pray when I ain’t got a prayer.”
“Ready As I’ll Never Be”Songwriters: Brandi Carlile, Tanya Tucker
This would be Carlile’s fifth nomination in this category and Tucker’s second. They previously collaborated on “Bring My Flowers Now,” a nominee here two years ago. “Ready As I’ll Never Be,” which was featured in the 2022 documentary The Return of Tanya Tucker, could also receive a nod for best song written for visual media.
Within Reach: “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2,” PinkPantheress & Ice Spice; “Dance the Night,” Dua Lipa; “Dawns,” Zach Bryan featuring Maggie Rogers; “Eyes Closed,” Ed Sheeran; “Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old,” Luke Combs; “Last Night,” Morgan Wallen; “Lipstick Lover,” Janelle Monáe; “Never Felt So Alone,” Labrinth; “Players,” Coi Leray; “Thank God,” Kane Brown & Kaitlyn Brown; “This Is Why,” Paramore; “Trustfall,” P!nk; “Vampire,” Olivia Rodrigo
Clockwise: Gracie Abrams, Ice Spice, Peso Pluma and PinkPantheress.
Illustration by Andrei Cojocaru. Mark Horton/Getty Images; Mike Coppola/Getty Images; Jerry Budar; Mia Teresa.
Though The Record is boygenius’ first album, the trio won’t be eligible here because one of its members, Phoebe Bridgers, is a previous Grammy nominee. She received four nods, including best new artist, three years ago.
Zach Bryan and GloRilla probably won’t be eligible because they were nominated in performance categories last year. The Grammy rulebook makes an exception for such artists, provided they hadn’t at the time of those nominations released enough material to be “eligible in this category for the first time.” Bryan and GloRilla were both eligible and entered for best new artist last year.
The Grammy screening committee will have the final say on whether Coi Leray and Jelly Roll are eligible. Neither has been nominated before, but both have been around awhile. Leray was nominated for best new artist at the BET Awards two years ago, and Jelly Roll has been releasing records since 2011.
Gracie Abrams
Aaron Dessner and Matias Tellez co-produced the singer-songwriter’s first studio album, Good Riddance. Abrams has served as an opening act on Olivia Rodrigo’s Sour tour and Taylor Swift’s The Eras Tour. Fun fact: Abrams’ father, J.J. Abrams, won two Primetime Emmy Awards as executive producer/director of Lost.
Ice Spice
The rapper, born Isis Naija Gaston, has landed four top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2023 thanks to collaborations with PinkPantheress (“Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2”) and past best new artist nominees Taylor Swift (“Karma”) and Nicki Minaj (“Princess Diana,” “Barbie World”). Ice Spice was nominated for best new artist at the 2023 BET Awards.
Jelly Roll
The rapper turned country artist had a star-making night in April at the CMT Music Awards, where he performed “Need a Favor” and won three trophies. Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, will turn 39 in December, which would make him the oldest individual nominee in this category since Andrea Bocelli, who was 40 when he was nominated 25 years ago.
Coco Jones
Jones won best new artist at the BET Awards, beating GloRilla and Ice Spice. The former child star was featured on Radio Disney’s The Next Big Thing in 2010-11 and starred in the Disney Channel film Let It Shine in 2012. Her breakthrough track, “ICU,” reached No. 63 on the Hot 100 in May. Jones was also featured on a track on Babyface’s 2022 album, Girls Night Out.
Noah Kahan
The singer-songwriter’s third album, Stick Season, vaulted to No. 3 on the Billboard 200 following the release of an expanded edition in June. It will probably be nominated for best Americana album or best folk album.
PinkPantheress
The British singer-songwriter was nominated for the rising star award at the Ivor Novello Awards in 2022. She won the BBC’s Sound of 2022 poll and has been nominated for three NME Awards. “Boy’s a Liar, Pt. 2” reached No. 3 on the Hot 100.
Peso Pluma
The Mexican singer-songwriter-rapper born Hassan Emilio Kabande Laija is vying to become the third Latin artist to be nominated in this category in the past five years, following Rosalía and Anitta. Génesis, his third studio album, entered the Billboard 200 at No. 3, becoming the highest-charting regional Mexican album to date.
Bailey Zimmerman
The singer-songwriter’s first studio album, Religiously. The Album, reached No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Zimmerman was nominated for new male artist of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May.
Within Reach: Lola Brooke, Doechii, Fifty Fifty, FLO, HARDY, JVKE, Kelela, RAYE, Rema, Toosii, The War and Treaty, Hailey Whitters
This story will appear in the July 15, 2023, issue of Billboard.
The Recording Academy has always had rules and guidelines, dating back to its founding in 1957. In recent years, in a bid for greater transparency, and at the direction of Academy CEO Harvey Mason, jr., the Academy has posted its rules and guidelines online. It’s not a little digital pamphlet, either: It’s a 76-page document […]
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A lawsuit against Childish Gambino alleging that his hit track “This Is America” contained elements of another previously released song has been dismissed in court.
According to reports, the case concerning the Grammy Award-winning song from 2018 came to an end after Judge Victor Marrero declared a dismissal in a Manhattan courtroom last Friday (March 24). The lawsuit was brought by rapper Kidd Wes (aka Emelike Nwosuocha) in 2021, alleging that Childish Gambino (aka Donald Glover) committed copyright infringement on his 2016 song “Made In America.” Wes said the hook was “unmistakably substantially similar, if not practically identical,” to his track.
“A cursory comparison with the challenged composition reveals that the content of the choruses is entirely different and not substantially similar,” Judge Marrero said, explaining Kidd Wes’ song was more of a “short, simple, aggrandizing proclamation” as opposed to Glover’s song detailing “what America means and how it is perceived.” The lawsuit also named Roc Nation, composer Ludwig Göransson and Young Thug as co-defendants.
Another factor in the decision made by Judge Marrero involved a discrepancy in how Kidd Wes registered the copyright for the song with the United States Library of Congress. The court ruled that his copyright claim isn’t valid because his registration certificate only covers the sound recording and doesn’t cover the music of the song.
“Even if Nwosuocha had a copyright registration for the composition of Plaintiff’s Composition, however, dismissal would be warranted here because the elements of Plaintiff’s Composition purportedly infringed upon are insufficiently original to warrant protection, or because they are not substantially similar to the Challenged Composition,” Marrero said.
The legal team for Kidd Wes issued a statement after the decision, saying that the artist is disappointed and is contemplating an appeal. “He stands by his music, creativity, and the independence of grassroots artists to create their own music, and receive credit where credit is due, without the fear of it being apportioned by another,” attorneys Imran H. Ansari and La’Shawn N. Thomas said.
A lawyer for Glover, Jonathan D. Davis, said in a statement: “We are very grateful for the court’s decision. No case existed here, as there was no infringement—let alone a copyright registration. That was obvious from a simple comparison of the two songs and a review of the U.S. Copyright Office records.”
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Photo: Getty
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise appearance, via a pre-taped video, at the 64th annual Grammy Awards on April 3, 2022, less than six weeks after Russia invaded his country. He could play an even larger role at the 66th Grammys early next year – he could be a nominee as a featured artist on Brad Paisley’s “Same Here.”
The song, which was released Friday (Feb. 24), the one-year anniversary of the start of the war, ends with Paisley and Zelenskyy in conversation, recorded during a video call. Zelenskyy talks about Ukrainians’ desire for freedom, noting, “There is no distance between our two countries in such values.”
The Recording Academy confirms that Zelenskyy would be eligible for a Grammy nomination if the track were to be nominated. The most likely category for it would be best country duo/group performance.
There is a precedent for a world leader receiving a Grammy nomination. Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev won a Grammy in 2004 for best spoken word album for children, alongside former President Bill Clinton and screen legend Sophia Loren. This most unlikely collaboration won for Prokofiev: Peter and the Wolf/Beintus: Wolf Tracks.
While “Same Here” doesn’t mention Ukraine specifically, the song’s theme is that people are more alike than they are different, despite distance and surface differences in language and customs.
“I think he understands that art is how you reach the most people, especially in the heart,” Paisley told The Associated Press of Zelenskyy. “He can give as many speeches as he can give, but it’s a lot easier to hear something with a melody maybe.”
Zelenskyy didn’t just sign off on the song; he also suggested some changes to it, Paisley told The AP.
Paisley’s royalties for the song will be donated to United24 to help build housing for thousands of displaced Ukrainians whose homes were destroyed in the war, Paisley also said.
Paisley co-wrote the song with frequent collaborator Lee Thomas Miller (co-writer of such Paisley hits as “The World,” “I’m Still a Guy” and “Perfect Storm”) and Dawes frontman Taylor Goldsmith.
Zelenskyy’s appearance at the 2022 Grammy Awards included a brief speech which led into an introduction of John Legend and three Ukrainian artists. Zelenskyy urged those in the audience to continue offering support in whatever way they could to his homeland. “The war — what is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people,” he said. “We defend our freedom. To live. To love. To sound. On our land, we are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs — the dead silence. Fill the silence with your music.”
Legend then took to the stage, bathed in white light and seated at a grand piano to perform his song “Free.” Legend was joined by two Ukrainian artists – Denver-based musician Siuzanna Iglidan, originally from Odessa, Ukraine, and Mika Newton, a Ukrainian singer. Finally, they were joined by Lyuba Yakimchuk — a Ukrainian poet who offered a prayer-like stanza to close the performance.
“Same Here” is Paisley’s first single from his upcoming album, Son of the Mountains, to be released later this year on Universal Music Group Nashville. This will be Paisley’s debut on UMG after moving over from Sony’s Arista Nashville label, for whom he recorded 12 studio albums from 1999 to 2017.
Paisley has received 18 Grammy nominations since 2000. He has won three times.
Back row, from left: Juanes, Elvis Costello, Myles Frost, Frankie Valli, Kevin Costner, Jennifer Hudson, Harvey Mason Jr., Rickey Minor, Lauren Daigle, Victoria De Angelis of Maneskin, Thomas Raggi of Måneskin, Ethan Torchio of Måneskin, Latto. Front row, from left: Sheryl Crow, Clive Davis, Damiano David of Måneskin photographed at the annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala on February 4, 2023 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles.
Austin Hargrave
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Nowadays Jay-Z is a man of few words. In an exclusive interview with TIDAL’s Elliott Wilson, the Brooklyn mogul discusses his recent Grammy performance and more.
As spotted on Tidal the legendary MC made history at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards show. The ceremony included a tribute honoring Hip-Hop’s 50th anniversary but DJ Khaled pulled off his own memorable moment in the first-ever live performance of his posse cut “God Did”. According to Wilson, he received a surprise text from Jay requesting he show up to Crypto.com Arena for rehearsals. In an exclusive interview Hov spoke with the Rap Radar founder about show and his history with the academy.
When asked why he ultimately decided to perform his four-minute verse he said he did it for the people. “Lenny S. [Roc Nation Senior Vice President Lenny Santiago] got to tell you that one. I thought about it, I was in my head and I just broke down and said, ‘You know, it’s a four-minute verse’. Again, for the culture, for Hip-Hop, we got to do that,” he said.
Jay-Z went on to explain why he needed to take advantage of the special occasion. “It’s not what you expect. And for the culture and for Hip-Hop, we got to do that. We owe that. This thing that changed our lives. We got to do that. A four-minute verse performed at the Grammys. We owe it to the culture, and it ain’t even a burden. It’s a blessing. It’s easy and fun.”
Wilson also got Jay-Z to speak on the elephant in the room regarding his complex history with the Grammys. “The truth is, we grew up wanting to be on the Grammys, and it was our goal. We just want them to get it right. That’s what we want. Obviously it’s music and it’s all subjective, but you got to be in the ballpark. That’s all we want” he added. You can read the interview in its entirety here and watch Rick Ross, John Legend, Jay-Z, DJ Khaled and Lil Wayne perform “God Did” below.
Kacey Musgraves hushed a chattering 2023 Grammy Awards audience on Sunday night (Feb. 5) when she played late country icon Loretta Lynn‘s signature song, “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” during the broadcast’s In Memoriam segment. Adding to the emotions of the moment, Musgraves played the song on her hero’s 1963 Epiphone acoustic guitar, complete with Lynn’s name emblazoned along the fretboard in mother of pearl.
Hours after the broadcast ended, Musgraves tweeted about how much it meant for her to honor Lynn in this unique way. “10 year old me singing Loretta’s songs would never have imagined I’d be putting my hands right where she made magic for decades. (Her 1963 Epiphone was a dream to play.),” Musgraves wrote along with two screenshots from the performance, including one in which a black and white image of Lynn strumming the same instrument was projected over Kacey’s shoulder.
“Thank you to @LorettaLynn’s daughters for trusting me with this moment of honor tonight. She paved my path,” Musgraves added. The official account for Lynn — who died in her sleep in October at 90 at her Tennessee home — responded with an in-kind thanks to Kacey for creating such a special moment.
“Thank you @KaceyMusgraves, for this beautiful tribute,” it read. “The love all of you have shown us for our mom is beyond words.” Musgraves performed “Daughter” as part of a segment that also featured projected images of late luminaries from Jeff Beck to Pharoah Sanders and Mo Ostin.
Musgraves’ performance was followed by moving tributes to Migos rapper Takeoff, delivered by Quavo and Maverick City Music, and Christine McVie, performed by Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and McVie’s Fleetwood Mac band mate, Mick Fleetwood.
Check out the tweets below.
10 year old me singing Loretta’s songs would never have imagined I’d be putting my hands right where she made magic for decades. (Her 1963 Epiphone was a dream to play.) Thank you to @LorettaLynn’s daughters for trusting me with this moment of honor tonight. She paved my path. pic.twitter.com/x06OOD2N5o— K A C E Y (@KaceyMusgraves) February 6, 2023
Questlove had a tall order in pulling together the mind-bending 14-minute tribute to hip-hop history at Sunday night’s (Feb. 5) 2023 Grammy Awards. Tasked with telling the story of the genre that has given him a career and produced some of the most iconic music and performers of the past half-century, the Roots drummer looked far-and-wide — from the West coast to the East coast, over to Philly and down to Atlanta and beyond — to ensure that the breadth of the genre was well-represented.
There’s one voice, though, that did not make it to the stage to perform alongside Big Boi, Ice-T, Missy Elliott, Lil Baby, Method Man, Future, De La Soul, Grandmaster Flash, Run-DMC and the other legends. Quest told Variety that he invited Will Smith to make a special surprise appearance at the event that featured Smith’s longtime musical partner DJ Jazzy Jeff — who rocked the bells with LL Cool J — but that the rapper-turned-actor had to back out due to the filming scheduled for his fourquel, Bad Boys 4.
“I’ll give the spoiler alert away. Will Smith was a part of the festivities tonight, but they started shooting Bad Boys 4 already this week,” Quest said on the red carpet, where he revealed that the “all-inclusive” vibe he was looking for in the segment originally came in at 27 minutes before producers asked him to cut in way down. “There’s a lot of preliminary shots that he had to do, so we had to lose Will. That was gonna be a surprise moment.”
Quest said the invite was “a shot in the dark,” and that he understood the no-show because, “he’s always shooting movies. We had a lot of people and some of them have other jobs.” For example, he noted that the Roots had to get former David Letterman bandleader Paul Shaffer to fill-in for them on The Tonight Show last week so that they could prepare for Sunday night’s rap tribute.
While Smith was ultimately a scratch, if he had flown in it would have been the Oscar-winner’s first awards show appearance since last year’s shocking incident at the 2022 Oscars where he slapped comedian Chris Rock — shortly before Questlove accepted an Academy Award for best documentary for his film Summer of Soul. Last week Smith announced that he and Martin Lawrence will be re-teaming for Bad Boys 4.
John Legend helped shut down the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night (Feb. 5) as part of DJ Khaled’s all-star “God Did” performance. But when the camera swung to the audience for reaction shots during the epic set, Legend’s wife model Chrissy Teigen was nowhere to be found. The always supportive spouse explained why she skipped the broadcast via a sweet picture with the couple’s newborn daughter, Esti.
“happy grammy day!!!,” she wrote alongside the snap of three-week-old Esti taking a nap on her mom’s chest. “had a dress fitting, looked around and realized… what the hell am I trying to prove here. I cannot get up lol.”
Fair enough.
While she was home chilling with their newborn, Legend joined Jay-Z and Rick Ross on a “Last Supper”-like set to perform the title track from Khaled’s latest album.
Last week, Legend explained the meaning behind the baby’s name, saying it was initially Teigen’s idea, but also has a surprising ties to his family tree. “It turns out, my great-grandmother was named Esther,” he said. “It wasn’t intentionally after someone, but once Chrissy told me that idea, I was like, ‘Oh, my great-grandmother’s name was Esther.’ We wanted to already name her middle name Maxine after my grandmother, whose middle name was Maxine. So, it’s a lot of my family in the name.”
Baby Esti joined older siblings Luna and Miles in January to make the singer and model’s brood a family of five, following the devastating loss of their third baby Jack last year when Teigen was 20 weeks pregnant. Following her birth, both proud parents took to social media to share photos of Esti. “Our new love,” Legend captioned his snap of the baby, while Teigen wrote, “Look at u out here lookin’ like a baby” alongside hers.
Check out Teigen’s post below.
Aaron Carter’s name was missing from the Grammy Awards’ “In Memoriam” package on Sunday night (Feb. 5), and fans are letting the Recording Academy know about it.
The much-anticipated segment featured many of the big stars who shaped the music world and left us last year, including David Crosby, Olivia Newton-John, Jeff Beck, Naomi Judd, Vangelis, Andy Fletcher and Lisa Marie Presley.
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Also during the 65th annual Grammys, Sheryl Crow, Bonnie Raitt and Mick Fleetwood took the stage to pay musical tribute to the late Christine McVie, best known as one of the singers and songwriters for Rock and Roll Hall of Famers Fleetwood Mac; while Kacey Musgraves paid tribute to Loretta Lynn, and , separately, Quavo and Maverick City Music remembered Takeoff.
Carter was namechecked in the official Grammys program, though his name was a glaring omission from the broadcast.
“Really Recording Academy. HOW do you leave Aaron Carter out of the in memoriam??? He sold millions of albums, his life was music. I am stunned and saddened you didn’t include him,” writes one Twitter user, with the handle MelindaWEG.
“In memoriam of Aaron Carter – you deserved more. more recognition, love & time,” tweets calentine’s day.
“Sad that the Grammys ignored Aaron Carter in its otherwise excellent In Memoriam. Aaron was an extremely successful artist who paid a heavy toll for it, had a hard time & unlike some with redemption arcs, was mocked until death. He was a nice kid when I worked with him,” tweets Matthew Rettenmund.
Sad that the Grammys ignored Aaron Carter in its otherwise excellent In Memoriam. Aaron was an extremely successful artist who paid a heavy toll for it, had a hard time & unlike some with redemption arcs, was mocked until death. He was a nice kid when I worked with him. #Grammys pic.twitter.com/VAEyGTPZVF— Matthew Rettenmund (@mattrett) February 6, 2023
A former child star and brother of Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter, the celebrity died November 2022 at age 34, with a string of chart hits and TV credits to his name.
Carter impacted the Billboard Hot 100 with two titles, including a No. 35 best for 2000’s “Aaron’s Party (Come Get It).” He also landed three albums on the Billboard 200, including a No. 4 best for Aaron’s Party (Come Get It) and a No. 7 peak for 2001’s Oh Aaron.
The cause of Carter’s death is yet to be determined. L.A. County Coroner’s Office hasn’t published results from the pop artist’s toxicology report to determine the official cause of death.