Grammys
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Charli XCX is riding the Brat wave all the way to this year’s Grammys, where she’s nominated for seven awards — and she’s fully aware that she owes it all to the album that made her a household name. In a W Magazine cover story published Thursday (Jan. 30), the pop star reflected on picking […]
While the Los Angeles wildfires have all but silenced the many parties and performances that were slated to precede the Feb. 2 Grammy Awards ceremony, legendary record man Clive Davis says his annual pre-Grammy gala — which he is calling his 50th — will still take place on Feb. 1, this time for a cause greater than celebrating the music industry.
“Seeing the ongoing devastation that has been caused by the wildfires in Los Angeles, we feel strongly that the pre-Grammy gala should be a fundraising event to provide needed funds for all those affected, including many in the music community,” Davis says. “We are working closely with our longtime partners at the Recording Academy and will help support their MusiCares Los Angeles Fire Relief effort through fundraising at our event. We want to ensure that the evening will not only be a memorable night of music but will also provide impactful support for those very much in need.”
A week before Davis, 93, made the decision to convert the gala into a philanthropic event, he spoke to Billboard about its origins in 1976 and some of the more memorable experiences he’s had at his soiree — which he calls “one of the most exciting aspects of my life” — over the last five decades. One of Grammy Week’s most coveted invitations, the gathering attracts a cross-section of celebrity that in previous years has included former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Kim Kardashian, Caitlyn Jenner, Beck, Serena Williams, Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, Dave Grohl, St. Vincent, Quincy Jones, Clarence Avant, Dua Lipa, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and “Weird Al” Yankovic. They come to mingle and watch musical performances by an unannounced lineup of acts that have included Whitney Houston, Dionne Warwick, Lainey Wilson, Jelly Roll, Gladys Knight and Green Day, to name just a few.
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Clive Davis and Whitney Houston onstage at the 2011 event
Lester Cohen/WireImage
Davis says a documentary about the gala’s history by producers Jesse Collins and Rob Ford is in the works and will include never-before-seen footage from the event over the years.
Now that invitations have gone out, what kind of response are you getting in light of the fires?
The response is the strongest ever. But beyond that, the paramount concern is safety, health and getting out of this disaster.
Your first gala was in 1976. What led to your decision to throw a party?
I started Arista. Obviously, you can only hope that your first record goes straight to the top of the charts, and that’s what happened [with Barry Manilow’s “Mandy”]. Barry then gets two Grammy nominations. He comes to me and says, “Where’s our party? Every label has a party the night of the Grammys.” I said, “You’re right, but Barry, we just formed. At best we’ll have one table at Chasen’s.”
I thought, “I’ve got to come up with a different idea.” I decided to have our party the day before the Grammys. I invited everybody, and Stevie Wonder showed up, Elton John showed up and John Denver showed up. I said to myself, “My God, I think I’ve landed on a really compelling idea to celebrate the night before.” And that began the tradition.
Barry Manilow (left) and Clive Davis at the 2016 Pre-Grammy Gala and Salute to Industry Icons.
Lester Cohen/WireImage
The evening always includes a budding star and at least one classic performer who blows the audience away. Where did that idea come from?
In 2001, for the first time, I was going to introduce a best new artist category, and I told Alicia Keys, “I’ve got good news and bad news. I’m going to invite you to sing ‘Fallin’ ’ at my party.” This was before she broke. She said, “What could be the bad news?” I said, “Well, right before I introduce you, Angie Stone and Gladys Knight [are] singing ‘Neither One of Us,’ and I can’t let Gladys leave the stage without singing ‘Midnight Train to Georgia.’ ” I love that one of the great old-time performances will be followed by the introduction of a brand-new artist.
Will the 50th anniversary be reflected in the party?
There will be elements. We have some great performers who will show why over the 50-year period this evening is so unique.
You will present Universal Music Publishing Group chairman/CEO Jody Gerson with the Industry Icon Award. Does she choose any of the performers?
Yes, she’ll have one performer sing in her honor.
If you could only pick one favorite memory from the gala, what would it be?
At the height of Arista Records, there was a short-lived attempt to stop my earning capacity, which had been very considerable. I had to leave Arista and form J Records, which would mean I would no longer be working with Whitney Houston or Santana 30 years after signing him initially. That was the only year [2000] I had only two artists perform: Santana on the birth of Supernatural [the massive hit album Arista released in 1999] and Whitney Houston. The emotion I felt with her singing “I Believe in You and Me” and “I Will Always Love You” to me can never be duplicated.
Have you thought that 50 years is a good number to step away from the party on a high note?
We’ll deal with the future afterward. This evening is my paramount consideration.
Carlos Santana and Alicia Keys onstage at the 2005 gala.
Kevin Mazur/WireImage
The 2025 Grammy Awards are just around the corner, which means a new hit will be crowned record of the year. This year’s star-studded nominees include The Beatles’ “Now And Then,” Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso,” Charli xcx’s “360,” Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather,” Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” Chappell Roan’s “Good […]
As fans and artists alike gear up for this Sunday’s Grammys, Chappell Roan is taking a beat to share some gratitude for her fans. In a post to her Instagram on Wednesday (Jan. 29), Roan shared a series of selfies while writing a lengthy note of appreciation to her fans. “Good morning booboos. It’s Grammy […]
Jessi Uribe was putting up the Christmas tree with his children at his home in Colombia when he received the news that he’d been nominated for the 2025 Grammys.
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Not only does it mark his first nom at the coveted awards show, but he’s making history along the way as the first artist of música popular Colombiana (or Regional Colombian) to be in the best Música Mexicana album (including Tejano) category with his 2023 LP De Lejitos.
“I didn’t even know what to do when my manager called me crying,” he tells Billboard. “I thought he was playing a joke on me. I’m very happy. I didn’t expect it. We have worked a lot on la música de despecho (heartbreak music) in Colombia and nobody imagined it.”
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Since 2008, Uribe has become one of the biggest proponents of música popular, which fuses ranchera and the string music known as carrilera in Colombia. The genre — initially known as música de carrilera or música de cantina — was born more than five decades ago in the country’s coffee region, and first gained traction in small towns and local bars with the help of genre pioneers including Darío Gómez, Luis Alberto Posada and El Charrito Negro.
Now, for the first time in the genre’s history, it’s represented in a Mexican music category at the Grammys against three Regional Mexican powerhouses: Chiquis, Carín León, and Peso Pluma.
“My style is very romantic and I’m very attached to my roots,” he explains. “I feel that Mexican people take that with a lot of respect. I’ve had the opportunity to work with Espinoza Paz, Carín León, Alejandro Fernández, Joss Favela, people who know that I love ranchera music and that I have been a part of it since I was a child. It’s an achievement that even though I’m not Mexican, I’m in a genre that is my life as well. A Colombian who makes ranchera? I think it seemed strange but also nice to the Academy.”
For Uribe, this nomination goes beyond a personal achievement. “[This nomination] puts música popular on the radar of many countries and of people who perhaps saw us as a weak genre abroad,” he says. “I feel that they now see the genre with a little more respect. We are very united in regional Colombian, and this is a dream that [my colleagues] live with me and that we achieved together.”
Following the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 2), Uribe will have a concert at the Hard Rock Live on Feb. 21 in Hollywood, Fla., and says a new album — that he worked on with Favela in Mexico, and includes a collab with Grupo Firme — is on the horizon.
A series of special performances will highlight the 67th Annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 2), including a salute to the life and legacy of Grammy legend Quincy Jones, tributes to the spirit of Los Angeles, which is beginning the long process of rebuilding after devastating wildfires, and the annual In Memoriam segment.
Brad Paisley, Brittany Howard, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, current Oscar nominee Cynthia Erivo, Herbie Hancock, Jacob Collier, Janelle Monáe, John Legend, Lainey Wilson, Sheryl Crow, St. Vincent and Stevie Wonder are set to appear in these segments.
Jones, who died in November at age 91, won 28 Grammys across six different decades, from the 1960s to the 2010s. He was a friend and mentor to generations of talented artists, including Hancock, Wonder, Legend and Collier. He won just about every award the Recording Academy has to give, including a trustees award in 1989 and a Grammy Legend Award in 1992.
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Live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and hosted by Trevor Noah, Music’s Biggest Night will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS. The show will also be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
Previously announced performers include Benson Boone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Doechii, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter, Shakira and Teddy Swims.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards 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.
Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Peacock Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and the Grammy website.
Justin Tranter, a Grammy nominee for song of the year for co-writing Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe,” is set to host the Premiere Ceremony. Tranter also hosted last year’s Premiere Ceremony, where the vast majority of Grammys are presented.
The opening number on the Premiere Ceremony will feature a performance by current nominees Yolanda Adams, Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Scott Hoying, Angelique Kidjo, and Taj Mahal. Six other current nominees — Joe Bonamassa, Joyce DiDonato, Béla Fleck, Renée Fleming, Muni Long and Kelli O’Hara — are also set to perform, as is Grammy-winning contemporary classical composer Kevin Puts.
This year’s Premiere Ceremony, to be held at Peacock Theater at the LA Live complex in Los Angeles, will stream live at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on the Grammy website.
As announced last week, this year’s Grammy telecast will carry an added sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders. Since launching the Los Angeles Fire Relief Effort to Support Music Professionals last week, the Recording Academy and MusiCares have raised and pledged more than $4 million in emergency aid to music people affected by the wildfires.
On Grammy Sunday, fans can access exclusive behind-the-scenes Grammys content, including performances, acceptance speeches, interviews from the Grammy Live red-carpet special, and more on the Grammy website.
Justin Tranter, a Grammy nominee for song of the year for co-writing Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!,” is set to host the 67th annual Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 2). Tranter also hosted last year’s Premiere Ceremony, where the vast majority of Grammys are presented.
This year’s Premiere Ceremony, to be held at Peacock Theater at the LA Live complex in Los Angeles, will stream live at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com.
The opening number will feature a performance by current nominees Yolanda Adams, Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Scott Hoying, Angelique Kidjo and Taj Mahal. Six other current nominees – Joe Bonamassa, Joyce DiDonato, Béla Fleck, Renée Fleming, Muni Long and Kelli O’Hara – are also set to perform, as is Grammy-winning contemporary classical composer Kevin Puts.
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Harvey Mason jr., Recording Academy and MusiCares CEO, and Tammy Hurt, chair of the academy’s board of trustees, will provide opening remarks.
“The Premiere Ceremony will not only kick off our Grammy Sunday, it will provide an opportunity to show that in times of adversity, music has the power to be used for good, to help our community unite, and to show our community’s resilience,” Mason said in a statement.
This year, both the Premiere Ceremony and main Grammy Awards telecast will have an added sense of purpose: raising additional funds to support Los Angeles wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders.
The 67th Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony is produced by Branden Chapman, Ruby Marchand, Lindsay Saunders Carl and Rex Supa on behalf of the Recording Academy. Greg V. Fera is executive producer and Cheche Alara is music producer and music director.
SiriusXM will be backstage during the ceremony capturing interviews with nominees and winners for their Grammy Sunday broadcast on The Grammy Channel, channel 17 and on the SiriusXM app.
The 67th annual Grammy Awards will broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on CBS and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+ from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT.
Performers
Yolanda Adams, Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Scott Hoying, Angelique Kidjo, and Taj Mahal (opening number)
Joe Bonamassa
Joyce DiDonato
Béla Fleck
Renée Fleming
Muni Long
Kelli O’Hara
Kevin Puts
Presenters
Wayne Brady
Bob Clearmountain
Rhiannon Giddens
Scott Hoying
Jimmy Jam
Anoushka Shankar
Queen Sheba

As we near the 2025 Grammy Awards this Sunday, predicting what will happen in the Big Four categories — album, record and song of the year, along with best new artist — feels more challenging than ever. Could Chappell Roan sweep the Big Four? Or could it be Beyoncé’s time to notch her first win […]
When 2024 turned out to be one of the most densely packed years for pop music releases in recent memory, it was a given that the following year’s Grammys would be extremely competitive. But as the days close in on Sunday’s ceremony, the face-off is starting to feel more and more contentious — especially in the album of the year category.
In 2025, some of pop’s most established titans are squaring off against breakout newcomers and tastemakers in the category, with no clear front-runner to speak of. For starters, last year’s winner Taylor Swift returns to the fold in 2024, this time with her 17-week Billboard 200-topper The Tortured Poets Department. If the prize was awarded based on sales, the Eras Tour headliner would have it in the bag, having recorded the second-highest first-week numbers in history — 2,610,000 units, to be exact — with her sprawling 11th studio record the in April last year. She’s also the reigning AOTY winner, taking home the award a record fourth time in 2024 for the year prior’s Midnights.
But Beyoncé is also in the race for the fifth time in her career, this time thanks to Cowboy Carter. Some people think that the critical acclaim of the country-bending, genre-exploring LP — which features all-star cameos from Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Post Malone, Miley Cyrus and more greats — might be the project to finally get the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer that AOTY honor, which would become the crown jewel of her already record-high Grammy count (32 total).
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But three of last summer’s most talked-about ladies also share the category with Bey and Tay: Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Charli XCX. All three women ruled the charts last year with their respective projects, with Short n’ Sweet, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess and Brat, respectively, all spawning year-defining viral hits and turning their creators into superstars.
And those are just a few of the heavyweights included in this year’s album of the year category, which will also see Grammy darling Billie Eilish‘s Hit Me Hard and Soft face off against André 3000‘s New Blue Sun and Jacob Collier‘s Djesse Vol. 4. Opinions about who should actually take home the coveted gramophone are rampant, but only Recording Academy voters can decide the fate of the nominees.
Except for here, where your voice is the one that matters: Tell Billboard which project you hope to see win album of the year at the 2025 Grammys by casting your vote in the poll below.
Nominees: Take It Easy (Collie Buddz); Party With Me (Vybz Kartel); Never Gets Late Here (Shenseea); Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe) (Various Artists); Evolution (The Wailers)
Technically, there are only two original reggae albums nominated here this year. Incredible.
Vybz Kartel and Shenseea scored their first career nominations for their own music this year with Party With Me and Never Gets Late Here, respectively, both dancehall records. Reggae legend Bob Marley is represented through the One Love soundtrack, which features covers of Marley classics from several artists, including Grammy winners Kacey Musgraves, Daniel Caesar, Leon Bridges and Wizkid.
Collie Buddz’s Take It Easy and The Wailers’ Evolution are the remaining nominees. This is Buddz’s second nod in this category in as many years, while Take It Easy features contributions from Caribbean music giants such as Bounty Killer, B-Real and Demarco. The Wailers — formed by former members of Bob Marley’s backing band — are nominated with Evolution, which hit No. 5 on Reggae Albums.
As previous nominees, Shenseea and The Wailers are likely the frontrunners here, but keep an eye out for Vybz Kartel. Last summer (July 31, 2024), the King of Dancehall walked out of prison a free man after serving 13 years of a now-overturned life sentence for the murder of Clive “Lizard” Williams. By New Year’s Eve, the legendary deejay mounted Freedom Street — his first performance since his release, and the biggest concert the country had seen in nearly 50 years. Though Party With Me lacks an all-out smash à la “Fever” and “Clarks,” Kartel’s narrative may prove too irresistible for any of his competitors to put up a fight. The Freedom Street concert dominated social media, but it happened near the very end of the voting period (Jan. 3), when many voters had presumably cast their ballots already.
Shenseea is probably his stiffest competition here. Never Gets Late Here reached No. 4 on Reggae Albums and incorporates notes of pop-dancehall, R&B, rap, Afrobeats and, most importantly, reggae. With Grammy-approved producers like Di Genius, Tricky Stewart, Ilya, Stargate and London On Da Track in tow, Never Gets Late Here could muster up enough support to pull ahead of Worl’ Boss.
Nonetheless, there’s also a scenario in which Marley’s legend and the film’s box office success lifts the One Love soundtrack to a victory — even if the more exciting win would be Buddz’s project. Traditional reggae projects tend to triumph here anyway, which counts against Kartel and Shenyeng despite their strengths elsewhere.
Prediction: Vybz Kartel, Party With Me
Look Out For: The Wailers, Evolution