Grammys
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Stevie Wonder, Annie Lennox and Jon Batiste were among those honoring the lives and careers of late music icons during the Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 4) in Los Angeles.
Wonder honored the late, legendary performer Tony Bennett, who died July 21, 2023, at age 96. Wonder performed “The Best Is Yet to Come,” as well as “For Once in My Life,” the latter as a “duet” with Bennett, with footage of the late artist performing on a big screen. Bennett recorded “For Once in My Life” in 1967, with Wonder’s version of the song releasing in 1968.
Wonder celebrated Bennett’s “love for art, his love for peace, his love for unity, his love for civil rights.” He added, “Tony, I’m going to miss you forever.”
Lennox teamed with duo Wendy & Lisa to fete the late Sinead O’Connor with a rendition of her hit “Nothing Compares 2 You.” Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman were part of Prince’s band The Revolution (the late Prince wrote “Nothing Compares 2 U”). Lennox ended her performance by calling for a ceasefire and asking for world peace, another nod to O’Connor’s own activism. The Irish singer-songwriter died on July 26, 2023, at age 56.
As each musician performed, the names and photos of numerous artists, songwriters, performers and music executives who passed away in the past year scrolled across screens, as the Grammys honored Jimmy Buffett, Chita Rivera, Burt Bacharach, songwriter Cynthia Weil, rapper Magoo, as well as executives including country music radio executive Charlie Monk, A&M Records co-founder Jerry Moss, Sire Records’ Seymour Stein and more.
Lenny Kravitz appeared to honor Clarence Avant, known as “The Godfather of Black Music,” who died in August 2023 at age 92. Avant played key roles in labels including Venture Records and Sussex Records, and managed artists including Little Willie John and Jimmy Smith. Kravitz called Avant “a trusted mentor and believer in the likes of Quincy Jones and Bill Withers, just to name a few.”
The In Memoriam section continued as Batiste joined with Jimmy Jam, Terry Lewis and Ann Nesby and Cory Henry for a soulful, uplifting performance that included “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Lean on Me” and “Optimistic,” featuring soul-searing vocals from Nesby. Later in the evening, Fantasia Barrino and Oprah Winfrey feted late entertainer Tina Turner.
Billie Eilish won song of the year for “What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture Barbie]” at the 2024 Grammys Sunday night (Feb. 4). The song won best song written for visual media earlier this evening. It also earned nominations for record of the year, best pop solo performance and best music video. Eilish […]
Jay-Z arrived to the 2024 Grammys Sunday (Feb. 4) to accept the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, bringing wife Beyoncè and daughter Blue Ivy with him.
Taking the stage at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles with Blue Ivy to make his speech, Jay-Z first thanked the award’s namesake — who was watching from the audience — acknowledging Dr. Dre, saying that “all the doors that you opened showed us we could be rock stars.”
Jay-Z then thanked the Grammys’ Black Music Collective for “all the work you guys do … how far we’ve come since Will Smith and DJ Jazzy Jeff winning their first Grammy in ’89 and boycotting because [the award] wasn’t televised.” Jay then joked that Smith and Jeff “went to a hotel and watched the Grammys … it wasn’t a great boycott.” The camera then panned to Meryl Streep laughing hard in the audience.
Jay-Z’s speech then started to get spicy. “Then in ’98, I took a page out of their book. I was nominated for best rap album, and DMX had dropped two albums that year, they both were No. 1 — shout out to DMX — and he wasn’t nominated at all, so I boycotted, and” — he said with a laugh — “I watched the Grammys.”
Jay’s message then took a more serious tone as he continued, “I’m just saying, we want y’all to get it right. We love y’all; we love y’all; we want you to get it right, or at least get it close to right, and obviously it’s subjective … because it’s music and it’s opinion-based, but some things — I don’t wan to embarrass this young lady” — referring to Beyoncè — “but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year, so even by your own metrics that doesn’t work. Think about that. The most Grammys and never won an album of the year. That doesn’t work.
“Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed,” he continued. “Some of you may get robbed, some of you don’t belong in the category — when I get nervous I tell the truth.
“But outside of that, we’ve gotta keep showing up. And forget the Grammys for a second, just in life — as my daughter sits and stares at me nervous as I am — just in life, you’ve gotta keep showing up and keep showing up. Forget the Grammys. You’ve got to keep showing up until they give you all those accolades you feel you deserve, until they call you ‘chairman,’ until they call you a ‘genius,’ until they call you ‘the greatest of all time.’ You feel me?”
Joni Mitchell gave the crowd at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena a performance for the ages on Sunday night (Feb. 4), in what was technically the legendary singer-songwriter’s Grammys debut. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Mitchell was introduced by Brandi Carlile, who saluted her importance and influence […]
On Sunday (Feb. 4), Lainey Wilson scored her first Grammy, taking home best country album for Bell Bottom Country. It previously won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards and at the Country Music Association Awards — becoming just the ninth album to win all three awards. Wilson has had a […]
U2 took center stage at the 2024 Grammy Awards Sunday (Feb. 4) and performed “Atomic City” from Sphere in Las Vegas, where recording cameras were allowed inside the venue for the first time. The Sphere has been the home base for the legendary Irish rock group since September 2023, when they first began their residency. […]
New wave icon Annie Lennox brought her advocacy to the state of Crypto.com Arena on Sunday night (Feb. 4) when she called for a ceasefire in Palestine and Israel. During the in memoriam tribute to the late Sinéad O’Connor, Lennox appeared on stage with fellow ’80s icons Wendy & Lisa to give a moving performance […]
Tina Turner’s extraordinary legacy was honored with an eye-popping showcase at the 2024 Grammy Awards — first with some heartfelt words from her friend Oprah Winfrey, and then with a show-stopping performance of “Proud Mary” by Fantasia Barrino. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news To conclude the […]
Ben Affleck is entering his new era, and he’s taking some inspiration from his superstar wife, Jennifer Lopez. In a new ad for Dunkin’ that aired during the Grammys on Sunday (Feb. 4), the Oscar-winning star channels Lopez while mocking his viral moment at last year’s ceremony, during which he was spotted looking bored out of his mind.
In the clip, Affleck is watching a news segment about the “Bored Ben” memes from last year’s Grammys ceremony when he growls with an intensity worthy of Batman: “Keeeep laughing. ‘He’s bored.’ NO! He’s steady — always watching.”
He immediately kicks a plan to turn himself into a music star into action. “What’s going on, baby!” he says on a phone call. “I had this crazy dream — you’re gonna laugh. I had come up with, like, some beats, and you were like, ‘Maybe she’ll put that on the record.’ I even had a persona, like J. Lo, or like, B. Lo. That’s the bad version, obviously.” Unsurprisingly, he gets turned down by the person on the other end.
Undeterred, the star shows up at a studio with a burned CD in hand. “These are beats. Right here!” he says confidently, only to be deflated when the producer questions him about the medium he chose. “Big-time music expert, you don’t know where music comes from?!”
But Affleck soldiers on. In a recording studio, he wonders, “Does music have to rhyme?” The star also shows off some ideas for potential red-carpet looks, and works with Charli D’Amelio to learn some dance moves. But there’s one problem with that. “Who is TikTok?” he asks.
Despite hitting multiple bumps in his road to music glory, the director continues on. “They tell you you’re no good, you’re a goofy middle-aged white guy with no rhythm and you can’t sing on key. You’re not coordinated. That means I can’t be a pop star? Underestimate Boston … at your peril,” he warns before dropping a reference to J. Lo’s upcoming album. “This is me now.”
With a hefty chain featuring a giant blinged-out doughnut around his neck a la Flavor Flav’s massive clock necklaces, Affleck stares seriously into the distance, a determined look on his face, as a “To be continued” message appears.
Watch the new Dunkin’ ad starring Ben Affleck above.
The 2024 Grammys took place at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah for a fourth consecutive year. For Music’s Biggest Night, the stars were out in force and dressed to the nines. Taylor Swift – in a gorgeous white Schiaparelli gown and long black gloves that evoked Hollywood […]