Grammys
Page: 20
HipHopWired Featured Video
CLOSE
Source: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / Getty
It’s not a Grammy weekend if Jay-Z doesn’t hold a party and a-listers scramble to get invites and attend. Hova hosted a soiree at a West Hollywood club in lieu of his annual Roc Nation Brunch not going down this year.
The party was held at the Bird Streets Club in West Hollywood on Friday night (Feb. 2). In attendance were notables that included Lil Uzi Vert, Karreuche Tran, Odell Beckham, Jr., Migos rapper Quavo, Kanye West’s ex-wife, and more.
Over at TMZ, the flames are being fanned that Beckham and Kim Kardashian may be an item.
Per TMZ:
Of course, this only fueled rumors that Kim and Odell might be more than just friends. You may recall, Kim sparked chatter among people that she was dating Odell when she showed up at his 31st birthday party last year. For now, though, it’s all just speculation.
Yeah, that’s great.
Anyway, peep photos of the guests in attendance in the gallery.
Ahead of Music’s Biggest Night, the Grammys, Billboard staffers sat down and chatted all about their predictions, performances, snubs and more!Tetris Kelly:It’s Grammy Sunday! I’m Tetris Kelly, here at Soho Warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. We have a great show for you today with behind-the-scenes access, exclusive interviews with nominees like Dom Dolla and Scott Hoying of Pentatonix, and some hot performances. Plus, we’ll talk to Billboard’s experts covering all things you need to know, the biggest snubs, hottest genres and their picks in the Big Four categories, including the highly competitive best new artist. Oh, and by the way, we’ll introduce you to all eight best new artist nominees, so let’s run it down! Welcome to Billboard Celebrates Music’s Hottest Night!
First up are two of Billboard’s most in-the-know contributors Katie Atkinson and Rania Aniftos to talk about some of the biggest moments in music this year and what everyone is talking about going into the Grammys. Hey, ladies, how’s it going?
Katie Atkinson:Hi, Tetris!
Rania Aniftos:Hi, Tetris!
Tetris Kelly:I love that you got the green memo with me, Katie.
Katie Atkinson:That’s right! Sorry, Rania!
Tetris Kelly:Sorry, Rania!
Rania Aniftos:No one informed me!
Tetris Kelly:You we’re not informed, but you guys are the most informed in music. So let’s talk about this year. Can’t talk about it without the biggest tours — Beyonce, Taylor’s Eras tour, Renaissance tour, how did that shape music this year?
Rania Aniftos:I mean, you were at both the tours this year.
Katie Atkinson:I did. I went to both. I think Tetris did too.
Tetris Kelly:I had a good time!
Katie Atkinson:Basically, two of our biggest superstars had their career-defining tours this year and I think that kind of goes into the Grammys because it’s like who’s going to be next? Whoever gets coronated as the big star after Sunday night, maybe they’re gonna have the big career-defining tour next year, right?
Tetris Kelly:Absolutely and I mean, Taylor is also having a big year in nominations as well, correct?
Rania Aniftos:Oh, yeah, I mean, she’s nominated for album of the year for ‘Midnights,’ and she basically dominates the Grammys once again, as she does with every single album cycle. Something that I really liked about her tour, and I’m hoping that more artists do it and it seems like with Madonna and the Jonas Brothers, there are already artists who are playing on this “Eras thing,” you know, where they want to celebrate their discography and the music that made them who they are. And I hope that more artists look towards the future to do something like that.
Tetris Kelly:And we can’t talk about women having a big year without talking about the ‘Barbie’ soundtrack I mean Lizzo, Dua Lipa, Billie Eilish, that soundtrack had bops on bops.
Watch the video above!
In celebration of Grammy Week and the kickoff of Black History Month, BMAC presented a trio of events in the name of service and fun. Capping the organization’s week of events in Los Angeles were the BMAC x Billboard Action Awards in conjunction with an Economic Justice Summit (Feb. 2) held at United Talent Agency […]
At Clive Davis’ and the Recording Academy’s annual pre-Grammy gala on Saturday night (Feb. 3), two-time Oscar-winning actor Tom Hanks proved to be an incredibly effective hype man. The actor delivered a six-minute intro for the legendary record executive, listing more than 50 artists that Davis discovered or worked with, concluding with only slight irony that “the only reason the names Mozart, Beethoven and Tchaikovsky haven’t been mentioned is because they all died before Clive Davis graduated from Harvard [and] before he got a desk and a phone at Columbia Records.”
Davis arrived on stage at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif., to thunderous applause as he pledged once again to deliver an unforgettable evening, as he has since the party started 48 years ago.
“So, this night is really so special for me and I hope for all of you,” Davis said. “I look out among you, and I see so many familiar faces. You know, the whole thing began long ago in 1976 and I really have to pinch myself that it’s going still so strong. I mean, the demand this year has just been incredible. I’m happy to say that music is alive and well and that you all see the best of the new tonight, as well as the best of those artists who inspire all of us with the truly electrifying length of their careers.”
As usual, the room included some of the biggest stars in the world, including Cher, Mariah Carey and Meryl Streep (sitting with her daughter Grace Gummer and Gummer’s husband, producer Mark Ronson), as well as Lenny Kravitz, Serena Williams, Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson; Scottie Pippen, Cameron Crowe, Peter Asher, Gayle King, Max Martin, Shania Twain, Adrian Brody, Jon Bon Jovi, Paris Hilton, Smokey Robinson and, attending for the 24th consecutive year, Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and her husband, Paul.
Meryl Streep, Clive Davis, Cher, and co-chairman/COO of Warner Records Tom Corson attend the Pre-Grammy Gala & Grammy Salute to Industry Icons Honoring Jon Platt at The Beverly Hilton on February 3, 2024 in Los Angeles.
Monica Schipper/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
But the brightest stars were on the stage as an incredibly diverse rosters of artists performed. Green Day, introduced by Williams, who called herself the band’s “mascot,” opened the evening with exhilarating performances of “American Idiot” and “Basket Case.”
Next, in a delightful gender twist, Ronson and his co-writer Andrew Wyatt were joined by Lainey Wilson filling in for Ryan Gosling, for a pitch-perfect take on “I’m Just Ken,” from Barbie. The Grammy- and Oscar-nominated Ronson joked he was going into awards season with some guidance from the song about “the beauty of being a runner-up, which is a lesson I’ll try to remember tomorrow night [at the Grammys].” (He’s already emerged a winner with the song triumphing as best song at the Critics Choice Awards in January).
As promised, the evening heavily focused on developing acts, all of them nominated for best new artist this year, who have broken through with defining songs over the past several months. Ice Spice sassily strutted across the stage during “Deli,” while Noah Kahan introduced himself as “Mumford’s son,” a totally appropriate description for his folk sound, as he delivered strong, tuneful renditions of “Stick Season” and “Dial Drunk.” (His banjo-driven performance begs for him to tour with Mumford & Sons as a strong double bill). Victoria Monet, who is up for seven Grammys on Sunday (Feb. 4), danced through an energetic “On My Mama.”
Green Day band members Mike Dirnt, Billie Joe Armstrong and Tre Cool arrive for the Recording Academy and Clive Davis’ Salute To Industry Icons pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California on February 3, 2024.
Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images
But it was two fellow best new artist nominees who delivered truly starmaking turns. Following Josh Groban’s stirring, beautiful takes on two Stephen Sondheim numbers picked by Davis — Into the Woods‘ “Children Will Listen” and Sweeney Todd‘s “Not While I’m Around,” the Tony-nominated artist was joined by Michael Trotter, one-half of best new artist-nominated duo, The War and Treaty, for a soaring, breathtaking version of Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” with Trotter’s unwavering falsetto bringing the audience to it’s feet.
Though the Groban/Trotter pairing would have seemed impossible to follow, Jelly Roll took the crowd to church with two songs about his desperate search for redemption as he delivered scorching, pleading versions of “Need a Favor,” performed with a full choir, and “Save Me,” accompanied by Wilson.
Sony Music Publishing chairman and CEO Jon Platt was recognized as the 2024 Grammy Salute to Industry Icons honoree. Feted by energetic crowd-pleasing performances by Public Enemy and the Isley Brothers, two acts who had played pivotal roles in the early stages of his career, Platt took the stage shortly after midnight to receive his award. In a speech that spanned more than 30 minutes during which the fire alarm went off not once, but twice, Platt ran through a number of highlights in his illustrious career, calling the evening’s honor a full-circle moment. In 1998, Platt attended his first Davis pre-Grammy gala, then held at the Beverly Hills Hotel. There, he ran into the late former Motown president/CEO Jheryl Busby.
“He said, ‘Somebody was asking me, who do I see in the industry today that can achieve the things that I’ve achieved. …I told them, Big Jon could run the whole thing one day,’” Platt recounted. Busby’s words were life altering. “For someone to share the belief that they have in you is powerful, it is incredibly powerful. And from that day, I kind of like changed the course of my focus. I had a purpose after that, because this guy said I could run the whole thing. So, I just changed the way I acted change people I had around me, the people I was around, so on and so forth. Everything had great intention. And so, to be here tonight, receiving the industry icon is an incredible full circle moment that I’m quite proud of.”
In an extraordinary moment, Platt took time to acknowledge the rivalry between him and his former EMI Music Publishing colleague Jody Gerson, who is now CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group. “People think Jody and I have this complicated relationship. We do because we’re both intense competitors,” he said. “We compete incredibly hard. Beyond this competition is this deep love and respect that we have for each other. I mean you have to respect your competitors, but it goes deeper than that with me and Jody. Like I have this incredible amount of respect for her. And Jody is the person that hired me at EMI, so in many ways she changed my life. And people always like to say when you achieve these things and you say how you did it, ‘Well, you would have did it anyway.’ Maybe not. The only thing you could do is focus on is how it happened. And that’s how it happened. Everything I’m telling you was how it happened. So, I appreciate you Jody and I truly hope that Marty [Bandier, former CEO/chairman of EMI Music Publishing and Sony/ATV Music Publishing] is proud of the legacy that we’re leaving for him.”
As the clock approached 1 a.m., the final performers took the stage to an appreciative audience as Colombian superstar Maluma sang a high-energy “Hawaii” and the iconic Gladys Knight performed “The Way We Were,” a song Knight and The Pips took to No. 11 nearly 50 years ago in 1975. She was then joined by Dionne Warwick — half the team who recorded the 1985 charity juggernaut, “That’s What Friends Were For” — with Andra Day and Keyshia Cole joining in. The crowd burst into applause when Stevie Wonder, who also appeared on the original song, played his instantly recognizable harmonica solo. Though that was supposed to be the last number, Wonder led the group in “What the World Needs Now Is Love” to usher the audience out into a rainy Los Angeles night.
The setlist for Clive Davis and the Recording Academy’s 2024 pre-Grammy party:
Green Day — “American Idiot, “Basket Case”Mark Ronson — “I’m Just Ken” with Lainey Wilson and Andrew WyattIce Spice — “Deli”Noah Kahan — “Stick Season,” “Dial Drunk”Victoria Monet — “On My Mama”Josh Groban — Sondheim medley with “Children Will Listen” and “Not While I’m Around”Josh Groban and Michael Trotter Jr. — “Bridge Over Troubled Water”Jelly Roll — “Need a Favor,” “Save Me” with Lainey WilsonPublic Enemy — “Can’t Truss It,” “Bring the Noise,” “Fight the Power”Isley Brothers — “Shout”Maluma —“Hawaii”Gladys Knight — “The Way We Were”Gladys Knight, Dionne Warwick, Stevie Wonder, Andra Day and Keyshia Cole —“That’s What Friends Are For,” “What the World Needs Now Is Love”
The best thing about the Recording Academy’s Special Merit Awards, where they dispense Lifetime Achievement Awards and other career-capping honors, is the warm way the recipients reach across genres and generations to acknowledge each other. And so it was when the 2024 honors were presented on Saturday (Feb. 3) at the Wilshire Ebell Theater in Los Angeles.
Hip-hop innovator DJ Kool Herc, who received a Trustees Award, spied fellow honoree Gladys Knight in the front row and said of “Midnight Train to Georgia,” her 1973 classic with the Pips – “now, that’s flow.”
Ice Cube also praised Knight and the gospel singing group The Clark Sisters in his remarks, in which N.W.A received a Lifetime Achievement Award.
“We knew when we started to do music in 1985/1986 that a Grammy was not in the cards for the type of music we were doing, and we were cool with that. We can’t sing like Gladys or hold a note like The Clark Sisters. We wanted to make sense of the world around us, Long Beach, Compton, Watts.”
He noted that when N.W.A started out they had their lane all to themselves. “We didn’t think the whole world would be doing it. We thought it was ours. What it showed was when you do your thing, the world will come to you and you don’t have to go to the world.”
N.W.A is the fifth rap group to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in the past eight years, following Run-DMC, Public Enemy, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five and Salt-N-Pepa. (In addition, Slick Rick, who rose to prominence in Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crew, was honored on his own last year.)
In welcoming the audience to the Special Merit Awards, Ruby Marchand, the Academy’s chief awards and industry officer, said “This ceremony is a highlight of Grammy Week, so heartfelt.” That’s the right word for it. Especially since the Grammy Awards scaled up to arenas in 1997 when they were held at New York’s Madison Square Garden for the first time, the Special Merit Awards are seen as the warmer, more intimate show, with good feelings all around. Perhaps that’s because it’s not a competition and because these acknowledgements usually come late in the honorees’ careers, when they are in a reflective mood.
Four of the honors were presented posthumously – Lifetime Achievement Awards to Donna Summer, Tammy Wynette, Eazy-E of N.W.A and a Technical Grammy Award to sound engineer Tom Kobayashi. In addition, attorney Joel Katz, who received a Trustees Award, “[is] addressing his health concerns,” in the words of fellow attorney Jason M. Karlov, who accepted for him.
Dr. Dre, being honored as a member of N.W.A sent a text message, read by Harvey Mason, jr. CEO of the Recording Academy, in which he explained that the ceremony fell on his daughter’s birthday and he put family first, but nonetheless said “I’m honored to receive this award with my N.W.A brothers.”
Two well-chosen guest artists introduced segments. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, who had a No. 1 smash on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1996 with “Tha Crossroads,” a tribute to Eazy-E, presented the award to N.W.A. The members said that N.W.A “changed music, culture and America forever.” And Shelby Lynne presented the award to one of her idols, Wynette. Lynne also sang a good bit of Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man,” which she correctly called “a country classic for the ages.”
Wynette’s award was accepted by Tamala Jones, her daughter by George Jones. The daughter credited the Showtime miniseries George & Tammy for being a factor that may have helped Wynette, who died in 1998, finally receive this award. George Jones received the honor in 2012.
Bruce Sudano, who was married to Summer for more than 30 years, accepted Summer’s Lifetime Achievement Award, along with their daughters Mimi, Brooklyn and Amanda. He said the phone call in which he was notified of the honor stirred “feelings I didn’t anticipate. My body filled with pure joy, connected to a tear in my eye. It’s gratifying for us that, more than 10 years after her passing, her voice and music are still omnipresent in the zeitgeist.”
He credited Universal Music Group and Warner Chappell, among others, for coming up with creative ways to keep her music alive. “I’m grateful that she continues to inspire young fans, [whether newcomers or] beautiful Beyoncé and her Summer Renaissance.”
The Summer segment ended when her daughter Mimi sang a few ethereal lines from Summer’s 1977 dance/electronica classic “I Feel Love.”
Summer was the first female artist to win Grammy Awards in four different genres: R&B (“Last Dance”), rock (“Hot Stuff”), inspirational (“He’s a Rebel” and “Forgive Me”) and dance (“Carry On”).
Knight spoke emotionally about family in accepting her Lifetime Achievement Award. She noted that her mother would never allow her to sing “easy.” It had to come from a deeper place. All credit, then, to Gladys Knight’s mother for encouraging her daughter to find the perfect blend of “pain and glory” that has always been her trademark.
In 1974, Gladys Knight & the Pips became the first group to win Grammys in both pop and R&B categories the same night.
Laurie Anderson accepted her Lifetime Achievement Award with an eloquent speech. “I make music that doesn’t have a snappy name,” she said. “‘Multi-media’ is the one I dislike the least. ‘Experimental’ sounds like I’m making things in a laboratory that might explode.”
She also related three rules to live by that she and her late husband, Lou Reed, came up with.“1) Don’t be afraid of anyone. 2) Get a really good bullshit detector. 3) Be really tender.”
Anderson could win a competitive Grammy on Sunday, one day after accepting this honorary one. She is nominated for best historical album for Words & Music, May 1965 (Deluxe Edition). Anderson is one of two of this year’s Special Merit Awardees who are current Grammy nominees. Karen Clark-Sheard of The Clark Sisters is nominated for best gospel performance/song for “God Is Good.”
Peter Asher, who received a Trustees Award, had scanned the list of previous recipients of that award, and said he found it “intimidating.” Citing in particular The Beatles, Mo Ostin, Ahmet Ertegun, Sir George Martin, Lou Adler, Carole King and Clive Davis, he said “the phrase ‘We are not worthy’ comes to mind when I get this award.”
In a video setting up the presentation, the Grammys reached back to a clip from the 1990 telecast where Asher won producer of the year, non-classical for the second time. “I would like to thank the artists I worked with,” he said. “They could very easily have made the records without me, but I certainly couldn’t have made them without them.”
There were moments of humor in the proceedings. Sound engineer Tom Scott, who received a Technical Grammy Award in tandem with his late partner Tom Kobayashi, had to sheepishly admit that even he sometimes has technical issues. “I had this [acceptance speech] on my cell phone, but it’s on a little red zone that says it has 5% power, so I had to fall back on analog,” he said, as he pulled out a printed copy of his remarks to read.
Jason M. Karlov, an attorney at Katz’s law firm, Barnes + Thornburg, said this in accepting Katz’s Trustees Award, which are generally given to non-performers. “I’ve heard Trustees Awards are not for performances but if you’ve ever known Joel, it’s a performance.”
Karlov also said that Katz feels that “his most prideful work is his 41 years of service on behalf of the Academy.” As an outside general counsel for the Recording Academy, Katz is credited with leading the negotiations for the Grammys’ 10-year, $500 million deal with CBS in 2016. (The Academy has rewarded a handful of Grammy insiders with Trustees Awards over the years, including Christine Farnon, the Academy’s first full-time employee; Pierre Cossette, who was instrumental in turning the Grammys into a live telecast; Walter C. Miller, the show’s longtime director; and Ken Ehrlich, who produced or executive produced the telecast for 40 years.)
K’naan’s “Refugee” was the Best Song for Social Change Award Honoree.This award, now in its second year, honors songwriter(s) of message-driven music that speaks to the social issues of our time and has demonstrated and inspired positive global impact.
“Refugee,” which K’naan co-wrote with Steve McEwan and Gerald Eaton, serves as a tribute to refugees around the world. K’naan, 45, was nominated in a comparable category, best video with a message, at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards for “Is Anybody Out There?,” a collaboration with Nelly Furtado.
Annie Ray of Annandale High School in Annandale, Virginia, received the 2024 Music Educator Award presented by the Recording Academy and Grammy Museum. Ray serves as both the orchestra director and performing arts department chair at Annandale High School in the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system. “Orchestra is much more than just a class – it’s a second family,” Ray said.
Sorry, Swifties. Taylor Swift will not be performing at the 2024 Grammys Awards, Billboard has learned. The 34-year-old pop superstar, who is nominated for six awards at this year’s Grammys, is expected to attend the ceremony on Sunday (Feb. 4) but won’t be stepping onto the stage for a live musical performance. Immediately after the […]
Just as Bon Jovi has done for 40 years, musicians came to rock at the Los Angeles Convention Center Friday night (Feb. 2) as the band’s namesake, Jon Bon Jovi, was honored at MusiCares 33rd Person of the Year annual gala.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
The honoree himself set the tone for the night, opening the evening with “Legendary,” the propulsive first single from the band’s forthcoming album that sounds like a classic Bon Jovi track. “As I look out here at all you tuxedoed executives, I remind you this is a Bon Jovi concert,” Jon Bon Jovi said. “We don’t sit down.”
And there was certainly no sitting as Bon Jovi then introduced Bruce Springsteen, calling him “my mentor, my hero, my brother, my friend,” as the audience of more than 2,000 began chanting the requisite “BRUUUUUUCE.” Springsteen’s participation had been in doubt after his 98-year old mother, Adele, died on Wednesday (Jan. 31).
As Bon Jovi later explained, when Springsteen — MusiCares Person of the Year in 2013 — first got the news about his mother, he was already on a plane to Los Angeles. “I certainly would have understood if he’d said that he couldn’t make it,” Bon Jovi said, “but he wanted to be here tonight for MusiCares. And he wanted to be here tonight for me. And I’m forever grateful to you.
The two most famous musicians from New Jersey (perhaps other than Frank Sinatra) ripped into spirited renditions of Bon Jovi’s 2006 hit “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” which boasts Springsteenean “Alrights” in the chorus, and Springsteen’s “Promised Land,” with Bon Jovi playing Springsteen’s trademark harmonica parts before the Boss joined in for a little harmonica duet at the end.
Among those singing along in the audience were Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen, MSNBC host Ari Melber, frequent Bon Jovi collaborator Desmond Child, Rita Wilson, Carly Pearce, Gayle King, Nile Rodgers and former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and her husband, Paul. The latter pair made the rounds earlier in the evening, schmoozing with Bon Jovi, 2012 MusiCares honoree Paul McCartney and Springsteen.
Bon Jovi then sat down, flanked for much of the evening by Springsteen and McCartney, as a constellation of artists took the stage to deliver some of the most beloved anthems in the arena rock canon from the past 40 years. With more than 150 million albums sold, including 12 times platinum rock juggernaut Slippery When Wet, and nearly 20 top 40 hits, there was no shortage of familiar material to draw from.
Melissa Etheridge, joined by Larkin Poe had the tough task of following Bon Jovi and Springsteen, but proved more than up to the challenge with a sizzling version of Jon Bon Jovi’s No. 1 solo hit, “Blaze of Glory,” from the 1990 film Young Guns ll. Train’s Pat Monahan delivered a stylish take on 2000’s driving hit, “It’s My Life”; Shania Twain turned in a dramatic reading of ballad “Bed of Roses”; Sammy Hagar was joined by guitar slinger Orianthi for Bon Jovi’s first No. 1, 1986’s “You Give Love A Bad Name”; and Jason Isbell pulled out a double neck guitar, similar to the one sported by former band member Richie Sambora, on the iconic “Wanted Dead or Alive.” While many acts pulled from the multi-platinum group’s ’80s and ’90s era, the Goo Goo Dolls dipped into more recent fare, taking on the title track from 2016’s This House is Not for Sale.
Comedian Jim Gaffigan served as a nimble and often hilarious host, good naturedly roasting Jon Bon Jovi for his ’80s fashion and even more so for his ’80s big hair, and even taking to the stage in a replica of a trademark beefcake poster of Jon Bon Jovi from the ’80s in a cut-off Jack Daniels T-shirt, obscenely short denim shorts and a wig with a shocking amount of teased, flowing blond locks. As he sarcastically noted of the ridiculously photogenic Bon Jovi, “You have to wonder where he would have gotten if he was good looking.”
Later, he suggested that Bon Jovi, McCartney and Springsteen, as well as table mate, New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, could form a new iteration of The Traveling Wilburys, with Kraft on lead vocals.
Additionally, a new generation of artists equipped themselves well taking on songs that they had likely grown up with or heard their parents play. Best new artist nominee Jelly Roll delivered a growly, rollicking “Bad Medicine,” while taking advantage of the playing before a room full of powerful music industry executives to spread a message about an issue close to his heart, drug addiction. The country artist, who spoke at a congressional hearing in support of an anti-fentanyl bill in January, sported a jacket with facts about drug addiction, including one across his back that read “190 people a day overdose and die in the United States of America.”
A pigtailed Lainey Wilson followed with a spirited “We Weren’t Born to Follow,” while Måneskin’s charismatic frontman Damiano David performed a propulsive “Keep the Faith.” Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH delivered a pounding “Have A Nice Day,” and guitar wiz Marcus King showed off his blazing fret work on “Born to Be My Baby.”
Playing on the round, revolving B-stage in the middle of the audience, best new artist nominees The War and Treaty gave one of the evening’s most inspired performances at times singing directly to each other with an elevated, emotional take of “I’ll Be There For You,” Bon Jovi’s 1989 tale of devotion that husband and wife team Michael and Tonya Trotter should definitely consider cutting for their next album. Also utilizing the smaller space to great effect was 17-time Grammy nominee Brandy Clark with a beautiful rendition of 2007’s “(You Want to) Make a Memory.”
The evening also included video tributes from Matthew McConaughey, John Mayer, P!nk, Ed Sheeran and New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, who praised Bon Jovi for “his everyday commitment to [help] other people.” Bon Jovi’s myriad philanthropic efforts include the JBJ Soul Foundation, which has built close to 1,000 units of affordable housing, and JBJ Soul Kitchens, which operate on a pay-it-forward model where those in need volunteer for their meals at the kitchen while paying customers are asked to make a donation that will cover their meal as well as the meal of someone in need.
Kraft, who first met Bon Jovi on the sidelines at the 1997 Super Bowl (“In a game we lost,” he noted), presented Bon Jovi with his award, praising the honoree for his business acumen and social consciousness.
“Unlike the majority of artists and performers, who understandably, are insular, Jon’s always had an empathy for the world at large,” Kraft said. “And he’s shown that impact as a philanthropist. He has used his platform as a global rock star and paired it with his own money and operating skill and created the Soul Foundation… building a model program for solving the vicious cycle of hunger, poverty and homelessness that has now been copied by many others.” He also praised the son of two Marines for his long-lasting marriage to his high school sweetheart, Dorothea.
After thanking Springsteen and McCartney (saying to the Beatle, “I think it’s fair to say that the reason most, if not all, of us are in the room tonight, is because of you.”), Bon Jovi quickly noted that this award wouldn’t have been possible without those around him. “Everything that I’ve accomplished with or without the band or in my philanthropic life has had the support of my family, my friends, bandmates, collaborators and an army of the willing, who’ve been ready to take my dreams and make them a reality,” he said.
He also praised the ability of music as the “common thread” that “moves us when we’re happy and it comforts us when we’re sad and brings us together.” He then spoke of recently buying back his first electric guitar that he sold in 1979 for $100. With his newly reclaimed guitar back in his hands, “the first thing I did was held it, cradled it, really, and then wrote a song… another thing I’ve come to know is that every time that I strum my guitar, I’m reminded that I have a best friend for life. That instrument will never let you down.”
Bon Jovi then thanked MusiCares for providing assistance to those musicians not as fortunate as himself, who have needed a helping hand. Since 1991, MusiCares has handed out more than $110 million to provide essential support for programs and services assisting the music community, including physical and mental health, addiction recovery, preventive clinics, unforeseen personal emergencies, and disaster relief.
(L-R) Michael Trotter Jr., Hugh McDonald, Jon Bon Jovi, Sammy Hagar and Jelly Roll attend the 2024 MusiCares Person of the Year Honoring Jon Bon Jovi during the 66th Grammy Awards on Feb. 02, 2024 in Los Angeles
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
Ending by saying, “the 18-year-old in me wants to sing with everybody else,” Bon Jovi called his band back to the stage, including keyboardist David Bryan and drummer Tico Torres, as well all the evening’s participating artists (minus Springsteen) to perform the group’s beloved anthem and 1986 Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Living on a Prayer.” Jon Bon Jovi roamed the stage, hugging and trading lyrics with many of the performers to close the evening.
See the MusiCares Salute to Jon Bon Jovi set list below:
“Legendary,” Bon Jovi“Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen“The Promised Land,” Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen“Blaze of Glory,” Melissa Etheridge and Larkin Poe“Bad Medicine,” Jelly Roll“We Weren’t Born to Follow,” Lainey Wilson“It’s My Life,” Pat Monahan“Bed of Roses,” Shania Twain“Wanted Dead or Alive,” Jason Isbell“Keep the Faith,” Damiano David“This House is Not for Sale,” Goo Goo Dolls“I’ll Be There for You,” The War and Treaty“Have a Nice Day,” Mammoth WVH“(You Want To) Make a Memory,” Brandy Clark“Living on a Prayer,” Bon Jovi and guests
After a breakthrough year, Dom Dolla received his first-ever Grammy nomination for best remix recording of his remix of “New Gold” by the Gorillaz and Tame Impala, and to celebrate, he sat down with Billboard‘s Katie Bain to discuss how he found out about the nod. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See […]
Record of the year is one of the most superstar-packed categories at Sunday’s (Feb. 4) 2024 Grammy Awards — but who do you think should win? We have five previous Grammy winners in the mix: 12-time winner Taylor Swift with “Anti-Hero”; seven-time winner Billie Eilish with her Barbie soundtrack contribution “What Was I Made For?”; […]
Miley Cyrus is set to perform her smash “Flowers” at the 2024 Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 4) at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Billboard has confirmed. Variety was first to report the news. The ceremony will air live on CBS and Paramount+. Surprisingly, this will be the first time Cyrus has performed the song on TV since its release in January 2023.
Explore
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
Sixteen years into her post-Hannah Montana pop career, Cyrus received her first Grammy nominations in “Big Three” categories – album, record and song of the year. Cyrus’ father, Billy Cyrus, has landed two record of the year nominations – for “Achy Breaky Heart” (1992) and as a featured artist on Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” (2019). The Cyruses are just the third parent-child pair to each receive record of the year nominations, following Frank Sinatra & Nancy Sinatra and Nat “King” & Natalie Cole.
“Flowers,” which entered the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1 and remained there for eight consecutive weeks, is also nominated for best pop solo performance.
Cyrus co-wrote “Flowers” with Gregory Aldae Hein and Michael Pollack. It appears on Cyrus’ album Endless Summer Vacation, which is also nominated for best pop vocal album.
Also set to perform on the show are Burna Boy, Luke Combs (with Tracy Chapman), Billie Eilish, Billy Joel, Dua Lipa, Joni Mitchell (in her first Grammy performance), Olivia Rodrigo, Travis Scott, SZA and U2. Burna Boy is expected to be joined by 21 Savage and Brandy. Mitchell is expected to be joined by Brandi Carlile.
In addition, Stevie Wonder, Fantasia Barrino, Annie Lennox and Jon Batiste will perform in the In Memoriam segment, in which they will honor Tony Bennett, Tina Turner, Sinéad O’Connor and Clarence Avant, respectively.