State Champ Radio Grammys
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Multiple songs performed at the 2024 Grammy Awards reach Billboard’s LyricFind U.S. and Global charts dated Feb. 10, paced by Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” which reaches No. 1 on both rankings.
The LyricFind Global and LyricFind U.S. charts rank the fastest momentum-gaining tracks in lyric-search queries and usages globally and in the U.S., respectively, provided by LyricFind. The Global chart includes queries from all countries, including the U.S. The company is the world’s leader in licensed lyrics, with data provided by more than 5,000 publishers and utilized by more than 100 services, including Amazon, Pandora, Deezer, Microsoft, SoundHound and iHeartRadio.
“Fast Car” was performed on the Grammys telecast Feb. 4 as a duet between Chapman and Luke Combs; the latter covered the song in 2023. It was the first time the pair had performed the song together.
According to LyricFind, “Fast Car” earned a 6,171% increase in lyric searches and usages in the U.S. following the ceremony, plus a similarly sizable 6,084% bump globally.
More gains on the Billboard charts are in “Fast Car”’s future – both Chapman’s original and Combs’ rendition. The Billboard charts dated Feb. 17 will cover streaming, sales and airplay activity for Feb. 2-8.
Behind “Fast Car” comes Joni Mitchell’s “Both Sides Now,” which appears on the LyricFind U.S. survey at No. 2. Like Chapman, who rarely performs publicly, Mitchell was a unique addition to the Grammys broadcast; she had never performed during the ceremony before 2024, and has performed sparingly in recent years due to health issues.
The performance of “Both Sides Now” found Mitchell joined by a bevy of musicians on backing vocals and instrumentation, including Brandi Carlile, Lucius, Allison Russell and more.
“Both Sides Now” scored a boost of 3,465% in lyric searches and usages in the U.S., according to LyricFind. The song also appears on the Global ranking at No. 3.
A third song performed during the ceremony, Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?,” rises 25-20 on the Global chart via a 153% increase. The tune from the Barbie soundtrack was also a big winner at the Grammys, scoring the nod for song of the year (plus best song written for visual media during the pre-telecast).
Other Grammy-related appearances on the latest LyricFind rankings include Paramore’s “This Is Why” at No. 8 on U.S. (and No. 18 on Global) and Dua Lipa’s “Houdini” at No. 9 on Global. “This Is Why” won the award for best alternative music performance, while Lipa performed “Houdini” during the broadcast.
Front row, from left: Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Victoria Monét, The Isley Brothers’ Ernie and Ronald Isley, Keyshia Cole, Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick and Rickey Minor. Back row, from left: Lainey Wilson, Andrew Wyatt, Harvey Mason Jr., Mark Ronson, Maluma, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav, Noah Kahan, Jelly Roll, Josh Groban, The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr., Green Day’s Tré Cool, The War and Treaty’s Tanya Trotter, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Andra Day and Green Day’s Mike Dirnt photographed on February 3, 2024 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Sami Drasin
Crypto.com Arena and its concessions partner, Levy Restaurants, broke their previous record for food sales at this year’s 66th Grammy Awards, averaging $97.17 in sales per person, says Lee Zeidman, president of Crypto.com Arena, Peacock Theater and LA Live. The sales figure was enough to top the record per cap of $95.94 at last year’s […]
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Killer Mike should be solely basking in the glow of making a perfect sweep of the categories he was nominated in at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. However, the Atlanta rapper and public figure was arrested at the venue where the Grammys were held. He has since addressed the incident while focusing on his new trophy haul.
Killer Mike, 48, notched the Best Rap Album award for his sixth studio album MICHAEL, and the Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance trophies for the track “Scientists & Engineers” with André 3000, Future, and Eryn Allen Kane.
Shortly after winning the awards, Killer Mike was seen in video footage being hauled off by officers on the scene with the LAPD stating the arrest resulted from an altercation at the Crypto.com Arena.
By way of Hip-Hop N More, the artist born Michael Render issued a statement and urged his supporters to continue running up MICHAEL despite the setback.
“I do want to note that last night, my team and I fielded a number of calls from concerned fans and colleagues wanting to know if I was OK. I greatly appreciate the concern and support, but I am better than OK. As you can imagine, there was a lot going and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an over-zealous security guard but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing.
Until that time, keep listening to ‘Michael,’ and keep going after your dreams,” a portion of the statement reads.
A longer statement of gratitude for the Grammy wins by Killer Mike can be viewed below.
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Photo: Getty
Killer Mike is confident his name will be cleared after an altercation with Grammy Awards security personnel on Sunday (Feb. 4) led to his arrest.
It was a bittersweet night for the Atlanta rapper, who won three Grammys — for rap song of the year and rap performance of the year for “Scientists & Engineers” and rap album of the year for Michael — and ended on a sour note when he was placed under arrest and was transported to LAPD Central Division.
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“I first want to extend my appreciation to the Grammy’s Committee for recognizing me and my team for the work that went into Michael,” he writes in a statement, seen by Billboard.
“We are incredibly proud and are basking in this moment. I am also grateful that one of my prayers has been answered – the day after my Grammy win – I learned that my son, who has been on the list for a kidney for years, finally has a match. Obviously, we are elated.”
According to reports, Killer Mike (real name Michael Render) exited a secure area at the Peacock Theater, where many of the awards were announced and handed out Sunday, before the main televised ceremony took place inside of Crypto.com arena.
He is then said to have attempted to return with several individuals to the secure area, sources tell Billboard, where he was stopped by security. When personnel demanded to see his access credentials, an argument ensured, and the hip-hop artist was led off in handcuffs.
“I do want to note that last night, my team and I fielded a number of calls from concerned fans and colleagues wanting to know if I was OK,” his statement continues. “I greatly appreciate the concern and support, but I am better than OK. As you can imagine, there was a lot going and there was some confusion around which door my team and I should enter. We experienced an over-zealous security guard but my team and I have the upmost confidence that I will ultimately be cleared of all wrongdoing.”
Until that time, he continues, “keep listening to ‘Michael,’ and keep going after your dreams.”
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Source: Cole Burston / Getty
Drake called out the Grammy Awards in a post on social media, declaring his support for those artists nominated that evening
As the Grammy Awards got underway Sunday night (Feb. 4), Drake expressed his feelings about the ceremony, making it clear that he wasn’t going to be paying attention. In a post to his Instagram Stories, he shared a clip of his acceptance speech during his last appearance at the awards in 2019. “All you incredible artists, remember this show isn’t the facts, it’s just the opinion of a group of people (whose) names are kept a secret (literally you can Google it),” the rapper wrote in a text caption over the clip. “Congrats to anybody winning anything for Hip-Hop, but this show doesn’t dictate s—t in our world.”
His animosity against the Grammy Awards and the Recording Academy began during that 2019 appearance where he won the Best Rap Song for “God’s Plan.” “We play in an opinion-based sport, not a factual-based sport,” he said at the time (at one point, his microphone seemed to be cut off). “It is not the NBA … This is a business where sometimes it is up to a bunch of people that might not understand what a mixed-race kid from Canada has to say … or a brother from Houston right there, my brother Travis,” Drake said. “You’ve already won if you have people who are singing your songs word for word, if you are a hero in your hometown. If there is people who have regular jobs who are coming out in the rain, in the snow, spending their hard-earned money to buy tickets to come to your shows, you don’t need this right here, I promise you, you already won.”
The Toronto, Canada, native also threw barbs at the Grammys in 2021 after The Weeknd didn’t receive any nominations that year. Drake was nominated four times at the 66th edition of the Grammys, including Best Rap Performance for “Rich Flex” from the Her Loss joint album with 21 Savage, which was also nominated for Best Rap Album. His solo album from last year, For All The Dogs, was not submitted for consideration. Drake is currently on his It’s All A Blur: Big As The What nationwide tour, performing the second of two nights at the Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida, with J. Cole. It runs through April 16, where it will end at Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado.
After two decades as a band, Paramore won their first two Grammys on Sunday (Feb. 4), taking home the awards for best rock album, best alternative music performance for This Is Why. To celebrate, the trio took to Instagram to thank fans for listening to their music. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news […]
Billie Eilish is just as excited about Ariana Grande’s upcoming album as the rest of us. While chatting with CBS Mornings on the Grammy Awards red carpet on Sunday (Feb. 4), the star revealed that she’ll be releasing new music “soon,” but she’s waiting on Grande to release her seventh album, Eternal Sunshine, on March […]
Victoria Monét won her long overdue first Grammy on Sunday night (Feb. 4), beating Noah Kahan, Jelly Roll and Ice Spice, among others, for the coveted best new artist trophy. She also won best R&B album for Jaguar II and best engineered album, non-classical. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news […]
The 2024 Grammy Awards held on Sunday night (Feb. 4) boasted a wealth of history-making moments: female artists took home trophies in each of the Big Four categories for the third time in just five years; Taylor Swift became the first artist to win album of the year four times; Miley Cyrus won her first-ever Grammy for best pop solo performance with “Flowers.”
But one such historic moment went quietly overlooked on Sunday night — three of the winners in the Big Four categories were queer women. Cyrus’s record of the year win with “Flowers,” Billie Eilish’s song of the year win for “What Was I Made For?” and Victoria Monét’s best new artist win mark the first time in recent memory that three different LGBTQ artists took home trophies in the evening’s main categories.
“It’s huge,” says Anthony Allen Ramos, vice president of communications and talent at LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD. “Seeing LGBTQ women dominate three of the biggest categories is something to be really excited about and proud of, especially today.”
Wins for queer artists weren’t relegated to the evening’s big categories, either — LGBTQ artists earned wins across a multitude of genres. Boygenius, the supergroup made up of queer superstars Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, took home three trophies for best rock performance, best rock song and best alternative music album; Bridgers, meanwhile, walked away as the most awarded artist of the night with her four wins. Monét nabbed a win for best R&B album with Jaguar II. Americana categories awarded trophies to LGBTQ stars like Allison Russell (best american roots performance for “Eve Was Black”), Brandy Clark and Brandi Carlile (both in best Americana performance for “Dear Insecurity”).
Ramos points out that even in oft-undiscussed categories, LGBTQ artists saw huge wins. “We had Carla Patullo winning for best new age, ambient or chant album,” he tells Billboard. “It felt like we finally had wonderful representation in all genres, and I think that’s really important, because it’s not just about [queer artists] being in pop or dance. I never even thought about having LGBTQ inclusion in the best new age category!”
Representation for LGBTQ talent at the Grammys has steadily risen over the last few years, with the Recording Academy even debuting their new Academy Proud initiative this year to help “support and amplify LGBTQIA+ voices and drive queer representation at the Recording Academy and the music industry at-large.”
These major successes for queer folks at the 2024 Grammys come at a time of upheaval for the LGBTQ+ community at large — nearly 400 bills targeting the community have already been proposed this year in state legislatures around the United States, with more no doubt still to come. While LGBTQ+ artists earning record-high honors at an awards show might seem trivial in the face of direct attacks against queer and trans people around the world, the facts actually show otherwise.
According to data collected by The Trevor Project, 79% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that seeing musicians come out as members of the LGBTQ+ community made them feel better about their own identity. Meanwhile, 71% of respondents said that seeing straight, cisgender celebrities advocate for the LGBTQ+ community improved their own feelings on gender and sexuality.
Kevin Wong, the Trevor Project’s senior vice president of marketing, communications and content, tells Billboard in an emailed statement that representation at awards shows like the Grammys isn’t just about winning more trophies for queer-identifying artists — it’s about providing an example to kids in desperate need of hope in dark times.
“Seeing queer artists celebrated for their contributions to the music industry can make a positive impact on LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health,” he explains, adding that the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation makes that representation “especially meaningful for LGBTQ+ young people.”
Even in the realm of music, Ramos says that queer success only begets more queer success. “The more success and art that they put out into the universe, the more that will resonate and connect with other artists and [help them] feel empowered to be themselves and to tell their authentic stories,” he says. “I was speaking with TJ Osborne, and he said it’s incredible how many times people have come up to him and said, ‘I am part of the community, I never felt like I could be a fan of country music, but you are changing that.’”
While Ramos points to a continued lack of representation for transgender and non-binary artists at the annual ceremony as an “area for improvement,” he makes it clear that the road ahead for LGBTQ+ artists only gets brighter. “This is a moment for everyone to realize that accepting yourself affects the art that you put out in the best way.”
