Adele ended her night at the 2017 Grammy Awards with back-to-back wins for album of the year and record of the year, but used her final moments on stage to salute Beyoncé and her “monumental” album “Lemonade.” Beyoncé, meanwhile, wowed the audience with a spiritual performance and also took home the prize for urban contemporary album. Chance the Rapper was also among the top winners of the night, taking the prize for new artist as well as rap album.
Sting keeps it simple for ‘The Empty Chair’
The song is called “The Empty Chair,” but Sting didn’t even use one of those.
For a rendition of his and composer J. Ralph’s tender folk ballad from “Jim: The James Foley Story” — about the journalist murdered in 2014 by members of Islamic State — Sting opted for a stripped-down approach at the Oscars, standing simply as he sang and played guitar.
The performance ended with a quote from Foley illuminated on a large screen behind Sting: “If I don’t have the moral courage to challenge authority ... we don’t have journalism.”
Lin-Manuel Miranda set up Auli’i Cravalho for a powerful ‘alley-oop’
He said he was here just to help out — and he was right.
On the red carpet before the Oscars, “Moana” composer Lin-Manuel Miranda told The Times that his role in a rendition of the movie’s “How Far I’ll Go” was merely a supporting one.
“My performance is entirely created to support Auli’i Cravalho, who is 16 years old and one of the most incredible young performers I’ve ever seen,” the actor and songwriter said. “So really it’s an alley-oop.”
As promised, Miranda appeared onstage for only a few seconds (despite his marquee billing), rapping a brief introduction before passing the ball to Cravalho, who then dunked the thing in a major way.
If she can sing as assuredly as she just did at 16 — and before an estimated TV audience of 100 million people — she won’t need anyone else to set her up for long.
Justin Timberlake knows what Denzel Washington likes
Justin Timberlake opened Sunday’s Academy Awards with a typically spirited performance of “Can’t Stop the Feeling,” his Oscar-nominated song from the animated movie “Trolls.”
But just in case anyone thought the former teen-pop star didn’t belong among the grown-ups at the Dolby Theatre, Timberlake fleshed out the song with a bit of “Lovely Day” by the veteran soul great Bill Withers. (Worth nothing: The tunes’ bass lines are crazy similar.)
“I know you know this, Denzel,” Timberlake said as he pointed to Denzel Washington in the audience — I guess because the “Fences” actor and Withers are both black men?
Maybe later Sting will quiz Viola Davis about Aretha!
Carlos Santana changes his tune on Beyoncé: ‘I have the utmost respect for her as an artist and a person’
Acclaimed guitarist Carlos Santana is retreating on his remarks about Beyoncé after aggressively poking the overly agitated Beyhive.
The rock icon was regaling singer Adele Adkins with more adulation following her record-breaking wins at the 59th Grammy Awards on Sunday, including her victory over Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” for album of the year.
“I think that Adele won because she can sing sing .... With all respect to our sister Beyoncé, Beyoncé is very beautiful to look at and it’s more like modeling kind of music -- music to model a dress -- she’s not a ‘singer’ singer, with all respect to her,” Santana, 69, told the Australian Associated Press ahead of his band’s New Zealand and Australia tour dates.
Santana, a 13-time Grammy winner who once performed with Beyoncé in 2003 at a pre-game show for the Super Bowl, kept digging a hole by explaining why Adele won.
“She doesn’t bring all the dancers and props. She can just stand there and she just stood there and sang the song and that’s it. And this is why she wins,” he said.
Beyoncé’s fans dragged Santana on social media, and the escalating furor prompted him to issue a statement on Facebook on Tuesday clarifying his remarks and lauding the showstopping performer.
“My intent was to congratulate Adele on her amazing night at the Grammies,” he wrote. “My comment about Beyoncé was regretfully taken out of context. I have the utmost respect for her as an artist and a person. She deserves all the accolades that come her way. I wish Beyoncé and her family all the best.”
Adele also praised Bey during her acceptance speech, saying that she couldn’t possibly accept the album of the year award.
“My artist of my life is Beyoncé and this album, for me, the ‘Lemonade’ album, was just so monumental,” she said.
The British star elaborated on her remarks with reporters backstage after the show.
“I felt like it was her time to win,” she said. “What does she have to do to win album of the year?”
Chance the Rapper celebrates his Grammy wins with ice cream, pizza and a surprise Migos performance
Chance the Rapper, newly crowned best new artist at the Grammys, along with two other wins, was a gracious host at GQ magazine’s Grammy party at the Chateau Marmont hotel in West Hollywood on Sunday night.
The “No Problem” rapper had complimentary baseball caps, ice cream and pizza at the ready at the epic bash (hosted in partnership with YouTube), good-naturedly posed for photos with fans and even hugged fans on their way out at the end of the night. Just par for the course for an artist who has consistently defied convention, building a career on positivity and artistic integrity in an industry that seldom rewards it.
By 10:30 p.m., the space looked to be at full capacity, just 30 minutes after the party officially kicked off. Chance was among the stars who turned up early, jubilantly dancing onstage, making his rounds and greeting guests who ranged from Oscar-nominated actor Don Cheadle to up-and-coming rapper Lil Yachty.
A surprise performance early in the night by rap group Migos drew a roar from the crowd during the opening strains of the mega-hit “Bad and Boujee.” Migos also performed its new single “T-Shirt” before Chance took the stage.
A Prince tribute, Beyoncé watches herself and Grammy moments you didn’t see on TV
The 59th Grammy Awards had no shortage of major moments: Beyoncé’s breathtaking performance and surprising loss in all major categories, Adele’s flub, a Prince tribute from the Time and Bruno Mars that electrified the audience and then, of course, a victory lap from Chance the Rapper, winner for new artist.
But there was lots of action the cameras didn’t catch.
Here’s a few that caught our attention.
Beyoncé getting a glimpse of her old self. During commercial breaks the audience was treated to past Grammy performances and at one point Prince and Beyoncé’s dazzling opening duet at the 2004 telecast was shown. As Beyoncé watched from her seat — after her ethereal showing — she fanned herself and danced a bit.
Adele’s Grammys restart took confidence, and was actually a pop-star power play
Is this becoming a habit for Adele?
As you’ve surely heard by now, the young British singer went dramatically off-script at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, halting her shaky performance of the late George Michael’s “Fastlove” (presumably because she couldn’t hear her accompaniment) and asking to start the tribute again.
But although the moment was shocking — at least by the tightly managed standards of televised awards shows — it wasn’t exactly a surprise: After all, Adele experienced a similar mishap at the 2016 Grammys, at which she delivered a deeply pitchy rendition of her song “All I Ask” that seemed to disrupt the idea of Adele’s vocal prowess.
“I can’t do it again like last year,” she said Sunday as she stopped “Fastlove,” and the pain of “All I Ask” was clearly still vivid in her memory.
The latest Grammy snub shows that even Beyoncé can hit the glass ceiling
Beyoncé and Adele went head-to-head four times at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. Both were nominated for album of the year, song of the year, record of the year, and best pop solo performance. In every category, Adele was awarded the Grammy. Every time, Beyoncé, the peerless pop music icon of our time, was told she was second-best.
This should be a shock. While Adele’s singular voice, talent and devotion to her craft are undeniable, Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” was as complete an artistic statement as we have seen in our fractured pop moment — a one-of-a-kind visual album composed of genre-crossing track after track, conceived and produced on a scale unrivaled by any artist, living or dead. It was also a pitch-perfect rallying cry for black women to get in formation, their allies behind them, and forge a way forward despite the human imperfections of the men in their lives.
It happened the year before that, too, when Beyoncé lost the Grammy for album of the year to Beck.
Like many people of color unsurprised by the election of Donald Trump, Beyoncé knows the ceiling is centuries thick.
— John Vilanova
Peter Dundas fashion sketches reveal the inspiration behind Beyoncé’s Grammy gowns
After channeling a golden goddess on stage at the 2017 Grammy Awards, Beyoncé reappeared in red.
The songstress was wearing a number from designer Peter Dundas, who left Roberto Cavalli last year. In fact, Dundas was all over Beyoncé at the Grammy Awards this year, because the creator crafted not only this fiery look but her stage costumes as well.
Revealing the sketches for his “muse queen Bey” on Instagram, Dundas also announced the launch of the Peter Dundas Eponymous collection.
Katy Perry wears her politics on her sleeve. And her lapel. And her body. And her Grammys set.
During her Grammy performance of “Chained to the Rhythm” with Skip Marley, Katy Perry had about as much political subtlety as a car with more bumper stickers than bumper.
There was the white pantsuit, supporting Hillary Clinton. There was the lapel pin, supporting Planned Parenthood. There was the preamble to the U.S. Constitution, seemingly supporting the entire set as it was projected on the backdrop at the end of the song.
And there was the shiny white armband emblazoned with pink sequins that spelled out “Persist” -- an apparent invocation of Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s televised clash last week in the Senate, when she was shut down while reading criticisms of attorney general nominee Jeff Sessions’ civil rights record, before he was confirmed.
“She was warned. She was given an explanation. Nevertheless she persisted,” said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).
No need to explain yourself further, Katy Perry. We get it.
READ MORE: When it comes to politics, the Grammys let the music do the talking>>
From birth till death, the Grammys captured the full circle of life
The full spectrum of life was on display at Sunday’s 59th Grammy Awards.
Much of the attention surrounding the ceremony in Los Angeles centered on artist comments or performances on hot political issues, but some of the more emotional moments sprang from the timeless themes of life and death.
There were grand tributes to those whom we’ve lost, of course — Bruno Mars and Adele honored Prince and George Michael, respectively — but also more subtle homages to the circle of life, such as Beyoncé’s performance that referenced the beauty of childbirth.
Beyoncé also indicated during her acceptance speech for the urban contemporary album Grammy that the collection, “Lemonade,” was directed in large part to her children.
“My intention for the [‘Lemonade’] film and album was to create a body of work that will give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness and our history, to confront issues that make us uncomfortable,” she said.
“It’s important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families, as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House and the Grammys, and see themselves. And have no doubt that they’re beautiful, intelligent and capable.
“This is something I want for every child of every race, and I feel it’s vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.”
Likewise, it was the birth of roots-country singer-songwriter Sturgill Simpson’s first child about three years ago that he has consistently cited as the main inspiration for his sophomore album, “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,” which earned a surprise nomination in the overall album of the year category and snared him the country album trophy Sunday.
Picking up his award during the pre-telecast ceremony at the Microsoft Theater, Simpson told onlookers, “Six years ago, I was in Utah working on the railroad, writing songs at night.”
‘You are our light’: Why Adele bowed to Beyoncé
During her speech for winning Album of the Year, Adele thanked Beyonce.
It was Adele’s night. But it happened in Beyoncé’s world.
That was the takeaway of Sunday’s 59th Grammy Awards, where the young British singer won three of the music industry’s biggest prizes — album, record and song of the year — yet seemed overshadowed by the visionary multimedia star she described as her idol.
Accepting the album of the year award for “25,” her blockbuster set of personal, old-fashioned pop ballads, Adele said she couldn’t rightfully take the Grammy knowing that it came at the expense of “Lemonade,” Beyoncé’s album connecting one woman’s marital troubles to the wider cultural struggle faced by women of color.
“You are our light,” Adele told Beyoncé, who looked on with an expression of queenly gratitude.
Grading James Corden as the Grammy host
The Grammy Awards, whose 59th edition took place at Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday night, is essentially a series of performances interrupted by speeches. Depending on the state of the world, these may be topical or not. See below.
This year, with “Late Late Show” host James Corden replacing fellow CBS stablemate LL Cool J as host — CBS broadcast the show — some comedy was added to the mix. It’s not a bad idea in a 3½-hour show to work a little humor in every 45 minutes or so.
And Corden, who has a pitched-to-the-back-of-the-hall energy that sits well in a basketball arena, was a natural choice. His notoriety is built on the viral success of his “Carpool Karaoke” franchise, which reminds you that inside every pop star is a nerdy kid holding a hairbrush for a microphone, and the host is himself a singer confident enough to throw an unrehearsed harmony line onto a duet with Lady Gaga or Adele.
It was Adele, in fact, who opened the show, amid a circle of lights in an otherwise dark space, singing “Hello,” which later would win song of the year. There was a kind of mix-tape logic in the choice, given the title, and as a quiet display of pure musicality it was a nice way to begin.
Corden came on after, with a set-malfunction joke, as the elevator carrying him to the top of a stairway stopped halfway; he clambered up, and then, in an excellent and surprising bit of slapstick, disappeared between steps; then having clambered up again, rolled the rest of the way down. Though he did not sing, he rapped his opening monologue, working in names known and less known. (“Sturgill Simpson is here, and Google just crashed / Everyone typin’ ‘Who the hell is that?’”).
Corden’s contributions for the rest of the night emphasized self-deprecation. Introducing Gina Rodriguez, he said, “She plays ‘Jane the Virgin’ on TV; I played James the virgin until my 31st birthday.”
There was music and there were protests, but the Grammys once again belonged to Adele
Adele, the English queen of pop heartbreak and redemption, scored a perfect five for five Sunday at the 59th Grammy Awards, sweeping the top categories of album, record and song of the year in a triumphant return to the spotlight following a long, trying hiatus.
She also won points for humility and grace, restarting a tribute to George Michael that she began off-key and paying homage, in the evening’s final moments, to the artist considered her key rival for the top awards.
As she accepted the album of the year award for the blockbuster “25,” the singer, born Adele Adkins, paid homage to Beyoncé.
“The ‘Lemonade’ album is monumental, so monumental, so well-thought-out, so beautiful and soul-baring,” Adele said as Beyoncé looked on from her seat in Staples Center and mouthed the words “Thank you.”
Adele’s hit single “Hello” also collected the song award, which recognizes songwriting, and record of the year, which factors in vocal performance and record production. In addition, she won the awards for pop vocal album and solo performance.
Beyonce, who received the most nominations this year, won two of her nine categories; “Lemonade” won for urban contemporary album and “Formation” won the music video award.
David Bowie’s final album, “Blackstar,” also picked up five Grammy Awards for alternative music album, rock song, rock performance, engineered nonclassical album and recording package.
Not surprisingly given the mood of the country, the ceremony featured several moments of political commentary, ranging from calls for unity to blatant criticism.
In accepting the urban contemporary album award, Beyoncé said, “My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that will give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness and our history, to confront issues that make us uncomfortable.
“It’s important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty,” she continued, “so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror, first through their own families, as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House and the Grammys, and see themselves. And have no doubt that they’re beautiful, intelligent and capable.”
Far more direct was the call-out to “President Agent Orange” from hip-hop collective A Tribe Called Quest.
This year’s Grammys will be remembered for its songs of protest
As in almost every show in this volatile awards season, political protest was all over the Grammys this year. From subtle and poised to outraged and esoteric, resistance came from artists of all genres and will likely be a major part of what this contentious Grammy ceremony will be remembered for.
Far from avoiding the obvious tension in American political life, Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich encouraged artists before the show to say as much about it as they could during their sets.
“If you have record labels and such to thank, please thank them later backstage with the press and say something important,” he said. “We’re expecting it.”
Many accepted his invitation. In an awards season marked by political activism — at the Golden Globes, Meryl Streep lectured President Trump on civility, Screen Actors Guild Awards winners denounced Trump’s travel ban — no doubt more than a few viewers tuned in to see what the music community, long outspoken on leftist causes, would have to say.
When it came to speeches, the artists at the prime-time Grammy telecast were relatively subdued. They seemed to heed the words of Recording Academy board member John Poppo, who in the early afternoon at a preshow said, “People can have ideologies that are so different that they’re willing to wage war over them, and yet very often they’re singing the same songs on both sides of the battlefield.”
So they let the music do the talking.
Adele on feeling ‘devastated’ by her flubbed George Michael tribute and why ‘Lemonade’ should have won
Adele had to stop and restart her George Michael tribute at the Grammy Awards.
Adele appeared flushed but resplendent in green backstage at the Grammys after becoming the first artist to sweep album, record and song of the year twice.
As with her final acceptance speech, the singer, who won five Grammys on Sunday night, gushed over the importance of Beyonce’s “Lemonade,” saying that she had spoken to her childhood idol both before and after the show.
She also said that her mistake during her George Michael tribute, which caused her to drop multiple f-bombs and ask for the song to be started over, left her feeling “devastated.”
“My earliest memory of me being a fan was ‘Fastlove,’ ” she recalled. “When the video came out, I was blown away by how hot he was. I was young, I was about 10 and I heard the vulnerability in that song.”
After Michael died, Adele told her partner Simon Konecki that she had to be the one to perform his Grammy tribute. At first his family didn’t want a tribute, she said, but they later came back to the Grammys specifying that they would allow a tribute only if Adele performed it.
“I found him to be one of the truest icons, because famous people often create this massive bravado to protect themselves, but for him it wasn’t based on a look or an assumption,” she said. “And he was very British.… The British press really gave him a hard time, but he still stayed loyal to the very end.”
Writing “25” was a difficult experience for Adele, who felt in many ways as if she had disappeared after having her son.
“I felt the pressure writing ’25,’ and in the process I couldn’t find my voice. I’m still not sure I did,” she confessed. “I was gone for so long. I had my baby and raised him through the toddler years, and then slowly edged my way back into work, but I thought that nobody would care.
“The Grammy means a lot to me, and I’m very humbled by that accomplishment … but like I said in my speech my album of the year was ‘Lemonade,’ so a part of me died inside,” she said, adding that the prize was largely for her son, who knows, “I’m a powerful force, he feels it at home and when he goes to work with me.”
She said that she wrote a lot less of “25” than she did of “21” because, “I had a bad drinking problem with ’21,’ so I couldn’t really find the inspiration this time around.”
She wrapped up her time with the press by circling back to Beyonce, who she said became her idol when she was 11. She was practicing a song for an assembly and she suggested to her friends that they do a Spice Girls song, but then her friends played a track by Destiny’s Child.
“I remember how I felt when I heard it, and I fell in love immediately with her and that was when I was 11, and I’m 28 now, and how I felt when I heard ‘No, No, No’ was exactly how I felt when I heard ‘Lemonade’ last year,” she said. “For her to be making such relevant music for that long of a period — I felt like it was her time to win — what does she have to do to win album of the year?
“The Grammys are very traditional, but I thought this year would be the year that they would go with the tide. I’m very grateful to have won it, but I felt the need [to do what she did during her acceptance speech] because I love her and I felt she is more worthy.”
Should President Trump be offended by the Grammy Awards? Neil Portnow addresses the question
By the end of Sunday’s Grammy Awards, President Donald Trump’s Twitter account had been mostly cold. There were no inflamed messages about the evening’s ceremony, even though there were veiled and outright incendiary commentaries on his administration.
A Tribe Called Quest ended its thunderous performance in a chant of “resist, resist, resist.” And Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, addressed Trump head-on in his annual speech.
“The Recording Academy, together with America’s music makers, call on the president and Congress to help keep the music playing by updating music laws, protecting music education and renewing America’s commitment to the arts,” Portnow said.
Backstage after the ceremony, a reporter asked Portnow how he would respond if Trump went on the offensive.
“When you’re a public figure and when you’re the president of the United States, some will be happy with what you do and sing your praises and some will not,” Portnow said. “And that’s what a democracy is about.
“We just had a major election that obviously has us, in many ways, divided as a country,” he added. “We don’t weigh in on the pros and cons, what we like, what we don’t like. We give the stage to artists to express themselves.”
Check out the highlights from 2017 Grammy Awards’ in our photo gallery
Recording Academy President Neil Portnow takes a stand for the arts
Jokingly almost-introduced as Kanye West by Grammys host James Corden, Recording Academy President Neil Portnow took the stage late in the Grammys telecast to address the crowd. Below, the full text of his remarks, which advocated for the arts and arts education.
“We are constantly reminded about the things that divide us. Race, region and religion. Gender, sexual orientation, political party. But what we need so desperately are more reminders of all that binds us together – our shared history, our common values and our dedication to build for ourselves a more perfect union.
“More than a century ago, a poem was combined with a musical composition and became an instantly recognizable song the world over. Let’s see if you know it. (An 18-year-old female Grammy Jazz Ensemble trumpeter performed the first 14 notes of “America the Beautiful.”)
“Thank you, Miranda. ‘America the Beautiful’ captures the essence of our country and reminds us that we are – and always will be – one people, from sea to shining sea. In times of triumph and of tragedy, we turn to song and the abiding power of music to lift our spirits, soothe our souls and remind us that everything will be OK.
“President John F. Kennedy once observed, ‘The life of the arts is very close to the center of a nation’s purpose – and is a test of the quality of a nation’s civilization.’ That’s so true. And that’s why we must be loud and clear in our unwavering support of music and the arts – and those who create it.
“Behind the extraordinary artists you’ve seen here on our stage are hundreds of thousands of unsung musicians, songwriters, producers and engineers – American creators – whose jobs suffer from outdated rules and regulations, some going back 100 years.
“So, the Recording Academy, together with America’s music makers, call on the President and Congress to help keep the music playing by updating music laws, protecting music education and renewing America’s commitment to the arts. It’s our collective responsibility to preserve what binds us – and to ensure that the whole world continues to benefit from one of our most unique, economically and spiritually important assets and exports: American music.
“And now, let’s turn our hearts to celebrate the beautiful lives we lost in our music community this past year.”
Bruno Mars ‘ripped it up’ during Prince tribute, Morris Day says
Morris Day and the Time appeared backstage after their rousing Prince tribute with Bruno Mars to lament the loss of the Purple One and to give credit to Mars for keeping up with them.
“It was double-edged for me because I hate the reason we are here, but I’m glad to be here,” said Day while the Time (all original members) stood nodding behind him. “I think it was fitting.
“He was one of the best ever,” Day continued about Prince, who he and his band played for in Minneapolis a few months before the Artist’s death. “His legacy will go on forever. He was one of the best musicians that ever lived.”
Day and company extended kind words for Mars’ performance as well.
“He ripped it up — I think it was perfect,” Day said. “I don’t think there was another artist who could have pulled it off as perfectly as Bruno did.”
If Mars asked them to go on tour with him and presented them with “the right amount of money,” they joked, they would “consider” it.
Adele honors Beyonce during album of the year victory, tells her ‘I wish you were my mother’
Adele tearfully thanked Beyonce while accepting her album of the year award for “25.”
The album-of-the-year Grammy was always a two-woman battle, between Adele and Beyoncé. This year Adele scored the trophy -- but almost didn’t accept it.
During a tearful speech in which she thanked her friends and family, she turned to Beyoncé and told her it was hard to accept the trophy knowing how much Beyoncé’s “Lemonade” had meant to her.
“My artist of my life is Beyoncé,” Adele said.
“I adore you and I want you to be my mommy,” Adele had said earlier to Beyoncé while accepting record of the year, to big laughter. But she seemed to mean it.
For her part, Beyoncé beamed at Adele during the speech, shaking her head humbly as Adele piled on compliments for the power and courage behind “Lemonade.”
But by the end of the night Adele’s victory for “25” seemed assured. She’d already earned song of the year and record of the year for “Hello,” and bested Beyoncé in pop solo performance.
Acknowledging the time off she’d taken to have a baby and stressing how difficult being a mother is, Adele added, “It took an army to make me strong and willing to do it again.”
The victory eclipsed Adele’s earlier performance stumble, in which she had to restart her George Michael tribute.
Not that anyone cared. Adele’s humility shone through, as always.
According to Grammy officials, Adele is the first artist to sweep album, record and song of the year twice.
Solange took home her first Grammy, joining sister Beyoncé in the gold trophy party
Solange Knowles finally (and deservedly) joined her sister
Beyoncé as a Grammy winner Sunday night, taking home her first trophy for R&B performance for “Cranes in the Sky.”
“Honestly, I feel like I won a long time ago because of all of the connectivity this album has had, particularly with black women,” Knowles said backstage in the press room.
Knowles mentioned she had written “Cranes in the Sky” eight years ago, but it kept getting pushed aside. Taken from her breakthrough album “A Seat at the Table,” the song put Knowles in the pantheon of artists unafraid to address politics and social justice in their work.
“All that we can do as artists, especially as a songwriter, is to write about the truth,” she said, adding that Nina Simone and Marvin Gaye have been touchstones for her.
“I’m grateful to those artists because it’s not easy to do that,” she said, “but we’re not doing anything new.”
Bruno Mars and the Time do the late Prince justice
An easy rule for Grammy memorial tributes: don’t dress up like the guy you’re honoring. Unless you’re Bruno Mars, perhaps the one person at the Grammys who could credibly fill Prince’s purple suit.
Since Prince’s death last year, it’s clear that it’s usually a fool’s errand to even try and live up to his standards onstage (Shiela E. excepted, for obvious reasons). But if anyone could do it, it’s Mars, who already had one genial performance earlier.
He returned to the stage in full Prince regalia – was it blasphemy or audacious?
But the thing about Mars is, he’s got a similar mix of instrumental chops, stage presence and deftness with electro-funk that made Prince so exalted. Add a kickoff set from the Time, favored collaborators of the Purple One, for a medley of “Jungle Love/The Bird” into “Let’s Go Crazy,” and it all adds up to an homage that’s not just respectful, but flat-out fun and worthy of the benefactor.
After a year laced with so much death in music, that was no little achievement. Kudos to mars for sticking the toughest landing on the Grammy stage tonight.
Adele wins album of the year for ‘25’
The other nominees were:
- “Lemonade” — Beyoncé
- “Purpose” — Justin Bieber
- “Views” — Drake
- “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” — Sturgill Simpson
Adele wins record of the year for ‘Hello’
The other nominees were:
- “Formation” — Beyoncé
- “7 Years” — Lukas Graham
- “Work” — Rihanna featuring Drake
- “Stressed Out” — Twenty One Pilots
Why were people booing after Adele’s acceptance speech?
After winning her Grammy for song of the year for “Hello,” Adele used much of her acceptance speech to thank the song’s producer and co-writer Greg Kurstin.
“I’d like to thank Greg because Greg kept coming to England for me, to work with me,” Adele said.
“He would come to me in England so I didn’t have to leave my son and yet he would leave [his] son and daughter. So thank you for your patience with me and for helping to create my favorite song I’ve ever done.”
But when Kurstin, a native Angeleno, stepped up to the microphone, music began to play, cutting him off entirely and drawing boos from the audience. Earlier, during the non-televised portion of the show, Kurstin accepted a Grammy for producer of the year, nonclassical.
The interruption was not lost on viewers who expressed their outrage on Twitter.
Rihanna packs a sparky flask to the Grammys, continues to have more fun than everyone else around her
Sure, Rihanna could afford to pay the ridiculous liquor prices they charge at Staples Center, but why bother when your flask looks this fabulous?
Rihanna was caught on camera during the broadcast swigging from the flask, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand and passing it along to the woman next to her, who took a shot as well.
Proving yet again that Rihanna is the most fun of all the rock stars, pop stars, singers and starlettes.
Once a Grammy camp student, country singer Maren Morris is now winning gold and singing with Alicia Keys
A petite Maren Morris, who won for country solo performance, appeared backstage in a silver sequined dress clutching her shiny gold Grammy. Her first request? That the microphone be lowered.
“I have heels on and I’m still too short for the microphone,” she laughed.
With four nominations, Morris is the most nominated country artist this year, so she said it felt particularly gratifying to be holding a statue.
“I’m still sort of processing it, but it feels amazing,” she said. “I was nominated with a lot of my friends in those categories, so to walk away with it is really validating.”
Morris was part of the first “crop of Grammy campers” (referring to the Grammy Foundation’s music industry camp for U.S. high school students) back in 2005 and at the time she dreamed that one day she might find herself on stage for the honor that, 11 years later, is now hers.
She said her favorite part of the evening was singing with Alicia Keys, and that since she had sung with Keys before -- on CMT’s mash-up series “Crossroads” -- it didn’t make her anxious. The pair had long joked that country and soul music were cousins.
“I was more nervous to walk up the stairs to accept my award and not fall over my dress,” she said.
Her Grammy win won’t add pressure when it comes to making her next album, which she hasn’t started.
“I don’t look at things in terms of pressure, that’s counterproductive to the creative process,” she said. “I think the next one is going to be fun.”
She has plans to celebrate after the ceremony with her family and her boyfriend.
“I’m going to have my first drink in a month,” she said. “I fit into the dress so now I can throw down.”
Anderson .Paak teams with A Tribe Called Quest to perform medley, and Busta Rhymes blasts Donald Trump
Among the many inspiring artists who passed in 2016, the rapper Phife Dawg’s death hit the hip-hop community hard. As co-founder of A Tribe Called Quest, he helped create classics of the genre including “People’s Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm,” “Midnight Marauders” and “The Low End Theory.”
The group issued its swan song, “We Got It From Here ... Thank You for Your Service” in 2016, and its co-founders Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Q-Tip landed on stage with Busta Rhymes and best new artist nominee Anderson .Paak.
In introducing the tribute, Q-Tip gestured toward an empty microphone and dedicated the performance to Phife.
Anderson .Paak sang and played drums, but it was the roar of Busta Rhymes that made the biggest impression. Decrying “President Agent Orange,” he and the others crashed through a makeshift wall and a mass of immigrants moved onto the stage and down the aisles.
Said Rhymes: “I just want to thank President Agent Orange for perpetuating all of the evil you been perpetuating throughout the United States. I want to thank President Agent Orange for your unsuccessful attempt at the Muslim ban.”
The tribute featured the older Tribe tracks “Movin’ Backwards” and “Award Tour” but focused on the new track “We the People.” A timely song, particularly in light of recent changes to U.S. immigration policies, its chorus jumped out of the speakers:
“All the black folks, you must go/ All the Mexicans, you must go/ All the poor folks, you must go/ Muslims and gays, we hate your ways/ See all you bad folks you must go.”
At the end with the people alongside him onstage, Q-Tip screamed, “Resist! Resist! Resist!”
Grammys don’t do the Bee Gees proud
It’s been 40 years since the Bee Gees released “Stayin’ Alive,” a hit that would popularize the disco era, make John Travolta a star and spawn a lackluster tribute at the Grammys on Sunday night.
Demi Lovato opened well enough with “Stayin’ Alive,” but when Tori Kelly jumped in with “Tragedy,” it was clear this was going to be another weird Grammy mash-up by the most unlikely candidate. Enter Little Big Town crooning “How Deep Is Your Love?”
Barry Gibb clapped along in the audience, looking equal parts pleased and puzzled, hearing the music he played with his late brothers, Robin and Maurice.
All the artists and Andra Day came together at the end for another stab at “Stayin’ Alive,” ensuring that the 1970s hit would need triage in order to stay alive after they were done with it.
‘Blackstar’ saxophonist Donny McCaslin feels David Bowie should have been nominated in major categories
Clutching an armful of Grammys — five, to be exact — Donny McCaslin stopped backstage to represent David Bowie’s critically acclaimed final album, “Blackstar,” on which McCaslin played saxophone.
Even with five Grammy wins, including for rock song and alternative music album, there was a sense that the album was shut out from the major categories. “Blackstar” was released mere days before Bowie’s death in January 2016.
“I’ll start by saying that nobody could represent David Bowie, but I’m glad to be here to represent him,” said McCaslin, whose black ensemble included a T-shirt with a white star in homage to the album’s artwork.
“In terms of him not being nominated in the bigger categories, to me it’s very clear that he should have been nominated in couple of those major ones.”
Lady Gaga and Metallica shred ... something
Lady Gaga and Metallica can at least take comfort in this: it didn’t happen at the Super Bowl.
Gaga, fresh off a well-received but atypically (for her) apolitical Super Bowl halftime show, had intended to team up with Metallica to showcase her hard-rock bona fides. It should have been a good fit – she’s long used heavy guitars in her bombastic pop, and she turned herself into a motorcycle for one infamous album cover.
But from the first seconds of their collaboration on “Moth Into Flame,” from Metallica’s throwback thrash record “Hardwired…To Self Destruct,” it was a more of a ten-car pileup.
James Hetfield’s microphone gave up on him before he even got a word in, leaving the famously gravelly frontman in total awkward silence between Gaga’s verses. Their backup dancers, swaying in some weird approximation of “heavy metal dancing,” couldn’t hold a candle to the most off-hours amateur night at Jumbo’s Clown Room.
The whole set evoked a fire sale on the store floor at Guitar center, when fifteen dudes are all trying to out-finger-tap each other in a cacophonous hail. Gaga was obviously thrilled to be there, finally fronting the arena-rock band of her dreams and stage-diving backwards into the crowd. But Hetfield threw his guitar and walked offstage the second it was over.
You and us both, dude.
Who is Gavin Grimm? Learn about the teenager Laverne Cox mentioned at the Grammys
Just before actress Laverne Cox took the stage Sunday to introduce a performance by Lady Gaga and Metallica (though she forgot to mention the heavy-metal band), she encouraged viewers to Google the case of Gavin Grimm.
Who is he exactly?
Gavin Grimm is the Virginia teenager at the center of an upcoming Supreme Court case that will tackle transgender rights for the first time.
The trial, set for March, will determine whether schools nationwide can force students to use restrooms that match the gender on their birth certificate.
Read more about it here.
After winning for rap album, Chance the Rapper thanks Mom, Dad and ... SoundCloud
Chance the Rapper had a special shout-out after accepting the Grammy award for rap album.
“This is for every indie artist,” Chance began. “Shouts out to SoundCloud for holding me down. It’s another one, baby!”
SoundCloud, a music-sharing platform, is popular among new and independent artists. Chance has over 1 million SoundCloud followers and has uploaded more than 70 tracks on the service.
Of course, the platform had a response for its music-sharing poster child.
Adele’s ‘Hello’ wins song of the year
“Hello” songwriters Adele Adkins and Greg Kurstin won the Grammy for song of the year. The other nominees were:
- “Formation” — Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles & Michael L. Williams II, songwriters (Beyoncé)
- “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” — Mike Posner, songwriter (Mike Posner)
- “Love Yourself” — Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Justin Bieber)
- “7 Years” — Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard & Morten Ristorp, songwriters (Lukas Graham)
Read Beyoncé’s complete Grammy acceptance speech
Beyonce’s acceptance speech for urban contemporary album for “Lemonade” at the 2017 Grammy Awards.
“Hi baby. Thank you to the Grammy voters for this incredible honor. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to beautifully capture the profundity of deep Southern culture.
I thank God for my family, for my wonderful husband, my beautiful daughter, my fans for bringing me so much happiness and support.
We all experience pain and loss and often we become inaudible. My intention for the film and album was to create a body of work that would give a voice to our pain, our struggles, our darkness and our history. To confront issues that make us uncomfortable. It’s important to me to show images to my children that reflect their beauty, so they can grow up in a world where they look in the mirror -- first to their own families as well as the news, the Super Bowl, the Olympics, the White House and the Grammys -- and see themselves. And have no doubt that they are beautiful, intelligent and capable. This is something I want for every child of every race. And I feel it’s vital that we learn from the past and recognize our tendencies to repeat our mistakes.
Thank you again for honoring “Lemonade.” Have a beautiful night. Thank you for tonight this was incredible.”
The Dap-Kings horns power Sturgill Simpson’s ‘All Around You’
James Corden gently mocked Grammy-winner Sturgill Simpson in the opening segment of the Grammys for being the name that would send the most viewers to search engines to find out who exactly he is. With a performance backed by the Dap-Kings horns, Simpson provided an answer.
Leaning into “All Around You” from his Grammy-nominated “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth,” Simpson’s weathered voice soared atop the brassy backdrop provided by the longtime collaborators with the late Sharon Jones (who presenter Dwight Yoakam paid tribute to in his introduction).
While it may have been entirely on-brand for the Grammys to have asked Simpson to perform something from Jones’ catalog, the rising country star’s performance pointed toward what those who could already identify Simpson already knew -- that he has a perfectly easy touch with brassy R&B in his own right.
And you never know, maybe those Google searches spiked once more after that performance. Simpson won the Grammy Award for country album earlier Sunday and is a contender for album of the year.
Maren Morris more than holds her own with Alicia Keys
Maren Morris had one of the most inventive recent country debut LPs with “Hero,” so it’s perhaps no surprise she’d try to get outside the genre box with her Grammy performance after a breakthrough year.
Still, it’s a bold move to try and go blow-for-blow with Alicia Keys in a duet. But Morris more than held her own on her performance of “Once,” turning that simmering ballad into a showcase for her vocal prowess.
She pulled down a Grammy earlier in the night for country solo performance on “My Church,” but it’s clear she’s thinking beyond the usual orthodoxy of her peers. Keys is a powerhouse vocalist, but this was a rare Grammy genre-mash that actually complemented the skills of each singer.
Casual fans who expected the flinty songwriting and pristine performances of “Hero” might have been a bit surprised by how hard she swung for the rafters at the Grammys. But like a certain other country-aligned, pop-inclined Grammy favorite, Morris may just be getting started winning over whole new swaths of fans tonight.
Celebs online and the Grammy audience rally around Adele as she restarts her tribute to George Michael
During her tribute to the late singer George Michael, pop superstar Adele stopped her performance and started again.
The singer, who was in the middle of performing Michael’s 1996 song “Fastlove,” paused and, with a look of sorrow on her face, cussed and said, “I’m sorry for swearing and I’m sorry for starting again. Can we please start again?”
She then apologized to Grammy executive producer Ken Ehrlich.
In the audience at Staples Center, Times writer Gerrick Kennedy said that Adele may have been distracted. The set up for the next performance was occurring as she was singing, and the noise may have thrown her off.
When the performance was over, the Grammy winner put her hands over her face the moment the lights went down and shook her head.
The crowd in the arena was with her the whole way, said Kennedy, cheering her on as she powered through her second take.
And online, the Internet rallied around the singer, remotely with tweets of praise from “Modern Family’s” Eric Stonestreet to Bette Midler.
Chance the Rapper wins rap album for ‘Coloring Book’
The other nominees were:
- “And the Anonymous Nobody” — De La Soul
- “Major Key” — DJ Khaled
- “Views” — Drake
- “Blank Face LP” — Schoolboy Q
- “The Life of Pablo” — Kanye West
Bruno Mars tries his best to follow Bey
Pity poor Bruno Mars, tasked with following up what was perhaps the finest Grammy performance in a generation. But if anyone had a prayer of playing live after Beyoncé without instantly vaporizing into total cosmic insignificance, it’s probably Bruno Mars.
There’s nothing one can really do to follow up on a nine-minute medley of mind-erasing pregnancy holograms and chair-tilt stunts, so Mars instead did what he does best: corral his bros, throw on some gold chains, and play his new pitch-perfect ‘80s funk pastiche with aplomb. “That’s What I Like” is a great, slow rolling slice of his recent affection for Zapp and Gap Band (so much so that the latter sued him).
When he played it for the still-stunned-by-Bey Grammy crowd, he pulled the not-insignificant feat of reminding viewers why he’s still one of the most endearing, charismatic performers in pop.
Was it on the level of the regal, almost religious performance art that came before it? Of course not. But it was hard not to want to trim some strawberries and crack Champagne along with him. Anyone would need a drink after trying to play that time slot.
After Beyonce’s performance, celebs are bawling, planning their funerals or simply dead
Beyonce killed Chrissy Teigen on Sunday night. Killed her dead, right there in the Grammys audience, with a hypnotic performance. Take it from Teigen herself -- she was only one of the celebrities doing the dramatic-fan thing on social media.
Gabrielle Union and Elizabeth Banks kept their focus on the family.
Anna Kendrick found deeper meaning in the nine-minute affair, and Chad Johnson -- you know, Ochocinco -- was planning for the afterlife.
But alas, Mindy Kaling missed the party -- blame it on the time zones.
Tim McGraw, John Legend, Faith Hill, Neil Diamond and others join James Corden for Carpool Karaoke of ‘Sweet Caroline’
Grammy host James Corden appears nightly on his show “The Late Late Show,” and has used the platform as a vehicle for his breakout viral video “Carpool Karaoke” segments, in which he sings and drives with superstars from Madonna to Adele to Bruno Mars.
Few doubted that Corden would push his brand -- especially with an online series on Apple Music on the way -- but the way that he did it was a surprise: He donned a cardboard cutout car for an in-house version.
Corden did so by “surprising” Jennifer Lopez, who has done her own clip, for an in-the-moment version of a classic: “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond.
The bonus? So many singers were surrounding the two that within seconds the pair were flanked by artists including Ryan Tedder, Tim McGraw, John Legend, Faith Hill and others.
The bigger bonus: A dapper looking Neil Diamond joined in for his classic singalong.
Blue Ivy channels Prince at the Grammys
There’s been a lot of focus on Beyoncé’s twins this week. But her first baby is still front and center -- and giving music history vibes -- at the Grammys.
Blue Ivy came in what appears to be a Prince “Purple Rain”-era-inspired outfit, complete with ruffled cravat. She also made a brief cameo onstage during her mom’s performance of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles.”
Beyoncé wins urban contemporary album for ‘Lemonade’
The other nominees were:
- “Ology” — Gallant
- “We Are King” — King
- “Malibu” — Anderson .Paak
- “Anti” — Rihanna
Full gallery of Beyoncé’s Grammy performance
Meet Busbee, the Glassell Park-based producer who helped Maren Morris get to the Grammys
Maren Morris won the Grammy for country solo performance for her hit “My Church.” We recently chatted with her producer Busbee.
When Maren Morris started writing songs for her major-label debut, “Hero,” the 26-year-old country singer “knew where my musical compass pointed,” as she put it recently.
A self-described “’90s baby,” Morris grew up in Texas listening to Johnny Cash, Chaka Khan and the Spice Girls, and she wanted her own music to embody those diverse influences. Yet Nashville isn’t always receptive to ideas from beyond its tightly controlled borders. So Morris wasn’t sure “how far in that direction I could wander.”
Mike Busbee helped her find out.
As the singer’s co-producer and writing partner, Busbee devised the slick but soulful sound of “Hero,” which incorporates textures not typically heard in mainstream country — throbbing synths, thick R&B bass, low-slung hip-hop beats — even as Morris’ voice roots the music in tradition
Beyoncé’s performance was a show of maternal strength
Stand down, doubters.
Anyone wondering if Beyoncé’s just-announced pregnancy would take away from her ability to perform as vividly as we’ve come to expect got their answer Sunday night when the singer delivered a stunning rendition of her songs “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” at the Grammy Awards.
Dressed in a flowing gown and elaborate head piece, Beyoncé moved slowly but surely down a long runway surrounded by female dancers, then took a seat in a wooden chair that reclined nearly 90 degrees over empty space — all while she continued to sing powerfully and with palpable emotion in her voice.
The performance was a masterful show of strength and delicacy, intelligence and feeling — one she pulled off not in spite of her changing body, but because of it.
Can’t wait for Coachella.
Ed Sheeran illustrates his love in performance of “Shape of You”
The beat-boxing contemporary pop-folk singer Ed Sheeran landed on the Grammy stage wearing a T-shirt and holding a guitar, as if Daft Punk hadn’t just illustrated that the proper performance attire is in fact dark robes awash in purple.
Performing his hit song “Shape of You” by looping beats, melodies and vocal loops on the fly, the young man with the tussled hair and tattooed sleeves sang and rapped about being in love with his date’s body, and you could almost hear the coos of a million teenagers as he did so.
Maren Morris wins country solo performance for ‘My Church’
The other nominees were:
The origin of Beyoncé’s ‘Sandcastles’ began with the heartbreak of one homeless songwriter
Beyoncé’s announcement this month that she was expecting twins was met with online fanfare, but there were questions about what it would mean for the Grammys — where the singer was up for nine awards, including record, song and album of the year for “Lemonade” — and a headlining gig at Coachella.
At the Grammys on Sunday, Beyoncé offered a glimpse of how she might handle her forthcoming festival date with her nine-minute performance of ballads “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles.”
Surrounded by two dozen dancers, thousands of flowers and a flashy technical display, Beyoncé took a break from the high-octane choreography that she typically brings to awards shows with a more ethereal showing.
Before Sunday, Beyoncé had yet to perform “Love Drought” or “Sandcastles” on her tour, the latter of which had a particularly curious origin. Her Grammy performance echoed her “Lemonade” visual album.
When “Lemonade” arrived, the tender ballad about reconciliation and forgiveness was seen as confirmation that years of tabloid speculation about her husband Jay Z’s infidelities rang true, especially paired with the album’s mediations of pain and struggle through the lens of black womanhood.
“Sandcastles” is the album’s emotional centerpiece. Its lyrics are raw, her voice cracking as she sings about scratching out her lover’s face in photos, and the visual companion featured Jay embracing his tearful wife and lying at her feet — the most intimate of displays for pop’s most intensely private couple.
As heart-wrenching as it was, the pain Beyoncé sang of originated with a little-known songwriter that was struggling to make ends meet.
In early 2015, songwriter Vincent Berry II promised himself he would stop writing about his ex-girlfriend.
Just one more song, he said, and during sessions with poet-rapper-actor Malik Yusef it happened with a demo called “We Built Sandcastles That Washed Away.”
Gathered at a piano Yusef sang the gospel-influenced lyrics he’d come up with — words that “opened a wound” for Berry.
“I hadn’t really healed,” Berry told The Times of the 10-year relationship that inspired the track. “I just thought about her, and it was all I needed to get the rest out.”
Barry was homeless when Beyoncé got her hands on the song, originally intended for R&B singer Teyana Taylor, in February 2015 after word of mouth got the demo played for A&R executive Teresa LaBarbera Whites, who famously discovered and signed Beyoncé and Destiny’s Child to Columbia Records.
It was a level of exposure that helped him go from starving artist to in-demand songwriter, and he’s since logged studio time with Alicia Keys, Maroon 5, Big Sean, BJ the Chicago Kid and Eminem.
“When someone sings your song, it’s incredible,” said Berry. “But when the biggest artist in the world sings your song, it’s really a defining moment for yourself that you know you’re supposed to be doing what you’re doing.”
How Beyoncé pulled off that Grammy performance
Beyoncé’s nine-minute performance at Sunday’s 2017 Grammy Awards was among the most ambitious and logistically complex live segment the Grammys, or any other awards show, has attempted.
The expansive medley of “Love Drought” and “Sandcastles” employed two-dozen dancers, a live band offstage and thousands of flowers spread across the full breadth of the Staples Center stage. It also incorporated the interplay of Beyoncé in the flesh with film footage of her pregnant form projected onto a scrim during the number.
The latter element took a good chunk of the 90-minute rehearsal time she was allotted Thursday. She appeared on the first of four days of sessions fine-tuning nearly two dozen live performances for this year’s edition of the CBS telecast.
“Can we bring the image down? It needs to look like her feet are really on the ground,” a disembodied voice boomed over the house public address system as crew members attempted to sync up images on the scrim with the live Beyoncé stand-in on the stage behind it. The goal: To have them appear one and the same for millions of TV viewers.
Minutes rolled by, then more minutes, as nothing appeared to happen.
“What are we waiting on guys?” The voice asked again.
After preliminary run-throughs for the two-dozen dancers to find and hit their marks, Beyoncé joined in, outfitted in a glittering gold chain-mail dress draping her protruding belly (she’s having twins), a thick band of gold rings around her neck and a sunburst-like headdress.
On the first stab with the star on board, she experienced difficulty navigating through a bank of flowers around a chair she was to sit on during the “Sandcastles” second half of the sequence. The chair was quickly turned 180 degrees so she could take her position without first walking around it.
After a third time out, everything appeared to function as planned, at just a few minutes after rehearsals were scheduled to conclude at 9:30 p.m.
But the power of Beyoncé is not to be underestimated.
“Can we do it one more time, please?” she asked, and without a moment’s pause, the answer boomed out: “Of course. Everyone take your places.”
“Thank you,” she replied. “I really appreciate it.”
Again singing the sequence that first calls a lover out for his lies, and then tells him “I know I promised that I couldn’t stay/But every promise don’t work out that way,” she added a coda with an even more hopeful message, voiced as flower petals floated down from above: “If we’ re going to heal, let it be glorious.”
The stage manager’s voice, however, had the last word: “OK everybody. That’s a wrap. Strike the set.”
Daft Punk and The Weeknd keep the disco bleak
The last time Daft Punk was on a Grammy stage, the act was playing alongside Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers and Stevie Wonder just before accepting the album of the year award in 2014 for “Random Access Memories.”
This time, though, the French duo was happy to play backup to the Weeknd for an icy rendition of “I Feel It Coming,” one of the standout collaborations from the latter’s LP “Starboy.”
The trio played in front of a frigid interstellar setup that was part vintage Kanye West mountain range and part Hoth from “Star Wars.”
It didn’t have quite the vocal pyrotechnics of Adele’s opening number or much more live instrumentation than a little robot keyboard-poking. Daft Punk, much to the chagrin of fans, has pretty stuck to awards shows for live appearances since “Random Access Memories” brought the duo back to prominence.
But its stint with Weeknd has been an interesting case of perhaps the most famous act in electronic music willfully hanging back and adding analog sparkle to the Weeknd’s nihilism.
The Weeknd won a pair of Grammys last year for his album “Beauty Behind the Madness” and his single “Earned It,” and The Weeknd is up tonight for his contribution to Beyoncé’s “Lemonade.” While “Starboy” landed with mixed reviews, Abel Tesfaye has clearly found a couple of kindred spirits in reinventing disco for our bleaker era.
See the best- and worst-dressed from the Grammys red carpet
We’re on the red carpet at the Grammys and keeping track of who’s rocking it and who’s wrecking it. See the whole gallery here.
Among the best:
And the worst:
Why did Twenty One Pilots take off their pants? They turned back time, to the good old days
By the time Tyler Joseph and Josh Dun of Twenty One Pilots accepted their pop duo/group performance Grammy for “Stressed Out,” they were no longer wearing pants.
Turns out they had a pact where they would turn back time, to the good old days, before they were making money playing music.
Joseph explained: Back in the day, he and Dun and some other guys got together to watch the Grammys, and somewhere along the line they noticed that they were all in their underwear.
“And seriously,” Joseph said, “Josh turned to me -- and we were no one at that time -- and he said, ‘If we ever go to the Grammys, if we ever win a Grammy, we should receive it just like this.”
James Corden followed it up by stripping down to his underwear to introduce Ed Sheeran.
Grammys history and winners through the years
In May 1959, at a star-studded banquet in the Beverly Hilton, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences handed out 28 Grammys.
The academy, founded two years earlier, was a relative latecomer to the awards game, with the first Oscars having been handed out 30 years earlier and the first Emmys 10 years prior. The number of Grammy categories once grew to more than 100 but now stands at 83.
Explore our reverse chronology timeline, with key winners highlighted for each year.
David Bowie wins the award for rock song for “Blackstar”
The other nominees were:
- “Burn the Witch” — Radiohead, songwriters (Radiohead)
- “Hardwired” — James Hetfield & Lars Ulrich, songwriters (Metallica)
- “Heathens” — Tyler Joseph, songwriter (Twenty One Pilots)
- “My Name Is Human” — Rich Meyer, Ryan Meyer & Johnny Stevens, songwriters (Highly Suspect)
‘#NoDAPL’: Paris Jackson redirects Grammys attention to the Dakota Access oil pipeline
Entering to the strain of her father’s “The Girl Is Mine” (though, curiously, during Paul McCartney’s vocal) Paris Jackson, daughter of Michael Jackson, referenced the controversy surrounding the Dakota Access oil pipeline in introducing a performance by the Weeknd.
We could really use this kind of excitement at a pipeline protest.
— Paris Jackson
Twenty One Pilots wins for pop duo/group performance for ‘Stressed Out’
The other nominees were:
- “Closer” — The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
- “7 Years” — Lukas Graham
- “Work” — Rihanna featuring Drake
- “Cheap Thrills” — Sia Featuring Sean Paul
- “Culcha Vulcha” — Snarky Puppy
Adele opens the 59th Grammy Awards with a confident take on ‘Hello’
Superstar pop singer Adele opened the 59th Grammy Awards in downtown Los Angeles with a confident take on her massive hit, “Hello.”
Nominated for five trophies for music from her album “25,” Adele had already snagged two Grammys by the time she stepped onto the stage, and she showed few nerves.
Performing on a darkened stage illuminated only by a circle of light, the artist made her grand Grammys return with typical grace.
“Hello baby,” she said to greet the crowd, waving to the gathered masses at Staples Center.
Velvet Underground co-founder John Cale is enjoying the band’s lifetime achievement honor
Never in a million years would a young musician named John Cale believe that he would one day be honored with a lifetime achievement award for his work with the seminal 1960s art rock punk band the Velvet Underground.
But he finds himself in just such a position this year. The band is among the artists who were awarded the Recording Academy’s Lifetime Achievement Awards in 2017 -- others include Sly Stone and Nina Simone.
Cale, on the red carpet with his former wife and VU fashion designer Betsey Johnson, explained the way the band felt in the 1970s when mainstream success seemed unthinkable, “We just hated everyone until eventually we didn’t.”
John Cale of Velvet Underground receiving the Lifetime Achievement Award.
Chance the Rapper wins Grammy for best new artist
Chance the Rapper wins Grammy for best new artist.
The other nominees were:
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich to winners: ‘Say something important’
During preshow remarks Sunday night, Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich addressed the crowd and implored the night’s winners to be more outspoken during speeches.
If you have record labels and such to thank, please thank them later backstage with the press and say something important. We’re expecting it.
— Ken Ehrlich
Schoolboy Q brings the pink to the red carpet with his message of ‘Girl Power’
Schoolboy Q, who was nominated for best rap performance for “That Part” featuring Kanye West, appeared on the red carpet with his 7-year-old daughter, Joyce.
The pair were dressed in distinctive bright pink, with Q wearing a hoodie emblazoned with the words, “Girl Power,” and his daughter wearing a smart pant suit with a blue flower bow tie.
Elaborating on their choice of attire, Q said: “I see a lot of stuff going on with women these days and I’m here to support them. I could go out and protest and all that, but me having a little girl, I think it starts right here -- to let her know what’s going on, how she needs to be treated and the respect she needs to be given.”
When Joyce was asked if she would one day be on the Grammy carpet in her own right, the girl shrugged off such aspirations.
“I’m not going to be an artist. I’m going to be a soccer star,” she declared.
Q lost out in the category he was nominated in to Chance the Rapper, Lil’ Wayne and 2 Chainz, who collaborated on “No Problem.”
Schoolboy Q, who has been nominated a few times, says he’s ready to win. He is nominated for rap album and rap performance at the Grammy Awards.
Grammys quiz: How much music history do you know?
Beyoncé, Drake and Rihanna lead the field for the 59th Grammy Awards, but let’s take a look at some historical trivia.
-- Who has the record for most Grammy nominations?
-- The Beatles received five album of the year nominations, but won only once. For which album?
-- What year did rap performance become a category?
Take the quiz to find out the answers >>
Check out our year-by-year timeline of the Grammy Awards. And don’t miss our full coverage of this year’s awards.
Want fries with your Grammy? The McDonald’s inside Staples Center is so hot right now
As our own Gerrick D. Kennedy points out, the McDonald’s located inside Staples Center — home to this year’s Grammys ceremony — is teeming with people who are more concerned with getting some fast-food goodness than filing into their seats. Let’s hope attendees grabbed extra napkins to keep the grease stains off their frocks.
Chris James’ purple armband at the Grammy Awards is a tribute to Prince
Grammy-nominee Chris James arrived to the 59th Grammy Awards wearing a tribute to the late-great rocker Prince in the form of a slender, purple silk armband.
James was nominated for engineered album non-classical for Prince’s final album, “HITNRUN: Phase 2.” He lost the award, which was announced during the pre-show telecast, to another late-great legend, David Bowie.
With that out of the way, James is just relaxing and feeling good to be at the Grammys, representing an artist he loves and an album he is incredibly proud of.
“Now that we’re here it’s just a party and celebration,” he says.
Who has CDs anymore? This woman on the Grammys red carpet
Anyone who says nobody’s using CDs anymore didn’t see singer-songwriter Jacqueline Van Bierk on the Grammy Awards red carpet Sunday.
A close look reveals that the CDs are held on with safety pins. Feel free to form your own opinion.
Van Bierk landed on some worst-dressed lists after last year’s Grammy Awards red carpet, where she showed up in a black-strappy-lacy-feathery number with pink platforms and matching pink hair.
Who -- or what -- is CeeLo Green supposed to be? His alter ego, Gnarly Davidson
CeeLo Green hit the Grammys red carpet in an all-gold ensemble, including a gold mask. What is happening here?
According to his Twitter account, the former “Voice” coach is dressed up as his new alter ego, Gnarly Davidson.
He premiered the persona late last year along with a new single, the name of which we cannot print here (warning: adult language at link). He’s evidently using this opportunity to promote the alter ego’s official Twitter account, which is not verified and, as of this writing, has 103 followers.
Meanwhile, the rest of Twitter had some thoughts about his outfit:
William Bell discusses his Grammy-winning Americana album, ‘This Is Where I Live’
Given that William Bell’s now-standard songs “Born Under a Bad Sign” and “You Don’t Miss Your Water” have been performed by artists including Brian Eno, Jimi Hendrix, Linda Ronstadt, Homer Simpson and Carole King, it’s a mystery how he could live 77 years without one. His victory for Americana album Grammy caps an illustrious career that got its start during the heyday of Memphis soul label Stax.
Bell was also nominated for traditional R&B song for his “Three of Me,” but Grammy voters awarded Lalah Hathaway’s “Angel,” instead. Bell spoke to The Times in December after he learned he was nominated.
Were you surprised to be acknowledged in both an R&B and an Americana category?
When I did the project, [producer and arranger] John Leventhal and I wanted to just broaden the genre a little bit and try to reach out with soul music. I think we were able to accomplish that. We didn’t know if we could or not. I’m just elated that the Americana genre has embraced it, and also the R&B-soul genre has also embraced it.
Your music has crossed over many times in your career. Why do you think that is?
I think some of the reason for that, probably, is that my writing is about truth, you know? People all over the world can relate to what’s happening in their lives if it’s done in a truthful way. We all have the same wishes, desires and frustrations through our lives. So I think that’s one of the reasons.
Here’s one reason to think Beyoncé won’t win album of the year
Much of the Grammy speculation heading into Sunday’s show has been over who will win album of the year: Adele with “25” or Beyoncé with “Lemonade”?
And you can bet the Recording Academy will keep us waiting — and sitting through commercials — until the final moments to find out.
But did the Grammy people tip their hand during Sunday afternoon’s non-televised ceremony?
That’s when the academy hands out the vast majority of its awards, saving only the biggest prizes — album of the year, record of the year, best new artist and so on — for the TV show.
Yet one category that wasn’t included in this year’s pre-telecast was urban contemporary album, in which “Lemonade” is nominated (and not against “25”).
That means organizers want to present that award during prime time. And why might that be?
Perhaps because they know Adele won album of the year and they desperately want something to give Beyoncé while millions are watching.
In the room where it happens: Watch Chance the Rapper win his first Grammy Award
What’s it like being at the preshow? Surprisingly low-key.
The kick off for music’s biggest night on Sunday was mellow. Only a fraction of attendees trickled into the Microsoft Theater to see who won the 70-plus awards handed out ahead of the main telecast at Staples Center.
The merch booth and bathrooms had no line, there was no drama getting in and the bar was already closed. And because it was open seating, folks roamed freely between the audience and the lobby.
Margaret Cho, the emcee, even tried to entice people to come farther down front.
“The closer you sit, the more likely you are to win a Grammy,” she joked, a sentiment comedian Patton Oswalt echoed when he had to race from the back of the theater to accept his award.
Beyoncé and Lady Gaga: Fashion friends or fashion rivals?
This year’s Grammys might offer some of the biggest award show fashion moments in years. Beyoncé, who’s pregnant with twins, and Lady Gaga likely will make their way along the red carpet in downtown Los Angeles at some point this afternoon.
We can’t forget that time they joined forces and fashion styles. Who can forget the fashion in the “Thelma & Louise”-themed “Telephone” video, the song from Lady Gaga’s 2009 album, “The Fame Monster”?
While we await their turn on the red carpet, check out our photo galleries of Beyoncé’s looks and Lady Gaga’s looks.
Adele is a fashion winner on the Grammys red carpet
Nominated for several awards for her hit album “25,” a fresh-faced Adele is already a sartorial winner (in addition to already winning a couple of Grammys today).
She popped on the Grammys red carpet in Los Angeles in a floor-length, long-sleeved green Givenchy Couture gown accessorized with a brooch.
Adele takes her first two Grammys, for pop vocal album and pop solo performance
Adele earned her first two Grammy Awards of the day for work from “25.” She did so in the first two categories for which she was nominated -- pop vocal album and pop solo performance (for “Hello”).
For those keeping score, her victory in the pop vocal album category was the first in which she was competing against Beyoncé, who is expected to be her fiercest competition in the major categories.
The superstar English singer is nominated for five awards. The other three nominations -- for album of the year, song of the year and record of the year -- will be given during Sunday’s telecast.
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Adele tearfully thanked Beyonce while accepting her album of the year award for “25.”
Kool & the Gang like the way Bruno Mars keeps it funky
Kool & the Gang strutted happily down the red carpet, even though they aren’t nominated. But the funk legends will be performing at the official Grammys after-party produced by the Recording Academy.
The group, known for such songs as “Celebration,” “Jungle Boogie” and “Ladies Night,” said they’re content to know that pop music is enjoying a moment where their influence can very much be heard, pointing to Bruno Mars as an artist they feel best represents a modern take on their sound.
That’s not to say they aren’t recording. Six months ago, they cut a track called “Sexy.”
They laugh as they announced this, fist-bumping reporters and telling them to “Keep it funky, man!”
Patton Oswalt on his Grammy win: ‘I’m hoping to move beyond the bitterness’
Patton Oswalt had the tough job of accepting his Grammy win for comedy album and acknowledging what has been a devastating year for the comedian.
Last year, his wife, Michelle McNamara, the journalist and true crime writer, died from what Oswalt said was a combination of prescription medications and an undiagnosed heart condition.
“This has not been a fun year for me and a lot of people, but I’m going to try to be as goofy and obnoxious as I can be to try and help,” he said. “I’m hoping to move beyond the bitterness.”
The sentiment also alluded to Oswalt’s political beliefs -- he’s long been an outspoken critic of President Trump.
However, his Grammy night was brighter. Oswalt’s album and standup special, “Talking for Clapping,” won top comedy honors at the Grammys, besting albums by luminaries including Tig Notaro, Amy Schumer, David Cross and Margaret Cho.
Steve Aoki’s stoked to be up there with the Beatles, Beyoncé
Electronic music superstar Steve Aoki was nominated for best music film but lost to -- wait for it -- the Beatles.
Aoki, however, was upbeat about it. If you’re going to lose to someone, it might as well be the greatest band of all time.
“Can I really even stand a chance?” he asked with a smile Sunday on the red carpet. “But to be nominated alongside Beyoncé and the Beatles is amazing. I’m happy a lot of people got to see the film. Netflix is such a great place.”
“I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” a documentary about Aoki, is a Netflix Original. Ron Howard took the trophy for “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week -- The Touring Years.”
Aoki, it should be noted, was wearing John Lennon-style shades.
Adele wins Grammy for pop vocal album
Adele’s “25” wins Grammy for pop vocal album
The other nominees were:
“Purpose” — Justin Bieber
“Dangerous Woman” — Ariana Grande
“Confident” — Demi Lovato
“This Is Acting” — Sia
‘Make America Great Again’ Grammy dress is about love, but the Internet’s not buying it
Singer-songwriter Joy Villa chose to get political on the red carpet with a red, white and blue, bedazzled “Make America Great Again” dress. To those unfamiliar with the campaign slogan, the back of Villa’s dress makes it quite clear, with bold letters spelling out the name of the man who helped coin the MAGA slogan, “Trump.”
On her Instagram the artist photographed her heart-shaped, clutch with the caption:
“My whole artistic platform is about LOVE! I couldn’t be where I am today without the love and tenderness of those beautiful supporters and friends around me. Thank you I hope you enjoy tonight’s @grammysawards2017 and remember to forget your problems and focus on your future! You are infinite and beautiful and no one can stop you but you. So go out and celebrate yourself as a winner no matter what, together with those you adore!”
Whether her fans or friends are picking up on the above message remains to be seen. For now her comments are filled mostly with unhappy folks accusing the artist of trying to get another 15 minutes of fame.
Lalah Hathaway wins R&B performance and R&B album trophies
Thank you, Anita Baker, for leaving such a beautiful blueprint for me to follow -- and I stood on the shoulders of so many people that created beautiful music that started in the fields. Now we’re here. God bless you, Al Jarreau.
— Lalah Hathaway on her win for “Angel,” by Anita Baker
‘I’m glad I made it into the playoffs,’ says Terrace Martin
Multi-instrumentalist, rapper and producer Terrace Martin, a driving force behind Kendrick Lamar’s 2015 multi-Grammy-winning album “To Pimp a Butterfly,” was enjoying his own day in the sun. His album “Velvet Portraits” is up for R&B album of the year.
On the carpet, in a bright woven jacket, Martin called the nomination a blessing.
“I’m grateful that a project based on love and passion made it this far,” he said, adding that he tells people in his family that the Grammy Awards are like the playoffs or the Super Bowl of music. “I’m not into a lot of sports, so I’m glad I made it into the playoffs.”
He is also thrilled to point out that his mom is here with him.
“Everybody helps me. I’m just the face, but I have a strong support team of love,” he said.
READ MORE: Terrace Martin’s resume is a who’s who of L.A. hip-hop, jazz and R&B>>
‘It feels so good to come home,’ says William Bell after winning Americana album Grammy for ‘This is Where I Live’
Veteran singer-songwriter William Bell, composer of the blues classic “Born Under a Bad Sign,” won the Americana album Grammy for his “This Is Where I Live” collection, his first major-label release in nearly 40 years.
“Wow, this is quite a surprise,” the 78-year-old Memphis musician said. “I am very humbled by it and glad to be here after all these years and still viable in the industry.
“I’d like to thank the academy, my management, Blind Ambition, and my road family and my personal family There’s always a host of people behind the artists and they never get their just due. So this is for everybody who works so diligently, especially Stax Records.
“I’m back on Stax after 40 years -- it feel so good to come home.”
Rivers Cuomo: Don’t call Grammy-nominated ‘Weezer’ a comeback
Weezer is nominated for rock album at the Grammy Awards with its latest, self-titled effort, also known as the White Album.
The record earned the Los Angeles band its best reviews in years and led some to proclaim that Weezer had finally returned to doing what it does best.
Yet in a 2016 interview with The Times, frontman Rivers Cuomo refuted the comeback idea, expressing frustration that the White Album was being perceived as a return to Weezer’s roots.
“I’m very careful in my own messaging never to say, ‘This sounds like how we used to sound,’” the singer said. “I’m always trying to emphasize the new things we’ve tried. But it’s just really hard to get that through.
“We’d have to make a record that sounds absolutely nothing like anything we’ve done before, and only then would people give us some credit for doing something original.”
Lalah Hathaway is looking forward to some post-Grammy video games
Lalah Hathaway, daughter of R&B legend Donny Hathaway, walked the carpet sporting a sleek black dress and purple dreds piled with black in a bun on top of her head.
She is proud to be nominated for songs that, she says, she has been singing her whole life. She’s barely on her way into Staples to discover whether she won (she’s up for R&B album for “Lalah Hathaway Live”) and she’s already plotting her after-party.
“I’m gonna go home and play ‘Pac-Man’ tonight, and eat some cake and drink a beer. You have no idea.”
Girl Crush wears a gigantic ball pit on the Grammys red carpet
Sometimes you gotta go to a kid’s birthday party to play in a ball pit, and sometimes you just gotta be invited to the Grammys.
Performing artist Girl Crush brought the fun with a dress decorated with plastic balls of pink, blue, green and red.
Brother and sister duo Jesse & Joy dedicate their Latin pop album win to ‘all the Hispanics in the country’
We are so proud to be Mexican Americans. This goes to all the Hispanics in this country, to every minority group. We are with you. We stand with you.
— Joy Huerta Uecke of Mexican American duo Jesse & Joy
Dolly Parton and Pentatonix win country duo/roup performance award for ‘Jolene’
One of the great country weepers of all time, Dolly Parton’s “Jolene,” has earned its first Grammy for her performance of the song with vocal group Pentatonix. The song was originally written by Parton in 1973, but last year Pentatonix teamed with her to rerecord it.
This is Parton’s eighth competitive Grammy win. She’s previously scored trophies for “Here You Come Again” and “9 to 5,” and for albums including her “Trio” album with Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris, among others. It’s also Parton’s first Grammy since she won female vocal country performance in 2002 for “Shine.”
Listen to the winning song below.
Sturgill Simpson on accepting country album Grammy: ‘I guess the revolution won’t be televised’
Accepting his pre-telecast Grammy Award for country album for his critically acclaimed “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” collection, Kentucky-born singer, songwriter and producer Sturgill Simpson said, “Like six years ago, I was in Utah working on the railroad, writing songs at night.
“My wife made me quit that job and move to Nashville, so thanks babe. My son was born; I spent that spent first year on the road, missing them, and if it wasn’t for them I wouldn’t have written this album, so I have to thank them.
“And I guess the revolution won’t be televised,” he said. “Thank you.”
Who will be crowned fashion queen of the Grammys? Adele, Beyoncé or Lady Gaga
Welcome to the Grammys fashion showdown. While the awards show celebrates musical achievements, this year’s telecast, largely saluting Beyoncé’s beloved “Lemonade” visual album and Adele’s mega-smash-hit “25,” might rival today’s runway offerings at New York Fashion Week.
And here’s why: Beyoncé, Adele and Lady Gaga -- Gaga’s there to perform with Metallica during the Grammys -- are all celebrated for their fashion tastes and likely will show off their fashion powers. (Gaga and her stylist-designer Brandon Maxwell often push the fashion-forward boundaries when it comes to Gaga’s look. Did you see her performance attire at the Super Bowl this month?)
So let’s start with the British powerhouse, Adele.
Last year during her sold-out tour supporting her monster-hit, multi-platinum album “25,” Adele kept her voice center stage, skipping her “Hello” video look (the one-of-a-kind faux fur coat, the flip phone and her blowing, life-of-its-own hair) by keeping her onstage look classic. For her tour, she stuck to a sparkling, floor-length, long-sleeved Burberry dress.
In August before her string of L.A. show dates, The Times’ Adam Tschorn reported, “The dress is by British luxury brand Burberry, which in February noted that the mononymous singer (who also hails from Britain) would wear the label exclusively during the tour.
“The announcement credited the design to Burberry’s chief executive and chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey, and included the following quote attributed to him: “It is a huge privilege to work with Adele. She is an incredible artist who I admire enormously for her approach to life, her sense of fun, her innate style and her massively powerful and moving voice and performance.”
Our Grammys prediction? Expect Adele to stick to a dark, classic gown or dress with fresh makeup that highlights her eyes and her cheekbones. Beyoncé, known for her numerous outfit changes, will show us how to make a baby bump look mega stylish, but Gaga could be the big fashion winner of the Grammys.
Check out a photo gallery of Adele’s previous looks.
Lady Gaga, Metallica give us a peek at ‘MetalliGa’
Lady Gaga kept the world posted while she was rehearsing for her Super Bowl Halftime Show, and she’s not slowing her roll for the Grammys, where she’s joining forces with Metallica.
Witness “MetalliGa.”
Metallica has a busy night planned. After the Grammys gig with Gaga, the band is headed to the Hollywood Palladium on Sunset Blvd. for a sold-out concert.
How Ernest Hemingway’s cello inspired the triple-Grammy-winning composition ‘Tales of Hemingway’
Composer Michael Daugherty’s “Tales of Hemingway” just won three Grammys in close succession in the classical field. It earned awards for classical instrumental solo, classical compendium and contemporary classical composition.
Below, watch a video in which the American composer discusses his winning work.
Sturgill Simpson wins country album Grammy
Sturgill Simpson’s “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” wins country album. The work is also up for album of the year this evening.
The other nominees were:
“Big Day In a Small Town” — Brandy Clark
“Full Circle” — Loretta Lynn
“Hero” — Maren Morris
“Ripcord” — Keith Urban
Gregory Porter after winning Grammy for jazz vocal album: “Keep spreading love”
Keep spreading love. No love dying.
— Jazz singer and songwriter Gregory Porter after winning jazz vocal album for “Take Me To The Alley.”
Beyoncé’s Grammy wins start early
One of the most visually astounding, politically radical clips of the year just won the Grammy for best music video.
Beyoncé’s “Formation” -- a brutal and beautiful meditation on Southern black womanhood in the midst of natural disaster and systemic injustices -- pulled down the top honors in the music video category.
The clip, directed by Melina Matsoukas, was originally released as part of her HBO original film, which set her songs from “Lemonade” into a series of avant-garde short films.
It’s her first Grammy of the day in what’s expected to be a big night for the singer.
She’s up for nine Grammys on Sunday night, including album of the year, record of the year and song of the year.
This year’s Grammys are widely seen as a contest between her and Adele, two commercial juggernauts whose albums defined the year in pop.
A behind-the-scenes look at the 2017 Grammy rehearsals
Our backstage gallery from at the Grammys rehearsals reveals who is sitting next to who (Keith Urban and Adele are seat buddies) and reveals a few musical surprises for the 59th show.
FULL GALLERY OF BEHIND-THE-SCENES MOMENTS FROM THE 2017 GRAMMY AWARD REHEARSAL.
Flume can’t top the Chainsmokers but doesn’t go home empty-handed
This year’s electronic music categories were, more than any recent Grammys that didn’t feature Al Walser, a mixed bag of values.
There’s the pop juggernaut of the Chainsmokers, who already won, as well as the throwback ‘90s Latin-house of Louie Vega, the resurgent old-guard U.K. duo Underworld and hip contemporary contenders Bob Moses and Tycho.
But the only artist nominated in dance recording and dance/electronic album is Flume, the 25-year-old Australian born Harley Streten.
Flume had a monster year in 2016, scoring a genuine crossover hit with “Never Be Like You,” from his second album “Skin,” and packing the Shrine in L.A. for three nights.
If there’s any consensus pick to be had in the dance music categories this year, it’s him. The Chainsmokers snuck out a victory for dance recording, but it’s hard to see how Streten could go home empty handed. Indeed, Streten won the Grammy for dance/electronic album for “Skin.”
Could the Chainsmokers be Grammy ‘villains’?
This year’s Grammys have two mega-star heroes -- Beyoncé and Adele -- in contention for the top honors. But the ceremony also has a villain, of sorts, in the Chainsmokers: the pop-EDM duo whose bros-on-pledge-night antics are only matched by their savvy at staying atop the pop charts.
The Times profiled the group in October, right when “Closer” heralded their shift from the trolling jokes of “Selfie” into more respectable, sensitive songwriting with huge pop appeal.
You can’t pay attention to how people perceive you. The people who get it will get it, and the people who don’t, they won’t. You’ve got to stick to your guns and be yourself.
— Alex Pall, The Chainsmokers
The duo this afternoon won the Grammy for dance recording for “Don’t Let Me Down” featuring Daya. The act is also up for pop duo/group performance, a reflection of its roots in the EDM mega-festival scene and current pop dominance. “Closer” spent 12 weeks atop the Hot 100 chart.
But if the Chainsmokers beat out acclaimed competitors like Chance the Rapper, Maren Morris and Anderson .Paak for new artist Sunday evening, there may be some invocations of the old ghost of Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.
Ron Howard wins best music film Grammy for ‘The Beatles: Eight Days a Week -- the Touring Years’
Ron Howard, Grammy winner. The director and former child actor earned the Grammy for music film for “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week - The Touring Years,” his detailed ode to the band’s early years. Also earning trophies for the film are producers Brian Grazer, Scott Pascucci and Nigel Sinclair.
“I jumped into it as a kind of irresistible life experience and creative opportunity,” Howard told the Times’ Randy Lewis after the film got nominated. “But as soon as [the news] hit the Internet, I started realizing how seismic anything having to do with the Beatles can be. I thought, ‘It’s always a high-wire act, but this one is really up there.’ So I took it very seriously, of course, as I always do.”
Other nominees included “I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead,” about EDM superstar Steve Aoki; “Lemonade,” featuring Beyonce; “The Music Of Strangers,” about Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble; and “American Saturday Night: Live From The Grand Ole Opry.”
Host James Corden is aware that people don’t watch the Grammys to hear him sing
If you criticize a musician in front of James Corden, be prepared for him to push back.
On a recent morning in his office at CBS Television City, the host of “The Late Late Show” was describing his favorite Grammy Awards performances when he recalled a 2015 duet by Annie Lennox and Hozier in which the former Eurythmics star and the young Irish singer did a medley of Hozier’s “Take Me to Church” and the R&B standard “I Put a Spell on You.”
“Oh my God, it was like a master class,” rhapsodized Corden, 38, who’s hosting this year’s Grammys on Sunday night. That sounded about right, he was told: Lennox came on like the world’s most intimidating teacher, while Hozier resembled a frightened second-grader.
“No, that’s not fair!” Corden replied. “He was great — a true collaborator. Have you heard his song ‘Someone New’?” At that, the English actor and presenter leapt up and went to his computer, calling up the song on YouTube. Then he called up several more.
“I’m telling you, he’s the real deal. You need to listen.”
It’s that enthusiasm that’s driven Corden’s popular “Carpool Karaoke” segments — in which he drives around with various singers, belting out their hits with them — to viral ubiquity. (At last count, the installment featuring Adele had been viewed 147 million times.) And more than his own musical ability, that sense of excitement is what he said he plans to draw on Sunday onstage at Staples Center.
“I’m a massive fan of everybody in that room,” he said. “And I’m going to try and share that with the audience.”
Read more about Beyonce, Adele and the Grammys in our full Q&A with James Corden
Forty years later, Judy Collins has another shot at Grammy gold
In 1969, when she peered from her album covers with those piercing blue eyes and resembled the fair maidens she saluted in song, Judy Collins took home her first Grammy for her recording of Joni Mitchell‘s “Both Sides Now.”
Seven years later, she was nominated for female pop vocal performance for her sublime rendition of Stephen Sondheim’s “Send in the Clowns.” Collins didn’t win, but the popularity of her version no doubt led to Sondheim collecting the Grammy for song of the year.
But there was just one catch with her sole Grammy victory.
“I never got the little statue,” Collins says.
Forty years later, at age 77, Collins is getting another shot at one of those statuettes at Sunday’s 59th Grammy Awards. She’s nominated for folk album for “Silver Skies Blue,” a collaboration with singer-songwriter Ari Hest.
As an artist best known for interpreting others’ songs, Collins is particularly tickled that the nomination is for an album of her compositions — and on her own label, Wildflower Records, to boot.
“Silver Skies Blue” is the latest in a string of successes for Collins, whose work ethic is legendary. In the last decade alone, she has recorded two PBS specials, wrote a memoir about the 1960s (2012’s “Sweet Judy Blue Eyes: My Life in Music”), released an album of duets (2015’s “Strangers Again”) and even made a triumphant return to her old stomping grounds, the Newport Folk Festival.
Santa Monica New Age group White Sun beats Enya, Vangelis and others to win Grammy
The Santa Monica-based trio White Sun has a curious, only-in-L.A. backstory, having been co-founded by Adam Berry, best known in the biz for his four seasons as the music director for the animated show “South Park.”
They can add “Grammy-award winning” to that biography. The group bested a competitive field including Enya and Vangelis to earn the New Age album Grammy.
With Berry and instrumentalist Harijiwan flanking her, White Sun’s lead singer and songwriter Gurujas accepted the trophy, saying: “We just want our music to make something better for somebody somewhere. And it’s our dream to see this world become a more beautiful place. For anyone who shares in that dream with us, thank you, we love you and let’s do better.”
The victory is vindication -- if such a word is allowed when discussing the peaceful music -- for California. The state helped birth New Age music, and across the decades its mindful, sparse tones and textures have scored millions of hours of yoga and meditation sessions.
“White Sun II,” which features Grammy-winning kora player Mamadou Diabate, the Punch Brothers’ violinist Gabe Witcher and tabla player Abhiman Kaushal, was a breakout New Age hit in 2016, where it was a top-charter at both Apple and iTunes.
Kirk Franklin locks down best gospel album
Kirk Franklin occupies a rare position in the music firmament today.
He’s nominated for two Grammys in hip-hop categories, for his contributions to Kanye West’s “Ultralight Beam,” and he also just locked down the highest honor in gospel music for “Losing My Religion,” a searing meditation on maintaining faith amid the travails of modern society.
Franklin’s win for gospel album was widely expected, but it still heralded a high point in career devoted to placing the sacred into secular culture.
Its impact on hip-hop at the Grammys is still yet to be seen, but this award caps a huge year for Franklin as he works to assert his identity in pop music.
He also won gospel performance/song” for “God Provides.”
Relive the time Macklemore & Ryan Lewis brought a message of equality to the Grammys
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ history with the Grammys is complicated.
At the 2014 ceremony, the indie hip-hop outliers swept the rap categories and own new artist — shutting out breakout rapper Kendrick Lamar.
The act’s bounty of wins provided yet another footnote in the decades-long debate over how the Grammys award rap and R&B artists in major categories. A white, pop-leaning duo from Seattle shutting out a poetic emcee whose debut was a coming of age tale set against the drug- and gang-infested streets of Compton? It didn’t go over well, at all.
The blowback was immediate, especially considering resistance from the Recording Academy’s rap committee to include the group in genre categories. (They wanted them to compete for pop awards instead, a decision that was overturned.)
It was enough that Macklemore deemed it necessary to apologize to Lamar and, unsurprisingly, the duo declined to submit “This Unruly Mess I’ve Made,” its first album since the hubbub, for consideration for this year’s Grammys.
Though many hated them for taking the shine from Lamar, the duo’s performance at the 2014 ceremony was one of the most powerful messages of equality an artist has ever displayed and deserves to be revisited.
Joined by Madonna, Mary Lambert and Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, the duo performed their pro-gay rights anthem “Same Love” as 30 straight and gay couples got married in the audience with Queen Latifah officiating.
The message of marriage equality was an especially poignant showing of support from a medium that has been further behind in mainstream representation of LGBT voices when compared with TV and film.
Grab a tissue and relive the moment:
Celebs freak out, fawn and get fancy for the Grammys red carpet
“Glee” actress Lea Michele flips out over an encounter with a musical diva, Demi Lovato (who is performing at the Grammy Awards) shows how she readies herself, and Katy Perry reveals her Grammy after party plan: watching the premiere of “Girls.”
Here’s how the comedians, musicians and celebrities are readying for the Grammys.
David Bowie’s ‘Blackstar’ wins Grammys for recording package & engineered album, non-classical, his 1st ever musical win
The album sleeve for David Bowie’s “Blackstar” earned its designer, Jonathan Barnbrook, a Grammy in the recording package category. Shortly thereafter, “Blackstar”’s producers and engineers, Bowie, Tom Elmhirst, Kevin Killen, Tony Visconti and Joe LaPorta, earned the award for engineered album, non-classical.
That latter award marks not only the first musical Grammy award for Bowie’s acclaimed album but his career. (He previously won in a video category and a Lifetime Achievement Honor.)
Barnbrook’s design features a cut-out star on an all-black sleeve, hidden images that only reveal themselves when held to the light and at least a few secrets that have yet to be cracked.
Said Barnbrook in receiving his award of Bowie: “He had this very rare quality of getting people to produce their best work, but doing it in a way that was wonderful, charming, a great, great enjoyable ride, and I want to thank him for that.”
He added of contemporary pop music: “I’ve seen how important what musicians do for people is. It’s there when you’re born, it’s there when you get married, it’s there when you die at your funeral. So we should celebrate that, absolutely.”
Also nominated were Parquet Courts’ album “Human Performance,” for which singer, guitarist and artist Andrew Savage created a matte-finished gatefold sleeve and a multi-colored 12-page booklet with lyrics and art.
Artist Eric Timothy Carlson was nominated for experimental folk artist Bon Iver’s “22, A Million.” The gatefold sleeve features curious symbology, invented letters and odd scribbles.
Designer Ciarra Pardo and pop star Rihanna got nominated for the deluxe CD edition of Rihanna’s “Anti.” With embossed cover art created by Israeli artist Roy Nachum, the three-panel sleeve features a poem written in Braille, a booklet with artful photos of Rihanna and a fold-out poster of Nachum’s work.
And Sarah and Shauna Dodds, who won last year, were nominated for “Sunset Motel” by Reckless Kelly, which transformed lyrical themes into illustrations, building a narrative and creating visual cues that suggested the heyday of Route 66.
Sturgill Who? New Grammy darling Sturgill Simpson, that’s who
Singer and songwriter Sturgill Simpson had resigned himself to his 2016 album “A Sailor’s Guide to Earth” having run its course as the year drew to a close.
“We had just come off the road,” the Kentucky-born musician said of his mindset in an early December interview. “I was home for Thanksgiving, and I thought, ‘Well, I guess that’s it. We’ve toured a lot, maybe it’s time to start thinking about the next record. “
Then Dec. 6 arrived, and his phone started ringing off the hook after the album scored Grammy Award nominations for country album and the ultra-prestigious overall album of the year category.
“What happened [with the nominations] never even crossed my mind,” he told The Times. “This has all been slightly surreal to say the least.”
He doesn’t seem to have minded being on the receiving end of numerous “Sturgill who?” jokes since his name and album popped up alongside works by pop superstars Beyoncé, Adele, Drake and Justin Bieber.
And those nominations constitute icing on the cake for what Simpson said was an intensely rewarding effort writing and recording the album.
“There’s definitely a lot more of my own voice in this one, finally,” he said. “I poured my heart into this one more than any other record I’ve made. This all came at a very good time. My wife lost her mother [recently] and it’s a beautiful end for what is a tribute to my son. In a lot of way, he did this, not me.”
Justin Timberlake’s ‘Can’t Stop The Feeling!’ wins for visual media. Next stop, Oscars?
The Oscar race may have just gotten a little jolt from Justin Timberlake’s Grammy win for best song written for visual media.
The disco-style tune “Can’t Stop The Feeling!,” from the “Trolls” soundtrack, won the Grammy for song for visual media over tracks from “Suicide Squad,” “Snowden,” “Zootopia” and “Alice Through The Looking Glass.”
Some Oscar favorites, however, such as works from “La La Land” and “Moana,” were released after the eligibility period concluded for this year’s Grammy Awards.
“Can’t Stop The Feeling!” is nominated for best original song at the Academy Awards. Although the tune lost to “City of Stars” from “La La Land” at the Golden Globes, this Grammy win could give it some momentum.
But Timberlake’s single, written with Max Martin and Shellback, isn’t expected to win at the Academy Awards. The song has stiff competition, with two songs from “La La Land” and one from “Moana” in contention.
Grammy nominees Adele and Beyonce illustrate transforming industry
For Adele and Beyoncé, the finish line will take the same form: a prime seat at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, where each is nominated for several of the music industry’s most prestigious prizes, including album, record and song of the year.
Both singers command vast, loyal audiences; enjoy the universal esteem of critics and tastemakers; and generally work with whomever they want — because everyone in music is dying to work with them.
But if their unrivaled success can make the Grammys feel like the end of a two-woman race, the paths they took to get there could scarcely be more different.
“These are arguably the two most talented people in an industry full of talented people,” said producer and songwriter Ryan Tedder, who’s collaborated with both artists. “And they’re at the extremes. That’s exciting.”
Adele, the deep-feeling British balladeer, followed an old-fashioned route, drawing on musical styles familiar to a Barbra Streisand fan, while Beyoncé, the fierce pop-soul visionary, blazed a more modern trail, pulling from a dizzying array of genres and textures.
On her album “25,” Adele channeled the internal drama of personal relationships, resisting any urge to dip into politics. Beyoncé made her “Lemonade” a proud election-year statement, connecting one woman’s troubles to the broader struggles faced by women of color.
John Poppo of the Recording Academy: ‘Music ... is the universal language, and you are the master linguists’
Thank you for creating music, especially in a time when the world seems to need it more than ever. We extend that gratitude to all the people who have brought the music to us. But today we also recognize your power. Music, as we know, is the universal language, and you are the master linguists. People can have ideologies that are so different that they’re willing to wage war over them, and yet very often they’re singing the same songs on both sides of the battlefield.
— John Poppo, Recording Academy board member, in opening remarks
Sound Check: Host James Corden and other performers prep for 2017 Grammys
An air of torch-passing suffused the stage Thursday as rehearsals for Sunday’s 2017 Grammy Awards ceremony got underway at Staples Center with the teaming of 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys and Texas country newcomer Maren Morris.
Such cross-genre, cross-generational pairings are a signature of the Grammy telecast, which consistently features more live performance segments than any other major awards show.
Performances will run the gamut from pop music’s biggest stars of the moment, including Beyoncé, Adele, Katy Perry, Metallica, John Legend, Keith Urban and Daft Punk, to several acts that viewers who tune in Sunday at 5 p.m. Pacific time will likely be seeing and hearing for the first time, among them Morris and this year’s surprise album-of-the-year contender, Americana singer, songwriter and producer Sturgill Simpson.
The show will acknowledge an extraordinary string of pop star deaths in the past year with tribute segments saluting Prince, George Michael and briefer nods to R&B singer Sharon Jones, rock poet Leonard Cohen, country great Merle Haggard and rapper Phife Dawg, among others.
Read more about the Grammy rehearsals and the expected salutes to musicians we lost.
Grammy FAQ: What’s the eligibility period? What’s the difference between record and song of the year? Who votes?
What was this year’s eligibility period?
Oct. 1, 2015, to Sept. 30, 2016. So if your favorite artist, album, or song wasn’t nominated, check the release date.
What is the difference between song and record of the year?
Both honor a single recording, but song of the year is awarded to the songwriter(s) and record of the year is given to the recording artist, producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s).
Who votes on the Grammys?
The roughly 13,000 members of the Recording Academy who represent all facets of the industry, including recording artists, songwriters, producers and engineers.
What’s the deal with best new artist?
Sometimes an artist who already has released singles, or even multiple full albums, is nominated in this category. The latest guidelines are that an artist “must have achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and impacted the musical landscape during the eligibility period.”
Will the Grammys air live on the West Coast?
Yes, in 2016, for the first time, CBS decided it was time to do as most of the other major awards shows do and air live across the country.
When does it air?
The Grammys will air live Sunday from Staples Center on CBS at 5 p.m. PST.
Who’s hosting?
“Late Late Show” host James Corden is taking over the emcee duties from network-mate LL Cool J.
In advance of Grammys ceremony, Prince catalog to arrive at Spotify, Pandora, Apple Music and more
There’s good news for the many frustrated Prince fans wanting to add the late artist’s work to their Geniuses of Music playlists.
In anticipation of tonight’s Grammy Awards, where Bruno Mars and the Time are rumored to be playing a role in a tribute to the late Minneapolis musician, Prince’s classic output for Warner Bros. Records is arriving at all the major streaming services.
Previously only officially available through Tidal, the catalog is coming to Spotify, Apple Music, Pandora and other streaming platforms throughout Sunday. Already many of the titles are up at Spotify, including his output starting with his 1978 debut, “For You,” and runing through classic albums including “Dirty Mind,” “1999,” “Purple Rain,” “Sign O’ the Times” and a dozen others.
In announcing the news, Cameron Strang, chairman and CEO of Warner Bros. Records said, “Prince recorded his most influential and popular music during his time with Warner Bros. and we are deeply aware of our responsibility to safeguard and nurture his incredible legacy. Warner Bros. is thrilled to be able to bring Prince’s music to his millions of fans around the world via streaming services, fittingly on music’s biggest night.”
Mary J. Blige reveals she’s ‘going through some horrible stuff’ at pre-Grammy bash
Emotions ran higher than usual Saturday night at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy gala, and not just because the stars in attendance were venting their frustrations with an unpopular new president.
The veteran record executive’s annual party at the Beverly Hilton is known as a marathon of music-business backslapping, with lengthy toasts by Davis and the Recording Academy’s Neil Portnow and performances that can seem arranged to remind everyone how smart Person X was to sign Artist Y to Label Z.
By the end of the night, you can forget that music is about more than leveraging valuable copyrights, to use one of Davis’ favorite words.
Yet this year, a wave of real feeling went through the room when Davis saluted his friend Joni Mitchell, who was making a rare public appearance after suffering a brain aneurysm in 2015. Hundreds in the audience of A-listers — which included Stevie Wonder, Jane Fonda, Lena Dunham, Ringo Starr, Michael Keaton, Kris Jenner, Max Martin and Courtney Love — rose to give Mitchell a standing ovation.
Later, the R&B singer Maxwell silenced schmoozers with a deeply tender rendition of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U,” in which he changed a lyric to mark the fifth anniversary of Whitney Houston’s death. Jennifer Hudson inspired a similar reaction with her complicated, gospel-style adaptation of Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah.”
And then there was Mary J. Blige, who greeted the crowd by revealing that she’s “going through some horrible stuff right now.”
“It’s called a divorce,” she added before tearing through her songs “Thick of It” and “No More Drama.” The latter ended with Blige lying on the stage, her voice raw with pain.
Warmer but no less vivid were two young artists using the language of religion to sing about the experience of growing up: Chance the Rapper, who got the audience clapping along to “Blessings,” and the country singer Maren Morris, who belted “My Church” with confidence beyond her years.
For some, the passion on display Saturday had an expected political edge.
Frank Ocean claps back at Grammy Awards producer and writer: ‘You’re old’
R&B star Frank Ocean, who did not enter his recent album “Blonde” for Grammy consideration, has published a scathing response to Grammys executive producer Ken Ehrlich and writer David Wild.
“We all die one day, and you’re old,” Ocean wrote.
Ehrlich, who has produced the Grammys for nearly four decades, expressed frustration during a Rolling Stone magazine podcast with the “rigid” way in which Ocean approached his 2013 performance of “Forrest Gump.”
The producers, said Ehrlich, “executed his vision knowing that it was faulty. And we tried to tell him that. We tried to tell his management that. We tried to tell the record label that. So his feelings about the Grammys right now, I would imagine, probably go back to that in one way.”
Nonsense, Ocean fired back in a post on tumblr.
“Don’t you think I would’ve wanted to play the show to ‘redeem’ myself if I felt that way? In reality, I actually wanted to participate in honoring Prince on the show, but then I figured my best tribute to that man’s legacy would be to continue to be myself out here and to be successful. Winning a TV award doesn’t christen me successful.
Ocean added that he’d bought back all of his masters last year in an effort to remain independent. “That’s successful. ‘Blonde’ sold a million plus without a label, that’s successful. I am young, black, gifted and independent. That’s my tribute.”
He also slammed the Grammys for giving the album of the year trophy last year to Taylor Swift over Kendrick Lamar. “Hands down one of the most ‘faulty’ TV moments I’ve seen.”
Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Randy Newman and more salute Tom Petty at star-studded MusiCares Person of the Year benefit
What’s it take to raise $8.5 million in one night for charity? About 3,000 Tom Petty fans.
That was the outcome Friday of the Recording Academy’s annual Person of the Year fundraiser for its MusiCares Foundation, this year saluting the veteran singer, songwriter, guitarist and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member.
Recording Academy President Neil Portnow, in announcing the numbers just before Petty and the Heartbreakers took the stage to cap an all-star evening of tributes, said this year’s total set a record for the organization that’s entering its 27th year of providing assistance to musicians in need.
Past honors have gone to Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Quincy Jones, Tony Bennett, Elton John and Bruce Springsteen, among others.
“I’m really at a loss for words,” Petty, 66, said, trembling slightly as he looked out on the audience consisting of entertainment industry movers and shakers, celebrities and politicians, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco).
The night featured the likes of Randy Newman, Jackson Browne, Lucinda Williams, the Bangles, Jeff Lynne, the Foo Fighters, Norah Jones, Dhani Harrison, Jakob Dylan, Taj Mahal, the Lumineers, Elle King, Regina Spektor and the Head and the Heart all putting their spin on various Petty songs.
What time are the 2017 Grammy Awards?
Who will win album of the year? Will Beyoncé or Adele make history? How music’s biggest night pans out is anyone’s guess. But one thing is certain: The 59th Grammy Awards are happening Sunday and there’s lots to pay attention to.
Here’s a few things to know:
As always, there are two ceremonies where golden awards will be handed out: the pre-telecast ceremony at Microsoft Theater, where a bulk of the awards are given, and the main telecast at Staples Center in which the winners of the major and certain general categories are announced.
The pre-telecast, which starts at 12:30 p.m. PST, will be streamed on the Grammy’s website, and the big show will air live on CBS at 5 p.m.
James Corden will take over hosting duties from LL Cool J and the performance lineup is packed. Among the artists hitting the stage: Beyoncé, Adele, Katy Perry, Metallica, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, the Weeknd, Daft Punk and Bruno Mars.
And of course, the awards themselves. Three of the night’s biggest honors — record, song and album of the year — feature a faceoff between pop’s biggest divas, with Adele’s blockbuster “25” and Beyoncé’s provocative “Lemonade” as front-runners this year.
Beyoncé led the pack with nine nominations this year, while Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West all earned eight apiece and Chance the Rapper scored seven, including new artist.
The complete list of Grammy nominees
The 2017 Grammy Awards will soon be handed out, but first, refresh your memory about the nominees in each category.
Beyoncé leads the pack, with a total of nine nominations including album of the year. Drake, Rihanna and Kanye West all earned eight nominations apiece, and Chance the Rapper picked up seven. The artists competing in the album of the year category are Adele, Beyoncé, Justin Bieber, Drake and Sturgill Simpson.
Lukas Graham scores Grammy love with a rather quaint hit
Lukas Graham were the undisputed overachievers of this year’s Grammy nominations.
The Danish combo, led by singer Lukas Forchhammer, picked up nominations for record and song of the year, along with pop duo/group performance, for its breakout single “7 Years.”
The Times profiled the group in December, just after the Grammy nominations.
I think the Grammy nominations are definitely going to make people check out the rest of our work. What we do is pretty unique, writing about family, friends and growing older. I think this is definitely going to open us up to new audiences.
— Lukas Forchhammer, singer of Lukas Graham
In an era of big-budget pop experiments and indie-minded hip-hop, “7 Years” is a positively quaint piano ballad about welcoming old age with a certain nostalgia and wistfulness.
It’s a staple on mainstream radio (peaking at No. 2 on the Hot 100), but a lot of Grammy-prognosticators were surprised to see it in contention for several top prizes.
They’ll have a tough haul against “Formation” and “Hello,” but as they’ve proven time and again, “7 Years” has proven sneakily durable with Grammy voters.
Anderson .Paak just wanted to be heard — now he’s up for new artist
“I spent six, seven years making music and nobody cared,” Anderson .Paak said in an interview last year following the release of his breakout album, “Malibu.”
The 31-year-old is up for new artist, but the genre-stretching R&B singer-rapper-drummer-producer has been putting out music for years now.
He’s gone through the silly stage name phase — Breezy Lovejoy was the moniker and he slightly cringes with embarrassment when he talks about it — and did the circuit of pay-to-play gigs on the Sunset Strip. There were odd jobs (he was a home healthcare aid and even worked on a pot farm) and even a botched attempt at culinary school as he tried to make it in music.
Things picked up for him when he started working the L.A. hip-hop scene and focused on developing his artistry, dropping his pseudonym for a moniker that flipped his last and middle name — with the all important piece of punctuation, which serves as a personal reminder to never abandon detail and a brazen way to make others pay attention.
And people took notice after his 2014 single, a minimalist banger called “Drugs,” became an underground hit. Then his side act, NxWorries, landed him in front of Dr. Dre, who featured .Paak extensively on his “Compton” album before signing the rising singer to his Aftermath imprint.
It was a co-sign that took him to a new level, though the genre-blurring funkiness of “Malibu” (it’s up for the urban contemporary album) and .Paak’s electric showmanship did most of the work.
A few years (and a few independently released albums) later, he’s now up for one of the biggest honors. Not bad for a guy that was just trying to get heard.
A look back at Prince’s electrifying Grammy speech
In the dark days of 2016, maybe no death hit the music industry harder than Prince’s.
With a Grammy love-in impending at this year’s ceremony and his music returning to streaming services, there should be yet another surge of interest in his catalog.
But even late in life he was a ferocious Grammy presence.
Just watch his brief, magnificent and quietly radical speech at the 2015 ceremony. “Like books and black lives, albums still matter,” he said, just before presenting album of the year to Beck.
He said that just two years ago, but it’s hard to think of a more resonant idea about art and justice in 2017 as well.