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 getting started and there’s lots to pay attention to.
The red carpet is officially open and the pre-telecast ceremony, where the majority of the award are given is underway. The main show will kick-off at 5 p.m. on CBS, with James Corden hosting the live telecast. Beyoncé, Adele, Katy Perry, Metallica, John Legend, Alicia Keys, Keith Urban, the Weeknd, Daft Punk and Bruno Mars are among the artists set to hit the stage.
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.
See the complete list of nominations >>
“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.
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.
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.
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis’ history with the Grammys is quite complicated.
At the 2014 ceremony, the indie hip-hop outliers swept the rap categories and was named 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 blow back 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, particularly given the current political climate.
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.
It was a beautiful message of marriage equality and an especially poignant showing of support from a medium that has been further behind in mainstream representation of LGBT voices when compared to TV and film.
Grab a tissue and relive the moment:
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.”
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.
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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.
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 .
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.
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.
READ THE FULL REVIEW.
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.”
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.
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.
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“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.
READ THE TIMES COVER STORY ON ANDERSON .PAAK HERE
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.”
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.
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.
READ THE TIMES’ INTERVIEW WITH LUKAS FORCHHAMMER.
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.
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