March 14, 2021, 6:28 p.m. ET
March 14, 2021, 6:28 p.m. ET
The Weeknd, who received no nominations for this year’s Grammys despite releasing a successful and acclaimed album, said he will no longer submit his music for the awards.Credit…Kevin Mazur/MTV VMAs 2020/Getty Images for MTV
The Weeknd, Drake, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, Frank Ocean, Nicki Minaj, Halsey, Zayn Malik, Jay-Z — this could be the Grammys lineup in an alternate universe.
Instead, these artists represent some of the biggest names that have explicitly and publicly criticized the awards in recent years. As a result, some in the music industry fret that the Grammys may have permanently alienated a generation-plus of stars — and especially Black artists — who see the process as opaque and out of touch.
Abel Tesfaye, who performs at the Weeknd, led the anti-Grammys charge this cycle, after he was shut out of nominations despite having released a critical and commercial juggernaut of an album, “After Hours,” and an inescapable hit in “Blinding Lights.”
In a statement to The New York Times, Tesfaye said he no longer wanted to be considered for the awards moving forward, citing the Grammy committees that decide the final nominees in most categories. “Because of the secret committees,” he said, “I will no longer allow my label to submit my music to the Grammys.” (Ocean took a similar stance in 2016, explaining that he did not trust the Grammys to understand “people who come from where I come from.”)
Similar tensions have been simmering for years, with questions about gender and racial diversity that have plagued the industry more widely colliding and coming under special scrutiny surrounding the annual television showcase. The Recording Academy, the nonprofit behind the Grammys, has called its recent diversity efforts, including a push for new members, “transformative.”
On the day before the show, Cardi B, who is scheduled to perform, took a more diplomatic approach than some of her peers, nodding to the controversy in a statement, but striking an optimistic, conciliatory tone. “Maybe by next year they will get it right,” she wrote, before citing as wins the nominations of independent Black artists like Chika, Freddie Gibbs, Kaytranada and Robert Glasper. “Let’s not forget to congratulate these artists,” she said. “This is their moment too.”
Yet it remains an uphill climb: A Black artist has not won album of the year since Herbie Hancock’s tribute to Joni Mitchell in 2008. A rap song won record and song of the year — two of the other so-called “big four” categories — for the first time in 2019, with “This Is America” by Childish Gambino. (Donald Glover, who performs as Childish Gambino, was not present to collect his awards.)
This year, artists like Beyoncé, who has not won a major award since 2010, and Roddy Ricch, a young Los Angeles rapper, are among the top nominees.
But despite her field-leading nine nominations and stated interest from the academy, Beyoncé will not perform at the show, marking the third time in the last four years that the top nominee will not grace the stage, following her husband Jay-Z (who went zero for eight in 2018) and Kendrick Lamar.
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March 14, 2021, 5:58 p.m. ET
March 14, 2021, 5:58 p.m. ET
The 63rd annual Grammy Awards begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time, 5 p.m. Pacific on CBS.Credit…Abriel Bouys/AFP via, Getty Images
It’s pandemic awards-show season, which, thus far, has meant a lot of technological glitches and acceptance speeches given from the couch. But the executive producer of the Grammys on Sunday promises that this one won’t give you “Zoom fatigue.”
The 63rd annual Grammy Awards, hosted by Trevor Noah from “The Daily Show,” begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time, 5 p.m. Pacific. You can tune in on CBS or stream the show on Paramount+, a new streaming platform that recently replaced CBS All Access.
The Grammys preshow, which includes the red carpet stream, starts at 6:30 p.m. Eastern time. There will be the typical giddy interviews with stars and glimpses at the backstage setup. You can watch that on Grammy.com; it will also be streaming on Facebook Live.
An earlier Grammys ceremony started at 3 p.m. Eastern time, noon Pacific. Hosted by the singer-songwriter Jhené Aiko (a Grammy nominee herself), more than 70 Grammys were awarded at this ceremony, which streamed on Grammy.com and on the Grammys YouTube channel. The preshow ceremony also featured performances by several nominees, including the Nigerian singer-songwriter Burna Boy, the blues musician Jimmy “Duck” Holmes and the German pianist Igor Levit.
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March 14, 2021, 5:58 p.m. ET
March 14, 2021, 5:58 p.m. ET
Taylor Swift, who is up for six Grammys, will be performing at the awards. Beyoncé, who leads all nominees with nine, is not a scheduled performer.Credit…Associated Press
Fourteen months after recording a 12-year-low in viewership, the Grammy Awards will try to bounce back Sunday night with the help of powerhouse performances and, potentially, a refreshed approach with a new executive producer: Ben Winston of “The Late Late Show With James Corden,” known for his “Carpool Karaoke” segments.
But like the awards shows that have come before it in this strange pandemic year, the 63rd edition of the Grammys will face a number of logistical challenges as the show’s producers try to balance the need for safety and an entertaining product.
It is still not entirely clear what shape the night will take. Officials have said they planned for a small audience in Los Angeles, and that a mix of live and pretaped performances will take place on five outdoor stages near the Staples Center in Los Angeles, the show’s usual home. Trevor Noah, from “The Daily Show,” is the host. Here’s a quick look at what else to expect:
The nominees:
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa and Roddy Ricch headlined the nominations when they were disclosed in the fall.
Beyoncé got the most nods overall with nine nominations in eight categories — “Black Parade” is competing against her guest turn on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage (Remix)” for record of the year. Swift got six nominations, five for her quarantine album “Folklore,” and one for “Beautiful Ghosts,” a song she wrote with Andrew Lloyd Webber for the film version of “Cats.” Lipa has six too, including album, record and song of the year. And Ricch earned six nominations in four categories (he’s up against himself for rap song and rap/sung performance).
Our pop music team broke down and debated one of the so-called “big four” categories, record of the year, in a special “Diary of a Song” episode.
A full list of nominees is here, a condensed version of the highlights is here, and as always, there were snubs, which we wrote about here. (The biggest? The Weeknd, who received no nominations this year, and told The New York Times this week that he would ask his record company not to submit his music for the awards in the future.)
The performers:
The full list of announced performers includes Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Cardi B, BTS, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Mickey Guyton, Haim, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Megan Thee Stallion, Maren Morris, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. And there’s always the possibility of a surprise artist joining the lineup.
The Recording Academy has said the show will offer a mix of live and taped appearances in a format described as “coming together, while still safely apart.”
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March 14, 2021, 5:58 p.m. ET
March 14, 2021, 5:58 p.m. ET
The Grammys are spotlighting venues that have been suffering during the pandemic, including the Apollo Theater in New York.Credit…George Etheredge for The New York Times
The Grammys are taking place in and around downtown Los Angeles. But don’t be surprised if your friendly neighborhood bartender or box office manager pops up onscreen to present an award.
In a nod to the severity of the coronavirus pandemic’s impact on the live music industry, the Grammys will highlight the struggles of independent music venues by having staff members from four live music spots present awards and encourage viewers at home to support their local clubs.
Workers from the Troubadour and the Hotel Café in Los Angeles, the Apollo Theater in New York and Nashville’s Station Inn will appear throughout the evening. Presenters will also include a handful of artists: Jhené Aiko, Jacob Collier, Lizzo and Ringo Starr.
Although safety concerns surrounding the pandemic are providing challenges for the show’s producers — the event will feature both live and taped appearances — the unusual circumstances are also offering the Grammys a chance to experiment, as other high-profile live events have done.
The Golden Globes allowed co-hosts Tina Fey and Amy Poehler to appear simultaneously from separate locations in New York and Los Angeles. And organizers of the Democratic National Convention drew praise last year for broadcasting a virtual roll call that featured appearances from everyday Americans in 57 states and territories.
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Source by www.nytimes.com