Backstage at the Grammys Sunday night in Las Vegas, artists answered questions from both reporters who were actually backstage at the MGM Grand Arena, and reporters who’d logged in on Zoom from around the country.  But some of the night’s biggest winners didn’t appear backstage.

Olivia Rodrigo and Silk Sonic, both of whom won multiple awards Sunday night, posed for photos, but didn’t talk to reporters. Doja Cat, who won Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for “Kiss Me More,” also declined to speak with reporters, but her duet partner, SZA, did come backstage, despite the fact that she was on crutches due to, as she put it, “falling out of bed” the day before.

“That’s the way it goes,” she laughed. “Everything awesome in my life has always come with something very random, but it just adds to the energy.”

SZA’s Grammy was her first win after 11 nominations, and R&B songstress Jazmine Sullivan and country duo Brothers Osborne were two other artists who finally won for the first time Sunday night after multiple nominations.  Backstage, Sullivan, who actually won two trophies, said, “After losing so many times, I feel like I kinda gave up [hope of ever winning]…so it’s surreal to actually hold these babies!”

TJ Osborne of Brothers Osborne, who admitted that his mother “hates” that he dyed his hair blond, spoke about how “incredibly fulfilling” it’s been to perform for their fans since he came out as gay last year.

But country’s big winner was Chris Stapleton, who took home three trophies, including Best Country Album. Asked backstage who out there he’d like to collaborate with, Stapleton, who’s worked with Taylor Swift, Adele and Santana, among others, said he wouldn’t mind working with Harry Styles.

Country superstar Carrie Underwood won the Best Roots Gospel Album Grammy for her faith-based project My Savior and cried backstage as she spoke about how it “means the world” to her that she won because she’s wanted to make that kind of album “literally my whole career.”

H.E.R., who won the Best Traditional R&B Performance Grammy, was still buzzing from her performance with Lenny Kravitz on the show.  “I was having so much fun…growing up, I’d literally study all his videos…he’s one of the reasons why I even wanted to play guitar, so having this full circle moment…I was at a loss for words.”

And The Late Show with Stephen Colbert bandleader Jon Batiste, who had the most Grammys going into the show, also cited Lenny Kravitz as HIS full circle moment: Kravitz announced that Batiste had won the Album of the Year for his project We Are. “We played together when I was 16, so it was surreal,” Batiste told reporters, adding, “Seeing Uncle Lenny up there, it was just like a whole vibe, like, ‘This is far out.'”

Foo Fighters swept the rock categories, but sadly, they didn’t attend due to the death of drummer Taylor Hawkins. St. Vincent won Best Alternative Album for Daddy’s Home and backstage, she mentioned how happy she was that Jack Antonoff, her co-producer on the album, had been named Producer of the Year.

She also spoke about how “times are changing” in terms of women in alternative rock, while rock legend Bonnie Raitt, who won the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, praised the new crop of young female artists, including Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo.

“Across all genres, I think women are kickin’ it,” said Raitt.

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The 64th Annual Grammy Awards aired live from Las Vegas Sunday night on CBS, hosted by Trevor Noah.

Here is the complete list of winners in the major categories:

Record of the Year
“Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic

Album of the Year
We Are, Jon Batiste

Song of the Year
“Leave the Door Open,” Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)

Best New Artist
Olivia Rodrigo

POP

Best Pop Solo Performance
“driver’s license,” Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Kiss Me More,” Doja Cat Featuring SZA

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Love For Sale, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga

Best Pop Vocal Album
Sour, Olivia Rodrigo

ROCK/ALTERNATIVE

Best Metal Performance
“The Alien,” Dream Theater

Best Rock Song
“Waiting on a War,” Foo Fighters

Best Rock Performance
“Making a Fire,” Foo Fighters

Best Rock Album
Medicine at Midnight, Foo Fighters

Best Alternative Music Album
Daddy’s Home, St. Vincent

R&B/RAP

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE (TIE)
“Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic
and
“Pick Up Your Feelings,” Jazmine Sullivan

Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Fight for You,” H.E.R.

Best R&B Song
“Leave the Door Open,” Silk Sonic

Best Progressive R&B Album
Table for Two, Lucky Daye

Best R&B Album
Heaux Tales, Jazmine Sullivan

Best Rap Performance
“Family Ties,” Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar

Best Melodic Rap Performance
“Hurricane,” Kanye West featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby

Best Rap Song
“Jail,” Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Kanye West and Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West featuring Jay-Z)

Best Rap Album
Call Me If You Get Lost, Tyler, the Creator

COUNTRY

Best Country Solo Performance
“You Should Probably Leave,” Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“Younger Me,” Brothers Osborne

Best Country Song
“Cold,” Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton

Best Country Album
Starting Over, Chris Stapleton

DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Best Dance Recording
“10%” by Kaytranada feat. Kali Uchis

Best Dance/Electronic Album
Alive, Rüfüs Du Sol

GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
“Believe For It,” CeCe Winans; Dwan Hill, Kyle Lee, CeCe Winans & Mitch Wong

Best Gospel Album
Believe For It, CeCe Winans

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Old Church Basement, Elevation Worship & Maverick City Music

Best Roots Gospel Album
My Savior, Carrie Underwood

LATIN

Best Latin Pop Album
Mendó, Alex Cuba

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
Origen, Juanes

Best Regional Mexican Music Album
A Mis 80s, Vicente Fernandez

Best Tropical Latin Album
Salswing!, Rubén Blades y Roberto Delgado & Orquesta

COMEDY

Best Comedy Album
Sincerely, Louis C.K.

MUSICAL THEATER

Best Musical Theater Album
The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical, Composers/Lyricists Abigail Barlow and Emily Bear, Producer Emily Bear

MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (TIE)
Caros Raphael Rivera, The Queen’s Gambit
and
Jon Batiste, Atticus Ross and Trent Reznor, Soul

Best Song Written For Visual Media
“All Eyes on Me” (from Bo Burnham: Inside), Bo Burnham

MUSIC VIDEO/FILM

Best Music Video
“Freedom,” Jon Batiste

Best Music Film
Summer of Soul, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson, video director; David Dinerstein, Robert Fyvolent & Joseph Patel, video producers

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made a surprise appearance at the 64th Grammy Awards and sent a powerful message about the cost of freedom and the healing power of music.

In a pre-taped video, the president spoke from an unknown location in his country, which is being bombarded by Russian bombs in an unprecedented attack to seize control of the country.  Zelenskyy remained poised and spoke with a stern, gravel-like tone about the cost of Russia’s ongoing war.

“The war.  What’s more opposite to music?  The silence of ruined cities and killed people.  Our children draw swooping rockets, not shooting stars.  Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died and we’ll never see them drawing,” he said. “Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning.  In bomb shelters. Alive.”

Zelenskyy urged, “The war doesn’t let us choose who survived and who stays in eternal silence.”

“Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos.  They sing to the wounded in hospitals.  Even to those who can’t hear them, but the music will break through anyway,” he continued, noting Russia is bringing “horrible silence with its bombs.  The dead silence.”

He urged those at the Grammy Awards to “fill the silence with your music” and to “tell our story” by sharing the “truth” of the Russian invasion “on your social networks, on TV — support us in any way you can.”

While naming the besieged cities of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha and Mariupol, Zelenskyy declared, “I have a dream of them living and free.  Free like you on the Grammy stage.”

The Ukrainian president’s speech was followed by John Legend‘s performance of “Free.” He was joined by Ukrainian instrumentalist Siuzanna Iglidan and singer Mika Newton for the inspiring number.

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Hollywood is mourning the passing of the legendary Sidney Poitier, who died Friday. He was 94.

Poitier became the first Black man to win an Academy Award for best actor, in 1964 for his role in Lilies of the Field. He is also remembered for starring in A Raisin in the Sun, To Sir, with Love, In the Heat of the Night, Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, and many more classic films.

Tyler Perry, Whoopi Goldberg, Viola Davis and Debbie Allen are among the stars paying tribute to a true icon.

Tyler Perry: “The grace and class that this man has shown throughout his entire life, the example he set for me, not only as a Black man but as a human being will never be forgotten. There is no man in this business who has been more of a North Star for me than Sidney Poitier.”

“I’ll never forget inviting him and Cicely [Tyson] to fly to South Africa with me. Selfishly, I wanted to hold them both captive for the hours-long trip as I literally sat at their feet and listened to their wisdom and experiences. It was life changing…Thank you for being willing to share YOU to make us all better.”

Whoopi Goldberg: “To Sir… with Love Sir Sidney Poitier R.I.P. He showed us how to reach for the stars.”

Viola Davis: “This is a big one. No words can describe how your work radically shifted my life. The dignity, normalcy, strength, excellence and sheer electricity you brought to your roles showed us that we, as Black folks, mattered!!!”

Debbie Allen: “Your last sunset with us is the dawn of many generations rising in the path of light you blazed. We will always hold you in our hearts and forever speak your name.”

 

 

 

 

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For a second year in a row, the Grammy Awards will not take place on January 31 as originally planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

ABC News confirms the Recording Academy has delayed this year’s ceremony, which was to be hosted again by Trevor Noah.

“After careful consideration and analysis with city and state officials, health and safety experts, the artist community and our many partners, the Recording Academy and CBS have postponed the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Show,” the organization announced in a statement on Wednesday. 

The Recording Academy continued, “The health and safety of those in our music community, the live audience, and the hundreds of people who work tirelessly to produce our show remains our top priority. Given the uncertainty surrounding the Omicron variant, holding the show on January 31 simply contains too many risks.”

At this time, the organization has not announced when the Grammys will be rescheduled, but promised the new date “will be announced soon.”

Currently, federal data reports that more than 100,000 people are hospitalized in the U.S. for COVID-19.  Data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention from the weekend shows that the U.S. is now averaging nearly half a million new cases a day — averaging out to nearly six Americans testing positive every second.

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Saturday’s “We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert” was cut short thanks to Hurricane Henri. 

The event, which was held in Central Park and put on by Live Nation and industry icon Clive Davis, came to a halt just after the halfway mark when lightening struck within a 10-mile radius, Variety reports. 

According to the outlet, the good times came to an end for 60,0000 attendees at the two-hour-and-37-minute mark, in the midst of Barry Manilow belting out “I Can’t Smile Without You.”  An announcer interrupted the performance saying, “Attention. Please pay close attention to the following safety measures. Due to approaching severe weather, all persons should move quickly and calmly to the nearest exits and proceed to your vehicles and protected areas.”

Performers and concertgoers both waited out the weather in hopes the show would go on, with talks that perhaps the event could continue even without an audience and strictly as broadcast. However, after about three hours and no signs of the weather letting up, it was announced that it was a wrap. 

“We Love NYC” was scheduled to be a five-hour event that would treat attendees to performances from stars representing an array of genres. Among those who hit the stage before things went awry were Jennifer Hudson, Andrea Bocelli, Earth Wind & Fire, LL Cool J, Kane Brown, Journey, Santana, Jon Batiste and Polo G.

Meanwhile, acts including Bruce Springsteen, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Maluma, Patti Smith and the Killers were stunted. 

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