Music

Megan Thee Stallion‘s “Hiss” is the No. 1 song in the United States, marking the Houston rapper’s first solo No. 1. “Hiss” became the catalyst to a shockingly strange string of events after its arrival on Jan. 26. An online rap war between Megan and Nicki Minaj erupted over one line in the song —

The 66th annual Grammy Awards took a fast car towards ratings success on Sunday, bringing in an average 16.9 million viewers with a show that featured several high-profile performances and surprises. This marks a 34% improvement from last year’s show, which reached 12.4 million viewers on average, and the most-watched Grammys ceremony since 2020. (These

The 2024 Grammys will inspire a good deal of next-day debate among viewers. And that debate will be over: Which was the more moving comeback performance, Tracy Chapman’s or Joni Mitchell’s? Life is good — and awards shows better than they have a right to be — when the hot post-telecast topic is which legend

Phoebe Bridgers had some choice words for former Recording Academy president Neil Portnow. On a night when women dominated the Grammy Awards, Bridgers took the opportunity to revisit some of Portnow’s controversial comments backstage at the 66th annual ceremony. Portnow, who served as the chairman and CEO of The Recording Academy from 2002 to 2009, stirred

Everybody gets a trophy! Well, we don’t want to sound that dismissive of the way the Grammys like to spread the love. But it did seem as if the Recording Academy votership was determined to give nearly all the major nominees at least one significant award. And not allowing any of the multiply nominated artists

Billy Joel officially made his return to the Grammy Awards stage during the 66th annual ceremony, with an emotional performance of his new single “Turn the Lights Back On.” Complete with a live orchestra accompanying him, Joel serenaded the crowd with his latest romantic ballad, which ruminates on the possibility of repairing a flawed relationship.

Taylor Swift has set an all-time record at the Grammys as the performer who has the most wins in the album of the year category. “Midnights” won that coveted prize Sunday night, pushing her total to four. Coming into the ceremony, she was tied with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder, who each racked

Celine Dion stunned the Grammys by making a surprise appearance at the end of the ceremony to present the final award for album of the year. The music icon has been out of the spotlight after she revealed in December 2022 that she has Stiff-Person Syndrome — a progressive neurological disorder that affects the brain

Drake, who has an antagonistic history with the Grammys, took to Instagram right before Sunday evening’s ceremony to make it clear he was not interested in keeping up with the winners. “All you incredible artists remember this show isn’t the facts — it’s just the opinion of a group of people whose names are kept

Oprah Winfrey kicked off her Grammy tribute to the late, great Tina Turner, who died in May 2023, with a tip passed along from award-winning singer and songwriter, from icon to icon. “She used to say to me, ‘Oprah, you should dress up for dinner, even if no one else is there. Just so you

Joni Mitchell has a nearly 60-year history of winning Grammys, but her first actual singing appearance on the awards show didn’t take place till Sunday night, as she sang “Both Sides Now” for her performance debut on the telecast. Besides being perhaps her best-known song, “Both Sides Now” had some resonance as a performance pick

Jay-Z slammed the Grammys while receiving the Dr. Dre Global Impact award on Sunday night, calling out the ceremony for snubbing Beyoncé by never awarding her album of the year. During his acceptance speech, Jay-Z discussed how he has always wanted the Grammys to recognize the artists that most influence culture. “How far we have

U2 graced the Grammys telecast with a performance of their 2023 jam “Atomic City,” joining the ceremony from inside the Sphere in Las Vegas, where the Dublin-originated band currently has a residency. While there was no official word on whether the footage of Sphere was live or not, U2 and Sphere still dazzled the show

Taylor Swift won the Grammy for best pop vocal album for “Midnights” and, in her acceptance speech, announced her next studio album, “The Tortured Poets Department,” out April 19. “Okay, this is my 13th Grammy, which is my lucky number. I don’t know if I’ve ever told you that,” Swift joked at the top of

Olivia Rodrigo made waves at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards, performing her hit song “Vampire” while donning a red dress and singing to a pumped-up crowd, which included Taylor Swift, who was singing and dancing along to Rodrigo’s pop-rock ballad. Rodrigo performed a fiery rendition of the hit from her sophomore album, receiving a standing

Fresh off of winning her first-ever Grammy for “Flowers,” Miley Cyrus delivered a spicy performance of the No. 1 hit song during the live telecast. As she danced around the stage Tina Turner style, wearing a sparkling silver dress, Cyrus urged the Grammys audience to show some enthusiasm, saying in between lyrics, “Why are you

The red carpet outside the Grammy Awards faced stalled arrivals as a protest in support of Palestine and an end to Israel’s ongoing attack on Gaza gathered in downtown Los Angeles outside the Crypto.com Arena. Footage from the protest was posted on social media Sunday evening, shared with the hashtag #ShutItDown4Palestine. Sources operating the event

Armed with the most nominations this year, SZA took the stage to perform at the 2024 Grammy Awards. The singer, decked out in a black trenchcoat and wide-brimmed hat, opened with her smash hit “Snooze” off her sophomore album “SOS.” On a stage resembling a back alley replete with flaming garbage cans and a dumpster,

Miley Cyrus is officially a Grammy winner. The singer kicked off the ceremony with a win for best pop solo performance for her hit “Flowers,” taking the stage to accept the award from Mariah Carey. “This M.C. is going to stand by this M.C. because this is just too iconic,” Cyrus began, gesturing toward Carey.

Now in its 48 th year, the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala remains the biggest party in the music world — the one that means you have arrived and can mix with a unique collection of the biggest names in the music and film worlds (unless you’re a journalist covering it and would never get in otherwise).

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Music’s biggest night is almost here. The 67th Grammy Awards will take place at Los Angeles’s Crypto Arena on Sunday, Feb. 4. Trevor Noah will return to host this year’s star-studded event, which will

Ahead of the 2024 Grammy Awards Sunday evening, the Premiere Ceremony has begun at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. SZA, who leads with nine nominations, will compete against Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Boygenius, Miley Cyrus, Jon Batiste, Victoria Monét and Billie Eilish for record of the year. The eight contenders in the album of

Contrary to popular online opinion, if The Last Dinner Party didn’t exist, it seems highly unlikely that the music industry would have the nerve to dream them up. The noise in the U.K. around the band has been getting louder in the run-up to its debut album, “Prelude to Ecstasy,” released just a few hours

When the Recording Academy’s list of its 2024 lifetime achievement awardees was announced on Jan. 5, the name “Laurie Anderson” was most surprising to one of its recipients: Laurie Anderson. “The Grammys? They don’t usually look over at the experimental world. Then again, I do kind of go in and out of both,” says Anderson

Jim Gaffigan, surveying the front table as host of the annual MusiCares gala Friday night, had a thought. Looking at “the musical powerhouses Jon Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Paul McCartney — now, hear me out: a reboot of the Traveling Wilburys.” After a pause, he added, “I see Robert Kraft as the lead,” referring to

Miley Cyrus is going to take herself dancing to the Grammy Awards on Sunday. The veteran hitmaker, who is up for six awards this time around, is expected to perform her smash “Flowers” at the ceremony that will air live on CBS and Paramount+. Cyrus was in downtown Los Angeles Friday afternoon at the Crypto.com

Megan Thee Stallion and Warner Music Group have announced a new agreement that will enable the “Savage” rapper to remain an independent artist while also having access to the music company’s global services, ranging from distribution and radio promotion to marketing. Megan has full ownership of her masters and publishing and will release all future

Wayne Kramer, the co-founding guitarist and composer of Detroit’s punk band MC5, whose social activism carried on throughout his lengthy solo career, died on Friday at 75. The news was confirmed on Kramer’s and MC5’s official Instagram with the phrase “Wayne S. Kramer ‘PEACE BE WITH YOU’ April 30, 1948 – February 2, 2024. No

Although the Grammys are still a couple of days away, Victoria Monét came out a winner on Thursday night as the music industry elite gathered to toast the singer-songwriter’s career and long-deserved laurels. Up for seven awards at the 66th annual Grammys on Feb. 4, Monét was celebrated at the inaugural Variety Grammys Cover Party presented

Clive Davis has been holding one of the most legendary parties in entertainment history, the Pre-Grammy Gala — aka “The Clive Party” — the night before the ceremony, every year since 1976, complete with virtual editions during lockdown. It is truly fete like no other, a place where you can see Bey and Jay at one