Who knew the future of music is… guys with guitars? You might have thought otherwise during most of Universal Music Group’s annual pre-Grammy “Music is Universal” private showcase Saturday, during which hip-hop, R&B, Latin music and K-pop were heavily represented. But at the end, it suddenly turned into an old-fashioned rock concert, thanks to short
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There are a little more than 24 hours left before the Grammy telecast, and tensions are running a little high. But veteran show producer Ken Ehrlich is as unflappable as ever, even as CBS EVP Jack Sussman complains about a Rolling Stone interview that prolongs the Ariana Grande-Grammy spat for at least one more day.
The City of Angels welcomes the 61st Annual Grammy Awards back this year to Staples Center, after 2018’s ceremony took place in New York City. On Sunday, 15-time Grammy winner Alicia Keys will emcee music’s biggest night, while Cardi B, Camila Cabello, and Shawn Mendes take the stage. Other performers include Brandi Carlile, Miley Cyrus,
February 9, 2019 8:32PM PT One of Motown’s most influential artists, Smokey Robinson, hit back at criticism of Jennifer Lopez leading the Motown tribute at Sunday’s Grammy Awards. “I don’t think anyone who is intelligent is upset,” he told Variety. “I think anyone who is upset is stupid.” Speaking to Variety’s Marc Malkin outside Clive
Rock isn’t dead. It’s not on life support, either, and hasn’t been for a single solitary second since Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and the forefathers of the genre brought it into the mainstream more than six decades ago. “Rock is alive and well, it’s just been underground,” says Allison Hagendorf, Global Head of
February 9, 2019 10:45AM PT Miley Cyrus and Shawn Mendes teamed to perform a tribute to Dolly Parton at the MusiCares gala honoring the legendary country singer Friday night. Cyrus told Variety‘s Marc Malkin that she reached out to Shawn Mendes to set up the collab via Instagram DMs. “I actually sent him a DM
February 9, 2019 9:38AM PT Rising British rapper Cadet has died after a car crash in Betley in the early hours of Saturday morning. He was 28. According to the Associated Press, Cadet was on his way to a late-night gig at Keele University when his taxi collided with another vehicle. Staffordshire Police said a two-car
Although she closed the show singing “the song that got me here,” “Coat of Many Colors,” Dolly Parton was mostly a spectator during a two-hour tribute show that was the centerpiece of the annual MusiCares dinner in Los Angeles Friday night. And she had a quip about that, as she does for every occasion. “It’s
It looks like the Grammy Awards will be embroiled in drama, yet again. Some viewers may tune into music’s biggest night, which airs live on CBS on Sunday, to see who’s missing rather than who’s there. Twitter has been abuzz with news of the public disagreement between Ariana Grande and Grammy producers. Despite being heavily
February 9, 2019 8:26AM PT Miley Cyrus didn’t call her agents or managers or even some friends to help get her in touch with Shawn Mendes. Instead, she just looked him up on Instagram. “I actually sent him a DM and said I don’t know what you’re trying to do next because I’ve actually been
While Grammy Week is traditionally loaded with parties and showcases and every stripe of event, many veterans agreed that 2019 might be the most event-filled one to date. The week started off with events like Bebe Rexha’s Women in Harmony brunch, a BMG party headlined by Margo Price, Willie Nelson being honored by the Grammy
Janelle Monáe said that her Grammy nominations for her album “Dirty Computer” are for her “trans brothers and sisters.” The recording artist scored two Grammy nominations, one for album of the year with “Dirty Computer,” and another for best music video for her track “Pynk.” Monáe’s album was lauded for its exploration of sexuality, and the
February 8, 2019 2:23PM PT Ex-Fleetwood Mac guitarist Lindsey Buckingham underwent an emergency open heart surgery last week, his wife Kristen Buckingham confirmed in a statement Friday. “He is now recuperating at home, and each day he is stronger than the last,” she wrote in the statement. “While he and his heart are doing well, the surgery resulted
Attorney Dina LaPolt, whose clients include Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler, Britney Spears and Fifth Harmony, was honored with the Service Award at the Entertainment Law Initiative’s annual pre-Grammy lunch held at the Fairmont Hotel in Santa Monica. The honor recognizes “a commitment to advancing and supporting the music community through service.” LaPolt was a key supporter
February 8, 2019 12:44PM PT The two-part Michael Jackson documentary, “Leaving Neverland,” will premiere on Sunday, March 3, and Monday, March 4, announced HBO at the Television Critics Assn. winter press tour on Friday. The Dan Reed-directed film, which debuted at Sundance, is a four-hour expose in which two men, Wade Robson and James Safechuck,
During her show at Los Angeles’ Palladium Thursday night, fans got to see a Pink that was more grounded than usual — quite literally. “I haven’t done a show where I’m not hanging upside down in awhile,” she told the crowd. The singer, who’s in the middle of her “Beautiful Trauma” tour, is used to
In December, Ariana Grande gave an insightful interview in the aftermath of a series of tragedies: the 2017 terrorist attack outside her in Manchester, England; her brief engagement to “SNL” star Pete Davidson, to whom she dedicated a standout track on last year’s “Sweetener” album; and the death of former boyfriend Mac Miller, who put
February 7, 2019 10:01PM PT Starline Entertainment is tuning up worldwide sales on Ella Hunt and McFly musician Dougie Poynter-starrer “Kat and the Band.” Other British names that will be in the film include comedian Rufus Hound, and Katherine Kelly (“Happy Valley”). Damon Gough, better known as musician Badly Drawn Boy, will appear as himself in
February 7, 2019 10:01PM PT Limonero Films is hoping Travis is on trend with buyers after it snagged the rights to a well-received film about the Scottish rock band. “Almost Fashionable: A Film About Travis” saw music critic Wyndham Wallace invited to cover the Mexican tour of one of his least favorite bands. Through interviews
Now in its 43rd year, the Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Gala is famously the music industry’s hottest ticket, an invite-only affair held the night before the Grammy Awards and loaded with the kind of A-list guest list that only Davis could assemble. Organized by Davis with his son, attorney Doug Davis, it’s legendary as a platform for exclusive superstar
Even in the very upper reaches of the music industry, it’s not every day that you get to see John Mayer, Leon Bridges and Ryan Tedder jam spontaneously at a 400-capacity club on a Wednesday night. Then again, Columbia Records chairman Ron Perry, who celebrated his 40th birthday with a live karaoke band at the
At the invitation of hitmaker Bebe Rexha, artists, songwriters and producers gathered at the Sunset Tower Hotel on Thursday for the second annual Women in Harmony pre-Grammy brunch. The star-studded affair aims to raise awareness of women’s issues as they relate to representation in the music industry, particularly on the creative end. Among those in
Ariana Grande has fired back at Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich’s claims that she’s not performing at the ceremony because they felt it was “too late for her to pull something together.” “i’ve kept my mouth shut but now you’re lying about me,” Grande tweeted on Thursday. “i can pull together a performance over night and
February 7, 2019 11:16AM PT No name is not an especially small bar, but its stage is jammed into a corner to the right of the entrance, and while the proprietors have gussied it up with purple velour curtains and some eye-catching light fixtures, there’s a roadhouse vibe that will probably remind anyone performing there
Roadside Attractions has acquired North American rights to Nick Broomfield’s documentary “Marianne & Leonard: Words of Love,” which premiered last month at the Sundance Film Festival. Broomfield’s film focuses on the love story between the late Canadian folk singer Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse, Marianne Ihlen. The announcement was made Thursday by Roadside co-founders
February 7, 2019 10:48AM PT After R. Kelly tweeted (and then deleted) his announcement of new international tours, Australian politicians swiftly called to block the R&B artist from entering the country. Members of the opposition Labor Party released a statement about Kelly, saying, “Labor strongly supports the refusal or cancellation of visas of non-citizens on character
February 7, 2019 10:34AM PT Venice-based Autlook Filmsales has boarded sales on “A Dog Called Money,” Seamus Murphy’s documentary about award-winning British musician PJ Harvey. The film is in the Panorama sidebar and will have its world premiere on 9 Feb. Photo journalist and filmmaker Murphy accompanied Harvey on trips to Afghanistan, Kosovo, and Washington
Greta Van Fleet’s embrace of all things Led Zeppelin has prompted some to declare the Michigan group reductive. But earning four Grammy noms (best new artist, rock album, rock performance and rock song), competing against the likes of Weezer, St. Vincent and the late Chris Cornell, has silenced many naysayers. Bassist Sam Kiszka spoke to
Following are the top music industry companies and executives that are part of the R&B resurgence: Atlantic Records Atlantic Records played a huge role in bringing the original rhythm and blues to the mainstream in the 1950s and ’60s, and it’s carried that tradition into the present thanks to the power trio of co-chairs Craig
Why is R&B back? Because it was missed. Sometimes you want a melody. You want to look in the mirror and sing your heartache away. You can rap about it and that’s great, but there’s nothing like a fabulous R&B hook. R&B is ageless, like rock and country — it doesn’t matter how old you are.