2024 GRAMMYs: Joni Mitchell Performs For The First Time ...
"I never thought I’d say I won a GRAMMY at 22 years old," the South African singer said. Although coming up against stiff competition, including massive Afrobeats stars Burna Boy and Davido, Tyla's hit song "Water" proved undeniable for GRAMMY voters.
|GRAMMYs/Feb 4, 2024 - 10:31 pm
Tyla has taken home the golden gramophone for Best African Music Performance — an all-new category — at the 2024 GRAMMYs, for "Water."
The South African starlet came ahead of ASAKE & Olamide ("Amapiano"); Burna Boy ("City BoysMiracle"); Davido Featuring Musa Keys ("UNAVAILABLE"); and Ayra Starr ("Rush").
The 22-year-old singer was taken aback upon winning the trophy, which was awarded by Jimmy Jam during the GRAMMYs Premiere Ceremony.
"What the heck?!" she declared once on stage. "This is crazy, I never thought I’d say I won a GRAMMY at 22 years old."
Although coming up against stiff competition, including massive Afrobeats stars Burna Boy and Davido, the massive appeal of Tyla's hit song "Water" proved undeniable for GRAMMY voters. The amapiano-based pop song entered the Billboard Hot 100 last year, the first for an South African solo artist since Hugh Masekala in 1968. It later peaked at No. 7, making her the highest-charting African female solo musician in Billboard history. The song also went to No. 1 on the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs and Hip-Hop/R&B charts.
Tyla shouted out her family during her acceptance speech, saying "I know my mother’s crying somewhere in here."
Tyla makes history as the first-ever Best African Music performance winner. The category was created in order for the Academy to honor music from the continent, according to Academy President Harvey Mason Jr.
"I'd love to see us be able to honor even more music from Africa and other areas of the world," Mason said in an interview with GRAMMY.com. "The future of the Recording Academy is going to build on equity. We're not just honoring music breaking in our country — we're celebrating music from around the world."
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Inside The Exclusive #GRAMMYsNextGen Party During 2024 GRAMMY WeekFrom the many 'gram-worthy photo opps to performances by Afrobeats artist, Blaqbonez and nominee Romy, the GRAMMY House event brought out members of the music industry who are shaping its future.
|GRAMMYs/Feb 5, 2024 - 08:28 pm
Held during 2024 GRAMMY Week, the third installment of #GRAMMYsNextGen was as much an extensive art exhibition as it was an exploration of sight and sound. The initiative celebrates the leading creators and professionals shaping the future of music.
Partygoers could be seen from three blocks away as they converged onto GRAMMY House in DTLA. Held on Fri, Feb. 2, two nights ahead of the 66th GRAMMY Awards, excitement for the ceremony was felt in every corner of Rolling Greens' massive campus of warehouse and outdoor garden spaces.
A far cry from DTLA’s warehouses, the Arts District venue featured eye-catching and tasteful details, including bell-shaped straw shades hanging over lightbulbs and an urban greenhouse. The setting was perfect for GRAMMY House exhibitions, including a cylindrical centerpiece displaying a timeline of landmark moments from the Latin GRAMMYs.
Guest activations included Mastercard’s ultra-chic secret garden bar space, a Dyson showroom with hair styling salon, as well as a Sonos sound interview and photo room.
Attendees showcased their skills in front of the camera at several#GRAMMYsNextGen photo areas. From TikTok’s most-followed creator, Khaby Lame, to singer/songwriter Lucky Daye and Mali-Koa and Leo Stannard of dance duo AR/CO to miniature charmer Kayden Alexander Koshelev, influencer Clawdeena (who was dressed like a futuristic devil), to actor Michael Epps and "American Idol" finalist Haven Madison, #GRAMMYsNextGen has an intimate relationship with the lens.
Music permeated the various spaces of Rolling Greens, adjusting to the moods of the activations and settings of the campus. Inside Mastercard’s delightful Secret Garden — perhaps the most sophisticated and comfortable spot in the party — DJs spun groovy dance tunes. Adding to the charm of the space, everything inside the Secret Garden was sustainably sourced, going to be repurposed or made from recycled materials. A short video on a loop showed Mastercard’s eco-forward initiatives, and the approachable staff on-site were there to answer any questions on the program that guests had.
But #GRAMMYsNextGen was all about the photos. If you didn’t know how to pose before attending #GRAMMYsNextGen, you would have picked up a lot of pointers by the end of the night. From floral backdrops to street art, a neon boombox to a giant gold GRAMMY, a disco ball sculpture to a "plant-based" GRAMMY, each installation meant another snap of the phone camera.
Over the course of three hours, Yasmin and Cyanide Beats provided the music in one of the larger rooms. They ranged from high-energy thumpers to throwback favorites from the ‘90s, among them the perennial "Milkshake" from Kelis and Missy Elliott’s "Work It."
In the evening, Nigerian rapper Blaqbonez took to the stage for a live performance. Oozing with confidence and clad in leather, Blaqbonez’ irresistible magnetism pulled the audience in, encouraging them to chant along with "Like Ice Spice." He responded to their amped-up reactions with the winning sense of humor for which he is known.
First-time GRAMMY nominee Romy, who is up for Best Dance/Electronic Recording for "Strong," a collaboration with multiple GRAMMY nominee Fred Again… took control of the decks playing her signature brand of emotive bangers. Smiling nonstop and singing along to her selections, she had the whole dancefloor moving!
2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Winners & Nominees List
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2024 GRAMMYs: Joni Mitchell Performs For The First TimeThe highly decorated GRAMMY veteran made her first appearance as a performer at Music's Biggest Night, performing "Both Sides Now" at the 2024 GRAMMYs.
|GRAMMYs/Feb 5, 2024 - 06:01 am
At the 2024 GRAMMYs, Joni Mitchell proved that It’s never too late for firsts.
The 80-year-old icon and 2022 MusiCares Person Of The Year performed at the 2024 GRAMMYs — her first time as a musical act on Music's Biggest Night. Mitchell graced the audience with her soul-stirring hit "Both Sides Now."
After a passionate introduction by Brandi Carlile, who called her the "matriarch of imagination," Mitchell appeared onstage in an ornate, throne-like chair with grand chandeliers. Accompanied by a backing band — comprised of Carlile, Allison Russell, Sistastrings, Lucius, Jacob Collier, and Blake Mills — Mitchell’s voice radiated throughout Crypto.com Arena while delivering the song’s bittersweet, introspective message: "I've looked at life from both sides now, from win and lose and still somehow… I really don't know life at all." Her lyrics resonated with members of the audience, who teared up before offering a deserved standing ovation.
"Both Sides Now" was originally released as part of Mitchell’s 1969 album Clouds. The song also appears on her 2023 live album, Joni Mitchell At Newport, which took home the golden gramophone for Best Folk Album this year. The LP immortalizes her surprise set at the Newport Folk Festival in 2022, where she played a selection of her greatest hits with help from Brandi Carlile and co. It was Mitchell’s first performance in 20 years.
"We had so much fun at that concert and I think you can feel that on the record," Mitchell said of the LP during her acceptance speech. "It's a very joyous record because of the people that I played with and the spirit of the occasion was very high… Even the audience sounds like music."
Read more: 10 Lesser-Known Joni Mitchell Songs You Need To Hear
While 2024 marks Mitchell’s first time performing at the GRAMMYs, the singer/songwriter is already a highly decorated figure within the world's leading society of music people.
Prior to this year, she had been nominated 18 times and won nine — including her first golden gramophone in 1970 for Best Folk Performance (Clouds), and most recently in 2022 for Best Historical Album (Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967) ). In 2002, she earned the Recording Academy's Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2022 was honored as MusiCares’ Person of the Year. Carlile was one of many artists who performed covers of Mitchell’s songs during the tribute concert. Three of her albums (Blue, Court and Spark, and Clouds) have been inducted to the GRAMMY Hall of Fame.
2024 GRAMMYs: See The Full Nominees And Winners List
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2024 GRAMMYs: Miley Cyrus Wins The GRAMMY For Record Of The Year for "Flowers"2024 GRAMMYs: Miley Cyrus Wins The GRAMMY for Record Of The Year for "Flowers"
|GRAMMYs/Feb 5, 2024 - 04:44 am
Miley Cyrus has won Record of the Year at the 2024 GRAMMYs for her hit “Flowers.”
Accepting the award with her production team, Cyrus was irreverent and self-effacing, especially after having already won her first ever Golden Gramophone for Best Pop Solo Performance earlier in the evening.
“This award is amazing, but I really hope it doesn’t change anything, because my life was beautiful yesterday,” Cyrus said.
The pop singer beat out Lana Del Rey, Taylor Swift, Jon Batiste, Dua Lipa, SZA, Olivia Rodrigo, and Billie Eilish for the award, which was presented by Mark Ronson and his mother-in-law, the actress Meryl Streep. “Flowers” was a massive commercial hit, debuting at Number One on the Billboard Hot 100 and spending eight consecutive weeks in the top spot.
As she finished her speech, during which she thanked her collaborators, their partners, and her fans, Cyrus said “I don’t think I’ve forgotten anyone, but I might’ve forgotten underwear.”
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2024 GRAMMYs: Taylor Swift Makes GRAMMY History With Fourth Album Of The Year Win For 'Midnights''Midnights' earned Taylor Swift her fourth Album Of The Year win at the 2024 GRAMMYs — the most of any artist of all time.
|GRAMMYs/Feb 5, 2024 - 04:42 am
Taylor Swift has made GRAMMY history once again.
The pop superstar won the GRAMMY for Album Of The Year for Midnights at the 2024 GRAMMYs, marking her fourth win in the Category — the most Album Of The Year wins of any artist at the GRAMMYs. (She had been tied with Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, and Paul Simon.)
Swift was shocked as she accepted the award, bringing up her producer Jack Antonoff — who had already won the GRAMMY for Producer of the Year — and collaborator Lana Del Rey, who was also nominated for Album Of The Year for Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd. She acknowledged both in her acceptance speech, calling Antonoff "a once in a generation producer" and Del Rey "a legacy artist, a legend in her prime right now."
She continued, "I would love to tell you that this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song, or when I crack to code to a bridge I love, or when I'm shortlisting a music video, or when I'm rehearsing with my dancers or my band, or getting ready to go to Tokyo to play a show. For me the award is the work. All I wanna do is keep being able to do this. I love it so much, it makes me so happy."
The 66th GRAMMY Awards were already a big night for Swift before her Album Of The Year victory. Midnights won Best Pop Vocal Album earlier in the telecast, marking her 13th win; as Swifties know, 13 is Swift's lucky number because of her Dec. 13 birthday.
And at the 2024 GRAMMYs, it was her lucky number indeed: along with making history, Swift used her first win to announce a brand-new album. Swift will release her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19.
2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List
