Tag: Grammy 2022

  • Bengaluru-based Ricky Kej wins second Grammy

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Music composer Ricky Kej, based out of Bengaluru, has won his second Grammy in the best new album category for ‘Divine Tides’.

    The US-born musician shared the award with Stewart Copeland, the drummer of the iconic British rock band The Police, who collaborated with Kej on the album.

    At the 64th Grammy Awards ceremony, held at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Marquee Ballroom, Kej greeted the audiences with a namaste when he took the stage with Copeland to receive the prestigious gramophone.

    The music composer later shared a post on Instagram expressing his gratitude for his second win.

    “So grateful to have won the Grammy Award for our album ‘Divine Tides’. Absolutely love this living-legend standing next to me – Stewart Copeland. Love all of you too! This is my 2nd Grammy Award and Stewart’s 6th,” he wrote alongside a picture with Copeland.

    In 2015, Kej took home a Grammy in the best new age album category for ‘Winds of Samsara’.

    Copeland’s previous Grammy wins came as part of his work with The Police in categories such as best rock instrumental performance (“Reggatta de Blanc”, “Behind My Camel”), best rock performance by a group with vocal (“Don’t Stand So Close To Me”, “Synchronicity”), and best pop performance by a group with vocal for “Every Breath You Take”.

    According to its official website, ‘Divine Tides’ is a nine-song album that aims to deliver the message that “each individual life plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance that serves all equally”.

    Meanwhile, New York-based Indian singer Falguni Shah also did the country proud at the 2022 Grammys.

    Known by her stage name Falu, Shah earned her first Grammy Award for ‘A Colorful World’ in the best children’s album category.

  • Indian-American singer Falguni Shah wins Grammy: No words to describe today’s magic

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: New York-based Indian singer Falguni Shah, known by her stage name Falu, won a Grammy Award for ‘A Colorful World’ in the best children’s album category.

    The Mumbai-born singer-songwriter took to Instagram to thank the Recording Academy, which conducts the Grammys, for the win.

    “I have no words to describe today’s magic. What an honor to perform for the opening number of the GRAMMY Premier Ceremony, and then take home a statue on behalf of all the incredible people who worked on A Colorful World.

    “We are humbled and thank the Recording Academy for this tremendous recognition. THANK YOU! (sic)” Shah wrote alongside her pictures from the event, which was held on Sunday night in Las Vegas.

    The singer, known for her “modern inventive style with a formidable Indian classically-shaped vocal talent”, was previously nominated for a Grammy in the same category for her 2018 album “Falu’s Bazaar”.

    Shah, who is in her early 40s, has trained in Hindustani Classical music in the Jaipur musical tradition and in the Benares style of thumrie under Kaumudi Munshi and semi classical music from Uday Mazumdar.

    According to her official website, she later continued studying under the late sarangi/vocal master Ustad Sultan Khan, and later with the legendary Kishori Amonkar (Jaipur style).

    Shah moved to the US in 2000 and her subsequent career there has led her to collaborate with the likes of Yo-Yo Ma, Wyclef Jean, Philip Glass, Ricky Martin, Blues Traveler and A R Rahman, among others.

  • Grammy 2022: Jon Batiste tops honours; Silk Sonic soars, Rodrigo crowned

    By Associated Press

    LAS VEGAS: Jon Batiste won album of the year honors for “We Are” at the Grammy Awards on Sunday, giving him five trophies on a night that saw the ’70s funk of Silk Sonic take record of the year and song of the year and newcomer Olivia Rodrigo take three awards.

    Batiste honored the artists he beat. “The creative arts are subjective,” he said. “Be you.”

    The multi-genre performer also won for his song “Cry,” the video for “Freedom” and his work with Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross on the soundtrack for “Soul.”

    “I just put my head down and I work on the craft every day. I love music,” he said.

    The R&B supergroup Silk Sonic took home awards in all four categories it was nominated in, including record of the year.

    ALSO READ | Grammys 2022: Silk Sonic’s ‘Leave the Door Open’ bags Record of The Year

    Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak were exuberant as they accepted the honor toward the end of the ceremony. The win puts Mars in historic company again: He becomes the only artist along with Paul Simon to take home the award three times.

    “We are really trying our hardest to remain humble at this point,” .Paak said. “But in the industry, they call that a clean sweep!” later adding “drinks is on Silk Sonic tonight!”

    The win came after the night’s festivities grew grim when Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the gathering with an update on the war and his numbers included children injured and killed. “Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos,” he said. “We are fighting Russia, which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music.”

    He ended by saying: “Tell the truth about the war on your social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can any, but not silence. And then peace will come to all our cities.”

    ALSO READ | ‘Fill the silence with your music,’ Zelenskyy tells Grammys

    John Legend then performed “Free” with Ukrainian exiles including singer-actress Mika Newton and poet Lyuba Yakimchuk.

    Rodrigo’s won for best new artist put her in esteemed company including Carly Simon, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Tom Jones, the Beatles and Billie Eilish.

    A veteran of the “High School Musical” series, she became the breakout music star of 2021, leading with her massive viral hit “Drivers License” and following with the single “Good 4 U” and the aching album “Sour,” which took best pop vocal album.

    “This is my biggest dream come true,” she said after her best new artist win. She thanked her parents for supporting her dreams, which at one point involved being an Olympic gymnast and quickly veered toward music.

    “I want to thank my mom for being so supportive for all of my dreams, no matter how crazy. I want to thank my mom and dad for being equally as proud of me for winning a Grammy as they were when I learned how to do a back walk.”

    Silk Sonic opened the Grammys in Las Vegas with their high-energy, infectious fix of retro soul and funk by performing their “777.” They returned to the stage a short time later to collect the song of the year trophy for “Leave the Door Open.”

    The win helps Mars tie the record for most song of the year wins. He had previously won for “24K Magic.”

    Both Mars and .Paak jumped out their seat, threw up their hands and danced to their song.

    “We’ll be singing this song together for the rest of our lives,” Mars said to .Paak

    Host Trevor Noah introduced the duo’s opening performance by saying they were singlehandedly bringing back the 1970s, “which might explain the inflation.”

    By the time the show started on CBS, Batiste has already taken home four Grammy Awards, including his first ever. Batiste won for best American roots performance, best American roots song, best music video and tied with Carlos Rafael Rivera for best score soundtrack for visual media. His song “Freedom” in the music video category beat out several other tough competitors, including Rodrigo, Lil Nas X and Eilish. All the honors were handed out during a pre-telecast ceremony.

    “I am so grateful for the gifts that God has given me and the ability to share that for the love of humankind,” Batiste said. “We just wanted everyone to see it. Any depression, any bondage or any darkness that was over your life is completely removed by just the love and the joy of the video.”

    It’s the first tie since 2019 when Kendrick Lamar, Jay Rock, Future and James Blake tied with Anderson .Paak to win best rap performance.

    It was a family affair from cousins Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar, who won best rap performance for their song “Family Ties.” Lamar won his 14th Grammy and the first for Keem, who said “nothing could have prepared me for this moment” after stepping out onstage to claim his trophy.

    Chris Stapleton won his third Grammy for best country solo performance for “You Should Probably Leave.”

    Tony Bennett extended his record as the artist with the most traditional pop vocal album with 14 wins with “Love for Sale,” a duet album with Lady Gaga.

    Dressed in all black, BTS took the stage with a flirty moment between V and Rodrigo before the group performed their hit single “Butter.” The made an appearance after one of the members tested positive for COVID-19. All seven of the members – Jin, Jimin, V, RM, J-Hope, Suga and Jungkook – acted as if they were secret agents with neon-blue lasers, dancing with smooth choreography before going into a brief rap portion of the song.

    Foo Fighters won three awards Sunday, but were not in attendance to pick up their trophies following the recent death of its drummer Taylor Hawkins. An extended tribute to Hawkins played before the show’s In Memoriam segment honoring artists and music industry figures who’ve died.

    Eilish paid homage to Hawkins during her performance by sporting a black T-shirt with his image. She stepped onstage in an upside-down house along with her brother Finneas before stepping into the rain to perform the title track from her “Happier Than Ever.”

    TJ Osborne, who came out as gay last year, fought back tears as he and his brother accepted a Grammy for the Brothers Osborne song “Younger Me.” He noted the song was inspired by his coming out.

    “I never thought that I would be able to do music professionally because of my sexuality. And I certainly never thought I would be here on the stage accepting a Grammy after having done something I felt like was going to be life changing and potentially in a very negative way,” Osborne said.

    “And here I am tonight, not only accepting this Grammy Award with my brother, which I love so much, but I’m here with a man that I love and he loves me back. … I don’t know what I did be so lucky.”

    The ceremony shifted from Los Angeles to Las Vegas because of rising COVID-19 cases and the omicron variant in January, with organizers citing “too many risks.”

  • After Oscars, Grammy Awards leave out Lata Mangeshkar from ‘In Memoriam’ section

    By PTI

    MUMBAI: Fans of Lata Mangeshkar are disappointed after the melody queen was not included in the ‘In Memoriam’ section of the 64th Annual Grammy Awards.

    The absence of the legendary Indian playback singer from the 2022 Grammys ceremony, held on early Monday morning in Las Vegas, comes a week after the Academy Awards left out Mangeshkar from its homage segment as well.

    Mangeshkar, the voice of generations of Indians, died on January 6 due to multiple organ failures. She was 92.

    The fans took to Twitter to criticise the Recording Academy, the institution that conducts Hollywood’s biggest musical awards night, for omitting Mangeshkar’s name.

    Calling out the Grammys for honouring only American music, a user said the event felt “futile and insignificant”.

    “A little unrelated, but when they were paying tributes to artists who passed away this year and there was no mention of Lata Mangeshkar- India’s most loved singer, it all felt so futile and insignificant. These shows have no regard for ‘global’ music- only American.”

    Another wrote: “So both the Oscars and the Grammys failed to honor the late great Lata Mangeshkar in their respective memoriam segments? That’s a shame. #GrammyAwards #Oscars”

    A tweeple said not just Mangeshkar, the Grammys also left out veteran music composer Bappi Lahiri (69).

    Lahiri died of obstructive sleep apnea on January 15, days after Mangeshkar’s demise.

    “#GRAMMYs didn’t pay tribute to the greatest singer of Indian history: #LataMangeshkar or #bappilahiri.”

    The ‘In Memoriam’ segment of the Grammys paid tributes to legendary drummer of Foo Fighters Taylor Hawkins, Hollywood acting greats Sidney Poitier and Betty White, singer-actors Meat Loaf, Vicente Fernandez, jazz composer Chick Corea, among many others.

    According to ETOnline, while the show reportedly began with a list of hundreds of names to possibly include, the length of the segment required them to pare down the final list of those to be included.

    A much more comprehensive list is featured on the GRAMMYs website, which also does not mention Mangeshkar or Lahiri.

    Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which organises the Academy Awards, had also left out cinema icon Dilip Kumar from its ‘In Memoriam’ list.

    However, at its 2022 edition, the British Academy of Film and Television Awards (BAFTA) featured Mangeshkar in the ‘In Memoriam’ segment and described the music icon as “an Indian playback singer, who recorded an estimated 25,000 songs for more than 1,000 Hindi films over a career spanning 70 years”.

  • Grammys 2022: Silk Sonic’s ‘Leave the Door Open’ bags Record of The Year

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: After winning Song of the Year, Best R&B Performance, and Best R&B Song at the 64th annual Grammy Awards, ‘Leave the Door Open’ by the AR&B collaborative, ‘Silk Sonic’, won Record of The Year.

    They comfortably beat ABBA, Olivia Rodrigo, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and SZA, and Jon Batiste. Billie Eilish, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Brandi Carlile, and Lil Nas X were also among the nominees. In his acceptance speech, Anderson.Paak of ‘Silk Sonic’ joked about trying to stay humble while “sweeping” their categories while his creative partner Mars casually smoked a cigarette.

    The duo two shared its love and admiration for all the other nominees while on stage and later announced that “drinks are on them”. ‘Silk Sonic’ made its live debut at the 2021 Grammys in March, it later released its first album ‘An Evening with Silk Sonic’ in November.

  • Grammys 2022 will now be held in Las Vegas

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: The 64th edition of the Grammy Awards will be broadcast live from Las Vegas on April 3, the Recording Academy has announced.

    Harvey Mason Jr, CEO of the Recording Academy, shared the update in a statement on Grammy’s official website.

    The event, which was earlier scheduled to take place in Los Angeles on January 31, will be held from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on the new date.

    It will be aired on the CBS Television Network and will also be available to stream live and on-demand on Paramount Plus.

    Trevor Noah, the Emmy Award-winning host of “The Daily Show,” will return as master of ceremonies for “music’s biggest night”.

    In early January, the Recording Academy postponed the ceremony in the wake of the surge in Covid-19 cases due to the Omicron variant.

    This will be the first time Las Vegas will host the Grammys.

    The Latin Grammy Awards have been held in Sin City six times since 2014.

    Mason Jr said the team is excited to put on a world-class show in Las Vegas.

    “From the moment we announced the postponement of the original show date, we have been inundated with heartfelt messages of support and solidarity from the artist community.

    “We are humbled by their generosity and grateful for their unwavering commitment to the GRAMMY Awards and the Academy’s mission. We appreciate the leadership CBS and our production partners at Fulwell 73 have shown during these challenging weeks and the flexibility of everyone who worked toward this solution,” he said in the statement.

    Leading the nominations in 11 categories is Jon Batiste, with Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. up for eight trophies each. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo have been nominated for seven awards each.