Maybe it was due to the bleakness of recent events in America, but the L.A. party scene in the ramp-up to the Grammys felt notably restrained and purposeful this year. The rowdiest night of the week seemed to be a grunge-cover tribute to Mariah Carey’s lost ‘90s album at the MusiCares gala. But a few events did try to blend in acknowledgments of current crises with the usual industry-focused honorifics and cheerleading.
The Black Music Collective’s Recording Academy Honors gala, held at the Fairmont Century Plaza on Thursday, found Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in the audience (we can only imagine the questions from guests who bumped into her at the bar) and Recording Academy Chief Executive Harvey Mason Jr. on the stage to laud three canonical Black acts — gospel giant Kirk Franklin, R&B chanteuse Brandy and producer Pharrell Williams, who earned the academy’s Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, a lifetime achievement honor for the music, fashion and film mogul.
The night had scores of lively sets, from album of the year nominees Clipse in crisp tuxes, John Legend and Lecrae working through Franklin’s soulful catalog, and a Brandy medley from Coco Jones, FLO and Kehlani. Eve finally got her actual Grammy for her contributions to the Roots’ “You Got Me,” while Leon Thomas pressed the flesh wherever he could on his hunt for a best new artist win. Justin Timberlake emphatically danced to his early-career Pharrell hits like his last world tour was never ruined at all.
Franklin was gracious in his speech — “Being in a room of geniuses, it’s humbling … I want to walk in humility and be a good man,” but his gospel-crossover hits like “Stomp” shook the room. Brandy looked a little awed to not just be returning to Grammy week stages, but so lovingly regarded as a preeminent vocalist of her era — “I’m very much alive, and I’m still here, and by the grace of God, I have unlimited opportunity to get out and be somebody — maybe even an icon,” she said.
Album nominee Tyler, the Creator gently roasted his idol Williams — “Outside of the weird bootcut jeans you’ve been wearing, you seem to always have an answer,” before lauding Williams’ weirdo visionary spirit that drove him to make music.
Williams — the era-spanning hitmaker turned Louis Vuitton creative director — was poignant in his acceptance speech, flanked by Mason and Dre himself. “I want to pray for the leaders of this nation, the ones who are giving these orders. I’m praying they find it n their hearts — some empathy, some grace and most importantly some mercy for people who may not have been born in this country but love it just as much as you do.”
He got a few groans when he closed with “It don’t matter how you voted, it matters how you pray” — a few attendees at my table noted under their breath that it clearly did matter how you voted — but his heart was in the right place for a guy who has achieved so much in music while keeping his sincerity about art’s capacity to change minds.
On Saturday afternoon, at Lucian Grainge’s annual Music is Universal Artist Showcase confab for the UMG stable in Hollywood, Olivia Rodrigo also spoke to the current crises in her acceptance speech for the company’s Amplifier award for activism. Rodrigo’s uncompromising advocacy for reproductive rights and healthcare is a fixture of her touring career; she’s more recently been vociferous in opposing ICE’s brutal raids.
“Music has always been about more than sound. It’s about connection. It’s about telling the truth,” she said. “It’s about showing up for one another, especially when it’s uncomfortable or inconvenient. Now, more than ever, in Minneapolis, and around the world, our platforms, no matter the size, can amplify more than our own voices.”
Her remarks came in between short sets from best new artist nominees Leon Thomas, Katseye, Olivia Dean and other nominees-in-waiting. But the most phones came out to shoot the three singers of Huntr/x — Ejae, Audrey Nuna and Rei Ami — who took a pass through their song of the year nominee “Golden.” The UMG execs and guests’ tweens back home may or may not have been wowed by Tucker Wetmore and Role Model, but even on Grammy weekend, there’s still no star power like “KPop Demon Hunters.” (August Brown)
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