meta-scriptColbie Caillat, MusiCares Brighten The Day | GRAMMY.com

news

Colbie Caillat, MusiCares Brighten The Day

GRAMMY-winning artist performs at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville

GRAMMYs/Dec 3, 2014 - 05:06 am

The MusiCares Foundation recently hosted a special event with GRAMMY winner Colbie Caillat for more than 40 children and their families at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt  in Nashville. Caillat performed an intimate acoustic set, including "Bubbly," "Realize" and "Brighter Than The Sun." Following the performance, the children had the opportunity to meet and take a photo with Caillat.

"I'm honored to be here to sing a few songs for these amazing children today," said Caillat. "Any way we can help them, make them smile and bring some laughter into their lives is really important."


A California native and daughter of GRAMMY-winning producer/engineer Ken Caillat, Colbie Caillat released her debut album, Coco, in 2007. Breakthrough followed in 2009 and topped the Billboard 200, spawning the hits "Fallin' For You" and "I Never Told You." That same year, Caillat earned her first GRAMMY for appearing on the title track to Taylor Swift's GRAMMY-winning Album Of The Year Fearless, and another for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for "Lucky" featuring Jason Mraz. Released in July, All Of You peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 and features the hits "Brighter Than The Sun" and "I Do."

Earlier this month, Caillat became one of the latest artists to join MusiCares' "Be A Part Of The Heart" fundraising campaign, which encourages fans, recording artists and corporate and media partners to come together as part of a digital photo mosaic to raise awareness and generate resources to help MusiCares continue to provide a safety net of critical assistance for music people in times of need. In June Caillat teamed with the GRAMMY Foundation to present Los Angeles-based Santee Education Complex with the GRAMMY Foundation's 2011 GRAMMY Signature Schools Enterprise Award, which recognizes efforts made by schools that are economically underserved.

In September, Caillat was a featured performer at the VH1 Save The Music Foundation's Songwriter Music Series. The foundation is dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in U.S. public schools, and raising awareness of the importance of music education. Additional charities Caillat has supported include Farm Sanctuary, the United Service Organization and Wish Upon A Hero Foundation, among others.
 

GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016
Kendrick Lamar

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

video

GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016

Upon winning the GRAMMY for Best Rap Album for 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' Kendrick Lamar thanked those that helped him get to the stage, and the artists that blazed the trail for him.

GRAMMYs/Oct 13, 2023 - 06:01 pm

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

10 Essential Facts To Know About GRAMMY-Winning Rapper J. Cole

Colbie Caillat’s Inspirations Behind 'Along The Way': Lost Love, Fleetwood Mac & The Magic Of Nashville
Colbie Caillat

PHoto: John Lamparski/Getty Images

interview

Colbie Caillat’s Inspirations Behind 'Along The Way': Lost Love, Fleetwood Mac & The Magic Of Nashville

Colbie Caillat rose to fame as a folk-pop singer/songwriter in the late 2000s; ‘Along the Way’ is her first album of country music. Here, she outlines the inspirations that breathed life into her Nashville foray.

GRAMMYs/Oct 13, 2023 - 02:15 pm

When Colbie Caillat’s decade-long relationship ended in 2020, the only sound that made sense was the high, lonesome cry of country music. Luckily, she was a resident of Nashville — and naturally surrounded by the sounds of dobro, harmonica, steel guitar, and so much more.

All three make appearances on Along the Way — the indie-popper’s debut country album, which was released Oct. 6. Going back to tunes like her highest-charting hit, 2007’s suitably effervescent "Bubbly," you can hear that rootsy DNA. Now, it’s taken full flower.

This wasn’t merely due to the incorporation of country instruments, but the close connections the California native made in her adopted hometown of Music City, U.S.A.

"These songs wouldn't be what they are if these musicians weren't able to just dive in and add all of those beautiful colors," the two-time GRAMMY winner and five-time nominee tells GRAMMY.com of tunes like "Wide Open," "Sometimes You Need a Change," and "I’ll Be Here."

Throughout, Along the Way features heavy hitters like guitarist and banjoist Adam Lester, dobroist Justin Schipper and fiddlist Jenee Fleenor. (As far as "I’ll Be Here," nine-time GRAMMY winner and 32-time nominee Sheryl Crow lends an assist.)

"It really was like a family, making this record together," Caillat adds. And it wasn’t just a family of musicians, but a host of potent inspirations, which ultimately made Along the Way come to life.

Below, Caillat digs into those influences, which range from the universal feeling of heartbreak to the regional energy of Nashville.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Putting The Pieces Together In Nashville

Well, I've been coming here for 15 years, writing and doing duets with other country artists. When I moved here seven years ago, I wasn't as, I guess, in love with country music as I am now.

I think by living here and being surrounded by the lifestyle, and really getting to appreciate the music and hear it in my everyday life, it's something that I'm so grateful for, and now it's the main genre I listen to.

I've always been a singer/songwriter, and my music has always had that acoustic, organic feel. When I wrote this album, I knew specifically who I wanted to write these songs with, and I didn't want to overwrite.

I really only wanted to write when I had something to say. I knew what producer I wanted to work with that could make this a very cohesive album, recording it all in two weeks with the same musicians, and really diving in and making it a whole piece of work.

Then sonically, I heard the dobro a few years ago and I was like, "What is that instrument?" I love that thing. I don't know how I ever knew what it was before, but just adding those elements like the steel guitar and the banjo have been parts that, I really feel like, made me happy.

Learning From Lost Love

Yeah. I was in a 10-year relationship and we ended our relationship back in 2020, and I had never been single before.

That relationship was one I loved so much and I still cherish, and I was so grateful how much I learned from our time together. It was really important for me to express that on this album.

There are breakup albums where you can be mad at the person and they wronged you and all of that, and there's a time and a place for all of those. But this album is for really just loving what you experienced and appreciating the person for what they were and what you had.

Then other songs are about me being single and on my own and learning that whole experience, and really learning to feel good by myself.

That's where my song "Wide Open," that opens the album, [comes from]. I feel like that's how I'm living now. I just feel okay with what is. I'll be happy if something works out, and if it doesn't, then I understand that now. I understand that things are temporary, and it's not as crippling.

Following Her Gut (And Stevie Nicks)

One of my biggest influences was Fleetwood Mac, and I had heard from my dad and also documentaries of hearing the band talk about how they wrote. It was very much [not] writing sessions. They weren't these scheduled things. They were writing when it came out.

I think
Stevie Nicks even wrote "Dreams" at the studio when they were already recording. I feel like that's when it comes out best, is when you have this experience and this wave of emotion that is ready to come out and you're ready to say something.

I just went with my gut. I've loved scheduled writing sessions in the past, but this was something that I was like, Oh, my God, I just had this idea, or this full-on wave of realization of something that I just went through and I really want to express it, and now I'm going to call [my co-writers] and see if they want to write the song with me.

It felt really good to not force anything and just let it come out. It took me a really long time to write this album. I will say that. That's the only downfall, is that it was a slow process. But it was a natural process that I really, really needed at that time.

Allowing Herself Time To Heal

I'd say it took a year and a half to write the album, because when I ended the relationship, I didn't write for about seven months. I didn't write a single song. I had no interest in music or creating anything.

Then all of a sudden I had something I wanted to say. I was so happy — I was like, Oh, my God, I got to express what I wanted to say in the most beautiful way with these two incredible writers. That was when I was like, OK, anytime I have an idea, I'm calling them.

Then there's a few songs on the record that I wrote by myself, right here in my house in Nashville. I didn't need any help writing them. They're very personal songs, and it felt good to complete those on my own.

Finding The Perfect Producer

Jamie Kenney produced this album, and I worked with him with [my former band] Gone West. We wrote a couple songs with him and he produced those songs with us. It was exactly like the songwriting feeling.

I didn't want to just go with any producer. I really wanted it to feel comfortable, and also I wanted the producer to be very musical and very patient and dive in. I didn't want it just to be something that we recorded real quick. We spent two years working on this record, and he really dove in with me.

He is just a huge part of this process, a huge piece of it, and I really wanted it to be a family making this record together. Where in the past, I loved the producers I worked with, but it was more thrown together and I was on the road, and it was more something that you didn't get to spend as much time on. We just got to live in this record together.

Megan Moroney's Big Year: The "Tennessee Orange" Country Star Details The Most Meaningful Moments Of Her "Crazy" Career

9 Organizations Helping Music Makers In Need: MusiCares, The GRAMMY Museum & Others

Photo: Suriyawut Suriya / EyeEm via Getty Images

list

9 Organizations Helping Music Makers In Need: MusiCares, The GRAMMY Museum & Others

Are you in a position to donate to musicians in a state of financial or personal crisis on this GivingTuesday? Check out these nine charitable organizations — beneath the Recording Academy umbrella and otherwise.

GRAMMYs/Nov 29, 2022 - 03:17 pm

Imagine a world where care and concern is distributed in a holistic circuit, rather than being hoarded away or never employed at all. That's the paradigm that GivingTuesday is reaching toward.

Created in 2012 under the simple precept of being generous and celebrating generosity, GivingTuesday is a practical hub for getting involved in one's community and giving as freely to benefit and nourish others.

Since GivingTuesday has swelled not just from a single day in the calendar year, but a lens through which to view the other 364 days. You can find your local GivingTuesday network here, find ways to participate here, and find ways to join  GivingTuesday events here.

Where does the Recording Academy come in? Helping musicians in need isn't something they do on the side, an afterthought while they hand out awards.

No, aiding music people is at the core of the Academy's mission. MusiCares, the Academy's philanthropic arm, has changed innumerable lives for the better.

And through this society of music professionals and its other major components — including  Advocacy, the GRAMMY Museum and GRAMMY U — the Academy continues its fight in legislative and educational forms.

If you're willing and able to help musicians in need this GivingTuesday, here's a helpful hub of nine charitable organizations with whom you can do so.

MusiCares

Any list of orgs that aid musicians would be remiss to not include MusiCares.

Through the generosity of donors and volunteer professionals, this organization of committed service members has been able to aid struggling music people in three key areas: mental health and addiction recovery services, health services, and human services.

For more information on each of those, visit here. To apply for assistance, click here. And to donate to MusiCares, head here.

GRAMMY Museum

"Museum" might be right there in the name, but there's a lot more to this precious sector of the Recording Academy.

The GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles doesn't just put on immersive exhibits that honor the legacies of musical giants; it's a hub for music education.

At press time, more than 20,000 students have visited the Museum, more than 10,000 students have participated in the Museum's Clive Davis theater, and 20,000 students have participated in their GRAMMY Camp weekends.

To donate to the GRAMMY Museum, click here. To become a member, visit here.

Give a Beat

By now, the evidence is ironclad: Giving incarcerated people access to music and art dramatically increases morale and decreases recidivism.

Give a Beat is keenly aware of this, both on direct-impact and mentorship levels.

The org hosts classes for incarcerated people, in order for them to "find healing, transformation, and empowerment" through its Prison Electronic Music Program, which helps incarcerated folks wade deep into the fields of music production and DJing.

Its On a New Track Reentry Mentoring Program initiative connects music industry professionals with formerly incarcerated individuals in order to transfer their skills into a professional setting.

To become a member of Give a Beat, click here. To donate, visit here.

Jazz Foundation of America

Despite being at the heart of American musical expression, jazz, blues and roots can sometimes feel roped off on the sidelines of the music industry — and its practitioners can slip between society's cracks.

That's where the Jazz Foundation of America comes in. They aid musicians struggling to hang onto their homes, connect physicians and specialists with uninsured artists and help musicians get back on their feet after life-upending natural disasters.

To donate to the Jazz Foundation, click here; for all other info, visit their website.

The Blues Foundation

Headquartered in Memphis, the Blues Foundation aims to preserve the history and heritage of the blues — which lies at the heart of all American forms. This goes not only for irreplaceable sites and artifacts, but the living, breathing people who continue to make it.

The Blues Foundation offers educational outreach, providing scholarships to youth performers to attend summer blues camps and workshops.

On top of that, in the early 2000s, they created the HART Fund to offer financial support to musicians in need of medical, dental, and vision care.

And for blues artists who have passed on, the HART Fund diverts money to their families  to ensure their loved ones would be guaranteed dignified funerals.

For more information on the Blues Foundation, visit here. To donate, click here.

Musicians Foundation

Founded all the way back when World War I broke out, the Musicians Foundation has spent more than a century cutting checks to musicians in times of need.

This includes financial grants to cover basic expenses, like medical and dental treatments, rents and mortgages and utilities. Submitted grant applications are reviewed by their staff and a screening committee. If approved, the money is dispatched rapidly and directly to the debtor to relieve financial pressure as soon as possible.

The Musicians Foundation's philanthropic legacy is enshrined in Century of Giving, a comprehensive analysis of financial aid granted to musicians and their families by the Foundation since 1914.

For more information, visit here; click here to donate.

Music Maker Foundation

Based in North Carolina, the Music Maker Foundation tends to the day-to-day needs of American roots artists — helping them negotiate crises so they can "keep roofs over their heads, food on their tables, [and] instruments in their hands."

This relief comes in the forms of basic sustenance, resources performance (like booking venues and providing CDs to sell) and spreading education about their contributions to the American roots canon.

Check out their website for more information; to donate, click here.

Sweet Relief: Musicians Fund

When music people are in danger, this charitable organization sees no barriers of genre, region or nature of crisis.

If you're a musician suffering from physical, mental or financial hardship — whether it be due to a disability, an affliction like cancer, or anything else — Sweet Relief has got your back.

There are numerous ways to support Sweet Relief; you can become a partner, intern or volunteer, or simply chip in a few bucks for one of their various funds to keep their selfless work moving.

For any and all further information, visit their website.

Music Workers Alliance

The Recording Academy's concern and consideration for music people hardly stops at musicians — they're here to support all music people.

They share this operating principle with Music Workers Alliance, which tirelessly labors to ensure music people are treated like they matter — and are fairly remunerated for their efforts.

This takes many forms, like fighting for music workers at the federal, state and city level for access to benefits and fair protections, and ensuring economic justice and fair working conditions.

Music Workers Alliance also fights for economic justice on the digital plane, and aims to provide equal access for people of color and other underrepresented groups in the industry.

For more info, visit their website; for ways to get involved, click here.

2023 GRAMMYs: How The New Best Song For Social Change Special Merit Award Inspires Positive Global Impact & Celebrates Message-Driven Music and How To Qualify

A Guide To Modern Funk For The Dance Floor: L'Imperatrice, Shiro Schwarz, Franc Moody, Say She She & Moniquea
Franc Moody

Photo: Rachel Kupfer 

list

A Guide To Modern Funk For The Dance Floor: L'Imperatrice, Shiro Schwarz, Franc Moody, Say She She & Moniquea

James Brown changed the sound of popular music when he found the power of the one and unleashed the funk with "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag." Today, funk lives on in many forms, including these exciting bands from across the world.

GRAMMYs/Nov 25, 2022 - 04:23 pm

It's rare that a genre can be traced back to a single artist or group, but for funk, that was James Brown. The Godfather of Soul coined the phrase and style of playing known as "on the one," where the first downbeat is emphasized, instead of the typical second and fourth beats in pop, soul and other styles. As David Cheal eloquently explains, playing on the one "left space for phrases and riffs, often syncopated around the beat, creating an intricate, interlocking grid which could go on and on." You know a funky bassline when you hear it; its fat chords beg your body to get up and groove.

Brown's 1965 classic, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," became one of the first funk hits, and has been endlessly sampled and covered over the years, along with his other groovy tracks. Of course, many other funk acts followed in the '60s, and the genre thrived in the '70s and '80s as the disco craze came and went, and the originators of hip-hop and house music created new music from funk and disco's strong, flexible bones built for dancing.

Legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins learned the power of the one from playing in Brown's band, and brought it to George Clinton, who created P-funk, an expansive, Afrofuturistic, psychedelic exploration of funk with his various bands and projects, including Parliament-Funkadelic. Both Collins and Clinton remain active and funkin', and have offered their timeless grooves to collabs with younger artists, including Kali Uchis, Silk Sonic, and Omar Apollo; and Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat, respectively.

In the 1980s, electro-funk was born when artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Man Parrish, and Egyptian Lover began making futuristic beats with the Roland TR-808 drum machine — often with robotic vocals distorted through a talk box. A key distinguishing factor of electro-funk is a de-emphasis on vocals, with more phrases than choruses and verses. The sound influenced contemporaneous hip-hop, funk and electronica, along with acts around the globe, while current acts like Chromeo, DJ Stingray, and even Egyptian Lover himself keep electro-funk alive and well.

Today, funk lives in many places, with its heavy bass and syncopated grooves finding way into many nooks and crannies of music. There's nu-disco and boogie funk, nodding back to disco bands with soaring vocals and dance floor-designed instrumentation. G-funk continues to influence Los Angeles hip-hop, with innovative artists like Dam-Funk and Channel Tres bringing the funk and G-funk, into electro territory. Funk and disco-centered '70s revival is definitely having a moment, with acts like Ghost Funk Orchestra and Parcels, while its sparkly sprinklings can be heard in pop from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, and, in full "Soul Train" character, Silk Sonic. There are also acts making dreamy, atmospheric music with a solid dose of funk, such as Khruangbin’s global sonic collage.

There are many bands that play heavily with funk, creating lush grooves designed to get you moving. Read on for a taste of five current modern funk and nu-disco artists making band-led uptempo funk built for the dance floor. Be sure to press play on the Spotify playlist above, and check out GRAMMY.com's playlist on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Pandora.

Say She She

Aptly self-described as "discodelic soul," Brooklyn-based seven-piece Say She She make dreamy, operatic funk, led by singer-songwriters Nya Gazelle Brown, Piya Malik and Sabrina Mileo Cunningham. Their '70s girl group-inspired vocal harmonies echo, sooth and enchant as they cover poignant topics with feminist flair.

While they’ve been active in the New York scene for a few years, they’ve gained wider acclaim for the irresistible music they began releasing this year, including their debut album, Prism. Their 2022 debut single "Forget Me Not" is an ode to ground-breaking New York art collective Guerilla Girls, and "Norma" is their protest anthem in response to the news that Roe vs. Wade could be (and was) overturned. The band name is a nod to funk legend Nile Rodgers, from the "Le freak, c'est chi" exclamation in Chic's legendary tune "Le Freak."

Moniquea

Moniquea's unique voice oozes confidence, yet invites you in to dance with her to the super funky boogie rhythms. The Pasadena, California artist was raised on funk music; her mom was in a cover band that would play classics like Aretha Franklin’s "Get It Right" and Gladys Knight’s "Love Overboard." Moniquea released her first boogie funk track at 20 and, in 2011, met local producer XL Middelton — a bonafide purveyor of funk. She's been a star artist on his MoFunk Records ever since, and they've collabed on countless tracks, channeling West Coast energy with a heavy dose of G-funk, sunny lyrics and upbeat, roller disco-ready rhythms.

Her latest release is an upbeat nod to classic West Coast funk, produced by Middleton, and follows her February 2022 groovy, collab-filled album, On Repeat.

Shiro Schwarz

Shiro Schwarz is a Mexico City-based duo, consisting of Pammela Rojas and Rafael Marfil, who helped establish a modern funk scene in the richly creative Mexican metropolis. On "Electrify" — originally released in 2016 on Fat Beats Records and reissued in 2021 by MoFunk — Shiro Schwarz's vocals playfully contrast each other, floating over an insistent, upbeat bassline and an '80s throwback electro-funk rhythm with synth flourishes.

Their music manages to be both nostalgic and futuristic — and impossible to sit still to. 2021 single "Be Kind" is sweet, mellow and groovy, perfect chic lounge funk. Shiro Schwarz’s latest track, the joyfully nostalgic "Hey DJ," is a collab with funkstress Saucy Lady and U-Key.

L'Impératrice

L'Impératrice (the empress in French) are a six-piece Parisian group serving an infectiously joyful blend of French pop, nu-disco, funk and psychedelia. Flore Benguigui's vocals are light and dreamy, yet commanding of your attention, while lyrics have a feminist touch.

During their energetic live sets, L'Impératrice members Charles de Boisseguin and Hagni Gwon (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), and Tom Daveau (drums) deliver extended instrumental jam sessions to expand and connect their music. Gaugué emphasizes the thick funky bass, and Benguigui jumps around the stage while sounding like an angel. L’Impératrice’s latest album, 2021’s Tako Tsubo, is a sunny, playful French disco journey.

Franc Moody

Franc Moody's bio fittingly describes their music as "a soul funk and cosmic disco sound." The London outfit was birthed by friends Ned Franc and Jon Moody in the early 2010s, when they were living together and throwing parties in North London's warehouse scene. In 2017, the group grew to six members, including singer and multi-instrumentalist Amber-Simone.

Their music feels at home with other electro-pop bands like fellow Londoners Jungle and Aussie act Parcels. While much of it is upbeat and euphoric, Franc Moody also dips into the more chilled, dreamy realm, such as the vibey, sultry title track from their recently released Into the Ether.

The Rise Of Underground House: How Artists Like Fisher & Acraze Have Taken Tech House, Other Electronic Genres From Indie To EDC