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Commodores, Alex & Sierra Join GRAMMY Park

First GRAMMY-branded live music experience taking place May 5–8 in Brooklyn, N.Y.

GRAMMYs/May 4, 2016 - 03:25 am

GRAMMY winners the Commodores and emerging artists Alex & Sierra and Chelsea Chris have been added to the GRAMMY Park performance lineup. Taking place May 5–8 in Brooklyn, N.Y., GRAMMY Park — the inaugural GRAMMY-branded live music experience — will feature live concert performances and numerous GRAMMY-winning artists.

Live music performances and signature Artist Spotlights featuring seven-time GRAMMY winner Toni Braxton and GRAMMY nominee Andra Day, three-time GRAMMY winner Ne-Yo with Jazmine Sullivan, and a special evening featuring GRAMMY nominees Robin Thicke and Aloe Blacc will take place at the historic Kings Theatre.

Free events open to the public include The Next Generation: Emerging Artists and Jazz All-Stars concerts on May 7, and a Mother's Day Gospel Concert and Big Band Show on May 8 — all taking place at the LeFrak Center at Lakeside. Free events are open to the public and do not require a ticket.

Ticket prices for GRAMMY Park range from $35 to $175 for VIP packages, and are on sale now via www.GRAMMYPark.com.

How The Latin GRAMMYS Brought Latin Music Excellence To The 2024 GRAMMYs
Peso Pluma attends the 2024 GRAMMYs

Photo:  Lester Cohen/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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How The Latin GRAMMYS Brought Latin Music Excellence To The 2024 GRAMMYs

Latin music was celebrated throughout GRAMMY Week and on Music's Biggest Night. Read on for the many ways Latin music excellence was showcased at the 204 GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Feb 9, 2024 - 09:56 pm

The 2023 Latin GRAMMYs may have occurred months ago and thousands of miles away, but the leading lights in Latin music also shined at the 66th GRAMMY Awards. From historic wins and meaningful nominations, to electric performances and interesting installations, Latin music excellence was everywhere. 

In anticipation of the 25th anniversary of the Latin GRAMMYs in 2024, the exclusive GRAMMY House — the site of multiple GRAMMY Week events — included a significant installation dedicated to the Biggest Night In Latin Music.

The cylindrical display showcased some of the biggest moments in Latin GRAMMY history, including images, facts, and even a real Latin GRAMMY award. 

The celebration of Latin music continued throughout GRAMMY Week, with several Latin GRAMMY-winning artists also winning on the GRAMMY stage. Among the major moments at the 2024 GRAMMYs, Karol G won her first golden gramophone for her 2023 LP Mañana Será Bonito. "This is my first time at GRAMMYs, and this is my first time holding my own GRAMMY," the Colombian songstress exclaimed during her acceptance speech. 

Música Mexicana star Peso Pluma also took home his first GRAMMY; his album GÉNESIS won in the Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano) Category.

Premiere Ceremony presenter Natalia Lafourcade — whose Todas Las Flores won big at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs — also took home the GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album. She tied in the Category with Juanes

Premiere Ceremony performer Gabby Moreno also took home a GRAMMY Award for Best Latin Pop Album for her album X Mí (Vol. 1)

Beyond the stage, Latin artists graced the red carpet and the nominations list. For example, producer and songwriter Edgar Barrera was the only Latino nominated in the Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical Category.

10 Must-See Moments From The 2024 GRAMMYs: Taylor Swift Makes History, Billy Joel & Tracy Chapman Return, Boygenius Manifest Childhood Dreams

Overheard Backstage At The 2024 GRAMMYs: What Jack Antonoff, Laufey & Other GRAMMY Winners Said
Jacob Collier, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick, Amanda Taylor, and Erin Bentlage, winners of the "Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals" for "In The Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" pose in the press room during the 66th GRAMMY Awards.

Photo: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

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Overheard Backstage At The 2024 GRAMMYs: What Jack Antonoff, Laufey & Other GRAMMY Winners Said

Get an exclusive glimpse inside the 66th GRAMMY Awards press room, where Jacob Collier, ​​Natalia Lafourcade, Brandy Clark and others spoke with GRAMMY U about their big wins on Music's Biggest Night.

GRAMMYs/Feb 7, 2024 - 05:38 pm

From Miley Cyrus winning her first GRAMMY to Billy Joel’s comeback performance after 30 years, the 2024 GRAMMYs were filled with a range of special moments at Crypto.com Arena.

Backstage at the Recording Academy’s media center and press room, GRAMMY U spoke with several GRAMMY winners just as they stepped off the stage. Each spoke about the vital role of collaboration in the studio, and the role they played in their GRAMMY-winning Categories. 

Read on for insights from Jack Antonoff (Album Of The Year and Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical), Laufey (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album), Jacob Collier (Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals), Natalia Lafourcade (Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album ), and Brandy Clark (Best Americana Performance).

Jack Antonoff Can Truly Fly Free With A Collaborator

The 10-time GRAMMY winner took home several golden gramophones on Feb. 4, including the prestigious Album Of The Year for Taylor Swift’s Midnights as well as Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical for the third consecutive year. 

Antonoff told GRAMMY.com that, as a producer, collaboration is simply "everything."

"The visual I have is a balloon. When it's your words, lyrics, and your life, you have to be able to fly free without being scared of drifting away," Antonoff continues. "I see the producer holding that string, and I know both ends." 

When he’s not creating hits for other artists, Antonoff delves into his own artistry as the founder and lead singer of indie rock band Bleachers, known for their hit single "I Wanna Get Better."

"When I’m making the Bleachers records, I’ll have these crazy thoughts and then [producer] Patrik Berger will ground me in it. I think it’s really about trust," Antonoff reflects.

Laufey Won In The Same Category As Many Idols

Laufey first wowed audiences with a live performance of her hit song "From the Start" at the 66th GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony. Later in the day, the 24-year-old won her first GRAMMY on Sunday in the Category of Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Bewitched

"This category means so much to me, so many of my inspirations and idols have won in this category before," she tells GRAMMY.com. 

Read more: With 'Bewitched,' Icelandic Singer Laufey Is Leaving Jazz Neophytes Spellbound

Laufey transcends the boundaries of genre, blending jazz and pop into her original music. With 18 million likes on TikTok and 3 million monthly listeners on Spotify, the Icelandic singer/songwriter effused awe an gratitude. 

"It feels so cool to make the kind of music I make today and still get recognized for it," she shares. 

Jacob Collier Shared His Imnprovisiation Techniques

Collier won his sixth GRAMMY Award this year, taking home the golden gramophone for Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals for his feature on "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" by vocal supergroup Säje. The first-time GRAMMY-winning vocal group is composed of Sara Gazarek, Amanda Taylor, Johnaye Kendrick, and Erin Bentlage. 

The multi-instrumentalist provided insight into the making of "In the Wee Hours of the Morning," revealing that this collaboration began with an improvisation Collier created around the song, which was later decorated with Säje’s harmonies. 

"The best types of collaborations reveal parts of oneself that you wouldn’t otherwise have access to, and I think the amazing thing about [Säje] is that the four [of them] brought colors out of me that were new," Collier says. 

"I feel so lucky to have been clothed by these four voices, it feels really wonderful," he says. 

Natalia Lafourcade Realized Her Own Importance

Known for infusing a variety of Latin genres with elements of folk, jazz, and alternative music, Natalia Lafourcade picked up her fourth GRAMMY win for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album with De Todas Las Flores.

"It took seven years for me to realize I need to write my own music again," Lafourcade says. "This album has [helped me realize] the importance of my inner garden, my creative universe." 

Read more: Catching Up With Natalia Lafourcade: How Togetherness, Improvisation & The Element Of Surprise Led To Her Most Exquisite Album

The Mexican singer/songwriter also served as a presenter at the Premiere Ceremony, presenting in Categories such as Best Music Video and Best Song Written for Visual Media. Previously, Lafourcade won for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the 58th GRAMMY Awards for Hasta La Raíz, and discussed the importance of reclaiming her sound in this category. 

"Having the producers, musicians, and my beautiful team has been an incredible experience. It means a lot," she says. 

Brandy Clark Loved Working With Brandi Carlile

After 17 nominations, Brandy Clark landed her first GRAMMY win in the category of Americana Performance. At the Premiere Ceremony, Clark performed a solo acoustic rendition of "Dear Insecurity," which features 10-time GRAMMY winner Brandi Carlile

Previous nominations for the Washington native include Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance. 

"The work I did with Brandi Carlile was really important for me. Seventeen nominations, first GRAMMY win — I’m mind blown," Clark says.

Clark's collaboration with Carlile is a key part of her support system, and she continues to push the boundaries of artistic expression — especially when it comes to her love for country music.

10 Must-See Moments From The 2024 GRAMMYs

Catching Up With Natalia Lafourcade: How Togetherness, Improvisation & The Element Of Surprise Led To Her Most Exquisite Album
Natalia Lafourcade performs in Madrid, Spain

Photo: Mariano Regidor / Redferns / Getty Images

interview

Catching Up With Natalia Lafourcade: How Togetherness, Improvisation & The Element Of Surprise Led To Her Most Exquisite Album

"I feel completely overtaken by this record," Natalia Lafourcade says of 'De Todas las Flores.' Her first album of original material in several years is nominated in the Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album Category at the 2024 GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Jan 31, 2024 - 02:21 pm

Even those who were familiar with the artistry of Mexican singer/songwriter Natalia Lafourcade were stunned by De Todas las Flores, her tenth studio album. Her first collection of original material in seven years, it is also her most vulnerable and sophisticated work to date. Her voice has such an immediacy that almost leaps off the speakers.

Lafourcade is only 39, but she sounds like an old soul on these delicately arranged songs informed by Latin formats like bossa nova, bolero and trova. The shades of composer Claude Debussy in the intro of the folk ballad "Llévame Viento" are no coincidence — her album is a neo-impressionist masterpiece, the best effort of her career, and a fitting nominee in the Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album Category at the 2024 GRAMMYs.

"I would never have imagined my album being nominated in this category. But then I think about the idiosyncrasies of rock — a style spawned from broken places, the crevice where a flower can blossom — and it makes sense," Lafourade told GRAMMY.com in a roundtable discussion with her fellow 2024 nominees.

Recorded live to tape without any previous rehearsals together with a select group of virtuoso, jazz-oriented musicians — including Marc Ribot on guitar — the collection has an austere beauty to it, favoring a purity of sound and stately elegance that has been mostly absent from Latin music during the past decade. No visitors were allowed during the 12 days of sessions to preserve the intimacy of the process. 

Helmed by acclaimed producer Adan Jodorowsky, De Todas las Flores was mixed in Paris — a trip that allowed the singer the opportunity to visit the legendary flower garden by painter Claude Monet. "This album saved me," Lafourcade says. "It reminded me to be responsible for my own garden, my self-care. Its message is not only directed at me, but to other people as well."

Lafourcade’s commitment to her art and her fastidious attention to detail were rewarded at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs. On the Sevilla stage, she won golden gramophones Record Of The Year, Best Singer/Songwriter Album and Best Singer/Songwriter Song Categories.    

Ahead of the 66th GRAMMY Awards, the singer discussed her recent tour, her recording process, and the album’s common points with a Cuban classic from decades past.

One of the best things that happened to me last year was seeing you in concert during your U.S. tour. I was especially impressed by the gigantic costume that you begin the show with — the larger-than-life skirt.

Ah, yes, the skirt. [Laughs.] It all began at the photo shoot for the new album. The photographer asked me to wear a huge skirt because she liked the texture, like taffeta. I loved the end result and asked my stage designers for a skirt of many meters in diameter. Something truly huge that would allow me to transform myself. It could be like a boulder, or the endless sea, or a shadow that I carried along with me. 

I wanted something absurdly elegant, the kind of ritualistic getup that you may wear at a wedding or a lavish evening reception. I was getting ready to present the album at Carnegie Hall, and I imagined myself walking onstage in the darkness — the skirt would be the protagonist.

You leave the big skirt behind after the first half of the show. I imagined there was a deeper meaning to that.

The skirt represents the darkness and emptiness that you feel when there your soul breaks down. It’s like a dark canvass that allows you the option of painting it with light, thus finding life again. The skirt pins me down during the first half of the show, but then I lose it, much like an animal sheds its skin. 

All that death — the shadows, the tears, the emptiness — I offer it to the light as a gift, with the understanding that darkness can also be the greatest teacher. The moment where I took off the skirt became very moving to me, like psychomagic. Getting rid of that unwanted weight — but at the same honoring it with gratitude.

2024 GRAMMYs: Explore More & Meet The Nominees

Just like the skirt, De Todas las Flores is a larger-than-life record. I believe it will be treasured by fans for many decades. In a way, it’s the kind of album that transcends us all. Do you feel the same?

I feel completely overtaken by this record. It’s the kind of rare album that appears once in a while. It forced me to become exceedingly humble, honest and patient with myself. My task was to deliver these songs, and let them do their thing with the people who listen and absorb them. 

I am grateful that it is recognized and nominated, but it goes beyond any marketing strategy or accounting. 

Something that strikes me about the album is the almost supernatural immediacy of your voice. It sounds like you’re right here singing those tunes. How is that effect achieved?

I think you’re referring to the magic of an energy that I could not really explain with words. It’s like a physical sensation about something that arrives from a different place. It’s not in me — it’s just passing through my being.  

I’ve never considered myself a virtuoso singer. When we were making the album, I tried to remove myself from the equation. I was vocalizing with the least possible effort, simply surrendering to the songs, allowing them to express what they wanted to say. It felt warm and comforting.

What about the actual recording process?

There were different elements that played a part in creating that feeling: the fact that we were playing together in the same room, without a click track, reverb or autotune of any kind. 

The element of surprise played a big part, because we didn’t really know where the music was taking us. We relied largely on  improvisation. We felt it was important to respect the natural qualities of my voice, the instruments, even the echo in the room. I knew that it would add a special quality to the album, and make it sound like you describe it.   

I remember the indelible moment of listening to Casa for the first time in 2005. A young girl singing bossa novas about ducklings and sunny love songs about baking a cake for her beau...

So innocent, right? [Laughs.]

The vibe of that record was incredibly light and frothy. In contrast, De Todas las Flores has this beautiful, ever-present gravity. How did you become the singer you are today?

My music has always involved a transference of my soul and personality in the present moment. In the period of time that elapsed between both albums, at one point I broke down. It happens to all of us. The dance of life gives us moments of flight, and moments of crashing down — I see both as treasures. 

My life has been marked by changes. The register of my voice is different; I can’t sing a number of melodies the way I used to. The road taken has given me experience, and you find different shades as you go through life. I’ve learned not to run away from the dark moments, but rather take from them something that can enrich my art. 

That said, a song like "Canta la Arena" [from De Todas las Flores] is related to the bossa novas of my youth. It’s about finding life and joy at a beach in Veracruz. There are elements that pull me out of the shadows, and I interpret them through my current point of view.  The only way to reinvent yourself is to live intensely, to search and explore. De Todas las Flores is about doing that. A song like "“Pajarito Colibrí" is about liberating your soul from a place of mourning.

I may be completely off, but the acoustic vibe and wide-open spaces remind me of the first Buena Vista Social Club album...

What a spectacular reference. We definitely had in mind albums like Buena Vista, Kind of Blue, Coltrane’s A Love Supreme, and some Nina Simone records. They all reflect the same search – our album is Latin in the point of view, but reflected through the prism of jazz. A group of musicians playing together in the same room, with audible mistakes. We played together, reading each other, finding the rhythm of the moment in an organic way. Just like the Buena Vista Social Club did.

That album happened by mistake, of course. It was meant as a conclave of African musicians playing in Cuba, but when they didn’t show up, Ry Cooder assembled an improvised group of local veterans.

At one point in the recording, Marc Ribot commented that real music happens within a short span of time. It’s a very intense moment of togetherness, and somebody must be there and press the record button. 

So many coincidences need to happen at the same time for the magic to take place. I’m always praying for that moment, because when it happens, I feel truly alive.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album Nominees: A 2024 GRAMMYs Roundtable
(L to R): Juanes, Natalia Lafourcade, Fito Paez, Eduardo Cabra and Juan Galeano of Diamante Eléctrico.

Mario Alzate; Mariano Regidor / Redferns via Getty Images; Val Musso; John Parra/Getty Images for LARAS; Denise Truscello / Getty Images for The Latin Recording Academy

interview

Best Latin Rock Or Alternative Album Nominees: A 2024 GRAMMYs Roundtable

Nominees Natalia Lafourcade, Juanes, Cabra, Diamante Electrico and Fito Paez discuss the current state of the multifarious genres of Latin Rock and Alternative, and what keeps their creative fires burning.

GRAMMYs/Jan 24, 2024 - 04:29 pm

The five nominated works for Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album at the 2024 GRAMMYs underscore how incredibly pluralistic the genre has become. 

Recorded live on tape with a cadre of virtuoso players, Mexican songstress Natalia Lafourcade’s De Todas las Flores explores grief, impressionism and the healing power of love. Motivated by a deep marital crisis, Vida Cotidiana by Colombia’s Juanes is a middle-aged rocker’s message of hope — and it grooves like crazy. A collage of alternative sonics hand-crafted at his Puerto Rico home studio, MARTÍNEZ finds former Calle 13 founder Cabra delving into trance-inducing electro and slick Afrobeats. A cool, sophisticated affair, Diamante Eléctrico’s seventh album Leche de Tigre fuses Colombian rock with nocturnal vibes and cosmopolitan funk. In Argentina, Fito Páez lovingly reinvented his 1992 masterpiece El Amor Después del Amor on EADDA9223, populated by a gallery of iconic guest stars.

If the nominees at the 66th GRAMMY Awards are any indication, Latin rock and alternative are more than a sound. They signify a point of view, a credo, a way of doing things that spans countries.

With that in mind, GRAMMY.com organized a roundtable with this year’s nominees, who discussed their influences, the current state of the multifarious genre, and the dreams of future albums that keep their creative fires burning. 

Is rock 'n'roll eternal? Will its mystique continue to influence musicians for generations to come?

Natalia Lafourcade: It is eternal, yes. Rock is like life itself. It evolves and transforms in language and form — its tempests, energy and meaning. I would never have imagined my album being nominated in this category. But then I think about the idiosyncrasies of rock — a style spawned from broken places, the crevice where a flower can blossom   and it makes sense. I cherish the fact that rock can encompass so many different possibilities of singing about emotion.

Cabra: I understand rock’n’roll as an agent of change and attitude is already dead. In my work, I like using musical references from the past as I create in the present mode.

Juanes: Rock will be eternal to me for as long as I live. In my own universe, rock was the channel that allowed me to transform as a person and I find in it a very powerful energy. I hope future generations will learn to play instruments, form their own bands and write songs — even with the current avalanche of technology and AI.

Fito Páez: Rock is much more than just a genre. It represents an open minded, eccentric cultural reality that fears nothing and transcends the music itself.

Juan Galeano (vocalist and bassist, Diamante Eléctrico): Rock has evolved, just like music has. It will live on as long as it preserves its avant-garde qualities and continues to challenge the establishment.

Who were the rock artists who first inspired you?

Juanes: Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd. Heavier stuff too: Slayer, Sepultura. Even Venom. [Laughs.] That was my path during the ‘80s here in Medellín. Before I discovered rock, the sounds of Latin American popular music that I heard during childhood defined my path as a musician as well.

Lafourcade: The works of women like Julieta Venegas, Joni Mitchell, Björk, Fiona Apple, PJ Harvey and Erykah Badu, among many others. All of them acted as anchors on my artistic path. They offered guidance and illumination.

Páez: I was influenced by artists outside the confines of rock — people who played all kinds of music, like Charly García and Luis Alberto Spinetta. Is [Brazilian MPB icon] Chico Buarque rock? Sort of. You could say he’s part of the rock culture, much like [tango master] Astor Piazzolla was. 

There’s something really cool about the Alternative Field. It goes beyond the mainstream — there’s an extra serving of fun in it; it defies logic. An artist is truly alternative when he’s different from everyone else.

During the ‘70s, rock became exceedingly ambitious — incorporating elements of jazz and classical, folk and the avant-garde. I believe the same ethos informs the Latin Alternative today, a time when stylistic experimentation is accepted as the norm. Do you agree?

Cabra: I agree about 50 percent. I believe the experimental tendencies of the ‘70s and ‘80s signified the genre’s finest moment. Right now, there are artists who dare to innovate. At the same time, many defend the purity of various musical styles, and as a result, everything sounds the same.

Lafourcade: Rock will always be linked to that utmost freedom of expression. It’s connected to the soul, and it’s deeply spiritual. There is no strategy in it. It’s about seeking the disruptive, the unexpected — that which will surprise and shake us up. It allows you to scream, weep and laugh — to be silent following heartbreaking chaos.

Galeano: Something that we really enjoy about the last few years is the increasing blurring of genre boundaries. We’ve always believed that Diamante is much more than just a rock band. We borrow from different styles: funk, soul and cumbia; jazz and classical; Black music in general, and, of course, rock 'n' roll. I love that the younger generations don’t listen to any specific genres anymore — just good songs.

Are reggaetón and urbano the new rock? Could they coexist with the works of Soda Stereo or Café Tacvba?

Páez: No, they’re not. Clearly not. I’m writing a lengthy essay on the current state of the music scene. I think it will generate an interesting debate.

Juanes: I notice in artists like Bad Bunny the same kind of rebellious spirit and desire to provoke that was present in rock. That said, I think music will continue to evolve. It can never stagnate.

Cabra: Rock is a feeling, a lifestyle. That is why I believe it is dead.

Within a rock context, is there a fusion or experiment that you have yet to attempt? Is there a treasured album percolating in your soul, waiting to emerge?

Lafourcade: I’d love to return to the electric guitar at one point, and explore beyond the familiar limits. To navigate alternate possibilities that can continue to surprise me and make me feel like it’s the first time doing this.

Juanes: I’d like to record an album or EP focused on cumbias, slow and heavy. Haven’t found the time yet, but it’s something I would love to do at one point.

Páez: The music I desire the most is the one I have yet to record — that much is clear. The advantage of music over words is that the potential combinations are infinite. You just have to play, something I’ve been doing my entire life. Sometimes you have to push the new melodies away so that you don’t step on them when you get out of bed in the morning. At other times, you can’t find a single tune. It’s all about being adventurous, studying and researching — the kind of activities that are not in vogue at the moment.

Cabra: This year I’d love to make a record of complicated duets in different genres. Right now I’m dreaming of that album.

Galeano: We’d love to experiment with jazz, corridos tumbados, cumbia and Brazilian. Whenever we collaborate, we gravitate to artists who come from different worlds. I’d love to record a song with Carín León.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List