GRAMMYs

Angela Aguilar

Photo by Robyn Beck / AFP

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Angela Aguilar, Aida Cuevas & Natalia Lafourcade Sang A Powerful Rendition Of "La Llorona" At The 2019 GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony

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The three women graced the stage immediately prior to the 61st GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10 on CBS
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Feb 10, 2019 - 3:32 pm

Three immensely talented women took the 2019 GRAMMY Premiere Ceremony stage on Sunday, Feb. 10: 15-year-old nominee Angela Aguilar, who is nominated for Best Regional Mexican Music Album, took the stage with Aida Cuevas and Natalia Lafourcade performed "La Llorona" (translated to "The Weeping Woman."

Natalia Lafourcade "La Llorona":GRAMMY Performance

In Latin American folklore, "La Llorona" is said to be the ghost of a woman who lost her children and cries while searching for them in the river, which ultimately causes misfortune to those who are near or hear her. 

"Ranchera music does something to you that I don't think a lot of genres can do," Aguilar told the Recording Academy in an exclusive interview. "Some songs are made to listen to in the background, some songs are [made] just to dance to, some songs are [made for you] to feel something and I feel like almost every ranchera song is made for you to feel something."

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Angela Aguilar On Her Culture And Family Legacy

Watch the 61st GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Feb. 10 on CBS.

GRAMMYs

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper

Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

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Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper Perform "Shallow" At The 2019 Oscars

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The 'A Star Is Born' leads took home Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Shallow" at the 61st GRAMMY Awards
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Feb 24, 2019 - 7:18 pm

Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, who recently won Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Shallow" at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, performed a stunning, spare rendition of their ballad at the 2019 Academy Awards.

Wearing a black dress and a prominent neck jewel, Gaga played the piano while her acting counterpart sang across from her. 

At the 2019 GRAMMY Awards, Gaga accepted the golden gramophone for the pair; marking her second win of the night and the first-ever win for actor Cooper. "Shallow" also won Best Song Written For Visual Media, and Gaga's "Joanne (Where Do You Think You're Goin'?)" snagged Best Pop Solo Performance.

2019 GRAMMYs: Full Nominees And Winners List

Jennifer Hudson Oscars 022419

Jennifer Hudson

Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP/Getty Images

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Jennifer Hudson Sings A Powerful Rendition Of "I'll Fight" At The 2019 Oscars

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The multiple GRAMMY winner's song is written by Diane Warren for the Ruth Bader Ginsburg documentary RBG
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Feb 24, 2019 - 6:01 pm

Wearing a sharp suit, GRAMMY winner and soul singer Jennifer Hudson performed a moving rendition of her song "I'll Fight" at the 2019 Academy Awards.

The anthem is written by Diane Warren, who also wrote the GRAMMY-nominated "Stand Up For Something" from the motion picture "Marshall" based on the life of Thurgood Marshall. The song was written for "RBG," the Oscar-nominated documentary about Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg. 

"I wanted it to show that she is a fighter, and this is what she’d been doing for years, even before she was on the Supreme Court bench," Warren told ASCAP.

"I loved the dichotomy of getting Jennifer Hudson to sing it, because [RBG] speaks so softly, but so powerfully," Warren said. "It’s almost like Jennifer Hudson’s voice became her avatar - because that’s what she really sounds like to us. She’s a diva! She’s a notorious RBG. So I didn’t want it to be soft. I wanted it to have power."

'RBG' End-Credits Song "I'll Fight" Was Written To Show Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Power
 

Queen_Oscars_022419

Queen with Adam Lambert

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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Adam Lambert & Queen Open The 2019 Oscars

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The GRAMMY-winning orchestral-rock act swept into the Academy Awards with two songs, "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions"
Rachel Brodsky
GRAMMYs
Feb 24, 2019 - 5:22 pm

The 2019 Oscars may not have had a host this year, but that certainly didn't stop the producers from kicking off the show with a bang.

GRAMMY-nominated rock greats Queen, led by GRAMMY-nominated singer Adam Lambert, opened the show with a two-song medley performance, including classics "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions." 

The band opened the show in honor of Bohemian Rhapsody, the 2018 biopic about Queen's late frontman Freddie Mercury and chronicling the glam-rock band's rise to fame. It is up for a number of Academy Awards and pulled in Golden Globes earlier this year, incuding Best Motion Picture, Drama and Best Performance By An Actor In A Motion Drama. 

As the performance wrapped up, a sea of sparks rained down on the band, while an image of Mercury flashed in the background. "Welcome to the Oscars!" yelled Lambert. 

Welcome, indeed! 

Golden Globes 2019: 'Bohemian Rhapsody’ & Rami Malek Win Major Categories
 

Janet Jackson

Janet Jackson

Photo: Ander Gillenea/AFP/Getty Images

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Janet Jackson To Headline Tom Joyner Foundation's 20th Fantastic Voyage

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More GRAMMY winners cruising on the "party with a purpose" include Shirley Caesar, Maxwell and Smokie Norful
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Feb 22, 2019 - 4:05 pm

On April 7–14, the 20th cruise of the Tom Joyner Foundation's Fantastic Voyage will ship off from Miami and tour the Caribbean with wide-ranging activities and an incredible array of musical performances planned. Headlined by Janet Jackson, the "party with a purpose" also includes Shirley Caesar, Fantasia, Maxwell, Chrisette Michele, Smokie Norful, and Fatman Scoop.

In addition to concerts, enriching activities and fun, as well as Fantastic Voyage's fundraising for historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs), this year a Filmmaker's Scholarship Program in partnership with Denny's will spotlight the work of a half dozen HBCU creatives who've made movies on the reality of hunger at the community level. Through the years, the Tom Joyner Foundation has awarded more than a half million dollars in scholarships, also including support for K-12 students.

"I'm proud of a lot of things we've accomplished on the Tom Joyner Morning Show," said Joyner, "but I think I'm most proud of all the students we've helped stay in school for the last 20 years, and our biggest fundraiser for HBCUs is the Fantastic Voyage cruise."

With 13 GRAMMY nominations, R&B/Gospel singer Charlie Wilson stands out among the previous nominees in the announcement. Others include Kem, Mase, MC Lyte, Sheila E., War, and Brian Courtney Wilson.

Check out the full list, which includes emerging DJs and many more memorable artists such as Biz Markie, Midnight Star and the S.O.S. Band.

Janet Jackson's 'Rhythm Nation 1814': For The Record