Chris Walden

Chris Walden

Photo: Jeff Vespa/WireImage.com

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Arranger Chris Walden Earns Seventh Career GRAMMY Nomination

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Renowned composer/arranger reacts to his 60th GRAMMY nomination, reveals how his kids broke the big news to him, and discusses the craft of arranging
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 22, 2018 - 7:01 pm

"This category shines a nice light on the craft that is still active and alive," says GRAMMY-nominated Chris Walden of the Best Arrangement, Instrument Or A Cappella category and of his passion for arranging.

Meet The Nominees: Chris Walden | 60th GRAMMYs

The German-born composer/arranger/conductor has built an illustrious career working behind the scenes with some of music's biggest names. As an arranger, Walden has worked with Aretha Franklin, Paul McCartney, Stevie Wonder, Diana Krall, and Rihanna, as well as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Boston Pops.

The reach of Walden talents is not limited to the world of recorded music, as he's recently done arrangements for the Oscars, Kennedy Center Honors, and even the Super Bowl, arranging Jennifer Hudson's performance of the National Anthem. Walden's work also appears in films and television, making him one of today's most versatile and often-heard arrangers.

With all of this on his résumé, it is no surprise that this year's GRAMMY nomination isn't his first. Walden's nomination for the 60th GRAMMY Awards for Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella for Herb Alpert's "White Christmas" marks Walden's seventh career GRAMMY nomination.

"I knew that we had a really special project here," says Walden. "Working for Herb Alpert was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. He's a legend and he's one of the awesomest human beings I've ever met. He gave me such creative freedom and it was such a great collaboration that I knew we had a really special album here."

On Sunday, Jan. 28, Walden is hoping to earn his first career GRAMMY win. But the competition will be stiff. However, Walden's reverence for his craft — and his competition — and humility in light of his success are admirable.

"I feel very honored to be nominated," said Walden. "The other nominees are all great arrangers that I look up to."

Avenged Sevenfold

Avenged Sevenfold

Photo: Rebecca Sapp/Getty Images

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Avenged Sevenfold's "Craziest Record" Earns GRAMMY Nomination

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Guitarist Synyster Gates on how the band's 'craziest' record of their entire career earned them a GRAMMY nomination
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 27, 2018 - 10:15 am

After nearly 20 years, seven albums, numerous awards, painful tragedy, and multiple musical evolutions, the members of Avenged Sevenfold have earned their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Song for "The Stage."

Meet The Nominees: Avenged Sevenfold | 60th GRAMMY

Progressive, sprawling and epic, "The Stage" is the opening and title track on A7X's seventh studio album, which saw a surprise release on Oct. 28, 2016, and launched the quintet's sound in a bold new direction.

"This was definitely a really crazy record to write," says guitarist Synyster Gates. "'The Stage' in particular is a super-long, thematic, building, progressive opening track that excites you as an artist and it excites you to introduce it to your fans, but you don't think GRAMMYs or radio."

Gates continues, "The irony of this, our last record, Hail To The King — I wouldn't say we were trying to make a sell-out record, but we were trying to make a super-concise, one vibe a song, because we'd never done that before, and so it's got tons of these three-four-minute bangers that seem maybe a little bit more radio palatable, and nothing for that one. But we write the craziest record of our entire career and that's when we get the GRAMMY nomination."

For The Stage, the band enlisted GRAMMY-nominated producer/engineer Joe Barresi (Melvins, Queens Of The Stone Age, Monster Magnet, Tool) for the first time. True to the LP's title, Barresi pushed the band to get the feel of their exhilarating stage show.

"Joe Barresi brought a lot of new things to the table," lead singer M. Shadows revealed on Full Metal Jackie (as told by Blabbermouth). "And one thing that I had never done was to do full-song vocal takes, where you sing from the very first lyric all the way to the end of the song, and as your voice starts straining, and as it gets a little more tough on the vocals, you get that live feel."

Exploring uncharted territory in the studio can be exhausting and time consuming. But in a world where many successful bands feel pressured to restart the album cycle with regularity, taking the time to craft the new album was a conscious decision.

"We kind of reached this point in life where we don't really want to put out anything just to put something out," Shadows told Rolling Stone. "We really don't want it to be like, 'Two years are up. You've had your break; now do another record and get it out there.' We needed to wait until something really inspired us, and that's why the record took a long time to get done."

Definitely worth the wait, "The Stage" gives Avenged Sevenfold their first crack at a GRAMMY win the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28. A7X are currently on tour in the U.S., headed for Europe this summer, and they continue to push themselves musically, recently releasing their first acoustic recording, Live At The GRAMMY Museum.

Thomas Rhett

Thomas Rhett

Photo: John Shearer/Getty Images

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Thomas Rhett's Many 'Life Changes' Led To 2018 GRAMMY Nomination

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Get to know the country star behind the hits and hear his reaction to his latest GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 25, 2018 - 3:36 pm

The title of Thomas Rhett's GRAMMY-nominated album, Life Changes, is both universally relatable, and yet deeply personal for the artist himself. Since landing his first hit in 2013 with "It Goes Like This," Rhett has become a husband and a father, while still finding time to record and release eight chart-topping singles and push the boundaries of modern country music.

Meet The Nominees: Thomas Rhett | 60th GRAMMYs

"I named the album Life Changes because my life has never changed this much in a short span of time," said Rhett. "From seeing the success of a song like 'Die a Happy Man' to putting out my third album to going on my first headlining tour to having two children, both under two years old … I thought the title of the album was a good representation of what is happening in my life right now."

Up for Best Country Album, Life Change became the first country album of 2017 to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200 back in Sept. Now, Rhett is celebrating his second career GRAMMY nomination, his first nod coming for the 59th GRAMMY Awards for his smash single "Die A Happy Man," written about his wife, Lauren, who was once his grade-school crush. The couple now has two young children, both under age two. It's safe to say, as a songwriter, an artist and a family man, Rhett's success reached new levels.

Rhett has always been unafraid of breaking genre barriers, and Life Changes is no exception, incorporating country sensibilities, pop melodies, R&B grooves, EDM pulses, doo-wop croons, and more to paint the new picture of modern country music. He also had help with this lofty task, enlisting a host of collaborators including familiar Nashville names such as GRAMMY nominees Dave Barnes and Dan Huff.

But one guest on the album stands out above the rest. Rhett's father, country music legend Rhett Akins, contributes guest vocals to a song he wrote, "Drink A Little Beer," keeping the musical love in the family.

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Raul Midón portrait

Raul Midón

Photo: Blair Allen

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Raul Midón Is Bad-A**, Blind & A 2018 GRAMMY Nominee

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Get to know the versatile singer/songwriter and find out about his reaction to the news of his GRAMMY nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jan 11, 2018 - 6:52 pm

The greatest musicians are superlative because they are authentic. They do their own thing. They take the elements of music, art and culture that move them and spin it all into something new, along the way developing an artistic vision that is unique and unwavering.

Meet The Nominees: Raul Midón | 60th GRAMMY Awards

Raul Midón certainly does things his own way.

Originally from the Land Of Enchantment — New Mexico — Midón began his remarkable career in the late '90s by cultivating his own recipe of jazz, rock, flamenco, and more into an experimental joy ride, which has seen him shred, pound, clap, and croon his way into a one-man-band.

His efforts landed him on "The Late Show With David Letterman" in 2006 in support of his major label debut album, State Of Mind. Eight studio albums later, Midón began work on the album that would earn him his first GRAMMY nomination, 2017's Bad A** And Blind, a project aptly named for its creator (and a title endorsed by soul singing legend Bill Withers) given the musically adept Midón has been blind since birth.

But Midón's inventiveness and tenacity have shaped his artistic vision that sees beyond the lines and notes of traditional music. And while his nod for Bad A** And Blind comes in the Best Jazz Vocal Album category, his music continues to resist the boundaries of classification and instead strives for something more simultaneously direct and universal.

"Like with all my records, this album is for those who are interested in going beyond notions of genre," Midón said. "It's for listeners with open ears, open minds, open hearts."

The drive to push beyond the notions of genre has led Midón down an experimental path, throwing harmony and melody into the blender and throwing the standard cookbook out the window, experimenting with various modes, psychedelic textures and adventurous techniques.

“As a listener, you don't need to know anything about the Phrygian or Dorian modes to get this music," Midón said. "It just sounds different, intriguing, exotic.”

The musical polymath shared with us that when he found out about his first career GRAMMY nomination, he was "in the basement working" when his wife called with the good news. Midón thought it was a mistake at first — but it was true. Nearly two decades into his career, his vision and dedication to his art have put him in the running for music's highest honor on Music's Biggest Night.

K.Flay: How Did She Celebrate Her 2018 GRAMMY Nominations?

Neil Portnow

Neil Portnow

Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images

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Recording Academy's Neil Portnow Talks GRAMMY Noms, Diversity

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60th GRAMMY nominations are "a reflection of our times," according to Recording Academy President/CEO
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Nov 28, 2017 - 3:15 pm

This morning, many of the world's best music creators woke up to some life-changing news: a GRAMMY nomination. For Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow, the results were equally exciting.

"I was very pleased," Portnow told Billboard, calling the nominations "a wonderful reflection on our organization and how relevant and in touch and savvy our voting members are."       

Record Of The Year Nominees | 60th GRAMMY Awards

Indeed, the nominations for the 60th Annual GRAMMY Awards represent the wide range of today's musical landscape, partially as a result of the Recording Academy's continued efforts to diversify its membership.

"We have taken a concerted effort to making sure that the voting membership of the Academy is representative of the creative community," Portnow says. "We've got 84 categories. Are we well-represented with membership from all of them? Are we engaging them? Are they participating? We look at that regularly and to the extent that we find there are areas that need more attention, we'll do that." 

One clear example of the multicultural and genre-diverse nature of this year's noms is the first-ever dual Record Of The Year and Song Of The Year nomination going towards a predominantly Spanish-language song; namely, "Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee, featuring Justin Bieber.

"It's a reflection of the times, something we're very proud of," says Portnow. "I would say that we have to be careful in the sense that [the nominations] didn't happen solely because of its enormous popularity and acceptance. That's undeniable, but through the lens of our folks who listen to that record as a musician or a producer and listen to all those elements that got fused together and the production elements, the instrumentation and the diversity there, from a craft standpoint, it's an extraordinary record."

Be sure to tune in to the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28, 2018, broadcast live on CBS from Madison Square Garden in New York. The 60th GRAMMY Awards telecast will air from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.