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Billie Eilish 

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Billie Eilish Is Getting People Registered To Vote For The 2020 Election

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The singer has partnering up with HeadCount in a voter registration push that will also aim to inspire concert goers under the age of 18 to get involved
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jun 6, 2019 - 6:02 pm

Billie Eilish is teaming up with HeadCount, a non-partisan organization working with musicians to get people registered to vote, to get fans who attend any of her U.S. tour dates registered for the 2020 election. 

The singer will have the organization on her currrent tour, including at her next stop in Kansas City, Mo. on June 7. Other cities include New York City on June 18, Los Angeles on July 10 and San Diego, Calif. on July 13. 

HeadCount Executive Director Andy Bernstein told the Recording Academy in a statement that they partnered with Eilish because she cares about being aware of what is going on in politics. 

"She is one of the most popular young artists in the world right now. More importantly, she truly cares about voting and democracy," he said. "Even though she isn't old enough to vote herself, she has pre-registered in California and spread the word to fans of all ages that you can be an active citizen no matter how old you are."

The organization aims to also inspire those under 18 to get involved.

In the past, Eilish has been candid about how some people dismiss young people's experiences.

"People underestimate the power of a young mind that is new to everything and experiencing for the first time,” she said. "We're being ignored and it's so dumb. We know everything."

The organization works with over 100 touring musicians to get people registered. "Music is one of the lifebloods of modern culture and concerts are the only place where thousands of young people converge on a regular basis. So live music is a natural place to register and engage new voters," Bernstein said. 

For more information on the regsitration at Eilish's concert's, visit the HeadCount website. 

Billie Eilish: "People Underestimate The Power Of A Young Mind"

Lana Del Rey at the 60th GRAMMY Awards in 2018

Lana Del Rey 

Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images

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Lana Del Rey Unveils Fall 2019 Tour Dates

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"We are doing some shows this year and next! Looking forward to going all the way down the coast from Vancouver to San Diego :-)," the singer said
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Aug 1, 2019 - 3:49 pm

GRAMMY-nominated sultry songstress Lana Del Rey will be back on the road after dropping her sixth studio album Norman Fucking Rockwell Aug. 30. She has announced a short, predominantly West Coast tour in the U.S. in support of the follow-up to 2017's Lust For Life.

The tour will start in Wantagh, N.Y. on Sept. 21, head to West Coast cities like Berkeley, Calif., Seattle Los Angeles and more before its last stop in the U.S.: San Diego on Oct. 11. After the last date, Del Rey will head to Europe. 

"We are doing some shows this year and next! Looking forward to going all the way down the coast from Vancouver to San Diego :-)," the singer tweeted.  

Tickets go on sale Friday Aug. 9. Find more information at Ticketmaster. 

Cate Le Bon's New Beginning

GRAMMYs

Billie Eilish 

Photo: Jo Hale/Redferns via Getty Images

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Billie Eilish, The Strokes & More To Perform At 2019 Corona Capital Mexico City

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The Mexican fest that aims to bring more international acts to the country has announced the 2019 lineup for its original Mexico City edition, happening Nov. 16–17
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jun 3, 2019 - 4:39 pm

Corona Capital has announced that Billie Eilish, The Strokes, Flume, Interpol, Weezer, Keane and Franz Ferdinand will be the headliners of its flagship Mexico City festival taking place November 16 and 17.

Nick Murphy, SOFI TUKKER, The B-52s, Noah Cyrus and The Raconteurs are among other performers to play sets at the festival to be held at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez in the fall. 

The Mexico City fest and its Guadalajara counter part, Corona Capital Guadalajara, aim to bring more international acts to the country. The Recording Academy was on the ground at the Guadalajara edition in May, chatting with fest performers including Christine and the Queens and The Joy Formidable. We also spoke with Ricardo Gomez, who works on the talent side of Corona Capital, about how lineups for the fests are chosen.

"It's a combination of acts that haven't been in the market or haven't been here in at least a few years so we can have that performance as some sort of value," Gomez told the Recording Academy. 

Corona Capital Guadalajara's 2019 lineup included Tame Impala, The Chemical Brothers, Boy Pablo, Kimbra, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Goo Goo Dolls, to name some. For their edition, Gomez said a mix of new acts and acts that felt nostalgic aimed to attract audiences of all ages. 

RELATED: Classixx's Michael David Talks Playing Corona Capital Guadalajara And What Makes A Great Remix

"You can go and check out [an act] that maybe you remember being a fan of and [then enjoy a] ... fresh interesting project from the earlier time slots ... and finish with a band like Phoenix, or the Yeah Yeah Yeahs or The Chemical Brothers, who you listened to 10 years ago."

The pre-sale for Corona Capital Mexico City takes place June 5–6; for more info on how to get tickets, visit the fest's website.

Corona Capital Is Bringing English-Speaking Artists To More Mexican Cities

Recording Academy - Black Music Collective
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The Recording Academy Reveals Leadership Council For Newly Launched Black Music Collective

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The distinguished leadership committee will work with honorary chairs to elevate Black music creators and professionals
Recording Academy
Oct 22, 2020 - 6:30 am

The Recording Academy's newly launched Black Music Collective (BMC), a group of prominent Black music creators and professionals who share the common goal of amplifying Black voices within the Academy and the wider music community, has announced a distinguished leadership council. The leadership committee is dedicated to progressing the Recording Academy's mission to achieve equitable representation across its membership and the music industry.

The collective will serve as a space for members to speak openly about new and emerging opportunities in Black music alongside an inspiring group of groundbreaking Black music creators and business leaders. Leadership has already begun creating and identifying programming that will encourage the acceleration of Black membership within the Academy.

Members of the leadership council will join Honorary Chairs Jeffrey Harleston, Jimmy Jam, Quincy Jones, Debra Lee, John Legend and Sylvia Rhone to work hand in hand to elevate the mission of the collective. Recording Academy Trustee Riggs Morales serves as the BMC Chair and Washington, D.C., Chapter Executive Director Jeriel Johnson is the Executive Sponsor. 

The Black Music Collective's Distinguished Leadership Committee includes the following accomplished music professionals:

"Our time is now and I'm so excited to add my voice in whatever way I can to honor those who came before me, those who worked building the foundation in this important work in music," H.E.R. said. "Initiatives like this help give a voice to young and emerging artists who dream of an even bigger future. We're all in this together."

"This is a new era of change for the Recording Academy and we are honored to have these leading artists, executives, producers and engineers who are all at the top of their fields join us for such an important moment in our world, our nation and our industry," Harvey Mason jr., chair and interim president/CEO of the Recording Academy, said. "Black music is part of the fabric of our industry and it is so reassuring to stand with these leaders to create momentum, bring change and amplify Black voices."

"We're energized by our partnership with such an esteemed group of Black music leaders who share our mission to foster and accelerate Black representation, equity and inclusion throughout the music industry," Valeisha Butterfield Jones, chief diversity & inclusion officer of the Recording Academy, said. "We've doubled down on our partnership with these leaders and are committed to the work ahead."

Stay up to date on the BMC's progress here. 

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Watch The Recording Academy's Inspiring "Change Music" Summit In Full

#ChangeMusic Summit

 

 
 
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Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: Watch The Recording Academy's Inspiring "Change Music" Summit In Full

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Alongside Color Of Change, The Recording Academy hosted the virtual industrywide #ChangeMusic Summit, which welcomed leaders in music and media for panels on shifting culture, amplifying diverse voices, driving systemic change and more
Recording Academy
Oct 2, 2020 - 11:38 am

On Thursday (Oct. 1), the Recording Academy joined Color Of Change, the nation's largest online racial justice organization, to host a virtual industrywide #ChangeMusic Summit with leaders in music and media. The digital event is part of an ongoing series of initiatives facilitated by the Recording Academy to help accelerate equity and diverse representation within the organization and to further support inclusion outcomes across the wider music industry. 

Watch the #ChangeMusic Summit in full below. 

ChangeMusic: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Summit

The four-hour event brought together leaders, executives and experts for panels on shifting culture, amplifying diverse voices, putting leadership in action and driving systemic change throughout the music community. As well, prominent culture trailblazers and music business leaders openly discussed best practices and strategies to encourage systemic change and elevate women, Black and Latinx, as well as all underrepresented music creators and professionals.

Some of the event's participants included singer-songwriters Ledisi and Maimouna "Mumu Fresh" Youssef; television personalities Rocsi Diaz and Jeff Johnson; music culture influencer Karen Civil; award-winning poet and president of the Recording Academy's Chicago Chapter J. Ivy; and prominent executives and industry professionals including Tuma Basa (YouTube), Ingrid Best (Combs Enterprises), Binta Brown (omalilly projects; Black Music Action Coalition), Shari Bryant (Roc Nation), Jeff Burroughs (Def Jam Recordings), Ryan Butler (Recording Academy), Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Recording Academy), Harvey Mason jr. (Recording Academy), Rashad Robinson (Color Of Change) and many others. See the full list of participants below.

As part of the summit, the Recording Academy and Color Of Change announced the forthcoming #ChangeMusic Roadmap, a tool to help people at all levels of the music industry take action to enact racial and social justice within the industry. The full roadmap will be released before the end of the year, however, the first aspect of the roadmap discussed was a needed commitment to transparent reporting on Black representation. 

Read: The Recording Academy & Color Of Change Team Up To Promote Positive Change In The Music Industry

"This is a crucial moment in our world, our nation and our society and it is now more important than ever that we bring people together to make progress on justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion," Recording Academy Chair and Interim President/CEO Harvey Mason jr. said. "As leaders in the music industry, we have an opportunity as role models to lead by example and set a progressive tone for culture and society. We are honored that so many from the industry joined this important conversation and we're committed to the work ahead."

"Black artists' rich contributions have undeniably shaped the music industry into what it is today. The industry must tear down the systems that silence, harm and pigeonhole Black artists for profitable gains," President of Color Of Change Rashad Robinson said. "Everyone has the responsibility to work towards progress. The #ChangeMusic Roadmap will begin the process of giving the industry the tools to challenge injustice and enact tangible change now. The Recording Academy is setting a strong example for the industry from the inside, holding those in power accountable to change. Together, we can propel music into the equitable future Black artists have earned, and always deserved."

Participants in the #ChangeMusic Summit included: singer/songwriters Ledisi, Rico Love and Maimouna "Mumu Fresh" Youssef; television personalities Rocsi Diaz and Jeff Johnson; music culture influencer Karen Civil; poet J. Ivy; and prominent executives and industry professionals including Tuma Basa (YouTube), Ingrid Best (Combs Enterprises), Binta Brown (omalilly projects; Black Music Action Coalition), Shari Bryant (Roc Nation), Jeff Burroughs (Def Jam Recordings), Ryan Butler (Recording Academy), Valeisha Butterfield Jones (Recording Academy), Qiana Conley (Recording Academy), Caroline "Baroline" Diaz (Interscope Records), Michelle Edgar (Epic Records; Music Unites; XX Project), Ethiopia Habtemariam (Motown Records; Capitol Music Group), Erin Hall Harris (Combs Enterprises), Tammy Hurt (Recording Academy), Jeriel Johnson (Recording Academy), Debra Lee (formerly BET Networks), Harvey Mason jr. (Recording Academy), Adam McFarland (Blacksmith Recordings; #TheShowMustBePaused), Riggs Morales (Atlantic Records), Jessica Rivera (YouTube), Rashad Robinson (Color Of Change), Travis Robinson (Universal Music Group), Lenny Santiago (Roc Nation), Rashid Shabazz (Color Of Change), Dr. Maurice Stinnett (Warner Music Group), Tiffany R. Warren (Omnicom Group; ADCOLOR), and Roe Williams (KWL Enterprises).

The Recording Academy's strategic alliance with Color Of Change and solidarity with ongoing social justice movements, such as #TheShowMustBePaused, was also a highly prioritized conversation topic among attendees. 

Learn more about the progress and future announcements regarding the Recording Academy's Diversity & Inclusion efforts.

The Recording Academy Establishes Black Music Collective

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