GRAMMYs

Chika

News

Chika Drops Stripped-Down Version Of "Balencies" For Press Play

Facebook Twitter Email
The Alabama rapper gives an intimate performance of her song "Balencies" from her major label debut EP 'Industry Games'
GRAMMYs
Aug 27, 2020 - 12:17 pm

Chika is having a breakout year, no matter how you look at it. Born Jane Chika Oranika in Montgomery, Ala., the first-generation Nigerian-American rapper was named to XXL Magazine's 2020 Freshman Class. And it's easy to see why:

Watch Chika Perform "Balencies" For Press Play

The self-described "professional truth-teller" with "a pen that's tactical," Chika shines in the latest edition of Press Play At Home, delivering an intimate version of "Balencies" from her major label debut EP Industry Games.

"The time that went into 'Industry Games,' was a year of my life, last year specifically," she recently told The Recording Academy. "I think that I fleshed out a lot more about myself with this project. You get more of my thought process, and the way my brain actually works––I get to share how crazy and hectic it gets in my brain sometimes. [Laughs.] You hear me versus my ego on it, and what that sounds like for me to be this soft-spoken person, but having a bigger ego, and having to defend certain words."

"Balencies," produced by Lido, also features production elements chosen by her puppy, Vision, who gets a nice shoutout in one of her verses. Chika's soulful, poetic lyricism shows her poetry slam roots and the influence of her southern upbringing in the church, which had a strong musical influence on her style. 

Enjoy Chika's very personal performance of "Balencies" and stay tuned for more outstanding original music from GRAMMY.com's Press Play series.

Chika Confronts Music 'Industry Games' With Candor & Confidence On Her Major-Label Debut

GRAMMYs

G Herbo

News

G Herbo & Chance The Rapper Perform "PTSD" For Press Play

Facebook Twitter Email
The Chicago rappers give an exclusive performance of the title track from Herbo's latest album, 'PTSD'
GRAMMYs
Sep 10, 2020 - 4:22 pm

Thankfully, mental health is no longer such a taboo topic in the hip-hop world, thanks to brave work by artists like G Herbo. In the latest edition of Press Play, the Chicago rapper addresses "PTSD" head on with help from GRAMMY winner Chance the Rapper - take a look:

G Herbo ft. Chance The Rapper: "PTSD" | Press Play

In the exclusive performance, Herbo and Chance perform the title track from Herbo's latest album and pay tribute to their late friend and collaborator, Juice WRLD, who is featured on the album version of the song and died tragically last September at age 21.

G Herbo's album and mission is aimed to de-stigmatize mental health and demystify the commonly misunderstood mental disorder clinically known as post-traumatic stress disorder. In May 2020, Herbo launched Swervin’ Through Stress which offers free therapy and mental health resources for Black youth age 18-25.

For his remarkable efforts, PTSD debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200. Catch Herbo in the clip above for a moving performance of the album's title track, and read our exclusive interview with him here. 

G Herbo Talks 'PTSD' And The Importance Of Mental Health: "People Need To Treat Mental Health More Seriously"

GRAMMY Awards in arms

Photo: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

News

"This doesn’t feel real:" 2021 GRAMMY Nominees Celebrate On Social Media

Facebook Twitter Email
From first-time nominees Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, BTS and Noah Cyrus to GRAMMY winners Dua Lipa and Brittany Howard, current 2021 GRAMMY nominees are filling our timelines with messages of gratitude and joy
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 24, 2020 - 2:18 pm

After the star-studded 63rd GRAMMY Award nominations livestream this morning, the music industry is celebrating on social media. Read on to share in the excitement with some of the 2021 GRAMMs contenders, including first-time nominees Megan Thee Stallion, BTS and Noah Cyrus and GRAMMY winners Dua Lipa and Brittany Howard, as well as many others.

First-time nominee Megan Thee Stallion, who first heard the Good News about her nods while helping announce several categories during the livestream, shared her reaction on Twitter with several messages, the first with six crying emoji faces. She is up for Best New Artist, Record Of The Year, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song, the latter three for her "Savage Remix" featuring Beyoncé.

Read: Meet This Year's Best New Artist Nominees | 2021 GRAMMYs

Fellow Best New Artist nominees Phoebe Bridgers, Ingrid Andress, Chika, Noah Cyrus, Doja Cat and KAYTRANADA also shared in the joy of celebrating their first-time GRAMMY nods. See their delightful posts below.

 

BTS, Skip Marley, Jayda G and Camilo also reveled in the fact that they too were first-time GRAMMY nominees.

Read: Learn More About The Best Pop Duo/Group Performance Nominees | 2021 GRAMMYs

2019 Best New Artist winner Dua Lipa earned six nominations this year, and took to Instagram to share her disbelief, complete with many exclamation marks. "This doesn't feel real!!!!! 6 GRAMMY NOMS!!! WHAT IS THIS LIFE!!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!!! 6!!!!! MY HEART IS RACING AND IM IN TOTAL SHOCK!" the British popstar wrote.

Read: Meet The Best Pop Solo Performance Nominees | 2021 GRAMMYs

Unlike most of 2020, social media really is a great place to be right now. Read on for triumphant posts from Burna Boy, Brittany Howard, Black Pumas, Ashley McBryde and The Highwomen (consisting of Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby, Maren Morris and Amanda Shires).

 
 

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com and our social channels (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) for more 2021 GRAMMYs content, and tune in to the 63rd GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 31 on CBS to find out who the winners will be!

2021 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List

Grammys Newsletter

GRAMMY Awards

GRAMMY Awards

Photo: Steve Granitz/WireImage/Getty Images

News

Find Out Who Has The Most GRAMMY Nominations, Which Categories Are All-Female & More: 2021 GRAMMYs By The Numbers

Facebook Twitter Email
For the first time in the history of the GRAMMY Awards, every nominee for Best Rock Performance and Best Country Album is a woman or a group fronted by a woman
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 24, 2020 - 11:01 am

Now that the 2021 GRAMMY nominees have been revealed, let's take a look deeper across the categories to see which artists fared the best, who some of the first-time nominees are, who made history and more.

Beyoncé leads the pack this year with nine nominations, followed by Dua Lipa, Roddy Ricch and Taylor Swift, all tied at six nods. Brittany Howard follows with five nominations, with Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, DaBaby, Phoebe Bridgers, Justin Bieber, John Beasley and David Frost all tied with four nods.

As for Queen Bey, her nine 63rd GRAMMY Awards nods bring her total number of career nominations to 79, making her the most-nominated female in GRAMMY history. She is now tied with Paul McCartney as the second most-nominated artist of all time, only behind her husband JAY-Z (who received three nods himself this year) and legendary producer Quincy Jones, who both have 80 career nominations.

The pop/R&B icon has won 24 GRAMMYs to date, and if she wins at least four of her nine nominations, she will become the female artist with the most GRAMMY wins. If she wins eight or nine, she will be the highest number of GRAMMY wins of all time.

Inside The Song Of The Year Nominees | 2021 GRAMMY Awards

Both Stallion and Bridgers are first-time GRAMMY nominees and are in the running for Best New Artist. The Houston rapper's other three nominations come from her "Savage Remix" featuring Beyoncé, which is up for Record Of The Year, Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. The Los Angeles alt-rocker's other nods are for her sophomore solo album, Punisher, which is up for Best Alternative Music Album, and its second single "Kyoto," up for Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

Notably, all nominees in the Best New Artist category are female and/or people of color—Stallion and Bridgers fellow talented contenders are Ingrid Andress, Chika, Noah Cyrus, D Smoke, Doja Cat and KAYTRANADA. All of them are also first-time nominees, with x also in the running in other categories

Explore This Year's Album Of The Year Nominees | 2021 GRAMMYs

Other 2021 first-time nominees include BTS, Harry Styles, the Strokes, Poppy, Jayda G, Arca, Baauer, Madeon and Toro Y Moi, the latter five who are nominated in the dance/electronic categories.

For the first time in the history of the GRAMMY Awards, every nominee for both Best Rock Performance and Best Country Album is a woman or a group fronted by a woman. The nominees for the former are Andress, Brandy Clark, Miranda Lambert, Ashley McBryde and the group Little Big Town. For Best Rock Performance, the contenders are Fiona Apple, Bridgers, Brittany Howard, Grace Potter, sister trio HAIM and group Big Thief.

More entries than ever before were submitted for 2021 GRAMMY consideration, totaling 23,207.

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com and our social channels (Twitter, Facebook and Instagram) for more 2021 GRAMMYs content, and tune in to the 63rd GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 31 on CBS to find out who the winners will be!

2021 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List

The Pretty Reckless

The Pretty Reckless

News

The Pretty Reckless Deliver An Acoustic Rendition Of "House On A Hill" For Press Play

Facebook Twitter Email
For the latest episode of GRAMMY.com's Press Play performance series, the New York rock act serve up a powerful acoustic rendition of their 2014 track "House On A Hill"
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 24, 2020 - 10:53 am

For the past decade, New York City band The Pretty Reckless have been putting out stadium-worthy rock anthems. Their sophomore album, 2014's Going To Hell, earned the group three No. 1 hits on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs chart, including for "Heaven Knows."

With the release of "Take Me Down," the lead single from their last album, 2016's Who You Selling For, the group earned a fourth No. 1 on the chart. They hold the record for the most No. 1s on the chart by a female-fronted act.

The Pretty Reckless Perform "House On A Hill"

For the latest episode of GRAMMY.com's Press Play series (watch above), the powerhouse group perform an acoustic rendition of "House On A Hill" from Going To Hell. Frontwoman Taylor Momsen describes the heartwrenching song (inspired by the Vietnam War) as a "cry for humanity."

Making Heads Or 'Tails' Of Success: Lisa Loeb Celebrates 25 Years Of Her Major-Label Debut Album

Grammys Newsletter