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'Heaven' Still Courtesy of Sam Spiegel

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DJ/Music Video Director Sam Spiegel's New Short Film 'Heaven' Tackles Mental Health

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'Heaven', out now on YouTube, looks at mental health through music and one woman's story
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Oct 28, 2020 - 2:18 pm

Music producer, DJ, and director Sam Spiegel has a story to tell.

In his new short film, Heaven, out now on YouTube, he tackles mental health, specifically suicide prevention, through one woman's story. In the film, we are introduced to dancer Nevaeh Meraz, who chronicles her experience at a mental care facility. In a place where everything is routine, she is taken out of her ordinary day when she feels the power of music during a dance class. That song is Spiegel's own “Don't Give Up” featuring  Sia, Vic Mensa and Busta Rhymes. 

After hearing Meraz's story, Spiegel, who lost a friend to suicide a year ago and has gone through his own struggle with depression, was moved to bring it to the world. "She has fought through so much hardship and adversity, but her passion for her art has been her saving grace. It’s carried her through it all," he told GRAMMY.com via email.

Ultimately, Spiegel wants the project to "give people struggling with mental health and particularly suicidal ideation some form of hope," he said.

He spoke to GRAMMY.com via email more about how Meraz's story touched him, his partnership with mental health services provider Didi Hirsch, and how making a film during the pandemic brought him closer to the project's crew. 

What inspired you to make this film?

[When] I met Nevaeh Meraz, her story was so powerful and moving. She has fought through so much hardship and adversity, but her passion for her art has been her saving grace. It’s carried her through it all. I identified with that, having suffered through a depression of my own and have found creativity to be my beacon of light in my darkest moments.

Did this project help you cope with your loss? If so, how?

For me, the project was purely a joyous expression. I loved every second of it. I just love filmmaking and the people on this project were all so stoked to be a part of it. It had a really beautiful spirit behind it. I do think that it was really cathartic and perhaps even therapeutic for Nevaeh, having lived this in her real life and it being a moment of intense trauma. I think that she felt revisiting it in this very safe and positive way seems to have been a blessing.

“Don't Give Up” features artists who have been open about their mental health struggles. Was that meaningful to you?

I really connected the pain and strength in the song to Nevaeh’s story. I think that all of the featured artists on here could identify with this film, which is great.

A pandemic can be stressful and worsen mental health conditions (CDC). Is releasing the film now especially important to you?

For me, making the film and being connected to all of the artists that it takes to put a film like this together was really special during this time. It was so hard figuring out how to shoot this during the times of COVID, making sure everyone could remain safe and comfortable. We were originally going to be shooting in March and it ended up taking us seven months to figure it out! Insane! Being on set with everyone and feel how happy people were to be around each other making something they believed in made the wait worthwhile.

You are partnering with Didi Hirsch to raise funds. What made you want to partner with them specifically?

I’m hoping that the film can give people struggling with mental health and particularly suicidal ideation some form of hope. I lost a good friend to suicide a year ago. The loss made me feel more connected to Nevaeh when she told me her story. My hope is that her story can affect others the way it has affected me. Additionally, someone close to me lost their partner to suicide last year and she led us to Didi Hirsch, an agency that she had found impressive and helpful when she discovered them through her loss.

When working on finding a platform to show your film on, was accessibility a priority?

I’m a big fan of inclusion. I prefer [that] all of my creations are.

What do you hope people get out of the film?

More than anything, I want people to be moved by this film, and inspired by Nevaeh’s story and her power.

Donate directly to Didi Hirsch here: https://fanlink.to/SamxDidi

"Use Your Mentality, Wake Up To Reality": How 'Red Hot + Blue' Reimagined Classic Pop Songs To Enact Social Change

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Photo: Ramon Costa/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

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6 Music Games To Play For A Virtual Game Night With Friends & Family

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Try these creative ways to stay connected, have fun and maintain good mental health during quarantine
Kit Stone
MusiCares
May 25, 2020 - 12:35 pm

For some, the first week of the stay at home order felt like a vacation — a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We watched too much television, ate too many snacks, danced in our pajamas in the middle of the afternoon, and rekindled our relationship with our favorite bedspreads. 

But for family-oriented individuals, the stay-at-home orders hit differently. Sunday dinners and game-nights have been put on hold to ensure everyone's safety during the pandemic. That doesn't mean that you can't spend quality time with your loved ones, it just means you need to get a little creative. 

The saying is true, you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone, and not being able to connect with friends and family in the way that we’re used to can take a toll on your emotional and mental health. So, we’ve got to get creative on ways to incorporate family time even if you can’t physically connect. Establishing a routine game night, even virtually, can provide the emotional lift you need to help you maintain during the quarantine. 

Spending time with family and friends, even virtually, can relieve stress, decrease anxiety and depression, improve sleep, improve relationships, and make you happier all around. As long as you have wifi, you can organize a game night that can still add hours of family fun to your day. 

If you come from a musical family where get-togethers turn into impromptu concerts or viral TikTok videos, this list is for you. These virtual music-themed games can increase your musical knowledge, give your friends and family a peek into your musical taste, get your creative juices flowing and lift your mood. 

1. Verzuz 

Instagram got an instant upgrade when mega producers Timbaland and Swiss Beatz went hit for hit in the first Verzuz challenge. Since then, millions have gathered around their phones, tablets, and computers and watched artists like Teddy Riley and Babyface, Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco, Erykah Badu and Jill Scott, and most recently, Ludacris and Nelly go hit for hit. You don’t have to wait for the next chart-topping artists to experience your next battle. Pick your favorite artist and challenge a friend. You can even invite others to listen in and choose the winner.  

2. Don’t Forget the Lyrics 

Are you a master at song lyrics? Well, even if you’re not, this will be a fun game. Each person takes turns playing a piece of a song. Without warning, stop the song and have the challenger finish the lyrical phrase. In order to get the point, they have to finish the lyrics word for word. If you want to be nice, you can let the other player sacrifice a point in order to give them a clue. The first person to get 12 song lyrics right, wins! Options: You can change the number from 12 to 20 or just 5, depending on how long you want to make your game.

3. Name That Tune

Start by playing an intro of a song. Before the verse starts, stop the song and wait for the other person to guess the title and the artist. Only the correct title gets the point. Partial or “almost” titles don’t count. Play one-on-one, or in teams. Make it more challenging by sticking to one genre or a specific decade. The parameters are up to you, so have fun with it!

4. Music Trivia

Normally, for this game, you would need a trivia master. That person would have to create a Google Doc of musical categories and questions similar to Jeopardy. Thankfully, we’ve got you covered with the “Ask GRAMMYs” music trivia game, compatible with Alexa and Google Home. You can test your music knowledge in categories that cover country music stars to rock legends and previous GRAMMY winners. The game refreshes every Monday with a new category so choose your team wisely. Check out this calendar to see what’s coming next. 

5/25 – The GRAMMYs Goes To The Opera
6/1 – Pride + Music
6/8 – The '60s
6/15 – The '70s
6/22 – The '80s
6/29 – '90s R&B

5. Song Association

This game can be played one-on-one or with teams. One person gives a member of the opposite team a word. That person has 10 seconds to sing a song with that word in it. If the time runs out, the person doesn’t get the point and it’s the other team’s turn. The first team or player to get 10 right, or however many you decide, wins. Easy words to start with are colors, places and objects.

6. Dance Freeze

Dancing carries its own benefits to health and wellness. Something as simple as moving your body can boost your cognitive performance, mood, and improve your cardiovascular health. It’s also an activity that all ages can enjoy from your barely walking tots to your more seasoned relatives. Designate a DJ. The DJ will play music and the other players will dance. Once the DJ stops the music, the players have to freeze in whatever dance position they’re in. The DJ watches to make sure they’re frozen in place. Anyone that moves is automatically out. The last player dancing wins. This a great game to get the whole family up and moving.

Kit Stone is a multimedia storyteller and digital content creator. A native of California, she credits her love of all things creative to the influence of the Bay Area culture she grew up in, and the part her family, Sly & the Family Stone, played in shaping it. Since receiving her degree in visual storytelling and media production from Cal State East Bay, Kit has used her passion for storytelling to inspire, educate, and entertain. When she’s off the clock, you can find her curled up with a good book or watching episodes of "The Golden Girls."

Read More: 11 Meditation Apps To Help You Get Calm & Centered During Quarantine & Beyond

Read more: How To Use Music Techniques To Prepare Healthy Food

Learn more about how you can donate to or apply for assistance via the Recording Academy's and MusiCares' COVID-19 Relief Fund.

Learn more about the financial, medical and personal emergencies services and resources offered by the Recording Academy and MusiCares. 

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How Holiday Music Affects Your Mental Health

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Love it or hate it, there's no doubt holiday music has an impact on our mental health
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Nov 27, 2017 - 12:17 pm

There are generally two kinds of people in this world: Those who love holiday music and those who can't stand it. Regardless of which side of the fence you stand, it turns out science has an explanation.

Scientists tell NBC News it all comes down to your childhood association with holiday music.

"Our response to Christmas songs depends on the association," said Dr. Rhonda Freeman, a clinical neuropsychologist. "Many of us associate this music with childhood and a happy time of presents and traditions and all the specialness that happens around that time of year."

However, on the other side, those who had a difficult childhood or who associate the season with loss find that holiday music brings on more painful associations.

The reason these childhood holiday music impressions have so much power over us even as adults is thatthe prefrontal cortex area of the brain, the rational thinking part of the brain, is still developing in children. As a result, a child's brain is more emotional, and those emotional associations around music stick well past adolescence. 

Because we listen to the same body of holiday music year after year since the time we are small, and tunes like "Silent Night" or "Carol Of The Bells" are designed to elicit an emotional response, it makes complete sense it's hard to get these songs out of our heads and hearts.

So love them or hate them, know you're not alone in your holiday music feels.

U.K. Charity Brings Live Holiday Music To Senior Centers

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Photo credit: GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images

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The Recording Academy Releases Updated Rules & Guidelines For The 2022 GRAMMY Awards Show

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The annual disclosure of the GRAMMY Awards Rules and Guidelines mirrors the Recording Academy's commitment to ensuring its actions are fair and transparent and that all details surrounding the awards process are easily accessible to the music community
GRAMMYs
May 26, 2021 - 6:00 am

The Recording Academy released today the latest GRAMMY Awards Rules and Guidelines, which reflect new changes to the process for the 2022 GRAMMY Awards show, officially known as the 64th GRAMMY Awards. Introduced in June 2020, the annual disclosure of the GRAMMY Awards Rules and Guidelines mirrors the Academy's commitment to ensuring its actions are fair and transparent and that all details surrounding the awards process are easily accessible to the music community at large.

The latest amendments are in addition to the previously announced changes in April, which included the discontinuation of nomination review committees, the reduction in the number of categories in which voters may vote, and the addition of the Best Global Music Performance and Best Música Urbana Album categories, among other updates. Nearly all of the changes go into effect immediately for the 64th GRAMMY Awards, which take place Jan. 31, 2022*.

"Our peer-driven awards process is all about engagement, and nothing is more invigorating than seeing our members take part in submitting proposals to move the Academy forward," Harvey Mason jr., Chair & Interim President/CEO of the Recording Academy, said. "We're proud to work alongside today's music creators to ensure their vision for the music industry is reflected in all that we do, and to continue our commitment to transparency by making these updates readily available to anyone that wishes to submit their art for GRAMMY recognition. These updates are a direct result of our collaborative process, and we're thankful for the music community's continued support every step of the way."

APPROVED RULE AMENDMENTS:

Album Of The Year Category: Nominee And Recipient Eligibility

Moving forward, all credited artists (including featured artists), songwriters of new material, producers, recording engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers are eligible to be GRAMMY nominees and recipients in the Album Of The Year category. Previously, the rule stated that all artists, songwriters, producers, recording engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers were required to be credited with at least 33 percent or more of playing time.

Dance Field: Renamed And Redefined Category

The category formerly known as "Best Dance Recording" has been renamed "Best Dance/Electronic Recording." This category is intended for recordings with significant electronic-based instrumentation generally based around a rhythmic dance beat. The screening criteria include established dance and electronic recording genres as well as related emerging genres, in order to accurately reflect the current trends in dance and/or electronic music.

Classical Field: Allow Singles In Five Classical Categories

To reflect trends in classical music consumption, singles that are not part of an album will now be eligible in five Classical categories including Best Orchestral Performance, Best Choral Performance, Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance, Best Classical Instrumental Solo, and Best Contemporary Classical Composition.

Music For Visual Media Field: Compilation Category Limits And Updated Rules

Clearer limits to the number of participants who can be awarded in the Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media category have been set:

  1. For albums consisting largely of pre-existing masters, up to two album producers and up to two music supervisors can be awarded.
  2. For albums consisting largely of new recordings, principal artist(s) with significant contributing performance(s) (ensemble-driven casts in which performers have comparable musical and dramatic participation in the recording are not eligible); up to three producer(s) (in extraordinary circumstances an appeal for a possible fourth will be considered); and up to two music supervisors can be awarded. An engineer/mixer(s) who contributes greater than 50 percent playing time of newly recorded material can also be awarded.

​Additionally, those entering albums and tracks that are released during the current eligibility period in the Music For Visual Media Field but are associated with a visual medium that will be released during the next eligibility period will now have two options:

  1. Enter the albums or tracks during the current year in categories that are not in the Music For Visual Media Field. They will not be eligible the following year in the Music For Visual Media Field if this option is chosen.
  2. Enter them the following year as long as they do not get entered in any category during the current year. Albums will only be eligible in their respective category: Compilation or Score. Songs will be eligible in Song Written For Visual Media. They will also be eligible in other song categories as long as they fulfill the "track from a previous year is eligible" rule.

Music Film Field: Eligibility Clarification

Music-related documentaries must contain a minimum of 51 percent of performance-based material or individual music videos that together create a visual album (if videos are packaged and entered together as one cohesive film). While dramatic feature films and biopics are not eligible, films with fictional elements are eligible.

Technical GRAMMY Award Addition

A second Technical GRAMMY Award has been added, specifically reserved for a company, organization or institution. This award would be optional, and at the yearly discretion of the Technical GRAMMY Committee. The Technical GRAMMY is awarded to those individuals who have dramatically pushed boundaries and made groundbreaking, important, outstanding, and influential contributions of technical excellence and innovation to the recording field throughout their lifetime.

Vote Trading And Manipulation

Academy members or their designated publicists are now restricted to FYC emails, social media posts and physical mailings that promote only their own recordings, prohibiting lobbying on behalf of other members.

Album Eligibility

To be eligible for GRAMMY Award consideration, an album must contain greater than 75 percent playing time of newly recorded (within five years of the release date), previously unreleased recordings*. The current eligibility rule is 50 percent. (Note: Best Compilation Soundtrack, Best Historical Album, Best Immersive Audio Album, Best Recording Package, Best Special Package, and Best Album Notes accept albums of recordings that are not newly recorded.)

*Note: The updated album eligibility rule goes into effect for the 65th GRAMMY Awards taking place in 2023.

The full list of rule amendments for the 64th GRAMMY Awards, including the newly announced changes voted on and passed at the Recording Academy's most recent semiannual Board of Trustees meeting held in May 2021, can be found in the GRAMMY Awards Rules and Guidelines. For information on the awards process and key dates surrounding the eligibility period for the 64th GRAMMY Awards, visit here.

The Recording Academy Announces Major Changes For The 2022 GRAMMY Awards Show

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Listen: Kick Off Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 With MusiCares' Playlist Of Go-To Comfort Songs

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To celebrate Mental Health Awareness Month 2021, the MusiCares team has compiled a playlist of their favorite pick-me-up songs, including tracks from Taylor Swift, Fitz and the Tantrums, Bill Withers and more
Hannah Kulis
MusiCares
May 3, 2021 - 5:01 pm

The MusiCares team is embracing in the healing power of music with a playlist of their favorite comfort songs in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month 2021. The playlist features all kinds of feel-good music, from bops like "Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats to self-empowerment anthems like Rachel Platten's "Fight Song" to Billy Joel's calming "Vienna," which reminds listeners everything is going to work out just fine.

Mental health awareness is a crucial part of the MusiCares mission. Founded by the Recording Academy in 1989, MusiCares is the leading music industry charity that supports music people through three key areas of service: Human Services, Health Services, and Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services.

As part of their Mental Health & Addiction Recovery Services, MusiCares hosts five free weekly online groups for anyone in the music industry looking for emotional support. MusiCares also offers direct financial assistance to music community members for things like therapy, psychiatric care, inpatient treatment, coaching, intensive outpatient care, sober living and more.

Mental health awareness is also a key element in MusiCares' virtual programming. In just the past three months, they have hosted over 10 programs specific to mental health awareness. This includes panel discussions such as "Black Mental Health Matters," a look at mental health through the lens of racial injustice, and "IN TUNE: Music as the Bridge to Mindfulness," a mindfulness and meditation workshop for individuals in the music industry.

For guaranteed positive vibes all month long, cue up the MusiCares Mental Health Awareness Month 2021 playlist below!

MusiCares Co-Founds First National Mental Health Action Day With MTV & Others