Skip to main content
GRAMMYs Breaking News
Breaking News
  • MusiCares Launches Help for the Holidays Campaign Apply HERE
  • Recording Academy
  • GRAMMYs
  • Membership
  • Advocacy
  • MusiCares
  • GRAMMY Museum
  • Latin GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
  • Advocacy
  • Membership
  • GRAMMYs
  • Governance
  • Jobs
  • Press Room
  • Events
  • Login
  • MusiCares
  • GRAMMY Museum
  • Latin GRAMMYs
  • More
    • MusiCares
    • GRAMMY Museum
    • Latin GRAMMYs

The GRAMMYs

  • Awards
  • News
  • Videos
  • Recording Academy
  • More
    • Awards
    • News
    • Videos
    • Recording Academy

Latin GRAMMYs

MusiCares

  • About
  • Get Help
  • Give
  • News
  • Videos
  • Events
  • Person of the Year
  • More
    • About
    • Get Help
    • Give
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
    • Person of the Year

Advocacy

  • About
  • News
  • Issues & Policy
  • Act
  • Recording Academy
  • More
    • About
    • News
    • Issues & Policy
    • Act
    • Recording Academy

Membership

  • Join
  • Events
  • PRODUCERS & ENGINEERS WING
  • GRAMMY U
  • GOVERNANCE
  • More
    • Join
    • Events
    • PRODUCERS & ENGINEERS WING
    • GRAMMY U
    • GOVERNANCE
Log In Join
  • SUBSCRIBE

  • Search
Modal Open
Subscribe Now

Subscribe to Newsletters

Be the first to find out about GRAMMY nominees, winners, important news, and events. Privacy Policy
GRAMMY Museum
Membership

Join us on Social

  • Recording Academy
    • The Recording Academy: Facebook
    • The Recording Academy: Twitter
    • The Recording Academy: Instagram
    • The Recording Academy: YouTube
  • GRAMMYs
    • GRAMMYs: Facebook
    • GRAMMYs: Twitter
    • GRAMMYs: Instagram
    • GRAMMYs: YouTube
  • Latin GRAMMYs
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Facebook
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Twitter
    • Latin GRAMMYs: Instagram
    • Latin GRAMMYs: YouTube
  • GRAMMY Museum
    • GRAMMY Museum: Facebook
    • GRAMMY Museum: Twitter
    • GRAMMY Museum: Instagram
    • GRAMMY Museum: YouTube
  • MusiCares
    • MusiCares: Facebook
    • MusiCares: Twitter
    • MusiCares: Instagram
  • Advocacy
    • Advocacy: Facebook
    • Advocacy: Twitter
  • Membership
    • Membership: Facebook
    • Membership: Twitter
    • Membership: Instagram
    • Membership: Youtube
GRAMMYs

Billy Porter

Photo: John Ganun

Video
grammycom-first-listen-billy-porter

GRAMMY.com First Listen: Billy Porter

Facebook Twitter Email
GRAMMY-winning Broadway star debuts "Luck Be A Lady" from his forthcoming album, Billy's Back On Broadway, plus an exclusive interview with Porter
Bruce Britt
GRAMMYs
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

'Kinky Boots' wins Best Musical Theater Album

Broadway star Billy Porter — a recent GRAMMY and Tony Award winner for his role in Cyndi Lauper's "Kinky Boots" — is set to release a new album, Billy's Back On Broadway, on April 15. Ahead of the album's release, GRAMMY.com has your exclusive first listen to Porter's gospel-tinged version of the 1950 "Guys And Dolls" classic, "Luck Be A Lady."

Marking Porter's first post-"Kinky Boots" endeavor (and first solo album in nearly a decade), Billy's Back On Broadway features 10 classics made famous on the Great White Way, while the title pays homage to Sammy Davis Jr.'s 1965 LP, Sammy's Back On Broadway. The set features a delectable mélange of arrangements, from brassy big band renditions of "Everything's Coming Up Roses" (from 1959's "Gypsy: A Musical Fable") and "Don't Rain On My Parade" (from 1964's "Funny Girl"), to soul-inflected pop renditions of the standout "Kinky Boots" ballad "Not My Father's Son" and the soft-focus jazz number "Happy Days Are Here Again Get Happy" featuring Lauper.

A native of Pittsburgh, Porter first emerged as a gospel singer before transitioning to theater. He made his Broadway debut in the original cast of "Miss Saigon" in 1991. In 2013 Porter starred as Lola in Lauper's premiere Broadway musical "Kinky Boots," which earned a GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album at the 56th GRAMMY Awards in January.

In an exclusive interview with GRAMMY.com, Porter contemplates his career, the new album and portraying a drag queen in "Kinky Boots."

Billy's Back On Broadway marks your first post-"Kinky Boots" recording. How are you feeling?
I'm excited … and, yes, there [are] some nerves. I'm excited about having a product out in the marketplace that I really want, [because] that doesn't always happen in this business. It's nice to be able to circle back to what I call "the original dream," and to have an album out with a full orchestra. Who gets to do that anymore?

What is "the original dream"?
It's this album; this record is what I wanted originally. You get into the business, and life can morph, shift, adjust, and grow. But the original dream [was] when I was 14 or 15 and I heard Barbra Streisand['s] [The] Broadway Album growing up in Pittsburgh in my Pentecostal church. I wanted to do that.

What was it about that Streisand album that appealed to you?
At the time, I was discovering that I fit somewhere, that there was a place that I could be accepted, and also maybe be able to find something to do with my life. It was a combination of that album and seeing the "Dreamgirls" performance on the Tony Awards [in 1982]. I was just learning that [singing and acting were] something I could do to make a living, and [weren't] just [hobbies].

Which project demanded the most from you as a performer — "Kinky Boots" or Billy's Back On Broadway?
I think they're separate, but equal. I don't approach any kind of music without being a storyteller. For me, choosing the material and how it's set up on the album — there's not a moment that isn't thought out or planned in terms of how the listener will experience the journey in its entirety, as well as the individual songs. So I think it's very similar to "Kinky Boots" because I get to take you on a journey. The journey just happens to be a little bit different, you know? [Laughs] I don't have to be a drag queen.

You seem to have selected Broadway songs that focus on positivity. Why?
I decided that I wanted to sing songs of inspiration, empowerment and hope. I feel that we need that in the world. I feel that it's a conscious choice that we have to make to be positive in this world, because there's so much negative that's readily accessible. So, I wanted to be a part of putting that kind of energy out.

Some of the songs deviate greatly from the originals recorded by Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr., among others.
I wanted to set up a space where more traditional audiences would see that I understand the history of each song. If you notice, the arrangements go from the classic to contemporary. As the album progresses, it sort of cracks open and deconstructs into something that might not necessarily be so traditional. Being the star of a Broadway show like "Kinky Boots," [I learned] that the audience is really wide. The challenge is: How do [I] embrace them? So that's what I was trying to do, and hopefully I will succeed in that.

Which of the songs on you the album deviates most from its original?
There are several, but I would say "On The Street Where You Live" marks the strongest diversion. … I wanted it to be a meditation on loss that would help audiences and listeners kind of heal, so we changed it to "On The Street Where You Lived." That was a 20-year-old arrangement that we sort of repurposed, made it with all strings, and turned it into something that I feel is way different from how you hear it in the original show, which is about young, unfettered, bubbly love.  

How has "Kinky Boots" changed your life?
That's a loaded question. I've gone from that really talented guy with nothing to do, to being the star of the show. It really doesn't get any better than that. It's like, finally there's something for me to do, and something for all my different talents.

(Bruce Britt is an award-winning journalist and essayist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, Billboard, and other publications. He lives in Los Angeles.)

 

Billy Porter & Rosie O'Donnell

Billy Porter & Rosie O'Donnell

Photo: Dia Dipasupil/Getty Images for GLAAD

News
Rosie O'Donnell & Friends Fundraise For COVID-19 rosie-odonnell-host-livestream-billy-porter-gloria-estefan-morgan-freeman-more-broadway

Rosie O'Donnell To Host Livestream With Billy Porter, Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman & More For Broadway Coronavirus Relief

Facebook Twitter Email
On Sun. March 22, the daytime TV icon will revive her Emmy-winning show with a star-studded special guest cast for one night only, to benefit The Actors Fund
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Mar 19, 2020 - 2:31 pm

Today, Emmy winner Rosie O'Donnell revealed she will be hosting a star-studded special livestream show this Sun., March 22 to benefit The Actors Fund, a non-profit org supporting entertainment professionals in need. Billy Porter, Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman, Jordin Sparks, Neil Patrick Harris, Sarah Jessica Parker, Barry Manilow, Ben Platt, Kristen Chenoweth and many more stars will join the show for performances and conversation—while practicing safe social-distancing from their own homes.

https://twitter.com/Rosie/status/1240469712393457664

sunday night 7 pm https://t.co/pzkQDS6T8G and youtube/broadway.com - we will be raising money for @TheActorsFund - dont miss it ❤️👍🏽♥️🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/wVtv20WIE6

— ROSIE (@Rosie) March 19, 2020

The special edition of The Rosie O'Donnell Show will be streamed on Broadway.com's YouTube and website at 7:00 p.m. ET, and will encourage viewers to donate to the Fund. A week ago, on March 12, Broadway closed its doors until at least April 12 due to the coronavirus pandemic, along with many other aspects of the entertainment industry that have come to a screeching halt.

WATCH LIST: Live Streaming Concerts From SOFI TUKKER To Neil Young

"Everybody who knows me knows that Broadway has been one of the brightest lights in my life since the time I was a little girl. It has also been the lifeblood of New York City for generation after generation. After all Broadway has given to the world, now—in this time of tremendous need—it's our turn to give something back," O'Donnell said in a statement to People. "There is no better way to support this community than via The Actors Fund. And, with a line-up like this, I dare you not to tune in."

Read: King Henry VIII's "Six" Wives Are Alive & Live On Broadway

John McDaniel, The Rosie O’Donnell Show's original music director/composer/producer will return for the epic reunion.

"This is the ultimate win-win proposition; The Actors Fund needs our support, and we're all desperate for some fabulous entertainment we can enjoy from the safety of our own homes. I'm so grateful to Rosie, and to this truly jaw-dropping array of talent that have agreed to participate," said actor/producer Erich Bergen, who will be joining in on the online fun.

The Actors Fund supports people working in arts and entertainment in many ways, such as with housing, career and health care resources,including counseling, addiction/recovery, HIV/AIDS and senior services.

Grammys Newsletter

Subscribe Now

GRAMMYs Newsletter

Be the first to find out about winners, nominees, and more from Music's Biggest Night.

Recording Academy And MusiCares Establish COVID-19 Relief Fund

Panic! At The Disco's Brendon Urie performs in Los Angeles

Panic! At The Disco's Brendon Urie onstage at the Forum in Los Angeles in 2017

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

News
Brendon Urie to make Broadway debut panic-broadway-brendon-urie-joins-kinky-boots-cast

Panic! on Broadway? Brendon Urie joins "Kinky Boots" cast

Facebook Twitter Email
Panic! At The Disco frontman set to join the cast of the Tony-winning musical "Kinky Boots"
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
May 15, 2017 - 2:36 am

Can Panic! At The Disco frontman Brendon Urie go from Death Of A Bachelor to birth of a Broadway star? The world will find out this summer as the lead vocalist of the GRAMMY-nominated rock band from Las Vegas takes the stage in New York. He will join the cast of the Tony Award-winning musical, "Kinky Boots," featuring music by GRAMMY winner Cyndi Lauper, from May 28 through Aug. 6.

According to Broadway World, show producers Daryl Roth and Hal Luftig made the big announcement that Urie will play the leading role of Charlie Price for his Broadway debut. This comes shortly after "Kinky Boots" celebrated its four-year anniversary on Broadway, a run springboarded by a magnificent performance at the 2013 Tony Awards, where the show racked up 13 nominations and six wins, including Best Musical.

One of those Tonys went to Lauper for Best Original Score. The project marked a return to the spotlight for the singer/songwriter, and her work on "Kinky Boots" also scored her a GRAMMY win for 2013 for Best Musical Theater Album. Panic! At The Disco's latest album, Death Of A Bachelor, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and landed Urie a GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Album for 2016.

'Kinky Boots' wins Best Musical Theater Album

Fans of the musical and the band alike will surely line up to hear Urie lend his vintage rocker-meets-modern crooner voice to Lauper's tunes. Tickets are now on sale for "Kinky Boots."

Brendon Urie set to perform "Lonely Days" on GRAMMY salute to the Bee Gees

Ariana Grande performs at the 2020 GRAMMYs

Ariana Grande at the 2020 GRAMMYs

Photo: Monty Brinton/CBS/Getty Images

News
Ariana Grande & Shoshana Bean To Play Virtual Show ariana-grande-broadway-star-shoshana-bean-perform-subculture-virtual-benefit-concert

Ariana Grande & Broadway Star Shoshana Bean To Perform For SubCulture Virtual Benefit Concert

Facebook Twitter Email
The Mon., April 27 livestream show will feature both powerhouse vocalists performing from their homes with Broadway composer and SubCulture concert curator Jason Robert Brown
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Apr 22, 2020 - 2:05 pm

On Mon., April 27, GRAMMY-winning pop songstress Ariana Grande and Broadway musical star Shoshana Bean will treat fans to a special livestream concert for the SubCulture Residency Concert, to benefit the currently out-of-work staff and musicians from the beloved N.Y.C. venue.

The event of theater nerd dreams is led by musical composer and SubCulture Artist-in-Residency concert curator Jason Robert Brown. He will perform with the two powerhouse vocalists/performers—all from the comfort of their homes, of course.

https://twitter.com/MrJasonRBrown/status/1253031873795760129

THE YOUTH OF AMERICA HAVE SPOKEN.https://t.co/qMws8IuUxR

— Jason Robert Brown (@MrJasonRBrown) April 22, 2020

"I had to figure out some way to let these notes and words in my head come out and be shared with my collaborators and my audience, and so, here we are," Brown said in a statement.

"All of us in our homes, making music however and whenever we can, with an amazing team to help pull it all together, and two of the greatest singers on the planet Earth: the patron saint of the SubCulture Residency, Shoshana Bean, and GRAMMY-winner, icon and total theater nerd Ariana Grande. We've put together a show about what we've lost, what we've discovered and what we're grateful for, and I can't wait to share it with you."

2020 GRAMMYs: Ariana Grande Returns To The Stage With A Powerhouse Pop Medley

Back in 2008, Grande worked with Brown on "13," her Broadway and professional debut, at age 15. The "thank u, next" singer more recently showed of her musical theater chops in NBC's "Hairspray Live!" in YEAR. At the 2020 GRAMMY Awards, she served up a sultry, pink-hued medley of "My Favorite Things," "7 rings," which interpolates the Rodgers and Hammerstein-classic, and "thank u, next." The year prior, at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, she won her first golden gramophone; Best Pop Vocal Album for 2018's Sweetener.

Up until 2006, Bean sang her heart out in lead roles in Broadway's "Wicked," "Hairspray," "Funny Girl" and more, and recently returned to the spotlight after time away, with the lead role in the beloved Sara Bareilles-scored musical "Waitress." Tomorrow, April 23, she will perform during the "Stonewall Gives Back!" livestream concert to celebrate and support the LGBTQ+ community during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The livestream concert series is free to watch, but viewers are encouraged to donate to their fund to assist the SubCulture staff and musicians. It will be streaming on SubCulture's Facebook page and Vimeo at 5:00 p.m. ET on Mon. April 27.

Taylor Swift And Ariana Grande Donate to Fans Financially Impacted by COVID-19

Ben Platt performs at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in 2020

Ben Platt performs at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards in 2020

Photo: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

News
Ben Platt: Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2020 MOTY ben-platt-named-harvard-university%E2%80%99s-hasty-pudding-theatricals-2020-man-year

Ben Platt Named Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2020 Man Of The Year

Facebook Twitter Email
The multi-hyphenate, 26, becomes the youngest recipient of the honor in the award's 54-year history
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Feb 7, 2020 - 11:58 am

Multi-hyphenate Ben Platt is adding another entry to his already-extensive résumé. The GRAMMY-, Tony- and Emmy-winning actor, singer and songwriter has been named Harvard University’s Hasty Pudding Theatricals 2020 Man Of The Year.

The annual award, presented by the university's Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the oldest theatrical organization in the U.S., recognizes "performers who have made lasting and impressive contributions to the world of entertainment," according to a press release announcing this year's honorees. (The organization also announced TV and film actress, director, writer and producer Elizabeth Banks as the 2020 Woman Of The Year.) 

Previous winners of the Man Of The Year award include Clint Eastwood, Tom Hanks, Robert De Niro, Harrison Ford, 10-time GRAMMY winner Justin Timberlake, Robin Williams and others. Platt's win now makes him the youngest recipient of the honor—he's 26—in the award's 54-year history. 

Read: "Hadestown" Wins Best Musical Theater Album | 2020 GRAMMYs

Platt is widely known for his starring roles across film, TV and theater. He is currently the star and executive producer of "The Politician," the new Netflix series from Ryan Murphy, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance By An Actor in the TV category this year. He's also starred in the Pitch Perfect musical film franchise, in addition to roles in Ricki And The Flash, Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk, Drunk Parents and other films. 

In 2017, Platt won the Tony Award for Best Leading Actor In A Musical for his starring role in "Dear Evan Hansen." The cast recording of the musical would go on to win a GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album at the 60th GRAMMY Awards, held in 2018, marking Platt's first and only golden gramophone—so far.

On the music front, Platt released his 2019 debut album, Sing To Me Instead, which became a Top 20 hit on the Billboard 200 chart. 

The Hasty Pudding Theatricals award follows a stellar performance from Platt at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards last month, where he joined Camila Cabello, Gary Clark Jr., Common, Cyndi Lauper and others in a special performance of "I Sing The Body Electric" from the film Fame in a tribute to GRAMMY executive producer Ken Ehrlich.

10 Unforgettable Moments From The 2020 GRAMMY Awards

Top
Logo
  • Recording Academy
    • About
    • Governance
    • Press Room
    • Jobs
    • Events
  • GRAMMYs
    • Awards
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
    • Store
    • FAQ
  • Latin GRAMMYs
    • Awards
    • News
    • Photos
    • Videos
    • Cultural Foundation
    • Members
    • Press
  • GRAMMY Museum
    • COLLECTION:live
    • Explore
    • Exhibits
    • Education
    • Support
    • Programs
    • Donate
  • MusiCares
    • About
    • Get Help
    • Give
    • News
    • Videos
    • Events
  • Advocacy
    • About
    • News
    • Learn
    • Act
  • Membership
    • Chapters
    • Producers & Engineers Wing
    • GRAMMY U
    • Join
Logo

© 2021 - Recording Academy. All rights reserved.

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Copyright Notice
  • Contact Us

Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy.