John Legend

John Legend

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John Legend, Bruno Mars, GRAMMY Shows Earn 2018 Emmy Nominations

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Celebrating the best in TV, the annual Emmy Awards have announced this year's round of awards candidates
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jul 12, 2018 - 1:42 pm

Emmy nominations for 2018 — the 70th year of celebrating the best in TV over the course of the previous year — are out and here's how the music world stacked up.

All-Stars Pay Tribute To Elton John

The Recording Academy earned five nominations this year for our musical TV centerpieces. The 60th GRAMMY Awards telecast live from New York earned nods for Outstanding Production Design For A Variety Special, Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Variety Special, Outstanding Variety Special (Live), and Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special.

Meanwhile, the Academy's TV tribute to the indelible music of an icon, "Elton John: I'm Still Standing — A Grammy Salute," earned a nomination for Outstanding Music Direction for the special's music director Davey Johnstone.

Bruno Mars also earned a nod for Outstanding Music Direction for his Bruno "Mars: 24K Magic Live At The Apollo" while Super Bowl music director Adam Wayne Blackstone earned recognition in the same category for this year's halftime show featuring Justin Timberlake. 

For his role in the breakout hit live TV musical "Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert," John Legend received an Emmy nod for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie. Already a GRAMMY, Oscar and Tony winner, if Legend wins his Emmy this year, he would join the elite EGOT-winning crew alongside entertainers such as Rita Moreno and Whoopi Goldberg.

"Jesus Christ Superstar Live In Concert" also earned several additional nominations, including Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie for Brandon Victor Dixon as Judas, Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Limited Series Or Movie for Sara Bareilles as Mary Magdalene and Outstanding Variety Special (Live).

Other familiar musical faces made the Emmy nominations list for their acting work. Donald Glover — aka Childish Gambino — earned several nods for his work on the hit comedy series "Atlanta," including Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series. One-time "Glee" actor/singer Darren Criss is up for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Limited Series Or Movie for his role as Andrew Cunanan in "The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story."

In the musical categories, a number of composers earned nominations for their music works. This includes the GRAMMY-winning composers behind the score to La La Land Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who earned a Emmy nod for Outstanding Original Music And Lyrics  "In The Market For A Miracle" from "A Christmas Story Live!" Steve Martin earned a nomination in the same category for "The Buddy Song" from "Steve Martin & Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life."

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

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"Dear Evan Hansen" Producers On Winning A GRAMMY In New York

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The creatives behind the hit musical detail their path from the idea stage to Broadway to Music's Biggest Night
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Feb 2, 2018 - 12:00 pm

If you haven't seen "Dear Evan Hansen," given the show's win at the 60th GRAMMY Awards in New York, now is the perfect time to look into checking out the hit Broadway musical.

"Dear Evan Hansen" One-On-One: 2018 GRAMMYs

Written by composers/lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and produced by orchestrater Alex Lacamoire, Stacey Mindich, Pasek, and Paul, "Dear Evan Hansen" explores the struggle of social anxiety.

"It's about a young man who feels incredibly isolated and alone in his world," producer Pasek explained backstage at the 60th GRAMMYs. "And through a series of events he is believed to have been the best friend of a kid who just passed away and he basically [helps] a grieving family make them think that he was actually best friends with their son who has recently been deceased. His whole life changes as a result and the question is whether or not he should come clean and how his life changes because of this lie."

"Dear Evan Hansen" opened on Broadway in 2016 following a premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in 2015. For the creators of the show, getting the musical from the conceptual stage all the way to Broadway was a collaborative process.

"The songs are created along with the rest of the show, so we really worked in tandem with our book writer Steven Levenson on this project. We developed these characters and this storyline all together. Then Michael Greif our director," said Paul. "We sit in a room for a long time and come up with it all together. We bring in our music team, Alex Lacamorie and the rest of them. It's an amazing sort of journey where you keep picking up more incredible, wonderful people all along the way as you create this show from scratch and then get it up, workshopped, up on its feet and finally, eventually, thankfully on Broadway."

"Dear Evan Hansen" has earned critical acclaim since its opening. The show took home six Tony Awards, including Best Musical in 2017, and Ben Platt's role as the lead garnered him a Best Performance by an Actor Tony Award. Now the creators and Platt have added a GRAMMY to the list of the musical's accolades, having earned the GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album this year.

Pasek and Paul couldn't wait to share their GRAMMY success with the rest of the cast and crew of the show, especially because Music's Biggest Night was celebrated right in the musical's hometown.

"It is really cool that our show is playing just up the street and then we get to celebrate this with our whole cast," Pasek said. "They're just finishing a matinee performance right now so I think they're going to come down and find out they're all GRAMMY winners at the end of it, which is a very, very cool thing. And to have it be in New York and to celebrate that energy that Broadway's so vital in, it's a very exciting thing for us."

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

The Carters

The Carters

Photo: Bruce Glikas/FilmMagic

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The Carters, Cardi B Top 2018 MTV VMA Nominations

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Childish Gambino, Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello also notch notable nomination tallies
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jul 16, 2018 - 1:58 pm

It's that time again. On July 16 MTV Video Music Awards announced its 2018 slate of nominees.

Leading the pack this year with 10 nominations are new mom Cardi B and seasoned parents the Carters — aka Beyoncé and Jay-Z — with a total of eight nominations. Childish Gambino and Drake racked up seven nods each, Bruno Mars earned six and Ariana Grande and Camila Cabello follow close behind with five total nominations.

The MTV VMAs are awarded in a variety of categories such as Video of the Year, Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Genre-based awards in pop, hip-hop, Latin, dance, and rock are also awarded. Notably, fans are eligible to vote in eight of these categories, including Best Collaboration and Video with a Message through Aug. 10, while voting for Best New Artist will stay open until the telecast airs.

"It has already been a monumental year in music, and this year's VMAs will take things to a whole new level," said Bruce Gillmer, head of music and music talent, Global Entertainment Group, Viacom. "The extraordinary group of nominees have amazed us with their talent and inspired us with their creativity — and when you get them together for one night, anything is possible."

The VMAs will take place on Aug. 20 at Radio City Music Hall,, which was the home of the inaugural VMAs in 1984. This year's show will mark the 12th time the telecast makes its way to the iconic Big Apple venue.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

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Poll: Who Will Win Record Of The Year? | 2018 GRAMMYs

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It's the first category on the nominations list and one of the "Big Four" General Field categories — who will GRAMMY voters choose as the winner?
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jan 27, 2018 - 3:52 pm

With 84 categories, the 60th GRAMMY Awards will recognize the year in music across all genres, craft categories and even visual mediums. But do you know what the first category listed on the nominations list is each year? Record Of The Year.

Rewind The Record Of The Year GRAMMY Winners

Not only is the category one of the "Big Four" General Field categories, the GRAMMY win goes to the artist, producers, recording engineers, and mixer and mastering engineers. Also, it's not to be confused with the songwriter category, Song Of The Year.

What's The Difference? GRAMMY Record Of The Year Vs. Song Of The Year

This year's esteemed nominees for Record Of The Year include Childish Gambino's "Redbone," Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee's "Despacito," featuring Justin Bieber, Jay-Z's "The Story Of O.J.," Kendrick Lamar's "HUMBLE.," and Bruno Mars' "24K Magic."

Now it's your turn to weigh in. Who do you think GRAMMY voters will choose as the winner for Record Of The Year? Cast your vote now!

Polls

Who will GRAMMY voters choose for Record Of The Year for the 60th GRAMMYs?

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

Cardi B photographed in 2017

Cardi B

Photo: Thaddaeus McAdams/WireImage.com

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2018 GRAMMYs: Who's Performing?

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Find out which of your favorite artists are performing on the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Sunday, Jan. 28
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Jan 26, 2018 - 5:30 am

The 60th GRAMMY Awards celebration in New York is quickly approaching. From rolling out the red carpet to tuning the guitars and adjusting the lights at Madison Square Garden, the Recording Academy is getting ready for the big milestone installment of Music's Biggest Night. But how about the performers?

Who's Performing On The 60th GRAMMYs?

Spanning multiple genres, including pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B, country, and more, this year's lineup of GRAMMY performers — many of them current nominees or past winners — will make for three-and-a-half hours of must-see television.

Without further ado, here is the list of performers for the 60th GRAMMYs.

Childish Gambino
60th GRAMMY Awards Performers

Hosted by James Corden, the 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.