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"Press Play" Series To Celebrate Pride Month With Special Edition Episodes

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Every Wednesday in June, the Recording Academy will feature a new LGBTQ+ artist in our exclusive original performance series in celebration of Pride Month.
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 4, 2019 - 11:42 pm

Pride Month is here! And the Recording Academy is celebrating with four new episodes of our exclusive performance series Press Play. Each Wednesday this month at 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT starting June 5, a new installment of Press Play will premiere right here on GRAMMY.com.. 

Jun 4, 2019 – 11:35 pm

"Press Play" Celebrates Pride Month 2019

This special edition will feature up-and-coming musicians that represent the LGBTQ+ community including three-time GRAMMY nominated singer/songwriter Asiahn, country singer/songwriter Brandon Stansell, pop singer VINCINT, and soul singer Shea Diamond.

"Having my single where I'm singing about loving another woman on the radio is a big deal," said Asiahn when asked how music can help make progress toward equality, adding, "I feel like we still need some more representation out there, there's still people who aren't represented."

As we celebrate Pride all month long, get to know these four artists through their "Press Play" episodes each week.

Celebrate LA Pride With The Recording Academy & Special Guests

 

 

 

VINCINT 

Design: F. Inomata

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VINCINT Sings "Please Don't Fall In Love" For Press Play Pride Month Special Edition

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The artist Paper Magazine suspects might be '"our generation's greatest vocalist" steps to the mic in this special Pride Month edition of Press Play to deliver the lead single from his upcoming debut EP
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 12, 2019 - 10:01 am

The Recording Academy's celebration of Pride Month rolls on with the latest installment of our exclusive original performance series, Press Play.This week, we hear from pop powerhouse VINCINT as he performs his song "Please Don't Fall In Love," the lead single off his upcoming debut EP.

Jun 12, 2019 – 10:01 am

VINCINT's "Please Don't Fall In Love" | Press Play

At a young age, VINCENT discovered his passion for music through singing with a boys choir. By 2018, he found himself as an emerging pop star, becoming a finalist on the FOX's singing competition "The Four: Battle For Stardom." But VINCINT's magnetism and success has everything to do with breaking the mold, not casting himself into it.

"I don’t want to let other people’s opinions of who I am and the way I live my life to disrupt what I do and the way that I create my art," he said in an interview last year.

VINCINT ability to articulate his true self through his art comes, no doubt, in part from knowing and loving who he is as a person. "I’m a little strange in the sense that it never dawned on me that who I was or that being an outsider was strange. I just thought who I was was fine. Of course we all live in a world where we are constantly being told that who we are is wrong and the way we live is bad. I just brush it off my shoulder because I think it’s bullsh**."

Uncoincidnetally, many of VINCINT's musical heroes exhibit a similar brand of bold individuality, rebellious spirit and relentless drive. He lists David Bowie, Jessie J, Robyn and Madonna as a few of his favorite artists, and he's shared the stage with singers such as Annie Lennox and Betty Who. 

So sit back and enjoy VINCINT's exclusive Press Play performance of "Please Don't Fall In Love," and stay tuned for a new special Pride Month episode of Press Play debuting each Wednesday at 10 a.m. PDT / 1 p.m. EDT. 

Brandon Stansell Takes Us To His "Hometown" In Special Pride Month Edition Of Press Play

Brandon Stansell

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Brandon Stansell Takes Us To His "Hometown" In Special Pride Month Edition Of Press Play

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Meet the Tennessee native singer/songwriter changing the landscape of country and watch his exclusive Press Play performance of his biggest hit in thie special Pride Month edition of Press Play
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Jun 5, 2019 - 10:39 am

In the first of four special Pride Month edition episodes of Press Play, the Recording Academy's orignal perormance series, country singer/songwriter Brandon Stansell delivers his song "Hometown," inspired by his own coming out story.

Jun 5, 2019 – 10:38 am

Brandon Stansell's "Hometown" On Press Play

As a native of Georgetown, Tenn., Stansell played his first show ever at the Grand Ole Opry at age of 6 - not a bad start to a career on-stage. A man of many talents, he also performed as a backup dancer for Taylor Swift in 2009 and 2010.

Stansell initially wrote "Hometown" for himself, not thinking the song would be released. Now, the music video is receiving regular rotation on CMT, one of first of its kind to address LGBTQ themes on the network. The singer has also pledged a portion of proceeds from vinyl pre-sales of "Hometown" will go to support Equality California.

Watch Stansell's special Press Play performance of "Hometown" and catch him performing at Pride Festivals in L.A. and Nashville this month. For a full list of tour dates, visit his website.

"Press Play" Series To Celebrate Pride Month With Special Edition Episodes

Pride flag

Photo: Sara Rampazzo

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Celebrate LA Pride With The Recording Academy & Special Guests

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Join us for groovy beats and powerful conversations at Jewel's Catch One Lounge inside the LA Pride Parade Festival grounds on June 8-9
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 1, 2019 - 3:44 pm

June 1 is a special day, not just because summer is around the corner, but because it signifies the start of LGBTQ+ Pride Month around the globe. This year also marks 50 years since the Stonewall Riots in New York City, which is widely recognized as the start of a larger LGBTQ+ movement across the U.S. and led to the organizing of the first ever Pride Parade on June 28, 1970 in N.Y.C.

Los Angeles also held their first-ever Pride parade that same day in West Hollywood, the historically gay neighborhood/safe haven in city. Next weekend, on June 9, the LA Pride Parade returns to WeHo to celebrate the struggles and triumph of its powerful LGBTQ+ community, past and present.

The Recording Academy is proud to announce that they are partnering with LA Pride for a takeover of Jewel's Catch One Lounge, sponsored by Delta Air Lines and Virgin Atlantic, on the Pride Festival grounds June 8-9. Join us for lively music and empowering conversation on both Saturday and Sunday.

Related: VINCINT, Brandon Stansell, Linda Perry & More LGBTQ+ Artists Share Their Journeys To Self-Acceptance

The lounge is named after Jewel's Catch One, a dance club in Downtown LA that served as a safe space for both LGBTQ+ and underrepresented communities in the city for 42 years (the venue still operates as club and was recently renamed to Catch One in honor of its roots). Jewel Thais-Williams, a queer black woman, opened Catch One in 1972, standing up against hate and becoming a role model for fighting discrimination and breaking down racial, social and cultural barriers. For decades, the space represented a refuge for those during the AIDS crisis, celebrating fashion, celebrity, activism and music.

The Catch One Lounge at LA Pride will feature a GRAMMY Soundbite Playlist powered by Delta, along with DJ sets to keep the vibes upbeat. It will offer LA Pride participants Soundbites to get them closer to their music dreams and GRAMMY aspirations. Special guests, including music industry luminaries and queer advocates, will have intimate one-on-one conversations surrounding their impact on shaking up the music world. In between conversations, Soundbite Socials will allow for mingling and dream-sharing.

We hope to see you in the Catch One Lounge at LA Pride! Click here for more info on the festival, including a map, and stay tuned to GRAMMY.com for more Pride-related content.

Caly Bevier On Releasing First Music Video, Being A Part Of the LGBTQ Community, Surviving Cancer & More

Sufjan Stevens

Sufjan Stevens

Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images

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Sufjan Stevens Releases New Music For Pride Month: Listen

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The GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter will be donating a portion of the proceeds from the project, which includes a limited-edition vinyl offering, to two organizations supporting LGBTQ youth
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
May 29, 2019 - 1:46 pm

GRAMMY nominee Sufjan Stevens released two new songs today via Asthmatic Kitty, "Love Yourself" and "With My Whole Heart," in honor of Pride Month (which begins June 1). A portion of the proceeds from the project, which features a special vinyl and T-shirt designed by Stevens, will go to two organizations supporting LGBTQ youth.

Asthmatic Kitty, the indie label co-founded by Stevens in his home state of Michigan back in 1999, explains the backstory behind the two new songs, the first of which began over 20 years ago:

"'Love Yourself' is based on a sketch Sufjan wrote 20 years ago. The original 4-track demo he recorded in 1996 is included [on the EP] as well as a short instrumental reprise. 'With My Whole Heart' is a completely new song that Sufjan wrote as a personal challenge to 'write an upbeat and sincere love song without conflict, anxiety, or self-deprecation.'"

The EP is available digitally now (listen to the two full songs below), with the limited-edition vinyl available for pre-order now, with a June 28 release date. The record is limited to 5,000 copies in the U.S and 1,500 in Europe and features a pretty rainbow-font cover designed by Stevens himself. An 800-run T-shirt, also designed by Stevens, features his name in the same rainbow font, and is the first product offered on his new merch platform, Sufjamz.

More information on the project, including where you can buy and stream, is available here.

The two non-profits Stevens will be donating a portion of proceeds to are the Ali Forney Center in Harlem, N.Y. and the Ruth Ellis Center in Detroit, Mich. Both organizations, located in his current hometown of N.Y.C. and birthplace of Detroit, directly support young LGBTQ youth and young adults with both short- and long-term support, including for those who are homeless.

Meet The First-Time GRAMMY Nominee: Sufjan Stevens & Making "Mystery Of Love"