Sammy Hagar

Sammy Hagar

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Sammy Hagar To Honor Queen On "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends"

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Hagar pays tribute to fellow rockstar Freddie Mercury and his iconic band at the Recording Academy's 2018 Special Merit Awards recipient tribute concert that will air on PBS on Oct. 5
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Sep 25, 2018 - 2:12 pm

The term rockstar itself evokes grandiose images of someone making their mark on the world by living big; not everyone who fronts a band is granted rockstar status, it must be earned. Freddie Mercury, the late lead singer of Queen, was one of his generation's quintessential rockstars, with a larger-than-life persona and stage presence and an out-of-this-world vocal range to match. As the frontman of his equally legendary band Queen, he and his bandmates rocked stadiums globally throughout the '70's and '80s with hits long outlasting their reign, including "We Will Rock You," and GRAMMY-nominated classics "Bohemian Rhapsody" and "Another One Bites the Dust."

Sammy Hagar To Honor Queen

On the upcoming broadcast of "GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends," Queen, a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement recipient, will be honored by GRAMMY winner and former Van Halen frontman Sammy Hagar, who will perform "We Will Rock You."

"[Queen was] one of the greatest vocal bands of all time. I mean Freddie Mercury's vocal arrangements were on fire," Hagar said.

Watch the performance during the special tribute concert that will air on PBS at 9 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 5 (check your local listings) and will be available to stream starting the next day via pbs.org/gperf.

"GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends" To Air On PBS Oct. 5

Brian May, Rami Malek and Roger Taylor

Rami Malek with Brian May and Roger Taylor of Queen

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Rami Malek Is Finally Ready To Rock You With 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Out Today

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"What's special about this film is that we get to see the coming of age of this band from all walks of life," shares Malik, who plays Freddie Mercury in the highly anticipated Queen biopic
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 2, 2018 - 1:53 pm

Queen fans can finally rejoice – after enduring filming delays which temporarily halted production last year, the hotly anticipated Bohemian Rhapsody film hits theaters nationwide today, Nov. 2. Rami Malek, who also plays the lead in USA Network's "Mr. Robot," takes center stage as Freddie Mercury in the first major silver screen biopic of the legendary glam-rock band and its late dazzling frontman.

There really is no other quite group like Queen—the glitzy, genre-bending and -redefining U.K. rock band that reigned supreme across the globe in the '70s and '80s. While Mercury's life was tragically cut short at 45 due to complications from HIV/AIDS, his impact has far outlasted his time on earth, with his music continuing to inspire new generations of musicians and music-aficionados alike.

Malek had big, shiny shoes to fill in embodying the vibrant, mercurial Mercury on the silver screen and clearly wasn’t lying about doing his homework—he has already received praise from film critics and fans for his portrayal. In a recent video message to fans the actor shares why this movie is special to him, and hopefully to you as well.

"Die-hard Queen fans, I'm very excited for them to see this film, I'm become pretty much a die-hard Queen fan myself," Malek shares. "What's special about this film is that we get to see the coming of age of this band from all walks of life, come together and collaborate on the greatest songs we've ever heard. You get the see the making of those songs and you get to see the glory of them resurrected onstage."

On Nov. 1 Malek sat down with Ellen DeGeneres on "The Ellen Show" to talk about Bohemian Rhapsody, sharing how he dove in headfirst before the film was even greenlit, watching all the Queen and Mercury footage he could find and taking singing and dancing lessons in preparation. He explains that while he had to maintain daily singing lessons to get his voice on point for the role, he soon switched from working with dance choreographers to a specialized movement coach to learn how to improvise onstage with fabulous moves like "bubble bath streaming down your back" and "serve me some spaghetti."

While the film's soundtrack features original remastered Queen studio recordings and live performance tracks, the music in the film features vocals from Malek combined with recordings of Mercury's and vocals from Mercury YouTube "impersonator" Marc Martel, who sounds almost eerily like Mercury himself. As Malek says on Ellen, Martel has "an incredible voice," continuing the combination of vocals for the film is "done fairly seamlessly, I feel."

In addition to the complimentary Bohemian Rhapsody Original Soundtrack released on Oct. 19 in anticipation of the film, the surviving members of Queen asked Australian popstar Troye Sivan to cover "Somebody To Love," which he released today and was "beyond honoured to have been asked to cover…a masterful song by the most legendary band."

Bohemian Rhapsody is now playing in theaters nationwide, you can visit the film's website for show times and more info.

'A Night At The Opera': 7 Facts On Queen's Masterpiece | GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

GRiZ at Bonnaroo SuperJam

GRiZ & friends at SuperJam

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GRiZ & Friends Honored Dr. John And Other Music Legends During Bonnaroo SuperJam Set

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"His style of writing—without that I wouldn't exist. There's this badassery to it. His breaking rules paved the way for people like myself to do similar things with music," the saxophone-toting DJ/producer told Rolling Stone
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Jun 18, 2019 - 12:49 pm

During Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival this weekend, DJ/producer/saxophone master GRiZ offered two very different sets. Both showcased his energetic sax playing, but one saw him as the bandleader of the dozens of performers he brought together for the fest's annual SuperJam event.

This year's late-night jam session, which is curated and executed by a different artist every year, was titled "G.O.A.T.: A Celebration of Music Legends SuperJam with GRiZ." The 90-minute set was dedicated to late musical greats including late GRAMMY winners Dr. John, Aretha Franklin, David Bowie and Prince, GRAMMY nominees Mac Miller and Nipsey Hussle, and others. A powerhouse house band and specials guests, all chosen by GRiZ, filled the stage and brought the music to life.

Rolling Stone reports that the Dr. John tribute, which came in the form of his 1973 song "Right Place, Wrong Time," with GRiZ assisting the house band on his sax, was worked into the set list, following his sudden passing on June 6. They spoke to GRiZ and Stu Brooks, SuperJam's Music Director, who worked on the program for five months, organizing its music and plethora of incredibly talented musicians. The pair emphasized it was important to both of them to work Dr. John's magic into the performance.

As the outlet explains, not only does the festival's name comes from Dr. John's 1974 album Desitively Bonnaroo, but Brooks performed as member of his touring band in 2015 and GRiZ is deeply influenced by the late New Orleans' jazz/funk legend.

Related: Dr. John, New Orleans Music Legend, Dies At 77

"We obviously had to pay tribute to Dr. John," Brook's told Rolling Stone. "It's a great way to process loss of someone's life—by celebrating at this [festival], it's serendipitous to the max."

"It's a really morbid situation to be in," GRiZ added, "but also kind of a blessed situation—that we had a platform that we were able to celebrate his life." The Detroit-native also spoke to how Dr. John's joyously experimental music inspired his own risk-taking in his sound and style:

"His style of writing—without that I wouldn't exist. There's this badassery to it. His breaking rules paved the way for people like myself to do similar things with music…That 'free and easy' thing—that makes me feel like I don't have to be worried about what my heart feels about this music and the way it should sound."

One simple yet poignant piece of wisdom Dr. John shared with Brooks during their time touring together, "Be free and easy," served as the thesis statement for the sprawling set. "I feel like that's the ethos of this entire SuperJam," GRiZ added.

Rapper/animator ProbCause, a regular GRiZ collaborator, and singer Chrishira Perrier, a backing vocalist for Trombone Shorty and GRiZ, were two members of his SuperJam house band who helped bring the show to life, along with a stage full of instrumentalists that included the Naughty Professor's horns.

Perrier helped lead the salute the Franklin, Prince and Rick James and Miller with respectively, "Respect," "1999" with help from K.Flay, "Mary Jane" and "Dang!," which ProbCause supported. Prob also rapped "Grinding All My Love" for Nipsey, and K.Flay channeled her inner- Kurt Cobain for Nirvana's "Lithium." Activist singer/songwriters Nahko Bear and Nattali Rize sang Bob Marley's "Could You Be Loved."

Avicii's "Wake Me Up" was also on the 25-song set list, as well as Bowie's "Let's Dance," Queen's "We Will Rock You," in honor of Freddie Mercury, as well as their collab "Under Pressure." Walk The Moon frontman Nicholas Petricca helped lead the glam-rock classics.

While the loss of Dr. John and the other transcendent musicians has left a void in our hearts and in the music world, their powerful music will allow their legacy to live on for generations. As GRiZ told the outlet, the power of performing the songs was palpable:

"Every time we get a featured vocalist or a featured [musician who played with the artist we cover], the energy explodes. You can close your eyes in that moment and feel like you're in the presence of that person performing that song."

GRiZ Talks Pride, Snoop Dogg Collab, Detroit's Music Scene, Giving Back & More

Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran

Photo: Simone Joyner/Getty Images

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Ed Sheeran, Mariah Carey & More Broke Big Music Records In 2018

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Find out which artists made massive waves with record-breaking numbers this year, including GRAMMY winner Sheeran, whose Divide Tour made the most money in a single year of any tour ever
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Dec 28, 2018 - 9:37 am

Before you can listen to all of your favorite songs from this year one more time, we'll be saying "Thank U, Next" to 2018 and ringing in the New Year. As we jump into 2019, let's take a look back at some of the biggest music records your favorite artists broke this year. From Ariana Grande's viral "Thank U, Next" earning the popstar her first No. 1 song while breaking YouTube and other streaming records to BTS earning the title of the first-ever Korean artist with a No. 1 album in the U.S. to Drake beating a record previously held by the Beatles, 2018 was a landmark year for music. Read on to learn more about the big achievements these artists, along with Mariah Carey, Ed Sheeran, Cardi B and Queen, hit this year.

GRAMMY nominee Grande really lived up to her name in 2018—in addition to releasing her currently-GRAMMY-nominated fourth studio album, Sweetener, and her third No. 1 album, she landed her first-ever No. 1 single on Billboard's Hot 100, "Thank U, Next." Following the release of the song's hotly anticipated, 2000s-nostaglia-inspired video, she earned the biggest ever streaming week for a female artist with 93.8 million U.S. streams. A testament to the video's viral success, it also holds the current record for YouTube's most-viewed video in the first 24-hours of its release with 55.4 million views in its first day on the platform, taking the place of BTS' "Idol," which racked up 45.9 million upon its release earlier in the year.

Speaking of the K-pop phenoms, BTS had a record-breaking year as well. They made news in May when their album Love Yourself: Tear debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making them the first K-pop artist with a No. 1 album in the U.S. on the all-genre chart. As the songs are sung mostly in Korean, this was the first primarily foreign-language album to reach No. 1 in over 12 years. This follows their previous record as the first-ever K-pop group to break the top ten on the same chart when Love Yourself: Her hit No. 7 after its release in October 2017.

BTS On What They're Listening To Now & More

GRAMMY winner Drake also had a big year, thanks to the June release of his eighth studio album, Scorpion, which earned the rapper several more GRAMMY nominations for the upcoming 61st GRAMMY Awards. The double album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, earning his eighth in a row to do so, tying him with fellow GRAMMY winners the Beatles, Jay-Z and Kanye West, who all also have eight No. 1 albums.

In July Drake broke another record previously-held by the Beatles: having the most songs in the top 10 of the Hot 100 at the same time. Drake had seven top 10 songs (from Scorpion) at once, while the Beatles hit the previous record of five back in 1964. With four of the album's singles debuting in the top 10 in the same week, he became the first artist with that many top 10 songs in a week; the previous record was J. Cole's three top 10 debuts earlier in the year.

This year was a huge year for hip-hop, with GRAMMY nominee Cardi B also helping lead the charge for the genre. Her debut studio album, Invasion Of Privacy, also earned her several more GRAMMY nods and other big accolades, including the title of the first female artist to have an album with all of its songs certified gold or above by the RIAA. The LP itself was certified gold only hours after its release in April and ends the year with a double-platinum stamp in the organization's end of year count, tying it for No. 1 with Post Malone's Beerbongs & Bentleys and Migos’ Culture II.

It was a big year for music overall, with 2018 clocking in as the biggest-earning year to-date for live music. Global concert sales hit a record-setting high of $2 billion dollars in 2018, up from $1.8 million in 2017. Leading the charge was GRAMMY winner Ed Sheeran, who's Divide Tour made the most money in a single year of any tour ever, earning $432 million across 94 events in 53 cities.

It was also a good year for movies about music, with the Queen film, Bohemian Rhapsody, taking the place of highest-grossing music biopic of all time. As of Dec. 12, the movie had earned $608.7 million globally, surpassing 2015's Straight Outta Compton, the film about gangsta rap pioneers N.W.A.

Ending the year on a festive note, Mariah Carey's holiday classic "All I Want For Christmas" ended 2018 with another record broken. On Dec. 24, the 1994 song broke Spotify's one-day streaming record, racking up 10.8 million streams on Christmas Eve.

Which music records will be shattered in 2019? We'll have to wait for the next viral hits and game-changing albums to find out…

Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas" Breaks Streaming Record

Adam Lambert & Brian May of Queen

Queen + Adam Lambert

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Queen + Adam Lambert Set To Rock U.S. Arenas With 2019 Rhapsody Tour

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The remaining members of the classic rock band, with Lambert on vocals, are launching an "epic" North American tour following the success of the Queen biopic, 'Bohemian Rhapsody'
Ana Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Dec 4, 2018 - 5:58 pm

On Dec. 3, Queen + Adam Lambert, as the revived group calls itself, announced an "epic 23-date arena and stadium Rhapsody tour" in North America for summer 2019, beginning in Vancouver in July and closing out in Charlotte, N.C. in August. The new tour follows the revitalized excitement around Queen's music—for new and long-time fans alike—following the Nov. 2 release of the Queen biopic, Bohemian Rhapsody.  

The touring members include the iconic group's remaining co-founders, guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor, with Lambert filling in for the late, great Freddie Mercury. The lineup will also feature Spike Edney on keyboards, Neil Fairclough on bass and Tyler Warren on percussion.

May, Taylor and Lambert first performed together in 2009 on the American Idol stage, the same year the singer placed as a runner-up on the show and gained a loyal following. Queen + Adam Lambert came to fruition in 2012 when they embarked on their first tour together in Europe, with their most recent 2017/2018 tour taking them around the world. The tour wrapped in September 2018 in Las Vegas.

In the group's announcement, Taylor shared his excitement to keep the moment going: "We are ready for America and raring to get back in the saddle." Lambert added: "We have been designing a brand new visual spectacle that will reframe these iconic songs and we are excited to unveil it!"

According to Variety, Bohemian Rhapsody is "on track" to become the highest grossing music biopic of all time, a spot currently held by the 2015 film about N.W.A.,Straight Outta Compton.

For more info on where to catch Queen + Adam Lambert on tour, visit Live Nation; tickets go on sale to the general public Dec. 7.

Rami Malek Is Finally Ready To Rock You With 'Bohemian Rhapsody' Out Today