GRAMMYs

Zion & Lennox 

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Zion & Lennox Announce First U.S. Tour In 20 Years

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The duo is set to make pit stops in New York, Washington D.C. and Chicago
Onaje McDowelle
GRAMMYs
Feb 27, 2020 - 12:04 pm

Celebrated reggaeton duo Zion & Lennox have announced that they will embark on a 10-city arena tour in their "Iconic USA Tour." The stint of performances will mark the duo’s first United States tour in over two decades.

The tour will kick off with a show on May 15 at The Forum in Los Angeles and will run through June 27 where the legendary pair will perform at the American Airlines Arena in Miami. The artists will also make stops in San Jose, New York, San Antonio, Washington D.C. and Chicago along the run of shows.

"We’ve been thinking about this tour for a long time now. We wanted to do this tour, bring our fans the best of our music and give them a high-quality show, as they deserve," Zion and Lennox told Billboard in a statement.

The duo is popularly known for their chart-topping album Motivan2, released in 2016. The project, which features GRAMMY-nominated collaborators in J Balvin, Maluma and Daddy Yankee among others, peaked at the number one spot on Billboard’s Top Latin Albums Chart and remained on the charts for a period of 74 weeks.

Ticket pre-sales launched today (Feb. 27) and are available through 10 p.m. tonight. Tickets are on sale to the public tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 28 at 10 a.m. local time via TicketMaster.

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GRAMMYs

Summer Session 2019

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GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center Announces Return Of Summer Youth Camp

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Summer Session will offer youth ages 13 to 18 an opportunity to gain tools needed to embark on a career in the music industry
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 29, 2020 - 5:25 pm

GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center is giving youth in New Jersey and New York something to look forward to this summer.

The museum in Newark, N.J. has announced its Summer Session camp will return to offer youth ages 13 to 18 an opportunity to gain tools needed to embark on a career in the music industry. The five-day camp running Aug. 17–21 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST every day will happen virtually through Zoom. It will focus on three tracks youth can explore: songwriting, hip-hop hitmaking and vocal performance. During the camp, music faculty and guest industry professionals will share insight.

Summer Session first launched in 2019 and featured GRAMMY-nominated singer/producer Mario Winans and renowned music director Alonzo Harris. Mark Conklin, Director of Artist Relations & Programming at the GRAMMY Museum Experience Prudential Center, said the museum was thrilled to once again be able to empower youth interested in music. 

"Summer Session provides an unparalleled opportunity for students who want an inside look at the art, craft and business of music," he said in a statement. "If a student is seriously considering pursuing a career in music, or even curious about one, this program will give them the tools they need for a serious jump start."

The cost to attend will be $100. Tuition will be free for Newark students and some scholarships will be available for students outside of Newark.

For more information on the camp and how to apply, visit the museum's website.

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GRAMMYs

Myke Towers

Photo: Michael L. Rivera Avilés

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EXCLUSIVE: Listen To Myke Towers Address Racism & Police Brutality On "MICHAEL X"

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The Afro-Latino rapper expresses his thoughts and outlines his responsibility through his hip-hop track and visual inspired by Malcolm X
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jul 8, 2020 - 2:40 pm

Myke Towers recognizes that silence is a problem. 

"Soy parte del problema, si estos temas no los sacos," he raps in Spanish on "MICHAEL X." Translation: "I'm a part of the problem if I don't bring these issues up."

Towers, of course, is referring to the conversations stemmed from the police killing of George Floyd. As an Afro-Latino born in Puerto Rico who was deeply influenced by hip-hop culture and Black rappers like Jay-Z, who he named his son after, Towers, born Michael Torres, feels the need to support the struggle against police brutality and racism.

"For me, being a Latin artist who has been heavily influenced by Black culture, it is important to show my support and stand in solidarity with the African American community for what is right, what is humane," he told GRAMMY.com in a statement.

He expresses his thoughts and outlines what he feels is his responsibility as an artist with a platform on his track by channeling one of the most influential Black leaders in history. "MICHAEL X"'s powerful visual opens with Malcolm X's speech adressing police brutality in Los Angeles on May 20, 1962. 

Dressed in a black-and-white suit, Towers evokes X (at one point standing in front of a podium like X does in his famous 1962 Los Angeles speech), letting go of his usual lifestyle lyrics and trap/reggaeton beat. Instead, he adopts a more serious tone over a traditional hip-hop sound that takes him back to his roots.

"I wrote this song to really get so much I had inside me, out. I needed to say what you hear. I needed the world to hear my point of view as an Afro-Latino," he said. 

And so he does, using lyrics to reference slavery, immigration, 9/11, politics⁠—from police brutality to Puerto Rico's controversial Governor Wanda Vázquez Garced⁠—Black pop culture, including Wakanda, home of Black comic book hero Black Panther, and Kobe Bryant. In one verse, Towers also references Latin pop culture, using witty lyricism to reference fellow Puerto Rican rapper Rene Pérez Joglar, a.k.a Residente.

Beyond sharing his perspective, Towers uses "MICHAEL X" to uplift Black people and share his pride. "I like seeing how the beautiful faces of my Black people cheer up," he raps in a verse.

The powerful song began as just thoughts but quickly became something more. "At first, my intention was really penning down some thoughts and sentiments but then the lyrics just began flowing and before I knew it, it was a full song," he said. "I knew I had to record it. It was an intense and emotional moment you know?"

The rapper feels Floyd's death, who he mentions in the song, is a catalyst for change. "While unfortunate, the death George Floyd woke the world up. It is shaking its core," he said. "I feel in life everything is timed out and aligns how it is meant to be aligned, and us being in quarantine has really made us open our eyes."

Towers feels strongly about being a part of a generation that enacts change.

"The death of George Floyd has impacted the world very deeply," he said. "No man, woman or child should have to worry about being treated unjustly just because of the color of their skin. As a younger generation, it is our responsibility to TAKE part and BE part of the change."

Hear the full song above. 

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GRAMMYs

Jenni Rivera 

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EXCLUSIVE: Listen To A Preview Of Jenni Rivera's Never-Before-Heard Song "Quisieran Tener Mi Lugar"

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GRAMMY.com has an exclusive preview of the Mexican Regional music icon’s latest unreleased single
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jun 29, 2020 - 9:55 am

It’s been eight years since Mexican regional music lost their great lady, their "Gran Señora."

But Jenni Rivera’s one of a kind voice and rebellious, trailblazing spirt lives on in her latest never-before released track "Quisieran Tener Mi Lugar."

The unforgettable Mexican-American singer, who died in a tragic plane crash in 2012, paved the way for women in Mexican regional music with her command over several genre styles (banda, corrido and mariachi, to name a few) and a powerful, soulful voice that belted out lyrics about heartbreak, love, sex and mafia life. A female artist in a male-dominated genre, Jenni Rivera made room for herself and claimed her throne as banda’s diva, as she was lovingly known, with a spirit that was not afraid to break gender norms.

"Quisieran Tener Mi Lugar" exudes the confidence, determination, drive and outspokenness the world loved about her.

"They keep going with the same old story/ They judge and criticize my life/ I’m the diva and it hurts them/ I say what I want, I don’t care," she sings in Spanish over the brass heavy style of banda music. "They just want to talk to talk/ Because they don’t have any shame/Maybe they want to have my place and live the good life."

GRAMMY.com has an exclusive preview of the song, which will be fully released on what would be Rivera’s 51st birthday, July 2.

The unreleased song was discovered by Rivera’s brother Juan, who was unsure if the songs he had come across were new when he found them, after her death.

"When I found out they were unreleased records I wasn’t sure if it was sheer happiness or sadness," he told GRAMMY.com via email. "Happiness because it was something FRESH, TOTALLY NEW and UNHEARD for her fans. Sad because I’m afraid to find them all and reach that potential end."

"Quisieran Tener Mi Lugar" is the third single off a posthumous forthcoming album called Hablando Claro. No release date has been set. Juan and Rivera’s youngest son, Johnny, are aomg some that have worked on the album which will feature previously released singles "Aparentemente Bien," co-written by Erika Ender and Alejandro Lerner and "Enganemoslo" with Mariachi Los Reyes and written by Espinoza Paz.

Juan says working on the album has brought a new way for him to contribute to his sister’s legacy.

RELATED: The Spirit Of Jenni Rivera Is Forever Unbreakable

"It’s been the greatest honor and BLESSING. At times, difficult because as a brother i would have never imagined that I would have to work on her music in this manner," he said. "I had the honor of working with her on live performances and to see that PURE LOVE for her from her fans. Now, I can say I’m a part of her musical history via these new songs."

The family has been holding news of the album since 2017, waiting for the right moment to release it.

Rivera’s son, Johnny, has been looking forward to the album since then. For him, it’s been an honor to work on his mother’s music. He thoughtfully came up with the album’s title so that it could align with other albums in her catalog.

"I wanted to make sure it’d fit with the rest of my mom’s studio albums and so I chose Hablando Claro because she recorded that song on the album for my grandmother. She has the theme across many of her albums of honoring my grandmother with tracks like 'La Gran Señora,' 'Resulta,' 'Homenaje A Mi Madre' and 'Déjame Vivir.'" He said. "I feel this is her speaking her truth through her music."

Johnny reveals fans can expect his mother’s "most bold, broken-down and personal tracks" on the new album.

"She left behind some great music and I think she always had the thought in her that she wanted to leave music behind for when she was no longer here physically," he shares. She was always thinking about the future."

He adds that he hopes her fans, new and old, become touched by her emotion and resonate with every single one she leaves on the album—whether they laugh, cry, or celebrate with her.

"She knew her purpose in life was to help others through her music.,” he said. “That intention is still the main goal even almost eight years after she’s been physically gone."

The album’s release will be a bittersweet feeling for Johnny too.

"It makes it more real that she’s no longer physically here. This is her final album of original Spanish material," he said. "In a lot of ways you wanna hold onto it forever but I know this is going to hold such an important place in her legacy."

Hear a snippet of the song above.

Save The Date: The 2020 Latin GRAMMY Nominations Will Be Announced September 29

Erika Ender at the 18th Latin GRAMMY Awards

Erika Ender, winner of Song Of The Year as a co-writer of "Despacito"

Photo: David Becker/Getty Images

News

GRAMMY Museum Experience Announces Online Learning Hub With New Podcast & Video Series Featuring Erika Ender

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The "Despacito" co-writer is one of the first guests of the museum's new video series called Behind the Songs
Jennifer Velez
GRAMMYs
Jun 17, 2020 - 4:17 pm

The GRAMMY Museum Experience at the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J. has launched a new Online Learning and Content Hub that will feature a new podcast and video series.

The learning hub will contain free content and joins the museum's existing digital programming including its Mini Masterclass video series featuring Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Estelle and more. Their new video series called Behind the Songs will take listeners behind the songs of notable singers, songwriters and producers with host Mark Conklin, museum artist relations and programming director. Most conversations will be followed with an exclusive performance. The second episode with "Despacito" co-writer Erika Ender will be released on June 18 at 7 p.m. EST. New episodes will be released every Thursday at 7 p.m. EST. 

Musically Speaking, the museum's new podcast, will feature conversations with artists, songwriters, producers and industry executives, including DJ Khaled and Naughty By Nature, from past public programs held at the museum. The first episode released on June 15 at 7 p.m. EST featured rock legends The Zombies. Like Behind the Songs, new podcast episodes will publish every Thursday at 7 p.m. EST.

"Music is our greatest form of connection and it has never been more important to our society than it is right now," said Conklin in a statement. "We are thrilled to introduce our Online Learning and Content Hub and bring its programs to life. These online programs allow us to continue the museum’s mission to educate, entertain and provide music fans with an exclusive glimpse into the songs and artists that continue to be the soundtrack of our lives."

The GRAMMY Museum Experience will also be showcasing virtual exhibits from their museum and the GRAMMY Museum in Los Angeles soon. Among the exhibits, they will highlight virtually is Whitney! honoring Whitney Houston. 

Check out the new hub and new programs at GRAMMYMuseumEXP.org.

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