meta-scriptA GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys Tribute Concert To Feature Performances By John Legend, Brandi Carlile, St. Vincent, Beck, Fall Out Boy, Mumford & Sons, Weezer & More; Tickets On Sale Now | GRAMMY.com
A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys Tribute Concert To Feature Performances By John Legend, Brandi Carlile, St. Vincent, Beck, Fall Out Boy, Mumford & Sons, Weezer & More; Tickets On Sale Now
"A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys"

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A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys Tribute Concert To Feature Performances By John Legend, Brandi Carlile, St. Vincent, Beck, Fall Out Boy, Mumford & Sons, Weezer & More; Tickets On Sale Now

Taking place Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, the live concert special will feature a star-studded lineup that also includes Charlie Puth, LeAnn Rimes, My Morning Jacket, Norah Jones, Pentatonix, Lady A, and many others.

GRAMMYs/Jan 26, 2023 - 05:44 pm

Updated Saturday, April 9, to include air date information about "A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys."

"A GRAMMY Salute To The Beach Boys" airs on Sunday, April 9, from 8 – 10 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. A one-hour version of the tribute will air on MTV at a future date to be announced.

A few days after the 2023 GRAMMYs, the Recording Academy, along with Tenth Planet Productions and CBS, will present A GRAMMY Salute to the Beach Boys, a special tribute concert honoring the legendary, GRAMMY-nominated music icons, the Beach Boys. Taking place Wednesday, Feb. 8, at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, the live concert special will feature a star-studded performer lineup that includes GRAMMY-winning artists and past and current GRAMMY nominees including Beck, Brandi Carlile, Fall Out Boy, Andy Grammer, Hanson, Norah Jones, Lady A, John Legend, Little Big Town, Michael McDonald, Mumford & Sons, My Morning Jacket, Pentatonix, Charlie Puth, LeAnn Rimes, St. Vincent, Take 6, and Weezer, who will all celebrate and honor the Beach Boys’ everlasting music and impactful career.

Tickets for A GRAMMY Salute to the Beach Boys are available now.

WHEN:

Concert:
Wednesday, Feb. 8
Doors: 5:30 p.m. PT
Concert: 6:30 p.m. PT

WHERE: 
Dolby Theatre
6801 Hollywood Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90028

Take A Look Back At The Beach Boys' Pet Sounds | For The Record

5 Inspirations Behind Norah Jones' New Album 'Visions': Nightly Dreams, Collabs, Harmony Stacks & More
Norah Jones

Photo: Joelle Grace Taylor

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5 Inspirations Behind Norah Jones' New Album 'Visions': Nightly Dreams, Collabs, Harmony Stacks & More

On her iridescent new album 'Visions,' out March 8, Jones embraces a newer collaborator in Leon Michels, and brings the stuff of phantasmagoria into immediate, organic relief.

GRAMMYs/Mar 8, 2024 - 03:06 pm

Not all Norah Jones fans know this, but her debut 2002 album Come Away With Me was recorded in its entirety a whopping three times. Her latest, Visions, is no less detailed or exacting. But in true Blue Note fashion — it's out March 8, via said label — it sprang from an improvisatory, immediate space.

"I didn't really have a lot of preconceived ideas," Jones tells GRAMMY.com over Zoom, as a typically oppressive winter in New York blurs into spring. ("I like winter," she says. "Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one.") Despite this dearth of advance material, "We just wrote and played," Jones continues. "And, honestly, he's one of the most fun people I get to play music with."

"He" is none other than producer, multi-instrumentalist and two-time GRAMMY nominee Leon Michels; Jones, a nine-time GRAMMY winner and 19-time nominee herself, previously worked with him on her first-ever holiday album, 2021's I Dream of Christmas.

Highlights like "Staring at the Wall," "Running" and "I'm Awake" show Jones is clearly the same artist who made classics like Come Away With Me and 2004's Feels Like Home — but in the ensuing decades, her work has assumed layers of adventurousness and dynamism.

"I love playing music with people and collaborating and trying new things, and I feel very at ease with myself and as myself in all those situations," Jones says. "Which is why it works, I think. I'm not trying to be somebody else when I do this. I'm comfortable, but I love to just try new clothes on musically."

Read on for a breakdown of people, concepts and things that inspired the making of Visions.

Her Podcast "Norah Jones Is Playing Along"

Over 32 episodes and counting, Jones has sat down with everyone from Jeff Tweedy to Seth MacFarlane to Laufey for extemporaneous collaborations and conversations. Jones notes that they're gearing up to release more episodes.

While she doesn't expressly note the podcast as a direct influence, its one-on-one format harmonizes with the dynamic between herself and Michel on Visions.

"I think anything you do influences you in some ways, even if you don't realize how," Jones says. "I've always been a pretty open musician, but I just feel like I get more and more open."

Her Creative Synergy With Leon Michels

When Jones had a shred of an idea — a few lyrics, a sketch of a melody — she would sit at a piano or guitar, Michels would get behind the kit, and they'd jam it out, garage band-style.

From there, the collaborators would add "a ton of harmonies" — more on that later — as well as bass, guitar, horns, organ, or whatever else would elevate the songs.

"The live energy you feel on those recordings is from me and him playing drums and piano or guitar," Jones says, "and just having fun."

Subconscious, Subterranean Zones

As Jones noted in the press materials, Visions came from a space beyond wakefulness.

"The reason I called the album Visions is because a lot of the ideas came in the middle of the night or in that moment right before sleep," she said. She then evoked the lead single: "'Running' was one of them where you're half asleep and kind of jolted awake."

"I think it just all flowed really fast," Jones says in retrospect. "There were some songs that I had to tweak the lyrics more because they were slower to come, but most of them were pretty fast."

Stacking Harmonies — Christmas Style

Two years and change ago, I Dream of Christmas displayed a newer facet of Jones' sound: dense, layered harmonies. It worked so well on those yuletide tunes that Jones and Michels expanded on that concept for Visions.

"I'm always hearing harmonies, and I'm pretty quick at adding them," Jones recalls, and he's always, "Add a harmony, add a harmony, add a harmony." It's really part of the sound of the record."

Jones says this comes straight from her record collection. "It does come pretty naturally. It comes from years of loving music," she says. "I mean, I used to imitate Aretha's background singers. I think it was Cissy Houston. I love that kind of harmony." (Plus, she sang in jazz groups and high school and college, with 10 vocalists as a united throng.)

For Jones' upcoming tour dates on the East Coast, which span May and June, Michels won't be present. But those shimmering, layered vocals will.

Bringing Two More Singers To The Party

Along with four-time GRAMMY-winning drummer extraordinaire Brian Blade and the great, indie-oriented bassist Josh Lattanzi, Jones will perform alongside singers Sasha Dobson and Sami Stevens, who will also chip in on guitar and keys.

"We had our first rehearsal yesterday, and it sounds incredible," Jones says, aglow. She then considers the nuances of bringing studio creations to life onstage.

"Sometimes, you want to hit all the parts and sometimes you can and sometimes you can't," she says. "And you have to strip a song back and it sounds just as great, because it's a good song, and that's always a good feeling."

Onstage, though, Jones says they'll have all the resources to pull it off. Call it Visions come to life, and made material.

Norah Jones On Her Two-Decade Evolution, Channeling Chris Cornell & Her First-Ever Live Album, 'Til We Meet Again

Press Play: Watch Tish Melton Preview Debut EP With A Stripped-Down Performance Of "Sober"
Tish Melton

Photo: Courtesy of Tish Melton

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Press Play: Watch Tish Melton Preview Debut EP With A Stripped-Down Performance Of "Sober"

Indie pop newcomer — and Brandi Carlile's mentee — Tish Melton premieres "Sober," an emotional track from her upcoming EP, 'When We're Older,' out March 1.

GRAMMYs/Feb 13, 2024 - 07:50 pm

Beneath the empty bottles, Tish Melton wants to know if her love is true; to her, drunken confessions of love mean nothing. It's what happens when the party's over and no one is watching — that's when she sees that person at their most authentic.

"You're standing close/ But you're so far away/ Your eyes are closed/ But you see me anyway," Melton sings on the bridge of her emotional track "Sober." "And I swear you told me you love me on the walk home/ If you meant it, I'll never know/ I think we should stay sober."

In this episode of Press Play, the indie pop newcomer premieres "Sober" with a raw and intimate acoustic performance.

"Sober" is an unreleased track from her upcoming first EP, When We're Older, which arrives on March 1. Melton previously released three singles in 2023, "Damage," "The Chase," and "Michelle."

As she prepares her debut project, Melton already has a major supporter in her corner: nine-time GRAMMY winner Brandi Carlile, who has been a mentor to Melton since recognizing her talent at her debut show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

"Tish is so young and so brilliant," Carlile, who produced When We're Older, revealed in a press statement. "Like most lessons in life, I learned this one while I thought I was teaching it. We should guide youth in music, but there is no question that it should lead."

Watch the video above to hear Tish Melton's honest performance of "Sober," and check back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Press Play.

How 'Venus' Helped Zara Larsson Find Joy In Her Journey: "I Have Cemented Myself As An Artist"

Meet 5 GRAMMY Nominees Who Started At GRAMMY U: From Boygenius Engineer Sarah Tudzin To Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying

PHOTOS: Scott Hoying by David Becker/Getty Images, Sarah Tudzin by Jan-Willem Dikkers, Manu Beker by Ana Paula Larrea, Elyse Victoria Johnson by Erwin Trollinger, Whitney Wolanin by Chrissy Nix

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Meet 5 GRAMMY Nominees Who Started At GRAMMY U: From Boygenius Engineer Sarah Tudzin To Pentatonix’s Scott Hoying

For nearly 20 years, emerging music industry creatives have cycled through GRAMMY U, the Recording Academy’s program for young people aspiring to work in the music industry. Below, meet the five GRAMMY U alumni who are nominated at the 2024 GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Jan 22, 2024 - 02:29 pm

Cathryn Flores co-authored this article.

Since 2006, GRAMMY U has been dedicated to nurturing the next generation of music professionals by connecting aspiring members with the industry's brightest and most talented minds. With its recent membership expansion, GRAMMY U continues to grow and establish a diverse community of students and young professionals.

GRAMMY U members have the unique opportunity to collaborate with GRAMMY nominees and professionals across various sectors of the music industry, including affiliates of the Recording Academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing and Songwriters & Composers Wing. Annual programming includes the Mentorship Program, GRAMMY U Fall Summit, activations at GRAMMY Week, and the GRAMMY U Conference as well as dozens of local programs nationwide. 

During their time at GRAMMY U, members get the chance to connect with their peers and receive hands-on experience. A significant number of program alumni continue their journey in the music industry as voting members of the Recording Academy, featured panelists at future GRAMMY U events, and mentors.

Many alumni go on to become GRAMMY nominees and winners themselves — and the 2024 GRAMMYs highlight their successes. At Music's Biggest Night, former GRAMMY U Members Sarah Tudzin, who engineered for boygenius, and Pentatonix co-founder Scott Hoying are nominated at the 66th GRAMMY Awards

From songwriters to producers, read on to learn about the five current and former GRAMMY U members who are nominated for the 66th GRAMMY Awards.

Scott Hoying

Nominated work: Pentatonix - Holidays Around The World (Best Traditional Pop Album)

Pentatonix co-founder Scott Hoying is in the running for Best Pop Traditional Vocal Album for Holidays Around The World. Hoying previously took home a golden gramophone with his hit a capella group at the 2017 GRAMMYs for Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Dolly Parton for "Jolene."

"Being able to collaborate with so many incredible artists around the world was a fascinating process and was so fulfilling. This was truly an experience where we got to feel the universal language of music first-hand," Hoying says. "It is one of our favorite albums, and to see it recognized and honored in such an iconic way from our peers in the music industry is a dream."

Hoying joined GRAMMY U while he was a music major at the University of Southern California.  

"The second I was eligible to be a GRAMMY U member, I signed up immediately. I remember feeling so excited to be a part of the GRAMMY foundation," Hoying recalls. "Signing up for GRAMMY U felt like the first step towards manifesting that vision board.

"Fast-forward 10 years, three GRAMMYs and five nominations [later], it feels surreal. I just feel like the luckiest person in the world and we are so honored," he says. 

Sarah Tudzin

Nominated work: boygenius - the record (Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical)

Sarah Tudzin joined GRAMMY U in college to learn more about the GRAMMY process at a professional level. Since, her band illuminati hotties has opened for acts such as Death Cab For Cutie and Carly Rae Jepsen. This year, she secured her GRAMMY-nominated status as a producer and engineer for her work on boygenius' hit debut album the record, which is nominated for Album Of The Year and Best Alternative Music Album.

Tudzin didn’t know what to expect when boygenius called her into the studio session, but found comfort in the fact that its members are both her friends and her heroes. The musician sees her nomination as a measure of huge accomplishment, but also says that this is only the beginning of it all. 

"To be a witness to boygenius' meteoric rise is such an honor and I feel deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to work with them and with number one production wizard, Catherine Marks," Tudzin says. "I spent so many years cutting my teeth as an assistant and engineer and I'm so proud to have a credit of this caliber."

Elyse Victoria Johnson

Nominated work: Stanley Brown feat. Hezekiah Walker, Kierra Sheard & Karen Clark Sheard - "God Is Good" (Best Gospel Performance/Song)

Current GRAMMY U member and first-time GRAMMY nominee Elyse Victoria Johnson is nominated in the category of Best Gospel Performance/Song for her songwriting contributions to Stanley Brown’s "God Is Good." Elyse’s background as a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist led her to pursue a music industry major at the State University of New York College at Oneonta, where she also served as a GRAMMY U Ambassador. 

"It was a great experience serving as an advocate for the GRAMMY U program to increase student membership on my college campus," the 22 year old says. "Now, in 2023. I am a GRAMMY-nominated songwriter. Every experience has played a part in where I am today." 

"God is Good" is an uplifting anthem that radiates a message of positivity in difficult times.

"‘God Is Good’ comes from the popular call & response saying, ‘God is good all the time & all the time, God is good.’ It’s such a fun, inspirational, uplifting bop!" she shares. "This reflects my progression as a songwriter/artist because it gave me the opportunity to grow as a creative… I am constantly learning and growing, and there’s never a time where I am not a student!"

Whitney Wolanin

Nominated work: Tyler Childers - "In Your Love" (Best Music Video)

As a GRAMMY U member at Vanderbilt University, Whitney Wolanin had no idea she would be working in film after college. A musician herself, Wolanin transitioned to producing and directing everything from commercials to music videos. Wolanin expressed her gratitude for getting to tell stories in different audio and visual mediums.

Wolanin worked as the line producer and a general producer on Tyler Childers' video for "In Your Love," which is nominated for Best Music Video. The song itself is also nominated for Best Country Song and Best Country Solo Performance.

Wolanin believes that finding a strong team is crucial to keep everything running smoothly. 

"Producing ‘In Your Love’ felt really important, both in terms of story and its broader implications to society," Wolanin says. "This specific love story is just so beautiful and needs to be told in country music. It felt special from the get-go and I hope it makes everyone cry, just like it does for me each time I watch it."

Manu Beker

Nominated work: AleMor - Beautiful Humans, Vol. 1 (Best Latin Pop Album)

Manu Beker’s musical journey has gone full circle with the Recording Academy. In 2022, he won GRAMMY U's Masterclass Contest with his song "Cliché" and met his future collaborator, AleMor, on that same day. 

Beker contributed to AleMor’s Beautiful Humans Vol. 1., which is nominated for Best Latin Pop Album at the 66th GRAMMY Awards. Beker hopes his work shows that Latin music can take form in any sub-genre and should not be constrained to a singular style.

"A lot of people pigeonhole music in Spanish and think it has to sound like a cliché… that it has to sound folky or like salsa/cumbia," Beker says. "But I'm hoping more people will listen to albums like [Beautiful Humans Vol. 1] and realize that Latin music is as varied and diverse as any other genre."

Beker recognizes the importance of constantly adapting within the industry and creating impactful connections with the artists he works with. He described the entire GRAMMY U experience with AleMor as surreal and hopes to continue making contributions within the Latin music community.

2024 GRAMMY Nominations: See The Full Nominees List

6 Artists Influenced By Tracy Chapman: Luke Combs, Brandi Carlile, Tori Amos & More
Tracy Chapman

Photo: Brill/ullstein bild via Getty Images

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6 Artists Influenced By Tracy Chapman: Luke Combs, Brandi Carlile, Tori Amos & More

Three decades after Tracy Chapman’s eponymous first LP hit the shelves, take a look at the artists who owe a debt of gratitude to the 13-time GRAMMY-nominee.

GRAMMYs/Jan 8, 2024 - 02:58 pm

Editor’s note: This story was updated on Monday, Jan. 8, to include mention of Luke Combs and his 2024 GRAMMY nomination.

Renowned for her stripped-back folky sound, social conscience and storytelling abilities, Tracy Chapman has never really fitted into the pop landscape. The singer/songwriter emerged in the late 1980s, a period when big-voiced power balladeers and exuberant teen princesses were all the rage. And throughout the following two decades, the Cleveland native continued to assemble an impressive body of work that remained utterly impervious to fleeting chart trends. 

Chapman's determination to carve out her own distinct path has undeniably reaped its rewards. Her self-titled debut album topped the Billboard 200 in 1988, sold 20 million copies and received six GRAMMY nominations; she won three (Best Contemporary Folk Album, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and the coveted Best New Artist). A mid-'90s career resurgence, meanwhile, helped to boost her awards tally, with biggest hit "Give Me A Reason" picking up Best Rock Song. 

And whether standing in for Stevie Wonder at Nelson Mandela's 70th Birthday Tribute Concert or performing "Talkin’ Bout a Revolution" on the eve of the 2020 presidential election, Chapman has used her earthy voice to soundtrack several key historical moments.   And the very traditional kind of artist even unwittingly became a viral sensation thanks to a powerful rendition of Ben E. King classic "Stand By Me" in aid of David Letterman's late-night retirement.  

Although Chapman hasn't released a studio album since 2008's Our Bright Future, her music has remained an ever-present. From Sam Smith and Justin Bieber, to Passenger and Luke Combs, it's probably quicker to list which contemporary acts haven't covered her defining single "Fast Car" in recent years; dance producer Jonas Blue even took it back into the Hot 100 In 2015. Kelly ClarksonBlack Pumas and Jamila Woods have all paid tribute by tackling different songs from Chapman's remarkably consistent oeuvre, too.

Of course, Chapman's modern-day cachet extends beyond the odd song. Here's a look at five artists who have credited the star as a formative influence on their entire careers.

Luke Combs

By now, an ocean of ink has been spilled about Luke Combs making Tracy Chapman’s "Fast Car" a hit once more — from its racial, sexual, class, gender, and genre dynamics, to whether whitewashing was at play. But with all due respect to the talking heads, the truth is arguably much simpler: when it comes to great singer/songwriters, game recognizes game.

"There was this one song that really stuck out to me. It was called 'Fast Car,'" Combs said onstage last year. “That song meant a lot to me since then — for my whole life. I always think about my dad when it comes on and us spending time together.” It’s awfully telling, too, that Combs didn’t flip the gender of the song — a token of respect. He, too, is a "checkout girl."

Decades after its creation, Combs' take on "Fast Car" made a U-turn to the top of the Billboard country charts; at the 2024 GRAMMYs, his version is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance.

"It has stayed with me since I have played it in my live show now for six-plus years and everyone — I mean everyone — across all these stadiums relates to this song and sings along," Combs later told Billboard. That’s the gift of a supernatural songwriter." Yes, “Fast Car" is deeply, incontrovertibly human, and earthbound. But Combs reminded us that it’s charged with magic, too. — Morgan Enos

Khalid 

Just like Chapman, Khalid racked up a glut of GRAMMY nominations with his debut album, American Teen. And while promoting the record on BBC Radio One's Live Lounge in 2018, the chart-topper doffed his cap to one of its major influences with an acoustic reworking of "Fast Car." An obvious choice, perhaps, but speaking to Forbes later that same year, Khalid insisted that he was far from just a fair-weather fan. 

"For me, Tracy Chapman was just someone who inspires me in terms of songwriting," the "Talk" hitmaker revealed. "When I think about songwriting just how she can make you feel like you're in that moment." Chapman was also the first name that came to mind when Khalid was asked about his biggest musical inspiration in our One Take series.  

Lisa Marie Presley 

The late Lisa Marie Presley took her time following in her father's footsteps, releasing her debut album, To Whom It May Concern, at the relatively late age of 35. But it was the music of singer/songwriters such as Linda Ronstadt, Shelby Lynne and, in particular, Tracy Chapman (rather than the rock and roll of Elvis) that informed her sound.  

In a 2012 chat to promote third LP Storm and Grace, Presley told Rolling Stone India, "I've never met Tracy, but she's always been a huge influence on me; I don't even know if she knows that. From her first album until everything, she's been such an influence on me as a singer-songwriter." 

Presley also referenced Chapman in an interview with the Huffington Post about her musical inspirations, adding, "I love women who sing, and they mean what they're saying, and they reach in and grab you. It moves you. You can feel the singer, and it's for real." And while appearing on BBC Radio 2’s Tracks of My Years in 2013, the star selected "Smoke and Ashes" from Chapman's 1995 LP New Beginning as one of her all-time favorites.  

Valerie June 

"The missing link between Memphis Minnie and Tracy Chapman" is how singer/songwriter Valerie June was once described. No doubt that Chapman, whose sound combines folk-pop with everything from soul and bluegrass to traditional Appalachian music, would have been on board with such comparisons.   

June became a die-hard Chapman fan while growing up in Jackson, Tennessee, as she explained to the Washington Post in 2014: "I wanted to perform from probably the age of four or five, but I never believed I could. I saw Tracy Chapman and Whitney Houston and wanted to be like them. But I thought, 'Yeah, no way. They didn't come from a little old place like this.'" 

Of course, June did manage to carve a niche for herself in the wider world. She even picked up a Best American Roots Song nod at the 2022 GRAMMYs for "Call Me A Fool," a collaboration with Stax legend Carla Thomas. And one of her proudest career moments was following in Chapman's footsteps by appearing on "Austin City Limits."  

Brandi Carlile 

Brandi Carlile has achieved several GRAMMY milestones throughout her glittering career. The Americana favorite was the most-nominated artist at the 2019 ceremony in which she took home three gongs. Then in 2022, she became the first-ever female songwriter to pick up two Song Of The Year nods simultaneously. And the music of Tracy Chapman helped set Carlile on her 24-time nominated path. 

Carlile has frequently acknowledged the influence that the "Fast Car" hitmaker has had on her career. While hosting "Somewhere Over the Radio," a SiriusXM show designed to celebrate "queer excellence," the star played one of her most cherished Chapman songs. And during her 2023 A Special Solo Performance tour, she brought out wife Catherine to perform a duet of New Beginning cut "The Promise." 

Carlile is such a fan that while responding to a fan on Twitter in the pandemic-hit 2020, she argued that one of the few ways the year could redeem itself was if Chapman dropped a new album.  

Tori Amos 

Eight-time GRAMMY nominee Tori Amos and Tracy Chapman began their careers in tandem: David Kershenbaum executive produced the eponymous first albums from both the former's short-lived synth-pop outfit Y Kant Tori Read and the latter singer-songwriter around the same time. And the flame-haired pianist was one of the first to recognize that her counterpart was something special. 

In a Pitchfork interview about her musical tastes, Amos revealed that Tracy Chapman essentially changed her entire outlook. "It woke me up and took me back to my 5-year-old self, who was creating from a pure place of intention of music being magic, as a place where we could walk into and feel many different things." 

Amos subsequently ditched the crop top, leather pants and copious amounts of hairspray and, like Chapman, followed her artistic instincts. When asked by Glamour magazine in 2012 which female artists its younger readers should explore, the "Cornflake Girl" hitmaker didn't hesitate in mentioning her fellow 1988 debutant.  

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