meta-scriptGwen Stefani Announces Las Vegas Residency At Planet Hollywood | GRAMMY.com
Gwen Stefani Announces Las Vegas Residency At Planet Hollywood

Gwen Stefani

Photo: Michael Tran/Getty Images

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Gwen Stefani Announces Las Vegas Residency At Planet Hollywood

The GRAMMY-winning singer will play 25 dates in Sin City beginning in June

GRAMMYs/Apr 10, 2018 - 07:13 pm

Gwen Stefani is headed to Las Vegas! The singer announced a 25-date residency at Zappos Theatre at Planet Hollywood Hotel & Casino beginning in June and wrapping in March 2019.

Coined "Gwen Stefani — I'm Just A Girl," the show is being custom designed for the 7,000-seat Zappos Theatre to feature 60 ultra high-definition projectors and LED walls, according to Rolling Stone. Planet Hollywood is also playing host to several other high-profile residencies throughout the year including Backstreet Boys, Pitbull, Lionel Richie, and Jennifer Lopez, who raps her run in May.

"To be able to do a show in Vegas is such an incredible honor. Growing up in Anaheim, California, I could never have imagined one day having my own Vegas residency," Stefani said in a statement. "I have been so fortunate to tour throughout my career, but to create a show for Vegas is something I've never experienced and I can't wait."

Stefani earned back-to-back GRAMMY Awards for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group as part of her pop-ska band No Doubt at the 45th and 46th GRAMMY Awards for "Hey Baby" and "Underneath It All" respectively. Her first career GRAMMY came one year prior for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Let Me Blow Ya Mind" with rapper Eve.

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Stefani, in partnership with the show's promoter Live Nation Las Vegas and Caesars Entertainment, will donate $1 from each residency ticket purchased to Cure 4 the Kids Foundation, which provides medical treatment to children with life-threatening conditions.

Tickets are set to go sale to the public via Ticketmaster on April 13.

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Official Coachella 2024 Lineup: Headliners Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator And Doja Cat To Lead A Pack of Performers Including No Doubt & Others
Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator, and Doja Cat will headline the 2024 Coachella festival.

Photos (L to R): Kristy Sparow/Getty Images; Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Coachella; Scott Dudelson/Getty Images for Coachella

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Official Coachella 2024 Lineup: Headliners Lana Del Rey, Tyler, The Creator And Doja Cat To Lead A Pack of Performers Including No Doubt & Others

GRAMMY.com digs into the official Coachella 2024 lineup — featuring Doja Cat’s return at the top of the bill with other California natives and more international acts than ever before heading to the Southern California desert April 12-14 and April 19-21.

GRAMMYs/Jan 17, 2024 - 12:32 am

The much-anticipated lineup for Coachella’s waitlisted 2024 festival was officially announced by producers Goldenvoice on Jan. 16. Festival headliners include GRAMMY-winning rapper and record producer Tyler, the Creator, GRAMMY-winning pop and hip-hop artist Doja Cat, and GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Lana Del Rey. These beloved acts lead a pack of top-tier talent sure to resonate well with a global audience. 

Coachella, which kicks off the 2024 festival season, will take place April 12-14 and April 19-21, returning to Indio’s Empire Polo Club in Southern California’s Colorado Desert. Let the good times roll.

Other notable performers include No Doubt, and 2024 GRAMMY nominees Jon Batiste, Ice Spice and Dom Dolla. Best Rap Song nominee Lil Uzi Vert also received top-billing among a plethora of rappers and hip-hop artists including Coi Leray and Lil Yachty.

A welcome sign of growing diversity among the acts, more international musicians than ever have appeared on the roster, including corridos tumbados musicians Peso Pluma, 2024 GRAMMY nominees for Best Música Mexicana Album, who also recently performed at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs. K-pop acts are also getting shine at Coachella 2024, with ATEEZ and LE SSARAFIM on the bill.

Since its inception in 1999, Coachella has evolved from a simple music festival to a cultural touchstone that encapsulates evolving trends in music, arts, fashion, and social expression. Coachella's lineup has become a barometer of pop culture — marking current and future music trends as well as the tone of the industry. 

Across multiple stages and tents, the festival is a sandbox showcase for experimental work. It’s a place for artists to debut new music, collaborate with other musicians during surprise guest performances and reunions, and make a statement. Beyonce’s culturally significant 2018 performance and celebration of Black college culture that inspired her Netflix documentary “Homecoming” and the unforgettable virtual resurrection of Tupac Shakur in 2012 via hologram serve as prime examples of this phenomena.

Catch the official line-up below and stay tuned for our takeaways from this year’s lineup announcement coming soon.

2024 Coachella Festival Lineup

California Love Is On Full Display

Californians dominate the 2024 Coachella lineup. Major headliners Tyler, the Creator and Doja Cat both hail from the Golden State and although Lana Del Rey (Friday, April 12 and 19) was born in Lake Placid, New York, she calls California her home and source of inspiration. Lana Del Rey is currently nominated in five categories at the 2024 GRAMMY Awards including Album Of The Year and Song Of The Year; Doja Cat is nominated in three categories including Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Rap Song.  

Surprise act No Doubt, which includes vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young also count Southern California as their original home base. The group formed in 1986 in Anaheim and, over three decades, have netted two GRAMMY Awards and nine nominations. 

Rock Reunions Take Center Stage

Perhaps the biggest surprise act on the bill, No Doubt will reunite for their first major show in almost a decade since their last live performances together in 2015 — much to the delight of the band and Gwen Stefani’s dedicated fanbase. 

Other surprise reunions include new millennium rock band Blur, best known for punchy vocals and kick snare-emboldened tracks. The Britpop act will perform their first U.S. shows in nine years, receiving top billing for both Saturdays. Sublime, who have been performing live for years as Sublime with Rome will also perform on Saturday, though the singular billing begs the question of whether late founding band member Bradley Knowell will appear holographically á la Tupac in 2012. 

The 2024 Lineup Is An International Showcase

Global acts are taking over for one of the most diverse bills in Coachella history, filled with acts from Korea, Japan, Latin America, Africa, France and more.  

Furthering a breakout year in U.S. popularity, K-Pop boy band ATEEZ will perform on Friday. Girl group Atarashii Gakko! alongside superduo Yaosobi will represent Japan. A plethora of artists representing Latin America will perform both weekends: Coachella's lineup includes J Balvin (Columbia), Cimafunk (Cuba) and a roster of Mexican artists including Peso Pluma, Santa Fe Klan, Latin Mafia, Son Rompe Pera and Carin León. Nigerian natives Burna Boy and Tyla, both nominated for Best African Music Performance (one of three brand new categories at the 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards) are billed along with fellow Nigerian, Tems.

Electronic Music Makes A House Call

Highlighting a shift in the sands of music festival lineups over the last few years, electronic, dance, EDM, and trance artists account for a majority of the acts performing at Coachella in 2024. 

Legendary French performer Gesaffelstein, whose work has intertwined with artists like The Weeknd, adds a layer of dark, magnetic allure to the lineup while Justice, known for their GRAMMY-winning electronic beats, round out an electrifying experience. 

Celebrated acts like techno queen Charlotte de Witte and up-and-comers like Dom Dolla — a first-time GRAMMY nominee currently nominated for his remix of the Gorillaz track "New Gold" featuring Tame Impala — represent a nod to electronic music's recent and significant impact within the U.S.

Multiple Acts Return To The Desert

Coachella Valley is set to welcome back multiple seasoned acts in a return to the desert, including inventive linguist Tyler, the Creator, who surprised attendees with an impromptu appearance during Kali Uchis' set on the main stage in 2022. Doja Cat is also making a comeback, ascending to the top of the bill as a headliner after two years. 

J Balvin will bring the reggaeton party back to paradise following his Coachella premiere in 2019. Meanwhile, DJ Snake — the GRAMMY-nominated maestro of trap and electronic fusion will stage a return after first performing in 2016. Techno/house DJ and producer John Summitt will keep the beat alive after his house sound and pulsing rhythms created an electrifying performance 2022. The ever-transcendent and avant garde Grimes will stage a cosmic return to the Coachella stage after last performing in 2016. 

Behind Julia Michaels' Hits: From Working With Britney & Bieber, To Writing For 'Wish'
Julia Michaels attends the 'Wish' UK premiere

Photo: Belinda Jiao / Getty Images

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Behind Julia Michaels' Hits: From Working With Britney & Bieber, To Writing For 'Wish'

GRAMMY-nominated songwriter and artist Julia Michaels has been trusted to turn pop stars' revelatory moments into song. Michaels spoke to GRAMMY.com about creating authentic songs and the stories behind some of her biggest hits.

GRAMMYs/Dec 18, 2023 - 02:51 pm

Julia Michaels landed her first major songwriting gig at just 18 years old. 

Fresh out of school, she’d cold pitched a little company named Walt Disney with a song she thought would suit an upcoming series. That song went on to soundtrack a popular Disney Channel show called "Austin & Ally."

Michaels quickly developed a reputation for her quick work and therapeutic approach to songwriting, and, in her early 20s, was transforming pop music via her confessional and slightly quirky perspective. The L.A.-based artist was soon writing with pop’s A-listers — from Britney Spears to Justin Bieber and Ed Sheeran, producing songs that gave the world insight into the contours of the biggest star’s internal worlds. 

"I'm grateful that I've been able to work with artists that allow the space for vulnerability and for authenticity, and for us to be able to speak openly and honestly about things we're going through," Michaels tells GRAMMY.com.

With a knack for emotional precision and complexity, Michaels has been trusted to transmute icons' revelatory moments into song: post-divorce comeback anthems, breakup bangers, even apologies. You’d be hard-pressed to find a songwriter better able to spin pain into a punchline than Michaels.

It’s one of many reasons Disney tapped her to score Wish, a recently-released mega musical feature that’s been chosen by the Studio to celebrate their 100th anniversary. Her idiosyncratic and confessional style lends a fresh perspective to protagonist Asha, while the songs remain rose-colored, dreamy, heart-lurching and classically Disney.

At age 30, Michaels is the youngest ever songwriter to score an entire Disney feature. But that's not her only major accolade: Michaels has been nominated for three GRAMMY Awards, most recently for Marren Morris' "Circles Around This Town" — which was given the nod for Best Country Song at the 2023 GRAMMYs. At the 60th GRAMMY Awards, Michaels was nominated for Best New Artist.

The phenom spoke with GRAMMY.com about some of the hits that made her one of the industry's most in-demand writers — and led to her biggest gig yet.  

"Sorry" - Justin Bieber (2015)

I had met a producer named Josh Goodwin, and he had asked for us to write some songs and see what we could come up with.  We had written two songs, and one of them I don't think ever saw the light of day. The other was "Sorry." 

"Used To Love You" - Gwen Stefani (2016)

I was asked to do some sessions with Gwen and my friend Justin Tranter. It was my first session with her but not his, so they had already known each other.

I wasn't entirely sure what I was gonna walk into or what she would feel comfortable talking to me about. And she was just so open and so lovely and vulnerable. She had these journal entries; in the midst of all of these thoughts and feelings she’d written down she had said: “I don't know why I cried, but I think it's because I remembered for the first time since I hated you that I used to love you.” She kept on reading from her journal and I stopped her and said "No, no, no, that’s a song." So we wrote it and it was just beautiful, she was very happy with it.

Every session is different, every artist is different, everybody writes differently. So sometimes I'm not sure what role I need to take that day. Gwen was very much in control of her narrative and vision, and what she wanted to talk about, so I just followed her footsteps.

I'm not really one for small talk. I think that's why I am still here. I like to get down to the heart of somebody and I know that takes a lot of trust. I'm grateful that I've been able to work with artists that allow the space for vulnerability and for authenticity, and for us to be able to speak openly and honestly about things we're going through.

I don't really have any qualms with walking in a room and being like, "Okay, but how are you really doing?" Not the L.A. version of how are you doing. Like no, how are you actually doing?

"Slumber Party" feat. Tinashe - Britney Spears (2016)

I met her [Britney] after writing a song that she liked, and then we started writing together. 

That was pretty surreal. I don't really fangirl a lot; I've been in enough rooms with people to know that we all laugh the same and cry the same and bleed the same. But then I remember hearing Britney sing this into the microphone for the first time and I just began melting into the floor, in shock and awe. 

I’d done something like eight songs for the album, and writing with her was so special. She has pop melodies wholly ingrained in who she is, so everything that she's saying just sounds like the perfect pop song. She also had her own narratives and she knew what she wanted to write about. We would literally just pull the microphone up to her face so she could sing melodies and we would write songs according to all the melodies and just go from there.

I remember just writing all the time and trying to find a sound that she felt suited her best. A I knew she wanted to do things that still had some vulnerability, but she's Britney Spears — she wanted to have a really fun pop record also. So we tried to cater to that as much as we could.

"This Wish" (2023)

This was the first song I wrote for Wish and it was the first song to come out for the movie. I was called in 2020 by [Walt Disney Music President] Tom McDougall and he asked me if I would like to try to write a song for a new movie, but didn't tell me that it was for the 100th anniversary of Disney's animation movies. Off of this little sort of blurb that he had sent me, I wrote this song about hope and being courageous, and taking a chance and being brave. I thought that was just such a beautiful message.

If he had told me that it was the 100th anniversary, I probably would have been really stressed out. I'm a Disney fan. I've been a Disney fan since I was a kid; I love Disney songs. And so there was already that added pressure to make something that's going to stand the test of time. But I also think that because I grew up with [Disney] it is probably in my psyche more than I even know. And so I wanted to make a song that felt really classic and really powerful and really beautiful, but also still sounded like something that I would write.

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How Las Vegas Became A Punk Rock Epicenter: From When We Were Young To The Double Down Saloon
Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day performs a"not-so-secret" show at Las Vegas' Fremont Country Club

Photo: Fred Morledge 

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How Las Vegas Became A Punk Rock Epicenter: From When We Were Young To The Double Down Saloon

Viva Punk Vegas! It might have seemed unthinkable a decade ago, but Sin City is "the most punk city in the U.S." GRAMMY.com spoke with a variety of hardcore and legendary punks about the voracious vibe in Vegas that lends itself to punk spirit.

GRAMMYs/Oct 25, 2023 - 04:28 pm

These days, what happens in Vegas, slays in Vegas when it comes to the harder side of music.

It might have seemed unthinkable a decade ago, but as Fat Mike of NOFX and Fat Wreck Chords has been putting out there for a while now, Sin City is basically "the most punk city in the U.S." at the moment. Some might find this statement debatable, but Vegas has long attracted subculture-driven gatherings, from Viva Las Vegas rockabilly weekend to the all-metal Psycho Las Vegas to the mixed bag that was Las Rageous. The latest slate of huge punk and punk-adjacent music events (from Punk Rock Bowling and When We Were Young to the just-announced new lineup of Sick New World 2024) back his claim even further. 

Mike’s own Punk Rock Museum, which opened in April of this year, has cemented the city’s alternative music cred — even as it’s still best known for gambling, clubbing, and gorging at buffets. 

In fact, A lot of the audacious new activity is centered away from the big casinos and in the downtown area and arts district of what is known as "old Vegas." Just outside of the tourist-trappy, Times Square-like Fremont Experience, there’s a vibrant live music scene anchored by a few key clubs, and an ever-growing slate of fests.

*Attendees at 2022's When We Were Young Festival┃Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/FilmMagic*

Live Nation’s second annual When We Were Young Festival brought out a largely Millennial crowd to see headliners Green Day and blink-182 this past weekend, alongside over two dozen more recognizable openers from emo/pop-punk's heyday. Tickets sold so well when it was first announced, that a second day was added to the schedule.

Green Day didn’t stop with their fest gigs; the band played a "not-so-secret" pop-up show last Thursday night at one of the most popular venues in town for punk, alternative and heavy music: Fremont Country Club, just blocks from festival grounds. The show served as a warm-up gig as well as an announcement by Billie Joe Armstrong: His band will join Smashing Pumpkins, Rancid, and others for a 2024 stadium tour. The band also debuted a timely new track, "The American Dream Is Killing Me."  

Read More: Why 2002 Was The Year That Made Pop-Punk: Simple Plan, Good Charlotte & More On How "Messing Around And Being Ourselves" Became Mainstream

"People who like punk and other heavy music want to be in a club environment like ours, not a big casino," says Carlos "Big Daddy" Adley, owner of Fremont Country Club and its adjacent music space Backstage Bar & Grill. Both have become live music hotspots not unlike the ones Adley and his wife/partner Ava Berman ran in Los Angeles before they moved to Vegas over a decade ago. 

"Fremont East," as the neighborhood is called, will soon see a boutique hotel from the pair. Like everything they do, it will have a rock n’ roll edge that hopes to draw both visitors and locals.

*Outside Fremont Country Club┃Photo: Fred Morledge*

The duo told GRAMMY.com that a visit to Double Down Saloon, Sin City’s widely-recognized original punk bar and music dive was what first inspired them to come to Vegas and get into the nightlife business there. Double Down has been slinging booze (like Bacon Martinis and "Ass Juice" served in a ceramic toilet bowl mug) and booking live punk sounds since it opened back in 1992.

"It's kind of a stepping stone for a lot of bands," says Cameron Morat, a punk musician and photographer, who also works with the Punk Rock Museum as curator of its rockstar-led tour guide program. "People always assume that Vegas is just the strip, but that's only like four miles long. There's a lot more of the ‘‘other city.’ There are people who are just into music and into going to local shows who don't ever go to the main strip."

In addition to the Double Down, Morat says Vegas has always had a history of throwing local punk shows at spaces like the Huntridge Theater, which is currently being remodeled and set to re-open soon for local live music. He also points to The Usual Place as a venue popular with local punk and rock bands now, and The Dive Bar — a favorite with the mohawk, patched-up battle vest scene, featuring heavy music seven nights a week, including a night promoted by his partner Masuimi Max called Vegas Chaos.  

*Cameron Morat┃Photo: Kristina Markovich*

While glitzy stage shows from legacy artists and mega-pop hit makers like Usher, Elton John, Katy Perry, Carrie Underwood, Gwen Stefani and Lady Gaga still get the most media attention, raucous local shows are starting to factor into a new generation’s vacation planning, too.

"There’s a really good scene here," Morat proclaims. "It's funny because a lot of people, the sort of gatekeepers of punk, ask ‘why is the punk museum in Vegas?’ But it is a punk city, and not just because you've got all the local bands and the venues."

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Morat, whose own band Soldiers of Destruction, plays around town on occasion, also notes other acts such as Gob Patrol, Suburban Resistance, and Inframundo as having fierce local followings. He says there’s a certain voracious vibe in Vegas that lends itself to punk rock creation, performance and attitude. "A lot of the anger from punk rock — like the disparity of wealth, for instance, is here," he says. "Five minutes down the road, you've got people throwing away a million on the roll of a dice. But you've also got people who are doing like three jobs just trying to pay their rent." 

Over at the Punk Rock Museum, Morat, who moved from Los Angeles to Vegas about seven  years ago, is keeping busy booking big-name guests to share inspirations and war stories, both weekly, and specifically timed with whatever big festival or event happens to be in town. He says he wants to feature artists that might not be thought of as traditional punk rock, but who have relevant backgrounds and stories to share. 

"A lot of these people have punk history the public doesn’t know about," he says. "I think if we just stick to a very small well of people, it's going to get pretty boring. So I'm trying to open it up for a bigger cross-section." 

*Imagery from "Black Punk Now" | Ed Marshall*

The museum is already showing the breadth of punk rock’s influence on music in general. During WWWY, the museum held events tied to its new exhibit "Black Punk Now," curated by James Spooner, director of the 2003 documentary Afro-Punk. As Spooner spoke about the film’s 20th anniversary and his new book of Black punk authors, musicians playing the weekend’s festivities from Sum 41, MxPx, Bayside, Less Than Jake came through to talk too. Warped Tour’s Kevin Lyman and Fat Mike himself also took part in the museum’s new after-dark guided tour series.

Bringing in a wider audience and a new generation of rebellious kids who seek to channel their angst and energy into music is part of what the museum — and, it seems, the myriad of events in Las Vegas these days — is all about. Despite what some punk rock purists and gatekeepers might say, the inclusion of tangent bands and scenes is in the original punk spirit. He’ll be booking guests tied to next year’s Sick New World, the Viva Las Vegas rockabilly bash and even EDC in the future (electronic bangers are not unlike hardcore ones and even Moby was a punk before he became a DJ). 

"I think that the museum is great for the punk scene here," he adds. "People will literally come to town just to see the museum, and then if there's a band playing in town in the evening, they'll go. So it's broadening the support for all the bands, local and touring. Some punk bands used to skip Vegas completely on their tours, but not anymore." 

Remembering When We Were Young: Avril Lavigne, Jimmy Eat World & More Bands Reflect On The Peak Of Emo & Hardcore Ahead Of Vegas Fest

GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016
Kendrick Lamar

Photo: Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

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GRAMMY Rewind: Kendrick Lamar Honors Hip-Hop's Greats While Accepting Best Rap Album GRAMMY For 'To Pimp a Butterfly' In 2016

Upon winning the GRAMMY for Best Rap Album for 'To Pimp a Butterfly,' Kendrick Lamar thanked those that helped him get to the stage, and the artists that blazed the trail for him.

GRAMMYs/Oct 13, 2023 - 06:01 pm

Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

Looking for more GRAMMYs news? The 2024 GRAMMY nominations are here!

He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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