After two-and-a-half decades as a band, funk-jam heroes Lettuce have been nominated for their first career GRAMMY Award for the aptly named Elevate. Their groove-heavy, uplifting, experimental and fun fifth stretches their improvisation-infused sound to new heights on it's way to a nomination in the Best Contemporary Instrumental Album category.

We tracked down Lettuce's versatile and enthusiastic drummer Adam Deitch to hear about the band's experience working with the great Russ Elavado (D'Angelo, Alicia Keys) on Elevate, how the band came to cover Tears For Fears' "Everybody Wants To Rule The World" in a new way, what they do to cool out off-stage on the road and more...

Congrats on the nomination! What was your reaction when you found out? Do you remember where you were?

I was in my tour bus and I got a call from our manager, Hillary, and she was just like, "Have you looked at your phone yet?" And I said, "No," and she starts screaming, and I immediately just woke up and I was just completely excited. And it felt, I couldn't even believe it. I still can't. It's a lifelong dream and to get nominated with my best friends and guys I've been together for over 25 years making music with it's pretty special.

And I also want to send a shout out to everyone else in the category because I checked it out and it's a lot of our friends and homies so we're just super excited for them as well. For Mark Guiliana and Christian Scott and all their bands and people that they play with. We're just stoked to be in a category with them as well.

At this point in your career, what does it mean for Elevate, specifically, to be recognized in this way?

Well, we put so much into this and into writing and to recording it, and we put so much into the band itself that getting this gives us such a boost emotionally, spiritually, everything. And my parents are both musicians, they both went to Berklee College of Music, they both play drums. They both are huge supports of this band, so for them to experience this, having their son being nominated, it's just incredible for the whole family. It's a complete honor and a shock.

And also having the idea to get Russ Elevado involved with this record and reaching out to him, him saying yes, I think that was just a huge part of it and a huge part of the sound of this record and why it got nominated.

Can you talk a little bit about the making of Elevate?

We have a studio in Colorado. Our guitar player and his wife were pregnant, and he wanted to record it in Colorado to be near his wife, obviously, and we found the spot Colorado Sound that was cool and we heard that D'Angelo had recorded their once or something like that so we're like "Okay, cool, we'll record it and we'll bring Russ here." And we were all nervous, so none of us had met him and we all idolized him because he's done so much as far as working with all these people. So we were excited and he got in and he just was so cool and so zen, and once we started recording, everything just flowed. And before you know it we had 30 songs tracked in maybe four or five days.

<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style><div class='embed-container'><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed//txh1Era6jO8' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

Wow, that's prolific.

It was pretty wild.

I'd love to ask you about a couple of tracks in particular. "Krewe," do you remember putting that together in the studio?

We ran that down maybe, it might have been a first take or maybe a second take, and we have been playing "Krewe" live at our shows for a little while prior to recording it, and so we had a good feeling about it. It was sort of just a dedication to like our crew like just that we all were always together, we were always writing together, making music together, so it just flowed then. It just had a vibe and also it has that sort of like almost like a break-dancing feel to it, it's sort of like a beat boy feeling to it. So we definitely were thinking about that as we were recording it and as we cut it.

So do you always track live as a group?

As a group. All of us. That's how we do it. It feels good, it feels right and we want it to feel like the show, have that excitement of hearing people and allowing for that improvisation, that little middle of the tune, that part that just starts happening. We need to have everyone together for that. So we got everybody set up and recording at the same time.

Maybe you can talk a little about your approach to improvisation. It's is one of those things that's kind of hard to put words to, but as a band that's been playing together and friends have been playing together all this time, do you have an philosophy for building an improvisational section of a song or do you guys really not talk about it and kind of let it come?

Cool. Yeah, we definitely have a shared vision of improvisation and basically like it comes down to the guitar player and the bass player, [bassist Erick] "Jesus" [Coomes] and [guitarist Adam] Smirnoff. The way that they come up with like a different line, like a different baseline or like a really funky new guitar part over the beat that I'm playing. And then it just starts happening we're like, "Oh, here we go. They've thought of something new again," and the horns all hear that and they'll sing something to each other right into each other's ears and then come in with a brand new horn part that's like perfect.

And [keyboardist] Nigel [Hall] is always so fast with the keyboards and like hearing what we're doing and adding to that. So it's up to me to just kind of keep the groove solid and let the guys come up with something that's new and that really sparks us and makes us excited, especially when that's happening live or it's happening in the studio we get really excited and the song takes on a sort of a new meaning as it goes. It feels like you're in the now, it feels like it's happening right now. So we enjoy that.

I want to ask you about the really cool re-imagination of [Tears For Fears'] "Everybody Wants To Rule The World." How did you guys gravitate towards that song and put together your version of it?

I think it was like one of the first times I got to hang out with Nigel I think. He had just come into our possie a couple of years ago and he and I were in a room with a Fender Rhodes and a drum set and then we just started playing man. And I don't know if I had the idea or he had the idea but we said, let's mess with this old '80s tune which has a great melody, the Tears for Fears tune, and let's just throw a little like kind of hip-hop go-go. He's from D.C. and there's this huge funky go-go scene in D.C. that's been around for years since the '80s late seventies.

<style>.embed-container { position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%; height: 0; overflow: hidden; max-width: 100%; } .embed-container iframe, .embed-container object, .embed-container embed { position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; }</style><div class='embed-container'><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed//YoucrL3-ZoM' frameborder='0' allowfullscreen></iframe></div>

So we wanted to throw like a sort of hip-hop go-go beat in place of the original beat but keep the melody and have Nigel sing it. And we just started messing with the arrangement and we played it a couple times and put it to bed and then we played it again once, then we put it to bed and then all of a sudden it came time for the record. [We said], "Let's record that version and see how it goes," and it's become a staple of our set now. People love to sing along to it, it's just one of those songs.

Yeah it's such a familiar song and melody, but your version is so fresh man.

I appreciate that man. Thank you.

Can you tell us about your experience with Marcus on "Love is Too Strong"?

Marcus has been coming up on the scene for a while and he's young and we just see something special in him. Obviously he's his own man, but he's got this young Stevie Ray Vaughan thing happening that is just so undeniable and he's so cool. We just got along. He loves the funk. He's in this beautiful place of just music and lights and we just got along with him. So we had this idea to bring him in, and he was in Denver one night and doing a show at his band and I went to hang out with him and he was giving money to a homeless person outside the club. And she was so nice, she was this old lady, "Oh thank you so much," and he goes, "Don't worry baby...". He goes something like, "Love is too strong. They can't keep us apart". He said something like that to her and I said, "What'd you say to her?" He goes, I said, "Love's too strong," so I said, "That's a tune, that's a title!"

I'm always thinking, I'm always in writing mode no matter where I'm at. And so I said, "we've got to write this tune 'Love Is Too Strong," and I said, "I have this instrumental that me and the guitar player, Smirnoff, we had this instrumental kicking around on my computer for about five, six, seven years, and I sent it to them and I said, "Remember that 'Love is Too Strong.' however you want to say it?" And he came back with the lyrics and the melody and it was just done. It was ready to go and we just had to cut it.

That's a great story. You probably get asked this a lot, but who are some of your drum heroes and bandleader heroes?

Oh man. I mean, for one, I grew up listening to Herbie Hancock and George Benson and so Harvey Mason is like basically— him and Steve Gadd are two of the biggest drummers to me ever. They've played live with so many people, they've recorded with so many people, they made so many solo records on their own, so they're huge influences of mine. I'm also a huge fan of Dennis Chambers who was like with Santana for a while. He's like one of the greats of all time. And James Brown's drummers, Clyde Stubblefield and John "Jabo" Starks like the origin of funk. Like, Zigaboo Modeliste from The Meters. Like these guys invented the genre. Bernard Purdie. Nobody had played funk before these guys like that. So they're the kind of guys that forever inspiration and what they've done and we're forever thankful for what they've done, for the style of music that we play and just inspiring us to write and create.

Lettuce has a ton of touring coming up in the States and Europe. What can people who've never been expect from a Lettuce show, and do you have anything special planned for your 2020 shows?

I mean yeah, we're definitely trying to build Europe a little more this year and our friends from Snarky Puppy and Ghost-Note, they go to Europe a lot. And they call me from over there and they're like, "They're playing Lettuce in the club again. They want to hear Lettuce. They need you guys out here," that kind of stuff. So we're going to do like this three-week tour now and we're excited for that. We're definitely excited to build that. And we're going to be doing some more festivals in the States, some of the really cool like sort of funky fests that are out there and just kind of building both. Building Europe and building the States and hopefully get back to Japan. We're just trying to cover all bases and get this record heard.

And as far as what people can expect from our show, it's like it's raw and you're going to hear the songs from the records, but you're also going to hear in the middle of the song, you're going to hear some new stuff like a new riff or a new idea might spark us and push us somewhere else. So, it's always going to stay funky. I'm always going to keep it funky, but you can definitely expect the music to cater to the now and to the experience that the person is at. So we're excited to just like go out there and now we just play the songs and play Elevate, but expand upon it.

Outside of music, what do you guys do to cool out when you're on the road?

Right on. Yeah, I mean, we're super into healthy food. That's our vibe right now. The horn section they're both like amazing chefs. They could both cook incredible. So we like just eating healthy and eating smoothies and really trying to like better ourselves and not just beat ourselves up on the road. And we take care of each other. Like we play ping-pong. There's a ping pong table around me and the guitar player will go at it. Adam is like, "I used to be the best ping pong player in the band and now I'm getting beat all the time so I got to up my skills." We all love basketball. So it's like if there's a game on, a good game we'll all watch it and check it out. But most of the time we just, we're in music mode.

Meet The First-Time Nominee: Gregory Alan Isakov On 'Evening Machines,' Songwriting, Farming & More

Spanish singer/songwriter Borja is on a mission to bring romance back to Latin pop music. 

Borja's sentimental outlook colors his debut album, Rimas Del Verbo Amar, which helped him garner his very first Latin GRAMMY nomination. At the 24th Latin GRAMMYs, Borja is the sole artist from Spain in the Best New Artist category.

Borja is nominated alongside Conexión Divina, Ana Del Castillo, Natascha Falcão, Gale, Paola Guanche, Joaquina, Leon Leiden, Maréh and Timø.

"To be nominated feels like a dream come true," Borja tells GRAMMY.com. "It's something I've thought about all my life. It's something I've been working on for years and for it to suddenly happen is like, Wow, we can truly make things happen if we work hard and we dream hard enough."

Before releasing his debut LP in May, Borja spent the past few years getting his bearings in the industry. He graduated from the Berklee College of Music in 2018 with a degree in music business, and also worked with GRAMMY and Latin GRAMMY-winning producer Julio Reyes Copello at Art House Studios in Miami. Borja later cowrote songs for acts like Reik, Lasso, Marco Mares, and Nicole Zignago — all of whom have previously been nominated for Best New Artist.

Borja was also releasing music under his own name, including the breathtaking ballad "Aire," the flamenco-infused "Tu Cuarto," and the trap-lite track "TBB" featuring Peruvian artist Sergi. Not only is he wearing his heart on his sleeve, but he is also pushing that Latine pop that he grew up on into the future. Borja injects a bit of rock angst with his guitar in-hand in his breakup anthems "Amigos" and "Ódiame Si Quieres." 

The 12-track album captures all the emotions that love can spark. "I think romantic pop is great. At the end of the day, we all feel the same things," he reflects. "It's not only focused on the beautiful side of things. It talks about being vulnerable, knowing that it doesn't always happen like you expected and that's fine."

Borja will also be performing at the Latin GRAMMYs on Nov. 16 in Seville, Spain. He and a few other Best New Artist contenders this year will be joined by Colombian icon Juanes, who won the award in 2001. Ahead of the ceremony, Borja talked with GRAMMY.com about his first Latin GRAMMY nomination, his breakthrough year, and how he is redefining Latin pop. 

Did starting out as a songwriter help you in your journey to becoming an artist?

I've learned a lot. I started in the studio watching Julio Reyes Copello, who is one of the most important producers, recording with artists like Marc Anthony and Will Smith. I remember one time Bad Bunny came to the studio and I was like, “Wow!” I was listening in and trying to learn. And then I moved onto songwriting with Reik, Lasso, Marco Mares, and Nicole Zignago, who are a bunch of artists that I really like. I got to learn from being able to see other artists do their craft before I was doing mine. 

Is there any advice that you got from your songwriting sessions that stuck with you?

You can always learn from anyone. If you allow yourself to be vulnerable in the studio and honest, you learn so much by just doing that exercise. There's many lessons, but one of them I remember is from Gian Marco, who is Nicole's father and an amazing artist. He told me, “Every song you put out has to be a whole universe. Take care of the music." I think that's very important to respect the music you're making and make it into a whole universe.

How would you describe the experience of transitioning from songwriter into becoming an artist?

It was really easy in the sense that my dream and my final goal has always been this. It was really natural. It's definitely different because you're putting yourself at the forefront. 

Even if no one was listening to me, I would still do music and I would still write with people because it's what I love doing. It's been a bit more work having to do both things. But at the time, it's what I always wanted.

On top of that, you're also navigating the music industry as an independent artist. 

That makes me really proud because I've had to learn about how everything works. I have a great team, but obviously a smaller team. We don't have 25 to 30 people helping us with the music video shoots, licensing, clearance, and all of that music business side. It's definitely a lot more work, but at the same time, I feel like I grow a lot more.

**What was the inspiration for your debut album Rimas Del Verbo Amar?**

Rimas Del Verbo Amar is like my baby. It's really important in that sense that I was writing for it for almost the past six years. The first song is from 2017 and the last one is from 2023. It's been amazing to see how I've been able to grow as a person and as a musician. And my songs have stayed relevant for me; a good song is a song that is always going to be relevant. 

The album really talks about the experience of love — giving love and receiving love — but in every angle. It's not only focused on the beautiful side of things. It talks about being vulnerable, knowing that it doesn't always happen like you expected and that's fine. Not everything is meant to be forever and that's okay. It touches on all the areas that I've been learning about. 

How are you reviving romantic pop on this album?

What I'm trying to do is keep the essence of the old pop, from like the 2000s, but at the same time, I'm trying to mix it with the new sounds. Maybe make it a bit fresher with new production. Maybe the songs are a little bit shorter now. That's a challenge now because you have fewer words to say the same thing. That's my interpretation of what pop should be nowadays. 

I think romantic pop is great. At the end of the day, we all feel the same things during life, like, no one can really escape that. [Laughs.]  Sooner or later, we are all going to go through similar situations. Love is universal. Love is everywhere. Love is in music and in relationships with your family, your friends, your loved ones. That's really important to me and I try to put that a lot in my music. 

How did you feel to see your song "Rimas Del Verbo Amar" cross one million streams on Spotify?

It's the first song on my project that has done that. It's funny because it's a really simple song in a sense that it's just piano and vocals. But that comes to show you that many times, if it's done well and if it's saying the right words, it connects with people. That was really important for me to see that people connected to the song even though it was a really intimate little song.

You worked with previous Best New Artist nominees Vale on the song "Terco." What is the story behind that collaboration? 

I love the girls. They are so talented. I met them two years ago in Miami because we were doing a songwriting session with them and with Marco Mares. It was a great vibe from the start. We wrote that song, we went out to dinner, and we just had a great time. Then nothing happened with the song for a while. 

That happens sometimes with songs, they just fall behind a little bit, and you don't know what to make of it. I just grabbed the song and I started producing it myself. Once I got it to a point where I really liked it, I called Andrés Saavedra. I was like, "When I bring the girls onto it, I think it will be a cute pop romantic ballad." That song was really special to make.

What's the response been like to this album where you are opening your heart in your songs?

It's been great. I always say when someone who follows my music or a fan writes to me to explain their whole story based on my song, that's like my GRAMMY. The other day a guy from Colombia wrote to me, "I found your music and it just so happens that I'm in a long distance relationship with my girlfriend. I haven't seen her in like a year. We're going to reunite in Barcelona and for our anniversary, I want to dedicate your song to her." To know that you can have that kind of impact, it means everything. 

How do you feel to represent Spain in the Best New Artist category?

It feels amazing! Obviously, it's the first year the Latin GRAMMYs are happening in Spain. I'm the only Spanish nominee in the Best New Artist category, so it's like a double prize for me. There's a lot of talent in Spain who maybe sometimes don't have the opportunity to come abroad to the U.S. or Latin America. For this to be in Spain, makes me super proud and for me to be representing Spain in this category makes me even prouder. 

You attended the Latin GRAMMYs before in 2021 to support Marco Mares and last year to support Nicole Zignago. What do those previous Best New Artist nominees think of your nomination?

We were super excited. When my nomination came out, we called each other because we studied together at Berklee in Boston, so we used to talk about being nominated for Best New Artist. We used to dream of it and joke about it. It happened that all three of us have been nominated. It was amazing to talk with them and be like, "Wow, look what we've done."

What can you tell us about performance at the ceremony this year?

I'm going to be doing two performances. The first one will be at the Best New Artist showcase. This is a little secret, but we're going to be doing a little medley of my songs. It's going to be super cute. We're rehearsing for it. On the day of the gala, we're singing with Juanes. I think that's going to be super special. 

Who do you want to collaborate with in the future?

Alejandro Sanz would be amazing, and also Pablo Alborán. I think Pablo is one of the best voices in Spain. He has such massive control over his voice. His songwriting is amazing. Working with Pablo would be a dream.

What do you want to achieve with your music?

Just for people to be able to connect with their feelings. I think it's very important to be honest about what we feel. I feel that maybe if someone listens to my music, they might be able to connect with that and do that.

2023 Latin GRAMMYs: See The Complete Nominations List

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. 

10 Essential Facts To Know About GRAMMY-Winning Rapper J. Cole

It's rare that a genre can be traced back to a single artist or group, but for funk, that was James Brown. The Godfather of Soul coined the phrase and style of playing known as "on the one," where the first downbeat is emphasized, instead of the typical second and fourth beats in pop, soul and other styles. As David Cheal eloquently explains, playing on the one "left space for phrases and riffs, often syncopated around the beat, creating an intricate, interlocking grid which could go on and on." You know a funky bassline when you hear it; its fat chords beg your body to get up and groove.

Brown's 1965 classic, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," became one of the first funk hits, and has been endlessly sampled and covered over the years, along with his other groovy tracks. Of course, many other funk acts followed in the '60s, and the genre thrived in the '70s and '80s as the disco craze came and went, and the originators of hip-hop and house music created new music from funk and disco's strong, flexible bones built for dancing.

Legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins learned the power of the one from playing in Brown's band, and brought it to George Clinton, who created P-funk, an expansive, Afrofuturistic, psychedelic exploration of funk with his various bands and projects, including Parliament-Funkadelic. Both Collins and Clinton remain active and funkin', and have offered their timeless grooves to collabs with younger artists, including Kali Uchis, Silk Sonic, and Omar Apollo; and Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat, respectively.

In the 1980s, electro-funk was born when artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Man Parrish, and Egyptian Lover began making futuristic beats with the Roland TR-808 drum machine — often with robotic vocals distorted through a talk box. A key distinguishing factor of electro-funk is a de-emphasis on vocals, with more phrases than choruses and verses. The sound influenced contemporaneous hip-hop, funk and electronica, along with acts around the globe, while current acts like Chromeo, DJ Stingray, and even Egyptian Lover himself keep electro-funk alive and well.

Today, funk lives in many places, with its heavy bass and syncopated grooves finding way into many nooks and crannies of music. There's nu-disco and boogie funk, nodding back to disco bands with soaring vocals and dance floor-designed instrumentation. G-funk continues to influence Los Angeles hip-hop, with innovative artists like Dam-Funk and Channel Tres bringing the funk and G-funk, into electro territory. Funk and disco-centered '70s revival is definitely having a moment, with acts like Ghost Funk Orchestra and Parcels, while its sparkly sprinklings can be heard in pop from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, and, in full "Soul Train" character, Silk Sonic. There are also acts making dreamy, atmospheric music with a solid dose of funk, such as Khruangbin’s global sonic collage.

There are many bands that play heavily with funk, creating lush grooves designed to get you moving. Read on for a taste of five current modern funk and nu-disco artists making band-led uptempo funk built for the dance floor. Be sure to press play on the Spotify playlist above, and check out GRAMMY.com's playlist on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Pandora.

Say She She

Aptly self-described as "discodelic soul," Brooklyn-based seven-piece Say She She make dreamy, operatic funk, led by singer-songwriters Nya Gazelle Brown, Piya Malik and Sabrina Mileo Cunningham. Their '70s girl group-inspired vocal harmonies echo, sooth and enchant as they cover poignant topics with feminist flair.

While they’ve been active in the New York scene for a few years, they’ve gained wider acclaim for the irresistible music they began releasing this year, including their debut album, Prism. Their 2022 debut single "Forget Me Not" is an ode to ground-breaking New York art collective Guerilla Girls, and "Norma" is their protest anthem in response to the news that Roe vs. Wade could be (and was) overturned. The band name is a nod to funk legend Nile Rodgers, from the "Le freak, c'est chi" exclamation in Chic's legendary tune "Le Freak."

Moniquea

Moniquea's unique voice oozes confidence, yet invites you in to dance with her to the super funky boogie rhythms. The Pasadena, California artist was raised on funk music; her mom was in a cover band that would play classics like Aretha Franklin’s "Get It Right" and Gladys Knight’s "Love Overboard." Moniquea released her first boogie funk track at 20 and, in 2011, met local producer XL Middelton — a bonafide purveyor of funk. She's been a star artist on his MoFunk Records ever since, and they've collabed on countless tracks, channeling West Coast energy with a heavy dose of G-funk, sunny lyrics and upbeat, roller disco-ready rhythms.

Her latest release is an upbeat nod to classic West Coast funk, produced by Middleton, and follows her February 2022 groovy, collab-filled album, On Repeat.

Shiro Schwarz

Shiro Schwarz is a Mexico City-based duo, consisting of Pammela Rojas and Rafael Marfil, who helped establish a modern funk scene in the richly creative Mexican metropolis. On "Electrify" — originally released in 2016 on Fat Beats Records and reissued in 2021 by MoFunk — Shiro Schwarz's vocals playfully contrast each other, floating over an insistent, upbeat bassline and an '80s throwback electro-funk rhythm with synth flourishes.

Their music manages to be both nostalgic and futuristic — and impossible to sit still to. 2021 single "Be Kind" is sweet, mellow and groovy, perfect chic lounge funk. Shiro Schwarz’s latest track, the joyfully nostalgic "Hey DJ," is a collab with funkstress Saucy Lady and U-Key.

L'Impératrice

L'Impératrice (the empress in French) are a six-piece Parisian group serving an infectiously joyful blend of French pop, nu-disco, funk and psychedelia. Flore Benguigui's vocals are light and dreamy, yet commanding of your attention, while lyrics have a feminist touch.

During their energetic live sets, L'Impératrice members Charles de Boisseguin and Hagni Gwon (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), and Tom Daveau (drums) deliver extended instrumental jam sessions to expand and connect their music. Gaugué emphasizes the thick funky bass, and Benguigui jumps around the stage while sounding like an angel. L’Impératrice’s latest album, 2021’s Tako Tsubo, is a sunny, playful French disco journey.

Franc Moody

Franc Moody's bio fittingly describes their music as "a soul funk and cosmic disco sound." The London outfit was birthed by friends Ned Franc and Jon Moody in the early 2010s, when they were living together and throwing parties in North London's warehouse scene. In 2017, the group grew to six members, including singer and multi-instrumentalist Amber-Simone.

Their music feels at home with other electro-pop bands like fellow Londoners Jungle and Aussie act Parcels. While much of it is upbeat and euphoric, Franc Moody also dips into the more chilled, dreamy realm, such as the vibey, sultry title track from their recently released Into the Ether.

The Rise Of Underground House: How Artists Like Fisher & Acraze Have Taken Tech House, Other Electronic Genres From Indie To EDC

Living Legends is a series that spotlights icons in music still going strong today. This week, GRAMMY.com spoke with Billy Idol about his latest EP,  Cage, and continuing to rock through decades of changing tastes.

Billy Idol is a true rock 'n' roll survivor who has persevered through cultural shifts and personal struggles. While some may think of Idol solely for "Rebel Yell" and "White Wedding," the singer's musical influences span genres and many of his tunes are less turbo-charged than his '80s hits would belie.  

Idol first made a splash in the latter half of the '70s with the British punk band Generation X. In the '80s, he went on to a solo career combining rock, pop, and punk into a distinct sound that transformed him and his musical partner, guitarist Steve Stevens, into icons. They have racked up multiple GRAMMY nominations, in addition to one gold, one double platinum, and four platinum albums thanks to hits like "Cradle Of Love," "Flesh For Fantasy," and "Eyes Without A Face." 

But, unlike many legacy artists, Idol is anything but a relic. Billy continues to produce vital Idol music by collaborating with producers and songwriters — including Miley Cyrus — who share his forward-thinking vision. He will play a five-show Vegas residency in November, and filmmaker Jonas Akerlund is working on a documentary about Idol’s life. 

His latest release is Cage, the second in a trilogy of annual four-song EPs. The title track is a classic Billy Idol banger expressing the desire to free himself from personal constraints and live a better life. Other tracks on Cage incorporate metallic riffing and funky R&B grooves. 

Idol continues to reckon with his demons — they both grappled with addiction during the '80s — and the singer is open about those struggles on the record and the page. (Idol's 2014 memoir Dancing With Myself, details a 1990 motorcycle accident that nearly claimed a leg, and how becoming a father steered him to reject hard drugs. "Bitter Taste," from his last EP, The Roadside, reflects on surviving the accident.)

Although Idol and Stevens split in the late '80s — the skilled guitarist fronted Steve Stevens & The Atomic Playboys, and collaborated with Michael Jackson, Rick Ocasek, Vince Neil, and Harold Faltermeyer (on the GRAMMY-winning "Top Gun Anthem") —  their common history and shared musical bond has been undeniable. The duo reunited in 2001 for an episode of "VH1 Storytellers" and have been back in the saddle for two decades. Their union remains one of the strongest collaborations in rock 'n roll history.

While there is recognizable personnel and a distinguishable sound throughout a lot of his work, Billy Idol has always pushed himself to try different things. Idol discusses his musical journey, his desire to constantly move forward, and the strong connection that he shares with Stevens. 

Steve has said that you like to mix up a variety of styles, yet everyone assumes you're the "Rebel Yell"/"White Wedding" guy. But if they really listen to your catalog, it's vastly different.

Yeah, that's right. With someone like Steve Stevens, and then back in the day Keith Forsey producing... [Before that] Generation X actually did move around inside punk rock. We didn't stay doing just the Ramones two-minute music. We actually did a seven-minute song. [Laughs]. We did always mix things up. 

Then when I got into my solo career, that was the fun of it. With someone like Steve, I knew what he could do. I could see whatever we needed to do, we could nail it. The world was my oyster musically. 

"Cage" is a classic-sounding Billy Idol rocker, then "Running From The Ghost" is almost metal, like what the Devil's Playground album was like back in the mid-2000s. "Miss Nobody" comes out of nowhere with this pop/R&B flavor. What inspired that?

We really hadn't done anything like that since something like "Flesh For Fantasy" [which] had a bit of an R&B thing about it. Back in the early days of Billy Idol, "Hot In The City" and "Mony Mony" had girls [singing] on the backgrounds. 

We always had a bit of R&B really, so it was actually fun to revisit that. We just hadn't done anything really quite like that for a long time. That was one of the reasons to work with someone like Sam Hollander [for the song "Rita Hayworth"] on The Roadside. We knew we could go [with him] into an R&B world, and he's a great songwriter and producer. That's the fun of music really, trying out these things and seeing if you can make them stick. 

I listen to new music by veteran artists and debate that with some people. I'm sure you have those fans that want their nostalgia, and then there are some people who will embrace the newer stuff. Do you find it’s a challenge to reach people with new songs?

Obviously, what we're looking for is, how do we somehow have one foot in the past and one foot into the future? We’ve got the best of all possible worlds because that has been the modus operandi of Billy Idol. 

You want to do things that are true to you, and you don't just want to try and do things that you're seeing there in the charts today. I think that we're achieving it with things like "Running From The Ghost" and "Cage" on this new EP. I think we’re managing to do both in a way. 

**Obviously, "Running From The Ghost" is about addiction, all the stuff that you went through, and in "Cage" you’re talking about  freeing yourself from a lot of personal shackles. Was there any one moment in your life that made you really thought I have to not let this weigh me down anymore?**

I mean, things like the motorcycle accident I had, that was a bit of a wake up call way back. It was 32 years ago. But there were things like that, years ago, that gradually made me think about what I was doing with my life. I didn't want to ruin it, really. I didn't want to throw it away, and it made [me] be less cavalier. 

I had to say to myself, about the drugs and stuff, that I've been there and I've done it. There’s no point in carrying on doing it. You couldn't get any higher. You didn't want to throw your life away casually, and I was close to doing that. It took me a bit of time, but then gradually I was able to get control of myself to a certain extent [with] drugs and everything. And I think Steve's done the same thing. We're on a similar path really, which has been great because we're in the same boat in terms of lyrics and stuff. 

So a lot of things like that were wake up calls. Even having grandchildren and just watching my daughter enlarging her family and everything; it just makes you really positive about things and want to show a positive side to how you're feeling, about where you're going. We've lived with the demons so long, we've found a way to live with them. We found a way to be at peace with our demons, in a way. Maybe not completely, but certainly to where we’re enjoying what we do and excited about it.

[When writing] "Running From The Ghost" it was easy to go, what was the ghost for us? At one point, we were very drug addicted in the '80s. And Steve in particular is super sober [now]. I mean, I still vape pot and stuff. I don’t know how he’s doing it, but it’s incredible. All I want to be able to do is have a couple of glasses of wine at a restaurant or something. I can do that now.

I think working with people that are super talented, you just feel confident. That is a big reason why you open up and express yourself more because you feel comfortable with what's around you.

Did you watch Danny Boyle's recent Sex Pistols mini-series?

I did, yes.

You had a couple of cameos; well, an actor who portrayed you did. How did you react to it? How accurate do you think it was in portraying that particular time period?

I love Jonesy’s book, I thought his book was incredible. It's probably one of the best bio books really. It was incredible and so open. I was looking forward to that a lot.

It was as if [the show] kind of stayed with Steve [Jones’ memoir] about halfway through, and then departed from it. [John] Lydon, for instance, was never someone I ever saw acting out; he's more like that today. I never saw him do something like jump up in the room and run around going crazy. The only time I saw him ever do that was when they signed the recording deal with Virgin in front of Buckingham Palace. Whereas Sid Vicious was always acting out; he was always doing something in a horrible way or shouting at someone. I don't remember John being like that. I remember him being much more introverted.

But then I watched interviews with some of the actors about coming to grips with the parts they were playing. And they were saying, we knew punk rock happened but just didn't know any of the details. So I thought well, there you go. If ["Pistol" is]  informing a lot of people who wouldn't know anything about punk rock, maybe that's what's good about it.

Maybe down the road John Lydon will get the chance to do John's version of the Pistols story. Maybe someone will go a lot deeper into it and it won't be so surface. But maybe you needed this just to get people back in the flow.

We had punk and metal over here in the States, but it feels like England it was legitimately more dangerous. British society was much more rigid.

It never went [as] mega in America. It went big in England. It exploded when the Pistols did that interview with [TV host Bill] Grundy, that lorry truck driver put his boot through his own TV, and all the national papers had "the filth and the fury" [headlines].

We went from being unknown to being known overnight. We waited a year, Generation X. We even told them [record labels] no for nine months to a year. Every record company wanted their own punk rock group. So it went really mega in England, and it affected the whole country – the style, the fashions, everything. I mean, the Ramones were massive in England. Devo had a No. 1 song [in England] with "Satisfaction" in '77. Actually, Devo was as big as or bigger than the Pistols.

You were ahead of the pop-punk thing that happened in the late '90s, and a lot of it became tongue-in-cheek by then. It didn't have the same sense of rebelliousness as the original movement. It was more pop.

It had become a style. There was a famous book in England called Revolt Into Style — and that's what had happened, a revolt that turned into style which then they were able to duplicate in their own way. Even recently, Billie Joe [Armstrong] did his own version of "Gimme Some Truth," the Lennon song we covered way back in 1977.

When we initially were making [punk] music, it hadn't become accepted yet. It was still dangerous and turned into a style that people were used to. We were still breaking barriers.

You have a band called Generation Sex with Steve Jones and Paul Cook. I assume you all have an easier time playing Pistols and Gen X songs together now and not worrying about getting spit on like back in the '70s?

Yeah, definitely. When I got to America I told the group I was putting it together, "No one spits at the audience."

We had five years of being spat on [in the UK], and it was revolting. And they spat at you if they liked you. If they didn't like it they smashed your gear up. One night, I remember I saw blood on my T-shirt, and I think Joe Strummer got meningitis when spit went in his mouth.

You had to go through a lot to become successful, it wasn't like you just kind of got up there and did a couple of gigs. I don't think some young rock bands really get that today.

With punk going so mega in England, we definitely got a leg up. We still had a lot of work to get where we got to, and rightly so because you find out that you need to do that. A lot of groups in the old days would be together three to five years before they ever made a record, and that time is really important. In a way, what was great about punk rock for me was it was very much a learning period. I really learned a lot [about] recording music and being in a group and even writing songs.

Then when I came to America, it was a flow, really. I also really started to know what I wanted Billy Idol to be. It took me a little bit, but I kind of knew what I wanted Billy Idol to be. And even that took a while to let it marinate.

You and Miley Cyrus have developed a good working relationship in the last several years. How do you think her fans have responded to you, and your fans have responded to her?

I think they're into it. It's more the record company that she had didn't really get "Night Crawling"— it was one of the best songs on Plastic Hearts, and I don't think they understood that. They wanted to go with Dua Lipa, they wanted to go with the modern, young acts, and I don't think they realized that that song was resonating with her fans. Which is a shame really because, with Andrew Watt producing, it's a hit song.

But at the same time, I enjoyed doing it. It came out really good and it's very Billy Idol. In fact, I think it’s more Billy Idol than Miley Cyrus. I think it shows you where Andrew Watt was. He was excited about doing a Billy Idol track. She's fun to work with. She’s a really great person and she works at her singing — I watched her rehearsing for the Super Bowl performance she gave. She rehearsed all Saturday morning, all Saturday afternoon, and Sunday morning and it was that afternoon. I have to admire her fortitude. She really cares.

I remember when you went on "Viva La Bam" back in 2005 and decided to give Bam Margera’s Lamborghini a new sunroof by taking a power saw to it. Did he own that car? Was that a rental?

I think it was his car.

Did he get over it later on?

He loved it. [Laughs] He’s got a wacky sense of humor. He’s fantastic, actually. I’m really sorry to see what he's been going through just lately. He's going through a lot, and I wish him the best. He's a fantastic person, and it's a shame that he's struggling so much with his addictions. I know what it's like. It's not easy.

Musically, what is the synergy like with you guys during the past 10 years, doing Kings and Queens of the Underground and this new stuff? What is your working relationship like now in this more sober, older, mature version of you two as opposed to what it was like back in the '80s?

In lots of ways it’s not so different because we always wrote the songs together, we always talked about what we're going to do together. It was just that we were getting high at the same time.We're just not getting [that way now] but we're doing all the same things.

We're still talking about things, still [planning] things:What are we going to do next? How are we going to find new people to work with? We want to find new producers. Let's be a little bit more timely about putting stuff out.That part of our relationship is the same, you know what I mean? That never got affected. We just happened to be overloading in the '80s.

The relationship’s… matured and it's carrying on being fruitful, and I think that's pretty amazing. Really, most people don't get to this place. Usually, they hate each other by now. [Laughs] We also give each other space. We're not stopping each other doing things outside of what we’re working on together. All of that enables us to carry on working together. I love and admire him. I respect him. He's been fantastic. I mean, just standing there on stage with him is always a treat. And he’s got an immensely great sense of humor. I think that's another reason why we can hang together after all this time because we've got the sense of humor to enable us to go forward.

There's a lot of fan reaction videos online, and I noticed a lot of younger women like "Rebel Yell" because, unlike a lot of other '80s alpha male rock tunes, you're talking about satisfying your lover.

It was about my girlfriend at the time, Perri Lister. It was about how great I thought she was, how much I was in love with her, and how great women are, how powerful they are.

It was a bit of a feminist anthem in a weird way. It was all about how relationships can free you and add a lot to your life. It was a cry of love, nothing to do with the Civil War or anything like that. Perri was a big part of my life, a big part of being Billy Idol. I wanted to write about it. I'm glad that's the effect.

Is there something you hope people get out of the songs you've been doing over the last 10 years? Do you find yourself putting out a message that keeps repeating?

Well, I suppose, if anything, is that you can come to terms with your life, you can keep a hold of it. You can work your dreams into reality in a way and, look, a million years later, still be enjoying it.

The only reason I'm singing about getting out of the cage is because I kicked out of the cage years ago. I joined Generation X when I said to my parents, "I'm leaving university, and I'm joining a punk rock group." And they didn't even know what a punk rock group was. Years ago, I’d write things for myself that put me on this path, so that maybe in 2022 I could sing something like "Cage" and be owning this territory and really having a good time. This is the life I wanted.

The original UK punk movement challenged societal norms. Despite all the craziness going on throughout the world, it seems like a lot of modern rock bands are afraid to do what you guys were doing. Do you think we'll see a shift in that?

Yeah.  Art usually reacts to things, so I would think eventually there will be a massive reaction to the pop music that’s taken over — the middle of the road music, and then this kind of right wing politics. There will be a massive reaction if there's not already one. I don’t know where it will come from exactly. You never know who's gonna do [it].

Living Legends: Nancy Sinatra Reflects On Creating "Power And Magic" In Studio, Developing A Legacy Beyond "Boots" & The Pop Stars She Wants To Work With