Paisley Among ASCAP Country Music Awards Winners
GRAMMY winner Brad Paisley was among the top winners at the 49th Annual ASCAP Country Music Awards on Nov. 6 in Nashville, earning awards for Songwriter/Artist of the Year and Publisher of the Year for Sea Gayle Music, an independent publishing company he co-founded with songwriter Chris DuBois and producer Frank Rogers. Ben Hayslip earned Songwriter of the Year honors for penning songs such as Blake Shelton's "All About Tonight," and GRAMMY nominee Allen Shamblin earned Country Song of the Year for Miranda Lambert's GRAMMY-winning "The House That Built Me." The Civil Wars earned the ASCAP Vanguard Award, GRAMMY winner Josh Kear received the ASCAP Global Impact Award and GRAMMY nominee Don Williams was honored with the ASCAP Golden Voice Award. In related awards news, GRAMMY winner Lady Gaga was among the top winners at the MTV Europe Music Award 2011 on Nov. 6 in Belfast, Ireland, taking home four awards, including Best Video and Best Song for "Born This Way." Additional artists taking home awards were 30 Seconds To Mars, Justin Bieber, Eminem, Bruno Mars, Linkin Park, and Katy Perry, among others. (11/7)

Best Buy To Shutter UK Stores, Invests In Best Buy Mobile
Entertainment retail chain Best Buy has announced it will shutter its 11 UK-based stores by the end of 2011. Best Buy Europe, which suffered operating losses of $99 million for the year ending March 31, expects to lose approximately $40–$48 million through the end of the year. Best Buy will continue to invest in its U.S. branches, and will reportedly acquire complete control of Best Buy Mobile, a partnership with the Carphone Warehouse Group, for an estimated $1.3 billion. (11/7)

Gavin Named Universal Republic, Island Def Jam COO
Ivan Gavin has been named chief operating officer of Universal Republic and Island Def Jam, according to Billboard.biz. Gavin, who previously served as chief operating officer for RCA/Jive Label Group, will oversee day-to-day operations across the labels and will be responsible for several departments, including finance, business affairs, shared services, and sales. Gavin will be based in New York and will report to Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Barry Weiss. (11/7)

From the very start of her career, Lady Gaga taught society that it's okay to be different. While that may be most encapsulated in her 2011 smash "Born This Way," Gaga's 2010 album The Fame Monster — a reissue of her blockbuster 2008 debut, The Fame — solidified Gaga's place as a confidence-boosting superstar.

In this episode of GRAMMY Rewind, we turn back the clock to 2011, when Lady Gaga won Pop Vocal Album for The Fame Monster. Her third win of the night (hit single "Bad Romance" won Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and Best Short Form Music Video), Gaga couldn't help but let out an "Oh sh—!" when she began her acceptance speech.

After thanking her Little Monsters, family, team, and label, Gaga hinted that the moment was a childhood dream come true. And before leaving the stage, Lady Gaga acknowledged that she was particularly inspired by Whitney Houston's impact.

"I wanted to thank Whitney because, when I wrote 'Born This Way,' I imagined she was singing it because I wasn't secure enough in myself to imagine I was a superstar."

Press play on the video above to watch Lady Gaga's candid acceptance speech for Pop Vocal Album at the 2011 GRAMMY Awards, and check back to GRAMMY.com for more episodes of GRAMMY Rewind.

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Born Stefani Germanotta, Lady Gaga is one of the best-selling female artists in history. Rightfully so, Gaga's years of training — from taking piano lessons at 4 years old to briefly studying at New York University's prestigious Collaborative Arts Project 21 musical theater program — prepared her to become one of the most technical pop singers of all time. With the addition of her innovative creativity to her musical skill set, Gaga forged the perfect formula to become one of the biggest stars of her generation.

Lady Gaga created music under the pen name — a reference to Queen's hit "Radio Ga Ga" — years before she finally caught the eyes of Interscope executive Vincent Herbert, who she now credits for discovering her. Eventually, Lady Gaga was introduced to award-winning songwriter and producer RedOne to make her breakthrough album, 2008's The Fame, under Interscope imprint label Cherrytree Records.

Speaking to The Independent in 2009, she recalled her struggles to get radio airplay after releasing The Fame. "They would say, 'This is too racy, too dance-oriented, too underground. It's not marketable,'" she said. "And I would say, 'My name is Lady Gaga. I've been on the music scene for years, and I'm telling you, this is what's next.'" 

And right she was: the year following The Fame's premiere, Lady Gaga received her first GRAMMY nomination for "Just Dance" at the 2009 GRAMMY Awards. Over a decade later, she's won 13 GRAMMYs and counts 36 GRAMMY nominations in total.

By 2016, Lady Gaga had four No. 1 albums under her belt, from Born This Way to Joanne. In 2018, she signed on to be the lead actress in Bradley Cooper's remake of A Star Is Born, also doubling as the songwriter and producer for the soundtrack. The release was an immediate success, debuting at the top of the Billboard 200 Albums chart and making Lady Gaga the first woman with five No. 1 albums in the 2010s. In 2019, Lady Gaga became the first person in history to win a GRAMMY, Oscar, BAFTA, and Golden Globe in a single year.

As a part of GRAMMY.com's ongoing commemoration of Women's History Month, we're looking back at Lady Gaga's influential career as one of the music industry's pop legends in this episode of Run The World. Extending Lady Gaga's impressively successful career as an entertainer is her philanthropy and advocacy work as a proud, outspoken feminist.

During her 2018 ELLE Women in Hollywood event, Lady Gaga gave an inspiring speech to bring awareness to sexual assault. "For me, this is what it means to be a woman in Hollywood. It means I have a platform. I have a chance to make a change. I pray we listen, believe, and pay closer attention to those around us in need. Be a helping hand. Be a force for change," Lady Gaga concluded after courageously sharing her story as a survivor.

"I would like to dedicate this song to every woman in America. To every woman who now has to worry about her body if she gets pregnant. I pray that this country will speak up and we will not stop until its right!" - Lady Gaga talking about abortion rights at The #ChromaticaBallDC pic.twitter.com/YjwlC0rg7C

— Ryan | Lady Gaga 🏳️‍🌈 (@ryanleejohnson) August 9, 2022

She has also used her platform on stage to advocate for women. During her Chromatica Ball tour in 2022, she dedicated "The Edge of Glory" to women after the government overturned Roe v. Wade two months prior: "To every woman who now has to worry about her body if she gets pregnant, I pray this country will speak up, and we will not stop until it's right!"

Lady Gaga isn't just a musician or actress. She is a pioneer in change, a spokesperson for those whose voices might not get heard. She wants to see women, especially in entertainment, win while being able to claim their authentic femininity, as she told Glamour in 2017. 

"I hope to see women thriving and happy, loving what they're doing, and being in control and powerful of what they create," she explained. "As much as we all love the fashion and the makeup and glamour, this isn't a beauty pageant. It's about the heart and the drive and the work."

Press play on the video above to revisit some of Lady Gaga's historic achievements throughout her groundbreaking career, and keep checking back to GRAMMY.com for more new episodes of Run The World.

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Tom Cruise is physically distant from the 2023 Oscars. In fact, he's in the United Kingdom filming Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part II. But Lady Gaga proved more than a worthy ambassador, performing "Hold My Hand" from the blockbuster action sequel.

The emotionally bare performance arrived in the wake of major speculation. Initially, it was just a rumor: she wasinitially reported to be skipping the awards show due to demands on filming "Joker: Folie à Deux." During a creative team press conference on March 8, Oscars executive producer and showrunner Glenn Weiss stated that Gaga would not be performing.

But the 13-time GRAMMY winner came through with an astonishing rendition of "Hold My Hand" — one of six nominations that Top Gun: Maverick received, including Best Picture.

Keep watching this space for more music-related wins at the 2023 Oscars!

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Updated Monday, May 22, to include information about the re-air date for <a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/paul-simon-homeward-bound-tribute-how-to-watch-when-where-cbs "https://www.grammy.com/news/paul-simon-homeward-bound-tribute-how-to-watch-when-where-cbs"">"Homeward Bound: A GRAMMY Salute To The Songs Of Paul Simon."

<a href="https://www.grammy.com/news/paul-simon-homeward-bound-tribute-how-to-watch-when-where-cbs "https://www.grammy.com/news/paul-simon-homeward-bound-tribute-how-to-watch-when-where-cbs"">"Homeward Bound: A GRAMMY Salute To The Songs Of Paul Simon" will re-air on Wednesday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

Paul Simon may have won 16 GRAMMYs throughout his illustrious career, but he's getting another honor from the Recording Academy — something much bigger than a golden gramophone.

On May 22 "Homeward Bound: A GRAMMY Salute To The Songs Of Paul Simon," a two-hour special illuminating the 16-time GRAMMY winner's songbook, will re-air on Wednesday, May 31, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on the CBS Television Network, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

The concert features Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, Eric Church, Rhiannon Giddens, Susanna Hoffs, Jonas Brothers, Angélique Kidjo, Ledisi, Little Big Town, Dave Matthews, Brad Paisley, Billy Porter, Sting, Take 6, Irma Thomas, Shaggy and Jimmy Cliff, Trombone Shorty and Stevie Wonder.

Additionally, Sofia Carson, Herbie Hancock, Woody Harrelson, Dustin Hoffman, Elton John, Folake Olowofoyeku, and Oprah Winfrey also make special appearances.

Below, watch exclusive clips where many of these artists express what Simon, a leading light of singing and songwriting, means to them.

The Jonas Brothers

Brad Paisley

Billy Porter

Shaggy

Trombone Shorty

Angélique Kidjo

Ledisi

Folake Olowofoyeku

15 Essential Tracks By Paul Simon: In A Burst Of Glory, Sound Becomes A Song