The 62nd GRAMMY Awards are right around the corner, and The Recording Academy is kicking off their countdown to Music's Biggest Night with several pre-show events to celebrate the 2020 nominees. The Recording Academy New York Chapter's annual celebration, which was held at Midtown Manhattan's rustic and spacious event venue SECOND, highlighted the best and brightest of the chapter's territories–– Connecticut, Boston, New Jersey, and the Big Apple itself.
On the evening of Monday, Jan. 13, nominated artists, as well as hundreds of other chapter members, trustees and attendees, were able to escape the hustle and bustle of the busy city streets (and its indecisive weather patterns), in order to unwind and enjoy the company of fellow members of the recording and performing industries.
"For New York, we have such an eclectic, diverse group of music creators," Nick Cucci, Executive Director of the New York chapter, explains of the importance of the Recording Academy's dedication to fostering community. "This is our biggest event every year, and we just bring everyone together, whether it's classical, jazz, R&B, hip-hop, rock or folk… it's just a beautiful event."
"[We're about] honoring the music of these amazing, diverse, inspiring voices that make up our community–– music makers from all genres, all genders, who are at the core of this year's releases," Linda Lorence Critelli, President of the New York Chapter, tells the full crowd at the event.
Much like New York itself, nominees for this year's GRAMMY Awards who claim the Northeast region approach the industry with a melting pot of sounds, ideas, and approaches. Jersey-bred Robert Randolph, with his group The Family Band, is up for Best Contemporary Blues Album thanks to their magnetic project Brighter Days, and Garden State legend Gloria Gaynor, who rose to fame as a disco diva, is up for two gospel awards: Best Gospel Performance/Song for "Talkin' 'Bout Jesus" and Best Roots Gospel Album for Testimony.
Other than their standout sonic stylings, artists hailing from NYC and the surrounding states come equipped with hustle, ambition and a fervent need to hit the ground running, which sets them apart from their contemporaries. As the age-old adage goes, "If you can make it here, you can make it anywhere."
"I think [New Yorkers] have access to people being great at what they do; whatever skill set they have, people come to New York to be the best at it," GRAMMY nominee Emily King explains of the relentless Empire State grit instilled in her and other natives. "It's very inspiring and humbling, and it sets a different standard... I'm grateful for my upbringing here. It's hard to appreciate it sometimes, but when I leave New York, that's when I realize how amazing it is."
King is up for two noms this year: Best R&B Song for her song "Look at Me Now" and Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical for her album, Scenery.
While hardcore music fans are likely tuning in on Sunday, Jan. 26 to see the biggest names in pop, R&B, hip-hop and more potentially grab a GRAMMY, The Recording Academy's New York Chapter made sure the ever-important Broadway community received a standing ovation, as the city wouldn't be complete without the Great White Way. In fact, the Chapter's Executive Director Nick Cucci explained that the celebration was purposely held on a Monday, in order for Broadway performers to attend, as many shows are "dark" on Monday nights.
Artists, producers and composers involved in four of the five shows nominated for Best Musical Theatre Album (Hadestown, Moulin Rouge, Oklahoma!, Ain't Too Proud), as well as new musical Jagged Little Pill spent the evening rubbing elbows and encouraging one another, as the latter's producer Vivek J. Tiwary notes is a standout attribute of the Theatre District.
"Broadway is a very small, supportive and wonderful community," he smiles. "We are very proud to support the nominees, because we genuinely don't compete, we have friends in all of these shows... It's amazing to enjoy this moment with them."
The talents of the Broadway community are fortunate to stretch beyond New York. Not only have they found fans from all over the world, many nominees have begun to pop up on small and big screens; "Ain't Too Proud"'s Ephraim Sykes portrayed Seaweed in NBC's Hairspray Live!, and "Hadestown"'s Tony-Winning actor André De Shields was recently seen in Netflix's "John Mulaney & the Sack Lunch Bunch." Throughout the night, several Broadway stars echoed the appreciation they feel regarding The Recording Academy's admiration for their hard work, dedication and stamina.
"What a wonderful thing it is for the GRAMMYs, specifically the New York Chapter, to support arts and theatre," Aaron Tveit, Moulin Rogue's leading man, says on the red carpet at the event. "There's amazing, incredible music on Broadway every year, and it's such a uniquely American form of music."
Even after the GRAMMY Gold is distributed and the last bit of confetti is swept away, the Recording Academy and New York Chapter will still be working to provide the community with programming and resources.
For instance, Lorence Critelli encourages chapter members to get involved in some of their programs, such as GRAMMY U, the upcoming initiative I Am, overseen by Governor and Latin Ambassador for the New York Chapter Juan Losada, and the charitable foundation MusiCares, which gave $7 million to over 7,000 music community members in need.
"You may have heard that the Academy is going through a lot of positive change, which is really exciting," Lorence Critelli says. "We welcomed a new President [Deborah Dugan], and a new Chairman Of The Board [Harvey Mason Jr.], and they're leading us into the future, and it's looking really bright… The New York chapter is committed to making a difference in our rich musical community here, we're super proud of all that we're doing."
