The Recording Academy Chicago Chapter played host for The GRAMMYs At Lollapalooza during the festival's 20th anniversary installment this past weekend in Chicago's Grant Park. The Chapter conducted exclusive backstage interviews with artists performing at the festival, including GRAMMY-nominated indie rock group My Morning Jacket and GRAMMY-nominated singer/songwriter Skylar Grey.
My Morning Jacket — Tom Blankenship (bass), Carl Broemel (guitar), Patrick Hallahan (drums), Jim James (vocals/guitar), and Bo Koster (keys) — discussed headlining Lollapalooza, physical versus digital music, advice for young musicians, and the band's evolution, among other topics.
"We're all about trying to find that special place where time and space stop and you're not anywhere anymore," said James on performing live. "That's our goal always — to try to transcend wherever we are and hope that the audience comes with us."
Formed in 1998 in Louisville, Ky., My Morning Jacket released their debut album, The Tennessee Fire, in 1999. The quintet has released several albums since, including 2008's Evil Urges, which earned a GRAMMY nomination for Best Alternative Music Album and peaked at No. 9 on the Billboard 200. The group took a subsequent three-year hiatus to explore other avenues, with James joining indie rock super group Monsters Of Folk. My Morning Jacket reconvened for 2011's Circuital, which peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard 200.
Grey discussed topics such as her forthcoming debut solo album Invinsible, how she got involved in hip-hop, co-writing Eminem and Rihanna's collaboration "Love The Way You Lie," and her transformation from Holly Brook into Skylar Grey, among other topics.
"It's one of those things that I think a lot of people can relate to," said Grey regarding "Invisible," the single off her forthcoming debut album, "Feeling like no matter how hard you try, nobody's noticing. Life is hard and there's a lot of struggle, [but] I just know that there's a reason I'm here. I know that in that gray area of life, in the unknowns, there are also opportunities."
In 2010 Grey received two GRAMMY nominations for Song Of The Year and Best Rap Song for "Love The Way You Lie," a song she co-wrote with Alex Da Kid and Eminem. That same year she collaborated with Dr. Dre and Eminem on "I Need A Doctor," and performed the song with the rappers on the 53rd Annual GRAMMY Awards telecast in February. Invinsible is due out this fall.
Come back to GRAMMY.com later this week for more exclusive backstage interviews from The GRAMMYs At Lollapalooza.
(The GRAMMYs At Lollapalooza: Videography by Colleen Mares and Thomas Brankin; Interviews by Kiana Basu and Max O'Kane)
The GRAMMYs At Lollapalooza 2011: Arctic Monkeys, Atmosphere, Black Cards, Haley Bonar, Cage The Elephant, Cults, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr., Deadmau5, Dani Deahl, Deluka, DJ Lady D, Fitz And The Tantrums, Foster The People, Gold Motel, Ellie Goulding, Skylar Grey, Mayer Hawthorne, Kids These Days, Le Butcherettes, Maps & Atlases, My Morning Jacket, Tab The Band, and Young The Giant