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Couric To Host GRAMMY Special

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THE GRAMMYs
Recording Academy
Dec 2, 2014 - 4:06 pm

"All Access" will feature Katie Couric interviews with nominees such as Lil Wayne, Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake

GRAMMY.com

(For a complete list of 51st GRAMMY Awards winners, please click here.)

CBS News will broadcast "Katie Couric's All Access GRAMMY Special" on the CBS Television Network on Feb. 4 from 9–10 p.m. (ET/PT). Couric will interview past and present GRAMMY nominees including Lil Wayne, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift, and Justin Timberlake.

"Couric has an innate ability for getting people to reveal themselves in a uniquely intimate way," says executive producer Susan Zirinsky. "This broadcast highlights her talent and showcases a new side of these celebrated artists like Justin Timberlake."

With six GRAMMY wins already under his belt, Timberlake is nominated for Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals for his performance on Madonna's hit "4 Minutes," which also features Timbaland. From performing, producing and running a label to his clothing line and charity work, Couric will gain an intimate look inside Timberlake's expanding empire.

Garnering eight GRAMMY nominations including Best Rap Album and the coveted Album Of The Year award for Tha Carter III, Lil Wayne is the most nominated artist of the year. With 6 million units sold in his 13-year career, the New Orleans native is at the top of his game. Lil Wayne will walk Couric through his journey from an impoverished childhood to being hailed as one of the best rappers of his generation.

Nominated for Best Female Pop Vocalist for "I Kissed A Girl," Perry enjoyed a successful year in 2008. She will talk to Couric about her upbringing as the daughter of former hippies turned devout pastors and her evolution into a pop music powerhouse.

She's still shooting for her first GRAMMY win, but Swift has already solidified her future as a rising star. Nominated last year for Best New Artist, the 19-year-old's latest album, Fearless, has spent six weeks at the top of the charts. Swift also co-hosted "The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!!" TV special with LL Cool J in December to announce this year's GRAMMY nominations. Couric hits the road with Swift and her mother to find out what's behind one of music's hottest artists.

GRAMMY nominees Adele, Duffy, Jonas Brothers, Kid Rock, John Legend, Metallica, Ne-Yo, Rascal Flatts, Jordin Sparks, Jazmine Sullivan, T-Pain, Carrie Underwood, and others will appear on the broadcast and online.

"All Access" kicks off CBS' road to the 51st Annual GRAMMY Awards, which will be broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS Television Network on Feb. 8 at 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show will also be supported on radio via Westwood One worldwide and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, on Twitter at "theGRAMMYs," on Facebook at "The Recording Academy," on YouTube at "51stGRAMMYs," and on Last.fm at "the51stgrammys." The GRAMMY Pre-Telecast will be streamed live on GRAMMY.com on Feb. 8 at 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT.

Dionne Warwick

Photo: ABC Photo Archives/ABC/Getty Images

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Dionne Warwick, Donny Hathaway & More To Receive Special Merit Awards

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The Recording Academy has announced this year's crop of Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award recipients
Nate Hertweck
Recording Academy
Dec 19, 2018 - 6:31 am

What do Black Sabbath, Sam & Dave and Julio Iglesias all have in common? They are among this year's Recording Academy Special Merit Awards recipients. Today, the Academy announced a prestigious crop of recipients for its Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award and Technical GRAMMY Award.

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees are Black Sabbath, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic, Billy Eckstine, Donny Hathaway, Julio Iglesias, Sam & Dave and Dionne Warwick. Lou Adler, Ashford & Simpson and Johnny Mandel are Trustees Award honorees; and Saul Walker is the Technical GRAMMY Award recipient.

From their power riffs to their dark, gothic imagery, Black Sabbath arguably invented the heavy-metal signposts and influenced every hard-rock band that followed.

Among the most sampled acts of the funk/R&B era, George Clinton & Parliament-Funkadelic’s spacey and masterfully played funk has laid the foundation for countless hip-hop hits.

Singer Billy Eckstine helped break ground for African-American artists in the '40s and '50s as a distinctive jazz singer and bandleader who crossed over to an equally dazzling career in pop.

Donny Hathaway was a versatile soul stylist who built his legend singing both urban protest songs as well as smooth, signature duets with the likes of Roberta Flack, despite his far-too-short career.

Perhaps the most successful Latin crossover artist of his time, Julio Iglesias became an enduring star on the world stage and Latin music’s most popular ambassador of his era.

Soul duo Sam & Dave (Sam Moore and Dave Prater) were one of the primary chart stars at the Stax and Atlantic labels in the '60s, bringing the passion of gospel to their wailing soul sides.

Singing the songs of Burt Bacharach and Hal David in the ’60s, and then scoring hits that bridged pop and R&B in the '70s and '80s, Dionne Warwick has carved out a unique and stellar career among pop/soul singers.

From the Monterey Pop Festival to L.A.’s iconic Roxy Theatre to the careers of the Mamas And The Papas, Carole King and Cheech & Chong, among others, Lou Adler is one of music’s most noted impresarios.

Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson were among the elite songwriting teams at Motown Records, penning modern classics such as "Ain’t No Mountain High Enough" and "You’re All I Need To Get By."

A versatile composer, arranger and jazz musician, Johnny Mandel’s credits include playing in the bands of Jimmy Dorsey and Count Basie and composing immortal movie and television music such as the M*A*S*H theme "Suicide Is Painless."

Saul Walker was a career-long audio innovator, teacher and mentor. From his early work in rocket telemetry to founding API in 1969, his designs continue to influence the music recording industry.

A special award presentation ceremony and concert celebrating the honorees will be held on May 11, 2019, in Los Angeles. Additional details regarding the ceremony will be announced in the coming weeks.

Emilio And Gloria Estefan $200,000 Music Scholarship Announced

Noah Cyrus with GRAMMY U

Photo: Jessica McDevitt

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Photo Gallery: GRAMMY U Fall Semester 2018

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Keep it locked here for the best of GRAMMY U's many exciting - and exclusive - programs across the country
Nate Hertweck
Recording Academy
Oct 1, 2018 - 4:50 pm

 

GRAMMY U offers programs each semester that can kick-start your career in music. Take a look at some of the highlights over the summer and headed into the Fall 2018 semester, and stay tuned for more music industry opportunities across the country. 

Travis Scott GRAMMY U Madison Square Garden

GRAMMY U SoundChecks with Travis Scott/ Photo: Jessica McDevitt

The Astroworld: Wish You Were Here Tour stopped by Madison Square Garden and took lucky GRAMMY U members inside the room where it all happens. Before his sold-out show, Travis Scott encouraged students to pursue the future of music with creativity and freedom. The candid conversation included hometown themes, concert anecdotes, and his journey to stardom.

Travis Scott

GRAMMY U Los Angeles members had the incredible opportunity of attending a SoundChecks with Travis Scott on December 20th at The Forum in Inglewood, CA. GU members entered a private room within The Forum Club to meet with Travis Scott and his team. There, many topics were discussed from his humble beginnings as a writer/producer to how he approaches playing sold out arenas. At the end, members were able to take a group photo with Travis Scott before he had to leave. Big thanks to Travis and his wonderful team for hosting GRAMMY U during the Los Angeles leg of the Astroworld, Wish You Were Here Tour!

Photo: SFC Staff

San Francisco GRAMMY U members visited with GRAMMY® nominated Reggae artists Raging Fyah following a chat with various members of the Ineffable Music staff for a chat about artist management, tour and festival booking, artist promotion and their acclaimed Rootfire Collective program for new artists. The informal chat shed a lot of light on the back end of touring and promotion for new and established artists, and was led by GRAMMY Award®-winning member of the FL Chapter Board, Lukes Morgan.

Photo: SFC Staff

Students arrived for an acoustic sound check of Mraz and his backing band, The Raining Janes. Mraz was working on the tune “More than Friends” featuring Meghan Trainor and had a puppet in her likeness singing along to her parts, it set the tone for a funny and lighthearted visit with the artist, who then joined the students for some Q&A time. A veteran GU speaker, Mraz jumped right in with advice for those starting a career in music and shared some perspective on his new album and the inspiration behind it. He appreciated our questions about his last album, entitled Yes! and his new album,Know. and how he likes seeing them following each other on things like Spotify playlists. He explained the positive meaning of using the word “know” vs. “no” and left a great impression on the group before rushing off to his preshow preparations.

 

Photo: SFC Staff

 

 

Photo: Rachel Lai

On Monday, November 12th, GU Texas Chapter members gathered in none other than the extravagant Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX to chat with Tori Kelly about her "Hiding Place" tour. Tori touched on what it means to "make it" in the music industry, and her journey from where she was to where she is now. 

Photo: Yvan Nguyen

The GU Texas Chapter hung out with Billie Eilish and brother, Finneas O'Connell. Billie talked about what it's like being a teen growing up in the music industry, and even gave out some of her fashion tips and favorite trends. 

SoundChecks With H.E.R. / Photo: Jessica McDevitt

On November 25, New York GRAMMY U members were able to attend SoundChecks With H.E.R. at Brooklyn Steel followed by a special Q&A. Recovering from Thanksgiving turkey, GU members showed up in full force eager to see the starlet perform her latest hits. The tour’s production featured a full band, back up singers, and the talent onstage was nothing short of incredible. H.E.R. was very interested in learning about the GRAMMY U experience by asking members about the connections they’ve made as emerging industry professionals. 

Industry Insights event with Jesse Kinch

GRAMMY U Nashville hosted an Industry Insights event with ABC’s Rising Star Winner, Jesse Kinch. The event was moderated by Nashville-based Recording Engineer Leslie Richter who prompted Kinch on several topics including the release of his debut album, I’m Not Like Everybody Else, under new-label Curb Records following the discontinuation of his contract with Capitol Records.

SoundChecks With EDEN 

In New York, 20 students attended GRAMMY U SoundChecks With EDEN at Brooklyn Steel on November 9, 2018. The students were able to participate in an exclusive Q&A with one-man-band, Jonathon Ng. GU members were also able to learn more about his songwriting process, social media platforms and the importance of soundchecking before a show.

SoundChecks With CHVRCHES / Photo: Ashley Thomas

CHVRCHES shared inside stories of their touring and creative lifestyles. Their tour manager discussed personal stories of how she got to working with CHVRCHES."

SoundChecks With Troye Sivan / Photo: Troye Sivan

GRAMMY U San Francisco Chapter met up with Troye Sivan for a SoundChecks on the first of his two-night run at The Masonic in SF.

Following the performance of his first song, Troye asked each student member what career path they wanted to take. Troye then shared his advice for those starting a career in music and shared some perspective on his career's journey. The Q&A was intertwined with the sound check, performing songs between answering questions was something new and really engaged the group. He spoke about his collaboration with Ariana Grande and how she’s a role model for him because of her hard-working nature. He talked about his songwriting process and how he doesn’t write while he’s on the road touring because it’s a different headspace than when he’s in the studio. After listening to the sound check and having lots of questions answered, Troye joined us for a photo before meeting with his next group of fans. Thanks to Troye and his team for the memorable visit! - GRAMMY U Rep Danielle Ferrari

SoundChecks With LANY / Photo: Recording Academy

Lucky GRAMMY U students attended a very special SoundChecks with LANY before their soldout show at Terminal 5 in NYC. 

Billie Eilish

SoundChecks With Billie Eilish / Photo: Recording Academy

Seattle GRAMMY U students got weird with Billie Eilish before her sold out show at the iconic Showbox.  She shared tips on recording hit songs at home and how writing with brother, Finneas, helps her to remain her authentic self. Students were also treated to a high-energy performance of three of Billie’s hit songs, amidst a stage set that included a giant tarantula with neon legs.

SoundChecks With LANY / Photo: Kristin Klimas

During the SoundChecks With LANY, it was evident how much the band valued visuals as grandiose LED screens with enlivened patterns lit up the entire venue. They later mentioned that controlling their aesthetics is an important part of their identity which they manage by designing their merch, album artwork, and even personally running LANY’s social media accounts.

LANY also talked about their experience navigating different aspects of the music industry: from negotiating label deals to touring. Finally they reminisced about their early days as a band crammed in a small van to play a few shows to now heading an international tour. Their advice to the GRAMMY U members, “no matter how big of a band you become, I recommend ditching a tour bus for a small white van because that shared experience builds unbreakable bonds”. 

SoundChecks With St. Lucia /  Photo: Bri Buchanan

“You have to decide what you want to do…if you’re in it for the art, then really listen to yourself. No one is ever going to stop telling you how to be.” St. Lucia front man, Jean-Philip Grobler, spoke to GRAMMY U members in Nashville about pursuing a career in the music industry. Students attended a SoundChecks With St. Lucia and participated in a Q&A with each band member following. 

SoundChecks With Noah Cyrus / Celeste Villarreal

Dallas GRAMMY U members enjoyed the SoundChecks With Noah Cyrus at the Granada Theatre. 

SoundChecks With Lord Huron / Jordan Leonard

GRAMMY U students fellowshipped with the members of Lord Huron at the iconic Moore Theater in Seattle, Wa.  

SoundChecks With Dua Lipa / Photo: Michael Compton

GRAMMY U students swapped performance stories with Dua Lipa at WaMu theater before her show on July 7th.  They were also treated to a meet and greet with other members of her team, including drummer and band manager, William Bowerman. 

SoundChecks With Noah Cyrus / Photo: Jessica McDevitt

Lucky GRAMMY U students attended an exclusive night at GU SoundChecks with Noah Cyrus during her "Good Cry" tour at Irving Plaza in New York City. 

GRAMMY U students at the GRAMMY Museum's Whitney! exhibit / Photo: Jessica McDevitt

GRAMMY U students in the New York Chapter experienced a behind-the-scenes tour of the GRAMMY Museum’s latest debut, the Whitney! exhibit featuring over 60 artifacts honoring Whitney Houston’s legacy. 

SoundChecks With Troye Sivan / Staff photo: Sarah Jansen 

On October 19, Chicago GRAMMY U members were able to attend SoundChecks With Troye Sivan at the iconic Chicago Theatre. The venue complimented Troye’s alluring sound as he performed songs off his recent album Bloom in preparation for that night’s show. Troye was very interested in learning what the members were looking to do in the music industry and helped make connections between the GRAMMY U members in attendance and his team to help further their network within the music community. 

SoundChecks With Brandi Carlile /  Photo: Michele Caplinger

When asked about how the changing music industry has impacted her, Brandi discussed how she has had a great relationship with her record label which she added is now very uncommon, but she realized that the industry has a long way to go before artists and songwriters are compensated fairly. She then took the time to go around the room and asked each GRAMMY U student for their name, major, and what they wanted to do in the music industry.

Industry Insights: Mental Health in Entertainment with MusiCares and Elizabeth Porter (Nashville)  / Photo: Bri Buchanan and Nathan Pyle

Highlighting Mental Health Awareness Week, GRAMMY U sponsored an event with Elizabeth Porter, Founder and President of Entertainment Health Services, and Christina Scholz of MusiCares. Elizabeth and Christina discussed the importance of mental health in entertainment with Elizabeth emphasizing “our brains are the most important part of our body. Take a step back, put the phone down and talk to one another.”

SoundChecks With CHRVCHES (Nashville) /  Photo: Bri Buchanan and Nathan Pyle

GRAMMY U Nashville members were invited to a SoundChecks with hit synth-pop band, CHVRCHES, at Ryman Auditorium. Not only were students able to speak with each member of the band, but they also spoke with the tour manager and other crew members about life on the road.

Lord Huron with GRAMMY U members in Chicago

Chicago GRAMMY U members got a taste of Lord Huron’s indie folk flavors that were inspired from both their time spent growing up in Michigan and living in Los Angeles. Lord Huron is a group that cares greatly about both their visual work as well as their music, so the SoundCheck at Riviera Theatre not only covered the normal necessities like mic adjustments and tuning, but also stage directions from lead singer Ben Schneider.
-Matt Sanders, GRAMMY U member

Jason Mraz with GRAMMY U members in Nashville

In Nashville, 20 students attended GRAMMY U SoundChecks With Jason Mraz at Ascend Amphitheater. The students were able to listen to Jason and Raining Jane’s rendition of Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ and ‘I Say A Little Prayer’ as well as participate in a Q&A following the performance.

Greta Van Fleet GU Soundchecks

Greta Van Fleet with GRAMMY U members in Nashville 

GRAMMY U students gathered in Nashville at Marathon Music Works on May 14 for SoundChecks With Greta Van Fleet. The band ended the sound check with a sneak peak of a new song followed by an intimate Q&A session with the band members.

Check Out A Full List Of GRAMMY U Opportunities 

GRAMMY U students with Greta Van Fleet

Photo: Jason Davis/Getty Images       

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Launch Your Music Career With GRAMMY U's Innovation Pitch Contest

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The winner and a guest will win a trip, including passes, flight, hotel, and transportation, to attend Austin City Limits Music Festival
Jennifer Velez
Recording Academy
Jul 27, 2018 - 3:41 pm

Calling all college music creatives: GRAMMY U is looking for ways to make great summer music festivals even greater and wants to hear all about your ideas.

New music festivals pop up every year, creating more choices for avid fans. More choices also mean more competition. With so many options, GRAMMY U wants to challenge student minds to think of ways organizers can enhance fan and festival experiences to stand out. Have ideas? Now is your chance to enter the Innovation Pitch contest.

When pitching your idea, put yourself in the mindset of festival organizers. They must consider all aspects of the festival experience: local flavor, production, marketing, environmental impact. Students should focus on what interests them professionally and recommend improvements. Creativity on how to execute ideas is welcome — documents, videos, presentations, or any other format that inspires will be accepted as submissions. Entries are due by Aug. 6.

The winner, along with a guest, will receive roundtrip airfare to Austin, Texas, to attend the 2018 Austin City Limits Music Festival Oct. 12–14. Passes, accommodation and transportation to the festival will be provided.

Innovation Pitch, formerly known as Business Plan Competition, will also connect students with industry professionals who can provide insight on what it takes to make big ideas come to life.

"Professionals in the industry want to hear these ideas and see solutions through the eyes of the future of the music industry," Recording Academy Director of Special Projects, Membership & Industry Relations Virginia Faddy says. "That is why the mentorship aspect of this contest is so important; we are not only providing a platform to share these amazing ideas, but also directly connecting the winner with mentors so they can hear what real-world activation of their concept might entail."

The competition gave 2015's winner Kiran Gandhi, who developed a sustainable music streaming service pay structure, the chance to spend the day with RCA Records CEO Tom Corson and other staff members. Her first-hand experience reaffirmed her mission to elevate diversity in music.

"When artists see themselves in the people they are working with, they have more comfort and trust with the system," she wrote in her blog. "There is a business case to having people of different walks of life — not just to check a diversity box that makes people feel better."

Innovation Pitch is only one such opportunity for students interested in working in the music industry when they graduate. Recording Academy GRAMMY U members gain access to valuable behind-the-scenes experiences with music professionals working today.

"GRAMMY U offered chances to attend GU SoundChecks (of touring artists), opportunities to volunteer, access to an online portal with exclusive industry content, and so much more," current GRAMMY U member Billy Farmer II said. "Becoming a member enhanced my music industry network and led to job opportunities. Joining GRAMMY U was one of the best decisions I made as a college student."

GRAMMY U continues to connect students with the industry's brightest minds, while giving them the tools to launch their careers in music. If this sounds like you, consider joining your fellow future music colleagues through GRAMMY U and don't forget to enter the 2018 Innovation Pitch contest.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Linda Perry

Linda Perry

Photo: Courtesy of Linda Perry

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Linda Perry Talks Craft, Creativity & Her Biggest Hits In Nashville

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The GRAMMY-nominated musical force of nature opens up to an intimate audience about artistry, authenticity and her illustrious career in music
Nate Hertweck
Recording Academy
Jul 17, 2018 - 1:44 pm

Finding success as a songwriter, artist or producer/engineer is a one-in-a-million shot at best in today's super-saturated music industry, but to succeed at all three takes a remarkable individual. Linda Perry is just that special talent. For a lucky audience at the Recording Academy Nashville Chapter's Craft Session event on June 14 at The Tracking Room, the GRAMMY nominee took a candid look at her remarkable career, her instinctual creative process and the stories behind some of her biggest hits.

Linda Perry Goes Inside Two Of Her Biggest Hits

Born to a father who loved Frank Sinatra, Willie Nelson, old time country, and jazz, a Brazilian mother with a penchant for Sergio Mendes, and growing up around siblings who loved pop and rock music, Perry's first love was musicals. She cites listening to "The Jungle Book" as the magical moment for her when storytelling and music collided. Later, she discovered the encompassing power of her own voice, the beginning of a career full of music coming naturally to her.

"One day, literally, in San Francisco, I was playing guitar … and then I just started singing," said Perry. "And this huge voice came out of me. … It just took over my whole body and I started crying and my roommate came running down. She was like, 'What was that?' And I'm like, 'It was me!' … Then that's when I said, 'I'm gonna be a rockstar.'"

From there, Perry stumbled into playing music, a self-taught multi-instrumentalist picking up guitar and piano by ear without any trouble at all. These instincts as a musician still guide her in the studio, where Perry let's her ears take over.

"I'm different because I don't know what I'm doing, I just feel it," said Perry. "I pride myself on my drum sounds, and when I get drum sounds they're fat, they're awesome, they're gorgeous, but I don't know what I'm doing. I'm just turning things, moving microphones until it sounds good to my ear. I don't need to know that I'm boosting 2K or bringing down 15K. Who cares about that? I just want to know I'm getting a good sound. … I don't look at meters, I just move microphones."

Every way Perry interacts with music seems to carry this natural, instinctual movement. As a songwriter, there may be ways of forcing ideas to come out, but she admitted that's not how she works. In fact, the question she gets asked most often by songwriters is about dealing with writer's block. Her answer is an enlightening one.

"I don't get songwriter's block because I'm not thinking," said Perry. "Only people who are thinking about writing music get songwriter's block, I just do it. And if it's not there to do, I don't do it."

During the conversation, Perry walked the audience through her journey in the San Francisco music scene in the '90s where she earned a write-up in SF Weekly for her brief but memorable first performance after playing just two songs then breaking a string. and formed her band 4 Non Blondes, whose original name was Lesbian Snake Charmers. She kept her solo career pursuits going while joining the band before combining the two and finding a record deal post haste.

Perry talked about writing "What's Up," the band's 1992 smash hit, and the subsequent struggle to maintain her artistic vision for the song. The album's producer suggested lyric rewrites and production choices that forced Perry to decide between being a team player and standing up for her artistry.

Thankfully, she was able to cut the tune on her last reel of tape and rush it to mastering just in time. Shockingly, it was Perry's first time touching a microphone and crafting sounds in a studio. The raw brilliance of the recording came together in a hurry and created something lasting.

"That recording was my first actual recording, and it's flawed all over the place. I can't stand my voice on that," Perry said. "Everything about it when I hear it sounds amateurish. All those flaws and all those mistakes are what made that song what it was. So the moral of the story is just trust your instincts because we're not here to be perfect. We're here to create an emotion and to create a moment."

Ever since, Perry has tapped into this magic throughout her career in her own music and collaborating with other artists. During the Craft Session, she recounted how she patched together Pink's "Get This Party Started," taking her first crack as sequencing, the arc of her collaboration with James Blunt, her love/hate relationship with the "beyond talented" Christina Aguilera, for whom she penned the 2002 smash hit "Beautiful," and more.

In an industry with so many facets, Perry has grown her career on the foundation of true artistry, tapping into inspiration and authenticity at every stage of the process. Her vision — or the vision of the artist she's working with — always comes first. From there, Perry says it's about craft and creativity, no matter who you are or what your process is.

"It's very important to really understand your craft," Perry said. "There's kids doing amazing albums on GarageBand because they're being creative. You can record on anything if you're creative, you have a good song and you get the emotion."

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"