What otherwise would have been a somber moment for music lovers turned into outrage for Aaron Carter fans. The singer was absent from the Grammy Awards’ “In Memoriam” tribute on Sunday.
Aaron’s photo was absent from the televised video montage, which saw singers like Sheryl Crow, Quavo and Kacey Musgraves performing tributes for the singers who passed away over the past year.
“That was cold,” one fan wrote after noticing the omission, while another said it was despicable to not honor the late singer. Most fans felt Aaron deserved recognition for his impact on the music industry and the price they felt he paid for growing up in the public eye.
Aaron’s fiancée, Melanie Martin, told TMZ she is confused and doesn’t understand why he was left out of the televised tribute. She likened the omission to a slap in the face to his legacy and those who supported it. Martin, like many fans, hopes the Recording Academy offers an apology.
Nick Carter, Aaron’s brother, has not publicly reacted to the controversy.
It should be noted the Grammys did pass around a printed program at the ceremony, and People confirms Aaron’s name was listed under the tribute section.
Aaron was found dead in his California home on November 5 at the age of 34.
The Talking Heads performed their final concert ever, at the Sweetwaters South Festival in Christchurch, New Zealand.
The 12-song set featured such classic songs as “Psycho Killer,” “Making Flippy Floppy,” “Swamp,” “Burning Down the House,” and more.
The show didn’t go off without a hitch, though, with drummer Chris Frantz revealing that frontman David Byrne walked off the stage mid-set and had to be dragged back.
Although the Talking Heads never toured again, they did go on to record three more albums. And while this was their final concert ever, they did briefly reunite to perform together for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002, delivering “Psycho Killer,” “Life During Wartime,” and “Burning Down the House,” along with an all-star jam of “Take Me to the River.”
Taylor Swift wasn’t exaggerating when she sang “I can still make the whole place shimmer” in “Bejeweled”: she wore a whopping $3 million worth of jewels to the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Variety reports Taylor accessorized her deliberately midnight blue Roberto Cavalli dress — a nod to her new album Midnights – with a bunch of sparklers from jewelry designer Lorraine Schwartz.
Lots of eyes were on her earrings for pretty obvious reasons — the giant, diamond-shaped accessories were adorned in 136 carats of diamonds, paraibas and purple sapphires. Taylor’s sapphire and diamond rings complimented the chunky earrings.
Unfortunately for fans who might want to replicate Taylor’s Grammys look, the jewelry was seemingly custom made for the singer since the pieces cannot be found on the Lorraine Schwartz online store.
That wasn’t the only glimmering thing Taylor took home from the Grammys. Her “All Too Well: The Short Film” took home the golden gramophone for Best Music Video. Taylor, who directed the music video, is the first and only artist to win the award as the sole director.
Mick Fleetwood has some sad news for Fleetwood Mac fans. On the red carpet at Sunday’s Grammy Awards, Mick revealed that Fleetwood Mac is “done” following Christine McVie’s death
“I would say the band is done,” he told Access. “The thought of doing things without her right now seems to be very farfetched,” he went on, though he allowed “After a while of healing, who knows what may or may not happen but I would suspect that Fleetwood Mac is put to bed.”
Fleetwood was at the Grammys to take part in a tribute to McVie, with him, Sheryl Crow and Bonnie Raitt performing McVie’s classic “Songbird.”
Asked how McVie would feel about the tribute, Mick told Access, “I think she would be, ‘they’re making that much fuss over me,’” noting, “she was a North Country girl from England and very not glitzy at all so I think she would say ‘oh my god, why are they doing that?’”
He added, “But we are, and you’re going to have to put up with it, Chris.”
The day Parker McCollum wrote “Handle On You” was just an ordinary session with songwriter Monty Criswell.
“I had been tossing some melodies around but didn’t really have anything that I was too over the top about or over the moon about when Monty came over that day,” Parker says. “And he was like, ‘Man, I’ve got this idea for this song. It’s called “Finally Got a Handle on You.”‘”
As Monty sang his idea for the first line, Parker answered with the next.
“I just literally just kept singing it out. And he was writing it down,” he recalls. “And I’d sing it out and he’d write it down, and he’d sing something out and I’d write it down. And it just fell out so quickly … 90% of the time, it does not go like that.”
Still, in his typically humble manner, Parker didn’t really think too much of it.
“A couple weeks later, Monty had a demo tracked up and wanted to know if I wanted to come over and stop by and sing vocals on it,” Parker continues. “And I sang it and he was like, ‘Dude, that’s a hit.’ He’s like, ‘That’s a hit, dude.'”
“And I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’m weird. I don’t ever even say that,'” he reveals. “I’m like, just write the song, record it. If they want to put it at radio, good. I don’t ever want to jinx anything or think too highly of anything that I do.”
“And man, I think he was right,” Parker finally acquiesces.
“Handle On You” is the lead single from Parker’s follow-up to 2021’s Gold Chain Cowboy and appears on track to be his third #1 in a row.
The White Stripes/Raconteurs/Dead Weather rocker will perform solo on the long-running NBC sketch show for on February 25. Having previously been the musical guest four times — solo in 2012, 2018 and 2020, and with The White Stripes in 2002 — White will officially join SNL‘s five-timers club during the episode.
During White’s last SNL performance, he played a guitar designed by the late Eddie Van Halen, who’d died just a week prior, during a rendition of his 2014 song “Lazaretto,” as well as a medley of his Beyoncé collaboration “Don’t Hurt Yourself,” The White Stripes’ “Ball and Biscuit” and Blind Willie Johnson‘s “Jesus Is Coming Soon.”
This time around, White will likely be playing material from the two solo albums he released last year: Fear of the Dawn and Entering Heaven Alive.
Actor Woody Harrelson will host the SNL episode and will become a five-timers member himself following his previous hosting gigs in 1989, 1992, 2014 and 2019.
Backstage and on the red carpet at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night, artists were grateful for the recognition, though some had a hard time believing that they’d actually won.
Harry Styles’Harry’s House beat out albums by Adele and Beyonce to win the Album of the Year trophy. Backstage, the pop superstar told reporters, “It’s obviously incredibly nice to receive this. I don’t think is the reason that any of us in the room do it. I’m so, so grateful that they thought the album was worthy of it…and I think more than anything, it just kind of feels like validation that you’re on the right path.“
But nobody was more shocked than Bonnie Raitt, whose song “Just Like That” beat out number ones by Harry, Adele, Beyonce, Lizzo and more to win Song of the Year. Backstage, she said it reminded her of when she swept the Grammys in 1990. “I can’t believe this. I just can’t,” she squealed. “It’s like when I won for Nick of Time. I just could not believe that they called my name…get the hell outta of Dodge, yknow?”
Kim Petras became the first transgender woman to win in the Best Pop Vocal Duo/Group Performance category for her duet with Sam Smith, “Unholy.” Backstage, she said, “I never, ever thought I would get this kind of recognition for my music. So it’s really special. And I’ve got to get really, really drunk to process it!” She then joked, “I want to find out if you can do a shot out of a Grammy, so wish me luck!”
Ozzy Osbourne, who recently announced his retirement from touring, won two Grammys for his album Patient Number 9.Andrew Watt, who co-wrote and produced the album and accepted it on Ozzy’s behalf, said on the red carpet that the metal legend is “so overjoyed to be recognized,” adding, “He’s such a humble, amazing guy. And the smile on his face…was just amazing.”
Country solo stars Ashley McBryde and Carly Pearce became the first women ever to win the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for their hit “Never Wanted to Be That Girl.” Backstage, Ashley said if she could talk to her 16-year-old self, she’d tell her, “‘I want to tell you what happens, but it’s so cool…You’re going to get a text from Reba [McEntire], but I’m not going to tell you why.’ Which is what happened to me today!
Singer/songwriter Muni Long, who won the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance for her song “Hrs & Hrs,” told reporters backstage that she hoped her win means that, finally, she won’t be ignored any longer. “Hopefully this means that people will just listen to me the first time when I say something and I don’t have to continue to fight to get my vision across,” she said. “For me, it means that maybe I might know a little bit!”
A highlight of the Grammy telecast was a special 50th anniversary salute to hip-hop featured dozens of notable rap performers, including the man who started it all back in 1973: Grandmaster Flash. On the red carpet, he said he’s most proud of the fact that “people who don’t speak the English language, gravitated to this thing…this thing is not just an American art form. This is a global art form!”
It was the biggest night in music at the 2023 Grammy Awards Sunday night, hosted by Trevor Noah live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
The first award of the night went to Harry Styles, who snagged Best Pop Vocal Album for Harry’s House. He later claimed the coveted Album of the Year for the 2022 project as well. Other award winners included Adele, who won Best Pop Solo Performance for “Easy On Me” and Lizzo, whose “About Damn Time” earned her Record of the Year.
Lizzo dedicated her award to the late Prince and shared a message of inspiration, telling the crowd, “Just stay true to yourself, because I promise you you will find people, you will attract people in your life who believe in you and support you.”
One of the night’s biggest moments came when Beyoncé broke the record for most Grammy wins of all time with 32, after winning Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for RENAISSANCE. The record was previously held by classical conductor Georg Solti.
“I’m trying not to be too emotional and I’m trying to just receive this night,” she said during her acceptance speech. “I want to thank God for protecting me… I’d like to thank the queer community for your love and for inventing this genre.”
Bonnie Raitt was a surprise winner, taking home three trophies, including Song of the Year for “Just Like That.” She was shocked to beat out big hits like Harry Styles’ “As It Was,” Adele’s “Easy on Me” and Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” and others.
Bonnie, 73, also won Best Americana Performance for “Made Up Mind” and Best American Roots Song for “Just Like That.” The new wins bring Bonnie’s lifetime Grammy total to 13, while the two wins for “Just Like That” mark her first Grammy trophies as a songwriter.
One of the more emotional moments came during the touching tribute to Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, who passed away in November. The performance of her classic “Songbird” featured Christine’s bandmate Mick Fleetwood on drums and Sheryl Crow on piano and vocals, assisted by Raitt.
Other performances included Lizzo, who hit the stage with a powerhouse choir to sing her songs “About Damn Time” and “Special,” and Styles, who performed “As It Was.”
It was the biggest night in music at the 2023 Grammy Awards Sunday night, hosted by Trevor Noah live from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena.
After winning Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for RENAISSANCE, Beyoncé broke the record for most Grammy wins of all time with 32, a record previously held by classical conductor Georg Solti. Earlier in the night, Beyoncé tied the record after her song “Cuff It” won Best R&B Song.
Best Rap Album went to Kendrick Lamar for Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, breaking his tie with Tyler, the Creator and Outkast for the third-most wins in the category. This year’s ceremony also introduced the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, with its first recipient being Dr Dre himself. Also notable: Viola Davis became an EGOT winner when she earned the award for Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for her performance of her memoir, Finding Me.
In addition to celebrating the best in music, the Grammys celebrated the 50th anniversary of hip-hop with a historic, star-studded performance involving big names like Busta Rhymes, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, GloRilla, Lil Baby, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Run-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and more.
Stevie Wonder hit the stage for a special performance of three classic tunes, starting off with The Temptations‘ “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” before Motown legend Smokey Robinson joined him on stage for “Tears of a Clown.” The performance wrapped with Wonder’s hit “Higher Ground,” on which he was joined by country star Chris Stapleton.
Lizzo, who snagged Record of the Year for “About Damn Time,” also took the stage with a powerhouse choir to sing the award-winning track along with her song “Special.” As part of tribute to legends lost, Quavo teamed up with Maverick City Music and performed a mashup of his track “Without You” — a tribute to his late nephew and fellow Migos member Takeoff — and Wiz Khalifa‘s “See You Again.” Mary J. Blige and newcomer Steve Lacy also performed.
DJ Khaled, Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, John Legend, Fridayy and Jay-Z closed out the show with their collaboration “God Did.”
