March 15, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Courtesy Recording AcademySunday night at the socially-distanced Grammys, artists spoke to reporters via Zoom, rather than in person. While some noted that it was an unusual year, it didn’t take away the thrill of winning the music industry’s most coveted award.

“It’s a normal year, we’re out on the road…so you’re feeling the love one-on-one with your fans every single night,” said Dan Smyers of Dan + Shay, who won Best Country Duo/Performance for their Justin Bieber collaboration “10,000 Hours.”

“But…this year has been super tough for our industry as a whole, and you aren’t able to feel the connection,” he noted. “You might have a hit song. You might have a song that climbs the charts…but you’re not feeling the fans singing back to you every single night. So to be acknowledged by our peers…to have tangible evidence of the success and the connection to that song is really cool.“

Dua Lipa, who won Best Pop Vocal Album for her hit release Future Nostalgia, was cheered by the fact that so many women took home awards this year. Indeed, female artists won in all of the “Big Four” categories: Record, Song and Album of the Year, and Best New Artist.

“I feel like there’s been a lot of female empowerment…and so it’s been absolutely amazing to be alongside all that and feel that energy,” she noted.

Along those same lines, Miranda Lambert, who won Best Country Album for Wildcard, noted that every nominee in that category was either a woman, or a female-fronted act.

“It’s really cool,” she told reporters. “To me, it felt like whoever won, we are winning for each other and for Nashville, you know what I mean?…This isn’t just mine. This is ours, especially as a group of women.“

H.E.R., winner of Song of the Year for “i can’t breathe,” said she felt that the track — inspired by the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement, would continue to resonate through the years.

“I hope that it’s a tribute to the movement and that it will continue the fight and it will continue to give people hope, because I think that’s what music does,” she said. “It’s so much bigger than this.”

And Harry Styles, who generated over a million tweets Sunday night for his performance of “Watermelon Sugar” and his subsequent win for Best Pop Solo Performance, summed up how a lot of artists feel getting awards for their work.

“I feel incredibly lucky to get to work in music and make music as my job,” he said, reacting to his first Grammy win. “This is an incredibly sweet icing on the cake of what I get to do every day.”

By Andrea Dresdale
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 14, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

The Recording AcademyThe 63rd Annual Grammy Awards aired Sunday night on CBS, hosted by Trevor Noah.

Here is the complete list of winners in the major categories:

Record of the Year
“Everything I Wanted” by Billie Eilish

Album of the Year
Folklore by Taylor Swift

Song of the Year
“I Can’t Breathe” by Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)

Best New Artist
Megan Thee Stallion

POP

Best Pop Solo Performance
“Watermelon Sugar” by Harry Styles

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
“Rain On Me” by Lady Gaga with Ariana Grande

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
American Standard by James Taylor

Best Pop Vocal Album
Future Nostalgia by Dua Lipa

ROCK/ALTERNATIVE

Best Rock Performance
“Shameika” by Fiona Apple

Best Metal Performance
“Bum-Rush” by Body Count

Best Rock Song
“Stay High” by Brittany Howard

Best Rock Performance
“Shameika” by Fiona Apple

Best Rock Song
“Stay High” by Brittany Howard

Best Rock Album
The New Abnormal by The Strokes Alternative

Best Alternative Music Album
Fetch the Bolt Cutters by Fiona Apple

R&B/RAP

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
“Black Parade” by Beyoncé

Best Traditional R&B Performance
“Anything For You” by Ledisi

Best R&B Song
“Better Than I Imagined” by Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper feat. H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)

Best Progressive R&B Album
It Is What It Is by Thundercat

Best R&B Album
Bigger Love by John Legend

Best Rap Performance
“Savage” by Megan Thee Stallion feat. Beyoncé

Best Melodic Rap Performance
“Lockdown” by Anderson .Paak

Best Rap Song
“Savage” by Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe & Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé)

Best Rap Album
King’s Disease by Nas

COUNTRY

Best Country Solo Performance
“When My Amy Prays” by Vince Gill

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
“10,000 Hours” by Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber

Best Country Song
“Crowded Table” by Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby & Lori McKenna, songwriters (The Highwomen)

Best Country Album
Wildcard by Miranda Lambert

DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC

Best Dance Recording
“10%” by Kaytranada feat. Kali Uchis

Best Dance/Electronic Album
BUBBA by Kaytranada

GOSPEL/CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
“There Was Jesus” by Zach Williams & Dolly Parton; Casey Beathard, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters

Best Gospel Album
Gospel According to PJ by PJ Morton

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
Jesus Is King by Kanye West

Best Roots Gospel Album
Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album) by Fisk Jubilee Singers

LATIN

Best Latin Pop or Urban Album
YHLQMDLG by Bad Bunny

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
La Conquista del Espacio by Fito Paez

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
Un Canto Por Mexico, Vol. 1 by Natalia Lafourcade

Best Tropical Latin Album
40 by Grupo Niche

COMEDY

Best Comedy Album
Black Mitzvah by Tiffany Haddish

MUSICAL THEATER

Best Musical Theater Album
Jagged Little Pill (Glen Ballard, composer; Alanis Morissette, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)

MUSIC FOR VISUAL MEDIA

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Jojo Rabbit (Various Artists) Taika Waititi, compilation producer

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media
Joker by Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer

Best Song Written For Visual Media
“No Time to Die” by Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas Baird O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish) Track from: No Time to Die

MUSIC VIDEO/FILM

Best Music Video
“Brown Skin Girl” Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & WizKid
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Jenn Nkiru, video directors; Astrid Edwards, Aya Kaida, Jean Mougin, Nathan Scherrer & Erinn Williams, video producers

Best Music Film
Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice
Linda Ronstadt Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, video directors; Michele Farinola & James Keach, video producers

By George Costantino
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 14, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Francis Specker/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Although Mickey Guyton didn’t walk home a winner at the 63rd Grammy Awards, she still shook the stage when she belted out her Grammy nominated hit “Black Like Me.”

The singer, who has spoken out against racism in country music, particularly the controversy with disgraced singer Morgan Wallen, dazzled in her bronze dress as she gave it all on stage.

The lyrics she put extra emphasis on were, “If you think we live in the land of the free/ You should try to be oh, Black like me/ Oh, I know I’m not the only one who feels like i don’t belong.”

She also pointed up to heaven as she cheered, “And someday we’ll all be free.”

The 37-year-old singer is the first Black female country singer to perform on the Grammys stage. She also made history as the first Black female solo artist to earn a Grammy nomination in a country category. She lost out on the Grammy for Best Country Solo Performance to Vince Gill‘s “When My Amy Prays.”

Guyton’s performance, part of Grammys spotlight on the women of country, was followed by rousing performances by Miranda Lambert, who sang “Bluebird,” and Maren Morris, who sang “The Bones” joined by John Mayer.

By Megan Stone
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

March 14, 2021 • No Comments • Country Music News

Francis Specker/CBS ©2021 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.We aren’t messing with your head, Miranda Lambert‘s album Wildcard won Best Country Album at the 2021 Grammy awards on Sunday night. 

The country star snagged the award over Little Big Town‘s Nightfall, Ashley McBryde‘s Never Will, Ingrid Andress‘ Lady Like and Brandy Clark‘s Your Life Is a Record. 

This is Lambert’s third Grammy Award out her 21 career nominations. 

Her song “Bluebird,” from the Wildcard album was also nominated twice, for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song.

By Danielle Long
Copyright © 2021, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.