Following a saga of utter jubilation and cringe-worthy no-confidence, hip-hop duo Migos, electronic pioneer The Chainsmokers and hip-hop vocalist Tyler, the Creator are the only three nominees who failed to secure a Best New Artist nomination at the 57th Grammy awards ceremony on Monday (unless anyone else forgot).
Rather than being arrogant about it, they were both silent. At the top of the night, Kanye West announced his nominees live, but just as the announcement was made he announced he was not running for president. Making of anyone think he might pull a West, right? Oops.
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In America’s opening ceremonies, the always prestigious 70th annual Tony awards, earlier in the day, America’s most elaborate show of friendship proved itself often at risk of crumbling under the pressure of its own mere razzmatazz. At the top of the evening, the co-hosts, superstar Tony winners Audra McDonald and Sara Bareilles, completed the hashtag accidentally by bowing out.
When they returned, two-time winner Charles Busch gave a touching nod to the fact that they are so far from the theatre world by referring to Busch’s quip about moustaches and clocks as “of us coming out of theatre”.
Busch is perhaps best known for being nominated in 1980 and then again in 1981 for best original score for his creepy nightmare musical about Stephen King called 9 to 5. He has also won two best play Tonys for 1975’s Venus in Fur and 1987’s Out of Order. In both of those case, the theatre was seen as just a stage and not a backdrop for a strange vision of human sexuality. In contrast, neither the New York Philharmonic nor the Metropolitan Opera, which are also part of the awards programme, nominated him.
Music New York has the nail on the coffin as the main reason Busch did not win: the ceremony’s broadcast will not be televised, and the Broadway community members that watch the Tonys are mostly in it for the prestige. In 2013, Busch accepted his Tony for Out of Order with a gracious rousing speech in which he did not call attention to himself but recognised in some way that the Academy of Musical Arts and Sciences (the ceremony’s organisers) is a shadowy and uncomfortably elitist community.
Here’s what to expect from the Grammys awards
While McDonald and Bareilles were shuffled off stage, the Academy refused to pair it off like some musical. Carole King and James Taylor are up for the Best Pop Vocal Album award; Travis Scott and the Weeknd, who are both up for Best Rap Album, are going up against their Grammy record-holding hook-up, Kendrick Lamar, who is a co-writer on The Weeknd’s Starboy. On the songwriting side, Beyoncé is an album-defining double winner and her collaboration with Kelly Rowland on Best Music Video could get her an Album of the Year nomination. Not to mention that Carole King will also be up for an award (Best Contemporary Christian Music) that will go to the winner of the Christian Song of the Year award.
Held in Los Angeles, the Grammys should make for a fun spectacle where even Donald Trump (himself a Kanye West fan) can be seen in the background. The best way to avoid serious political commentary is probably to focus on the performances: Elton John, Little Big Town, Pink, Jessie Reyez, Vance Joy and Ed Sheeran are all scheduled to perform on the night, while Kelly Clarkson will become the first pop star to perform at the Grammy awards after 11 years when she takes to the stage on the Children’s Song of the Year. You can also look forward to subtle digs at Donald Trump, like Adele stating that she was “feeling depressed” before her record-breaking Grammy wins in 2016. There will also be stiff competition for Best Record of the Year, with an incredible six nominees: Justin Bieber (No Sense), Drake (One Dance), Kendrick Lamar (Humble), Alessia Cara (Here), Khalid (Location) and Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee (Despacito).