Established 1961 21 Lifestyle Music Sunday, January 26, 2020 In this file photo, Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah Dugan speaks during the 62nd Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani attend the Warner Music Group Wiz Khalifa attends the Warner Music Group Singer Bebe Rexha attends the 11th Annual Grammy Awards Nominations Conference at CBS Broadcast Center on Nov 20, 2019 in New York Pre-Grammy Party at Hollywood Athletic Club on Jan 23, 2020 in Pre-Grammy Party. GRAMMY in the Schools Live! A Celebration of City. — AFP photos Hollywood, California. Music & Education presented by Ford Motor Company Fund at The Wilshire Ebell Theatre on Jan 23, 2020 in Los Angeles. os Angeles is gearing up for the as too white, too male - and too generous to University who has extensively researched they have in years past, Vilanova said. “They LGrammys, music’s marquee night, with music world mainstays. the intersection of race and gender at the aren’t leading the discourse, they’re after- Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X leading Grammys, this year’s field of nominees is evi- thoughts - and when has Taylor Swift been an a pack of young, talented contenders hoping Diverse nominee field dence of “an environment that feels more afterthought?” to strike gold today. But revelations of infight- This year’s diverse slate of nominees - possible” for different kinds of artists to have Often remembered as much for its per- ing at the Recording Academy, which organ- which celebrates a mix of established and a chance. “It’s quite interesting, to see what formances as its winners, the Grammys will izes the awards show, and an explosive alle- budding stars - did appear to be a move in a will happen when you have artists who are feature Lizzo, Eilish and Grande, along with a gation of rape has cast a dark shadow over new direction. Leading the pack is the effer- really having their first chance at this,” he told genre-blending rendition of Lil Nas X’s the glitzy gala and rattled the institution’s vescent 31-year-old Lizzo - beloved by fans AFP. “Their work is being appraised by the mega-hit “Old Town Road” that will feature efforts to shed its out-of-touch image. for her sassy, body-positive persona and academy for the first time.” K-pop sensation BTS, country star Billy Ray Laura Marano attends Instagram’s GRAMMY On Tuesday, Deborah Dugan - the first unflinching messages of feminist empower- In her first public interview since unveiling Cyrus and the eclectic DJ Diplo, among oth- Luncheon. woman to head the Academy, a move meant ment, sexual freedom and black pride. She her scathing allegations that the Academy is a ers. Artists including John Legend, Meek Mill to usher in a new era for a body long accused nabbed eight nominations, including in all the “boys’ club” where powerful men line their and DJ Khaled - all up for Grammys this year of favoritism and a lack of diversity - filed an top four categories. pockets and promote a misogynistic culture - will perform a tribute to the late rapper explosive discrimination complaint with the The 18-year-old goth-leaning pop icono- with impunity, Dugan told ABC’s “Good Nipsey Hussle, who was shot dead last year Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. clast Billie Eilish and the genre-bending Morning America” on Thursday: “I actually and is up for three posthumous awards. She says she was suspended after raising overnight sensation Lil Nas X, 20, both have wanted to make change from within.” In her Though the Recording Academy drama concerns over sexual harassment, voting six chances at Grammy gold, while the enig- complaint, she said that some nominated has threatened to cloud the gala, Vilanova irregularities and other misconduct within the matic 22-year-old R&B prodigy H.E.R. has artists have sat on the voting boards for their said that in terms of expanding possibilities Academy, one of music’s most influential five. The newbie frontrunners will square off prospective categories. But when asked if the for artists, the Grammys appear to be taking organizations. against veteran powerhouses including Ariana Grammys are “rigged”, Dugan sidestepped. “I baby steps toward structural change. “I hesi- In the complaint, the former CEO - who Grande and Beyonce, as well as alt-leaning was trying at each step to take a deep breath tate to call it a sea change - progress in these was put on leave last week days before her acts Lana Del Rey, Bon Iver and Vampire and say, ‘OK, I can make a difference, I can fix areas rarely happens in a straight line,” he filing, accused of bullying behavior - also Weekend. The shift follows years of sharp cri- this, I can work with this team.’,” she told the said. “It’s not that one artist should win - what alleged that her predecessor, Neil Portnow, tique from top-tier artists including Frank ABC morning news program. we want to ask is, ‘Do the Grammys actually had raped a foreign female musician, an alle- Ocean, Drake and Jay-Z, who have all represent what the music industry sounds like gation he has rejected as “ludicrous and slammed the Grammys as irrelevant, especial- ‘Old Town Road’ all-star show and looks like?’” — AFP untrue”. The ongoing tempest is swirling in ly citing its failure to recognize black artists. Though one-time Grammy darling Taylor stark contrast with the Recording Academy’s Swift is up for several awards including Song efforts to reinvent itself, and thereby appease Diverse wins ‘more possible’ of the Year, many mainstay artists are not Njomza attends Instagram’s GRAMMY critics who long have lambasted the Grammys For John Vilanova, a professor at Lehigh “looming significantly” over the ceremony as Luncheon on Jan 24, 2020 in Los Angeles Lizzo usic’s glitterati will sparkle on the for the boisterous star’s latest ensemble - Mred carpet at this today’s Grammy she donned a fluffy, hot pink Marc Jacobs Rosalia awards, which honors the top hits jacket to this year’s Met Gala, which she elebrities from Mark Hamill to Miley and artists of the year. Scandal at the proudly wore as she strutted through a Cyrus as well as some surprising Twitter Recording Academy, which puts on the New York airport the morning after. C show, has overwhelmed the lead-up to the users such as the Israel Defense Forces ‘Old Town Road’ all-stars have joined in after US country singer Dolly glam event, but there are still plenty of Parton launched a meme that has gone viral. “Get musical moments to watch for. Here is our Lil Nas X, the brain behind the year’s you a woman who can do it all,” the legendary quick guide to the event, which will take ubiquitous earworm “Old Town Road,” will singer tweeted on Tuesday alongside her meme place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles: take the stage to perform a pumped-up showing four different pictures of herself that rendition of his country-trap smash. His Women poised to lead Grammy co-nominee for Record of the she could use on four different social media plat- Women dominated at last year’s gala Year, Billy Ray Cyrus - who lent the song forms - LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and and are leading the pack this year as well, country-world street cred when Nashville Tinder. with the twerking flautist Lizzo and the snubbed it - will join him on stage, as will The photos ranged from a professional-look- teenage goth-pop phenomenon Billie Eilish the eclectic DJ Diplo and K-pop mega for most of his adult life. The plea deal, ing Parton for LinkedIn to a Playboy pose for expected to battle for the top awards. The stars BTS. which saw additional charges against Mill Tinder. The tweet has since gone viral, inspiring Academy has long come under fire for fail- The video-sharing app TikTok pro- dropped, resolved a case that had become the #DollyPartonChallenge that has led to a host ing to recognize women and people of col- pelled the young rapper to fame - his song a flashpoint in the national debate over the of celebrities, companies and individuals taking or. So in recent years, it expanded the went viral and ultimately broke the record US criminal justice system’s treatment of up the Dolly challenge. “Dolly’s setting world- nominee field from five to eight in the for the longest stretch atop the Billboard black people. wide trends shouting out platforms she don’t major four categories: Album of the Year, hot songs chart at 19 weeks. The genre- 21 Savage was meanwhile arrested just even use,” Cyrus wrote on Instagram, captioning John Legend Song of the Year, Record of the Year and bending mega-hit was removed from before last year’s Grammys gala in his her four pictures with a string of hashtags Best New Artist. Billboard’s country music charts early last hometown Atlanta, with US immigration including #myfairygodmotherisaqueen. Both Lizzo and Eilish are nominated for year - which critics alleged was industry agents saying he had been living stateside all of the “big four” prizes. Other female white-washing as the artist is black. Lil illegally since overstaying a visa that frontrunners vying for Grammys gold Nas X is bound to impress on the red car- expired in 2006, when he was a minor. The include Lana Del Rey - whose 2019 album pet; the rapper is known for his campy shock arrest surprised fans, who discov- was considered by many critics as the best Western outfits complete with fringe, vests ered the rapper - strongly associated with of the year - and R&B prodigy H.E.R., who or hats in garish colors.