Billie Eilish wins Record of the Year Grammy

LOS ANGELES -- Billie Eilish on Sunday snagged the Grammy for Record of the Year for the second straight time, a major feat for the 19-year-old who swept all four top categories at last year's ceremony.

This time, the edgy pop sensation bested a crowded field including the night's big stars Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce, along with Dua Lipa, Post Malone and Doja Cat, to win the prize honoring the year’s best overall song for her hit "Everything I Wanted."

In 2020, the teenage phenom cemented her place as an establishment leader, posting a banner Grammy night by sweeping prizes for Album, Record and Song of the Year, plus Best New Artist -- the first woman and youngest artist to do so.

"Everything I Wanted" is a gauzy ode to the struggles of stardom that touches on the teenage angst over feelings of inadequacy, imposter syndrome and concerns about fitting in.

Last year, she won Record of the Year honors for her hit "Bad Guy" off her debut "when we all fall asleep, where do we go?", which won for Album of the Year.

Before her album's release in March 2019, Eilish had already won a fervent online following for her bold, often haunting pop sound featuring heavy bass and tinges of trap and electronic dance music.

She is now one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and though the pandemic forced her to cancel her global tour, she still posted a strong year that included penning the theme ballad for the upcoming James Bond film "No Time to Die" -- which also scored a Grammy on Sunday.

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Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish to headline coronavirus benefit TV special

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Mariah Carey, Billie Eilish and Tim McGraw will headline a benefit concert on Sunday, playing from their homes, to raise money to help fight the spread of the coronavirus, Fox television said on Wednesday.

The one-hour special, to be hosted by Elton John and broadcast on Fox and iHeart radio stations, is the first major nationwide event in the United States to harness celebrity power to help those affected by the disease.

The “IHeart Living Room Concert for America” will also feature performances from Alicia Keys, Backstreet Boys, and Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong. All of the musicians will film themselves from homes with their cellphones or other equipment.

The special is aimed at paying tribute to health workers and those on the front lines of efforts to cope with the pandemic, which has overwhelmed hospitals. It will also encourage viewers to donate to two charities: Feeding America and the First Responders Children’s Foundation.

Musicians have been quick to move online as U.S. states have issued shutdown and stay-at-home orders, with free performances filmed at home and streamed on social media from the likes of John Legend and Coldplay frontman Chris Martin.

Others have made individual contributions to hospitals and nonprofits as the coronavirus has spread across the United States.

They include folk singer James Taylor, who this week made a $1 million donation to Massachusetts General Hospital, and Rihanna, whose foundation gave $5 million to charities to supply food and protective equipment to healthcare workers.

Fox said the “IHeart Living Room Concert for America” will be broadcast on Sunday at 9 p.m. EDT/6 pm PDT (0100 GMT on Monday).

Reporting by Jill Serjeant; editing by Jonathan Oatis

Billie Eilish sweeps Grammy Awards with top 4 prizes

LOS ANGELES - Teen sensation Billie Eilish swept the Grammy Awards on Sunday, winning all four top prizes - album, song, record of the year and best new artist - in a rare feat at the music industry's highest honors.

Eilish, an 18-year-old newcomer with a unique sound, won for her debut studio album "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" while her hit single "Bad Guy" was named record of the year and song of the year. In all, she took home five awards.

She is only the second person, and the youngest, to win all four top Grammys on the same night.

Eilish, distinguished by her green hair and baggy clothes, recorded the album with her brother Finneas in the bedroom of their Los Angeles home. Finneas also won the Grammy for non classical producer of the year.

They seemed taken aback by their Grammy haul, which saw them triumph over established stars including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande and rapper Post Malone.

"We didn't make this album to win a Grammy. We wrote about depression and suicidal thoughts and environmental change," Finneas said as the pair accepted the awards. "We stand up here confused and grateful."

Asked backstage what she would do next, Eilish said, "Being in this moment is all I'm thinking about... I'm gonna do whatever I feel."

The Grammy Awards show opened with a dedication to basketball star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter accident earlier in the day and whose Los Angeles Lakers team has its home at the city's Staples Center and Grammy venue.

"We are literally standing here heartbroken in the house that Kobe Bryant built," said Grammy host Alicia Keys. "We never imagined in a million years we'd have to start the show like this."

R&B star Lizzo won three of her eight nominations, while gay black country rapper Lil Nas X took two for his viral "Old Town Road" collaboration with Billy Ray Cyrus.

Lil Nas X, 20, wearing a cowboy hat and silver lure suit, and country singer Billy Ray Cyrus dazzled the house with a kitschy performance of their viral collaboration "Old Town Road," with contributions from stars ranging from K-Pop band BTS to young yodeler Mason Ramsey.

"He told the world he was gay and overnight he became an inspiration and a role model for hundreds of young people around the world," comedian Ellen DeGeneres, who is also gay, said as she introduced Lil Nas X.

Grande performed a medley of hits from her break-up album "Thank u, Next," including "7 Rings" and "Imagine" but won none of the five Grammys for which she was nominated.

Slain rapper Nipsey Hussle, 33, who was gunned down in his Los Angeles neighborhood last year, won two Grammys and was honored in a tribute by John Legend, DJ Khaled and rapper Meek Mill.

Blake Shelton and his fiancee Gwen Stefani held hands as they debuted their new romantic duet "Nobody But You," while Camila Cabello sang her recent single "First Man" to her tearful father in the audience. Demi Lovato won a standing ovation in her first performance at a major awards show since a drugs overdose in 2018.

The Grammy winners are chosen by members of the Recording Academy, which is currently embroiled in a dispute over the departure of its new chief executive Deborah Dugan and her allegations of conflicts of interest in the nominations process. The Recording Academy has denied the allegations.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Taylor Swift puts rancor aside, smashes all-time American Music Award record

Taylor Swift took the high road as she won six American Music Awards on Sunday to surpass Michael Jackson's all-time record, avoiding any direct mention of a bitter dispute with her old record company.

Swift won the top award, artist of the year, and four others. She was also given an honorary artist of the decade award, taking her all-time total to 29 American Music Awards, organizers said. That easily outstripped the 24 awards picked up by Jackson.

"All that matters to me is the memories that I have had with you guys, with you the fans, over the years," Swift, 29, told the audience at the ceremony in Los Angeles after performing a medley of her old hits.

Swift had been expected to speak out about a long feud with record industry executive Scooter Braun, who owns the master recordings to her first six albums after Swift signed with a new label in 2018.

Swift accused Braun last week of refusing permission for her to sing songs from her back catalog at the awards show. The public spat culminated last week with Braun saying that his family had received numerous death threats after the pop singer urged her 122 million Instagram fans to let Braun "know how you feel about this."

But on Sunday, the "Fearless" singer made no mention of the dispute, although she opened her performance wearing a white shirt printed with the titles of her old albums.

"This year for me has been a lot. It's been a lot of good, it's been a lot of really complicated," she said, without elaborating. She beat Drake, Ariana Grande, Halsey and Post Malone as artist of the year.

Newcomer Billie Eilish, 17, took home two statuettes for best new artist and best alternative rock artist after a breakout year that saw her top the U.S. charts with her single "Bad Girl."

"You made it all happen," said Eilish, thanking her fans.

Eilish showed her support for environmental causes by wearing a T-shirt with the slogan "No Music on a Dead Planet" as she gave her first awards show performance with "All the Good Girls Go to Hell."

Selena Gomez kicked off the ceremony in her first live TV performance in two years after undergoing a kidney transplant in 2017 and battling anxiety and depression.

Body positive R&B singer Lizzo performed her new single "Jerome," and Cuban-born Camila Cabello and boyfriend Shawn Mendes sang their hit pop single "Senorita," which won the award for collaboration of the year.

British rocker Ozzy Osbourne, 70, who has been sidelined by serious health problems for a year, was mostly seated as he took to the stage with rappers Post Malone, Travis Scott and rocker WATT for their single "Take What You Want."

Punk rockers Green Day got the audience to its feet as they marked the 25th anniversary of their 1994 breakout album "Dookie."

Other performers included the Jonas Brothers, Kesha, Halsey, Christina Aguilera and Shania Twain. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com 

Lizzo leads Grammy nominations with 8 nods

LOS ANGELES -- Pop artist Lizzo led the Grammy nominations on Wednesday with eight nods, followed by alt-pop sensation Billie Eilish, and country rapper Lil Nas X with six apiece.

Lizzo, Eilish and Lil Nas X also scored nods for the top awards - album and record of the year.

The Grammy Awards, the highest honors in the music industry, will be handed out in Los Angeles on January 26, 2020 in a ceremony hosted by Alicia Keys. 

source: news.abs-cbn.com