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| Goldie with Chaka Khan and Ciara |
Showing posts with label Grammys news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grammys news. Show all posts
Saturday 9 February 2013
Goldie with Chaka Khan, Ciara at Grammys pre-event party
Saturday 11 February 2012
BREAKING NEWS: FEMI KUTI WILL NOT ATTEND THE GRAMMYS
This year’s Grammy Awards, the 54th edition of the show, is set to showcase several of the world’s most recognizable stars, and reward those who have made their mark in music across the world, from the U.S, Asia & Europe, through to Africa.
However, when the show goes down on Sunday February 12, one nominee who will not be gracing the hugely anticipated event is Nigerian Afrobeat singer, Femi Kuti.
Kuti’s sister Yeni tells us via SMS that Femi, who’s nominated in the Best World Music Category, is not shunning the awards as is being reported, but that the afrobeat giant would not be attending the awards because ‘he would be too disappointed if he goes and he doesn’t win’.
Femi’s nomination is for his album ‘Africa for Africa’, released under the Knitting Factory Records imprint.
Despite Femi’s opinion, though, Yeni, who was a dancer in Femi’s positive Force band, before stepping down to manage the New Afrikan Shrine on a day-to-day, says she hopes he wins. She told our reporter, this evening, that the duo of Kenny Ogungbe and Dayo Adeneye of Kennis Music, who will be attending the event, have kindly agreed to accept the award on his behalf, should the Afrobeat singer win.
Femi Kuti, son of late Afro Beat legend, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, received his first Grammy nomination in 2003 under the best world music album category, with his ‘Fight to Win’ album. He lost out to Panamanian Ruben Blades. He also recorded another nomination in 2010 but US banjo player Bela Fleck eventually walked away with the award.
His recent nomination sees him up against Latin/Roots music band AfroCubism, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Malian band Tinariwen.
This year, the total number of categories for the Grammys was cut from 109 to 78 after a major overhaul last year.
Femi Kuti gets third shot @ The Grammy
As the count down begins for the 54th edition of the American Grammy award taking place on 12th.Febuary 2012 in California USA, Nigerian fans of Femi Kuti who is nominated in the World Music Category pray that he is third time lucky this time around.
Femi picked up his third ever nomination in the World Music Category for his ‘Africa for Africa‘ album on Wednesday, November 30, 2011 when the list was unveiled at the ‘Grammy Nominations Concert Live!‘ in Los Angeles, US. An excited Femi who was monitored by Showtime on a cable TV station said, the news was totally unexpected.
*Femi Kuti
“I was shocked when I heard the news. The surprise here, is that, I didn’t expect an album recorded and produced here in Nigeria studios could be nominated for the Grammy. I can understand it, if the album like the previous ones (that gained nominations) was recorded in Europe.
If the organisers decided, it was good to gain a Grammy nomination, it then show just how much our production competence has risen in Nigeria”, Femi disclosed.
Is expecting to win the Grammy this time, we sought to know?
“Well, we are keeping our fingers crossed. But the truth is that a mere nomination is enough to excite any musician worth his/her salt
In 2003, Femi, eldest son of late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, picked up his first ever Grammy Award nomination but lost out to Panamanian salsa singer, Rubén Blades.
He similarly lost in 2010 when he was nominated in the same category. US banjo player Bela Fleck walked away with the award.
His recent nomination sees him up against Latin/Roots music band AfroCubism, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Malian band Tinariwen.
‘We’re extremely happy, and hoping they give him this time around‘ Femi’s elder sister and Positive band veteran Yeni Kuti told us the week over the phone. ‘It’s his third time and he has really worked hard. I can’t say if he’ll attend or not, but I hope he will. He did not attend last year,” Yeni says.
US rapper Kanye West leads the pack with seven nods, making it the second year in a row a Hip-hop artiste has reached that feat. (Eminem topped the nominees list in 2010, with 10nods. He walked away with two wins).
Kanye is closely followed by UK singer Adele who is tied with Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars with six nods each. But the controversial rapper-producer was, surprisingly missing on the biggest award category ‘Album of the Year’.
Other notable acts that missed out on the big prize are Taylor Swift and veteran singer Tony Bennett.
The awards ceremony is billed to hold on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
If the organisers decided, it was good to gain a Grammy nomination, it then show just how much our production competence has risen in Nigeria”, Femi disclosed.
Is expecting to win the Grammy this time, we sought to know?
“Well, we are keeping our fingers crossed. But the truth is that a mere nomination is enough to excite any musician worth his/her salt
In 2003, Femi, eldest son of late Afrobeat pioneer Fela Anikulapo Kuti, picked up his first ever Grammy Award nomination but lost out to Panamanian salsa singer, Rubén Blades.
He similarly lost in 2010 when he was nominated in the same category. US banjo player Bela Fleck walked away with the award.
His recent nomination sees him up against Latin/Roots music band AfroCubism, South African male choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and Malian band Tinariwen.
‘We’re extremely happy, and hoping they give him this time around‘ Femi’s elder sister and Positive band veteran Yeni Kuti told us the week over the phone. ‘It’s his third time and he has really worked hard. I can’t say if he’ll attend or not, but I hope he will. He did not attend last year,” Yeni says.
US rapper Kanye West leads the pack with seven nods, making it the second year in a row a Hip-hop artiste has reached that feat. (Eminem topped the nominees list in 2010, with 10nods. He walked away with two wins).
Kanye is closely followed by UK singer Adele who is tied with Foo Fighters and Bruno Mars with six nods each. But the controversial rapper-producer was, surprisingly missing on the biggest award category ‘Album of the Year’.
Other notable acts that missed out on the big prize are Taylor Swift and veteran singer Tony Bennett.
The awards ceremony is billed to hold on February 12, 2012, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Wednesday 1 February 2012
After surgery, Adele to perform at the Grammys
Adele is nominated for six Grammys, and she'll be on deck to collect anything she wins: The 23-year-old singer is set to perform at the awards show.
Adele had surgery on her vocal cords last year, and the Grammys will be the first time she has performed live in five months, The Recording Academy announced Tuesday.
Her sophomore album, "21," has sold more than 6 million copies in the U.S. It is nominated for album of the year and best pop vocal album. The CD has three singles that have hit the No. 1 spot on the Billboard chart, including "Rolling in the Deep," which is up for record and song of the year.
The Grammys will air live Feb. 12 on CBS from the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Adele will also perform at the BRIT Awards on Feb. 21.
