In a recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, interim Recording Academy CEO and president Harvey Mason all but outright said that Beyoncé had declined an invitation to perform at the Grammy Awards on Sunday night. “It’s unfortunate because she’s such a big part of the Recording Academy,” he told the outlet. “We absolutely wish we had her onstage.”
Her absence onstage at tonight’s ceremony will be glaring, given the fact that she’s the most nominated act of the night with nine nominations, the Associated Press reports, not to mention that she could become the most awarded Grammys history tonight if she picks up at least four trophies in any of the categories she’s up for.
But looking beyond just this one night, is anyone surprised? Beyoncé hasn’t attended the ceremony since 2018, and although she’s the Grammys’ most nominated woman with a staggering 79 nominations over the past 21 years, she’s been consistently shut out of winning any of the big four categories (Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist), despite consistently putting out top-caliber work—and I’m not just talking about Lemonade and self-titled, but like B’Day and 4, too! Those were ABSOLUTELY contenders, and anyone who says otherwise can take their lack of taste down to 123 Ninth Circle of Hell Street where it belongs.
Anyway, again, who’s surprised, only three Black women have won Album of the Year, how many times do we have to spell out the problem and once again watch it not register with whoever’s making the calls up top at the Recording Academy, etc., etc., etc.
- Fiona Apple, who’s up for three Grammys tonight, is not attending either: “I don’t want to be on national television. I’m just not made for that kind of stuff anymore. I want to stay sober, and I can’t do that sober. It doesn’t feel safe to me to be in that kind of exposure, scrutiny, comparison to people. It just—I can’t. I don’t wanna do it. I don’t wanna do it! So I’m not doing it.” [Twitter]
- Speaking of that aforementioned LA Times interview, Grammys producer Ben Winston mentioned that another artist turned down an offer to perform “because she was like, ‘I got snubbed three years ago, and I’m still annoyed about it.’” I initially thought it might be Taylor Swift, whose Reputation was largely ignored by the Recording Academy in 2018, but she’s performing! So, now I think it might be Lady Gaga, whose Joanne was similarly snubbed at the ceremony that year. [Los Angeles Times]
- Miley Cyrus bravely came out as a top. [Hollywood Life]
- LeBron James’ daughter is very cute. [TMZ]
- Medically obsessed with Ramona Singer confusing “the third world” with “the fourth wall”: