Grammys 2024: Taylor Swift makes history as women rule the night

Published

10 months ago

February 5, 2024

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Women dominate this year’s Grammys, with female artists taking home the biggest four awards of the night.

Taylor Swift made history when she won best album for Midnights, becoming the first artist to win the prize for a fourth time, having previously won for Fearless,1989 and Folklore.

The ceremony was the first big music event Swift has attended since falling victim to a deepfake attack on social media late last month, when fake, sexually explicit images of her were shared online.

Accepting the prize, Swift ushered her team around her saying, “Guys I feel so alone” before going on to thank everyone who made the album a success.

She said: “I would love to tell you this is the best moment of my life, but I feel this happy when I finish a song, or when I crack the code to a bridge that I love, or when I’m shortlisting a music video, or when I’m working with my dancers.

“For me the reward is the work… All I want to do is keep doing this, so thanks so much for giving me the opportunity. Mind blown!”

The award was presented by Canadian superstar Celine Dion, who in 2022 revealed that she was suffering from the rare neurological disorder known as stiff-person syndrome (SPS), forcing her to cancel numerous tour dates.

Clearly emotional to be back on the stage, she told the crowd: “When I say that I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart”.

Swift also delighted her legion of fans by revealing during the show that she would be releasing a new album on 19 April – The Tortured Poets Department – and sharing a photo of the album’s front cover on social media.

Accepting best pop vocal album, the 34-year-old said she’d be keeping the secret for the last two years.

Record of the year was taken by Miley Cyrus, for her viral summer hit Flowers, who broke her no-Grammy spell with two wins on the night. She said that she hoped her life didn’t change as it was already “beautiful.”

Reeling off a list of people to thank, the 31-year-old star who was wearing a sequined black gown with a high side split joked, “I don’t think I forgot anyone… But I may have forgotten underwear”.

Cyrus also won best pop solo performance for Flowers, which she performed during the ceremony.

Accepting her award from Mariah Carey, she told the audience she’d nearly missed the start of the show due to the rain, going on to tell a story of a little boy who could not catch a butterfly until one landed on his nose, concluding, “this song is my butterfly”.

The award was presented by record producer Mark Ronson, along with his mother-in-law, Oscar-winning actress Meryl Streep.

Song of the year went to Billie Eilish, for her Barbie song What Was I Made For? who appeared to be truly shocked by her own win, telling the audience, “This is the dumbest thing… Damn, I’m shocked,” and concluding her speech, “This is stupid, I’m not supposed to be here”.

The track from the movie which dominated the summer and broke box office records also took home the award for best song written for visual media.

Eilish performed on the night, dressed in black sunglasses and a pink headscarf in homage to the 1965 Barbie Poodle parade doll.

Best new artist went to R&B singer-songwriter Victoria Monet, who kicked off her acceptance speech by thanking “the champagne servers of the night,” going on to dedicate her award to anyone “who has a dream”.

Using the analogy of a growing plant in the “soil” of the music industry, Monet said her “roots had been growing underground for so long, and were finally sprouting over ground”.

SZA – who had the most nominations going into the night – took three awards – including best R&B song for Snooze, giving an emotional and out of breath speech due to the fact she was changing her outfit, during which she gave a shout out to Swift (the star of the night) saying “Hi Taylor… I’m not an attractive crier. Have a good evening.”

Kylie Minogue was honoured with the inaugural best pop dance recording for hit Padam Padam – the Australian star’s second Grammy.

Highlighting the success of the night for female talent, indie supergroup Boygenius took three awards, with bandmember Phoebe Bridgers taking a fourth for her collaboration with SZA Ghost in the Machine.

The celebration of female talent was in stark contrast to a UK MP report released last week, which revealed that women working in the music industry face “endemic” misogyny and discrimination.

Another notable win went to rapper Jay-Z who won the Dr Dre global impact award took his daughter Blue Ivy up onto the stage, as used the opportunity to take a swipe at the Recording Academy.

He drew gasps when he chided the Grammy’s have previously neglected rap stars, before putting the spotlight on his wife, Beyonce, questioning how she’d won the most Grammy’s in history, but never won best album.

He joked, “Sorry, when I get nervous, I tell the truth”.

He finished by urging fellow artists “to keep showing up,” imploring, “Just in life, you’ve got to keep showing up. Just keep showing up.

Held at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles, the 66th annual ceremony was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah – his fourth consecutive year fronting the show.

There were a host of performances from living legends, with cultural icon Joni Mitchell making her Grammy debut aged 80.

With an impressive five-decade music career, and after overcoming a near-fatal brain aneurysm in 2015, she sang her 1966 hit Both Sides Now, sat in a golden armchair and accompanied by singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile on guitar.

Mitchell also took home the prize for best folk album. She previously won the Recording Academy lifetime achievement award in 2002.

Other veteran entertainers to perform included Stevie Wonder who paid tribute to singer Tony Bennet, Billy Joel and Tracy Chapman.

Eurhythmics star Annie Lennox gave an emotional rendition of Sinead O’Connor’s Nothing Compares 2 U during the In Memoriam section of the show, wearing a black suit and with a glittery black tear running from one eye.

Finishing the song, the 69-year-old singer brought politics to the fore, saying: “Artists for ceasefire, peace in the world,” appearing to refer to the ongoing Gaza-Hamas war.

Later in the show, Recording Academy The CEO Harvey Mason Jr spoke about the power of music to unite, calling out attacks at music venues including the Bataclan concert hall in Paris, the Manchester Arena in England, the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival in Las Vegas and most recently the Supernova Music Festival for Love.

As he spoke, a string quartet of musicians of Palestinian, Israeli and Arab origin performed live, with Mason concluding: ” Now is the time for us, for humanity, to play together and to come together with empathy and with love.”

Meanwhile, in sharp contrast to the glitz and glamour of the night, rapper Killer Mike was led from the ceremony in handcuffs, shortly after winning three gongs.

The 48-year-old activist and performer took home best rap album for his sixth studio album, Michael, while his track Scientists And Engineers featuring Andre 3000, Future And Eryn Allen Kane won best rap song and best rap performance.

A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Police Department confirmed a man had been arrested but did not give any further details.

Entertainment

Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs attempting to obstruct justice from jail, prosecutors say

Published

39 mins ago

November 18, 2024

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Sean 'Diddy' Combs attempting to obstruct justice from jail, prosecutors say

Sean “Diddy” Combs has attempted to contact prospective witnesses from jail in a bid to sway public opinion ahead of his upcoming sex trafficking trial, prosecutors have claimed.

The accusations were made in a Manhattan federal court filing in which the prosecution opposes the 55-year-old rapper‘s latest $50m (£39m) bail proposal. A bail hearing is scheduled for next week.

Combs pleaded not guilty to charges that he coerced and abused women for years with the aid of a network of associates and employees, while silencing victims through blackmail and violence, including kidnapping, arson and physical beatings.

He says his sexual relationships were consensual, and strenuously denies all wrongdoing.

In the latest step of the ongoing case, prosecutors say a review of recorded jail calls made by Combs shows he has asked family members to reach out to potential victims and witnesses and has urged them to create “narratives” to influence the jury pool.

They say he has also encouraged marketing strategies to influence public opinion.

The filing said: “The defendant has shown repeatedly – even while in custody – that he will flagrantly and repeatedly flout rules in order to improperly impact the outcome of his case.

“The defendant has shown, in other words, that he cannot be trusted to abide by rules or conditions.”

Prosecutors wrote that it could be inferred from his behaviour that Combs wants to blackmail victims and witnesses into silence or into providing testimony helpful to his defence.

Read more: What is Sean Combs charged with?

It is alleged that Combs began breaking rules almost as soon as he was detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York City, after his arrest in September.

Two judges have concluded he is a danger to the community and at risk of fleeing, rejecting two previous bail requests.

In Combs’s latest request, his lawyers cited changed circumstances, including new evidence, which they said made it sensible to release him ahead of his trial next year.

But prosecutors said defence lawyers created their latest bail proposal using some evidence prosecutors turned over to them, and the new material was already known to defence lawyers when they made previous bail applications.

In their submission to a judge, prosecutors said Combs’s behaviour in jail shows he must remain locked up.

They cited examples including Combs enlisting family members to plan and carry out a social media campaign around his birthday earlier this month, “with the intention of influencing the potential jury in this criminal proceeding”.

They say he encouraged his seven children to post a video to their social media accounts showing them gathered to celebrate his birthday.

Afterwards, they say he allegedly monitored the analytics, including audience engagement, from inside the jail and “explicitly discussed with his family how to ensure that the video had his desired effect on potential jury members in this case”.

Prosecutors also alleged Combs made clear his intention to anonymously publish information that he thought would help his defence team.

“The defendant’s efforts to obstruct the integrity of this proceeding also includes relentless efforts to contact potential witnesses, including victims of his abuse who could provide powerful testimony against him,” they wrote.

Sky News has contacted Combs’s lawyer for comment.

Combs is currently in custody in Manhattan. His criminal trial is scheduled for 5 May 2025.

Entertainment

Davina McCall makes ‘enormous leap forward’ and is out of ICU after surgery to remove brain tumour

Published

10 hours ago

November 18, 2024

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Davina McCall makes 'enormous leap forward' and is out of ICU after surgery to remove brain tumour

Davina McCall has made an “enormous leap forward in the last 24 hours”, her partner has said on her Instagram.

In an update, her partner Michael Douglas, said: “Update folks. Thanks so much to all the well wishers. She really has made an enormous leap forward in the last 24 hours. She is out of ICU She is ‘loving awareness’. Thank you xx Michael.”

The post also featured a bright pink text image, which said, “massive relief to see some light breaking through,” followed by four heart emojis.

“Thanks for all the good vibes coming in from all angles. Up and up,” it added.

Friends and fellow celebrities were quick to comment on the update, with actress Patsy Palmer writing, “sending healing,” Dame Kelly Holmes commenting “awesome news Michael” and Jools Oliver adding three heart emojis.

The 57-year-old television presenter had revealed in a video posted on Instagram earlier on Friday she had a benign brain tumour, a colloid cyst, which she described as “very rare”.

Speaking in the short video ahead of her operation, McCall had explained to her followers the benign tumour was around 14mm wide and “needed to come out, because if it grows it would be bad” .

She said a surgeon would remove the cyst through the top of her head in a procedure called a craniotomy.

In her video post the former Big Brother host had said she was “in good spirits,” and would be in hospital “for around nine days” following the procedure.

According to the NHS, non-cancerous brain tumours are slow-growing and unlikely to spread, but are still serious and can be life-threatening.

McCall’s current partner, hairdresser Michael Douglas, is sharing updates from McCall’s account while she is recovering. This is his second update since her operation.

McCall rose to fame presenting on MTV in the mid-1990s, and later on Channel 4’s Streetmate, before becoming a household name as the host of Big Brother from 2000 to 2010.

She’s gone on to present programmes across the networks, and currently presents ITV dating show My Mum, Your Dad.

Last year, McCall was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2023 Birthday Honours for services to broadcasting.

In recent years, McCall has spoken regularly on women’s health and the effects of menopause in a bid to break taboos around the subject. Her 2022 book, Menopausing, won book of the year at the British Book Awards.

The same year, McCall fronted the Channel 4 documentary Davina McCall: Sex, Mind And The Menopause, and told the BBC that the perimenopausal symptoms caused her difficulties multi-tasking and she considered that she had a brain tumour or Alzheimer’s disease at the time.

Married twice, McCall has three children, two daughters and a son, with her second husband, presenter Matthew Robertson.

She has lived with Douglas since 2022, and they present a weekly lifestyle podcast together, Making The Cut.

Entertainment

Ed Sheeran says his didn’t give Band Aid 40 permission to use his vocals

Published

12 hours ago

November 18, 2024

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Ed Sheeran says he didn't give Band Aid 40 permission to use his vocals

Ed Sheeran says Band Aid 40 organisers did not seek his approval to use his vocals in the new version of the charity hit Do They Know It’s Christmas?

The Shape Of You star said he would have “respectively declined” any permission, going on to share another post criticising foreign aid in Africa.

The new version of the festive hit blends previous recordings to create an “ultimate” mix from Band Aid 1984 including the voices of George Michael, Sting and Boy George, alongside the likes of Harry Styles, Chris Martin and the Sugababes, who appeared on the Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30 versions in 2004 and 2014.

Sheeran had previously sung on Band Aid 30 alongside One Direction, Sam Smith and Coldplay’s Chris Martin.

The 33-year-old singer wrote in an Instagram story: “My approval wasn’t sought on this new Band Aid 40 release and had I had the choice I would have respectfully declined the use of my vocals.

“A decade on and my understanding of the narrative associated with this has changed, eloquently explained by @fuseodg. This is just my personal stance, I’m hoping it’s a forward-looking one. Love to all x.”

Sheeran referenced a post by Ghanaian-English singer, songwriter and rapper Fuse ODG, who worked with him on the track Boa Me.

Fuse ODG said that a decade earlier he “refused” to be part of the Band Aid 30 song as he feels that while the charity helps get “sympathy and donations, they perpetuate damaging stereotypes that stifle Africa’s economic growth, tourism, and investment”.

The rapper added: “By showcasing dehumanising imagery, these initiatives fuel pity rather than partnership, discouraging meaningful engagement.

“My mission has been to reclaim the narrative, empowering Africans to tell their own stories, redefine their identity, and position Africa as a thriving hub for investment and tourism.

“Today, the diaspora drives the largest flow of funds back into the continent, not Band Aid or foreign aid proving that Africa’s solutions and progress lies in its own hands.”

Sheeran has also worked with other African artists including Nigerian singers Fireboy DML and Burna Boy.

The original Band Aid single released in 1984 featured artists led by Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof and Ultravox’s Midge Ure to help charities working with starving children in Ethiopia. It sold a million copies in the first week alone.

For the new version, the singers will be backed by the Band Aid house band of Sir Paul McCartney, Sting, Duran Duran’s John Taylor, Phil Collins, Queen’s Roger Taylor, Supergrass’s Danny Goffey, Radiohead’s Thom Yorke and Jonny Greenwood, Paul Weller, Damon Albarn, Ure, Gary Kemp and Justin Hawkins.

Premiering on 25 November, the song will be physically released too on 29 November, with a minimum of £5 donated to the Band Aid Trust when the single is sold on vinyl, a minimum of £1.50 donated when the single is sold on CD, and a minimum 50p donated when the single is digitally downloaded.