Just this week, Three videos of Taylor swift performing at a mini-concert held at the Grammy Museum in Los Angeles, California back in September. Taylor performed ‘Out of the Woods,’Wildest Dreams,’ and ‘Blank Space.’
The stripped down, acoustic versions of these songs were a throwback to Taylor’s singer-songwriter days and we loved every second of it.
Kendrick Lamar released a new song, ‘Untitled 2’ yesterday and debuted it on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.
The rapper spoke with the show’s host about his album, To Pimp a Butterfly and his 11 GRAMMY Nominations.
Originally Posed on Billboard
It’s been a big week for Sia — one that was impossible to imagine just a few short years ago. Days after Sia performed at the 57th annual Grammy Awards, where her smash hit “Chandelier” was nominated for the two top song prizes, the Australian singer-songwriter’s voice appeared on “Wolves” a new song by Kanye West (also featuring Vic Mensa) that will serve as the opening track to his hotly anticipated seventh studio album. Oh, and two of Sia’s songs, “Chandelier” and current single “Elastic Heart,” are currently in the Top 40 of the Hot 100 chart.
All in a typical week for the fascinating 39-year-old, who effectively ended her singing career following the release of her 2010 album We Are Born and morphed into a legitimate pop star over the next half-decade. No one expected this, least of all Sia, who released her first album in 1997 and spent years trying to carve out a niche in the U.S. pop landscape. Now is as good a time as any to declare that Sia has unquestionably arrived, and did so following the unlikeliest of paths.
So how did Sia pull it off? Here are the 10 steps that Sia took to reach the critical and commercial acclaim she currently enjoys:
Step 1: Retire. After a string of moderately successful full-length releases that resulted in more burnout than big hits, Sia Furler decided to end her solo career and focus on writing for other artists. In her 2012 Billboard cover story, Sia professes that this decision was a genius move, especially for someone suffering from an addiction to Vicodin and Oxycodone: she got to spend time on self-improvement, relax and work in his Los Angeles home, bring in new income from writing projects and generally re-charge her creative batteries. She also happily signed a contract with RCA Records that made sure she didn’t have to tour or do press to promote any future projects: “It shows the power of saying ‘no,'” she said.
Step 2: Guest on two Top 10 hits.
Step 3: Co-write for superstars. As if appearing on two Top 10 hits as a featured artist in 2011 wasn’t enough, Sia’s career accrued more positive momentum when the veteran songwriter started taking on more co-penning projects with top-line talent. Some of these tracks, including singles by Britney Spears, Celine Dionand Christina Aguilera, never caught on at U.S. radio, but two of them did:Rihanna‘s “Diamonds” and Ne-Yo‘s “Let Me Love You (Until You Learn to Love Yourself).” Both songs were smashes co-produced by StarGate that returned Sia’s name to the upper reaches of the Hot 100 chart.
Step 4: Refuse (most) interviews. As Sia’s fame as a songwriter and a supporting artist grew, interest in the Australian artist also flourished — but Sia refused to place herself back in the spotlight, and explained why in an anti-fame manifesto in Billboard in 2012. Sia very rarely discussed her career on the record (and still does) and declined to be photographed in support of her music (she appeared on the cover of Billboard with a paper bag over her head), but her selective anonymity only generated more interest in her career, to the point where another solo outing made sense for the reclusive artist.
Step 5: Appear on some big-name soundtracks.
Step 6: Save one of your hugest choruses for yourself. No pop song released in 2014 had as epic of a hook as “Chandelier,” the lead single from Sia’s solo comeback album, 1000 Forms of Fear. Yet “Chandelier” was more than just its soaring chorus: Sia delivered its powerful verses in a slurred daze, and the production of Greg Kurstin and Jesse Shatkin proves increasingly dramatic, effortlessly expressing the highs and lows of the singer’s alcohol-fueld trip. Not only was “Chandelier” a towering pop single — Billboard.com named the song thebest single of 2014 — but it beguiled Top 40 radio as well, becoming Sia’s first Top 10 hit as a solo artist.
Step 7: Release an imaginative music video with a tween star.
Step 8: Team with an expert pop producer. Sia and producer Greg Kurstin worked together on five songs from We Are Born, but 1000 Forms of Fear, her sixth studio album released last July, sounded so cohesive because all of the album’s 12 tracks were co-produced by Kurstin, the alt-pop whiz behind hits fromP!nk, Kelly Clarkson and Ellie Goulding. Kurstin’s lush, cozy approach to pop music proved to be a perfect match for Sia’s songwriting, and 1000 Forms of Fearbecame her first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 chart last July after receiving rave reviews.
Step 9: Create must-see performances with your back turned.
Step 10: Own the Grammys without winning any awards. Sure, it would have been nice if “Chandelier” had cashed in on one of its four Grammy nominations, including for record of the year and song of the year. But once again, Sia used her singular performance approach to command the awards ceremony, powering through “Chandelier” with the help of Ziegler and a wigged Kristen Wiig. The performance was hailed as one of the highlights of the show, and days later, Sia was popping up on Kanye West’s new song, “Wolves.” It’s all in a week’s work for one of pop’s most enigmatic, in-demand heroes.
Last night, St. Vincent became the first female solo artist in 20 years to win the Grammy for Best Alternative Album. She was unable to attend because she is currently touring in Australia. This afternoon she shared a heartfelt letter to her supporters.
In 2007, i signed to beggars banquet records. i was living in dallas, texas in my childhood bedroom at the time, which i had fashioned into a makeshift studio in order to record some of what would end up being my debut album “marry me.”
the first days of touring my own songs and as “st. vincent” are very vivid. in early 2007, in anticipation of the release of my record, my (much beloved) agent put me on the road as solo support for jolie holland and midlake. he saw potential in me, but rightfully, thought i needed to get my live act together. get comfortable playing for people. get road-tested. like most of the rest of my career, it was a trial by earth, wind, and fire.
i was performing solo; just my voice, a guitar through an array of effects pedals, a “stomp board” — a homemade device i made out of a piece of plywood and a contact microphone that i ran through a bass EQ pedal, and a keyboard. i thought the keyboard looked unmysterious on it’s own, so i designed a lighted wooden enclosure to go around it. my brother-in-law helped me build it in his garage. it weighed a gazillion pounds and gave me splinters to carry, and i don’t think anyone was under any illusion that there was anything but a keyboard inside it. neither the first nor the last in a series of hilariously ill-fated ideas.
january 2007, i borrowed my father’s station wagon and drove 12 hours from dallas to frozen lincoln, nebraska to open for jolie holland (what a voice) at a half-full 150 capacity carpeted club. i believe the compensation was $250/gig but it could have been as much as $500 — more $ than i’d ever seen for a gig for sure and guaranteed, no less! in my memory, this midwestern jolie tour dovetailed right into opening the midlake tour. they were out in support of their excellent record, “the trials of van occupanther” and were the sweetest good texas boys you could ever hope to meet. the drummer of midlake, mackenzie smith, would later prove to be a great collaborator, playing on actor, strange mercy, and st. vincent.
on this tour, i’d enlisted my dear friend, jamil, to come and sell merch and help do the long drives. we’d just played a show in detroit and while we’d been inside, a blizzard had swept through and covered the stationwagon in snow and ice. it was treacherous. jamil, who always had some incredible hustle going, hired a homeless man named larry to dig the stationwagon out of the snow. (in college, he had a gold lexus, stripped it of the good parts, and resold it. when i asked if he was sad to see it go, he said, “girl, they think they bought a lexus but they bought a corolla.”) i’ll never forget driving out of bombed out-detroit, apocalyptic at 1 AM. interstate 94 tense and quiet, jamil trying to make sure we didn’t crash or stall on the icy road.
i have eaten years of veggie subway sandwiches on highways 10-90, stayed at a super 8 motel behind a kansas federal prison, peed in cups in dressing rooms when there was no bathroom, gotten eaten alive by bedbugs at a cincinnati days inn. i would not trade a single highway or city or moment or person i met for anything. i have loved it all.
i’m very grateful to have received this grammy. thank you to my producer john congleton, thank you family, thank you friends, thank you to all the incredible musicians involved, thank you managers and agents and publishers and labels and publicists and everyone who works hard at their jobs. and thank you guys. thanks for everything.
1. RECORD OF THE YEAR
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” Sam Smith
2. ALBUM OF THE YEAR
“Morning Phase,” Beck
3. SONG OF THE YEAR
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version),” James Napier, William Phillips & Sam Smith, songwriters (Sam Smith)
4. BEST NEW ARTIST
Sam Smith
5. BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
“Happy (Live),” Pharrell Williams
6. BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
“Say Something,” A Great Big World With Christina Aguilera
7. BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
“Cheek To Cheek,” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
8. BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
“In The Lonely Hour,” Sam Smith
9. BEST DANCE RECORDING
“Rather Be,” Clean Bandit Featuring Jess Glynne
10. BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM
“Syro,” Aphex Twin
11. BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
“Bass & Mandolin,” Chris Thile & Edgar Meyer
12. BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
“Lazaretto,” Jack White
13. BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
“The Last In Line,” Tenacious D
14. BEST ROCK SONG
“Ain’t It Fun,” Hayley Williams & Taylor York, songwriters (Paramore)
15. BEST ROCK ALBUM
“Morning Phase,” Beck
16. BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
“St. Vincent,” St. Vincent
17. BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
“Drunk In Love,” Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z
18. BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
“Jesus Children,” Robert Glasper Experiment Featuring Lalah Hathaway & Malcolm-Jamal Warner
19. BEST R&B SONG
“Drunk In Love,” Shawn Carter, Rasool Diaz, Noel Fisher, Jerome Harmon, Beyoncé Knowles, Timothy Mosely, Andre Eric Proctor & Brian Soko, songwriters (Beyoncé Featuring Jay Z)
20. BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
“Girl,” Pharrell Williams
21. BEST R&B ALBUM
“Love, Marriage & Divorce,” Toni Braxton & Babyface
22. BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
“i,” Kendrick Lamar
23. BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
“The Monster,” Eminem Featuring Rihanna
24. BEST RAP SONG
“i,” K. Duckworth & C. Smith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
25. BEST RAP ALBUM
“The Marshall Mathers LP2,” Eminem
26. BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
“Something In The Water,” Carrie Underwood
27. BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
“Gentle On My Mind,” The Band Perry
28. BEST COUNTRY SONG
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You,” Glen Campbell & Julian Raymond, songwriters (Glen Campbell)
29. BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
“Platinum,” Miranda Lambert
30. BEST NEW AGE ALBUM
“Winds Of Samsara,” Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman
31. BEST IMPROVISED JAZZ SOLO
“Fingerprints,” Chick Corea, soloist
32. BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM
“Beautiful Life,” Dianne Reeves
33. BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
“Trilogy,” Chick Corea Trio
34. BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM
“Life In The Bubble,” Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band
35. BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
“The Offense Of The Drum,” Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
36. BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG
“No Greater Love,” Smokie Norful
37. BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG
“Messengers,” Lecrae Featuring For King & Country
38. BEST GOSPEL ALBUM
“Help,” Erica Campbell
39. BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM
“Run Wild. Live Free. Love Strong,” For King & Country
40. BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM
“Shine For All The People,” Mike Farris
41. BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
“Tangos,” Rubén Blades
42. BEST LATIN ROCK, URBAN OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
“Multiviral,” Calle 13
43. BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)
“Mano A Mano – Tangos A La Manera De Vicente Fernández,” Vicente Fernández
44. BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM
“Más + Corazón Profundo,” Carlos Vives
45. BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE
“A Feather’s Not A Bird,” Rosanne Cash
46. BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG
“A Feather’s Not A Bird,” Rosanne Cash
47. BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
“The River & The Thread,” Rosanne Cash
48. BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
“The Earls Of Leicester,” The Earls Of Leicester
49. BEST BLUES ALBUM
“Step Back,” Johnny Winter
50. BEST FOLK ALBUM
“Remedy,” Old Crow Medicine Show
51. BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM
“The Legacy,” Jo-El Sonnier
52. BEST REGGAE ALBUM
“Fly Rasta,” Ziggy Marley
53. BEST WORLD MUSIC ALBUM
“Eve,” Angelique Kidjo
54. BEST CHILDREN’S ALBUM
“I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up For Education And Changed The World (Malala Yousafzai),” Neela Vaswani
55. BEST SPOKEN WORD ALBUM (INCLUDES POETRY, AUDIO BOOKS & STORYTELLING)
“Diary Of A Mad Diva,” Joan Rivers
56. BEST COMEDY ALBUM
“Mandatory Fun,” “Weird Al” Yankovic
57. BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
“Beautiful: The Carole King Musical”
58. BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
“Frozen”
59. BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
“The Grand Budapest Hotel,” Alexandre Desplat, composer
60. BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
“Let It Go,” Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel) (Track from: “Frozen”)
61. BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
“The Book Thief,” John Williams, composer (John Williams)
62. BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA
“Daft Punk,” Ben Bram, Mitch Grassi, Scott Hoying, Avi Kaplan, Kirstin Maldonado & Kevin Olusola, arrangers (Pentatonix)
63. BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS
“New York Tendaberry,” Billy Childs, arranger (Billy Childs Featuring Renée Fleming & Yo-Yo Ma)
64. BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
“Lightning Bolt,” Jeff Ament, Don Pendleton, Joe Spix & Jerome Turner, art directors (Pearl Jam)
65. BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
“The Rise & Fall Of Paramount Records, Volume One (1917-27),” Susan Archie, Dean Blackwood & Jack White, art directors (Various Artists)
66. BEST ALBUM NOTES
“Offering: Live At Temple University,” Ashley Kahn, album notes writer (John Coltrane)
67. BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
“The Garden Spot Programs, 1950,” Colin Escott & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Hank Williams)
68. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
“Morning Phase,” Tom Elmhirst, David Greenbaum, Florian Lagatta, Cole Marsden Greif-Neill, Robbie Nelson, Darrell Thorp, Cassidy Turbin & Joe Visciano, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Beck)
69. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Max Martin
70. BEST REMIXED RECORDING, NON-CLASSICAL
“All Of Me (Tiesto’s Birthday Treatment Remix),” Tijs Michiel Verwest, remixer (John Legend)
71. BEST SURROUND SOUND ALBUM
“Beyoncé,” Elliot Scheiner, surround mix engineer; Bob Ludwig, surround mastering engineer; Beyoncé Knowles, surround producer (Beyoncé)
72. BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL
“Vaughan Williams: Dona Nobis Pacem; Symphony No. 4; The Lark Ascending,” Michael Bishop, engineer; Michael Bishop, mastering engineer (Robert Spano, Norman Mackenzie, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
73. PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
Judith Sherman
74. BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
“Adams, John: City Noir,” David Robertson, conductor (St. Louis Symphony)
75. BEST OPERA RECORDING
“Charpentier: La Descente D’Orphée Aux Enfers,” Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Aaron Sheehan; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Ensemble; Boston Early Music Festival Vocal Ensemble)
76. BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
“The Sacred Spirit Of Russia,” Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Conspirare)
77. BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
“In 27 Pieces – The Hilary Hahn Encores,” Hilary Hahn & Cory Smythe
78. BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO
“Play,” Jason Vieaux
79. BEST CLASSICAL SOLO VOCAL ALBUM
“Douce France,” Anne Sofie Von Otter; Bengt Forsberg, accompanist (Carl Bagge, Margareta Bengston, Mats Bergström, Per Ekdahl, Bengan Janson, Olle Linder & Antoine Tamestit)
80. BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM
“Partch: Plectra & Percussion Dances,” Partch; John Schneider, producer
81. BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION
“Adams, John Luther: Become Ocean,” John Luther Adams, composer (Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)
82. BEST MUSIC VIDEO
“Happy,” Pharrell Williams
83. BEST MUSIC FILM
“20 Feet From Stardom,” Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer & Judith Hill
Miranda, who was nominated for four awards, took home the Grammy for Best Country Album for her latest album Platinum.
Lambert the crowd with a performance of her hit song “Little Red Wagon.” Watch the video below!
Usher performed a soulful cover of “If It’s Magic” as a tribute to Stevie Wonder.
A tribute to Wonder will air next monday on CBS
Good Music. Good Life. 