Halsey comes out and hits the The Grammys hard. She says that her criticism could cause her to be blacklisted. If that were the case, it’s pretty sad how low it could go.

It is true that The Grammys is shrouded in secrecy. Why is so much of this process behind closed doors?

“The Grammys are an elusive process,” she wrote. “It can often be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine, with just the right handshakes and ‘bribes’ that can be just ambitious enough to pass as ‘not-bribes.’ And if you get that far, it’s about committing to exclusive TV performances and making sure you help the Academy make their millions in advertising on the night of the show.”
“Perhaps sometimes it is (!!) but it’s not always about the music or quality or culture. Just wanted to get that off my chest. @theweeknd deserves better, and Manic did too [shrug emoji] perhaps its unbecoming of me to say so but I can’t care anymore. While I am THRILLED for my talented friends who were recognized this year, I am hoping for more transparency or reform. But I’m sure this post will blacklist me anyway.”
The Weeknd said The Grammys remain corrupt,” and tweeted. “You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”

Zeplyn aka Rachel Wilkinson drops a new track Bad Love. You’ll love it especially if you like uptempo experimental pop. Having worked with Producer Dan Lancaster (Alissic, The Hunna, One OK Rock), the latest is her fourth single and probably her best. She’s garnered support form BBC Introducing and landed on Spotify’s editorial playlists. Zeplyn notes, “It’s definitely more upbeat than my last track, which was deeply personal. This one has a kind of danceability to it. I can’t stop my shoulders moving once the second part of the chorus hits’. Check out the video here.

In response to United Kingdom’s stringent COVID lockdowns and their effects on live music, the “My Brown-Masked Girl singer Van Morrison and legendary music artist Eric Clapton will release an “anti-lockdown” song next month. This will support Morrison’s “Save Live Music” campaign and raise money for the people who can’t work.
“There are many of us who support Van and his endeavors to save live music; he is an inspiration,” Clapton said in a statement Friday. “We must stand up and be counted because we need to find a way out of this mess. The alternative is not worth thinking about. Live music might never recover.”

Thus is the time of year when artist release Christmas songs. As each year more passes we get more and more, but like with everything else only a few stand out, and a small handful become classics. I do like Saint Djuni’s ‘Good To Be Home’. It’s fun, wintery, and Christmassy and will definitely work at the holiday gathering. The duo is made up of Clifford Goilo (Bakermat, Jeremy Renner & Bone Thugs N Harmony) & Rasmus Viberg (Next To Neon, MOMENT). Two friends met in 2 different countries (Estonia & France).

The award ceremonies are facing a sharp ratings decline year after year.

The Emmy Awards saw the lowest viewership of any Emmy ceremony in the Television Academy’s history. The show drew only 5.1 million total viewers, down 14% from last year’s event,

The 2020 American Music Awards on ABC scored 4.4 million viewers in its first hour and then dropped to 3.1 million as viewers tuned out and left for other options, mainly football. The AMA’s had a 45% drop from last year.
The show featured Justin Bieber and Shawn Mendes, The Weeknd, Dua Lipa, Katy Perry and Darius Rucker, Jennifer Lopez and Maluma.

The show which is produced by Dick Clark Productions stuck to the typical format – lip syncing, trapeze sets, and weird outfits worn by performers.
I don’t know, I won’t get into specifics. Talking about it would be as bland as the show. I think it needs a reboot. Maybe a different format that includes more artist interaction. People are immune to over the top performances. I’d rather see Dua Lipa talk for 3 minutes about art and creativity coupled with a 2 minute performance.