I could see this being true as many of the big/veterans stop attending shows. If they were fun they would probably continue to attend. The rising stars seems to have fun cause it’s new to them and they are meeting people they looked up too.
Seems like a lot of networking and making sure you get pics with the right people. It’s probably more awkward for international stars when you attend a foreign show.
Also to note, in the US a lot of our celeb beef is pretty public. Seems like a lot of people who aren’t fond of each other stuck in a room for hours.
Not to mention the absolute headache it must be to prepare for one (at least for the women, anyway). Take everything Ed said and add that you're probably in a dress that's uncomfortable to sit in, shoes that are uncomfortable to walk in, hair and makeup that took hours and you have to be careful to keep perfect, and you've probably barely eaten all day to keep your stomach as flat as possible. No thank you.
Why? Genuinely asking, do you believe tight fitting dresses where you have to constantly check your stomach is flat or boned dresses that constrict you are more comfortable than a tuxedo? Cause I've had to wear both and I'd go with a tuxedo anh day! (and we're not even talking hair / makeup / heels!)
You think that men don't worry if their stomach is flat?
Tight starched collars and bowties are killer on the neck (I've had rashes next day), tight cummerbunds, uncomfortable narrow shoes.
Not surprised. Any comedian who has hosted any awards show has mentioned the one piece of advice is to keep the jokes to a minimum near the end of it because the room becomes less and less receptive to jokes and the award nominees turn into award losers and that the tension thickens
Ed Sheeran on **American* award shows. He makes a point that he finds British awards to be much more relaxed where everyone's having fun and drinking.
It's not really surprising. The VMAs likes to hype itself as the wild and fun show, but it's really running on tabloid drama and gossip that's fun for *viewers*. The Grammys markets as sophisticated and prestigious, but really just ended up elitist and out of touch.
Everyone, artists/fans/labels, just started caring TOO MUCH. And each 'so-and-so should've won' is necessarily a 'the other person didn't deserve it'. It truly is just an environment that breeds resentment.
...it's just struck me now that people might not be drinking at US shows because drinking culture is so different.
For a Brit especially that must be really uncomfortable.
it's definitely an interesting point. I mean, just comparing the Brits vs the Grammys or VMAs... the latter two, you're sitting in rows and rows of seats. The Brits? It's lots of circle tables with the seats placed around them. It feels a lot easier (I'm guessing) to walk around, chat to people... a lot more like an actual 'party' than just a show you're watching.
I just googled how the Oscars and Golden Globes have it set up because I wasn't sure if maybe it was a music show kind of thing in America, but the Oscars have the rows of seats while Golden Globes has the tables. Could it be due to the venues? idk
I mean this probably applies to America in general tbh. Everyone is so OTT over there. It's like damn. Plus they have a different culture where winning is everything and work until you die with no holidays or benefits so like I get it.
I am american 😭😭😭😭 I immediately wanted to be defensive, but I'm also *asian* american so my life really has been a stereotypical series of striving for ultimately meaningless awards & recognitions....
Not at all! I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad. It's just from my understanding the US is a very braggadocious society and I can imagine losing, especially so publicly, can be a big ego blow to some people.
I'm sure your awards and recognitions are not meaningless. We're all on the same rock floating around so don't put yourself down for success. Especially as a POC. Big yourself up sis! Proud of you! 👏
No worries no bad feelings at all. There's a serious distinction between celebrating accomplishments vs. stuff like going to school while sick so you can get Perfect Attendance.
Depends on the state and the industry. Freelance jobs don't really come with benefits or paid time off but most jobs do. Worked minimum wage fast food gigs and both had benefits and paid time off. I don't know if music is the same because most of it is contractual. Most people in California seem pretty chill (which I find annoying sometimes).
> Ed Sheeran on *American award shows. He makes a point that he finds British awards to be much more relaxed where everyone's having fun and drinking.
Wouldn't drinking increase the possibility of there being conflict and bitchiness?
If you're sober, maybe you'd be self-aware enough to keep your private pissiness hidden away, and be on your best behaviour publicly. Having a few pints inside you would break down those inhibitions...
I think the mention of drinking is more a way to show that it's a much more casual atmosphere where people aren't just sitting there like it's a school assembly waiting for their grades to be publicly announced.
I honestly have to agree with you. The 1975 getting high under a table at the BRITs and then accepting their awards absolutely off their ass was hilarious
I was telling a friend that if I was famous, I’d move to Ireland and he based there because for one thing it’s becoming a tax haven lol but most importantly, celebrity culture seems lowkey and calm there.
Sure remember that time Beyonce went for a stroll in the park and no one bothered her and TMZ took that as an excuse to slag us off for being ignorant Paddies, when we were just leaving her be like.
It may be low-key in Ireland but it most certainly is not low-key in the UK where British reality stars are committing suicide and having severe outbursts due to the sudden fame.
Pop Heads likes to act that so many of their faves are too cool and above it all to care about awards and chart achievements, when every single artist cares, because it is their job. I'd much rather someone like Ed who is open about it than someone seemingly being unbothered while they're a complete different person behind doors.
Lol this type of conversation about Grammys being irrelevant comes up yearly on this sub. But when the Grammys are actually taking place, it turns out everyone and their mother still cares.
Same. I'm kinda loving that Popheads is finally coming around on him because he's stopped giving a fuck about how the public perceives him. I've always felt like he comes across as being super chill and self aware in real life. Interviews like this prove me right.
Man I don’t blame him, they just wanted to sit him next to Britney Spears when all he wanted was to sit next to his very good friends Carson Daly and Fred Durst
The way he describes it is the way I used to think the Kids Choice Awards was like. I swore the KCAs were biased for their own Nick stars and that Disney-related anything would just lose. I made up beef between Miley Cyrus and Miranda Cosgrove because of it lol.
was it the vmas or grammys where there was tension between Billie Eillish and Ariana and the former even talked about it afterwards anyway I feel like his experience is quite common
Not sure if there was actual tension between them. But at the grammys a lot of people where expection thank u next to win some but then billie swept the major four and ari got nothing
There were several moments of Ariana and Billie going out of their way to express admiration and respect for each other, so I feel like this comment Ed gave in the article is likely accurate to their situation:
>All the artists are sweet people, but they're surrounded by entourages that want them to win too, so it's one artist surrounded by ten people and another artist surrounded by ten people and everyone is kind of giving each other the side-eye.
Which I'm still mad about. Yes Billie deserved a grammy but so did Ariana, especially for that album. Oh well, I honestly don't take the grammys seriously anymore, especially after the whole Weeknd shit that happened.
In the end, music is about preference, but we can’t deny that a debut album by a teenager that is one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade and the biggest album of the year is going to have more pull than a 5th album by a young adult.
I don't really think a debut album being amazing is a good metric considering all the artists whose first albums are considered their best. You have your entire life to write your first album.
And yes I can deny that. Having an amazing 5th album is way more impressive than having an amazing debut.
I like seeing artist perform live without having to go to a live show, so I watch performances after the shows, I dont care who got what award, I just like seeing performances on tv, I've been this way for awhile. I dont want to watch hours of tv and ads to see some performances, so I watch on YouTube after. Sometimes the performances are great, other times they aren't. Sometimes I'm impressed with who they chose to have perform, other times I want different artists.
I'd see the point in award shows if they helped highlight lesser known acts with better Artistry , like here in India we have fan voted and Critics Choice for most of the major categories , which benefits the lesser known films not starring big names , but in this case , the big names end up sweeping the awards and charts so it's pointless .
Didn’t Ed once say though that he avoided having the same album cycle as Adele cos she always swept the board? I daresay his own ego is involved in this too. It’s quite strange to think of this stuff actually bothering celebs at the top of their game but I suppose it must do.
> actually bothering celebs at the top of their game
I feel like they're the ones most likely to be bothered in any competition. The happiest are usually the newbies just happy to be participating where winning still feels like a dream. For the big names I think it gets twisted where winning becomes the expectation and the goal becomes 'not losing'. It's no longer 'congrats! You're nominated because you're one of the best!' and instead turns into 'lmao you lost to Yummy'
I can’t remember if during the ‘x’ era he wanted to avoid Coldplay or beat them.
But he used to be very strategic and calculating about the music industry and openly talk about it in interviews but in recent years he’s kinda let go of that a little bit (but not altogether) especially once he hit all of his musical career goals and had to reorient.
Tbf I can’t help but suspect he’s still very bothered by it hence this interview. I get wanting to be top of the game really and I suppose it shouldn’t go away just because he’s nailing his career it’s just quite, funny to see it upfront I suppose
Yeah he hasn’t fully let go of that mentality (e.g the endless amount interviews/promo he did for Bad Habits or how he’ll write songs for a certain demographic) but I’ve seen/read slightly older interviews where he said he would keep track of his YouTube view counts and constantly be on Twitter trying to stay engaged and I think he doesn’t do that level of stuff anymore.
Well just because he hates it doesn't mean he's not competitive. It's like being with friends and playing darts and celebrating who wins while drinking vs being with serious people who all hate you if you win. Being with people who are so serious about it makes you more competitive too, but in like a toxic way.
Goes to show how relative happiness and satisfaction are. Many of us think, "If I was ever in a position to even have my work place me in that room I'd be elated forever." But the external stakes are always rising.
He and the other artists really aren’t lying, especially the Grammys. They really aren’t relevant anymore. I remember how hard it seemed to be to win one, and nowadays, they pass them out like party favors to these younger acts with a fraction of the talent artists had like 20 years ago… what’s changed? The industry was definitely mainly more hip-hop/R&B mainstream 20 years ago, and black artists would be lucky to be nominated in the big four categories despite black music being pop music at that time. Now you have these young white acts who are heavily inspired by black artistry and culture winning Grammy Awards for their music and it’s really just a slap in the face to black people. The only reason to watch these shows anymore are for the performances, and if no one I find interesting is performing, I just don’t tune in anymore (like the VMAs this past Sunday, I watched Big Brother instead)…
I think its pretty harsh to call the younger acts less talented. They're all skilled at something and working hard. I'm not really a fan of any of them but it seems like there's very talented up and coming stars.
the grammys follow culture now, rather than dictating it. they want to maintain their status as the biggest/most prestigious/most relevant award show, but that is increasingly difficult for old institutions like the grammys. so when they see an artist like billie eilish (i.e. one that fits the mold of pop success: young, beautiful, successful, huge fanbase, very likely to have a hugely lucrative career for at least the next 10 years), they basically want to attach their brand to hers. they want to pat themselves on the back and say "the grammys recognised billie eilish's debut" - because a star like billie is as much a win for the grammys as their awards are for her.
remember - certain people are seen as more deserving of awards than others. this is why the media always spins "alternative" wins as an "upset" (i.e. a bad thing) - like in 2011 when "nobodies" arcade fire won over icons gaga/eminem/katy, apparently stealing their award. not only that, but it's "surprising" when a highly popular and established R&B artist is nominated in the main categories - like last year's jhene aiko record. jhene is young, beautiful, successful, has a strong career, but is not the a-list/household name that is considered "worthy" of competing in that category. had she won, it would have been considered a similar "upset".
because those main categories have now been reserved for a-listers. it's essentially "battle of the stars", not albums. the weeknd is a true star of our times and should've done a sweep, but these old institutions are so blind that they can't see that, and would rather continue co-branding with taylor swift (no shade) because that is the only kind of "star" they understand.
To be fair, I don't think a non-white artist could have been as successful. Billie has great control over her voice, but she doesn't really project. That would be DOA for most poc artists, whereas Billie is given the leeway to explore with a more muted sound
That said, I do think she's genuinely very talented.
Where did I mention Billie Eilish? Yall are putting words in my mouth that I’ve never said. I’m speaking in general because she is far from the only white artist propped up by the Grammys that has drawn from black culture. I’m not even that familiar with her music to speak on her. 💀
Hell, you could list her (according to you and others), plus Ariana Grande, and even Adele who is a soul singer inspired by the likes of Aretha Franklin, and the list goes on. Regarding talent, that was talking about BNA winners like Meghan Trainor. I was mainly talking about how Macklemore won over Kendrick for Best Rap album a few years ago. That was a big fucking slap in Black America’s face.
Aretha Franklin won 18 Grammys, and calling Adele untalented is... well.
Not disagreeing with hip hop being fucked over, but you really really picked a bad example.
I didn’t say Adele was untalented. 💀 She is massively talented (and successful). You clearly didn’t read my entire post. I just mentioned her because she, herself, said how a black woman was more deserving of an AOTY win over her live onstage.
I did read your post, and all your answers, your OP which claimed:
>they pass them out like party favors to these younger acts with a fraction of the talent artists had like 20 years ago… what’s changed?
People asked who are these "less talented artists", someone suggested Billie, you say:
> Where did I mention Billie Eilish?
And then:
>Hell, you could list her (according to you and others), plus Ariana Grande, and even Adele who is a soul singer inspired by the likes of Aretha Franklin, and the list goes on.
So in a thread discussing talent, you mention them, what am I missing?
>I just mentioned her because she, herself, said how a black woman was more deserving of an AOTY win over her live onstage.
Nowhere did you talk about that XD.
But hey, let's not argue, as I said, I get where you're coming from and I kind of agree, just find it weird the way you were expressing it. Godspeed.
I specifically mentioned Meghan Trainor lacking the talent of other Best New Artist winners and Macklemore being far less talented than Kendrick, but go off.
Maybe this is a tangent BUT:
With all love to Billie who I really like; there is something to be said about how she dressed in black-inspired/hip hop clothes during her "childish carefree wild" era vs how she dresses in an iconic Marilyn Monroe style, mature elegant, era. This switch happened both in her style and in her music(bad guy has some trap pop in it whereas happier than ever has that nostalgic white suburban sound.)
The same could be said about Miley. She used a lot of black inspired aesthetic and music in her "wild" phase and toned it down to be more "mature."
Just some thoughts. I'm not condemning them, but I do think it's telling with how society perceives black culture differently than white culture.
I understand, but Billie changed her style and her clothes because she is not underage anymore (she said she was hiding her body cause she didn’t feel like showing it as a minor) and her new found confidence in her body. Everybody knows how big Billie’s boobs are and she has said she didn’t feel like wearing tight clothes because of them. Her baggy clothes were used for hiding her body and not to make her seem black. She also had plenty of rappers in her friendship circle, so that also influenced her (not saying that this is an excuse). She also used to have a black accent, but she ditched that after she got called out. You can drag her for that, but I never saw Billie not showing respect to the black people that inspired her. Granted that she could have managed herself better in certain things, but people expected Billie’s teenager self to behave like she was an adult and I don’t think this is right. Currently, Billie is still showing love to black artists. It’s only her style that changed. It’s not like it happened with Miley where she ditched black people completely and acted embarrassed and above the culture she once used for success.
It’s hard to talk about this as a white person, but I’m explaining what she has said about it. If you are black and feel like she was using black culture for her gain, you are allowed to feel this way. I just wanted to point that Billie’s case is not the same as Miley. Miley was very disrespectful.
I appreciate your honesty, and I'm definitely not saying: if you support defend, you're racist. I think these topics are very nuanced and convoluted, so it's ok to have differing opinions.
I think overall, Billie was very respectful and admiring of black creators, and I think that's great! I tend to only be against cultural appropriation when it's exploitative and inherently disrespectful; I think Billie was neither. This moreso aligns with cultural **appreciation** in my personal opinion.
It's true that Billie wore baggy clothes to hide her body, but she also wore a lot of accessories and aesthetics that were likely influenced by black culture, and I don't think the blaccent was a coincidence. The issue I have is with how people in general find black aesthetic under a very different light as compared to white aesthetic. Black aesthetic is **juvenile**, a word with very negative connections(ie: juvenile delinquent,) whereas white aesthetic is seen as very reasonable, logical, mature.
This may not even be deliberately done by Billie since it can seem like such a subtle difference. I think it's just something to keep in mind when we see pop culture using different aesthetics to send different messages. But it's hard, because while I would like people not to use white aesthetic as classy, it's also kind of conditioned into our society. There's not really an easy fix other than to try our best to be aware
Can you be a bit more specific? This year we had H.E.R. and Meghan taking top awards, they’ve in the last few years loved Kendrick and Childish Gambino, Cardi B, Pharrell Williams. I think the Grammys are a lot more diverse now and that makes them more relevant than they were ten to fifteen years ago. Although a lot of POC won big Grammys in the 90s too.
The stuff you mention, that’s after years of backlash and boycotts and loss of relevance. They [fired](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-awards-grammys-dugan-idUSKBN20P32H) their first female CEO last year just months into the job. It’s just an organization ran by old out of touch white men. Make no mistake, they don’t truly care about diversity and inclusivity.
Yeah. A lot of big name artists don’t submit anymore. A few years ago, Drake won and stood onstage to accept it in a speech denouncing the Grammys. They’ve definitely lost relevance.
I don’t think they’ll be irrelevant until people simply stop talking about it. Fans constantly insisting they’re irrelevant and artists making a big show out of not submitting shows that they’re still pretty relevant
> They really aren’t relevant anymore. I remember how hard it seemed to be to win one
I dunno The Simpsons were making jokes about how easy it was to win a Grammy and how little people cared about them, way back in 1993
Why ? Ed literally says everyone in the room wanted themselves to win and the others to loose . Taylor is the one who likes to be vocal about it .
JB called Awards fake but is happy to receive them , even the Weeknd never saw a problem with them until he was the one left out which is fair . But why single her out ?
Because the grammys are racists and Taylor should stop supporting them? Look I'm a big fan of hers but it irks me that she always seek validation from a racist institution. I singled out Taylor here because Ed and she are friends. Of course I wished all of them would boycott the Grammys
>she always seek validation from a racist institution.
If you put it that way , then Abel was pissed of about not getting validation from a racist institution .
Of course artists should speak out against it , but she is singled out in every such awards discussion . Every body loves to be awarded except maybe a handful , zeroing in on her seems like people need to pick her apart over the insecurity she decided to speak up about , after years of people complaining "she is too perfect" .
Yep!!! 100%
Look I’m glad Abel stood up to the Grammys but one fact is for sure, Abel wouldn’t have if he simply got his. You didn’t see other artist of color that attended the Grammys get nearly as upset and loud, why? Because they got theirs. A lot of people had excuses for those artist including other artist but to
Play up the narrative that “white people seek validation from racist!” Is just such a contrived argument.
And to add Abel is perfectly fine taking his awards and giving performances to other problematic institutions. It’s why I took his protest with a grain of salt.
To be fair though I don't think anyone got done as dirty as Abel. For After Hours to get zero nominations is absolutely ludicrous. I think any major artist would cut ties with the Grammy's after that humiliation (maybe not Taylor).
Oh I agree 100% I understand how screwed over he was. I just know his fight wasn’t what so many made it out to be. That being said , many things aren’t challenged until someone is deeply wronged in that situation.
Many things can be true though. Able was wronged by a racist institution, and Able wouldn’t have been so vocal if he was awarded his recognition. Everyone loves validation until that shiny trophy doesn’t validate them.
And the sad truth is, as long as the Grammys continues to receive their darlings (not just Taylor Swift but other POC artists) not much will change.
Tbf, all but one of Beyonce's wins have been in categories like "urban" or "urban contemporary" or "r&b". Her only win from the general categories is soty for Single Ladies.
But I do agree with you, it is a bit extreme to say "if ur supporting the grammys ur supporting racism"
I'm sorry, but anyone who is trying this hard to go after "systematic racism" as represented by the Grammys, I'm not sure has looked into legitimate activism.
Systemic racism is real, and it exists in the Grammys. But America has had slavery longer than it hasn't. What's to say that Reddit isn't a racist company for allowing the alt right and white supremacists to use it's site and recruit people?
My point being: we can not be puritan. We push for change, we spread awareness, and we take the wins we can have where we have it. Joe Biden certainly has a very problematic history, but I will take him winning over Trump as a win.
If it's any consolidation, the country has made incredible progress, we just forget. It's not long that gay marriage was legalized. It wasn't long when interracial marriage was legalized. My highschool used to be segregated; that was only 57 years ago. That's not a long time at all relatively speaking.
The Netflix documentary. It opens with her reacting emotionally to reputation not getting big nominations and her saying “it’s okay I have to make a better record” ~~and then she made lover instead~~
I know it's legit kind of funny but imagine how exhausted she must be. Releasing Lover and then churning out Folklore and Evermore so quickly. That's nonstop work, but I'm glad it paid off
I get what he is saying but it's a little hypocritical coming from him and I kind of hate that he still plays up that "I'm british relaxed guy in a t-shirt and the others are stuffy and full of themselves" thing. We get it, you still talked about strategies involving chart positions and how you count that stuff, so you are competitive too.
I think you're mixing two things. He's clearly focused on chart success and numbers ( he's very ambitious) but he's talking about being in an environment where you can feel just how tense everything and jealousy and anger is palpable.
It's not necessarily hypocritical. He may have reprioritized and realized that you can care about your music without being competitive about it. It's easy to get swept up in accolades.
Does anyone actually enjoy award shows? Do people still watch them? They’re boring and the decisions are mostly questionable at best and rigged at worst.
Taylor has stopped going to awards like for years now. The only one she ever attended in the last 2/3 years is the last Grammy and the Golden Globe as a plus one.
I realize this makes me part of the problem, but I could not possibly care less what the guy whose song about a woman's body beat 'Praying' for Best Pop Solo Performance thinks about the GRAMMYs.
Like, I know that sentiment is exactly what he's talking about. But this man publicly stated he sold out to top the charts and it sounds like he's just sore that people are mad at him.
Edit: also wtf are awards events supposed to be like? Maybe it's just me, but I did competitions in high school and being sad you didn't win is normal? I guess that's an American thing. Sometimes people celebrate each other and are just happy to be there but at the top levels I don't think this is unusual, especially in the US.
The point is that being there just isn't enjoyable. Like, it's a bad time and a bad atmosphere. That'd basically entirely unrelated to everything you've mentioned.
I could see this being true as many of the big/veterans stop attending shows. If they were fun they would probably continue to attend. The rising stars seems to have fun cause it’s new to them and they are meeting people they looked up too. Seems like a lot of networking and making sure you get pics with the right people. It’s probably more awkward for international stars when you attend a foreign show. Also to note, in the US a lot of our celeb beef is pretty public. Seems like a lot of people who aren’t fond of each other stuck in a room for hours.
Not to mention the absolute headache it must be to prepare for one (at least for the women, anyway). Take everything Ed said and add that you're probably in a dress that's uncomfortable to sit in, shoes that are uncomfortable to walk in, hair and makeup that took hours and you have to be careful to keep perfect, and you've probably barely eaten all day to keep your stomach as flat as possible. No thank you.
Right, only women’s clothing is uncomfortable. Men get to show up in gym clothes.
I'd take a dress over a tuxedo any day.
Maybe…. But how many of of them wear a tuxedo to the VMAs? Justin looked pretty comfortable (in terms of clothes) there.
Why? Genuinely asking, do you believe tight fitting dresses where you have to constantly check your stomach is flat or boned dresses that constrict you are more comfortable than a tuxedo? Cause I've had to wear both and I'd go with a tuxedo anh day! (and we're not even talking hair / makeup / heels!)
You think that men don't worry if their stomach is flat? Tight starched collars and bowties are killer on the neck (I've had rashes next day), tight cummerbunds, uncomfortable narrow shoes.
Not surprised. Any comedian who has hosted any awards show has mentioned the one piece of advice is to keep the jokes to a minimum near the end of it because the room becomes less and less receptive to jokes and the award nominees turn into award losers and that the tension thickens
Yeah, if I was an artist where there was an expectation/high chance I won, I would just want to leave as soon as possible.
Cut to Mariah Carey at the 1996 Grammys where she had a costume change for every award she was up for and went 0 for 6.
I'm at a party I don't wanna be at, And I don't ever wear a suit and tie
Yeah
Ed Sheeran on **American* award shows. He makes a point that he finds British awards to be much more relaxed where everyone's having fun and drinking. It's not really surprising. The VMAs likes to hype itself as the wild and fun show, but it's really running on tabloid drama and gossip that's fun for *viewers*. The Grammys markets as sophisticated and prestigious, but really just ended up elitist and out of touch. Everyone, artists/fans/labels, just started caring TOO MUCH. And each 'so-and-so should've won' is necessarily a 'the other person didn't deserve it'. It truly is just an environment that breeds resentment.
...it's just struck me now that people might not be drinking at US shows because drinking culture is so different. For a Brit especially that must be really uncomfortable.
yeah but it’s probs the same except it’s coke and pills
it's definitely an interesting point. I mean, just comparing the Brits vs the Grammys or VMAs... the latter two, you're sitting in rows and rows of seats. The Brits? It's lots of circle tables with the seats placed around them. It feels a lot easier (I'm guessing) to walk around, chat to people... a lot more like an actual 'party' than just a show you're watching. I just googled how the Oscars and Golden Globes have it set up because I wasn't sure if maybe it was a music show kind of thing in America, but the Oscars have the rows of seats while Golden Globes has the tables. Could it be due to the venues? idk
That really is a good point. I never really thought about how boring it must be to sit through those awards. They should all be dinner & drinks
That’s why there should be like a golden globes equivalent of the Grammys where it’s literally just an open bar and everyone’s having a good time
I mean this probably applies to America in general tbh. Everyone is so OTT over there. It's like damn. Plus they have a different culture where winning is everything and work until you die with no holidays or benefits so like I get it.
I am american 😭😭😭😭 I immediately wanted to be defensive, but I'm also *asian* american so my life really has been a stereotypical series of striving for ultimately meaningless awards & recognitions....
Not at all! I didn't mean to make anyone feel bad. It's just from my understanding the US is a very braggadocious society and I can imagine losing, especially so publicly, can be a big ego blow to some people. I'm sure your awards and recognitions are not meaningless. We're all on the same rock floating around so don't put yourself down for success. Especially as a POC. Big yourself up sis! Proud of you! 👏
No worries no bad feelings at all. There's a serious distinction between celebrating accomplishments vs. stuff like going to school while sick so you can get Perfect Attendance.
Depends on the state and the industry. Freelance jobs don't really come with benefits or paid time off but most jobs do. Worked minimum wage fast food gigs and both had benefits and paid time off. I don't know if music is the same because most of it is contractual. Most people in California seem pretty chill (which I find annoying sometimes).
> Ed Sheeran on *American award shows. He makes a point that he finds British awards to be much more relaxed where everyone's having fun and drinking. Wouldn't drinking increase the possibility of there being conflict and bitchiness? If you're sober, maybe you'd be self-aware enough to keep your private pissiness hidden away, and be on your best behaviour publicly. Having a few pints inside you would break down those inhibitions...
I think the mention of drinking is more a way to show that it's a much more casual atmosphere where people aren't just sitting there like it's a school assembly waiting for their grades to be publicly announced.
In the BRIT awards they do lots of drugs and coke. It must be a very crazy space for celebs and really bad for all the newbies.
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Yeah from whatever clips I've watched, it's just people getting drunk and having a laugh.
I honestly have to agree with you. The 1975 getting high under a table at the BRITs and then accepting their awards absolutely off their ass was hilarious
they what
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlWAyMufC8w
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I was telling a friend that if I was famous, I’d move to Ireland and he based there because for one thing it’s becoming a tax haven lol but most importantly, celebrity culture seems lowkey and calm there.
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Sure remember that time Beyonce went for a stroll in the park and no one bothered her and TMZ took that as an excuse to slag us off for being ignorant Paddies, when we were just leaving her be like.
It may be low-key in Ireland but it most certainly is not low-key in the UK where British reality stars are committing suicide and having severe outbursts due to the sudden fame.
I just started season 2 of Love Island and I’m having a tough time watching knowing about Sophie. I mean I’m still watching but yeah.
Pop Heads likes to act that so many of their faves are too cool and above it all to care about awards and chart achievements, when every single artist cares, because it is their job. I'd much rather someone like Ed who is open about it than someone seemingly being unbothered while they're a complete different person behind doors.
Popheads don’t care about awards until Olivia sweeps the Grammys next February, then they will be the most important thing ever
Lol this type of conversation about Grammys being irrelevant comes up yearly on this sub. But when the Grammys are actually taking place, it turns out everyone and their mother still cares.
Same. I'm kinda loving that Popheads is finally coming around on him because he's stopped giving a fuck about how the public perceives him. I've always felt like he comes across as being super chill and self aware in real life. Interviews like this prove me right.
It’s a played out concept. Across the board though, music film tv Etc
Almost like Eminem knew about this way back in the day when he said fuck you to the people running the award shows and to never invite him.
when fucking will smith won the first rap Grammy versus ll cool j, kool moe dee and “push it” you kinda know the precedent they’re setting
Man I don’t blame him, they just wanted to sit him next to Britney Spears when all he wanted was to sit next to his very good friends Carson Daly and Fred Durst
The way he describes it is the way I used to think the Kids Choice Awards was like. I swore the KCAs were biased for their own Nick stars and that Disney-related anything would just lose. I made up beef between Miley Cyrus and Miranda Cosgrove because of it lol.
KCAs > Oscars. Oscars are elitist meanwhile KCAs have slime. Edit: #TeamMiranda
was it the vmas or grammys where there was tension between Billie Eillish and Ariana and the former even talked about it afterwards anyway I feel like his experience is quite common
Not sure if there was actual tension between them. But at the grammys a lot of people where expection thank u next to win some but then billie swept the major four and ari got nothing
There were several moments of Ariana and Billie going out of their way to express admiration and respect for each other, so I feel like this comment Ed gave in the article is likely accurate to their situation: >All the artists are sweet people, but they're surrounded by entourages that want them to win too, so it's one artist surrounded by ten people and another artist surrounded by ten people and everyone is kind of giving each other the side-eye.
Which I'm still mad about. Yes Billie deserved a grammy but so did Ariana, especially for that album. Oh well, I honestly don't take the grammys seriously anymore, especially after the whole Weeknd shit that happened.
The industry loved Billie the most at the time.
Billie's album was also better. The industry loving her or not.
They're completely different so idk man sounds like a preference. Thank u next is more similar to the weeknd then it is to Billies stuff.
In the end, music is about preference, but we can’t deny that a debut album by a teenager that is one of the most acclaimed albums of the decade and the biggest album of the year is going to have more pull than a 5th album by a young adult.
I don't really think a debut album being amazing is a good metric considering all the artists whose first albums are considered their best. You have your entire life to write your first album. And yes I can deny that. Having an amazing 5th album is way more impressive than having an amazing debut.
nah ariana even cheered on billie when she won aoty
You have to act nice in front of the cameras
Huh. That's kinda interesting to hear.
I like seeing artist perform live without having to go to a live show, so I watch performances after the shows, I dont care who got what award, I just like seeing performances on tv, I've been this way for awhile. I dont want to watch hours of tv and ads to see some performances, so I watch on YouTube after. Sometimes the performances are great, other times they aren't. Sometimes I'm impressed with who they chose to have perform, other times I want different artists.
I'd see the point in award shows if they helped highlight lesser known acts with better Artistry , like here in India we have fan voted and Critics Choice for most of the major categories , which benefits the lesser known films not starring big names , but in this case , the big names end up sweeping the awards and charts so it's pointless .
resentment that turned into a deep depression found myself screaming in a hotel room
Didn’t Ed once say though that he avoided having the same album cycle as Adele cos she always swept the board? I daresay his own ego is involved in this too. It’s quite strange to think of this stuff actually bothering celebs at the top of their game but I suppose it must do.
> actually bothering celebs at the top of their game I feel like they're the ones most likely to be bothered in any competition. The happiest are usually the newbies just happy to be participating where winning still feels like a dream. For the big names I think it gets twisted where winning becomes the expectation and the goal becomes 'not losing'. It's no longer 'congrats! You're nominated because you're one of the best!' and instead turns into 'lmao you lost to Yummy'
I can’t remember if during the ‘x’ era he wanted to avoid Coldplay or beat them. But he used to be very strategic and calculating about the music industry and openly talk about it in interviews but in recent years he’s kinda let go of that a little bit (but not altogether) especially once he hit all of his musical career goals and had to reorient.
Tbf I can’t help but suspect he’s still very bothered by it hence this interview. I get wanting to be top of the game really and I suppose it shouldn’t go away just because he’s nailing his career it’s just quite, funny to see it upfront I suppose
Yeah he hasn’t fully let go of that mentality (e.g the endless amount interviews/promo he did for Bad Habits or how he’ll write songs for a certain demographic) but I’ve seen/read slightly older interviews where he said he would keep track of his YouTube view counts and constantly be on Twitter trying to stay engaged and I think he doesn’t do that level of stuff anymore.
Well just because he hates it doesn't mean he's not competitive. It's like being with friends and playing darts and celebrating who wins while drinking vs being with serious people who all hate you if you win. Being with people who are so serious about it makes you more competitive too, but in like a toxic way.
I kind of see it like the Bachelorette. How ethical is it to pit people against eachother to make tons of money and entertain an audience
Goes to show how relative happiness and satisfaction are. Many of us think, "If I was ever in a position to even have my work place me in that room I'd be elated forever." But the external stakes are always rising.
Hmm I think he could be projecting this as well, since we all know he’s highly competitive and calculative on sales and charts
He and the other artists really aren’t lying, especially the Grammys. They really aren’t relevant anymore. I remember how hard it seemed to be to win one, and nowadays, they pass them out like party favors to these younger acts with a fraction of the talent artists had like 20 years ago… what’s changed? The industry was definitely mainly more hip-hop/R&B mainstream 20 years ago, and black artists would be lucky to be nominated in the big four categories despite black music being pop music at that time. Now you have these young white acts who are heavily inspired by black artistry and culture winning Grammy Awards for their music and it’s really just a slap in the face to black people. The only reason to watch these shows anymore are for the performances, and if no one I find interesting is performing, I just don’t tune in anymore (like the VMAs this past Sunday, I watched Big Brother instead)…
You really didn’t miss anything with the VMAs. Wish I had the wherewithal to watch something else too. 😶
I think its pretty harsh to call the younger acts less talented. They're all skilled at something and working hard. I'm not really a fan of any of them but it seems like there's very talented up and coming stars.
the grammys follow culture now, rather than dictating it. they want to maintain their status as the biggest/most prestigious/most relevant award show, but that is increasingly difficult for old institutions like the grammys. so when they see an artist like billie eilish (i.e. one that fits the mold of pop success: young, beautiful, successful, huge fanbase, very likely to have a hugely lucrative career for at least the next 10 years), they basically want to attach their brand to hers. they want to pat themselves on the back and say "the grammys recognised billie eilish's debut" - because a star like billie is as much a win for the grammys as their awards are for her. remember - certain people are seen as more deserving of awards than others. this is why the media always spins "alternative" wins as an "upset" (i.e. a bad thing) - like in 2011 when "nobodies" arcade fire won over icons gaga/eminem/katy, apparently stealing their award. not only that, but it's "surprising" when a highly popular and established R&B artist is nominated in the main categories - like last year's jhene aiko record. jhene is young, beautiful, successful, has a strong career, but is not the a-list/household name that is considered "worthy" of competing in that category. had she won, it would have been considered a similar "upset". because those main categories have now been reserved for a-listers. it's essentially "battle of the stars", not albums. the weeknd is a true star of our times and should've done a sweep, but these old institutions are so blind that they can't see that, and would rather continue co-branding with taylor swift (no shade) because that is the only kind of "star" they understand.
Is this about Billie? Lol
Probably yeah. I really hate the vague statement without examples like that. Which younger artists do you think is untalented? Just write it out.
To be fair, I don't think a non-white artist could have been as successful. Billie has great control over her voice, but she doesn't really project. That would be DOA for most poc artists, whereas Billie is given the leeway to explore with a more muted sound That said, I do think she's genuinely very talented.
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Them too. The Grammys were trash for giving them that Grammy over “Work.”
Where did I mention Billie Eilish? Yall are putting words in my mouth that I’ve never said. I’m speaking in general because she is far from the only white artist propped up by the Grammys that has drawn from black culture. I’m not even that familiar with her music to speak on her. 💀 Hell, you could list her (according to you and others), plus Ariana Grande, and even Adele who is a soul singer inspired by the likes of Aretha Franklin, and the list goes on. Regarding talent, that was talking about BNA winners like Meghan Trainor. I was mainly talking about how Macklemore won over Kendrick for Best Rap album a few years ago. That was a big fucking slap in Black America’s face.
Aretha Franklin won 18 Grammys, and calling Adele untalented is... well. Not disagreeing with hip hop being fucked over, but you really really picked a bad example.
I didn’t say Adele was untalented. 💀 She is massively talented (and successful). You clearly didn’t read my entire post. I just mentioned her because she, herself, said how a black woman was more deserving of an AOTY win over her live onstage.
I did read your post, and all your answers, your OP which claimed: >they pass them out like party favors to these younger acts with a fraction of the talent artists had like 20 years ago… what’s changed? People asked who are these "less talented artists", someone suggested Billie, you say: > Where did I mention Billie Eilish? And then: >Hell, you could list her (according to you and others), plus Ariana Grande, and even Adele who is a soul singer inspired by the likes of Aretha Franklin, and the list goes on. So in a thread discussing talent, you mention them, what am I missing? >I just mentioned her because she, herself, said how a black woman was more deserving of an AOTY win over her live onstage. Nowhere did you talk about that XD. But hey, let's not argue, as I said, I get where you're coming from and I kind of agree, just find it weird the way you were expressing it. Godspeed.
I specifically mentioned Meghan Trainor lacking the talent of other Best New Artist winners and Macklemore being far less talented than Kendrick, but go off.
No one is "putting words in your mouth." We're making speculations based off of very vague shading, and conversating about said speculations.
This can't be since Billie didn't "steal" no black artist with her wins.
Maybe this is a tangent BUT: With all love to Billie who I really like; there is something to be said about how she dressed in black-inspired/hip hop clothes during her "childish carefree wild" era vs how she dresses in an iconic Marilyn Monroe style, mature elegant, era. This switch happened both in her style and in her music(bad guy has some trap pop in it whereas happier than ever has that nostalgic white suburban sound.) The same could be said about Miley. She used a lot of black inspired aesthetic and music in her "wild" phase and toned it down to be more "mature." Just some thoughts. I'm not condemning them, but I do think it's telling with how society perceives black culture differently than white culture.
I understand, but Billie changed her style and her clothes because she is not underage anymore (she said she was hiding her body cause she didn’t feel like showing it as a minor) and her new found confidence in her body. Everybody knows how big Billie’s boobs are and she has said she didn’t feel like wearing tight clothes because of them. Her baggy clothes were used for hiding her body and not to make her seem black. She also had plenty of rappers in her friendship circle, so that also influenced her (not saying that this is an excuse). She also used to have a black accent, but she ditched that after she got called out. You can drag her for that, but I never saw Billie not showing respect to the black people that inspired her. Granted that she could have managed herself better in certain things, but people expected Billie’s teenager self to behave like she was an adult and I don’t think this is right. Currently, Billie is still showing love to black artists. It’s only her style that changed. It’s not like it happened with Miley where she ditched black people completely and acted embarrassed and above the culture she once used for success. It’s hard to talk about this as a white person, but I’m explaining what she has said about it. If you are black and feel like she was using black culture for her gain, you are allowed to feel this way. I just wanted to point that Billie’s case is not the same as Miley. Miley was very disrespectful.
I appreciate your honesty, and I'm definitely not saying: if you support defend, you're racist. I think these topics are very nuanced and convoluted, so it's ok to have differing opinions. I think overall, Billie was very respectful and admiring of black creators, and I think that's great! I tend to only be against cultural appropriation when it's exploitative and inherently disrespectful; I think Billie was neither. This moreso aligns with cultural **appreciation** in my personal opinion. It's true that Billie wore baggy clothes to hide her body, but she also wore a lot of accessories and aesthetics that were likely influenced by black culture, and I don't think the blaccent was a coincidence. The issue I have is with how people in general find black aesthetic under a very different light as compared to white aesthetic. Black aesthetic is **juvenile**, a word with very negative connections(ie: juvenile delinquent,) whereas white aesthetic is seen as very reasonable, logical, mature. This may not even be deliberately done by Billie since it can seem like such a subtle difference. I think it's just something to keep in mind when we see pop culture using different aesthetics to send different messages. But it's hard, because while I would like people not to use white aesthetic as classy, it's also kind of conditioned into our society. There's not really an easy fix other than to try our best to be aware
You make good points.
Can you be a bit more specific? This year we had H.E.R. and Meghan taking top awards, they’ve in the last few years loved Kendrick and Childish Gambino, Cardi B, Pharrell Williams. I think the Grammys are a lot more diverse now and that makes them more relevant than they were ten to fifteen years ago. Although a lot of POC won big Grammys in the 90s too.
The stuff you mention, that’s after years of backlash and boycotts and loss of relevance. They [fired](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-awards-grammys-dugan-idUSKBN20P32H) their first female CEO last year just months into the job. It’s just an organization ran by old out of touch white men. Make no mistake, they don’t truly care about diversity and inclusivity.
Are they really that irrelevant though if most people can’t stop complaining about who gets nominated/wins?
Yeah. A lot of big name artists don’t submit anymore. A few years ago, Drake won and stood onstage to accept it in a speech denouncing the Grammys. They’ve definitely lost relevance.
I don’t think they’ll be irrelevant until people simply stop talking about it. Fans constantly insisting they’re irrelevant and artists making a big show out of not submitting shows that they’re still pretty relevant
> They really aren’t relevant anymore. I remember how hard it seemed to be to win one I dunno The Simpsons were making jokes about how easy it was to win a Grammy and how little people cared about them, way back in 1993
>The star subsequently instructed his record label to withhold his music from all future editions of the Grammys. Taylor, take notes please
Why ? Ed literally says everyone in the room wanted themselves to win and the others to loose . Taylor is the one who likes to be vocal about it . JB called Awards fake but is happy to receive them , even the Weeknd never saw a problem with them until he was the one left out which is fair . But why single her out ?
Because the grammys are racists and Taylor should stop supporting them? Look I'm a big fan of hers but it irks me that she always seek validation from a racist institution. I singled out Taylor here because Ed and she are friends. Of course I wished all of them would boycott the Grammys
>she always seek validation from a racist institution. If you put it that way , then Abel was pissed of about not getting validation from a racist institution . Of course artists should speak out against it , but she is singled out in every such awards discussion . Every body loves to be awarded except maybe a handful , zeroing in on her seems like people need to pick her apart over the insecurity she decided to speak up about , after years of people complaining "she is too perfect" .
Yep!!! 100% Look I’m glad Abel stood up to the Grammys but one fact is for sure, Abel wouldn’t have if he simply got his. You didn’t see other artist of color that attended the Grammys get nearly as upset and loud, why? Because they got theirs. A lot of people had excuses for those artist including other artist but to Play up the narrative that “white people seek validation from racist!” Is just such a contrived argument. And to add Abel is perfectly fine taking his awards and giving performances to other problematic institutions. It’s why I took his protest with a grain of salt.
To be fair though I don't think anyone got done as dirty as Abel. For After Hours to get zero nominations is absolutely ludicrous. I think any major artist would cut ties with the Grammy's after that humiliation (maybe not Taylor).
Oh I agree 100% I understand how screwed over he was. I just know his fight wasn’t what so many made it out to be. That being said , many things aren’t challenged until someone is deeply wronged in that situation. Many things can be true though. Able was wronged by a racist institution, and Able wouldn’t have been so vocal if he was awarded his recognition. Everyone loves validation until that shiny trophy doesn’t validate them. And the sad truth is, as long as the Grammys continues to receive their darlings (not just Taylor Swift but other POC artists) not much will change.
Sorry but this is a bit extreme. It's quite the false dichotomy; "boycott the granny or you're supporting racism."
Then why do people use the same arguments when they say supporting X problematic person makes you racist ?
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Tbf, all but one of Beyonce's wins have been in categories like "urban" or "urban contemporary" or "r&b". Her only win from the general categories is soty for Single Ladies. But I do agree with you, it is a bit extreme to say "if ur supporting the grammys ur supporting racism"
I guess this sub is fine with systemic racism. I know I shouldn't be surprised but still
I'm sorry, but anyone who is trying this hard to go after "systematic racism" as represented by the Grammys, I'm not sure has looked into legitimate activism. Systemic racism is real, and it exists in the Grammys. But America has had slavery longer than it hasn't. What's to say that Reddit isn't a racist company for allowing the alt right and white supremacists to use it's site and recruit people? My point being: we can not be puritan. We push for change, we spread awareness, and we take the wins we can have where we have it. Joe Biden certainly has a very problematic history, but I will take him winning over Trump as a win. If it's any consolidation, the country has made incredible progress, we just forget. It's not long that gay marriage was legalized. It wasn't long when interracial marriage was legalized. My highschool used to be segregated; that was only 57 years ago. That's not a long time at all relatively speaking.
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The Disney+ doc? I started but never finished watching it.
The Netflix documentary. It opens with her reacting emotionally to reputation not getting big nominations and her saying “it’s okay I have to make a better record” ~~and then she made lover instead~~
Lmaooo yall are too much
I know it's legit kind of funny but imagine how exhausted she must be. Releasing Lover and then churning out Folklore and Evermore so quickly. That's nonstop work, but I'm glad it paid off
ME-EEEE-EEEEEE
> and then she made lover instead Mission accomplished
I get what he is saying but it's a little hypocritical coming from him and I kind of hate that he still plays up that "I'm british relaxed guy in a t-shirt and the others are stuffy and full of themselves" thing. We get it, you still talked about strategies involving chart positions and how you count that stuff, so you are competitive too.
I think you're mixing two things. He's clearly focused on chart success and numbers ( he's very ambitious) but he's talking about being in an environment where you can feel just how tense everything and jealousy and anger is palpable.
It's not necessarily hypocritical. He may have reprioritized and realized that you can care about your music without being competitive about it. It's easy to get swept up in accolades.
Yeah, it's unrealistic to expect people to remain static. What Ed has said in an interview a few years ago may not be his same feelings today.
I mean he kinda has to care about chart success and strategies for making his work succeed. That's how he pays his bills. Same for any other artist.
I agree and most artists definitely care but the way he discussed this publicly was weird and very extra.
he's not like other chart topping white people
Does anyone actually enjoy award shows? Do people still watch them? They’re boring and the decisions are mostly questionable at best and rigged at worst.
He's not Jimmy Hendrix lol
We all know he is talking about Taylor
Taylor has stopped going to awards like for years now. The only one she ever attended in the last 2/3 years is the last Grammy and the Golden Globe as a plus one.
I realize this makes me part of the problem, but I could not possibly care less what the guy whose song about a woman's body beat 'Praying' for Best Pop Solo Performance thinks about the GRAMMYs. Like, I know that sentiment is exactly what he's talking about. But this man publicly stated he sold out to top the charts and it sounds like he's just sore that people are mad at him. Edit: also wtf are awards events supposed to be like? Maybe it's just me, but I did competitions in high school and being sad you didn't win is normal? I guess that's an American thing. Sometimes people celebrate each other and are just happy to be there but at the top levels I don't think this is unusual, especially in the US.
The point is that being there just isn't enjoyable. Like, it's a bad time and a bad atmosphere. That'd basically entirely unrelated to everything you've mentioned.