Music News

Diddy railed on the Grammys Saturday, saying it's turned a blind eye to black artists ... notably, hip-hop artists. Ironically, Diddy unloaded on the Grammys during his acceptance speech for receiving an Industry Icon award. It all went down at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. As you know, TMZ broke the story ... Whitney Houston died the evening of the same annual party back in 2012 when she was found in her bathtub at the Beverly Hilton, dead from an OD. As for Diddy, he gave an acceptance speech that was interminably long -- 50 minutes, seriously. It ended at 12:30 AM, and toward the end is when Diddy set his sights on the folks who run the Grammys. Among many other things ... Diddy said, "Truth be told, hip-hop has never been respected by the Grammys. Black music has never been respected by the Grammys." As for Diddy's record ... 3 Grammy wins and 13 noms. Among the guests ... Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Cardi B and Offset and Lana Del Rey, John Legend, Janet Jackson, Faith Evans, Ma$e, Lil Kim, Ozzy Osbourne, Avril Lavigne, Paula Abdul, Trevor Noah, Billy Porter, Darren Criss, Jessie J and Channing Tatum. (TMZ)

Ne-Yo is feeling a little less proud of the Grammys he believed were well-earned -- because much as it pains him, he admits the recent claims of vote-rigging are entirely possible. We got the R&B superstar at LAX and with this year's award show -- the 62nd annual -- about to go down, we had to ask about the new controversy sparked by ousted Recording Academy president and CEO Deborah Dugan. If ya missed it, she blew the whistle on what she claims is a deeply broken process of selecting Grammy winners. In a formal complaint, she claimed it's all rigged and accused Recording Academy committee members of throwing bones to certain artists due to personal or business relationships. Ne-Yo didn't pull punches and told us exactly why it seems plausible to him. That said, he made it clear he hopes there were NO shady dealings behind his 3 Grammys. Ne-Yo won two Grammys for his song "Miss Independent," and another for his 2008 album, "Because of You." Ya gotta applaud his brutal honesty, and he also has some ideas about cleaning up the process. (TMZ)

Johnny Depp, Kesha, Jessie J and More Honor Aerosmith at 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year Gala. Sweet emotions ran high as Johnny Depp and other musicians rocked out onstage in Los Angeles on Friday to pay tribute to legendary rock group Aerosmith at an annual pre-Grammys event. The actor and guitarist joined his Hollywood Vampires band mates, shock rocker Alice Cooper and Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, at the 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year gala the Los Angeles Convention Center to perform "Train Kept a Rollin' with the guests of honor themselves, led by frontman Steven Tyler. The annual event is produced by the charity arm of The Recording Academy, the group that distributes the Grammy Awards, and is typically held days before the Grammys. Aerosmith also performed their hit "Dream On" With H.E.R., as well as "Sweet Emotion." John Legend sang "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing," the Jonas Brothers performed "Crazy," Jessie J performed "I'll Be Home Tonight," LeAnn Rimes sang "Livin' on the Edge," and Kesha performed "Janie's Got a Gun," accompanied by a string orchestra. Kesha has performed onstage with the Hollywood Vampires before, as well as with just Cooper. Other performers included Foo Fighters, Cheap Trick, Gavin DeGraw, Sammy Hagar, guitarist Orianthi, Melissa Etheridge and Luis Fonsi. While Aerosmith rockers Tyler, Perry, Tom Hamilton, Brad Whitford and Joey Kramer accepted their 2020 MusiCares Person of the Year award together onstage, the latter musician left before their musical performance, USA Today reported. A recent court order stated that Kramer, a drummer and founding member, was barred from playing with the group at the gala and at the 2020 Grammys, as he had sued the band over breach of contract for shutting him out following an injury. The 2020 Grammys aired live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS on Sunday. (Eonline)

A new Whitney Houston biopic is in the early stages from famed record producer Clive Davis, but people already want to know who will play the singer ... and her sister-in-law just dropped a big hint. Pat Houston was at LAX Friday and talked about Clive's project, revealing she's actually working with the legendary music industry exec on it. She says Davis is a wonderful person -- he's also credited with bringing Houston to prominence -- so Pat's doing anything she can to help him. Whether she meant to or not, she's already doing a good job ... by recruiting Taraji P. Henson. It's pretty funny ... Pat says she can't reveal who's on the wish list to play Whitney because it's a secret, but can't help but blurt out how much she loves Henson and wants her for the role. Sounds like Taraji should call her agent. (TMZ)

The crowd at Super Bowl 54 might look like a Grammy Awards after-party, because it's going to include some of the biggest names in music ... TMZ has learned. Our SB sources tell us ... stars like Cardi B, Lady Gaga and DJ Khaled are expected to be at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami next Sunday to watch the Kansas City Chiefs take on the San Francisco 49ers in the big game. That's not all, though ... we're told Beyonce's likely to be there -- makes sense with Jay-Z's partnership with the NFL -- and it's quite possible Sir Paul McCartney will be in attendance as well. Both have headlined the Super Bowl Halftime Show in the past ... so they'll surely be interested to see how this year's performers -- Jennifer Lopez and Shakira -- fare during their set. Speaking of J Lo, our sources say her fiance, A-Rod, will also be at the game. He was in tow when she was shooting a Super Bowl commercial earlier this month, too. Famous pro gamer Ninja is also going to be there. Those 2 aren't musicians, but they still make the celebrity list ... and we're certain there will be many more. The game's sort of a big deal. (TMZ)

The Voice Season 18 First Look Has All the Coaches Going "For the Win." Nick Jonas. John Legend. Blake Shelton. Kelly Clarkson. Only one will come out on top when The Voice returns for season 18 on NBC. E! News as your exclusive first look at the new key art featuring all the coaches, including newcomer to the show Jonas. The coaches are all going "for the win," so let's look at their success rate. Shelton has six wins out of his 17 previous seasons, Clarkson has three out of her four seasons and Legend has one win out of two seasons. Jonas, who is new to the show in the coach capacity, previously served as an advisor for Christina Aguilera. He'll have his brothers, Joe Jonas and Kevin Jonas of the Jonas Brothers, serve as his advisors in season 18. He also helped out his brother out during Joe's term as a coach on the Australian version of The Voice. "I'm so excited to be a part of The Voice family," Jonas said in a statement when his involvement was announced. "It's such an awesome group of individuals, and I can't wait to help these artists really build and hone in to find their unique voices." The other advisors this season are Ella Mai for Team John, Dua Lipa for Team Kelly and Bebe Rexha for Team Blake. Rexha was previously involved with season 16's Comeback Stage. The new season of The Voice kicks off on Monday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. on NBC. (Eonline)

Scott Borchetta Applauds "Brilliant" Taylor Swift Despite Their Contentious History. Nothing but love and positive vibes! Taylor Swift and Big Machine Label Group Founder & CEO Scott Borchetta ended 2019 on a pretty sour note. Swift called out the music industry exec for his deal with Scooter Braun when he purchased her masters. Although there has been a long back and forth between both parties in the public eye, Borchetta attended the 2020 Billboard Power Event on Thursday evening and spoke openly with Billboard about his current relationship with the pop star. When asked what his greatest power move of 2019 was, Borchetta actually stated it was his partnership with Braun. "We're having a great time and it's pretty powerful," he shared. Of course, he couldn't express his gratefulness for the good without admitting that it came with a little bit of bad as well. "We've always had a tough skin, so there's a great balance in the universe, great things have happened," he explained. "Every once in a while, you're gonna get hit, but we're rocking." When it comes to his actual relationship with Swift, he revealed that he's always rooting for her. "Of course. I mean, I'm always gonna root for her," he shared. "She's brilliant and we've had a historic run." Borchetta's public feud with Swift isn't the only bad blood hitting the music industry as of late. On Thursday, ousted Grammys CEO Deborah Dugan filed a complaint against the Recording Academy regarding their voting procedures. Borchetta gave his two-cents on that matter as well. "All awards shows, we always want transparency," said Borchetta. "You can look at how should the voting process be? Should there be actual results that count toward it? Should album sales count? Should ticket sales count? So, there's a lot of different ways to look at it, but transparency is critical." (Eonline)

Justin Bieber Calls New Album a "Reflection" of His Struggle During Tearful Speech. Justin Bieber is thankful for how far he's come in life. In the past year alone, the singer wed Hailey Bieber, overcame Lyme disease and completed his sixth studio album, all things he apparently never thought were possible, namely because he didn't think he'd survive so long. In a tearful speech at his album listening party, the musician told the crowds, according to Variety, "I don't even think I should be alive never mind thrive." He revealed he feels "hurt by the industry" and "the people" who he worked with from adolescence to even now. Variety says he didn't identify any specific instance or person who hurt him, but the publication reports he felt "unsure who to turn to or who to trust during those challenging times." One person he knew he could trust, however, was Scooter Braun who he said "walked with me through a lot of s--t." He also credited God with helping him through the depression he experienced. "There's power in weakness," he told the audience. The 25-year-old said his forthcoming album is a "reflection" of the adversity he's faced and thanked his fans for "loving me at my worst." Last but not least, the Canada-native thanked his model wife for sticking by his side. He told Hailey, "I love you with all my heart ... and I'm so proud of us." Then, at the conclusion of his speech, he quipped, "I've gotta get it together. I'm gonna go shoot myself." Variety said he quickly emphasized it was a joke. This candid admission from the singer isn't shocking considering he's discussed prior struggles before. Nevertheless, fans have never seen such a raw side of the singer and are bracing themselves for the release of his YouTube documentary, which premieres on Jan. 27. In the gut-wrenching trailer for the docuseries, Justin discusses the battles he's faced and how he's since found joy. As his wife says in the trailer, "Maybe by watching this people will kinda get a glimpse into his world." (Eonline)

2020 Oscars Performers Revealed: Elton John, Cynthia Erivo and More Nominees. The performers for the 2020 Oscars ceremony have been revealed and include Elton John and Cynthia Erivo and other nominees for Best Original Song. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced in a statement on Thursday that John will perform his nominated song "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again" from the movie Rocketman, a biopic about him. Erivo will sing "Stand Up" from Harriet, in which the actress and singer plays escaped slave and abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Idina Menzel, who reprises her role of Elsa in Frozen II, will perform "Into the Unknown" from the Disney animated film with fellow singer Aurora. Neither are the nominees in the Best Original Song category; Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez share the honor with their music and lyrics. Randy Newman will perform his Toy Story 4 song "I Can't Let You Throw Yourself Away" and Chrissy Metz will perform nominee Diane Warren's song "I'm Standing with You" from Breakthrough, which stars the This Is Us actress. Per tradition, Oscars telecasts feature artists performing their nominated original songs. This marks John's third Oscar nomination. He won his first Oscar in 1995 for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King. Erivo is also nominated this year for an Oscar for Best Leading Actress for her performance in Harriet. Newman has previously won two Oscars for Best Original Song -- for "If I Didn't Have You" from Disney-Pixar's Monsters, Inc. and for "We Belong Together" from the studio's 2010 hit Toy Story 3. In addition, the 2020 ceremony will feature a special appearance by Questlove and a guest-conducted segment by Emear Noone, who will be the first woman to conduct during an Oscars telecast. The 2020 Oscars will air live from the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC on Sunday, February 9, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT. (Eonline)

The Jonas Brothers Are Heading to Sin City With New Residency: See the Dates. The Jonas Brothers are bringing their act to Las Vegas. The sibling trio announced on Friday (Jan. 24) that they will play a string of residency gigs at the Park Theater at Park MGM beginning on April 1, with eight other dates during the month keeping them in place until the 18th. The "What a Man Gotta Do" group will play gigs on April 1, 3, 4, 8, 10, 11, 15, 17 and 18, with fan club members receiving access to an exclusive pre-sale beginning on Jan. 28 at 10 a.m. PST. Citi is the official pre-sale credit card for the residency, with cardmembers gaining access to tickets beginning Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. PST through Citi Entertainment. M life Rewards loyalty members, Live Nation and Ticketmaster customers can get access to a pre-sale that kicks off on Jan. 29 at 10 PST. All pre-sales will end on Jan. 30 at 10 p.m. PST. Tickets, which start at $69 (not including service fees) go on sale to the general public on Jan. 31 at 10 a.m. PST. The JoBros will perform "What a Man" live for the first time at Sunday night's (Jan. 26) 62nd annual Grammy Awards. (Billboard)

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