Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Sloane Stephens in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Öwnboss in mag.
Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | DR. PHUNK in mag.
This month's cover marks the 20th year of MIYAVI being a force in the music industry. Known as the Samurai Guitarist, he brings a message of passion and peace to those he plays for whether they're the fans that attend his shows or the refugees that he performs for as a Global Ambassador of the UNHCR where he gives his time to the camps when they are seeking relief from the crisis around him. He also talks about his 14th studio album, MIYAVIVERSE which covers anime songs. MIYAVI is also an actor who has done voiceover work in an Emmy-nominated anime show, Arcane: League of Legends as well as appearing in movies with Angelina Jolie in Maleficent 2 as well as Unbroken that she directed. We talk about his need to stay creative, collaborating with brands and continuing to challenge himself.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be a musician?
MIYAVI: When I lost my dream to be a professional soccer player when I was 14 years old. I was on a youth team of a professional soccer team in Osaka on the west side of Japan. Every single day, I was going to the soccer field and I got injured and then I lost my dream. The thing is I really really wanted to be a professional player, but at the same time, the practicing was really competitive to be on the team. I actually got tired of it because it was tough for me being a 14 year old boy to keep going to the field which was pretty far from my hometown. It was like a 90 minute train ride and that was really tough for me every single day. I was the captain of the local team for a very long time, but when I started going to the professional team, I lost my friends as well because I was not in the group anymore. I was the only one going to the professional team as well.
To me, it was really stressful and then it was really shocking to me that tmoment that I stopped going to that professional team, I was really relieved! It was really weird because soccer was my motivation and my passion every day that I was playing. But the moment that that happened, I was relieved not to play soccer because it was so stressful for me. That was the moment that I quit soccer and again, when you lose your dream, you lose yourself as well and you lose that shine so I was hanging out with my friends and I was doing bad things and then I got the guitar and I thought, “oh this might be it!” It might take me someplace else and I wanted to get out of my hometown anyway. This thing might be the one that takes me out. Now, I’m traveling the world and talking to you!
AM: Exactly and that’s quite a story.
How do you define the MIYAVI sound?
M: People call me the Samurai Guitarist and I’m honored to be called a Samurai! Samurai is such an important word for Japanese people. It’s such a big determination and it’s a really really big deal. For me, instead of katana, the Japanese sword, I play the guitar and I make people dance. I feel good that I can spread that positive message. As an artist which I am always trying to pursue the edgy style, but at the same time, I’m also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR which is The United Nations Refugee Agency. So it’s about positivity and the moment that you feel the future, it’s really really crucial!
So yeah, it’s kind of like a guitar rock, dance kind of music. At the same time, to me, it’s about the attitude and how you enjoy my show is really really important. After people get back home, I want them to feel energized and motivated. Of course, I want you to have fun, we’ll have fun always – but I want to create something that people can feel and that it’s the future and is productive. It’s not just about being entertaining.
AM: How do you get inspired in terms of approaching creating your music?
M: You know, I like to watch movies or sometimes be in a movie. When I play a role in a film, I learn from that character and I want to be able to absorb and take it into my body. That’s also an inspirational source, to me. Again, I can learn things from my kids as well. As a parent, it’s kind of a learning process as well. Again, at the refugee camps, to witness those cruel devastating situations and the paths that those people had to go through – this is also a huge inspiration. I can’t look away from that fact and our generation is facing this crisis. So that’s not quite an inspiration it’s –
AM: It’s more of a driving force.
M: Yes, it’s more of a driving force. It’s a reason why I keep moving forward. It’s really really responsible.
AM: You’re so talented and from the music standpoint as a songwriter, producer, you play instruments – what’s your favorite part of working on a song?
M: To be honest, the most important thing is to put the message or the lyrics as a core part. The most fun part is just playing the guitar without thinking about anything. You just go free, that’s the fun part. That’s what I can do on stage once I’m done. Giving birth is the most hardest part, the most painful experience as we all know – the ladies. They give birth and it’s painful, but it’s also worth it for the real happiness. So doing what I do, it doesn’t actually hurt like that, but at the same time, when you’re making a song, it’s a really really tough process. But then again, it’s worth it. But playing the guitar, that’s the fun part!
AM: When you’re collaborating with other artists, what are you looking for when you’re deciding that you want to partner with them?
M: Just chemistry always! I know my world and I know how to maintain and to remain in my sound. I know my style and I know that it works. When I work with somebody else, I want to see new dimensions and to also feel that chemistry and to have a new me. Something that I never experienced or that I never thought to even try. That’s kind of a benefit and that’s the same with life. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Sometimes it doesn’t go as well as you expected, but that’s life. That kind of encountering a new part of myself in that way is nice.
AM: Earlier this year, you partnered with K-Pop superstar Kang Daniel with Hush Hush which also became a theme song for the Korean drama show Rookie Cops on Disney+ and you also collaborated with him again. What did you love about working on these projects with him?
M: Again, K-Pop is a global and phenomenal movement. I’m half Japanese and half Korean and I do respect the effort and the creative force that is there. Kang Daniel is a rising star and as an Asian, I do respect him. Again, it’s a totally different style and it does seem like he is building his own style right now. So it’s really really interesting to be part of the creation that we make together and then we see the shift as well. His style is really different from mine and it’s not like it’s a middle ground – it’s more like a 3rd or new destination! You can only find that with your collaborator. That’s why I said, a new me or a new world or a new dimension. I love his dedication for the creation and he’s so humble. It’s great to feel that different wave in the younger generation.
AM: You’ve been in the industry for over 20 years and you’re currently in a 19 city, 20 show tour here in North America. What does it mean to you to reach this achievement and to look back on all of the work that you have done?
M: I’m never satisfied and that’s the reason why I keep on doing this. I’ve done pretty much all of these different things not only in musi,c but acting, the fashion thing, humanitarian work, so it’s such a pleasure to be able to explore the many worlds and to encounter new people and I’m learning every single time. It might have been easier if I just focused on a music career or an acting career or a fashion career, but again there is also that chemistry when I take on a challenge of doing something different every time. I feel that chemistry and then I learn from it. Then I can be a new me and I can be stronger and I do just appreciate everyone that I have worked with and also the fans that are supporting me the whole time even if I changed my music style – not just costumes, but the music itself – the groove. Then doing acting and the fashion thing so I really really appreciate their support.
AM: So what can you tell me about your 14th studio album that is coming out?
M: That’s a cover album and I am covering anime songs. It’s a really really interesting path and also a process because those tracks are made by somebody else and they’re really popular ones like the song for Evangelion or song for City Hunter, the song for Naruto. At the same time as an artist, I’m really confident to make any song into MIYAVI’s world which is why we named this album, MIYAVIVERSE. That’s my world and that’s the sound that MIYAVI and the team creates. Every song has a great melody and there is a chemistry, there is a totally different sound in production and form. We’re kind of making a new style. It’s a really exciting project.
AM: In addition to your music career and you have also said this as we’ve been talking, you’re the face of a number of brands such as Gucci and you’ve been with Dell and McLaren. What does that mean to you to be able to crossover like that?
M: You know, it’s a new discovery of myself and then it’s such a pleasure to work with those top top brands that are trendsetting and leading their industries. It’s great to see what happens when I dive into those different worlds. I’m not a car geek or a car lover, but the attitude that McLaren and MIYAVI have really resonates. I’m not just making music for a business and they’re not just making a car for a business, we’re making history and we’re making a different thing. It might be easier to make some kind of a good pop stuff and there might be an easier path to become famous, but for it’s not. It’s about being more integrated. We would not be able to be satisfied with the answer. With Dell as well. The creativity that technology brings – they are expanding that as well. The honor to be part of it and to just explore together is great.
AM: In terms of your acting, you have a number of credits that you’re getting out there. You were cast in Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken and you worked with her again in Maleficent 2. What was it like to be in those projects?
M: It’s fun. Again, the music when it comes to the process, it’s all about me. I say it sounds like this, it should be like that, I am the producer. So I am doing the producing, the acting and the playing myself. But the movie, as an actor, there is a bigger part of it especially when the role is not that big. It’s a tiny part of it. But, it’s still you’re part of it. You’re performing and whatever you do in that work, it’s going to affect the entire creation – it’s teamwork a team achievement. To be able to work with those top top people from Disney or Pixar those people are the real deal! It’s really creative and more free. They are enjoying the flow and they are making something new in the flow. It‘s really fun!
AM: You’ve done voice overs for Arcane: League of Legends which won an Emmy recently for Outstanding Animated Series. Why did you want to be part of this show?
M: Why not?
AM: Love that!
M: Yeah! Why not? When I got the offer, I heard that Sting was on board, Imagine Dragons was on board. You know, those top artists were there and then the creation itself was really really great – a high level and a big passion. I was working with Christian Linke the Executive Producer. He’s like Steve Jobs like – he has the characters, the world, passion and even the music as well. It was simply a pleasure and honor to be part of it and then the music and also doing the voice acting for a little bit for a little role. That was such a surprise and that kind of flexibility and spontaneous kind of decision is the fun part of creation you know. You can change your creation drastically in the last minute. That’s all on you so it’s all about the passion and the clear vision. He had a clear vision and I was so happy to be part of it.
AM: Throughout this interview, you have been talking about your humanitarian work and working with the United Nations. Can you tell us more about what you are doing?
M: So my humanitarian work as an ambassador for UNHCR, is life work and it’s really volunteering. It’s not something that I get paid to do. Every single time I go to the refugee camps, I feel purified well as it is a special process to me. Anything that you can do for the future, global warming, animals, human rights – anything. But for me, I met Angelina Jolie – Angie, she’s the one that inspired me and opened the door and who met me. I was really surprised and amazed at how much she dedicates for this crisis and as an artist, I wanted to be able to do something if I could. I went to the refugee camp in Lebanon for the first time right after the Syria crisis exploded. It started around 2011ish but around 2014/2015, the refugees increased rapidly and I was really scared. I didn’t know what to do as an artist and still, I can’t play the guitar to people that just escaped from their countries because imagine the situation of it being do or die, you can’t enjoy the music at that moment. But still, after that first emergency phase, we call that Developmental or Sustainable Phase – people need to feel that dignity of a human being. We are not just living here a human being. We are not just living here, we are living here and standing on our own feet. That’s what everyone needs to feel and especially at the refugee camps, that set of circumstances is really hard to feel that way. Then art and culture like music and sports, can do many things to connect people and to make them feel alive. That’s my role as an ambassador. The thing about refugees is that you feel like a dark, serious burden – it's a serious issue. But at the same time, those people are like us! They used to be a professional musician, they used to be a writer, they used to be a politician. So my mission as an ambassador is to bring those kinds of bright sides of people and positivity. So we feel that we are the same and it could happen to us. When you think about a crisis that could happen like another war – I don’t even want to say, but you have that conflict that happens and it could happen to us if the place you are living in is so no longer safe. It’s really really important to me to keep doing this so that I can realize that I can redefine my mission of the reason why I keep moving forward. I keep creating and this is really really important now.
AM: Honestly, the way that you explained that this person who is a refugee had a life where they were a doctor or the fact that they had a life that they were part of. I think that that really puts a different type of life on it as opposed to saying this group of people had this devastating series of circumstances. It does give back the humanity and compassion to see it in that light.
M: Some of them used to be a doctor. Some of them used to be a professor.
AM: What do you want your legacy to be as an artist, as an actor, a humanitarian and as a father?
M: That’s a big question – the ultimate question. It’s interesting. It makes me rethink about the shift in me as an artist. I wanted to play the guitar when I was younger, but I'm not playing the guitar because I want to play the guitar now, I’m playing because I want to play music. That’s why I’m playing the guitar – I want to spread my message. It’s why I make music and then I play the guitar. I need to spread the message to help make this world better somehow. I want to dedicate myself somehow and that’s why I play music. That’s why I play the guitar. It used to be like – I want to be a legend playing the guitar. I do play it and it’s my thing and I will never quit playing the guitar. I’m not going to become obsessed by being a guitarist. It’s a tool to deliver my message to the audience. So, I don’t know about the answer to your question because for me, anything is fine. That’s why I am an actor and modeling as well because as long as you can just spread the message and the idea of peace, I think that that’s it!
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 16 - 27 + 32 Courtesy MIYAVI | PG 28 Mairo Cinquetti/Pacific -Press/Alamy | PG 30 UPI/Alamy |
Read the OCT ISSUE #82 of Athleisure Mag and see HUMANITY DEFINES HIS MUSIC | MIYAVI in mag.
The nominations are in for the 65th GRAMMY Awards which takes place on Feb 5th. We always enjoy seeing what takes place during Awards Season as we get into the thick of things. You can tune in on CBS and stream live ad on-demand on Paramount+. As always, we’re sharing our predictions which are italicized, those that are the winners are in bold and those that we guessed correctly that won, they will be italicized in bold.
RECORD OF THE YEAR
Don't Shut Me Down
ABBA
Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer
Easy On Me
Adele
Greg Kurstin, producer; Julian Burg, Tom Elmhirst & Greg Kurstin, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
BREAK MY SOUL
Beyoncé
Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Brandon Harding, Chris McLaughlin & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
Good Morning Gorgeous
Mary J. Blige
D’Mile & H.E.R., producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Pat Kelly, engineers/mixers
You And Me On The Rock
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Tom Elmhirst & Michael Harris, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
Woman
Doja Cat
Crate Classics, Linden Jay, Aynzli Jones & Yeti Beats, producers; Jesse Ray Ernster & Rian Lewis, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
Bad Habit
Steve Lacy
Steve Lacy, producer; Neal Pogue & Karl Wingate, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer
The Heart Part 5
Kendrick Lamar
Beach Noise, producer; Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, Ray Charles Brown Jr., James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
About Damn Time
Lizzo
Ricky Reed & Blake Slatkin, producers; Patrick Kehrier, Bill Malina & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
As It Was
Harry Styles
Tyler Johnson & Kid Harpoon, producers; Jeremy Hatcher & Spike Stent, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Voyage
ABBA
Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, songwriters; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer
30
Adele
Shawn Everett, Ludwig Göransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Joey Pecoraro & Shellback, producers; Julian Burg, Steve Churchyard, Tom Elmhirst, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert, Inflo, Greg Kurstin, Riley Mackin & Lasse Mårtén, engineers/mixers; Adele Adkins, Ludwig Göransson, Dean Josiah Cover, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin & Shellback, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
Un Verano Sin Ti
Bad Bunny
Rauw Alejandro, Buscabulla, Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortez, Tony Dize, Bomba Estéreo & The Marías, featured artists; Demy & Clipz, Elikai, HAZE, La Paciencia, Cheo Legendary, MAG, MagicEnElBeat, Mora, Jota Rosa, Subelo Neo & Tainy, producers; Josh Gudwin & Roberto Rosado, engineers/mixers; Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Raquel Berrios, Joshua Conway, Mick Coogan, Orlando Javier Valle Vega, Jesus Nieves Cortes, Luis Del Valle, Marcos Masis, Gabriel Mora, Elena Rose, Liliana Margarita Saumet & Maria Zardoya, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
RENAISSANCE
Beyoncé
Beam, Grace Jones & Tems, featured artists; Jameil Aossey, Bah, Beam, Beyoncé, Bloodpop, Boi-1Da, Cadenza, Al Cres, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Kelman Duran, Harry Edwards, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Ivor Guest, Guiltybeatz, Hit-Boy, Jens Christian Isaksen, Leven Kali, Lil Ju, MeLo-X, No I.D., NovaWav, Chris Penny, P2J, Rissi, S1a0, Raphael Saadiq, Neenyo, Skrillex, Luke Solomon, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Syd, Sevn Thomas, Sol Was & Stuart White, producers; Chi Coney, Russell Graham, Guiltybeatz, Brandon Harding, Hotae Alexander Jang, Chris McLaughlin, Delroy "Phatta" Pottinger, Andrea Roberts, Steve Rusch, Jabbar Stevens & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Denisia "@Blu June" Andrews, Danielle Balbuena, Tyshane Thompson, Kevin Marquis Bellmon, Sydney Bennett, Beyoncé, Jerel Black, Michael Tucker, Atia Boggs p/k/a Ink, Dustin Bowie, David Debrandon Brown, S. Carter, Nija Charles, Sabrina Claudio, Solomon Fagenson Cole, Brittany "@Chi_Coney" Coney, Alexander Guy Cook, Lavar Coppin, Almando Cresso, Mike Dean, Saliou Diagne, Darius Dixson, Jocelyn Donald, Jordan Douglas, Aubrey Drake Graham, Kelman Duran, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Dave Giles II, Derrick Carrington Gray, Nick Green, Larry Griffin Jr, Ronald Banful, Dave Hamelin, Aviel Calev Hirschfield, Chauncey Hollis, Jr., Ariowa Irosogie, Leven Kali, Ricky Lawson, Tizita Makuria, Julian Martrel Mason, Daniel Memmi, Cherdericka Nichols, Ernest "No I.D." Wilson, Temilade Openiyi, Patrick Paige II From The Internet, Jimi Stephen Payton, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Michael Pollack, Richard Isong, Honey Redmond, Derek Renfroe, Andrew Richardson, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers, Oliver Rodigan, Freddie Ross, Raphael Saadiq, Matthew Samuels, Sean Seaton, Skrillex, Corece Smith, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Jabbar Stevens, Christopher A. Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Rupert Thomas, Jr. & Jesse Wilson, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer
Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
Mary J. Blige
DJ Khaled, Dave East, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, Griselda, H.E.R., Jadakiss, Moneybagg Yo, Ne-Yo, Anderson .Paak, Remy Ma & Usher, featured artists; Alissia, Tarik Azzouz, Bengineer, Blacka Din Me, Rogét Chahayed, Cool & Dre, Ben Billions, DJ Cassidy, DJ Khaled, D’Mile, Wonda, Bongo Bytheway, H.E.R., Hostile Beats, Eric Hudson, London On Da Track, Leon Michels, Nova Wav, Anderson.Paak, Sl!Mwav, Streetrunner, Swizz Beatz & J White Did It, producers; Derek Ali, Ben Chang, Luis Bordeaux, Bryce Bordone, Lauren D’Elia, Chris Galland, Serban Ghenea, Akeel Henry, Jaycen Joshua, Pat Kelly, Jhair Lazo, Shamele Mackie, Manny Marroquin, Dave Medrano, Ari Morris, Parks, Juan Peña, Ben Sedano, Kev Spencer, Julio Ulloa & Jodie Grayson Williams, engineers/mixers; Alissia Beneviste, Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Archer, Bianca Atterberry, Tarik Azzouz, Mary J. Blige, David Brewster, David Brown, Shawn Butler, Rogét Chahayed, Ant Clemons, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Kasseem Dean, Benjamin Diehl, DJ Cassidy, Jocelyn Donald, Jerry Duplessis, Uforo Ebong, Dernst Emile II, John Jackson, Adriana Flores, Gabriella Wilson, Shawn Hibbler, Charles A. Hinshaw, Jamie Hurton, Eric Hudson, Jason Phillips, Khaled Khaled, London Holmes, Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie, Leon Michels, Jerome Monroe, Jr., Kim Owens, Brandon Anderson, Jeremie "Benny The Butcher" Pennick, Bryan Ponce, Demond "Conway The Machine" Price, Peter Skellern, Shaffer Smith, Nicholas Warwar, Deforrest Taylor, Tiara Thomas, Marcello "Cool" Valenzano, Alvin "Westside Gunn" Worthy, Anthony Jermaine White & Leon Youngblood, songwriters
In These Silent Days
Brandi Carlile
Lucius, featured artist; Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Dave Cobb, Tom Elmhirst, Michael Harris & Shooter Jennings, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer
Music Of The Spheres
Coldplay
BTS, Jacob Collier, Selena Gomez & We Are KING, featured artists; Jacob Collier, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Kang Hyo-Won, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson, Paris Strother & We Are KING, producers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, The Dream Team, Duncan Fuller, Serban Ghenea, Daniel Green, John Hanes, Jon Hopkins, Michael Ilbert, Max Martin, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson & Paris Strother, engineers/mixers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Denise Carite, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, Derek Dixie, Sam Falson, Stephen Fry, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Jung Ho-Seok, Chris Martin, Max Martin, John Metcalfe, Leland Tyler Wayne, Bill Rahko, Kim Nam-Joon, Jesse Rogg, Davide Rossi, Rik Simpson, Amber Strother, Paris Strother, Min Yoon-Gi, Federico Vindver & Olivia Waithe, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Kendrick Lamar
Baby Keem, Blxst, Sam Dew, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Kodak Black, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Amanda Reifer, Sampha & Summer Walker, featured artists; The Alchemist, Baby Keem, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Bekon, Boi-1da, Cardo, Dahi, DJ Khalil, The Donuts, FNZ, Frano, Sergiu Gherman, Emile Haynie, J.LBS, Mario Luciano, Tyler Mehlenbacher, OKLAMA, Rascal, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, Tae Beast, Duval Timothy & Pharrell Williams, producers; Derek Ali, Matt Anthony, Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, David Bishop, Troy Bourgeois, Andrew Boyd, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Derek Garcia, Chad Gordon, James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Manny Marroquin, Erwing Olivares, Raymond J Scavo III, Matt Schaeffer, Cyrus Taghipour, Johnathan Turner & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Hykeem Carter, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Daniel Tannenbaum, Daniel Tannenbaum, Stephen Lee Bruner, Matthew Burdette, Isaac John De Boni, Sam Dew, Anthony Dixon, Victor Ekpo, Sergiu Gherman, Dennis Coles, Beth Gibbons, Frano Huett, Stuart Johnson, Bill K. Kapri, Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Daniel Krieger, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald LaTour, Mario Luciano, Daniel Alan Maman, Timothy Maxey, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Michael John Mulé, D. Natche, OKLAMA, Jason Pounds, Rascal, Amanda Reifer, Matthew Samuels, Avante Santana, Matt Schaeffer, Sampha Sisay, Mark Spears, Homer Steinweiss, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Donte Lamar Perkins, Duval Timothy, Summer Walker & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
Special
Lizzo
Benny Blanco, Quelle Chris, Daoud, Omer Fedi, ILYA, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, The Monsters & Strangerz, Phoelix, Ricky Reed, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin & Pop Wansel, producers; Benny Blanco, Bryce Bordone, Jeff Chestek, Jacob Ferguson, Serban Ghenea, Jeremy Hatcher, Andrew Hey, Sam Holland, ILYA, Stefan Johnson, Jens Jungkurth, Patrick Kehrier, Ian Kirkpatrick, Damien Lewis, Bill Malina, Manny Marroquin & Ricky Reed, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Daoud Anthony, Jonathan Bellion, Benjamin Levin, Thomas Brenneck, Christian Devivo, Omer Fedi, Eric Frederic, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Melissa Jefferson, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Michael Neil, Michael Pollack, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin, Peter Svensson, Gavin Chris Tennille, Theron Makiel Thomas, Andrew Wansel & Emily Warren, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer
Harry's House
Harry Styles
Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Sammy Witte, producers; Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Spike Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles & Sammy Witte, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer
SONG OF THE YEAR
abcdefu
Sara Davis, GAYLE & Dave Pittenger, songwriters (GAYLE)
About Damn Time
Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin & Theron Makiel Thomas, songwriters (Lizzo)
All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)
Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
As It Was
Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Harry Styles, songwriters (Harry Styles)
Bad Habit
Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Fousheé, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby & Steve Lacy, songwriters (Steve Lacy)
BREAK MY SOUL
Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant & Christopher A. Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Easy On Me
Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)
GOD DID
Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)
The Heart Part 5
Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
Just Like That
Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)
BEST NEW ARTIST
Anitta
Omar Apollo
DOMi & JD Beck
Muni Long
Samara Joy
Latto
Måneskin
Tobe Nwigwe
Molly Tuttle
Wet Leg
BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
Easy On Me
Adele
Moscow Mule
Bad Bunny
Woman
Doja Cat
Bad Habit
Steve Lacy
About Damn Time
Lizzo
As It Was
Harry Styles
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Don't Shut Me Down
ABBA
Bam Bam
Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran
My Universe
Coldplay & BTS
I Like You (A Happier Song)
Post Malone & Doja Cat
Unholy
Sam Smith & Kim Petras
BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM
Higher
Michael Bublé
When Christmas Comes Around...
Kelly Clarkson
I Dream Of Christmas (Extended)
Norah Jones
Evergreen
Pentatonix
Thank You
Diana Ross
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
Voyage
ABBA
30
Adele
Music Of The Spheres
Coldplay
Special
Lizzo
Harry's House
Harry Styles
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING
BREAK MY SOUL
Beyoncé
Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Stuart White, mixer
Rosewood
Bonobo
Simon Green, producer; Simon Green, mixer
Don't Forget My Love
Diplo & Miguel
Diplo & Maximilian Jaeger, producers; Luca Pretolesi, mixer
I'm Good (Blue)
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, producers; David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, mixers
Intimidated
KAYTRANADA Featuring H.E.R.
H.E.R. & KAYTRANADA, producers; KAYTRANADA, mixer
On My Knees
RÜFÜS DU SOL
Jason Evigan & RÜFÜS DU SOL, producers; Cassian Stewart-Kasimba, mixer
BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC ALBUM
Renaissance
Beyoncé
Fragments
Bonobo
Diplo
Diplo
The Last Goodbye
ODESZA
Surrender
RÜFÜS DU SOL
BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM
Between Dreaming And Joy
Jeff Coffin
Not Tight
DOMi & JD Beck
Blooz
Grant Geissman
Jacob's Ladder
Brad Mehldau
Empire Central
Snarky Puppy
BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE
So Happy It Hurts
Bryan Adams
Old Man
Beck
Wild Child
The Black Keys
Broken Horses
Brandi Carlile
Crawl!
Idles
Patient Number 9
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck
Holiday
Turnstile
BEST METAL PERFORMANCE
Call Me Little Sunshine
Ghost
We'll Be Back
Megadeth
Kill Or Be Killed
Muse
Degradation Rules
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Tony Iommi
Blackout
Turnstile
BEST ROCK SONG
Blackout
Brady Ebert, Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)
Broken Horses
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
Harmonia's Dream
Robbie Bennett & Adam Granduciel, songwriters (The War On Drugs)
Patient Number 9
John Osbourne, Chad Smith, Ali Tamposi, Robert Trujillo & Andrew Wotman, songwriters (Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck)
BEST ROCKALBUM
Dropout Boogie
The Black Keys
The Boy Named If
Elvis Costello & The Imposters
Crawler
Idles
Mainstream Sellout
Machine Gun Kelly
Patient Number 9
Ozzy Osbourne
Lucifer On The Sofa
Spoon
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE
There'd Better Be A Mirrorball
Arctic Monkeys
Certainty
Big Thief
King
Florence + The Machine
Chaise Longue
Wet Leg
Spitting Off The Edge Of The World
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Featuring Perfume Genius
BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM
WE
Arcade Fire
Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
Big Thief
Fossora
Björk
Wet Leg
Wet Leg
Cool It Down
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
VIRGO’S GROOVE
Beyoncé
Here With Me
Mary J. Blige Featuring Anderson .Paak
Hrs & Hrs
Muni Long
Over
Lucky Daye
Hurt Me So Good
Jazmine Sullivan
BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE
Do 4 Love
Snoh Aalegra
Keeps On Fallin'
Babyface Featuring Ella Mai
PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA
Beyoncé
'Round Midnight
Adam Blackstone Featuring Jazmine Sullivan
Good Morning Gorgeous
Mary J. Blige
BEST R&B SONG
CUFF IT
Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Beyoncé, Mary Christine Brockert, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Good Morning Gorgeous
Mary J. Blige, David Brown, Dernst Emile II, Gabriella Wilson & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (Mary J. Blige)
Hrs & Hrs
Hamadi Aaabi, Dylan Graham, Priscilla Renea, Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Brandon John-Baptiste, Isaac Wriston & Justin Nathaniel Zim, songwriters (Muni Long)
Hurt Me So Good
Akeel Henry, Michael Holmes, Luca Mauti, Jazmine Sullivan & Elliott Trent, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)
Please Don't Walk Away
PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)
BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM
Operation Funk
Cory Henry
Gemini Rights
Steve Lacy
Drones
Terrace Martin
Starfruit
Moonchild
Red Balloon
Tank And The Bangas
BEST R&B ALBUM
Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
Mary J. Blige
Breezy (Deluxe)
Chris Brown
Black Radio III
Robert Glasper
Candydrip
Lucky Daye
Watch The Sun
PJ Morton
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
GOD DID
DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
Vegas
Doja Cat
pushin P
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug
F.N.F. (Let's Go)
Hitkidd & GloRilla
The Heart Part 5
Kendrick Lamar
BEST MELODIC RAP PERFORMANCE
BEAUTIFUL
DJ Khaled Featuring Future & SZA
WAIT FOR U
Future Featuring Drake & Tems
First Class
Jack Harlow
Die Hard
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Blxst & Amanda Reifer
Big Energy (Live)
Latto
BEST RAP SONG
Churchill Downs
Ace G, BEDRM, Matthew Samuels, Tahrence Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Jack Harlow & Jose Velazquez, songwriters (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake)
GOD DID
Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)
The Heart Part 5
Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
pushin P
Lucas Depante, Nayvadius Wilburn, Sergio Kitchens, Wesley Tyler Glass & Jeffery Lamar Williams, songwriters (Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug)
WAIT FOR U
Tejiri Akpoghene, Floyd E. Bentley III, Jacob Canady, Isaac De Boni, Aubrey Graham, Israel Ayomide Fowobaje, Nayvadius Wilburn, Michael Mule, Oluwatoroti Oke & Temilade Openiyi, songwriters (Future Featuring Drake & Tems)
BEST RAP ALBUM
GOD DID
DJ Khaled
I Never Liked You
Future
Come Home The Kids Miss You
Jack Harlow
Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Kendrick Lamar
It's Almost Dry
Pusha T
BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE
Heartfirst
Kelsea Ballerini
Something In The Orange
Zach Bryan
In His Arms
Miranda Lambert
Circles Around This Town
Maren Morris
Live Forever
Willie Nelson
BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
Wishful Drinking
Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt
Midnight Rider's Prayer
Brothers Osborne
Outrunnin' Your Memory
Luke Combs & Miranda Lambert
Does He Love You - Revisited
Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton
Never Wanted To Be That Girl
Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde
Going Where The Lonely Go
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
BEST COUNTRY SONG
Circles Around This Town
Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels, Maren Morris & Jimmy Robbins, songwriters (Maren Morris)
Doin' This
Luke Combs, Drew Parker & Robert Williford, songwriters (Luke Combs)
I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)
Lori McKenna & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
If I Was A Cowboy
Jesse Frasure & Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)
I'll Love You Till The Day I Die
Rodney Crowell & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Willie Nelson)
'Til You Can't
Matt Rogers & Ben Stennis, songwriters (Cody Johnson)
BEST COUNTRY ALBUM
Growin' Up
Luke Combs
Palomino
Miranda Lambert
Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
Ashley McBryde
Humble Quest
Maren Morris
A Beautiful Time
Willie Nelson
BEST NEW AGE, AMBIENT, OR CHANT ALBUM
Positano Songs
Will Ackerman
Joy
Paul Avgerinos
Mantra Americana
Madi Das & Dave Stringer With Bhakti Without Borders
The Passenger
Cheryl B. Engelhardt
Mystic Mirror
White Sun
32. Best Improvised Jazz Solo
For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)
Rounds (Live)
Ambrose Akinmusire, soloist
Keep Holding On
Gerald Albright, soloist
Falling
Melissa Aldana, soloist
Call Of The Drum
Marcus Baylor, soloist
Cherokee/Koko
John Beasley, soloist
Endangered Species
Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese, soloist
33. Best Jazz Vocal Album
For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.
The Evening : Live At APPARATUS
The Baylor Project
Linger Awhile
Samara Joy
Fade To Black
Carmen Lundy
Fifty
The Manhattan Transfer With The WDR Funkhausorchester
Ghost Song
Cécile McLorin Salvant
34. Best Jazz Instrumental Album
For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.
New Standards Vol. 1
Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton & Matthew Stevens
Live In Italy
Peter Erskine Trio
LongGone
Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, And Brian Blade
Live At The Detroit Jazz Festival
Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese & esperanza spalding
Parallel Motion
Yellowjackets
35. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new ensemble jazz recordings.
Bird Lives
John Beasley, Magnus Lindgren & SWR Big Band
Remembering Bob Freedman
Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band Directed By Christian Jacob
Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra
Steven Feifke, Bijon Watson, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra
Center Stage
Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber & WDR Big Band Conducted By Michael Abene
Architecture Of Storms
Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly Of Shadows
BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM
Fandango At The Wall In New York
Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective
Crisálida
Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers
If You Will
Flora Purim
Rhythm & Soul
Arturo Sandoval
Música De Las Américas
Miguel Zenón
BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG
Positive
Erica Campbell; Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Juan Winans, songwriters
When I Pray
DOE; Dominique Jones & Dewitt Jones, songwriters
Kingdom
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Jonathan Jay, Chandler Moore & Jacob Poole, songwriters
The Better Benediction
PJ Morton Featuring Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers & Darrel Walls; PJ Morton, songwriter
Get Up
Tye Tribbett; Brandon Jones, Christopher Michael Stevens, Thaddaeus Tribbett & Tye Tribbett, songwriters
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG
God Really Loves Us (Radio Version)
Crowder Featuring Dante Bowe and Maverick City Music; Dante Bowe, David Crowder, Ben Glover & Jeff Sojka, songwriters
So Good
DOE; Chuck Butler, Dominique Jones & Ethan Hulse, songwriters
For God Is With Us
for KING & COUNTRY & Hillary Scott; Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Joel Smallbone & Luke Smallbone, songwriters
Fear Is Not My Future
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Nicole Hannel, Jonathan Jay, Brandon Lake & Hannah Shackelford, songwriters
Holy Forever
Chris Tomlin; Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Chris Tomlin & Phil Wickham, songwriters
Hymn Of Heaven (Radio Version)
Phil Wickham; Chris Davenport, Bill Johnson, Brian Johnson & Phil Wickham, songwriters
BEST GOSPEL ALBUM
Die To Live
Maranda Curtis
Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live)
Ricky Dillard
Clarity
DOE
One Deluxe
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin
All Things New
Tye Tribbett
BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM
Lion
Elevation Worship
Breathe
Maverick City Music
Life After Death
TobyMac
Always
Chris Tomlin
My Jesus
Anne Wilson
BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM
Let's Just Praise The Lord
Gaither Vocal Band
Confessio - Irish American Roots
Keith & Kristyn Getty
The Willie Nelson Family
Willie Nelson
2:22
Karen Peck & New River
The Urban Hymnal
Tennessee State University Marching Band
BEST LATIN POP ALBUM
AGUILERA
Christina Aguilera
Pasieros
Rubén Blades & Boca Livre
De Adentro Pa Afuera
Camilo
VIAJANTE
Fonseca
Dharma +
Sebastián Yatra
BEST MUSICA URBANA ALBUM
TRAP CAKE, VOL. 2
Rauw Alejandro
Un Verano Sin Ti
Bad Bunny
LEGENDADDY
Daddy Yankee
La 167
Farruko
The Love & Sex Tape
Maluma
BEST LATIN ROCK OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM
El Alimento
Cimafunk
Tinta y Tiempo
Jorge Drexler
1940 Carmen
Mon Laferte
Alegoría
Gaby Moreno
Los Años Salvajes
Fito Paez
MOTOMAMI
Rosalía
BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)
Abeja Reina
Chiquis
Un Canto por México - El Musical
Natalia Lafourcade
La Reunión (Deluxe)
Los Tigres Del Norte
EP #1 Forajido
Christian Nodal
Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe)
Marco Antonio Solís
BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM
Pa'lla Voy
Marc Anthony
Quiero Verte Feliz
La Santa Cecilia
Lado A Lado B
Víctor Manuelle
Legendario
Tito Nieves
Imágenes Latinas
Spanish Harlem Orchestra
Cumbiana II
Carlos Vives
BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE
Someday It'll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)
Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton
Life According To Raechel
Madison Cunningham
Oh Betty
Fantastic Negrito
Stompin' Ground
Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band
Prodigal Daughter
Aoife O'Donovan & Allison Russell
BEST AMERICANA PERFORMANCE
Silver Moon [A Tribute To Michael Nesmith]
Eric Alexandrakis
There You Go Again
Asleep At The Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett
The Message
Blind Boys Of Alabama Featuring Black Violin
You And Me On The Rock
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
Made Up Mind
Bonnie Raitt
BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG
Bright Star
Anaïs Mitchell, songwriter (Anaïs Mitchell)
Forever
Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott, songwriters (Sheryl Crow)
High And Lonesome
T Bone Burnett & Robert Plant, songwriters (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)
Just Like That
Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)
Prodigal Daughter
Tim O’Brien & Aoife O'Donovan, songwriters (Aoife O'Donovan & Allison Russell)
You And Me On The Rock
Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius)
BEST AMERICANA ALBUM
In These Silent Days
Brandi Carlile
Things Happen That Way
Dr. John
Good To Be...
Keb' Mo'
Raise The Roof
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss
Just Like That...
Bonnie Raitt
BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM
Toward The Fray
The Infamous Stringdusters
Almost Proud
The Del McCoury Band
Calling You From My Mountain
Peter Rowan
Crooked Tree
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway
Get Yourself Outside
Yonder Mountain String Band
BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM
Heavy Load Blues
Gov't Mule
The Blues Don’t Lie
Buddy Guy
Get On Board
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder
The Sun Is Shining Down
John Mayall
Mississippi Son
Charlie Musselwhite
BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM
Done Come Too Far
Shemekia Copeland
Crown
Eric Gales
Bloodline Maintenance
Ben Harper
Set Sail
North Mississippi Allstars
Brother Johnny
Edgar Winter
54. Best Folk Album
For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.
Spellbound
Judy Collins
Revealer
Madison Cunningham
The Light At The End Of The Line
Janis Ian
Age Of Apathy
Aoife O'Donovan
Hell On Church Street
Punch Brothers
BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM
Full Circle
Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland
Natalie Noelani
Natalie Ai Kamauu
Halau Hula Keali'i O Nalani - Live At The Getty Center
Halau Hula Keali'i O Nalani
Lucky Man
Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas
Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Ranky Tanky
BEST REGGAE ALBUM
The Kalling
Kabaka Pyramid
Gifted
Koffee
Scorcha
Sean Paul
Third Time's The Charm
Protoje
Com Fly Wid Mi
Shaggy
BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE
Udhero Na
Arooj Aftab & Anoushka Shankar
Gimme Love
Matt B & Eddy Kenzo
Last Last
Burna Boy
Neva Bow Down
Rocky Dawuni Featuring Blvk H3ro
Bayethe
Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode
BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM
Shuruaat
Berklee Indian Ensemble
Love, Damini
Burna Boy
Queen Of Sheba
Angélique Kidjo & Ibrahim Maalouf
Between Us... (Live)
Anoushka Shankar, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley Featuring Manu Delago
Sakura
Masa Takumi
BEST CHILDREN’S MUSIC ALBUM
Into The Little Blue House
Wendy And DB
Los Fabulosos
Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band
The Movement
Alphabet Rockers
Ready Set Go!
Divinity Roxx
Space Cadet
Justin Roberts
BEST AUDIO BOOK, NARRATION, AND STORYTELLING RECORDING
Act Like You Got Some Sense
Jamie Foxx
All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business By Mel Brooks
Mel Brooks
Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World
Lin-Manuel Miranda
Finding Me
Viola Davis
Music Is History
Questlove
BEST SPOKEN WORD POETRY ALBUM
Black Men Are Precious
Ethelbert Miller
Call Us What We Carry: Poems
Amanda Gorman
Hiding In Plain View
Malcolm-Jamal Warner
The Poet Who Sat By The Door
J. Ivy
You Will Be Someone's Ancestor. Act Accordingly.
Amir Sulaiman
BEST COMEDY ALBUM
The Closer
Dave Chappelle
Comedy Monster
Jim Gaffigan
A Little Brains, A Little Talent
Randy Rainbow
Sorry
Louis CK
We All Scream
Patton Oswalt
BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM
Caroline, Or Change
John Cariani, Sharon D Clarke, Caissie Levy & Samantha Williams, principal vocalists; Van Dean, Nigel Lilley, Lawrence Manchester, Elliot Scheiner & Jeanine Tesori, producers; Jeanine Tesori, composer; Tony Kushner, lyricist (New Broadway Cast)
Into The Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)
Sara Bareilles, Brian d'Arcy James, Patina Miller & Phillipa Soo, principal vocalists; Rob Berman & Sean Patrick Flahaven, producers (Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist) (2022 Broadway Cast)
MJ The Musical
Myles Frost & Tavon Olds-Sample, principal vocalists; David Holcenberg, Derik Lee & Jason Michael Webb, producers (Original Broadway Cast)
Mr. Saturday Night
Shoshana Bean, Billy Crystal, Randy Graff & David Paymer, principal vocalists; Jason Robert Brown, Sean Patrick Flahaven & Jeffrey Lesser, producers; Jason Robert Brown, composer; Amanda Green, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
Six: Live On Opening Night
Joe Beighton, Tom Curran, Sam Featherstone, Paul Gatehouse, Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, producers; Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)
A Strange Loop
Jaquel Spivey, principal vocalist; Michael Croiter, Michael R. Jackson, Charlie Rosen & Rona Siddiqui, producers; Michael R. Jackson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)
BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA
ELVIS
(Various Artists)
Encanto
(Various Artists)
Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 (Vol 2)
(Various Artists)
Top Gun: Maverick
Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe
West Side Story
(Various Artists)
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA (INCLUDES FILM AND TELEVISION)
The Batman
Michael Giacchino, composer
Encanto
Germaine Franco, composer
No Time To Die
Hans Zimmer, composer
The Power Of The Dog
Jonny Greenwood, composer
Succession: Season 3
Nicholas Britell, composer
BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VIDEO GAMES AND OTHER INTERACTIVE MEDIA
Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Austin Wintory, composer
Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarok
Stephanie Economou, composer
Call Of Duty®: Vanguard
Bear McCreary, composer
Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
Richard Jacques, composer
Old World
Christopher Tin, composer
BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA
Be Alive [From King Richard]
Beyoncé & Darius Scott Dixson, songwriters (Beyoncé)
Carolina [From Where The Crawdads Sing]
Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)
Hold My Hand [From Top Gun: Maverick]
Bloodpop® & Stefani Germanotta, songwriters (Lady Gaga)
Keep Rising (The Woman King) [From The Woman King]
Angelique Kidjo, Jeremy Lutito & Jessy Wilson, songwriters (Jessy Wilson Featuring Angelique Kidjo)
Nobody Like U [From Turning Red]
Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (4*Town, Jordan Fisher, Finneas O'Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo, Grayson Villanueva)
We Don't Talk About Bruno [From Encanto]
Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Carolina Gaitán - La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto - Cast)
BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION
African Tales
Paquito D'Rivera, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)
El País Invisible
Miguel Zenón, composer (Miguel Zenón, José Antonio Zayas Cabán, Ryan Smith & Casey Rafn)
Fronteras (Borders) Suite: Al-Musafir Blues
Danilo Pérez, composer (Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers)
Refuge
Geoffrey Keezer, composer (Geoffrey Keezer)
Snapshots
Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)
BEST ARRANGEMENT,INSTRUMENTAL OR ACAPPELLA
As Days Go By (An Arrangement Of The Family Matters Theme Song)
Armand Hutton, arranger (Armand Hutton Featuring Terrell Hunt & Just 6)
How Deep Is Your Love
Matt Cusson, arranger (Kings Return)
Main Titles (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
Danny Elfman, arranger (Danny Elfman)
Minnesota, WI
Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf)
Scrapple From The Apple
John Beasley, arranger (Magnus Lindgren, John Beasley & The SWR Big Band Featuring Martin Aeur)
BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS
Let It Happen
Louis Cole, arranger (Louis Cole)
Never Gonna Be Alone
Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer)
Optimistic Voices / No Love Dying
Cécile McLorin Salvant, arranger (Cécile McLorin Salvant)
Songbird (Orchestral Version)
Vince Mendoza, arranger (Christine McVie)
2 + 2 = 5 (Arr. Nathan Schram)
Nathan Schram & Becca Stevens, arrangers (Becca Stevens & Attacca Quartet)
BEST RECORDING PACKAGE
Beginningless Beginning
Chun-Tien Hsia & Qing-Yang Xiao, art directors (Tamsui-Kavalan Chinese Orchestra)
Divers
William Stichter, art director (Soporus)
Everything Was Beautiful
Mark Farrow, art director (Spiritualized)
Telos
Ming Liu, art director (Fann)
Voyeurist
Tnsn Dvsn, art director (Underoath)
BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE
Artists Inspired By Music: Interscope Reimagined
Josh Abraham, Steve Berman, Jimmy Iovine, John Janick & Jason Sangerman, art directors (Various Artists)
Big Mess
Berit Gwendolyn Gilma, art director (Danny Elfman)
Black Pumas (Collector's Edition Box Set)
Jenna Krackenberger, Anna McCaleb & Preacher, art directors (Black Pumas)
Book
Paul Sahre, art director (They Might Be Giants)
In And Out Of The Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81 ’82 ’83
Lisa Glines, Doran Tyson & Dave Van Patten, art directors (The Grateful Dead)
BEST ALBUM NOTES
The American Clavé Recordings
Fernando González, album notes writer (Astor Piazzolla)
Andy Irvine & Paul Brady
Gareth Murphy, album notes writer (Andy Irvine & Paul Brady)
Harry Partch, 1942
John Schneider, album notes writer (Harry Partch)
Life's Work: A Retrospective
Ted Olson, album notes writer (Doc Watson)
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)
BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM
Against The Odds: 1974-1982
Tommy Manzi, Steve Rosenthal & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Tom Camuso, restoration engineer (Blondie)
The Goldberg Variations - The Complete Unreleased 1981 Studio Sessions
Robert Russ, compilation producer; Martin Kistner, mastering engineer (Glenn Gould)
Life’s Work: A Retrospective
Scott Billington, Ted Olson & Mason Williams, compilation producers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Doc Watson)
To Whom It May Concern...
Jonathan Sklute, compilation producer; Kevin Marques Moo, mastering engineer (Freestyle Fellowship)
Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
Cheryl Pawelski & Jeff Tweedy, compilation producers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Wilco)
SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Amy Allen
For My Friends (King Princess) (S)
The Hardest Part (Alexander23) (S)
If We Were A Party (Alexander23) (S)
If You Love Me (Lizzo) (T)
Magic Wand (Alexander23) (T)
Matilda (Harry Styles) (T)
Move Me (Charli XCX) (T)
Too Bad (King Princess) (S)
Vicious (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)
Nija Charles
Cozy (Beyoncé) (T)
Ex For A Reason (Summer Walker With JT From City Girls) (T)
Good Love (City Girls Featuring Usher) (S)
Iykyk (Lil Durk Featuring Ella Mai & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie) (T)
Lobby (Anitta & Missy Elliott) (S)
Ride For You (Meek Mill Featuring Kehlani) (T)
Sweetest Pie (Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa) (S)
Tangerine (Kehlani) (T)
Throw It Away (Summer Walker) (T)
Tobias Jesso Jr.
Boyfriends (Harry Styles) (T)
Can I Get It (Adele) (T)
Careless (FKA Twigs Featuring Daniel Caesar) (T)
C'mon Baby Cry (Orville Peck) (T)
Dotted Lines (King Princess) (T)
Let You Go (Diplo & TSHA) (S)
No Good Reason (Omar Apollo) (T)
Thank You Song (FKA Twigs) (T)
To Be Loved (Adele) (T)
The-Dream
Break My Soul (Beyoncé) (S)
Church Girl (Beyoncé) (T)
Energy (Beyoncé) (T)
I'm That Girl (Beyoncé) (T)
Mercedes (Brent Faiyaz) (S)
Rock N Roll (Pusha T Featuring Kanye West and Kid Cudi) (T)
Rolling Stone (Brent Faiyaz) (T)
Summer Renaissance (Beyoncé) (T)
Thique (Beyoncé) (T)
Laura Veltz
Background Music (Maren Morris) (T)
Feed (Demi Lovato) (T)
Humble Quest (Maren Morris) (T)
Pain (Ingrid Andress) (T)
29 (Demi Lovato) (T)
BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL
Adolescence
George Nicholas & Ryan Schwabe, engineers; Ryan Schwabe, mastering engineer (Baynk)
Black Radio III
Daniel Farris, Tiffany Gouché, Keith Lewis, Musiq Soulchild, Reginald Nicholas, Q-Tip, Amir Sulaiman, Michael Law Thomas & Jon Zacks, engineers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer (Robert Glasper)
Chloë and the Next 20th Century
Dave Cerminara & Jonathan Wilson, engineers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer (Father John Misty)
Harry's House
Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Mark "Spike" Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Harry Styles)
Wet Leg
Jon McMullen, Joshua Mobaraki, Alan Moulder & Alexis Smith, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Wet Leg)
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL
Jack Antonoff
All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (Taylor Swift) (T)
Dance Fever (Florence + The Machine) (A)
I Still Believe (Diana Ross) (T)
Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Various Artists) (A)
Part Of The Band (The 1975) (S)
Dan Auerbach
Dropout Boogie (The Black Keys) (A)
El Bueno Y El Malo (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)
Nightmare Daydream (The Velveteers) (A)
Rich White Honky Blues (Hank Williams Jr.) (A)
Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute To John Anderson (Various Artists) (A)
Strange Time To Be Alive (Early James) (A)
Sweet Unknown (Ceramic Animal) (A)
Tres Hermanos (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)
Young Blood (Marcus King) (A)
Boi-1da
Chronicles (Cordae Featuring H.E.R. & Lil Durk) (T)
Churchill Downs (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake) (T)
Heated (Beyoncé) (T)
Mafia (Travis Scott) (S)
N95 (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
Nail Tech (Jack Harlow) (T)
Not Another Love Song (Ella Mai) (T)
Scarred (Giveon) (T)
Silent Hill (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
Dahi
Buttons (Steve Lacy) (T)
Count Me Out (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
Die Hard (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
DJ Quik (Vince Staples) (T)
Father Time (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Sampha) (T)
Give You The World (Steve Lacy) (T)
Mercury (Steve Lacy) (T)
Mirror (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
Rich Spirit (Kendrick Lamar) (T)
Dernst "D'mile" Emile II
Candy Drip (Lucky Daye) (A)
An Evening With Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak And Silk Sonic) (A)
Good Morning Gorgeous (Mary J. Blige) (S)
Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (Jazmine Sullivan) (S)
BEST REMIXED RECORDING
About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
Purple Disco Machine, remixer (Lizzo)
BREAK MY SOUL (Terry Hunter Remix)
Terry Hunter, remixer (Beyoncé)
Easy Lover (Four Tet Remix)
Four Tet, remixer (Ellie Goulding)
Slow Song (Paul Woolford Remix)
Paul Woolford, remixer (The Knocks & Dragonette)
Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix)
Soulwax, remixers (Wet Leg)
BEST IMMERSIVE AUDIO ALBUM
AGUILERA
Jaycen Joshua, immersive mix engineer; Jaycen Joshua, immersive mastering engineer (Christina Aguilera)
Divine Tides
Eric Schilling, immersive mix engineer; Stewart Copeland, Ricky Kej & Herbert Waltl, immersive producers (Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej)
Memories...Do Not Open
Mike Piacentini, immersive mix engineer; Mike Piacentini, immersive mastering engineer; Adam Alpert, Alex Pall, Jordan Stilwell & Andrew Taggart, immersive producers (The Chainsmokers)
Picturing The Invisible - Focus 1
Jim Anderson, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive mastering engineers; Jane Ira Bloom & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive producers (Jane Ira Bloom)
Tuvayhun — Beatitudes For A Wounded World
Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive producer (Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)
BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL
Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique - The Making Of The Orchestra
Shawn Murphy, Charlie Post & Gary Rydstrom, engineers; Michael Romanowski, mastering engineer (Edwin Outwater & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 6; Stucky: Silent Spring
Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
Perspectives
Jonathan Lackey, Bill Maylone & Dan Nichols, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Third Coast Percussion)
Tuvayhun - Beatitudes For A Wounded World
Morten Lindberg, engineer; Morten Lindberg, mastering engineer (Anita Brevik, Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)
Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Selected Film Themes
Bernhard Güttler, Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Christoph Stickel, mastering engineer (Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Boston Symphony Orchestra)
PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL
Jonathan Allen
Aspire (Seunghee Lee, JP Jofre, Enrico Fagone & London Symphony Orchestra) (A)
Cooper: Continuum (Jessica Cottis, Adjoah Andoh, Clio Gould & The Oculus Ensemble) (A)
Muse (Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Isata Kanneh-Mason) (A)
Origins (Lucie Horsch) (A)
Saudade (Plinio Fernandes) (A)
Schubert: Winterreise (Benjamin Appl) (A)
Secret Love Letters (Lisa Batiashvili, Yannik Nézet-Séguin & Philadelphia Orchestra) (A)
Song (Sheku Kanneh-Mason) (A)
Christoph Franke
Brahms & Berg: Violin Concertos (Christian Tetzlaff, Robin Ticciati & Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin) (A)
John Williams - The Berlin Concert (John Williams & Berliner Philharmoniker) (A)
Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos (Lars Vogt & Orchestre De Chambre De Paris) (A)
Mozart: Complete Piano Sonatas (Elisabeth Leonskaja) (A)
Mozart Y Mambo: Cuban Dances (Sarah Willis, José Antonio Méndez Padrón & Havana Lyceum Orchestra) (A)
James Ginsburg
As We Are (Julian Velasco) (A)
Avant L'Orage - French String Trios (Black Oak Ensemble) (A)
Gems From Armenia (Aznavoorian Duo) (A)
Stephenson: Symphony No. 3, 'Visions' (Vladimir Kulenovic & Lake Forest Symphony) (A)
Trios From Contemporary Chicago (Lincoln Trio) (A)
When There Are No Words - Revolutionary Works For Oboe And Piano (Alex Klein & Phillip Bush) (A)
Elaine Martone
Beethoven: The Last Sonatas (Gerardo Teissonnière) (A)
Big Things (Icarus Quartet) (A)
Perspectives (Third Coast Percussion) (A)
Schnittke: Concerto For Piano And Strings; Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 (Yefim Bronfman, Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
Strauss: Three Tone Poems (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
Upon Further Reflection (John Wilson) (A)
Judith Sherman
Akiho: Oculus (Various Artists) (A)
Bach, C.P.E.: Sonatas & Rondos (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)
Bolcom: The Complete Rags (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)
Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets (Takács Quartet) (A)
Huang Ro's A Dust In Time (Del Sol Quartet) (A)
It Feels Like (Eunbi Kim) (A)
León: Teclas De Mi Piano (Adam Kent) (A)
Violin Odyssey (Itamar Zorman & Ieva Jokubaviciute) (A)
Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman (Michael Repper & New York Youth Symphony) (A)
BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE
Adams, John Luther: Sila - The Breath Of The World
Doug Perkins, conductor (Musicians Of The University Of Michigan Department Of Chamber Music & University Of Michigan Percussion Ensemble)
Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7-9
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Eastman: Stay On It
Christopher Rountree, conductor (Wild Up)
John Williams - The Berlin Concert
John Williams, conductor (Berliner Philharmoniker)
Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman
Michael Repper, conductor (New York Youth Symphony)
BEST OPERA RECORDING
Aucoin: Eurydice
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Barry Banks, Nathan Berg, Joshua Hopkins, Erin Morley & Jakub Józef Orliński; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Blanchard: Fire Shut Up In My Bones
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Angel Blue, Will Liverman, Latonia Moore & Walter Russell III; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
Davis: X - The Life And Times Of Malcolm X
Gil Rose, conductor; Ronnita Miller, Whitney Morrison, Victor Robertson & Davóne Tines; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Odyssey Opera Chorus)
BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE
Bach: St. John Passion
John Eliot Gardiner, conductor (English Baroque Soloists; Monteverdi Choir)
Born
Donald Nally, conductor (Dominic German, Maren Montalbano, Rebecca Myers & James Reese; The Crossing)
Verdi: Requiem - The Met Remembers 9/11
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Donald Palumbo, chorus master (Michelle DeYoung, Eric Owens, Ailyn Pérez & Matthew Polenzani; The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)
BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLEPERFORMANCE
Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Volume 2 - The Middle Quartets
Dover Quartet
Musical Remembrances
Neave Trio
Perspectives
Third Coast Percussion
Shaw: Evergreen
Attacca Quartet
What Is American
PUBLIQuartet
BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO
Abels: Isolation Variation
Hilary Hahn
Bach: The Art Of Life
Daniil Trifonov
Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
Mitsuko Uchida
Letters For The Future
Time For Three; Xian Zhang, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)
A Night In Upper Town - The Music Of Zoran Krajacic
Mak Grgić
BEST CLASSICAL SOLO VOCAL ALBUM
Eden
Joyce DiDonato, soloist; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo D’Oro)
How Do I Find You
Sasha Cooke, soloist; Kirill Kuzmin, pianist
Okpebholo: Lord, How Come Me Here?
Will Liverman, soloist; Paul Sánchez, pianist (J’Nai Bridges & Caen Thomason-Redus)
Stranger - Works For Tenor By Nico Muhly
Nicholas Phan, soloist (Eric Jacobson; Brooklyn Rider & The Knights; Reginald Mobley)
Voice Of Nature - The Anthropocene
Renée Fleming, soloist; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist
BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM
An Adoption Story
Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley; Jeff Fair, Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley, producers
Aspire
JP Jofre & Seunghee Lee; Enrico Fagone, conductor; Jonathan Allen, producer
A Concert For Ukraine
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; David Frost, producer
The Lost Birds
Voces8; Barnaby Smith & Christopher Tin, conductors; Sean Patrick Flahaven & Christopher Tin, producers
BEST CONTEMORARY CLASSICAL COMPETITION
Akiho: Ligneous Suite
Andy Akiho, composer (Ian Rosenbaum & Dover Quartet)
Bermel: Intonations
Derek Bermel, composer (Jack Quartet)
Gubaidulina: The Wrath Of God
Sofia Gubaidulina, composer (Andris Nelsons & Gewandhausorchester)
Puts: Contact
Kevin Puts, composer (Xian Zhang, Time for Three & The Philadelphia Orchestra)
Simon: Requiem For The Enslaved
Carlos Simon, composer (Carlos Simon, MK Zulu, Marco Pavé & Hub New Music)
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
Easy On Me
Adele
Xavier Dolan, video director; Xavier Dolan & Nancy Grant, video producers
Yet To Come
BTS
Yong Seok Choi, video director; Tiffany Suh, video producer
Woman
Doja Cat
Child., video director; Missy Galanida, Sam Houston, Michelle Larkin & Isaac Rice, video producers
The Heart Part 5
Kendrick Lamar
Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar, video directors; Jason Baum & Jamie Rabineau, video producers
As It Was
Harry Styles
Tanu Muino, video director; Frank Borin, Ivanna Borin, Fred Bonham Carter & Alexa Haywood, video producers
All Too Well: The Short Film
Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift, video director; Saul Germaine, video producer
BEST MUSIC FILM
Adele One Night Only
Adele
Paul Dugdale, video director
Our World
Justin Bieber
Michael D. Ratner, video director; Kfir Goldberg, Andy Mininger & Scott Ratner, video producers
Billie Eilish Live At The O2
Billie Eilish
Sam Wrench, video director; Michelle An, Tom Colbourne, Chelsea Dodson & Billie Eilish, video producers
Motomami (Rosalía Tiktok Live Performance)
Rosalía
Ferrán Echegaray, Rosalía Vila Tobella & Stillz, video directors
Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story
(Various Artists)
Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern, video directors; Frank Marshall, Sean Stuart & Ryan Suffern, video producers
A Band A Brotherhood A Barn
Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Dhlovelife, video director; Gary Ward, video producer
Read the OCT ISSSUE #82 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Armin van Buuren in mag.
This month, our cover is with EDM DJ/Producer Alok who has over 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify, over 26 million fans and is the most listened to Brazilian artist in the world! He is also the 4th Best DJ in the world via DJ Mag's Top 100 in 2021. Known as one of the most influential Brazilian artists of all time, he has worked with a number of icons in creating great music from John Legend, The Rolling Stones, Dua Lipa and more. He previously shared his 9PLAYLIST with us in our MAR ISSUE #75.
We talked about his passion for music, how he approaches it, his latest single DEEP DOWN which is #1 on Billboard here in the US, how he collaborated with Ella Eyre, Kenny Dope and Never Dull, his recent performance and panel discussion here in NY where he kicked off Climate Change Week as well as his intitiative with The Future is Ancestral, his work with indigenous people and their communities and the power of making the world a better place!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you loved music?
ALOK: I think it was when my grandma would sing me songs so that I could go to sleep. So, I think it probably started from that. But I would also say that I never had any doubts about me and music.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a DJ/producer?
A: Well that’s actually, my parents were DJs right? It’s kind of a very direct inspiration you know what I mean because honestly watching them performing at parties and stuff and also the ecosystem that they worked in for the festivals and parties – it’s kind of like I got very inspired by that and also the whole lifestyle. For many people, that kind of wasn’t a career to be a DJ. Sometimes, it was weird when I went to school and they asked what did my parents do and I was like, “oh they’re DJs” and people did not understand at all. It’s also like, they kind of didn’t want me to be a DJ to be honest! They wanted me to be able to go to university, but you know I’m a dad now guys and I understood that your kids will not do anything that you tell them to. But they will do exactly what you do! So how can they tell me to not be a DJ when they’re performing everywhere and I was always with them because they had no one to leave me with.
So me and my brother, we started to play at night, but at 12, I would say that we were professional. We started to do our own songs and we started to get our first fees. So 12 years old, we started our career.
AM: That’s a great story! How do you define the Alok sound?
A: I would say that I am a free spirit you know? In my life, I always tried to define my sound. When I was doing psytrance for 7 years, people said that it wasn’t psytrance and that it was kind of house trance. When I started to do house, people said that it wasn’t house – it was kind of whatever. Then I started to say that this was techno and people said, that this was not techno.
So, I said that I created Brazilian Base and they were like, ok this is Brazilian Base and it started to work well. It was that collective mindset where it was like, ok this is Brazilian Base. But at some moment, I didn’t want to be stuck myself to only one kind of style because it’s kind of a prison you know? I feel that my creativity does not fit into one place only. So, it’s like I can do whatever I want to do. Of course, you’ll still feel and kind of understand my signature there and there will be something that you will be able to relate, but definitely it’s not going to stick to one kind of style.
AM: When you’re creating, how do you stay inspired and how do you approach creating your music?
A: It really depends, every music has a different kind of inspiration and where it comes from. For example, sometimes I’m traveling and it inspires me you know? Looking at the ocean or nature inspires me. But also, when I am leaving a process in my life. For example, I was 3 months in Europe so that whole process to be there, inspired me to do songs that relate to the culture. When I’m back in Brazil, for example, I start to create the music based on what’s going on over here to understand specifically the markets because I do not believe that all the time you can create one formula that can work everywhere. It’s hard, but what I do, for example, is that there are songs that I do that perform well in Romania and Poland. So we start to promote over there, but it doesn’t happen really in other parts of Europe and there were songs of mine that went huge in Europe, huge in Mexico and Brazil, but never got across the US. So it’s really about understanding where I am and where I want to be and I am very happy actually that this is the first song, DEEP DOWN that I got #1 on Billboard in the US. But for example in Brazil, it’s not working haha!
AM: OMG what? First of all, I love that song. I love Crystal Waters and love Gypsy Woman so when I heard it, I knew that it was going to be amazing! The fact that it is #1 on Billboard congratulations. Tell me how this song came together with you and Ella Eyre, Kenny Dope and Never Dull. What was it like to put this collaboration together and to be part of it.
A: I feel that this song, if you go to the credits on Spotify, you can see how many people are involved. I think that it’s going to beat the world record of the most people involved in one song! Why? Because as you said, Crystal Waters, there’s also Chicago Hills, and Ella Eyre, she was writing a song which was very similar to Chicago Hills so we said it’s got to be a new version of it. Then I was doing this version with her and suddenly, Never Dull released the mashup on Tiktok between those 3 songs but in the very old school style, I think it was 20 seconds of audio and it became huge on Tiktok. But he didn't have the license for it and it was only kind of a mashup on Tiktok. So I got the idea and I was like, “this is a very good idea” to mix those two classics. So that’s what I did and when I did it, I finished it and I invited Never to be on one of the songs because he inspired me with the idea and also Kenny Dope he had all the rights for the song and it was a lot of teamwork. To be honest, the most hard process of it all was the office. It was the background of how to make the deal work and I was in the creative process and I was ready for a long time already!
AM: You have had such a busy summer! You played in Hï Ibiza in the Main Room and you had your summer residency and you were just at Tomorrowland. What does it mean to you to be able to show your art and creativity to so many people across so many different platforms?
A: The first question you asked me was when did you realize that I loved music. I feel that the music has something that accesses your emotion and it can be like emotionally healing and it can be something where you kind of forget your problems. It reminds you of some memories and some great new memories so to be there, I really feel that I am kind of serving people. I don’t know how their life is going what there issues are or problems – I don’t know. But in that moment, I want them to have their best time of their lives.
That’s kind of the reason why I want to be connected to them when I do the DJ set. That’s why when I am doing the DJ set in Europe, I want to play what brings the energy up. But if I play the same set in the US, it wouldn’t work. If I do the same set in Brazil, it also wouldn’t work. So it’s kind of like I’m respecting the place where I’m at. But it’s a very good feeling when I see people say, “hey this is the best night of my life,” and I say, “how old are you?” They say 50 and I say,”are you kidding me?” The best night in your life? You’re 50, there are so many nights that you've had. But that's the power of the music. It’s not mine it’s just the power of the music. I’m very grateful to be able to spread this around the world.
AM: We just saw your set at Rock in Rio which looked amazing. It was great to see all of the performances that you did as well as seeing that there was a gaming aspect to this festival. Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion were also performing. Can you tell me more about what this festival is and why you wanted to be part of it?
A: This is by far, the biggest festival that we have in Brazil at the International level. We have all of those huge names and of course we have Lollapalooza which is very big. But Rock in Rio, is something that is kind of our own brand. So we feel very proud of it because it’s a local and national festival that has an international component to it as well. It’s probably one of the few ones that can bring all those huge international acts and for me, it’s very important!
In Brazil, 93% of the songs that we listen to are actually local songs. Only 7% are the international ones. Where I am competing with Harry Styles, Adele and all of these people. I’m there in that 7% because my songs are in English and I have this kind of English career right? If you go to the Top 50 on Spotify in Brazil, you won’t see any of the US in there, it’s all just local.
The point is, for me to be there it’s a very important moment for me to position myself of course between all of those huge acts and to show that – it’s kind of like a special moment for me to be there. Everyone that does a show at Rock in Rio is a unique experience that they cannot do anywhere else. So it’s important for me to create this awareness around what we have been doing. It’s also a statement on what’s next.
AM: Your shows have such high energy. Do you have any routines that you do hours before your performance and then are there things that you do after the performance so that you can come down after completing?
A: No, ha ha. It’s funny, in the past I would get very nervous before the show and that’s kind of a sabotage you know? You get too nervous, you lose control of it. So the same feeling that you have when you’re nervous, you also have when you’re excited. It’s the same butterfly in your stomach – excitement or nervousness. I just kind of switch and change the key so that every time I start to feel this nervous energy, I say, “no no this is excitement.” I am excited to be there. I have worked so much to be there that I will go there and I will do my best. I was in Brazil and the reporter was asking me what was going on for the show. I told her that she show has started and she asked me if I had to go right now and I said, “no I still have 10 seconds it’s fine.” They were all shocked because people said that I was too relaxed for the show!
AM: Ok, I’m going to have to remember that. I know at various points when I’m working on something or doing something, I get anxious feelings and I have that “holy shit” moment. But I’m going to think about turning that key to know that what I’m actually feeling is excitement and that is what I am going to tell myself.
A: Yeah. It is actually the same feeling.
AM: When you said it, I know that I know that and it’s a smart thing.
You have a collab coming out next month on Oct 7th. What can you tell us about this?
A: So it’s a collaboration with Ellie Goulding and Sigala. It’s a song that I have been working on for awhile. I think that this one has 30 versions. I’m a big fan. I started it with Ellie and in the middle of the process, I felt that it could connect well with the melody of Enjoy the Silence from Depeche Mode. I did a test and it actually fit very well. So we got the sample of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence and mixed it together with the Ellie Goulding song that she wrote and again, it was a mashup. I’m very excited about this one. I think that it’s going to be very interesting.
AM: We can’t wait to hear this as well!
I know that you were just here in NY at the United Nations over the weekend kicking off NY’s Climate Change Week with The Future is Ancestral Event where you performed on the rooftop of the UN Building as well as partnering with your institute and the UN Global Compact Brazil for urgency to recognize Indigenous People Globally and their importance of the Future of Climate Change. Can you tell me more about what this was for you?
A: Ha you said everything!
AM: Yes, I’m that good!
A: Basically, last year I asked myself, where was the future? And the answer came to me. The future is ancestral. I started to work on an album that was inspired by indigenous roots with the indigenous. I did 12 different tribes. But my connection with them started 9 years ago when I was looking for inspiration in my life. I went on a very long journey. I went 13 hours on the road, I don’t know how many hours on a flight and then 9 hours on a very very small boat and I got suddenly to the Yawanawa tribe and I realized that I was in the heart of the Amazon. I had no option but to live in the culture and at that moment, I started to change my whole perspective about my career level, my spiritual level and also the way that we deal with nature. I also realized that there’s so much about culture and there are various failures and goals.
I felt that last year, we’re always talking about how can we protect the forest, but we are also very disconnected with it. I think that the best way to do this is to listen to what the forest has to say. A good way to do this is through indigenous songs because it’s kind of like they are translating that. I found that the music could amplify their voices. So actually, this project is a very important project of my career. That’s because it’s not about me, it’s about how we can get their voices out there through this collaboration. So I was there and of course at the UN we talked about all the topics among Climate Change and global warming. It wouldn’t make sense not to have the indigenous there and we brought them via the Alok Institute along with the UN Global Compact and we joined forces. And I also did a performance there when we were on the rooftop. So, it was a very interesting environment.
AM: That’s amazing and you also committed to support the Ancestors of the Future fund which benefits the Brazilian Indigenous communities. What can you tell me about this fund?
A: I realized that I’m 31 years old, a white man, I have a lot of privilege and I had access to school, university and everything. I realized that everything that I had learned was wrong. Why? Because they never had the opportunity to tell their story. They also don’t write so everything in the culture is done orally. So it’s kind of like, how can we change this collective mindset about the indigenous and I feel that entertainment is a very good instrument that we can do this through the music, the venue, the Web3 and the cinema. But giving them the protagonists the ability to tell their story with their point of view and so we can learn it properly. Also, what we learn in school is based on a European colonizer point of view. I feel that this will help them to be the protagonist through all of this entertainment stuff and also we have in the second path, technology. So getting good technology to help them preserve the forest – very nice drones, sophisticated tools so that they can instantly integrate and communicate what they wish to say in order to share it with the world.
I was asking myself about the future and we always think about it in an apocalyptic way. Like there are neon cars, there aren't forests any more and there are flying cars or whatever. What is the future like for the indigenous in small boats, in the middle of the Amazon where you can just take a sophisticated phone and scan the birds, you can see the borders of where they are with the scientific points and they are searching for healing with humanity. It’s kind of like, how can we change this mindset of this apocalyptic future? I think that this project is really about bringing consciousness. It’s more than just music you know?
AM: What is the Alok Institute and why did you want to create it?
A: If you asked me 9 years ago if I believed in philanthropy, I would say no. I would have said, why don’t you buy a Ferrari and just be happy. I didn’t have this kind of perspective on philanthropy. But at one point in my life, I had everything that people told me was a success. I had money, I had popularity, I had cars, my partner whatever and I suddenly realized that I was feeling a huge emptiness inside of myself. For me, life had no reasoning anymore. There had to be something else for why we are here.
So first, I went to the indigenous tribe which I told you and it was a very game changing experience. Then after, I went to Chokwé in Mozambique. We had a project where we had 300 kids and I remember that there was a lady there and I think that she was 80 years old and she was blind in both of her eyes. That woman told me that she was praying to God to send someone to help. I told the translator to tell her that God didn’t exist because if he did, there wouldn’t be so much poverty and that he had abandoned her. The translator told me her answer and it changed my whole life! The lady said, “no, no, I’m very connected and I’m praying for him and I can feel it.” So at that moment I realized I was the biggest miserable person there. I had everything and I was complaining about God's existence when she lives in that existence and she was still connected to the divine. She was way more connected then I was. I realized that God never abandoned her. What abandoned her was us, you see the stories of what took place in Africa, we abandoned them and at that moment I realized that I couldn’t abandon the situation any more. Of course, I can’t change the world, but I can change their world. So I started there. We have 20,000 kids there. Oh and I sent her to the hospital and she had cataracts so it was easy to help her. So one year later, she met me personally and saw me and it was a very interesting moment that we had. She finally looked at me.
I realized that my life could only have real meaning if I use my success for philanthropy as well. It’s about making this world a better place, it’s not about me it’s about a big movement that already exists. I was in a depressive mind and I was only thinking about the negative points. I remember I was feeling sick once and I took this antibiotic and the next day, I woke up better and I looked at this medicine and I said, “who created this?” I remember that there were a lot of people that were working hard so that this world is better today and so that we can have a better life. I want to be part of this movement. It’s really about giving meaning to my life.
So the Alok Institute developed after a few years through a lot of money that came through a collaboration that I did with the game, Free Fire. It’s the most downloaded game. And when they asked me what super power that I would like to have, I asked if it was possible to heal people? They asked me if I was sure and I said yes. I was doing music to be on the top charts and yet I was also doing it to use music as a way to heal. Then the Free Fire team gave my character the ability to do this and my character became the top selling one not because of me but because of the super power that actually created a whole new dynamic of the game. So I wanted to heal inside and outside of the game. So I donated 100% of my royalties, to charities around the world. If I could, I would have brought most of it to Brazil because we really need it here, but I also had to bring it to other countries. There was a country that I couldn’t bring in – South Africa because the players there weren’t buying and I convinced them to do it. I convinced them and that was 6 million there.
The Institute came because I really felt that with this amount of money, I needed a structure that had this brain that could think about the best solutions with the money. Because I was only doing it from the heart and there wasn’t any kind of strategy and we needed the Alok Institute to do it in the right way. We are very very very small in terms of employees and I almost don’t spend money to keep it because what we do is co-create together with projects that already exist so when we spend money, it’s not for us. We find the best projects that are going on and we help them to improve. We believe that there are so many amazing projects going on already that they only need that collaboration.
AM: In researching you, speaking with you today, knowing your impact in music as well as learning more about how you are giving back, what do you want your legacy to be known as musically as well as being a changemaker? What is that fingerprint?
A: First of all, I don’t know how, but in the future, the same way that I looked at the antibiotic – where there were a lot of people working hard to make the world a better place – there wasn’t just one person doing that. It was part of a movement. I don’t know who created that antibiotic, but I know it worked.
I don’t want to be reminded with my name, I want someone to remember that a lot of people in the past were part of a movement that made this world a better place. It’s more about giving meaning to my life because I was very afraid of death and what happened after death. But now I know, the right question isn’t what happens after death, the right question is, why are we here? I know that if I don’t do this, I will go back to a very deep depression because this is what drives me. I feel that depression is very hard to explain – it’s like how can I explain to you about something that you have never tried or never tasted? So, the flavor of sugar, but you have never tried sugar – how can I explain that to you? I do feel that people who have depression have a very powerful mind, but it’s just in the wrong direction.
IG @alok
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | FRONT COVER + PG 19 Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images | PG 16,23 + 24 Alisson Demetrio | PG 20 Ozuna Snake | PG 26 Courtesy of Alok | PG 29, 30 + BACK COVER Hudson Renan |
Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see The Power of Healing | Alok in mag.
Festival season continues on and one of our favorite DJ's that we have enjoyed for years has been Armin van Buuren! We caught up with him right before he headed to EZoo to perform here in NY. We wanted to know more about his label, his performances at festivals and his B2B set with David Guetta.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Why was it important for you to launch your independent label, Armada Music and what do you look for in terms of artists that are available on it?
ARMIN VAN BUUREN: Before I started Armada, I worked with United Recordings. They gave me a label (Armind) but refused to sign the tracks I wanted to release on there because they didn’t believe in those tracks. I got all these demos because I started a weekly radio show “A State of Trance” which was highly successful. I understood that the best way to release those tracks and get exclusive stuff for my sets and radio shows was to have my own label.
AM: You perform at a number of festivals as a headliner, from Tomorrowland, Zouk Out Dec 3rd in Singapore etc. do you have any routines that you do prior to hitting the stage to get ready for your set?
AVB: Mostly, I have already prepared my set weeks in advance but I never pre-program my set to the minute. I always leave room for last-minute additions or change the sound of my set if I feel the crowd is actually up for a different sound or isn’t feeling my sound at that moment. I always try to work out, eat healthy and sleep before a show. Then I take a shower and try to be on time before a show so I’m not stressed about traffic or something.
AM: This summer you played a B2B set with David Guetta at Ushuaїa in Ibiza, which was the first time that has happened! What was that like and do you have other people on your list that you would want to do a B2B with that you have yet to do?
AVB: It was incredible and I didn’t expect the crowd to go crazy like that!! We have the crowd to go crazy like that!! We have been friends for a long time but never really worked together. We came up with the idea when I met David in Los Angeles when we were both working there. It was also a success because it was a one-off show and we made special edits and mash-ups before the show. Earlier this year, I played B2B with Reinier Zonneveld at Ultra Music Festival which was also very inspiring. I don’t really have a list of names I want to go B2B with but I will always consider one if I feel we can find common ground in our sound.
PHOTOGRAPHY | PG 108 Bart Heemskerk | PG 111 Alive Coverage | 9DRIP PG 92 + 95 Bart Heemskerk | 9DRIP PG 95 Floris Heuer |
Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see FROM SET TO SOUND | Armin van Buuren in mag.
Over Labor Day Weekend, over 100,000 fans enjoyed the "last dance" of summer at Electric Zoo 3.0 on Randalls Island Park in NY. With performances by DJ Diesel, Cheat Codes, Afrojack, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix and over 100 international artists were across multiple stages, it was a great way for us to come together and to keep the good vibes going.
As guests "plugged into the matrix," the grounds were transformed into an AI tech-driven environment. This allowed for new stages to debut at this festival, previous stages to be reimagined, innovative production and creating an immersive experience. Already, plans are undwrway to take these elements to the next level since they have a year before the next one rolls into town.
Michel Julian, EZoo's Chief of Marketing shared that “Having spent 13 years with EZoo since its inception, I have to say that this was one of the most special editions we’ve ever had. Working together with the new ownership we’ve brought about the start of an inspiring collaboration. We’re thrilled by support and such positive feedback from our fans, artists, and the industry – and can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store next year.”
This year's festival included an updated festival layout and all-new designs of the Antheon, The Landing, Morphosis, and Levitron stages created visual drama with their pyro, fireworks and massive LED walls.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Alive Coverage
Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see ELECTRIC ZOO 3.0 in mag.
Read the latest issue of SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | HOZHO in mag.
Hip hop has a number of sub genres that we can enjoy when we're at our favorite club, dance festival, studio class or just hanging out at home. We've been long time fans of Bounce, a New Orleans sound that make it impossible to not dance to. A number of people are associated with this sound as well as popularizing it!
In this month's issue we catch up with Big Freedia, the Queen Diva who is known for Bounce music. Whether it's watching her successful show Big Freedia: Queen of Bounce which gave access to her life on tour as well as just navigating the industry, watching performances or even seeing her in shows as HBO's Treme, guest judging on Rupaul's Drag Race All Stars or this season's P-Valley on STARZ - the focus to push New Orleans as well as this genre is always at the forefront of her efforts. Without a doubt, she is known for her Big Diva Energy whether she's in the studio or outside of it. We wanted to take some time to find out about what The Queen of Bounce is working on, collaborating with Beyoncé and partnering up with No Kid Hungry to combat food insecurity among children!
ATHLEISURE MAG: You’re known for popularizing the hip hop genre, bounce music. Can you tell us more about what this is and its link to New Orleans?
BIG FREEDIA: Bounce music is a fast-paced call and response style of hip hop that was born in New Orleans in the late 80s and popularized globally in the mid-late 90s with Cash Money Millionaires (Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, Lil Wayne).
AM: You were sampled on Beyoncé’s Formation, but what was it like to collaborate with her on Break My Soul and the video?
BF: Working in any capacity with Beyoncé is incredible. I am always – and still have to pinch myself to see if this is really happening!
AM: New Orleans means a lot to you and you recently partnered with No Kid Hungry X Williams-Sonoma in creating a spatula where proceeds will go to providing funds for children to reduce food insecurity.
Why did you want to participate this year and why was it important for you to be involved?
BF: I feel very strongly about helping the kids of New Orleans. When you don't have enough food, you can’t focus on school or develop properly. So, to me, this is a way to get them the food they need–and help them early.
AM: When you’re not working how do you take time for yourself to recharge your batteries?
BF: To recharge, I have to have nothing on my calendar! I love to cook, hang out with my friends and family.
IG @bigfreedia
PHOTOGRAPHY | PG 136 - 137 Nelson Cosey | 9DRIP PG 60 - 61 Brad Hebert, PG 61 + 63 Nelson Cosey |
Read the AUG ISSUE #80 of Athleisure Mag and see BIG DIVA ENERGY | Big Freedia in mag.
Read the AUG ISSUE #80 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Benny Benassi in mag.
It may be the end of the summer, but festival season continues and here in NY, we're excited for Labor Day Weekend when Electric Zoo brings some of our favorite DJ/Producers to Randall's Island for 3 days of music from Sept 2nd - 4th! We caught up with one of the acts who will hitting the stage to get the scoop ahead of their performance.
Matt Russell, Trevor Dahl and KEVI make up Cheat Codes, a trio that has been collaborating with a number of people from Demi Lovato, Afrojack and Wiz Khalifa to name a few. They shared how they came together, how they got their name and their collaborative process. They also talk about dropping HELLRAISERS Part 1, 2 and 3, upcoming country music with Jimmie Allen and Dolly Parton and of course their upcoming performance for EZoo!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did each of you fall in love with music and what was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a DJ?
MATT RUSSELL: 3rd grade music class, they handed me a recorder, I made hot cross buns sound like Beethovens 5th, and it was over. We didn’t start the project by DJing we just wanted to make songs, and once we started gaining momentum we had to learn very quickly. Our first DJ gig was rough, let me tell you.
AM: Tell us how the 3 of you came together to become Cheat Codes?
MR: We all met in LA, but came from different musical backgrounds. Trevor was doing acoustic singer songwriter music, Kevi was a rapper, and Matt was in an indie/hip hop project. I was making beats for KEVI’s rap project, and Trevor needed a studio, so he turned my laundry room into a dope recording set up. We had the idea to just mess around and do a session together, and thats when we wrote Cheat Codes first song “Visions”.
AM: Where did the name Cheat Codes come from?
KEVI: My brothers were in this band called Clear Static, and they had a lot of early success. They were opening for Duran Duran at Madison Square Garden and I came out to support them, but was dumbfounded by everything they were accomplishing. So I asked my bro Tom, how you doing this, and he told me “I found the cheat code little bro” haha!
AM: As a trio, what do each of you bring to created your DJ group?
TREVOR DAHL: We all handle different roles, which allows us to do more and not get burned out. Matt handles a lot of the live set, live edits, etc. I finish a lot of the production on the songs, and Kevi handles a lot of the visual aesthetic, as far as merch idea, album artwork ideas etc. but we collaborate with each other on everything. We usually agree on most things.
AM: How do you find inspiration when you are creating new music?
MR: Well we do a lot of collaborations, so I think that makes it easy. Just trying to find something that works well for both artists, but is still representative of our sound.
AM: What’s your process when it comes to creating your music – do you have set roles?
K: It just depends on each song, but we all write and bounce ideas off each other. We all have vocals on different records as well. But dividing and conquering helps us do a lot more for sure.
AM: You have collaborated with Demi Lovato, Kaskade, Afrojack etc. When you’re collaborating with other artists, what are you looking for when you’re thinking about whether you can work together?
TD: Just an idea that sounds like Cheat Codes, but still works for the other artist. With Demi, we had the demo idea and we just thought her voice would sound awesome on it so it was kind of a no brainer. With Kaskade and Afrojack we really wanted to lean on their production sound and write some cool vocals that would compliment their ideas, so those were a little more production driven.
AM: How would you describe the Cheat Codes sound?
MR: At this point we’ve done every genre basically so we’re its hard to put in a few words. We kind of have different eras, where early on it was almost tropical house leaning, then kind of went more pop, dance, but we definitely hate being put in a box, we get bored easily.
AM: I’m a huge fan of Squid Games and I can’t wait for when the next season drops, you made Way Back Then an Official Squid Games Remix. How did that come about?
MR: Well we binge watched the show, stayed up all night actually. We were having an argument on the best way to watch it, with Korean voiceovers and subtitles or English dubs, then the idea hit.
AM: Tell us about HellRaiser Part 1, 2 and 3 as you released these albums over the last 18 months. What was the concept behind it and why is it a series of 3 albums?
MR: It was originally 1 album, and then Covid hit. We couldn’t tour for 8 months, so we just spent extra time in the studio, once we had all these ideas, it didn’t sound like 1 cohesive project, there were more 3 distinct sounds, so figured why not, we’ve never done an album before so lets go big.
AM: We know that you have been teasing a country album for awhile. Why was this a genre that you wanted to incorporate your sound into?
MR: We've always been song and vocal driven, and one of our early influences was Avicci, so it never seemed too out of bounds for us. When we were making Hellraisers, we had this record called "Never Love You Again." It was never intended to be tended to be a country record, the production is more dance, but we just needed a very soulful voice that matched, and little big town jumped on. Something about their harmonies and soul made the record what it is, so we kind of went down a rabbit hole.
AM: Is there a synergy between EDM and country music?
K: Yeah for sure, I mean EDM is so global, and its taken us so many places around the world, some of the best times to blast country music is on a road trip, or hitting up an isolated place, and I think that works really well especially in a festival environment. Just bringing good vibes and people together.
AM: Jimmie Allen is going to be on this record, what can you tell us about the music that you worked on with him and what was that like?
MR: What I like about this record is, it's not a typical country record. Jimmie's vocals aren’t overly twang, and the lyrics aren’t about trucks or anything. So it became this easily accessible thing whether you like dance music or country or pop.
AM: Are there other country artists that are also on this record?
TD: We have Matt Stell, MacKenzie Porter, Madddie and Tae, Lady A, and we’re working on one with Dolly as well.
AM: With it coming out Sep 30th, what are you doing to promote this album, will you participate in country festivals and will these songs also be incorporated into other sets that you’re doing outside of the country scene?
K: Yeah, we've already performed some of the records at different electronic festivals this summer, so it kind of just depends on the vibe and the edit. We’ll be doing Rodeo World in Vegas in December, so catch us at the official after party.
AM: You’ve been creating so much music, are there other projects that are coming out that we should keep an eye out for?
MR: Yeah we’re already working on the album after this, so stay tuned, we can’t really talk about it though.
AM: We’re looking forward to EZoo as you’ll be here in NY! What are you excited about for this festival?
MR: We play in NYC all the time, but I think this will be the biggest festival we’ve played here, definitely electronic based. I think I heard everyone's dressing up as animals, so I’m excited to fulfill my fantasy as a sexy elephant. Stay tuned.
AM: When you’re performing at EZoo, do you have routines that you do prior to your set to get prepared for the show and do you have things that you do after your show to relax?
MR: Yeah we usually play “Kill, Marry, F$#%” and then follow that up with 30 burpees and we’re ready to hit the stage. Afterwards we relax by putting on our noise cancelling headphones and listening to ASMR.
AM: How do you balance your schedules from when you’re performing a festival, being on tour, your residencies, creating music etc?
TD: Yeah we just have to prioritize what’s most important, so we’ll usually block off time to be in the studio where we won’t play shows no matter what. But organization is key for sure.
IG @cheatcodes
PHOTO CREDITS | Cheat Codes
Read the AUG ISSUE #80 of Athleisure Mag and see IT’S ABOUT THE MUSIC | Cheat Codes in mag.
Labor Day Weekend is the "last dance" of the summer and is celebrated when Electric Zoo 3.0 will takeover Randalls Island Park in NY from Sept 2nd - 4th. We're excited for DJ Diesel, Cheat Codes, Afrojack, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix and more who will have sets across multiple stages! This year's 3.0 theme encourages attendees to “plug into the Matrix” for their 13th edition by enjoying their tech driven, electronic dance music paradise. Guests will enjoy more VIP areas, increased free water stations, interactive installations and more.
This year, there are new stage designs! The new stages are integrated together by AI technology. The Landing replaced the Hilltop Arena and will be surrounded by lush greenery for EZoo's first fully-immersive experience. Because of where it's placed in the festival, sound bleeding is no longer a concern for festival attendees. The Grove is also being retired and Morphosis will be the stage where house music evolves. That means pyrotechnics, fireworks, LED walls and more surprises.
In addition to a number of large acts such as those mentioned above, there will also be an inclusion of emerging artists and local ones from NY for attendees to get to know.
We've always been a fan of EZoo's Golden Hour for sunset performances. Diplo will perform on Fri, DJ Snake on Sat and Sun will have Subtronics. Each night, there are a number of after parties across the city from Webster Hall, Marquee and Lavo to name a few.
There's nothing like a festival to bring the love of dance music, artistry, fun sponsors, immersive experiences and outfits that add a whole other color to the festival experience which are perfect for Instagrammable moments!
IG @electriczoo
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Alive Coverage
Read the AUG ISSUE #80 of Athleisure Mag and see ELECTRIC ZOO in mag.
Music has immense value, from enjoying the song, melody and instruments used, to the artists, performances and remixes there is a much larger scope in terms of what it means to the social fiber and how in many ways it serves as a mirror of who we are, where we want to be and how we are held accountable. It creates a series of feelings and memories that are enlightened and intertwined.
We had the pleasure of talking with the President and CEO of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Greg Harris. In addition to their noted Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony which honors a class of musicians across rock & roll, they are known for the museum which is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio.
We wanted to know more about the museum, how they connect with music enthusiasts around the world and how artists can become eligible for the honor. Greg also shares how he came to this role and how he continues to drive the importance of impact in music.
ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into your work and role at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, I’d love to know about your background because I know you were the owner, partner and operator of the Philadelphia Record Exchange. When did you fall in love with music and what was your focus behind opening this retail store?
GREG HARRIS: You know, I grew up, per your readers loving both sports and music! I was fortunate to be raised to play various sports depending on the season with two brothers. On the music side, it just always spoke to me. We always had music in the house and in Philadelphia, the area where I grew up, new music and old music mixed together. So oldies and FM radio were all the same. I got involved a little bit with one of the local public radio stations when I was in high school. Then we had a club near us called City Gardens and it had every live band and we went there as soon as we were old enough to get in! We were there all the time! Then, I went to college in Philadelphia, I went to Temple University and one of my off-campus jobs to help pay for school was the record department of a used bookstore. That’s where the idea came from that the other clerk and I were friends and we realized that the store owner was making a lot more money than we were as the hourly employees!
So we quit and rented out a storefront about a half a block away and we opened our own store. That business has been a great success! I was involved for a couple of years and sold my half to some other people, but my original partner still has it. The Philadelphia Record Exchange has been around for 30 years and it’s an iconic place in the city. Every musician knows it, everybody that is into music when they are in Philly, they find their way to the store and that includes current artists like Kurt Vile and other folks back in the day, like Ahmir Khalib Thompson – Questlove.
I think an important thing to note in terms of looking at my career is that I found out pretty early on that I couldn’t play very well. I could play some guitar, but I was never that great. But I was always better at helping other people market and grow. So the store became that place. We would put concerts on, we’d shut the streets down and do block parties and promotions with artists and other musicians. We just loved helping them succeed and helping our customers find excitement and joy.
AM: It’s so funny, I grew up my dad was a huge record collector and he would slap my hands every time I would try to go to the stereo to play with the records and at my campus at Indiana University, we had 3 record shops near my campus, Tracks was my favorite one. There is something about a record, I love them and when you hear the sound that comes out and the needle hitting the vinyl – it’s an experience. When I read that about you, I thought that’s really cool!
GH: Those stores back then, that was kind of the social network. It's where you met like-minded people that loved the same music or liked similar music. It’s where you learned! You couldn’t Google everything so sometimes the customers taught you and you taught them!
AM: Especially if you were able to come up with crazy imports. I think there’s something about that social fiber when you don’t have that independent local record store. The guy that I would get my music from knew so many things about various artists and had stories to tell and I appreciated it. I don’t remember if they had block parties but it would have been amazing!
GH: I really want to celebrate my original partner, who still has it Jacy Webster and he has given such a gift to Philadelphia music lovers for the last 30+ years, it’s an amazing place!
AM: Another part of your background that’s interesting is I love your focus on curation. To know that you were at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum at Cooperstown where you focused on curation was really interesting. Can you tell us about what your role was there, what you did, and why curation was so important?
GH: My first significant museum position was at the National Baseball Hall of Fame. I was originally hired to be there Broadcast Media Archivist. My job was to curate the broadcast collection and that was recordings of All-Star games, World Series games, home movies, radio pieces – all the things where that exciting history of baseball is. In museums, they have to take their collections and tell stories with them. You want to tell the stories where you have impact to your visitors and to make those connections and that’s what we did in Cooperstown. You know, it’s an amazing museum. I started in that area, I was fortunate to be able to curate some exhibits and much like the record store, I got involved in business development and fundraising and things like sponsorship and inductee relations. It really helped to grow the business and as I advanced from the collections side of the house, I got more involved in business development and the growth of the enterprise. I spent 14 terrific years there and it was really hard to leave. It’s a wonderful museum. Anyone that has ever played catch in the backyard or Little League, should go to Cooperstown to experience it.
AM: What do you think is the connective tissue between baseball and music and how were you able to move onto the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame where you’re the President and CEO currently?
GH: They’re 2 great places and they’re both so much part of our culture. People have a deep love for both subjects. They make these pilgrimages to Cooperstown or the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. These music and sports evolve and they are the history of our culture – all the good and all the bad comes through and you can tell these stories. On some fronts, you can talk about exclusion and people not being included and you can tell about opportunity opening up. Sometimes it opens up in sport before it opens up to the wider society. These are really important pieces for all of us to learn from to think about and to grow from. Then on the other part from the business side, these museums operate in a very similar way. They each get hundreds of thousands of visitors a year.
We have inductees that are the best of the best individuals, we have broadcast properties, we have important digital engagement with our visitors, we have retail operations and we are places that kind of mean a lot to a lot of people. So they’re very similar from a business sense and it’s just the subject that’s a little bit different. But they are magical places where people learn about their history, themselves and it helps them to better understand the present.
AM: Well can you tell us about the history of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in terms of who founded it and what it’s mission is? I know a lot of people think about it in terms of the amazing induction ceremony, but there are a lot of things that it does.
GH: The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame started close to 40 years ago by a group of music industry professionals – the head of Atlantic Records, Ahmet Ertegun and the head of Rolling Stone Magazine, Jann Wenner and others. They conceived it as a special evening celebration for their industries’ best of the best. After doing that for a short period of time, the idea came up to want to build a museum. A bunch of cities looked at it New York, San Francisco, my hometown of Philadelphia – all made a play for it, but Cleveland really stepped up. Cleveland had a great story about rock & roll being important to the city and being an important place for artists who broke in – including David Bowie’s whose first shows in the US were in Cleveland, Jimi Hendrix when he came back from England – his first shows were there, Rush’s first shows were there. Also a DJ named Alan Freed was playing music in the early 50’s and inspiring young people – so they had this great story! But, they showed up and had a business plan. They said this is how we’re going to build it and how we’re going to fund it and this is what it is going to mean to the region. Long and short, 27 years ago we opened up in this I.M. Pei building on the shores of Lake Eerie in Ohio. Since opening our doors, over 13 million people have visited the museum and we’re at the height of our summer season now. We'll get thousands of people through everyday all summer long. Every one of those people who comes through the front door has a lifetime of memory connected to the subjects inside our museum. When they see it, they hear it or hear it through a band that plays on our stage, it inspires them and makes them think of the people they were with and the places that they were at, the greatest week of college, the time their heart was broken, the greatest road trip that they took and they might even hear a song that reminds them of their mom, dad or siblings.
AM: So when you say rock & roll, what genres comprise this very broad title?
GH: It’s a big title and quite frankly, our definition is a very big tent. Rock & roll is more about attitude and spirit then it is about a specific sound. We embrace in the 50’s Doo-Wop, Street Corner Harmony and RockabIlly; in the 60’s there’s Psychedelic, Soul music, Folk music; in the 70’s there’s Heavy Metal, Hip-Hop, Dance Music, Disco, Punk Rock – it’s all under the umbrella of rock & roll. Synth Pop and Industrial – we embrace it all! So for us, it’s all about attitude and spirit! There’s an attitude about Johnny Cash that he had to the music industry and when Ice Cube was inducted, a couple of years ago, In his induction speech, he said, “rock & roll is a spirit, rock & roll is an attitude.” You can find his full quote online. (Editor’s Note: When Ice Cube was inducted, he talked about whether a rap group was considered to be rock & roll. He said, “Now the question is, are we rock & roll? And I say you goddam right we rock & roll. Rock & roll is not an instrument, rock & roll is not even a style of music. Rock & roll is a spirit. It’s a spirit. It’s been going since the blues, jazz, bebop, soul R&B, rock & roll, heavy metal, punk rock and yes, hip-hop. And what connects us all is that spirit. That’s what connects us all, that spirit. Rock & roll is not conforming to the people who came before you, but creating your own path in music and in life. That is rock & roll, and that is us. So rock & roll is not conforming. Rock & roll is outside the box. And rock & roll is N.W.A. I want to thank everybody who helped induct us into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and I just want to tell the world – Damn, that shit was dope.”) That is what we embrace. It’s the voice of change, it’s always been the sound of young America and it continues to evolve and as a museum, we continue to evolve with it.
AM: So as music continues to evolve, you will always look for new forms and elements to add to what rock & roll is.
GH: We will and that’s kind of the wave right now. That’s why we have been inducting great Hip-Hop artists right alongside great Heavy Metal artists. In the last induction, it was LL Cool J, and it was Carole King, it was the Foo Fighters, Jay-Z and Tina Turner that were all inducted! To us, it’s a broad tent and everybody’s welcome!
AM: What are your 3 favorite rock genres that you love listening to?
GH: I look for stuff that’s a little harsher, a little stronger. I love old Blues, I love 60’s Soul like Memphis and I love Punk Rock! I like for it to have a little punch and a little attitude.
AM: I can see that!
GH: Yeah, that’s what I prefer.
AM: What is your day-to-day like in your role and what are the key projects that you’re focused on?
GH: My day-to-day role is 1 – to make sure that we have the greatest museum in the world, that every single visitor that comes through our doors leaves being transformed and impacted and that we have a great team that makes that happen. It’s about keeping our staff inspired and changing. We don’t believe in maintenance mode, we always want to be growing and reaching. To that end, we're working on an amazing expansion project at the museum. We’ll be breaking ground later on this year. We will be increasing the museum by about 50,000 sqft. It’s a great project and we’re very excited to be doing it. For that project, one of my biggest responsibilities is to work with a team and to raise the funds to be able to do that. We talked about how there have been 13 million visitors that have been through the museum for the past 27 years. We need to build something for the next 13 million visitors!
AM: What can guests expect when they do come to visit and then for those that aren't available to come in person, is there an online version where people can connect that way?
GH: Yeah, so I’ll back up a little bit to your question of what do we do. So, we have this great museum and then in addition to this great museum, we have this great digital outreach. So anybody in the world can connect with us and they can experience the Hall of Fame, but also if there are teachers out there, we have ready teaching materials that they can use for free. Pre COVID, we averaged 50 teachers a day using it, during COVID it was about 500 to 1,000 a day and we have reached over 1 million students last year with our online education programs. We would love it if teachers would use it and help spread the word! We’re not teaching kids how to play instruments or to write songs, we’re teaching them math, science, social justice all through the lens of rock & roll.
AM: That’s really cool! It’s a large job!
GH: Oh yeah. We have a really great team and we’re cranking through!
When someone walks onsite at the museum, the experience starts when you’re in the building. You’re going to hear music blasting from speakers, it might be a live band on stage outdoors or it might just be coming out of our PA speakers. In the museum, you can see the whole history of rock & roll – from Blues, gospel and country through the Beatles, Stones, Supremes, James Brown, Motown and all of that. On our 2nd floor, you can play on instruments and jam with your friends. If bands visit us and they want to jam with visitors – they can do that. On our 3rd floor, you can walk through our Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and see the greats of music where they are immortalized forever in our Hall of Fame and experience our immersive theater that has an amazing show that was edited with the great Jonathan Demme and it’s really the greatest moments from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Inductions. So really, that’s some of the things you do and throughout it all, you’re reminded of times in your life that you listened to certain music, the greatest road trip, your Freshman year in college, who you hung out with and we bring all of those memories back and that’s the real power of our place.
AM: Going back to the expansion, what will that involve?
GH: We are keeping the whole I.M. Pei pyramid as is and that’s 128,000 sqft and we’re going to add another 50,000 sqft. You know the Pei Pyramid, the only other pyramid that he has done was at the Louvre which is truly the center of Europe’s great art as it’s the home of Mona Lisa. His only other pyramid is here in America at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and we’re the home of America’s great art rock and roll.
AM: That expansion is going to be huge as that’s 175,000 sqft!
GH: Pretty close give or take!
AM: That’s a lot of space.
GH: Well it’s a big subject!
AM: What are 3 of your favorite exhibits that are at the museum?
GH: I love the Garage Exhibit where visitors can come in and jam with each other it’s amazing.
We finished an exhibit that I liked a lot that I think is particularly interesting to your readers. That was an exhibit that we did about the greatest Halftime Show Performances in Super Bowl history. We had it at the museum when we hosted the NFL Draft in Cleveland. Then we worked with the NFL and we took it out to the Super Bowl in LA this year and we’re working with them again to take out to Phoenix for the next Super Bowl.
It shows performances and great moments by Prince when he did Purple Rain in the rain, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé – it’s just these iconic moments in American cultural history that happened at the Super Bowl Halftime performance it’s just a really great exhibit.
We have an exhibit which really is the legends of rock and each band has a focus area. That focus area could be David Bowie, Elton John, Michael Jackson – they all have an area that highlights their career. And that’s an exciting area to walk through and to be reminded of these individuals and their wider impact on our culture.
AM: What’s the process for acquiring items for the museum?
GH: We work directly with the inductees and pretty much everything we have at the museum has been donated by an inductee, a family member or the artist directly. We make sure to partner with them. They donate to us and occasionally it’s a loaned item if they still need it! We’ve had artifacts that are on exhibit that an artist needs back because they're touring so a guitar goes out to them and a label says, “currently on tour.”
AM: For those that are in town, how many live shows do you have a year?
GH: We have live music probably about 100 shows a year at the museum. This summer, every Thurs and Fri, we’ll have live music and some of the bands that are still coming this summer – Guided By Voices, Adrian Belew is playing and people can go to RockHall.com to check out what we have going on. There’s all different genres and one of the things that’s important to us is that we just don’t put up a party band that plays cover songs. We want original artists playing original music and we want to mix it up between the different genres whether it’s bands that are heavy metal, classic rock sounding or if they’re Hip-Hop. We love having all of them at the museum and they will be playing outdoors on our plaza.
AM: Like many, I am a fan of music. My great uncle was Joe Henderson a tenor saxophonist, I love various genres of music and here at Athleisure Mag as well as outside projects I have styled a number of known artists or have interviewed them. I know that our readers would love to know more about what goes into the induction of artists for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. What are the eligibility requirements?
GH: Artists have had to have made a record 25 years ago to make them eligible for consideration. And then, it’s really impact and influence. You look at did they take the art form in a new direction, did they push the envelope and that’s what they’re recognized for more than chart placement and sales. The process is, there is a ballot made for all those that were nominated. It then goes out to our voters and the largest voting body is all the other inductees. This year, Jay-Z is going to get a ballot, Bono gets a ballot, Smokey Robinson gets a ballot, Madonna gets a ballot, Bruce Springsteen and members of the Red Hot Chili Peppers – they all get ballots. So they vote and the top 5 vote getters are elected to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
AM: I like that the public is also allowed to join in the fun – why was this an element that has been added to the process?
GH: So the fan vote is interesting. During the year, we let fans in the museum voice who should be nominated. It’s always fun to hear that and to understand that. Then when the voting is underway with all of the inductees, we also do a public fan vote and part of it is engagement so that they can engage with us online and let us know who their favorites are. Then we take all the fan votes online and we aggregate them and they count as a composite ballot into the bigger vote. So what it is important for is to see who people are interested in and to understand what they are thinking about. Because the induction into the Hall of Fame is not a popularity contest, those that are in the industry and have made their living off of rock & roll, their votes are really what counts the most because they can judge the merits of their peers. If that wasn’t the case, whoever has the most social media followers would be elected and that doesn’t necessarily mean they they are the most impactful, it just means that they have great music and great followers. We need that impact.
AM: When the nominees are announced, I am sure there are a number of logistics to figure out from who will accept an award for the artist/group if they have passed away and who will perform if there are other artists that will do a tribute versus those that opt to play themselves. Can you tell us more about that?
GH: The show producers are amazing! It’s our Foundation President, Joel Peresman and our Foundation Chairman, John Sykes and they do an amazing job working to create a show that is dynamic and exciting and also appropriate for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They have done a super job working with the show, the production design team and sometimes at its greatest when it’s an artist from yesterday that is being honored by an artists of today and when they perform together – when you have Stevie Wonder inducting Bill Withers and then they sing together and then John Legend comes out and performs with them – it’s amazing! When LL Cool J was inducted, LL was joined by Eminem and by JLo. Just an incredible combination. It’s a desire to allow some artists to pay tribute to those that have influenced them and it’s a chance for other artists to combine that they have meant a lot to. So it’s kind of a neat looking back and looking forward and making something that is even better for that moment in time at that event.
AM: As we’re based in NY, it’s always fun when the ceremony is in our backyard, but for the upcoming 2022 induction ceremony, it will be in LA this fall. Why is it being held there and what is behind the decision of the city that you opt to do it in?
GH: Well there are rock & roll fans everywhere and let’s face it, NY is a big center for music and LA is the home of much of the industry. So those 2 cities make a ton of sense and we also do it in Cleveland which is the home of the museum and the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We’re working on a sequence where it goes on between those cities and we’re really excited and honored that Cleveland is in that cadence and we’re looking at how that pans out in future years. We’re really excited and thrilled to be going to LA as it hasn’t been there since 2013!
AM: Looking at this year’s inductees, I was excited about all the names but especially pleased to see that Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, Lionel Richie and Dolly Parton are in this year’s group – what are you looking forward to this year?
GH: You know, they’re all terrific and they’re all deserving! I’m looking forward to just being surprised. Every year there are super highlights and it’s amazing as this honor isn't about haing 1 hit record or having a great soundtrack song or something like that. This is a lifetime award that is emblematic of excellence and forever they will be celebrated and enshrined at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. This is a really powerful moment for those artists and I can’t wait to hear their speeches and then to see them light up the room with their performances.
AM: I know we talked about the educational elements that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is involved in throughout the year. Are there other community programs that takes place throughout the year?
GH: We have a program called Toddler Rock where kids from First Start Programs come to the museum twice a week and we teach them for 15 weeks on rhyming, alliteration, and social skills with trained music therapists. It’s amazing. We have another program where anyone who lives in the city of Cleveland can come in for free admission all year long, everyday – whenever – just come on in! It’s a great community outreach for us and we love partnering with our conventions and business bureaus and other entities around town. When the city is bidding on and trying to attract the NBA All Star Game or the MLB All Star Game, we are in the mix. We are part of the hosting committee and we pledge to be a great partner and frequently they theme the event rock & roll because it is Cleveland. We love doing that and we think that if our reach can do well, then everyone can do well and we want to make that happen.
AM: In terms of the remainder of this year and looking forward to next year, what are you looking to do in terms of outreach and education on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame?
GH: One, we need to execute on an amazing summer season which is what we are doing. We want to keep going with all of our educational initiatives. We have a traveling exhibitions program where certain exhibits once they are in Cleveland will go out to cities around the country. We're actively working on this building expansion project which is a significant endeavor for the museum and we’re very excited. We have been ramping up our digital presence and we have been adding a lot of Spanish language to what we are doing in our digital outreach. There is a massive group of people that love rock & roll that don’t speak English and we’re very excited to reach out to those audiences as well who do speak English.
IG @rockhall
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Read the JUL ISSUE #79 of Athleisure Mag and see OUR MUSIC OUR CULTURE | Greg Harris + Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in mag.
For this month’s cover story we catch up with Kenji Fujishima, who is Head of Cultivation at Dr. Greenthumb and Insane OG Brand. He shares how he befriended B-Real over martial arts training under his world-renowned father as sensei; going on the road with the Cypress Hill crew; and growing weed together to become legends in cannabis culture. Kenji recounts tours and trips in Amsterdam; the origin and viral smash following of Kush Bubba (known as Bubba Kush) and Insane OG; and the insane path from growing underground and the Dr. Greenthumb hit anthem to going legit with Dr. Greenthumb’s dispensaries taking over California and expanding to legal states across the US as cannabis mainstreams. Their mission is admirable and necessary in delivering top quality products at an array of prices, while helping legacy farmers grab their share against corporate giants pushing to overtake the scene. We also delve into how cannabis is increasingly crossing into sports, health and fitness, and leisure activities, particularly with Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu smoke and roll, and their Team Insane recently featuring the exciting Nicky and Jacob "Jay" Rodriguez at Subversiv 7, their participation in High Rollerz, and more.
ATHLEISURE MAG: So you met B-Real through a friend around 1993 at a Cypress Hill Show, with the Beastie Boys and Rage Against The Machine?
KENJI FUJISHIMA: Yeah, I went to school with this girl and her boyfriend sold weed, and by way of linking with him in that sense, he was like one day, do you want to go check out a show? And it was with Cypress Hill, Rage Against The Machine and the Beastie Boys, a Leonard Peltier Benefit close to LA; at Dominguez Hills College, and we all pretty much started hanging out from there. You can imagine that line-up it was nuts.
AM: It sounds it! So you guys were hanging out and then started training martial arts together too? I see from your background you started doing Shotokan from age 5, right?
KF: Well my father is a world-renowned Shotokan master, I kinda grew up in the dojo. I started training when I was like 3 1/2 probably a little bit more serious by the time I was 5, because 3 1/2 is pretty young, you’re just still getting real legs under you. Both my brother and I, from the time we were in cribs we were in the dojo, and then by the time we were walking we were on the dojo, and when we were actually cognitive of learning things, that’s when my dad started putting Gi's on us and training us.
AM: And B-Real was doing Taekwowndo before?
KF: Yeah, he was already training, we shared the love of the martial arts and stuff, and after many months of checking my dad out, he wanted to switch it up from Taekwowndo to training with my dad. I want to say that probably happened early '94.
AM: That's cool. So when did you get into cannabis?
KF: Oh man, well I've been smoking weed since late '80s maybe like '88-'89, I barely turned 15 years old. Put the first plants, just like from bag seed in the ground around '91. And it just evolved from there, you know. The first time I went to Amsterdam was in ‘96 with them and that’s where I really saw seeds and everything for sale. I mean it was just a whole new world when you saw seeds for sale - it kind of all happened at the same time, right. Like we were seeing stuff in Amsterdam and then we were seeing things starting to change back home with weed. Because around ‘96 we were starting to see little things of OG Kush coming. So those years '96, '97, and '98, I would say where my career in cannabis started taking shape.
AM: Got it. Amsterdam is crazy! There are menus, and even more, there’s the culture.. different vibes and types of world music, like we had never heard of Alpha Blondy, all of those different kinds of hash - you just start experiencing some similar things in and around all of the coffee shops - that has never been re-created yet!
KF: Yeah, you know the culture definitely is really different over there. You know nothing like we were really used to seeing like being able to walk into a shop, buy weed, smoke it, drink some coffee, have some food and just bullshit all day if you'd want to. There were the smartshops where you could walk in and get mushrooms. We had times where we were just trippin' out in the Amsterdam streets, which was pretty wild when you have a crew of like 10 or 12 people.
AM: No one should be fooled by the small mushrooms, those things don't go by the size!
KF: [Laughing] Yeah those small ones, those things did some damage, they were no joke.
AM: We want to go over that story with the original Bubba, and how that blew up! Sounds like a crazy time how it went viral and blew up.
KF: It was one of those things.. At that time weed was like Indo, maybe it was Chronic you know. There weren’t too many different strains in the early 90s, like you saw Skunk, Northern Lights, a lot of the stuff we were seeing with seeds and stems, not like Mexican Brick Weed, but it was green, it was ok. Once the Hydro stuff started coming, it was so expensive, like less than a gram for $20-$25 bucks, so you barely got a joint. Always worked, but like man that was expensive. So we wanted to mess around with the whole growing thing. By the time we had started doing the Bubba, we had grown out some things, but those were from seeds, we never kept any of the plants, we didn’t know really too much about cloning or any of that other stuff. So when the Josh D crew and our crew connected and we got a hold of the Bubba seeds, that's really some our first attempts.
At that time we also had the genetics, some of the seeds from Amsterdam, where we were popping all of these things to try to figure out what's a really cool plant. That’s when I really learned to clone and keep strains - the start of that. The Bubba was given to us by a friend that regularly went and saw Josh D and Matt Berger, they call him “Bubba.” We kind of popped all of those seeds at the same time. We were popping some of the ones we got from Amsterdam like White Russian, White Rhino, Cali-O, and a few other things. And it was like our first real phenohunt, the same batch of seeds was coming out looking different, smelling different, and totally different characteristics and whatnot, and we came up with that one pheno that became to everybody the Bubba Kush. It was so different from what we were seeing in weed at the time from the brightness of the colors, the stickiness of it, the smell, I mean literally that thing stunk up entire neighborhoods from not many plants! We had never seen anything like that as far as plants in front of our face before.
AM: That was all in B-Real's house?
KF: That was in B-Real's house, we put a couple of plants outside, which were the first flowered out Bubba plants. We built a little mother/propagation room, he had an upstairs bedroom with a bathroom and we did it in there, and we used his garage to build the first set of lights. I want to say we had like four lights and that grow kind of became the influence of the Dr Greenthumb song.
AM: So how was all that? We had the honor to talk with B about how that came about. How was it when the song was written and the choice to have the track be what is and not to go commercial with it necessarily..
KF: You know, I guess I really didn’t think about it too much at time just because we were road dogs, we were like already together all of the time. If we weren’t together at the house or going out doing some shit, we were in the studios or karate studio, and I guess it was cool because maybe I knew him for 4 years or so. Just to hear him writing verses on stuff we were doing at his house was cool, but i didn’t really think that was going to change so much stuff for us because that was B-Real, he was already talking about weed. I didn’t think this Bubba Kush or this Kush Bubba was going to change a lot of the culture of weed out there, and definitely think between that and OG pushed a lot of people growing weed in the valley at that time. It spread so fast, there was nothing else that you could do to make that much money at the time. Even though we weren’t doing it at huge scale at that moment, for us we were getting like $7K or $8K a pound and you’re talking about ‘97, ‘98, '99 and 2000’s at the time, and people loved it and it was great weed. It made and ended a lot of good friendships, I’ll tell you that.
AM: All good things do..
KF: You know, money always has the tendency to do that to people. You see a lot of true sides come out, a lot of like long and what I thought were tried and true friendships came astray because of it, but we kept doing our thing. At B-Real's house, it was all pretty much personal stuff, and then at my house I started putting up rooms to pay for extra bills and stuff like that, and sometimes I’d have a roommate to take care of stuff when we were on the road and over the years of being in a bunch of different studios and a hell of a lot of tours. We were gone for like 6-9 months out of the year for a long time, we would always have our weed and when you took stuff like that to the Midwest or East Coast or even overseas, not many people had seen quality stuff like that. So it definitely changed the landscape of what we knew cannabis as it existed at that time.
AM: Did we see that you guys put Snoop on to some stuff too?
KF: Yeah, there was a studio session, and B-Real wanted to link.. oh god this had to be like ‘98-’99-ish, might have even been 2000, but where he wanted to give Snoop Dogg an oz. of the weed, there wasn’t really production of it. You were lucky if you could get an 1/8 in those days and it was like $100. An oz. you know just in general was like $500. Yeah Snoop wanted one and he thought we were going to give it to him. I was like it wasn’t even mine, it came from my boy’s spot, and yeah he had to pay the $500. He at that time, he hadn’t seen nothing that looked like that. You know it that Ooh Wee Snoop Dogg type thing you know. I mean for me, I was already just amazed to be hanging out with Snoop Dogg and crew. B-Real's definitely responsible for it being introduced to a lot of artists out there that talked about it and kind of showed off whatever they had over a lot time and a lot of fans were built over those studio sessions. A lot of creative stuff was done I’m sure.
AM: How much time was put to doing martial arts when the tours were going on?
KF: When the tour was going on not that much. It was attempted, but between going out there originally to train with him, and kind of becoming a roadie at the time and learning the ropes, and those guys with their press schedules and rehearsal, and shows and traveling. Those kind of tours are super tiring, we got to train here and there, but not really anywhere like we wanted to. But I'll tell you B-Real stayed very consistent at home, at the dude almost got to be a Black Belt. He was very serious about it that’s for sure!
AM: We caught the Insane in The Brain documentary for Cypress Hill on Showtime, and it ends with a quote that's very gripping that hits as a throughline for us... "It's one of those eternal flames that we all just keep lit, all of us keep going and being masters of our crafts, better men, better friends, better at business - I mean look at us, 30 years later it was all organic." Seems to be such an important statement right there, what does it mean for you to be the Director of Cultivation for Dr. Greenthumb and pulling in the prior underground lines with Insane?
KF: It means a lot, right. We've been doing our thing for so long on the underground, and never really turned it to a legIt brand. We were busy touring, we loved what we did with the cultivation, and the flavors and the smoking and stuff like that. Everybody was just busy doing the thing you know, we had to be dodgy about it though - we were growing in like houses and bedrooms, spare rooms and guesthouses and everything. The lifestyle wasn't like glamorous as far as the cultivation was concerned, we lived really grimy. The plants got better and the bigger bedrooms. Half the time we were sleeping in like living rooms or the smallest room of the house. Everything was always fucked up because you can't always be super clean and too nice blowing up an entire residential house you know or multiple houses like we did. There was a lot of work put in, but it’s great to see it transition now into a brand that is literally just growing every day.
The team is getting bigger and stronger and with any business and any new crew a bunch of mistakes are made, and we all learn from that and hopefully we don't repeat any of the stuff and we keep on elevating what we do. We don't look sideways, we don’t copy what other people are doing, we just do what we like, we grow what we want to smoke, and if people like it that's great we're going to keep doing it – and if they don’t that’s everybody’s individual opinion in life and we accept that. We just want to keep the people that support us happy and keep bringing new stuff. Thats our goal.
AM: Dr. Greenthumb's has new category offerings from the Legacy, Loyal and Unapologetic lines, it seems incredible that you can get different quality, choices and price points for different kinds of smokers.
KF: So over the years we've built up a lot of relationships with different kinds of farmers, you know some of those being outdoor, or full sun or greenhouse, mixed light or indoor - we know not everybody can afford the top quality, like let's just say Insane bags that might be like $50, $60 an 1/8 at a store. But if there's like sungrown, or mixed light or greenhouse that we can work with our people that we can get to the price points that we want that can be the most affordable, then we want to do that. We don’t want these legacy guys and girls that have been doing this work, you know ended up a lot them in jail, raided, stolen from, killed whatever, like there are so many things that have happened to the people that have tried to bring this culture forward! Now that they are not necessarily struggling, but it is a struggle every day because now its mainstream, all these companies with super deep pockets are coming into the space and not understanding the culture or really caring about the culture. All they care about the money, and them thinking they’re going to come in and take it from everybody. For me, I felt it was kind of a responsibly to help keep these legacy operators active and at least do whatever I can to help support them as long as we know they’re doing the quality, we know we want to work with them and actually instead of just whitelabeling or purchasing whatever they do, them getting the proper recognition for their efforts.
AM: That’s mad cool. Literally Farm to Table
KF: It’s Farm to Table, that’s right yeah.
AM: So tell us about the Garbage Test and the 1, 2, 3 thumbs up test..
KF: We got a bunch of guys over here, we're all friends and we're all stoners, and we see a lot of weed come through these places. And for us it's cool because these people want to submit these products to make it into these Greenthumb bags or Insane before bags and whatnot, you can always appreciate peoples’ efforts, but we can’t put out garbage. So it’s just a test, even our own stuff that we grow, we do the same thing. If I grow, let’s just say 10 new strains, I’m gonna put them on the table and I’m telling everybody OK honest opinions, you tell me what we all like, and it’s just a rating system based off of smell, taste, effect - there’s levels to it. Because for me I don’t want to grow stuff people don’t like. For us we like stuff that’s a lot heavier, so we kinda gauge to the stuff that's a little bit on the stronger side. And that’s it, you know if it’s good and if a majority of us like it, it might make it to the next phase depending on what we are trying to do and how many strains there are. We've all literally had sessions where we all smoked 16 joints each and each joint was a different strain in a test, you know at one time, and it was a 5-6 hour smokeout and I think we kept 2 of those.
AM: You had how many?
KF: Out of 16, 2 that we kept. Not saying those other 14 weren’t good. They just didn’t fit the profiles we were trying to achieve at that time.
AM: You had raised strain standardization before, makes a lot sense..
KF: Well, not saying everybody growing the same thing, but standardizing ways to do it, like we want to keep consistency, especially a brand operating in multiple states. So if somebody goes to a store over here and they buy, whatever an OG Kush from us, we want to be the same over there, not just produced by somebody and it’s totally different and somebody and it’s totally different and we just called it this. Yeah standardized is hard, because there are a couple of different levels of smokers over here. Some people want it the same, they want that same strain all the time, just like us we love OG Kush we're going to die by that you know what I mean that’s our stuff. But like other people want flavors, and people get bored of stuff. Some of these strains may have a year, 2-3 year cycles before people are bored of it. Like Ice Cream Cake or any of these other ones, even though there are a lot of people that buy it, names get played out, artwork gets played out. So you just gotta keep it fresh and always come with quality. We standardize the procedures of what we do so that our stuff comes out, hopefully, the same every time. There are plant issues or failures that might lead to one or two batches here and there not making the cut, but for the most part standardized methods to produce the same - that’s important.
AM: So the Insane Brand is sponsoring Team Insane for the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu for Subversviv 7 on June 11 on Fite TV. How did you guys put this sponsorship together and connect with Nicky Rodriguez, who is just blowing the sport up with his brother. How did this come about?
KF: Well one of our buddies was working with the Subversiv crew, I think he’s catering the event, and he knows we’re into martial arts and whatnot, and that I've been involved with High Rollerz camp that does the stoner Jiu-Jitsu stuff too and he passed it to our team, and of course B-Real and I loving and appreciators of martial arts definitely wanted to be involved, we thought Insane kind of fits into the mixed martial arts category and we wanted to be known as more than a cannabis brand.
AM: Yeah speaking of Insane, I mean Nicky has been wrecking people.. It’s just been incredible how he's been progressing to the whole industry, that’s going to be sick, his brother too!
KF: That’s what I’ve heard, I didn’t know too much about these guys, I took my eye off paying attention and when all of this came up, and I saw what these guys were doing out there - it's kind of shocking how much this sport has been coming up and evolved, and guys like those brothers that are out there just slaying people. So I’m honored to get to meet them and see these guys rolling and go fuck some shit up. I love the sport and the level of these guys training it’s definitely something to watch.
AM: The High Rollerz looks cool too, how did you connect with that and for those that don’t know that they have cannabis as part of the rulebook and the sport too.
KF: My buddy Matt Staudt is one of the founders of it and right when they were launching we were talking a lot and we just wanted to support that too. It was super interesting that the mainstream people started hearing about the Jiu-Jitsu and grappling events happening, but for as long as I’ve been around Jiu-Jitsu a lot of the guys that have been involved in that have always been smokers - like smoke and roll. It seemed to be one of those things where you smoke before you go roll, and be in that zen spot and then training was just like that. B-Real and I would go smoke and then train with my dad for a 2 hour training session, so you know some people function on it, some people don’t. For us, smoking puts us into a certain zen where our concentration locks into whatever we're into at the time.
AM: Yeah there’s a certain cerebral zone you can hit right. And for recovery too - so it can be good for training, fighting and recovery?
KF: Well for me, definitely on the recovery side too. I’m pretty much always hypertensive. I had back surgery back in ‘02 and so i pretty much did my whole recovery drug-free minus cannabis. It was a little different because the injury that I had, like even when I coughed it hurt, so I had to be careful about how I was smoking so I wouldn't choke too much, but it would definitely help me relax and help me get into sleep versus taking a bunch of pills that were making my stomach bad. To this day, peoples’ addiction to pills is crazy, I just never wanted to go that route, so my medicine has been cannabis you know.
AM: Makes sense the stories with the pain pills, just a couple of missteps and anyone can take a wrong turn with that.
KF: You never know, today there’s Fentanyl and people are dying from the smallest dose where they’re just normally taking a pill or doing something they’re used to and they’re just dropping dead. I don’t really need to worry about that because I’m not taking pills. It’s just something I’ve never been into, you do, or do too much of that and you can’t control yourself, with weed I’ve always felt I’ve been able to micro-dose myself. I guess you can say control hitting the joints or however just to get to the point where I’m good and that’s it, and then I’m going do what I’m going to do. Smoke a joint and go ride 20 miles on a bike just in my zen spot or smoke and hike or go train or whatever. Yeah THC and the other cannabinoids and things like that the compounds in cannabis definitely have medicinal properties and should be researched a lot more so the people can find the benefits from the use of it.
AM: Yeah we're still scratching the surface, between all the different cannabinoids, the terpines and the entourage effect.
KF: 100%
AM: So when you see customers coming in, you have different groups of people where some see the different Indica and Sativa; some looking for the highest THC possible; others CBD.. will people more and more see what their personal relationships can be and become connoisseurs?
KF: That and combined with education, a lot form people walking into dispensaries and are just asking the budtenders ‘what’s your strongest stuff;’ or ‘what do you suggest;’ or saying they like this, this and this; or the whole Sativa and Indica thing which I personally really don’t believe it too much anymore these days. There’s a lot Sativas that look like Indicas, I mean it’s a very hard thing to really solidly I guess to say because there are so many things are crossed these days. There are hybrids and poly hybrids, a majority of stuff you really can’t say is a solid Indica or Sativa, with the exception of maybe a few strains out there. Once people understand the entourage effect and where terpines and other cannabinoids combine, and even the method ingested being smoking or eating, have a big deal how it impacts a certain individual.
AM: So what’s coming down the pike for Dr. Greenthumb’s, you guys are opening up stores everywhere and more states are becoming legal, and you have all these new lines?
KF: Definitely a few more states that are being locked in right now for retail; as well as the possibility of some third-party stores carrying the Insane and/or Dr. Greenthumb brands; we're going to continue to partner with farms to add genetics to the roster of Dr. Greenthumb as well as new skus be it joints, vapes, or concentrates and whatnot, and the same with Insane - Insane will have a lot of new proprietary stuff we're doing, a lot of breeding is going down this year, as well as phenohunting, so we're going to see a ton of new strains coming out probably toward the end of the year, first quarter next year - and beyond that, we’re working stuff on right now that will be released under both lines, merch, extreme sports - keep moving, keep building this culture.
AM: Who are 3 people that have inspired you along your path and journey?
KF: My father for one, he gave me my work ethic and discipline to do what I do.
My wife, actually has been pushing me to kind of come out of the shadows, right. I never really talked about what I did. I never cared about interviews or cameras, we were old school guys, that didn’t talk about it, we just did it, to kind stay out of jail. And this community, B-Real - that dude gave me an opportunity back then to come work for Cypress Hill and I was not in a good way back then, I was making some stupid decisions. That guy, by bringing me into the crew and allowing me to do what I do and make use of the resources that came around to the camp, that really changed my life and I’ll say it now and I’ll always say it that changed my life and I’ll never forget that.
Nicky Rodriguez is taking the Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu sport by storm. He transitioned from wrestling in college and had breakout success taking home Silver at ADCC ‘19 as a Blue Belt. Dubbed as the ‘Black Belt Slayer,’ he trained under legend John Danaher, and recently splintered off to co-found The B-Team, based in Austin, Texas. We chat with Nicky Rod about BJJ; training for ADCC ‘22; cannabis and the sport; team-building and nutrition; as well as fighting for Team Insane at Subversiv 7 this past month, with his brother Jacob “Jay” Rodriguez and female fighter, Alex Enriquez.
ATHLEISURE MAG: We see that you wrestled in college and made the move to do Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, what was involved with making the switch?
NICKY RODRIGUEZ: It was a bit of a tricky transition. There are some things that coincide, like Jiu-Jitsu often times we start from a standing position, so Americanized wrestling is a small aspect of the sport. There's a lot of things I had to adjust as a wrestler you know, you want to take your opponent down but there is always a threat of a guillotine or other submissions, so I had to really solidify a solid defense to have success when trying to be offensive.
AM: You were training under John Danaher?
NR: Yeah I was training under John Danaher for maybe about 3 years, and man I learned a lot, you know the guy is brilliant in his space and dedicated his life to the sport. So I was just there to soak up a bunch of knowledge and it was very beneficial.
AM: And you guys formed the B-Team in Austin?
NR: We opened up B-Team in Austin about 6 or 8 months ago, it's been going well. We're a private competition-based facility. Eventually we'll open up to white belts, newcomers and outsiders, but for now it's a strictly private location.
AM: And it's an elite gym, so you have to be pretty advanced to apply?
NR: You have to be pretty advanced. We have some lower level guys, that compete pretty well, they train hard. You don’t have to be a world beater to be in our gym, but have to be willing to learn and train often. Most train twice a day and want to be professional athletes. We just are keeping it like that because we're athletes ourselves in our prime and we're still looking to compete, and win and grow. Yeah it's been a fun ride so far.
AM: What's next for Mexican Ground Karate?
NR: Well, ADCC Titles are our main focus. ADCC World Championships are the ‘Olympics of Jiu-Jitsu' in September. We have about 6 guys going from our team, potentially more because we have Australian and Asian trials very soon, and a few guys competing over there. We'll have quite a few guys at the event and would be nice to get some gold medals.
AM: In '19, you just dominated people and you got the Silver medal and had a blue belt!
NR: Yeah, exactly. I was a blue belt at the time and was training Jiu-Jitsu for about a year and a half. I won the ADCC trials and then with the year and a half experience I ended up taking second at the World's. That's pretty much why people got to know me, because it was not seen before, a wrestler making a transition so fast successfully as I had. So it definitely opened people's eyes to how they can input NCAA wrestling into Jiu-Jitsu. Now you see a lot more quality wrestling in the sport, and yeah the Americanized wrestling in Jiu-Jitsu has been much more prominent over the last several years.
AM: And they were calling you the Black Belt Slayer?!!
NR: Yes, that’s definitely a name that stuck. People liked it, I liked it. It seemed pretty memorable, so I just rode the wave on it.
AM: And now you’re a brown belt, we see you got it earlier this month..
NR: I got my brown belt a few weeks ago actually. So I’m a new brown belt, still plenty to learn, still fresh in the sport you know. I think it takes time to get acclimated and keep learning, it's about how many reps you do, you can know moves, but you really have to learn and be in-depth with those moves.
AM: So how many divisions are you going for in ADCC ‘22?
NR: I'll be doing the heavyweight which is over 99kg, which is no weight limit, I’ve had guys from 200 to 300, 360, and then the open weight division where you can have much smaller quota like 125lbs all the way to the biggest guys. So absolute division is the most recognized and more valued gold medal you can get because there is no weight class and you are the absolute champion.
AM: You just fought in Subversiv 7 on Saturday, how did that go?
NR: We had a team event at Subversiv 7 with 30K Grand Prize, I was representing Dr Greenthumb and Team Insane OG, they treated us very well when we were out there. It was a high level competition. Team Insane OG did well, we had some wins, we had some losses. As a team, as an event - it was fun, man. A lot of people came out, it was good to see the support in LA. It was a great event.
AM: How did you connect with those guys?
NR: I got contacted through social media, they were looking to expand in the Jiu-Jitsu world, they see the kind of content I put out, and it was a mutually beneficial relationship. I believe social media has a lot to do with an athlete’s success in the business world. Obviously you have to win, but you also have to tell a story. That’s what I do online, tell a story, so it’s a really good relationship with us working together.
AM: How was it fighting with your brother, was this was the first time in a major match fighting with him together?
NR: Yeah it was the first time we stepped on the mat back-to-back and on a team at the same time. In high school we wrestled at the same school and stuff, but I was graduating when he was getting into high school, so we never got to be on the same team together. So it was a great experience.
AM: And he is a blue belt right now? It seems like he is also starting to take the sport by storm, following your, and taking his own footsteps, it is a crazy parallel..
NR: He is a bit of a Black Belt Slayer himself, you know. He's been training for about a year and a half. He just did his ADCC trials where he got his purple belt on the podium, right, but out of 7 matches, he also sub'd all 7 opponents, most of them high-level black belts. I would say his trajectory is even bigger than mine, just because the results he has had at a year and a half you know, I was at ADCC and winning matches, but he is finishing high levels guys with minimal experience and that's honestly never been seen before. We’ve seen me use wrestling to negate Jiu-Jitsu and win, but Jay with a year and a half, he has been using strictly Jiu-Jitsu to submit opponents. So it’s something different and the speed of which he is doing it has never been seen before.
AM: What are some lessons and recipes about making good teams, be it about Jiu-Jitsu, corporate or in general?
NR: To make a good team.. First you need knowledge, you need to have somebody where most people can go to answer questions. Also, it's important to have conversations before and after practice about things you’re having issues on. Many don’t know the right questions to ask. It's a solo sport, although you’re training with teammates, it’s only you out there on the mat. So when you’re practicing you really need to figure out what you’re having problems with and specify what they are so you can ask your coach. So having the knowledge, having people on the team that can answer those tough questions and consistency. Being consistent with your training, for me I train everyday and that’s how I like it. Other people can get away with training less and do well. You can’t expect results to come fast. I think people train a couple times and expect it to work immediately. Things take time, and through pressure and time you can make diamonds man.
AM: It was cool to see you with Team Insane OG. What are some of the cross overs of Jiu-Jitsu and cannabis culture?
NR: Most of the community uses it, whether for nighttime or right before training. It enhances my mood, how I think cognitively about certain things, sometimes it changes the perspective that I’m having, so I can see and move different, or make certain adjustments.
AM: Is that smoking or edibles, in what format?
NR: Usually burn it, maybe roll up a joint or use a bowl. Joint is pretty easy and pretty immediate effect.
AM: Any particular strain?
NR: I’ve had Insane OG, probably the best strain I’ve ever had to be honest.
AM: Yeah shout out to them.
NR: For sure, Dr Greenthumb and Team Insane OG, those guys hold it down for sure!
AM: Have you competed in High Rollerz?
NR: I had a competition at High Rollerz a while back. I did one of their beginning events, it was fun man. I know the guys that own it, run it. They put together a great event. It was great to see the two worlds collide, the hip hop, the cannabis and Jiu-Jitsu culture. I think the two blend together, it just had to be in the right format.
AM: It’s about the vibe, serious but fun, all the blends together -
NR: I think the Jiu-Jitsu world makes it a bit of a party, when you come out to a show, it's not Jiu-Jitsu and leave, you know it’s good music, good vibes, people are drinking, food, there’s a lot going on, it's more of a spectacle, a fun event instead of a quick jits vibe.
AM: You have a handle @nickyrodeats, is that about wellness and food too?
NR: Well it's something personal I’ve been collecting like a food blog, I eat clean - like mainly meats, fruits and veggies. I post the cheat meals too, you know sometimes I grab a coffee and a donut, or some ice cream or something. It's not far-fetched to have a sweet tooth and display that, but it is something I’ve been kind of blogging about with no real direction. I think eventually I’ll have some more in depth content, maybe a Youtube channel. But it's a bit hard to focus on being an athlete and content, so for now I have to really mitigate my time where my thoughts are going.
AM: Sure it will come in time, people will be interested.
NR: Yeah I’ll keep posting, growing it little by little, and when I’m ready to fully commit to it, I’ll be ready.
AM: Who are 3 people that have inspired you along your journey?
NR: I'd say my coach John Danaher, the most inspiring, at least the most valuable asset to my immediate growth. Second, my dad, because hard work runs in the family and it is important to see it first hand, experience it first hand, that way so we can display it often. Three, I would say myself, I’m pretty much self-motivated. I never really get up and have it not hard for me to get going, I never really waste any time or have wasteful thoughts. I like to gear my day towards something positive, towards the next things.
AM: Cool. What do you think can help mainstream Jiu-Jitsu to levels like MMA and boxing?
NR: I think of this here and there. Getting on a major network, like ESPN would help. There are a few things that hold it back.
I think there are lot of different rule sets within the sport, I think it makes it harder for viewers to follow. I think honestly this year’s ADCC will help push us closer to becoming mainstream. It’s a bigger prize, a bigger spectacle, the event itself will be massive. But if we had a huge Grand Prize like maybe $1M to win the absolute devIsion, I think that will pull a lot of people out of their seats and come watch, or just be intrigued, and potentially make it more mainstream to see these guys fighting for a million rather than 10k, 20k or 50k.
AM: Well we'll be rooting for you! You're style is entertaining and your definitely an inspiration for us and a lot of people.
IG @killdrama
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back Cover, 16 - 19 + PG 70 9DRIP Eitan Miskevich | PG 20 - 23 + 27 - 35 Pedro Garcia | PG 24 Showtime |
Read the JUN ISSUE #78 of Athleisure Mag and see SMOKE & ROLL | Kenji Fujishima in mag.
We love reality shows and a number of our readers enjoy The Bachelor/The Bachelorette and even tweet along with us during each episode. We love seeing the social interaction, the dates, experiences and more. Prior to the pandemic, reality shows that focused on relationships went to the next level with an array of social experiments from Love is Blind, The Circle, The Ultimatum and more. These shows break new ground and really allow us to analyze how we interact with another.
On June 24th, The One That Got Away hits Prime Video. It allows people to look at their past to see if someone at that time could be a great fit for them. We caught up with singer/songwriter, Betty Who who is the host of this show. We talk about how she got attached and what we can expect. We also talk with Elan Gale who serves as the showrunner and executive producer delves into the intricacies of relationships with us.
ATHLEISURE MAG: It was such a great show to watch as who doesn’t love how we continue to explore social experiments when it comes to dating? What drew you to this show to want to be part of it?
BETTY WHO: I am such a fan of reality dating shows and it actually started with The Bachelor! I wasn’t really a fan of this and being in this sort of world. Then I got the chance to perform on The Bachelorette in Becca’s season. I was shooting it and I was thinking, “this is crazy – this world and this whole thing.” So I got super into The Bachelor and The Bachelorette and that’s how it introduced me to the world and now I feel like I’m a connoisseur and I’m all about it now! So when this conversation sort of started, someone came to me and asked if this would be something that I would be interested in. I was like, “guys, I don’t want to oversell it but, I would crush this job!” I think that this is a very powerful combination for me. I feel very lucky and yet very perplexed as to why they booked me, but I did what I could and I think that I showed up and showed out I think!
AM: I think that it’s such an amazing fit because in watching you, we’re used to the formats of The Bachelor and The Bachelorette where the host is interacting with the primary person and the people competing. In this situation, we have 6 people that are exploring themselves, you coming in and connecting with them and being able to interact with them when they’re broken down in the experience of it all! There are some intense moments and being able to see you in that way, what was your takeaway in watching all of this?
BW: I think that I really appreciated the opportunity to have conversations with those contestants in that moment. I think that as someone in my personal life, I really want to be warm and a safe space for my friends. I want to provide that warm energy with people and that’s something that I also like to do on stage as an entertainer. You want to create that safe space where people want to be able to come in and enjoy themselves. It was a new way for me to stretch my muscle in that way as it was 1-on-1, but still in this very highly curated environment where it’s still fundamentally about entertainment for us. I love to have a job, I love to entertain and I love to have all of these incredibly talented and creative people who know so much more about how to make a reality television show because what do I know? They’re like, do this and I’m like, ok this is such a fun adventure and I was in good hands! I think that that is a huge part of my enjoyment and experience on the show being such a positive one. I give that all to the people who sort of held my hand along the way. I feel very lucky.
AM: I saw the initial 6 episodes via the screener ahead of the launch on Jun 24th and I can’t wait to see the remaining 4! I really want to know as every episode I was transfixed!
BW: I’m so glad that you’re hooked! This is exciting!
AM: I am so hooked. As a reality junkie – I love this format.
BW: Oh, so you’re our target demo! So if you’re loving it, this is good news!
AM: For sure! At first when I heard the concept about the portal I was a little confused about it. But then I started watching it and getting how you guys delved into picking people from there past. Although at one point, I was like, wait they literally just got the guy that followed her on Instagram? I’d be mad too. To see you reasoning with her and asking her to go back one more time because there was a better person, was pretty funny.
BW: Um yeah, we’re definitely a little bit shady! But I think that that is my favorite part! I was watching to do some prep before I hosted a television show. I was looking at getting a lay of the land. I saw all of these hosts that did different things and I was watching Nick and Vanessa from Love is Blind.
AM: Love that show!
BW: I love that show and I was checking everybody out and I know that this isn’t a dating show, but I think that Jeff Probst – how shady Jeff Probst is on Survivor is one of my favorite things about the show! The way that he says, “so and so, I see you’re still having a tough time over there.” He is not afraid to stir shit up and I think that that’s especially amazing. I pray for a season 2 so that I can get even more. I just wanted to be nice the first time around and to have everyone like me as I was totally a fish out of water. But now that I know what’s going on, I’m ready to start some stuff up – you heard it here first!
If you have enjoyed watching The Bachelor/ette, Elan Gale executive produced both of these shows for a decade. A few years ago while we were tweeting along with others about these shows during a season, we noticed Elan talking about the episodes and providing insights.
With the launch of TOTGA, we talk about the power of relationships, what makes a good show and the impact of our interactions.
ATHLEISURE MAG: As long time watchers of The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, it’s amazing to chat with you and we love interacting with you on Twitter to hear your thoughts. Before we get into The One That Got Away, what is it about relationships that you love delving into as this is something that has been a large part of your career in creating these shows?
ELAN GALE: Great question! I think that the honest answer is that I have always felt that my relationships are the greatest things in my life. I have a hard time focusing on anything else if I’m being really honest. I always found that I only know what I know. I am only around the people that I am around, I only have relations with people that are in my life and generally from where I’m from because that’s where we are and that’s how we meet. Relationship shows have always given me an opportunity to just watch other people interact with each other and watch them build bonds that hopefully are life changing. It doesn’t necessarily mean that the relationship has to be permanent. I think that that is something that often we put too much emphasis on because almost all of our relationships are impermanent and it doesn’t mean that it’s not important or that it doesn’t change us or make us grow.
So watching people focus on things that are non-linear like relationships which are probably the most important aspects of their lives as well – I think it’s really interesting and it’s a window into how we interact with each other. I think that people are really interesting! I like watching them do whatever the hell they want to do!
AM: So what do you find to be the secret sauce in terms of putting that into TV as a medium? What are the dynamics that make a good show about relationships?
EG: I think that more than anything, we’re looking for people who are effusive. Anyone could be a good TV dating contestant really. What’s hard is finding people who want to explore their emotions in real time. When something happens to me, I process it. I take some time and I’m pretty shy about how I interact with my own emotional life. I would go so far as to say, almost a little cowardly in the way that a lot of people who come on this show aren’t. There’s an incredible bravery in being able to say that I am going to go through all of these intense emotions, but I’m also going to allow people into that and to let them into my world. So finding people who have specific points of few, strong emotions, strong desires, but simultaneously willing to be able to get it wrong because that’s what we usually do. We almost always get it wrong until we get it right! But it doesn’t mean that those are the most compelling relationships either!
Looking at relationships that are raw and based on feelings rather than logistics, I think that TV shows do a really good job of removing the logistics from relationships. I think that’s also one of the things that people find the most jarring about them. It doesn’t feel real to me because the logistics are taken away. But I have found personally, and maybe this is just me, I have found that when I am falling in love, when I’m in a relationship and when I am with people that I feel are important parts of my life – logistics do kind of take a back seat. If we’re going to continue to claim that relationships are the most serious driving force in our lives, then putting logistics to the side is probably a good idea. You can probably figure that out later. The weird magic of love and whatever is the stuff that you can’t do later and you can’t figure that out thoughtfully over time – I don’t think.
AM: I don’t think so either! What brought you to want to be part of this project. I watched the screeners and I’m obsessed, the fact that all of the screeners weren’t available at once made me mad because I’m so invested and I want to know what happens!
EG: I’m so glad you liked it. Thank you for watching!
AM: It was a great watch. I took a Sun and just let the storytelling unfold!
EG: That makes me so happy! Honestly, these 6 people just went for it. This is a terrifying show. You don’t know who is coming through that portal and who you are letting into your life. That is such a bravery that they had to step into this – I don’t have it! That’s part of what was so exciting to me. I have a similar relationship that I think that most of the people in the audience had – I wish I could do that to have the tenacity and the openness!
AM: I could never!
EG: For me, I have done so many dating shows where strangers meet strangers. There is such an interesting dynamic there and I love those kind of shows. I love watching those shows, but secretly probably the show that I am most addicted to is 90 Day Fiance. What I love about this show is that by the time you meet these people, they really have complex relationships. You have to peel it back like an onion as a viewer. So this – all the things that I love about dating shows, people meeting for the first time and adding this layer of complexity where you get to watch people who they were, previous iterations of themselves and for me, I really wanted to approach this show differently from any other show. I wanted to treat it like sci-fi. I wanted the portal to be like a real-time machine and if I’m being honest, this might sound really crazy – for me the show took more inspiration from Rick & Morty than any other dating show I have worked on in the past. Looking at this like one tiny sliver of the multiverse where you can suddenly live a life that you have never lived for a short amount of time and see what that life may have been like. Yeah, if those relationships can go back into the real world, maybe they do – I don’t know. But if they do, that’s really interesting and beautiful, but more importantly, this slice of life, this time and this place where nothing really exists is interesting. In the first episode, Jeff meets someone who he hasn't seen in 15 years. They were 2 people and now they're 2 different people just like everyone else is. Getting to watch them date for the first time, but also being able to come to terms with how they’ve changed and to see that through the eyes of someone that’s dating them, it’s really one of the most transformative processes for me as a viewer. At the end of the day, that’s what I am. Getting to watch them and these things that were happening and to be able to watch them and to really see them going through it! The thing that I am most excited about is that no one was focused on results. Everyone got a happy ending but it doesn’t mean that it’s the one that audiences were expecting. I think that we’re set up to believe that dating shows end like this. And maybe they don’t have to. Maybe dating is enough. Maybe moments with people and experiences that you share, looking inward on yourself through the eyes of someone who knew you back then – maybe that’s enough. I think it is and I think that that’s what makes the show so different.
AM: That’s so true. I think that when you look to The Bachelor/ette where you have a designated person that is available although in the upcoming Bachelorette there are 2 – but you have the designated person and then you have this whole group of people who are another dynamic. The idea that you have a couple of people for a certain person and how they interact with the separate house and the main house, that’s something because they’re also bringing in their own versions of the person that they know. That’s a whole other sociological study right there!
EG: I think you made a really good point. One thing that I think that this show does really nicely is that it plays up the dynamic friendships that the leads have with each other and of course with the arrivals as well. They’re going through this incredible process together and it’s something that no one else has ever been through before. The bonds are permanent and we don’t just revel in the rivalries on the show. Someone goes out on a date 2 days ago and their friends are hoping and wishing and praying that they come home happy and had a good time. Again, it’s all about building that universe. We talked about this on set. We called our location Lacuna. You never see it on camera – it’s just something that we talked about internally.
Lacuna is an unwritten piece of a story or a missing page in a book. We just kind of tried to build an environment where whatever story that person had been living, it was paused for a moment. They were encouraged to write a new story in this period of time and they go off into the world. Maybe it folds nicely into what you already have or maybe it doesn’t but it’s going to be interesting and it’s going to be messy. That’s what I love so much about the show too! Life is a fucking messy, disaster 90% of the time! Acting as if things are linear, perfect and meant to be – maybe they are, but there is also something about embracing chaos. I think dating is chaotic and I think that that is also what makes it fun. I’ve never gone on a first date and went, “it’s remarkably average and I can’t wait to do it again.”
AM: How did you go about finding the arrivals? There were those like the person from the confirmation, another who went to school together and then you had the one who just followed the lead on Instagram?
EG: Honestly, it was the most complicated process that I have ever been part of. Primarily, the way that our casting team did it was talking to family and friends of the individuals and trying to figure out people who they would be interested in. The leads also gave lists of people that they thought about, wondered about or were curious about. So there was some kind of dynamic combination of people that their mom or sister might have thought was perfect for them, a best friend or if they were close to their ex – someone that they thought that they knew. It could also come from someone from their very very long list or someone who was fascinated by them on their social media and felt more connected than maybe they actually were.
I think it also points out the way that we all create our own histories. We all tell our own stories or what part of our lives are important or not. I think that in a lot of the cases of the leads that they may have been more impactful on the lives of others than they realized. That’s really empowering for a lot of people where something that you said, or something that you did or a look you gave someone – even if it wasn’t meant in a romantic way, it stuck with them and made you important enough to go through a whole casting process, get on a plane, go to LA and then just walk through a portal to see someone. You had to have meant something to someone to fill them with a feeling and that’s a great place to start a relationship. Even if it doesn’t go somewhere because everyone can feel that a question that has haunted them, can be answered in a way that everything else is guessing. It’s fun to have a moment in life where you get to answer the many questions where I don’t know about you, but I’m haunted and plagued and live in a state of permanent regret! If I could go somewhere – can you imagine knowing what the sliding door version of your life is or lesser so the Butterfly Effect of Ashton Kutcher version? It’s a good movie, underrated – fun!
AM: Like you said, in watching this show, removing the dating/romantic aspect – you think about the coffee cart guy you see everyday on the corner and during the pandemic, you didn’t have it and you felt that there was a hole. The concept of relationships and interactions and what it means to you and the other person is an interesting dynamic.
What do you want people to walk away with in watching this. Should we all be digging into our past to find our relationships to figure our shit out?
EG: It’s such a good question! I’m not confident that the takeaway should be that we should go back into your past to find your future. I don’t think that’s the answer. I do think that the takeaway should be, that if you are actively looking for love, you should leave no stone unturned. I think that most people will not find their future from their past. A lot of people might. But if you’re curious about something and you have been looking for this long, maybe you don’t need a portal to do. Maybe you do and I’m glad that these people did, but these days you can pick up a phone. You can send an email and ask a question and it will probably lead nowhere because most things in life do. It might lead you somewhere really magical and you might find the one that got away and that would be pretty fucking cool.
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PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | Prime Video
Read the JUN ISSUE #78 of Athleisure Mag and see THE POWER OF RELATIONSHIPS | Betty Who + Elan Gale in mag.
