Read the JUN ISSUE #90 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | INNA in mag.
This time of year is always fun as a number of our favorite DJs are all over sharing their music and creations with a number of fans. Whether you see them in person or stream them on your favorite platform, you have the opportunity to experience their sound and what they're working on at that time!
This month, we caught up with Ferry Corsten who shared his 9PLAYLIST with us last year and with so many projects going on and a busy schedule ahead, we wanted to find out more about his artistry as well as what he's been working on. With a career that spans over 2 decades, we wanted to know more about how he got into the industry, what his creative process is, how he decides which alias will embrace his sound and so much more. We also talk about his upcoming album under his name with it's single Connect.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with music?
FERRY CORSTEN: This must have been when I was about 9 or 10 years old. My dad installed a car cassette played in my room and that’s when I became fascinated with music.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a DJ/producer?
FC: When I was about 15 years old, I had already learned that you could do all these cool things with cutting and pasting tape and make edits of songs. I also had learned that with 2 turntables and mixing 2 songs together you could create something new. Soon after that I started clubbing and that’s when I met some guys who had a little studio. They asked me to come by one day and from that point on I was hooked on making or producing music. To be honest, I never really wanted to be a DJ but after my first few successes in the UK the opportunity arose for me to play at the biggest clubs and festivals. Obviously, I grabbed it with both hands and I’ve never looked back.
AM: In your career that spans over 2 decades, you have performed under a number of aliases and have had chart-topping success while also embracing an array of genres, how do you decide what project will go under what name or the need to create another name?
FC: My interests in music or electronic music as a whole have a pretty wide range, so I love to go into the studio and keep myself pumped and challenged by not always making the same type of music. This may be easy for me to understand, but not always as easy to follow for my fans. Therefore, I created these aliases so I can keep making different music without confusing my fans. They now know what to expect when they see a new Ferry Corsten track is coming or when a new Gouryella or FERR track is coming. Each project has it’s own distinct sound, one is more techy, deeper, more diverse and the other is either more trancy or more ambient.
AM: How would you define the Ferry Corsten sound?
FC: I’m always on the hunt for a very strong and recognisable melodic hook. That is the main thing. But I also look for opposites. For example, a beautiful melody played with a nasty sound or with a tougher drive underneath. Combining elements from different genres and blending them together is also something you can expect in a Ferry Corsten track.
AM: What's your process when you're creating new music and where do you look for inspiration?
FC: I always go for the melody first. When I have my hook, the rest of the track builds itself around it. I know a lot of other producers who go for the groove first, but for me its melody first.
I get inspired by all kinds of things. Of course, from new synths and sounds when I’m in the studio, but also from other music, from people, places, happy accidents and wherever the universe takes me.
AM: You have collaborated with a number of DJ's including Paul Oakenfold as well as Armin van Buuren - when you're approaching working with other artists, what is that process?
FC: It’s always great to work on something together. The one thing you need for this however, is an open mind. Being set on your idea without the willingness to compromise is not going to work. Usually, it starts by goofing around in the studio and bouncing ideas off of each other until something sticks. If being in the studio together physically is not possible, sending ideas back and forth is also an option, but not quite the same fun.
AM: Tell me about your latest single that you dropped this month, Connect. The futuristic sound of this song has been one that we have enjoyed listening to!
FC: Thank you. I like where music is going at the moment. It’s an amazing blend of techno, trance, and house. All the sounds I personally love to listen to as well.
AM: What is the meaning behind the name Connect for this song?
FC: I am fascinated with what music does to people, how it connects us all, what it does to our mood and its ability to connect one’s creative outburst with the world. It can also instantly turn a bad day into a good one. Everything is strung together and that is what is being reflected in Connect. Connect is also the first single of my next album which will see the light early next year.
AM: Connect is the debut single from your upcoming album, what can you tell us about the album and will you have any other songs that you will be releasing this summer?
FC: It will be an album full of tracks blending the above mentioned genres of music emphasising the togetherness music brings to us all. Over the next month’s various singles will be released leading up to the final release of the album. Towards the end of the year, you can also expect a new tour in light of this upcoming album release.
AM: With the summer officially starting in a few weeks, what festivals will you be part of and where will you tour?
FC: I will be playing most of the big festivals in Europe, North America and Asia. I will also host my first Resonation Radio stage at Dance Valley in The Netherlands this summer.
AM: Tell me about What the F which allows your fans to enjoy your music reimagined, remixed, and with a futuristic approach?
FC: What The F is a must for everyone who has been following my career. It is an open to close set in which I will only play my own music including crazy mashups of my tracks, updated versions, and remixed versions of certain tracks which you can only hear at this show. Obviously, I will play music from my biggest aliases as well. The name What The F stems from the idea of someone being on the dance floor hearing me play a track he or she didn’t know was mine and thinking…’He did this too????……What The F!!!’ …..F for Ferry of course ;-p
AM: You also have your weekly radio show, Resonation Radio! Why did you want to do this and what can fans hear when they tune in?
FC: I have been doing radio since 2007. My first show was called Corsten’s Countdown but after episode 700 this was changed into Resonation Radio. This name change was because of the change in format of the show giving me more freedom to play a larger variety of genres. Expect the best in melodic house, melodic techno, and progressive trance.
AM: You released Connect on your imprint, Flashover Recordings. Tell me about this label and what artists or projects that you're excited about that will be released?
FC: Flashover is a label releasing progressive trance, melodic house, and melodic techno. We also like to tease our audience with a quirky release occasionally. Our current focus is on US based DJ/Producer Dustin Hussain and hot new Ukrainian talent Cubicore.
PHOTOS COURTESY| Ferry Corsten
Read the MAY ISSUE #89 of Athleisure Mag and see CONNECT THIS SUMMER | Ferry Corsten in mag.
We love attending music festivals and here in NYC, Govenors Ball kicks off our summer season! This 3-day festival has a number of the hottest artists across 3 stages and a number of genres! Over the past few years, we've attended this event on Governors Island, Randall's Island, and Citi Field. This year, it settles into its new home in its 12th year at Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens from June 9th - 11th! This year's acts include Lizzo, Lil Nas X, Diplo, Kendrick Lamar, SOFI TUKKER, and Kim Petras to name a few! Over the 3 days, people can celebrate their favorite artists, have Instagram-worthy pictures, enjoy fabulous food and beverages and more!
We caught up Tom Russell, Co-Founder and Partner of Founders Entertainment who puts on Gov Ball from his vision of creating a music festival that also honors the spirit and diversity of NY! We wanted to find out how Tom got into the music festival industry, his passion for music, how Gov Ball was created, and what first-timers and veterans can expect when they come to the show this year! We delve into partnerships and the future of this festival. Make sure you read next month's JUN ISSUE #90 which will have our recap of this 3 days of music!
ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into Governors Ball, how did you get into the business of music festivals?
TOM RUSSELL: I grew up in NYC and was obsessed with music from a young age and I was going to concerts at a young age starting in middle school. I got really into punk rock going to concerts on St. Marks Place. As I got older, I went to high school, got really into jam bands, went to New Orleans for college and got really into funk music and world music and all of that of course Hip-Hop since I was young.
I went to a festival called Bonnaroo and had the time of my life and I had the best time ever! I said to myself after that weekend, “I need to work in music festivals." This was my passion. I was living in New Orleans going to Tulane and I discovered that the company that did Bonnaroo was based in New Orleans. So, I wrote them an email, wrote them another email, and another one and they finally wrote me back.
I somehow managed to wiggle my way into there and get an internship. I did it for a semester and then they offered me another internship and then Hurricane Katrina happened and they evacuated their offices to NYC which is where I was born and raised. I was in NYC for that semester as well. They offered me a full-time job and I had to make a decision at that time. Did I want to go back to college, or did I want to take a job with the company that I wanted to do more than anything? I decided to drop out of school, drop out of college with 1 semester to go, and take a job with Superfly. I worked with them for 6 years until I hit my ceiling at Superfly, and I decided that it was time for me to leave to pursue my long life goal of bringing my hometown and beloved city a music festival that they could call its own.
At that time, you had Lollapalooza in Chicago, Austin City Limits in Austin, Outside Lands in San Francisco, but there was no cultural institution in NY and I felt that that was just wrong and it didn’t make sense to me. So I left Superfly to start Gov Ball with a couple of friends of mine. It was good timing and we really hit the nail on the head with our programming and we really tapped into this growing festival culture and this demand for really good live music in NYC. It was kind of off to the races from there!
AM: I love that and that is such a great story!
What I love about Governors Ball is that you have different types of genres that are playing in the same space across 3 different stages. You can obviously see artists that you enjoy that you're already fans of as well as other genres and artists that you weren't familiar with and you always leave adding more to your playlist after going which I think is really cool.
TR: Well that was a huge thing for us. We all looked at our Spotify, Apple playlist, iTunes what have you and we saw that we weren’t just listening to Hip-Hop, rock, or pop, we were listening to everything and it was important to us to put together lineups that had artists that we loved and that we knew were amazing live musicians, but also we had something for everybody. People just have tons of different tastes. We carry that on to this day where we’ll have an EDM headliner, a Hip-Hop headliner, and we’ll have a pop headliner, and everything in between. I think that it just speaks to the variety of tastes that not just music lovers have, but also New Yorkers because it’s such a diverse city.
AM: Absolutely.
What is your process like when you’re sketching out a year ahead or whatever in terms of the different types of artists that you’re bringing in?
TR: So we’re always looking for the biggest and the best. We certainly know what bands have new records coming out. We certainly know what bands have a desire to tour around the Gov Ball time. We know what bands we would love to have, but they’re definitely not touring and we kind of go for all of it and see what sticks. We start out with the headliners and there are artists that we have made offers to every single year in the hopes that it will pique their interests and sometimes we just throw something crazy out there and they come back to us and say yes. Other times, it goes nowhere and we just fall back on artists that really want to play the festival and are releasing a record around that time of year. But for us, it’s important to have the biggest and best things. Because one of the beautiful things about NYC is that New Yorkers have access to the best of everything. We have access to the best food, the best music, the best parks, and there’s so much to do, that it's essential for us to put together a lineup that is the best and that people just can’t say no to because there are so many other things to do in this city. We have to stand out. So, it’s always, how do we put together the biggest and best lineup that will get people to have a double take and say, fuck, there’s no way that I am missing that.
AM: Well this year, it’s going to be at Flushing Meadows, Corona Park. What is the thought process behind finding the ideal space because it is 3 massive stages, plus all of these other activations that are also on-site?
TR: I would say that for any great music festival, the venue is almost as important as the artist. It really defines the vibe of the overall event and for Gov Ball over the years, we’ve struggled to be honest. We’ve moved. We started out as a 1-day festival on Governors Island, we moved to Randall’s Island where we grew to a 3 day festival, and we moved over to Citi Field coming out of the pandemic. But we never really had a large greenspace venue that is iconic and lent itself well to live events and that led us to Flushing Meadows at Corona Park. A park that was built and designed for events many many decades ago. It’s easily accessible by subway and LIRR. It is full of iconic structures, museums, and tons of trees. It’s such a unique green space. We’re so excited for this year and for our fans to see it because the festival will take on a whole new life and a whole new vibe and one that we have really wanted to have since our start. You look at Lollapalooza, they’re in Grant Park. Austin City Limits is in Zilker Metropolitan Park. With Gov Ball, we haven’t had that yet. Flushing Meadows is truly an incredible and special place that we just can’t wait to bring it alive!
AM: I’m excited and looking forward to it!
Food is always a huge component of music festivals as well and you guys have incredible vendors such as our favorites: The Halal Guys, and Taqueria Diana as well as food partnerships by bringing in the Queens Night Market. Why was this important to have such a diverse series of foods?
TR: So for us, we wanted to have the best of everything! The best music lineup and of course, the best food. People need to be able to eat and drink and to listen to great music. With us being in Queens, we couldn’t not think of the Queens Night Market which is such an institution. It has such an amazing collection of vendors from all over the world. We reached out to John Wang, founder of Queens Night Market and he’s so brilliant and what he created there and it’s so special. So we said, “look, we’re coming to Flushing Meadows and you’ve been there for so long and we have created this amazing amazing event, we would love for you to be able to help us curate some vendors that really speak to Queens and speak to what you have built and to help us give more variety to what we are offering.” He was kind enough to make a number of introductions and help us to feature food that will really be additive to the festival and to get people super super excited to have food from around the world. From Mao's Bao to Twisted Potato, La Brasa for those folks that go to Queens Night Market like myself, it’s really going to be great. So they’re going to go from seeing one amazing act to having an amazing meal, to seeing another amazing act to having another amazing meal. What do people want in life? Good food, good music, and good drink. That’s all that you need.
AM: It’s a full experiential opportunity to have all of these things together. What are some things that are being added to this year’s event that may be different from last year? For those who go every year or may have missed a few, what can they expect?
TR: I think that the biggest thing this year is our new venue. I mean, this is going to be a Gov Ball experience that’s unlike any other because it's a brand new site which is full of lush trees and iconic elements like the Unisphere. How we’re bringing the park to life with lighting and décor and art installations. What we’re doing to enhance the trees, it’s really going to be super duper special and for those folks that have been to Gov Ball once, twice, 5 times or 10, they truly have no idea what they are in store for because this venue is a whole new ballgame and it’s so exciting. We just can’t wait for people to be able to see it and to experience what Gov Ball has wanted to be since it’s iteration.
AM: In addition to all of the things that take place on Gov Ball’s festival site, it’s great that you also have After Dark. We love the idea of people being able to continue the party and to see a number of the artists that are performing at other venues around the city and to expand your footprint. Why is this an element that you love including with Governors Ball?
TR: Well look, the festival ends at 10pm because the NYC Parks tell us we have to end at 10pm and I don’t want to go to bed at 10pm! It’s way too early, it’s summertime in the city on a Fri., Sat., and Sun. night. So we reach out to the artists that are playing the festival and we tell them that we want to work with them some more, feature them in an After Dark show, keep the party going and we know the fans will like it. So we have events with Saba, Metro Boomin’, SOFI TUKKER, and tons more. So, for us, it’s giving the people the opportunity to keep the party going. We’re predominantly a NY festival because most if the people going are from NYC and the tri-state area. But there are tons of people that come in from around the country and around the world. So we want to give people the opportunity to see the festival at the park, but also to experience these great venues in Manhattan and in Brooklyn and elsewhere.
AM: That’s smart!
TR: Yeah. We just want to be able to have something to fill out there whole weekend.
AM: For those that won’t be able to attend the festival themselves, is there a way that they would be able to listen to the lineup whether you partnered with a streaming platform or anything else like that?
TR: So we aren’t livestreaming the event this year. If you want to get a take on this year’s music, you can hop onto Spotify and look at our official playlist. But that’s what we have in store for this year and I can’t say enough about this venue and what we are doing there. For those folks that are on the fence for going this year, I can’t sell it enough. It’s going to be super special and super new and Gov Ball unlike any other.
AM: You also have an entire philanthropic component to Gov Ball that involves the community which is amazing. Can you tell us more about that and how you’re supporting these particular initiatives?
TR: Since we started the festival, we’ve always wanted to give back to the local community. When we were in Randall’s Island for years in East Harlem, it was important for us to work with local East Harlem institutions because we were impacting that community the most. The flow traffic from the festival was going right through the East Harlem neighborhood. We started to build these relationships with local non-profit partners.
When we moved over to Queens, we brought that same goal in mind. This year, working with super local organizations such as Chhaya and ECRC (Elmhurst/Corona Recovery Collective) we’re giving them the opportunity to expose their amazing causes to a brand new audience and we’re also giving our audience an opportunity to work towards tickets to the festival by volunteering at those organizations. So for a few hours of work and volunteering, you can get a Gov Ball ticket and we’re fundraising for these organizations. These are super small and local that truly need exposure. They truly need funding so for us to be able to give back to them, it’s a really important initiative of ours. Over the years, we have worked with really large organizations too such as Everytown and Planned Parenthood and we’ll continue to work with those bigger organizations, but it is always important for us to be hyperlocal and to help these smaller organizations that have these great causes who have less awareness and to give them a means to benefit.
AM: Just looking at the future, do you ever see Gov Ball to be the same as a Lollapalooza, an EDC or a Tomorrowland that pops up in other cities around the world? Do you ever think that that would be a journey that Gov Ball will take at some point?
TR: I don’t. I think that Gov Ball is NYC born and bread. I think that the ethos of the event is NYC, we feature NYC artists, it’s NYC food vendors, NYC graffiti artists, NYC contractors and vendors and non-profits. The whole vibe of the event is NYC and we don’t really have the desire to stray from that. I think that the NYC works in NYC. I don’t think that you could plop that down anywhere else and we just want to continue to be able to make Gov Ball the best that it can be and now with us at Flushing Meadows Corona Park. I think this is only the beginning and we’re just super excited to go down this path of this incredible new home and new venue that we’re bringing to life and to just continue to bring NYC the very best in lineups whether it’s food, music, or what have you that we can!
IG @govballnyc
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | PG 100 Charles Reagan | PG 102 Aaron Ricketts | PG 105 Roger Ho | PG 106 Carter Khowe | PG 109 Downs |
Read the MAY ISSUE #89 of Athleisure Mag and read Welcome Home! in mag.
Read the MAY ISSUE #89 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | John Newman in mag.
Bottlerock is one of our favorite festivals that kicks off the first unofficial weekend of summer and includes music, food, wine and beer all in one festival in Napa! This weekend’s acts are a number of our favorites from Wu -Tang Clan, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Duran Duran, Nile Rodgers & Chic, Thievery Corporation, Post Malone, The Smashing Pumpkins and more!
On William Sonoma’s Culinary stage, we can’t wait to see chefs Jose Andres, Andrew Zimmern, Roy Choi, David Chang, Voltaggio Brothers, Todd English, Adam Richman, and so much more!
Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.
This month, our cover is Tomorrowland artist, EDM DJ/Producer, Singer/Songwriter and Composer, John Newman. Coming off of his recent Tomorrowland Winter performance when he debuted his latest song, Hold On To My Love which has been added to our playlist, we wanted to know more about how he came to the music industry, his sound, how he approaches his projects, his collaborations and of course what we can keep on eye out for as we continue into the Spring and the Summer.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with music?
JOHN NEWMAN: I grew up with music around me as a kid. I was introduced to Motown and soul by my family and once I hit my teens I was obsessed with hard-hitting house and Clubland productions.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to work in the industry?
JN: I had a pretty tough upbringing to be honest mainly from social issues and fitting in and being totally different to others in the town I grew up in. I didn’t come from money in any way at all either so, yeah, music was my escape, creativity was a way of releasing everything.
AM: You have an amazing background as you are a singer/songwriter, composer, DJ and producer! Musically, where do your inspirations come from and how did you hone your skills for each one?
JN: Thanks! DJing and producing dance music was something that I had spent a lot of time practicing as a teenager, so it was almost like revisiting that younger version of myself and just brushing up on my skills.
Inspiration varies, but I’ve always admired the 90s rave sound, with a touch of soul, which I think came through on Holy Love.
AM: How would you describe the John Newman sound?
JN: My sound is always evolving but, right now, I want creative emotively charged dance bangers. I want people to hear a track and feel a surge of energy and euphoria where they can’t help but move their body.
AM: How do you approach your projects in terms of seeking inspiration for your solo projects?
JN: These days I have a new set up, my at-home studio is tailored to electronic music production and it’s somewhere I can lock myself away to for hours kinda just see what happens. Inspiration can hit anywhere really. I try not to stick to the sitting at a piano vibe, funny fact I wrote Love Me Again and If You Really Love Me both whilst having a shower.
AM: You have collaborated with Calvin Harris, Kygo, David Guetta, Nile Rodgers, and more, how do you approach collaborations?
JN: Each collaboration comes about differently. The link-up with David Guetta and MistaJam on If You Really Love Me (How Will I Know) was particularly crazy as Guetta himself reached out to make the first move for us to work together, I had been a fan of his work since being a little kid! He’d wanted to collaborate on something for a while, so I sent him the early version of the track, he loved it, and the rest is history.
AM: You just performed and released your latest single, Hold On To My Love at Tomorrowland Winter where you DJ and have live vocals. Tell me about this song and what was it like to perform there?
JN: Hold On To My Love came about backstage at Ushuaïa Ibiza. I sang the melody and some lyrics into a voice note on my phone as a rough idea, so to see the track go full circle and perform the final version at Tomorrowland Winter was incredible. It was an unforgettable weekend.
AM: This song was released on Tomorrowland Music and you have already confirmed that you will be at Tomorrowland Brasil later this year on the mainstage. What does this mean to you to be on such a platform?
JN: I’m incredibly grateful to be starting this journey with the Tomorrowland Music team. They have so many talented DJs and producers on the roster so I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
To then also have the opportunity to perform at their world-renowned events is huge.
AM: With the summer around the corner, what other festivals or clubs are you excited to be performing?
JN: This summer is going to be so much fun. In July, I make my Tomorrowland mainstage debut in Belgium alongside the biggest names in dance music which is surreal but very exciting. It’s the holy-grail of festivals so I plan on bringing my absolute A-game to the stage.
AM: We’re based in NY, but will you be performing in the US this year?
JN: You’ll have to stay tuned for that one! I really do love the US and the amazing crowds over there so hopefully I’ll be back soon.
AM: When it comes to touring and being on the road, are there any routines that you do prior to a show when you’re a few hours or moments ahead of hitting the stage?
JN: There is a routine, I don’t eat one and a half hours previous to a show so that I don’t throw up whilst on stage, hah! The next big one is I generally like to chill and stretch and listen to classical music, then get hyped to Limp Bizkit and Rage Against the Machine about 15 minutes before show time.
AM: When you have finished your set, are there any routines that you do to come down from all of the energy and adrenaline from performing?
JN: Hmmm not really, I do struggle with the silence after being full of that adrenaline, usually a beer takes the edge off.
AM: Are there additional projects that you have that we should keep an eye out for?
JN: My focus right now is on really immersing myself in the dance music sphere, continuing to work on new tunes and honing my live hybrid set of DJing and vocals to make it bigger and better with every show.
AM: Are there 3 artists on your bucket list that you are interested in collaborating with that you can share?
JN: Honestly my interest is totally varied, Florence Welch would be amazing, Fred Again, Swedish House Mafia, another Calvin Harris collar, just throwing ideas out there really.
AM: What do you want your legacy to be in the industry?
JN: I guess, as an artist who made music on my own terms. For the pure joy of making people feel good, feel elevated, and be able to escape reality for just a moment. Whether that’s through my tracks, or the energy people absorb at a live show.
AM: When you’re not on stage or in the studio, what do you do to take time for yourself as self-care and mental health is something that we prioritize here at Athleisure Mag?
JN: It’s different for everyone, but I find taking a break from social media to be a big help for mental wellness. We consume so much information, a lot of it pointless, so it’s no wonder it can leave you feeling overwhelmed.
I now work closely with a therapist on a weekly basis which I cannot recommend enough and my main thing is getting in cold water.
Also spending time with my wife and family helps to keep me grounded and makes it all worthwhile.
AM: In terms of working out, what are 3 workouts that you do that we can consider to include in our routines?
JN: Each to their own I guess and I’m not really the picture of the pinnacle of fitness, however, for me personally I like to get out with music in my ears and do whatever I can. Whether that be hiking, running or cycling. I also used to love that Shaun T exercise video, I used to do it before every show!
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | COVERS Front/Back, INTERVIEW + PG PG 26 9DRIP Tomorrowland
Read the APR ISSUE #88 of Athleisure Mag and see FEEL THE MUSIC | John Newman in mag.
This month, we caught up with Japanese-American rock and Hip-Hop singer/songwriter, rapper, guitarist, philanthropist and entreprenuer, Jesse McFaddin. In addition to his solo career, he is also in RIZE as well as The BONEZ which have been bands that he has been in for a number of years and he recently started another band, E.D.O. For Jesse, music is the way that he communicates and shares his message as well as his love for fashion which includes a number of brands that he has created. We take a moment to talk with him about how he started in the industry as his father Char is a known rock legend, how Jesse made his music and journey his own, how he creates new music whether solo or collaboratively and his latest album with The Bonez - Yours.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with music?
JESSE MCFADDIN: As long as I can remember, since I was born quite naturally. Some examples include my mother singing her favorite tunes, such as Lovin’ You by Minnie Riperton, every night as a sort of lullaby. My father is a professional rock guitarist, my mother creates lyrics for his songs, so I had frequently sung those songs under these circumstance, such as Rock Band Way, I have been falling love with music for m entire life.
AM: When did you realize that you wanted to make music?
JM: Pretty late, I guess. It was probably around 15, 16 years old, when I realized it. Until then, Hip-Hop was my first influence, records included both acappella & instrumentals, so using those materials, I had created my original lyrics of some songs, singing on top of those. Gradually, I noticed, that I could make a track with my guitar phrases!
AM: How has your father influenced you in your music career?
JM: I have been realizing more these days, as I grow older and have matured. But when I started in music, my direction was quite the opposite of my father's music genre, because I didn’t want to be in his shadow. So, I became more Hip-Hop centric rather than Rock Music. However, I have 2 rock bands now. One band is RIZE. Last year marked the 25th anniversary after our debut. The other band, The BONEZ, has our 10th anniversary this year. By continuing to do what we started and then increasing a little by little, I see what we have created for the past 26 years! I have to say that my father has influenced me a lot. This is why I am able to make a living with music.
AM: At what point did you realize that this was something that you wanted to do as a career?
JM: It was during my high school days when Sony Music asked us for our contract, I was 18, my partner Nobuaki Kaneko, drummer of RIZE was 17. But we replied to Sony saying, “Can you wait until we graduate from high school? And if you still want us, let’s sign our contract.” Signing a contract wasn’t our goal. Rather, our goal was just to have fun - just like going to a skatepark. But we finally reached the deal, even though we were sort of a jerk (lol) at that time! We wondered why they wanted us but Sony emphasized that wanted to be part of us.
AM: When you're creating new music whether solo or your groups, how do you get inspiration for your next project?
JM: It is very hard to find out the root of art, or seeds in any types of projects. I get my influences through my personal stories, my friend's episodes, bumping into some news info, although that is fake or true, those are my triggers to plan for new projects or creating new songs. I guess, this is the hardest aspect for us as artists. For me, creating from 0 to 1 is totally harder than from 1 to 10. But the bottom line is, believing in myself is a crucial part for any creation, I guess.
AM: You're a singer, rapper, guitarist, music producer and composer how do you juggle all of these roles and do you have a preference of one over others?
JM: In thinking about this, my theory is the same. I mean, having same stances, or attitude to various things, not only in music, but when communicating, either with my wife, with my kids, with my friends, you, and others - this is important. But surely as a member in a band, or solo, the reactions are slightly different. The only way to express oneself is just to be naturally aligned, I guess. I used to draw boundaries around those, but I finally realized that simplicity is best.
AM: Tell me about RIZE. How did this group come together and what are you working on now in terms of new music, tours etc?
JM: We are friends from our childhoods. We have our own pace. We feel that when the time is ripe, we're gonna restart again.
AM: You're also in The BONEZ. How is this group different than RIZE and what are working on with them musically and are you touring?
JM: Forming this band is very different from RIZE. Quite accidentally, The BONEZ was born, I guess. That was 12 years ago. I initiated the launch of this new project with COZY, on 11th, Nov, 2011 = 2011/11/11, as a new type of project where we had a series of opportunities for my fans to participate in, by creating with this project. We were prioritizing Mash Up with my fan. Through those processes, the album called Stand Up was released on 11th, Nov, 2012 as the credit JESSE & The BONEZ. Along that flow, we organized The 1st and The Final Gig as sort of a memorable liveon 11th, Jan, Nov. In order to do this show, I needed band members so I asked T$UYO$Hito to play bass and ZAX from Pay Money to My Pain (PTP) to play drums. They were meant to be supporting members. Unfortunately, due to a tragedy of one of my closest friends and amazing singer, K who was the vocalist of PTP, he passed away suddenly. So even looking back, The BONEZ was fortuitously formed.
AM: It's interesting how you enjoy various genres of music and you have another group that you created, E.D.O. - tell me about this group and why you wanted to create it?
JM: These members are also high school friends, like RIZE. Just keep on doing, that’s what I want to.
AM: You also have solo projects musically, is there anything that you can share with us?
JM: Quite randomly, upon some timing. Sure, I am always writing songs. But, one epic thing I can share here, is I am planning for releasing a new solo single, title called Never Mind. This song is so dope! Once I can disclose, for sure, sharing immediately. Looking forward to it!!
AM: You're known for your fashion sense and even have your own line, S&Co's and Cloudland 33. Why is it important to you to have this in your portfolio and are there any interesting collaborations and projects that we should keep an eye out for?
JM: I love clothes, including vintage, but Price doesn’t matter. Individuality, Identity matter. Fashion is the sure way to express who you are. I love T-shirts. It is the reason why I own my clothing fabric printing company called JESSE’s Shop & Factory.
AM: As a philanthropist, you created Bring the Hope. Tell me about this organization and what it does.
JM: I launched my philanthropic activity due to the natural disaster that happened in Haiti in 2010. My local hometown, TOGOSHI, in Japanese pronunciation, “TO” same pronunciation with 10, “GO” = 5, “SHI” = 4. Based upon some instinctive inspiration from here, I decided to start our free concert at the park in Togoshi, in 20”10”/”5”/”4”. 1 year after Haiti's disaster, we had another big earthquake in Tohoku, Japan on Mar, 2011. Since then, I have organized these free concerts with a number of my musical friends at the same park in Togoshi, every 4th, May. During COVID-19, I organized these events online. Through our free lives where anyone can join without fees, I want attendants to feel happy, gratefulness for our ordinal life, peace, and hope.
AM: As someone who is involved in a number of projects what are you working on that you would like to share that we should keep an eye out for?
JM: As I initially mentioned, This year in 2023 is The BONEZ’s 10th anniversary after we officially formed. We are gonna kick off our nationwide live tour this May, where we will visit 47 prefectures with our new album, Yours which has been our first release in 5 years. I'm looking forward to meeting with our fans “BONER” all over Japan. I surely promise, we will pump you up! Please check out our tour info.
AM: Because of the work that you do, what is your process when you decide whether you're partnering with someone or doing a collaboration? Are there certain things that you look for in deciding to go forward on those?
JM: Every time I collaborate with other artists, and/or create songs with others, I often try to explore their ideas at first. If they don’t have ideas, or imagination out of stocks, then I give them my ideas. I tend to prioritize opportunities for my collaborative partners to expand their creativity.
AM: How do you take time for yourself so when you're not on stage or working on your next project?
JM: Mostly spending time with wonderful, beautiful family.
AM: You're in great shape, what are 3 workouts that you do that we should consider adding to our routines?
JM: Ab Roller - Squat - SEX
AM: With the summer around the corner, what are your looking forward to personally and/or professionally?
JM: Personally: Going to beach resort with my family. Professionally: Joining in the following major Rock Fes.
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDIT | INTERVIEW + PG 106 9PLAYLIST Yoshifumi Shimizu
Read the APR ISSUE #88 of Athleisure Mag and see THE IMPACT | Jesse McFaddin in mag.
Read the APR ISSUE #88 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | JESSE MCFADDIN in mag.
Read the FEB ISSUE #86 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | DJ/Producer Martin Jensen in mag.
With a number of festivals already on our list to attend, it's always good to catch up with DJs that we will see throughout this year. We caught up with DJ/Producer Martin Jensen to find out how he turned his love of music into a career, how his production background assists him when he is in the studio or about to perform, who he has collaborated with and his latest release with Days Like This with Jay Sean.
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you first fall in love with music?
MARTIN JENSEN: From a very young age, music was always around me and playing in my home growing up. I never knew what direction I wanted to take – if it was in the industry behind the scenes or even being a DJ or lighting engineer or whatever – was doable. It was only when I first started playing smaller parties that I really got the bug.
AM: In terms of working in the music industry, I know that initially you thought that you would be behind the scenes in terms of lighting engineering and stage design; however, what made you decide that you wanted to DJ?
MJ: That is true! I think it was just a passion for the music, that is something you can’t bottle or capture, only try your best to communicate through your music, whether that be in person at a party or through your productions that people can enjoy. I originally went to go into my fathers family business to work, so taking a step back from that to pursue music as a full-time career felt a little challenging at first but if anything, it made me strive to want to succeed even more as I knew I had the self-belief.
AM: Because of your production background, how involved are you in the design of your show in terms of aesthetics?
MJ: As much as I can be! I always have the final sign off on design, my logos, my press shots, how I want a live show to come across from the concept to the finished product.
AM: How do you describe your sound?
MJ: Feel-good, fun, ready for the party!
AM: What’s your creative process like when you are working on a song?
MJ: It really can vary, inspiration can first come from a melody or even a direction of genre that I want to go in – I might want to go big-room and bombastic one day, or work with a really cool vocalist or writing partner, and take a more house or radio-ready pop route. Its all relative and I let each bit of inspiration, both solo and with collaborators, guide me.
AM: You have collaborated with Nicki Minaj, ALOK, Jason Derulo and more. Do you approach these creative projects differently than those that are solo?
MJ: With Nicki Minaj it was a remix I did, but I have worked directly with ALOK and Jason on our track Don’t Cry For Me. Each project is going to be different, not just in sound but depending on each artists outlook, how we individually want to approach it, so yes. With collaborations its important to have your own signature sound present but for every artist to collaborate in a way that’s effective and brings new ideas to the table.
AM: Days Like This was released with you and Jay Sean. Tell us more about this song and what was it like working together on this with him?
MJ: We really wanted this track to be a feel-good, as we say on it “No one can fuck with me on days like this!”, so we wanted people to feel that essence exactly how we aimed to deliver it. Energetic, confident and unapologetic! It was so much fun to work with Jay, he’s a real veteran in the industry and has worked with so many great artists before so to have him jump on the track with a great collaboration.
AM: Tell us about Me, Myself, Online which was the biggest livestream worldwide as well as a mini documentary.
MJ: It was! It was an idea born out of the pandemic as it was originally meant to be ‘Me, Myself, Live’ where we livestreamed shows around the world but obviously, coronavirus put a stop to that. We decided to bring the shows to people online instead, we streamed on Facebook, Twitch and had some super cool brands involved from amazing locations. Our first edition was from the Telia Parken stadium which is the national stadium in Denmark and we were blown away by the response… so we kept going! It’s definitely something we want to continue on in another direction in the future.
AM: Are you working on songs?
MJ: Yes! I have a brand new single out this February with VAMERO and Gibbs called What A Night, lots more will be revealed soon and I’ll also be announcing more tour dates as we move out of the Winter and into Spring.
AM: You were the first judge that is a DJ to be on X Factor’s Denmark! What is it like to be on this show and to see the talent that hits the stage?
MJ: It was a brilliant experience, to be the first DJ/ producer to ever hold the role of a judge also blew my mind, it was such an honor. When it comes down to it though, it's a really crazy concept when you think about it. The music industry is for sure fast paced and for these young talents to go through such a fast process full or pressure is for sure difficult and I see a lot of those come out stronger, but some don’t. It’s a fine line you really have to balance in ensuring everyone can work together in harmony to do the best they can in their roles. But yeah, it was a crazy time for sure.
AM: Critiques are a major part of success regardless of the industry you work in. When you have your judge hat on, what are you looking for and how do you approach telling people what you liked and didn’t like for each performance?
MJ: Being a judge it is not so much about personal taste, its about breaking down the talent, the attitude, the work ethic and so much more of an act. Sure, one judge mightn’t be a huge rock fan, or another pop, another electronic and so on, but to be able to look at an artist on an elevated level as someone in the industry, helps you to then guide them with exactly what they need – even if that might mean good news or bad news.
AM: We’re looking forward to hitting the festival circuit what are your favorites to play at and where will you be performing this year so that we can keep an eye out?
MJ: I’ll be announcing all my tour dates nearer the time as we still have some finalizing to do but my social media is where you’ll be the first to find out!
AM: Do you have any routines that you do prior to or after a show?
MJ: Its not very “rock n roll” but, no! I like to relax, have a beer, think about what direction I might want to take my sound in during the set (depending on if I’m headlining a club or playing a festival, for example), but its important to also let the crowd guide me too.
AM: As someone who is always on the go and travels a lot for what you do, how do you take time for self-care so that you’re taking time for yourself and getting a bit of a reset?
MJ: I like to play sports, see a chiropractor when I can – 'cos it can be crazy on your body touring all the time! – and mostly just spend time with my friends and family, work on music. Just pretty normal stuff nothing too crazy.
PHOTOS COURTESY | Martin Jensen
Read the FEB ISSUE #86 of Athleisure Mag and see DROP THE BEAT | Martin Jensen in mag.
Read the JAN ISSUE #85 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.
When we watch our favorite performances, there are so many people involved that make these shows come together. The Music Director has a birds eye view and is integral in making sure the components come together, keeping all the teams in lockstep with one another and being able to translate the artist's vision to what we see.
When you have a MD that is also musician and can play across genres, you really have someone that is multi-talented! We caught up with Adam Blackstone a bassist who has performed with Jay-Z, Dave Chapelle's Block Party, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and so much more. He has also been the MD for a number of the entertainers above including Nicki Minaj and Rihanna - sometimes playing with these artists and more. In addition, this man has been the MD behind the historic Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Eminem and will be back again when for the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show with Rihanna hits the stage for this moment of sports meets music. In this position, he has helmed the OSCARS, NBA All Star Weekend, The Masked Singer and more.
In addiiton to being in the industry for decades with a coveted list of talent that he has worked with, he just released his debut album Legacy last fall and his single 'Round Midnight’ with Jazmin Sullivan has been nominated for a GRAMMY which takes place next month! To ensure that he can continue to grow his brand and fingerprint on the industry, he also talks about how he supplies an array of talent from musicians, engineers and background singers to our favorite artists through BASSic Black Entertainment.
With some busy days ahead, we wanted to find out about how he found his way into the music industry, his love for bass, being a musician as well as a MD and what he has coming up.
ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment when you fell in love with music?
ADAM BLACKSTONE: That’s a great question! I think from birth! With my family, I was always surrounded by music, my father is a musician. What we would call today, probably a wedding band singer, but he did weddings, bat mitzvahs, church services, banquets, and all of that. Then, growing up in Black church, my mom and my family was heavy into choir and music ministry. I think that early early African American church experience allowed me to see the power that the music played in the emotional and psyche of human beings in general. Fast forward to me going to high school and getting some jazz band awards and all of the accolades and the praise and being a little bit turned on by that as well. It made me want to excel and to show Black excellence. Of course, fast forward to really my first major major gig was Jay-Z on stage at Madison Square Garden. There was nothing like that feeling! So those 3 instances for me were very much spread out, but were very much so similar feelings you know?
AM: Yes. What drew you to wanting to play bass?
AB: Funny story, I started as a drummer. I think every little Black boy in church as a musician wants to play drums. When we moved to a suburb in town - Willingboro, NJ, again, the band teacher who was white, I’ll never forget when he said, “listen, I have 14 drummers. I heard about your family, I hear about your musical lineage that you have and our band is missing a bass player.” This was in 2nd grade and he said, “I would love if you would switch over.” I said, “hell naw, I’m not doing that bro!” This was back in the day when you had to walk to school and all of that and I wanted to walk with my drum sticks – I didn’t want to walk with a bass! He talked to my parents and we made the switch and honestly, it was one of the best decisions that I had ever made of course!
So that is what introduced me to bass and that instrument in general allows me to be the foundation and the root of all of the chords that are being played. I learned that a little later on. Drums is the rhythm, but bass is really the melody and it controls the chordal structure. Me being the future MD that I was, I think that I like a little bit of the control!
AM: I like how one decision really made all the difference!
You have worked with so many people from Rihanna, The Roots, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Jay-Z and even across genres.
AB: Yes!
AM: How do you approach when you’re working on these projects as they all have different needs and different focuses in terms of when you’re coming in as the musician role.
AB: I think that the biggest thing is that they allow me to be able to be myself, to be creative, allow me to present them with ideas, but also knowing that I am protecting them. They know that I am taking their vision and just trying to enhance it a little bit. As musical director and crossing genres specifically, it’s not about my vision, it’s about the artists’ vision. We’re all a team. If they win, we win. If they’re hot on stage, if their tour is hot, it allows for more opportunities for me as well! So, I always pride myself on asking the artists what they need, what they want and how I can be a vessel to enhance that vision across genres, that respect is given and so they allow me to, you know, continue to be as successful as I am.
AM: Tell me about your debut album Legacy which came out last fall!
AB: Yessss Legacy, Legacy! It was a labor of love for sure! We all went through that pandemic, and you know, we lost some folks. I lost a couple of good friends of mine, I lost a cousin and going through to their services, I realized that I didn't want to leave this Earth with a laptop full of ideas – you know what I’m saying? I heard Jazzy Jeff say, “leave here empty.” So, I was really inspired by loss and I buckled down for about 40 - 45 days and returned to my roots and one of my first loves is jazz and really progressive jazz. I decided what songs I wanted to do and really saw which artists were being impacted by me for a long time and how they wanted to pay it back to me by hopping on my album. Everybody from Kirk Franklin to Mary Mary to Jazmine Sullivan to Jill Scott to Queen Latifah. The list goes on and on! I made that one phone call and they said, “absolutely, whatever you need,” because they know for the last 20 years, I have answered their phone calls and said the same thing. You know what I mean? It’s what I like to call, Relationship Equity! It’s been really cool. We went Billboard #1 on Legacy, the single got a GRAMMY nomination, we are Image Award nominee now for 2023 and going on tour opening for Jill Scott this spring. I’m very excited about that that Legacy continues to hopefully impact people and to become part of their legacy as well. I really did it to inspire.
AM: That is amazing and I really love when you are talking about Relationship Equity, as I have definitely dipped into that pool many times and let them know that for the times I reached back, I needed it for what I was working on.
AB: Even with that, to the right person, you don’t even have to say that because they know what you’ve done and the value that you have added to their legacy, you know what I’m saying? I’m very grateful for God giving me the foresight 20 years ago, didn’t know I would be here doing a record. I was nice to people, I was a good character person, I had integrity and so now when I make these calls, it’s been no issues. I’m super thankful for that!
AM: So are you thinking about your next album?
AB: Legacy 2, I’m definitely thinking about it for sure!
AM: In addition to being an artist and a musician, you’re a noted Music Director. Can you tell us what a Music Director does?
AB: No problem. As an MD, my job is to curate everything live music oriented from stage, to lighting, to choreography, to programming – basically build that live experience for the viewer. So it starts by me sitting with the artist and seeing what story that they want to tell through their set list. Sometimes we have 2 hours and then for things like the Super Bowl, we have 13 minutes, you know what I mean? From there, I do a lot of hiring of the band, backgrounds, engineers and then I rehearse the band and then it’s everything from me going to choreo rehearsal, lighting rehearsal to make sure that their cues line up with the music cues. So that gives that total overall experience and that’s essentially what a music director does from arranging, to scoring to creative on the stage.
AM: When you’re doing that, is it hard for you to wear two hats when you’re actually playing as well as being the Music Director?
AB: That’s a great question. I have to be honest and say, that it’s easier for me to be able to do the two hats because I speak through my instrument. That allows me to have a little bit more of a fluent language if we use that analogy, because I can get the ideas out while playing. Sometimes, if I’m just coming in to oversee and there is another band like Maroon 5 or something like that - when I do Tim McGraw, he has his own band, it’s like I have to adapt to their language. Either way it’s cool, but I have to say that the two hats actually because of my musicianship and I’m thankful for that, it lets the MD job be a little easier for me!
AM: It’s amazing to think about the fact that you were saying that whether someone is going on a tour, last year’s halftime show for the Super Bowl and you were also involved with The Masked Singer as well which is a TV show. That’s a lot of hats to juggle, so how do you say, ok if this is a tour – it’s this way and a TV show is another way and then when you’re doing the halftime show which was ridiculous –
AB: Thank you so much!
AM: We just watched the documentary, The Show: California Love, so being able to see the behind-the-scenes as someone who is a fashion stylist and the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Athleisure Mag, I have such an appreciation for how all of those things come together and it’s nice to see how that all took place.
AB: I think that the biggest difference is trusting myself and trusting the process. When it comes to the creative, I started as a touring guy so a lot of times, the touring aspect comes a little easier to me and I’m a fan of music. So I know what the viewer wants to see/hear. When it comes to the television show whether it’s The Masked Singer, The Four, BET Awards, The Voice – things like that, we’re making television so how do we want to sustain people’s interest by watching the show? How we do that is by making very impactful moments happen in a very short period of time. That’s different then the tour, because you want to elongate the moment so that you can stretch out people’s attention span – you get what I’m saying? It’s a different hat to wear, but at the end of the day, it’s about entertainment and I am happy to be a true entertainer in the sense of the musicianship of it.
AM: This year, you’re going to be back at it again with Rihanna’s halftime show for the Super Bowl. What can you tell us about this show and anything that you can share as we’re all so excited!
AB: No doubt, I’m excited to be a Co-Musical Director this year with my partner, Omar Edwards. He’s another Philly guy and we are going to set the world ablaze! Riri has had the superpower of all her career of being Anti, no pun intended! So, what that allows us to do is for us to think completely outside of the box. I can’t give you too many more details to be completely honest, but I will say that it’s going to be a whirlwind experience for that 13 mins for sure. I think that the people will love it for sure. I always like to call it the Super Bowl catalog of songs so I promise you that you will hear your favorites!
AM: Tell us about BASSic Black Entertainment and what it offers to those in the music industry.
AB: Absolutely, BBE we call it for short, BASSic Black Entertainment was founded by myself and my beautiful wife, Kaisha Blackstone. At a point in 2008/2009/2010, my stock as MD was rising and I was not able to be in multiple places at one time! So, the artists trusted me and said, “hey, even though you can’t be there. Can you set it up for me, hire the personnel?” I said of course and knowing that these people shared the same core values as me musically and personally, character and integrity as well – at one point, I had over 250 musicians, singers and engineers collectively out on the road with different tours. My wife said, “ok guy, hold on. Let’s figure this out.” How can we not just monetize because it wasn’t about that, it was about creating a structure for these people. I kind of was like calling them up, doing the music and then throwing them out with the wolves per se in my earlier career. But once we set up BASSic Black Entertainment, there is a structure, there are tour managers, there are rates in place and everything that allows people to be able to come to work and maximize their jobs for the potential to be a musician and to not have to worry that anybody will take advantage of them. They also know that the BBE brand is represented as well so it’s all with excellence.
Right now, we are a music staffing agency, we have now branched into the record label industry business as well with BBE Records and we will continue to not only put out music, and new artists, but also support tours. Right now, I have a BBE band out with Jeezy, a BBE band out with SZA, a BBE band out with Ari Lennox, we’re doing great! For myself, I’m opening this spring for Jill Scott, so that is going to be a great experience as well.
AM: I mean, you have so many plates that are spinning, all those projects, prepping for your spring tour, going to the GRAMMYs next month!
AB: Yesssss!
AM: Congratulations on that! You have the halftime show coming up – how do you take a moment for yourself in terms of self-care and making sure that you can kind of refill your cup or at least partially?
AB: I’m about to give you some exclusiveness! I like to just disappear from rehearsal for 3 days and to see my kids! Family first over everything to me! If I have their blessing to go out and be great, that allows me to remain creative and to operate in my most maximum genius. If the home structure is not cool, I’m coming home – you know what I’m saying? Even if home is cool and my stomach is not cool, or me missing my family and my wife is not cool, I’m coming home so that is how I replenish myself. I kiss my babies – I love on my family. I bring them out with me when I can. They support me in all I do, it’s been a sacrifice. It’s a sacrifice not only for me, but my wife as well. I’m just so thankful that I have a strong woman like that to hold the fort down, be at the crib – she knows that I’m out here building a legacy for our children. Hopefully, for her to be proud of as well. That’s how I replenish myself by filling myself up with love from my family.
AM: Once again, it was so much fun to research you for this piece as there were things that we already know, but it was a treasure trove of so many things like being the MD for All Star Basketball Weekend and the Oscars, you got an Emmy for last year’s halftime show for Oustanding Music Direction – you have done so much, you have worked with so many artists and now you have your own album, what do you want your legacy to be?
AB: My legacy should be that Adam Blackstone was a core value person, giving, selfless, loving and also did good music and made people laugh, made them dance through the melody. If that can be my legacy, that would be more then I could ever ask for. If my music is it then that is a plus, I promise you! I’ve been so thankful to see the impact that it has had through the accolades. The Emmy award was so so great, but I was hired to do a job, right. I was always going to do the best that I could do. I’m alsoways going to be the best me that I can be and an Emmy just validated that someone else thought that it was a good job as well. This GRAMMY nomination hit differently for me, because it’s an idea in my head – the music, it’s an idea in my gut, it’s an idea in my soul and it’s an idea in my heart. So, to see how that one idea can come to fruition and other people then latch on to that idea which was created by yourself, it just meant a whole different aspect for me with that. So the music thing has been such a great tool to show me the power of music, you know what I mean? I’m super excited for what’s to come and super thankful for that!
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Adam Blackstone
Read the JAN ISSUE #85 of Athleisure Mag and see A LEGACY MANIFESTED | Adam Blackstone in mag.
Read the JAN ISSUE #85 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | HBz in mag.
Read the JAN ISSUE #85 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | MEDUZA in mag.
It all came together tonight for the 65th GRAMMY Awards which took place tonight. We always enjoy seeing what takes place during Awards Season as we get into the thick of things. The show took place on CBS and streamed live and on-demand on Paramount+. We shared our predictions which are in italics, those that are the winners are in bold and those that we guessed correctly that won are 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 ROCK ALBUM
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
Kingdom Book 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
When we think about some of our favorite DJ's over the past decade, Hardwell is one we enjoy seeing when he was at our favorite venues!
In this age of being committed to taking the time we need, self-care and mental health, Hardwell took 3 years off to take a break, fugure himself out as an artist and came back to the scene with a new album REBELS NEVER DIE, a tour of the same name and of course he launched it at Ultra Music Festival earlier this year!
We wanted to get to know more about his process, about the importance of his hometown in Breda, Netherlands, how he is approaching touring and more!
ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with music?
HARDWELL: I discovered music super early, I actually started playing piano when I was 4 years old, but my love for DJing began when I was 12.
AM: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a DJ?
H: I knew early on that it was a passion of mine. I started out playing hip hop when I was 12, before discovering electronic music when I was 13/14, which then became this huge part of my life and thankfully still is today.
AM: You’re from Breda which is a small city, but it has birthed a number of artists from yourself, Tiësto and even Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker! What is the music scene like in Breda?
H: It’s crazy right! A small city with this deep musical history. We actually have a very small scene, so it’s not what people often think it will be. But because its small everyone knows each other and this is perhaps why it helps Breda artists to grow.
AM: How would you define your sound?
H: This new Hardwell REBELS NEVER DIE sound is me. It’s the raw, uncut version of who I am as an artist. It draws on all my influences from the moment I got into electronic dance music right through to what I am all about today. It is everything from big room to trance to electro to techno. I needed to free myself up from big labelled as one type of sound, so I could infuse everything into one sound, which is what fans are experiencing now.
AM: In terms of creating new music, what’s your process?
H: I feel most at home in my own studio. It’s a space that is custom built to fit my specific needs. I bring a lot of inspiration from life, travelling and the atmosphere of our scene into my creative process. But equally I don’t fixate on following the same process each time. It was why I took some time out because I need to recharge and free up my creativity to come back with something completely new and fresh.
AM: You’ve done some amazing collaborations, what do you look for when it comes to partnering with someone else to create music?
H: What makes the magic happen is that connection. When you work with a singer or another producer and there’s a creative connection where you’re vibing off the same ideas, that is usually a very positive sign. I like to connect with other artists who are open to trying new directions, freeing up the structure of a song and then seeing what will come out the other end.
AM: I’ve been a fan for years and have enjoyed your music, you’ve been a 2X #1 DJ, you’ve headlined many major festivals and you have travelled extensively and then in 2018, you decided to take an indefinite hiatus. Even though that was back in 2018, at that time it was a shock as mental health wasn’t really talked about and in the way that it is now. In the time that you took that step back, what did you learn about yourself?
H: Absolutely, I learned that it is ok to take time off. As an artist you always fear that if you don’t make that next show or release another song, your career will start to diminish, and it could be over before you know it. But the reality is that’s not the case. Everyone needs time off. From sports to medicine to education to even family life, everybody needs a break, but as artists we often to put pressure on ourselves to keep going, say “yes” to everything put in front of us. Taking a break, working on yourself for a while and coming back refreshed with new creative ideas is only ever going to be a positive decision.
AM: A portion of your hiatus also took place during COVID where everyone had lockdowns and we were all put in a place and a time where we re-evaluated how we went about work, the importance of connections and who we wanted to emerge as. Although you were already on that journey, what was that time period like for you?
H: Well, not much was different for me because, I was kind of already in my own lockdown, by not touring, being at home and then working in my studio. But I could see it was impacting so many of my friends and family, plus colleagues in the scene. That was hard to watch, but I’m thankful now that life has resumed for us all.
AM: At what point did you realize that you wanted to work on and release REBELS NEVER DIE?
H: The album didn't come until much later into my ‘sabbatical’ because I first needed to find myself again as an artist and then once I fell down that rabbit hole, and journeyed around what I was looking for, then the idea of REBELS NEVER DIE started to become a reality.
AM: How was creating music for this record different then when you have created previous albums/songs?
H: Before I started turning ideas into tracks, I decided to start from scratch. So I didn’t go back to a lot of the synth etc I was using previously. I needed a new canvas to work from, a new feel to the production. I also had released any pressure on myself which was a huge weight from my shoulders during the process because I was free to express myself this new sound.
AM: Tell me about REBELS NEVER DIE and what are you excited about this album?
H: The album excites me because it’s a new chapter in my journey. It’s an expression of where I am as an artist today. It has roots into my history with electronic music, but it projects a wide palette of my style to the fans. This Hardwell 2.0 version is a shift of perspective and sound, something which is best experience during the live performances of REBELS NEVER DIE.
AM: The decision to come back on the road and tour must have been one where you had to think about how you could do this in a way where you still felt comfortable. How do you approach touring now and deciding how many dates/cities that you want to include in your schedule?
H: I decided that this time around I will reduce the touring to a smaller number of shows. I think in 2022 I’ll have done about 50 flights in total, which is a much more manageable amount. I want to be back performing and connecting with the fans, but I also need that time in the studio to be creative, spend time with friends and family. It is all about balance.
AM: You played Ultra Music Festival with only unreleased music – such a bold move! Why did you want to take that approach and were you nervous about how it would be received?
H: I was incredibly nervous before that come back! I don’t usually get nervous, of course you get the pre-stage nervous out of excitement, but it’s part of the experience, it’s good to have some nervous. But this was a lot different because I had been away for a long time, I was also coming back with a new sound and new stage show. but after the first song, and feeling that love from the crowd, it all started to click into place.
AM: You’ve been navigating your world tour since Ultra what do you do the day that you have a show coming up. Are there any routines that you do that prepare you for a show and/or are there things that you do once you’ve left the stage that are a must for you?
H: Not really. I like to relax as much as possible to get ready for the show. Spend time with my team and just get myself into the zone of what’s about to go down with the show. I’m always working on new edits and ideas fo the show, so that keeps me focused in the build-up.
AM: What do you want your legacy to be seen as in terms of the mark that you have made in the music industry?
H: Just somone who put his heart and soul into making music he believed in.
IG @hardwell
PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Hardwell
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see OWNING HIS SPACE | Hardwell in mag.
Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.
