Alicia Keys News

Today, the Recording Academy's Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion announced an unprecedented new initiative that aims to expand opportunities for female music producers and engineers. The Producer & Engineer Inclusion Initiative is the inaugural action of a larger strategy to address gender inequity in the music industry. According to a 2018 USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative study, only 2 percent of music producers and 3 percent of engineers/mixers across popular music are women. This initiative is the first step in a broader effort to improve those numbers and increase diversity and inclusion for all in the music industry.

Way Out West is Sweden's biggest cultural encounter, welcoming over 100,000 visitors to Gothenburg for three days of music, festivities and culture. Year-on-year the programme showcases the biggest names in music, with goth-rock figureheads The Cure, global phenomenon Cardi B and soon-to-be Glastonbury headliner Stormzy set to top the bill in 2019. 

YALE REPERTORY THEATRE (James Bundy, Artistic Director; Victoria Nolan, Managing Director) will present the world premiere of GOOD FAITH: Four Chats about Race and the New Haven Fire Department, a new play by Karen Hartman, directed by Kenny Leon, February 1-23, 2019.

UTA Artist Space and Kasseem “Swizz Beatz” Deanare proud to present DREAMWEAVERS, a group exhibition curated by Nicola Vassell that contemplates the surreal in society against a vigorously shifting 21st century. The exhibition opens February 13, 2019, 6-8 PM, at UTA Artist Space.

The Recording Academy has announced a very special performance by Diana Ross during this year's 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards®. In what is sure to be an unforgettable GRAMMY®moment, the Recording Academy will honor the icon and celebrate the rich history of her greatest musical accomplishments. Live from STAPLES Center, and hosted by Alicia Keys, the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Feb. 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

What good is sitting alone in your room this week? If you don't already have plans to see a Broadway show, come out to see your favorite Broadway stars in a cabaret act instead. Highlights this week include: Alice Ripley, Hailey Kilgore, Amanda Green, and the revival cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Next week, FEINSTEIN'S/54 BELOW, Broadway's Supper Club & Private Event Destination, presents some of the brightest stars from Broadway, cabaret, jazz, and beyond. To purchase tickets or for more information, visit www.54Below.com/Feinsteins or call (646) 476-3551.

On Saturday, February 2, the Jazz Masters Series of Westchester Collaborative Theater (WCT) will welcome a return appearance by the world-renowned Ray Blue Trio, featuring jazz artist/composer/arranger and saxophonist Ray Blue of Peekskill, a New York Blues Hall of Fame inductee who has toured extensively throughout Europe, Asia and Africa. The cabaret-style performance begins at 7:30 pm at WCT's black box performance space at 23 Water Street in Ossining. Tickets are $20; cash bar and refreshments available.

The Recording Academy has announced the next wave of artists to perform on this year's 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards®. In what is sure to be an unforgettable GRAMMY® moment GRAMMY winners Red Hot Chili Peppers will join Post Malone. Music's Biggest Night® will also feature the incredible talents of current multi-GRAMMY nominee Brandi Carlile, past GRAMMY nominee Miley Cyrus, and current multi-GRAMMY nominee H.E.R. They join previously announced performers and current nominees Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Dan + Shay, Malone, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monáe, and Kacey Musgraves. Live from STAPLES Center, and hosted by Alicia Keys, the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.

The Recording Academy has announced the first group of artists to perform on this year's 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards®. Taking the stage on Music's Biggest Night® will be current nominees Camila Cabello, Cardi B, Dan + Shay, Post Malone, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monae, and Kacey Musgraves. Live from STAPLES Center, and hosted by Alicia Keys, the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. 

The evening will be produced by Yael Silver, Musical Direction by Ted Arthur and will feature Special Guests: Isaac Powell and Laurisa "LaLa" Romain.

'I just wanted to be honest about everything, from my musical influences to my story,' muses Neal Francis. After years of dishonest living -- consumed by drugs, alcohol, and addiction -- such sincerity is jarring from the 30-year-old Chicago-based musician. Liberated from a self-destructive past and born anew in sobriety, Francis has captured an inspired collection of songs steeped in New Orleans rhythms and Chicago blues. His music evokes a bygone era of R&B's heyday while simultaneously forging a new path on the musical landscape. Ohio-based Karma Chief Records (a subsidiary of rising soul label Colemine Records) will release two songs, 'These Are The Days' and 'Changes, Pt. 1,' in early 2019 with the full LP to follow in summer 2019.

The Apollo Theater will bring the New York premiere of TWISTED MELODIES, an intimate one-man production about the life, artistry, and struggles of 1970s soul singer and composer Donny Hathaway, to its iconic stage, 45 years after Hathaway himself last performed on it. From his hits with Roberta Flack, his solo songs, and his work as both an arranger and studio musician for artists such as Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield, and the Staples Singers, to his diagnosis of schizophrenia, Hathaway's personal struggles both inspired and hampered his music. On the 40th anniversary of his untimely death, Hathaway will be honored posthumously with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in February 2019, celebrating his influence and contributions to the music industry that continue today. Directed by Derrick Sanders and featuring Kelvin Roston Jr., this limited engagement at the Apollo Theater opens on Thursday, May 30 and runs through Sunday, June 2. Ahead of the production, a free Live Wire conversation with musician Gordon Chambers, "Everything is Everything, the Music of Donny Hathaway," will take place on May 13 at 6:30p.m. as part of the Theater's education series that honors iconic artists who have impacted the arts and culture.

The Recording Academy and CBS announced today that 15-time GRAMMY® Award winner Alicia Keys will host the 61st Annual GRAMMY Awards®, marking her first time as master of ceremonies for Music's Biggest Night®. Taking place at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, the GRAMMY Awards will be broadcast live in HDTV and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network, Sunday, Feb. 10, 2019, 8 p.m.ET / 5 p.m. PT. 

Added to the all-star lineup, GRAMMY Award® winner Smokey Robinson will pay special tribute to his childhood friend, Aretha Franklin, at 'Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration For The Queen Of Soul.' Honoring his lifelong friend with a special appearance, he joins previously announced performers Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Alessia Cara, Brandi Carlile, Chloe X Halle, Kelly Clarkson, Common, Celine Dion, H.E.R., Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Patti LaBelle, Janelle Monáe, SZA, and BeBe Winans. Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry will host the unforgettable night.

The world premiere of the new off-Broadway play Eco Village has found its cast and design team. Loosely based on the experiences of playwrightPhoebe Nir at the Bread and Puppet Theater, Eco Village explores the complexities of community and the boundaries of human behavior. The show will play at The Theatre at St. Clement's, 423 W. 46th Street, New York, NY 10036 from January 15-February 16 2019. Eco Village will preview from January 15-21, with opening night on January 24. Performances: Monday and Wednesday at 7pm; Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8pm; and Saturday and Sunday at 3pm. Tickets are $35-69 and can be purchased at ecovillagetheplay.com.

Hailey Kilgore will bring her debut show to Feinstein's/54 Below on January 30!

The Recording Academy, AEG Ehrlich Ventures, Clive Davis, and CBS will pay tribute to the legendary career of 18-time GRAMMY®winner and 2008 MusiCares® Person of the Year honoree Aretha Franklin by presenting 'Aretha! A GRAMMY Celebration For The Queen Of Soul.' Performing songs from her legendary repertoire are GRAMMY winners Yolanda Adams, Shirley Caesar, Alessia Cara, Kelly Clarkson, Common, Celine Dion, Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keys, John Legend, Patti LaBelle, and BeBe Winans as well as current GRAMMY nominees Brandi Carlile, Chloe X Halle, H.E.R., Janelle Monáe, and SZA. Actor and filmmaker Tyler Perry will host the unforgettable night. Additional unique performances to be announced in the coming weeks.

Yale Repertory Theatre will present the world premiere of Good Faith: Four Chats about Race and the New Haven Fire Department by Karen Hartman, directed by Kenny Leon, February 1-23, 2019 at Yale Repertory Theatre (1120 Chapel Street). Opening Night is Thursday, February 7.

Rounding off the year in style, popular producer & DJ Black Coffee has unveiled the release of his beautifully melodic new single, 'Wish You Were Here.' Featuring strong instrumental elements with soft piano solos and jazz-inspired influences, the wistful production is topped by the rich vocals of Msakiand follows Coffee's recent David Guetta collaboration, 'Drive'.