After being rescheduled from earlier in the year, the 64th Annual Grammy Awards took place Sunday, April 3 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. Along with the usual celebrity presenters, four touring professionals were invited to introduce their artist “bosses” prior to their performances on the show, which aired live on CBS. Trevor Noah, in his second year as host, addressed the audience: “After two years of cancelled shows and postponed tours, nobody deserves the spotlight more than the people who actually put up that spotlight. So we’re celebrating those who have done so much to get live music back on our stages and back into our lives. Tonight we’ve asked them to introduce the artists with whom they they work.”
First to be introduced was Nicole Massey, who has been production manager for Billie Eilish since 2019. “I could not be more proud to introduce an artist who speaks so powerfully to women of all ages,” Massey said, before introducing Eilish as “the best 20-year-old boss in the world” prior to the artist’s performance of “Happier Than Ever.”
Katie Wilkinson, assistant tour manager for Chris Stapleton, said her role is “all about making sure the road feels like home,” before introducing “the best in the business.” The country artist then took the stage to sing ”Cold.”
Tour Manager Misha Mayes said she “ensures H.E.R. performances go smoothly,” introducing “ my beautiful boss.” The artist H.E.R. joined up with Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Travis Barker and Lenny Kravitz to perform a medley of her hits, ending with Kravitz’s “Are You Gonna Go My Way.”
Joan Lee introduced herself as the touring wardrobe supervisor for her “beautiful boss,” Carrie Underwood, who then went on to perform her new song, “Ghost Story.”
Early on in the show, the Recording Academy aired a special segment in partnership with Global Citizen and the Stand Up For Ukraine campaign, which was meant to raise awareness about the country’s situation since the Feb. 24 Russian invasion. Addressing the audience through a pre-recorded video, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared an anti-war message and asked for support, which was followed by a performance by singer John Legend and Ukrainian poet Lyuba Yakimchuck.
Zelenskyy said, “The war… what is more opposite to music? The silence of ruined cities and killed people. Our children draw swooping rockets—not shooting stars. Over 400 children have been injured and 153 children died. And we will never see them drawing. Our parents are happy to wake up in the morning— in bomb shelters, but alive. Our loved ones don’t know if we will be together again. The war doesn’t let us choose who survives and who stays in eternal silence. Our musicians wear body armor instead of tuxedos. They sing to the wounded— in hospitals, even to those who can’t hear them. But the music will break through anyway.
“We defend our freedom. To live. To love. To sound. On our land, we are fighting Russia—which brings horrible silence with its bombs. The dead silence. Fill the silence with your music! Fill it today. To tell our story. Tell the truth about this war on social networks, on TV. Support us in any way you can. Any, but not silence. And then peace will come. To all our cities, the war is destroying – Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Volnovakha, Mariupol and others. They are legends already, but I have a dream of them living. And free. Free like you on the Grammy stage.”
Watch the speech here:
For more information about winners and other highlights in the 2022 Grammys, visit www.grammy.com
