Ariana Grande has backed out of attending the 2019 Grammy Awards following a disagreement with the show’s producers over a planned performance, as Variety reported and Ariana herself now confirms via Twitter. After Grammys producer Ken Ehrlich told the Associated Press that Ariana “felt it was too late for her to pull something together” for the show, the singer took to Twitter to denounce the report. “I’ve kept my mouth shut but now you’re lying about me,” she wrote. “I can pull together a performance over night and you know that, Ken. It was when my creativity & self-expression was stifled by you, that I decided not to attend.”
Variety reported producers refused to allow Grande to perform her new thank u, next single “7 rings” during the show. When producers allegedly offered a compromise where she’d perform the song as part of a medley, but insisted that they choose the second song, she reportedly backed out. Ariana now states that she offered three different songs and was shot down.
“It’s about collaboration. It’s about feeling supported. It’s about art and honesty. Not politics,” she tweeted. “Not doing favors or playing games. It’s just a game y’all… And I’m sorry but that’s not what music is to me.” Pitchfork has reached out to representatives for the Recording Academy for further comment.
Last year, Lorde was reportedly not offered a chance to perform her own music despite the other (all male) Album of the Year nominees getting solo performance offers. She was allegedly offered a spot on a group Tom Petty tribute performance, which she reportedly declined. 2017 saw Frank Ocean slam Ken Ehrlich in a Tumblr post after the Grammys producer called the singer’s 2013 Grammys performance “faulty” and “not great TV.”
Grande’s album Sweetener is nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album. “God Is a Woman” is up for Best Pop Solo Performance.
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https://pitchfork.com/news/ariana-grande-rejects-grammys-2019-performance-my-creativity-and-self-expression-was-stifled
