Watch : Must-Knows for Grammys 2019 It's almost time for music's biggest night! When the recording industry's biggest and brightest gather at the Staples Center in Los Angeles for the live broadcast of the 61st Grammy Awards, there's no telling what might happen. After all, this is the one night when your faves across all genres of music are under one roof. Where else will you see Cardi B rub elbows with Dolly Parton? Or possibly catch Drake chatting up Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers? And that's just the expected audience interaction, saying nothing about those patented Grammy moments the broadcast is known for, wherein two artists with little to no connection get mashed up for one surprisingly killer performance. Think: Last year's killer opener with Kendrick Lamar and U2 or Alicia Keys and Maren Morris teaming up on the latter's "Once" the year before that. With a stellar list of announced performers on tap for this year's ceremony, there's no doubt that we're in for quite a show.<doc-sep>Grammy Awards host Alicia Keys made good on her promise to “ensure peace” and “good energy” in the room — and she did it with the help of Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, Jada Pinkett Smith and former First Lady Michelle Obama. The 15-time Grammy Award winner, dubbed a “musical superwoman,” stepped out to a standing ovation and welcomed a quartet of superwoman onstage with her at the 61st Grammy Awards on Sunday night to convey a positive, uplifting — even healing — message of unity through music. “Do you feel that love in the building? This is love. This is life. This is living. This is light and all because of music. Music is so powerful,” Keys said. 2019 Grammy Awards winners and nominees » Advertisement The entertainer said she wanted everybody to feel a little less nervous and let their “shoulders drop” because she was at the helm and she gave shout-outs to several of the evening’s honorees, mostly women. “Music is what we all love,” she said. “Music is what we cry to. It’s what we march to. It’s what we rock to. It’s what we make love to. It’s our shared global language. And if you really want to say something, you say it with a song.” She then introduced her “sisters,” who walked downstage hand in hand to the delight of the cheering audience inside the Staples Center in Los Angeles. “They said I was weird,” Gaga said. “That my look, my choices, my sound — that it wouldn’t work. But music told me not to listen to them. Music took my ears. Took my hands. My voice and my soul. And it led me to all of you and to my Little Monsters [fans], who I love so much.” For Lopez, who grew up in the Bronx, music gave her a reason to dance, whether hip-hop, free-style, pop, soul or salsa. “It reminds me where I come from, but it also reminds me of all the places that I can go. Music has always been the one place we can all feel truly free,” Lopez said. Pinkett Smith, mindful of the divisiveness nationwide, noted that “every voice we hear deserves to be honored and respected.” Advertisement A big part of friendship is showing up for your girls—that’s why I was thrilled to be there for the one and only @aliciakeys at the #GRAMMYs. She is one of the most genuine and thoughtful people I know—there’s no one better to help us all celebrate the unifying power of music! pic.twitter.com/8cMhTmsClA — Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) February 11, 2019 Obama, who got the loudest cheers, also expressed what music has meant for her. “From the Motown records I wore out on the South Side to the ‘Who Run the World’ songs that fueled me through the last decade. Music has always helped me tell my story, and I know that’s true for everybody here,” she said. “Music helps us share ourselves, our dignities and sorrows, our hopes and joys. It allows to hear one another, to invite each other in. Music shows us that all of it matters.” Advertisement Keys, pausing to take it all in, then doubled down on the message, saying that “tonight we celebrate the greatness in each other through music.” She then asked, “Who runs the world?” citing Beyoncé 2011 anthem. The host took the stage after Camila Cabello’s “Havana,” a star-studded show opener featuring Ricky Martin and J Balvin and danced along to part of it. The “Girl on Fire” has been a steadfast champion of female authenticity and natural beauty, further highlighted by her 2016 #nomakeup resolution, predilections she adhered to during Sunday’s show. FULL COVERAGE: 2019 Grammys » Advertisement The entertainer took on hosting duties a year after outgoing Recording Academy President Neil Portnow responded to a 2018 post-show question about the male-centric results during the show by imploring women in music to “step up.” Speaking to reporters before Sunday’s show, Keys said she felt blessed to have been on the Grammys stage multiple times before. “I understand what it is and what it feels like and I know what the artists are going through,” she said. “I’m really excited about the naturalness of it all.” Keys later took the stage to perform an impressive dueling piano medley of sorts that included songs by Ella Mai, Drake, Kings of Leon, Lauryn Hill and more, saluting past and present winners with words of gratitude and awe. Advertisement This is how I start most of my mornings off—in grounding and gratitude and asking for clarity. Envisioning the day and putting light around it. Today more than ever I wanted to share the energy I prayed for and called for us to feel. Here’s to the best day of our lives so far! ✨ pic.twitter.com/PG0xpN62QX — Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) February 10, 2019 Follow me: @NardineSaad<doc-sep>Camila Cabello, up for two Grammy Awards tonight, opened the show with an incredible performance of “Havana.” Cabello’s performance features an incredible roster of stars — Grammy winning pop singer Ricky Martin, Latin trap-pop star J Balvin, trumpet legend Arturo Sandoval, and rapper (and “Havana” feature) Young Thug. Cabello is one of the most exciting new voices in pop. In 2018, “Havana” hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100, and subsequent singles “Never Be The Same” and “Consequences” were also chart toppers. Cabello opened for Taylor Swift’s massive Reputation Tour this summer and fall. Her Grammy-opening performance of “Havana” is an epic demonstration of her skill as a pop star. Cabello whirls around a stage designed to resemble the midcentury Havana that Cabello’s own grandmother grew up in, with each “room” of the house featuring another surprise guest. The performance features an entire production of West Side Story‘s worth of backup dancers and guest appearances. Cabello and Martin sang part of Martin’s 2006 song “Pégate” and J Balvin performed part of his single “Mi Gente.” Sharing the stage with some of the hottest new acts and iconic musical legends, Cabello’s performance is a tribute to the achievement of Latinx artists in music. Watch Camila Cabello’s stunning performance of “Havana” above.<doc-sep>Camila Cabello opened the Grammy Awards from the inside of a brownstone reimagined as a colorful dollhouse. She shifted through the rooms before taking to the “street,” where she ran into J Balvin reading a paper with the headline “Build Bridges Not Walls.” Young Thug joined to perform a verse as Cabello nimbly danced throughout the street. Soon, the opening act turned into a medley of Latin pop superstars: Ricky Martin joined to belt alongside Cabello as Arturo Sandoval played on his trumpet before J Balvin did a bit of his smash hit “Mi Gente.” Cabello is up for two awards: Best Pop Solo Performance (her live version of “Havana”) and Best Pop Vocal Album (her debut 2018 LP, Camila). The former Fifth Harmony singer released “Havana,” a single off her Camila album, in 2017, and it quickly became a Number One hit on the Billboard Hot 100. In a Rolling Stone interview from last year, she called the track “an ode to my heritage, my culture.” Wow what a hell of a performance by the oh so talented @Camila_Cabello to open the #grammys ! This girl can sing yes Camila kill it! #CamilaCabello #Grammys2019 #GRAMMYsxCAMILA pic.twitter.com/7OtbRLTkXR — Maria Gamerota (@Ria_Gam03) February 11, 2019 Balvin is nominated for Record of the Year for “I Like It,” his collaborative single with Cardi B and Bad Bunny. While he only received one nod at the 2019 Grammys, he recently earned eight nominations at the 2018 Latin Grammy Awards — including Record of the Year (“Mi Gente” with Willy William; “X” with Nicky Jam), Album of the Year and Best Urban Music Album (for his fifth LP, Vibras). Kendrick Lamar leads the 2019 Grammy Awards with eight total nominations, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year (“All the Stars” with SZA), Album of the Year (the Black Panther soundtrack) and Best Rap Performance (“King’s Dead” with Jay Rock, Future and James Blake).<doc-sep>
The 61st Annual Grammy Awards are tonight, hosted by Alicia Keys. The ceremony celebrates the best in this year’s music and the artists that made it. Camila Cabello will be opening the show with a performance of one of her hit songs, making history as the first Latin woman to open the Grammys. J Balvin, Ricky Martin, Arturo Sandoval and Young Thug will be joining her for the opening. Tonight Cabello is nominated for “Best Pop Vocal Album” and “Best Pop Solo Performance.” According to Grammys.com, last year was her first time on the Grammys stage, when she spoke in support immigrants and the DREAM act. When the performance began, the stage was set with a colorful scene modeled after the streets of Havana. In the center of the set was a cube with four sections, each decorated as a different room of a house. Cabello started her hit song “Havana” from the bedroom set, accompanied by dancers portraying friends she was gossiping with as she sang. Young Thug joined her for his verse of the song on the “Havana streets,” surrounded by Latin dance. Wow what a hell of a performance by the oh so talented @Camila_Cabello to open the #grammys ! This girl can sing yes Camila kill it! #CamilaCabello #Grammys2019 #GRAMMYsxCAMILA pic.twitter.com/7OtbRLTkXR — Maria Gamerota (@Ria_Gam03) February 11, 2019 Then, Ricky Martin joined her on-stage taking his turn to sing. J Balvin joined them, and the song transitioned to his song “Mi Gente,” which Cabello provided back-up vocals for, before they all concluded the performance singing Havana together. Camila Cabello “opened” the E! Red Carpet, hosted by Ryan Seacrest, before the awards show. She wore a long-sleeved, sparkly pink gown with an open back, which hugged her gorgeous figure. On the red carpet, Cabello revealed that “the performance is based on my grandma’s childhood… The whole thing is based off of my family, and I have my family in the performance. So I feel very protected.” Her grandmother grew up in Cuba, and music often sprouted in the common spaces of the collaborative home she lived in. GRAMMYs 2019: Camila Cabello Shares Special Inspiration Behind Performance (Exclusive)ET talked with Cabello the 2019 GRAMMYs, where she also revealed what she plans to eat following the big show. The 2019 GRAMMY Awards air on CBS. #GRAMMYs Exclusives from #ETonline : youtube.com/playlist?list=PLQwITQ__CeH2Y_7g2xeiNDa0vQsROQQgv 2019-02-11T00:48:53.000Z On Twitter, Seacrest shared a photo of Cabello making a funny face and throwing up two peace signs. With the lighthearted photo, he spread the news that her performance tonight will be making history – she is the first Latin woman to open the Grammy Awards (which have been around for 61 years). .@Camila_Cabello opening the #ERedCarpet! In a bit she’ll make history as the first Latin woman to open the #Grammys. Good luck! pic.twitter.com/9QNOZuV8T4 — Ryan Seacrest (@RyanSeacrest) February 10, 2019 Camila Cabello’s fans praised her performance on social media after she opened the Grammys. Lele Pons, who performed with Cabello during the number, wrote on Twitter “So extremely blessed and happy to be apart of this performance! !” After the number, she shared a photo hugging Cabello, thanking her for making her “apart of this magical moment.” This post will be updated with the complete video of her performance once it becomes available.