Innholdsfortegnelse for 12/31/2016 i Billboard Magazine

Kelsea Ballerini Ballerini’s charming country-pop and wholesome blondeness have inevitably drawn comparisons to Taylor Swift in her early Nashville incarnation. Yet in at least one way, the 23-year-old Tennessee native has already surpassed the pop superstar: In September, with the rousing “Peter Pan,” Ballerini became the first solo female to simultaneously top the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay lists. Dominating a country radio chart is nothing new for the singersongwriter — prior to the rise of “Peter Pan,” her singles “Love Me Like You Mean It” and “Dibs” both reached No. 1 on Country Airplay and gave Ballerini’s career a hot start following the release of her 2015 debut album, The First Time. After opening for Lady Antebellum and Rascal Flatts during the past two years, Ballerini will be…

BEST ROCK ALBUM California BLINK-182 Label BMG Seventeen years after its top 10 Billboard Hot 100 hit “All the Small Things,” Blink-182 has landed its first Grammy nomination, thanks to the career-reviving California. For longtime members Mark Hoppus and Travis Barker, it must be welcome vindication following the band’s messy breakup with founding member Tom DeLonge after years of disagreements over his side projects. California was recorded with Alkaline Trio’s Matt Skiba in DeLonge’s place, and the newish lineup — Skiba had filled in for DeLonge at a series of concerts in 2015 — was embraced by fans. Upon its July release, the album knocked Drake’s Views out of the top spot on the Billboard 200 (after nine weeks at No. 1), and “Bored to Death,” a heated vocal trade-off…

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM Big Day in a Small Town BRANDY CLARK Label Warner Bros. Records One of Nashville’s most in-demand singersongwriters since 2010, Clark scored some of her best reviews and her highest chart placement — No. 8 on Top Country Albums — since stepping up to the mic with sophomore effort Big Day in a Small Town. Built around the acerbic wit and revealing wordplay that made her hits for The Band Perry, Kacey Musgraves and Miranda Lambert so razor-sharp, Clark brings veteran swagger and hard-luck history to frisky rockers such as “Broke” and heartbreaking ballads like “Love Can Go to Hell” in equal measure. The album didn’t have a huge presence on radio, but that likely comes as no surprise to Clark, who warns fans herself on the…

DITCH IN-N-OUT FOR THESE OLD-SCHOOL BURGER JOINTS The two beef patties, American cheese, “spread” and freshly baked bun that comprise In-N-Out’s Double Double has become the trendy way to celebrate a Grammy win — or to wallow in a technical difficulty (think: Adele’s 2016 performance). But Los Angeles is home to some longer-standing hamburger outposts that know how to serve up something a little less basic CASSELL’S 3600 W. Sixth St. OPEN 7 A.M.-11 P.M. SUNDAY Since opening in 1948, this joint has cooked every pattie on the original crossfire broiler that founder Al Cassell designed. Try the cheeseburger ($9.99) with a fried egg ($1.50). APPLE PAN 10801 W. Pico Blvd. OPEN 11 A.M.-12 A.M. SUNDAY Regulars at this nostalgic white-shingled cottage, which has been serving its Steakburger since 1927…

REWINDING THE CHARTS WHEN THE OLD-SCHOOL AMERICANA soundtrack to O Brother, Where Art Thou? — which was written and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starred George Clooney — reaped five Grammy Awards on Feb. 27, 2002, including album of the year, it was a surprising triumph that yielded even more surprising dividends. In the wake of the Grammys telecast, the album, which featured vintage and traditional songs covered by a roster of artists that included Alison Krauss, Ralph Stanley and Gillian Welch, bounded to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 dated March 23, 2002, and spent two weeks ruling the list. Subsequently, “I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow,” which Clooney’s character sings in the movie as a member of The Soggy Bottom Boys (the actual vocals…

THERE ARE THREE TYPES OF GRAMMY viewers, according to Ken Ehrlich, the telecast’s producer since 1980. “There are people for whom this is the only music show they watch all year,” he says on Dec. 8, two days after The Recording Academy announced its 59th annual nominations. “There are hardcore music fans, and then there’s this third element who think they’re going to see something they don’t see on other [awards] shows — and that’s what we try and give them.” For the ceremony’s Feb. 12 telecast on CBS, that likely means the combined spectacles of pop supernovas Beyoncé, who leads the year’s nominations with nine, and Adele, who faces off against Bey in three of her five nominated categories, including album of the year — vying against Justin Bieber,…

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE “Hello” ADELE From25 Label XL Recordings/Columbia Records For songbird Adele, surpassing the success of her potent, devastating sophomore album 21 was no easy feat. However, with 25’s striking lead single “Hello” — a piano-driven torch song co-written with Greg Kurstin — the global superstar effortlessly ushered in her third act, with the track debuting and holding at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, and becoming the first song to sell more than 1 million U.S. downloads in a week. The powerhouse ballad’s cinematic six-minute video (featuring Adele using a flip phone) also aided in its surge, becoming one of YouTube’s most viewed clips, with more than 1.8 billion plays worldwide to date. “Hold Up” BEYONCÉ FromLemonade Label Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia For the car-window-and-hydrant-bashing…

BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM Lemonade BEYONCÉ Label Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records Given that an album of the year nomination was widely predicted for Lemonade, it’s no surprise that the LP also got a nod in this category, extending Beyoncé’s lead as the most nominated female artist in Grammy history. Lemonade — her sixth consecutive No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 — is a master class in conceptual realization that uses disparate musical styles (including rock and country) and meticulous detail to tell a story, both personal and universal, of infidelity, heartbreak, identity and healing. The album’s diverse range earned it nominations in four different genres — a first in Grammy history. Ology GALLANT Label Mind of a Genius Records/Warner Bros. Records Few debut albums in 2016 were as fully…

BEST LATIN POP ALBUM Un Besito Más JESSE & JOY Label Warner Music Mexico At a time when urban music dominates the Latin charts, this Mexican brothersister duo — who earlier in 2016 signed a deal to be jointly managed by Enrique Iglesias, his business partner Fernando Giaccardi and Red Light — has stuck with its distinct brand of acoustic guitar-centric pop embellished with rich vocal harmonies and rock accents. Un Besito Más, which ranges from the slow country sounds of the title track to the dance-ready, rumbastyle “No Soy Una de Esas” (featuring Alejandro Sanz), debuted at No. 1 on the Top Latin Albums chart and won a Latin Grammy for best contemporary pop vocal album. This is the siblings’ second Grammy nomination; their first was in 2013, in…

FROM FEB. 9 THROUGH Feb. 12, the city of Los Angeles will experience an economic boom that hits everything from restaurants and hotels to the local drug market. Where in years past out-of-town artists and executives might have done the Grammy Awards in a quick 48-hour turnaround, for many they now represent an extended weekend, which means big business for the local economy. According to the city’s Tourism & Convention Board and Micronomics, the 2014 Grammys brought in $82 million from shopping, transportation and entertainment, among other sources. More than 8,800 Grammy attendees were from out of town and on average stayed four nights and spent $744 per day. That four-day average is a recent phenomenon. “People used to come in the night before, and if they were performing, they…

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM Skin FLUME Label Mom+Pop Music/Future Classic One of the few dance musicians to crack the mainstream in 2016, Australian DJproducer Flume (born Harley Streten) has steadily been building a case for Grammy consideration since he started making songs in 2010. His eponymous 2012 full-length debut showed chart appeal — peaking at No. 12 on the Top Dance/Electronic Albums tally — and his remixes for Sam Smith, Lorde and Disclosure gave him credibility, but it was Skin that made Flume’s atmospheric melange of future bass, avant electro-pop and neo-electronica nearly ubiquitous. Featuring guest contributions from Tove Lo, Vic Mensa, Raekwon and Beck, the LP landed on the Billboard 200 (No. 8) and yielded seven tracks on Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, including the Kai-bolstered electro-R&B tune “Never Be Like…

BEST RAP ALBUM Coloring Book CHANCE THE RAPPER Label N/A Coloring Book isn’t just the first streamingonly mixtape album to be nominated for a Grammy. It’s also a soulful, gospel-tinged explosion of creativity tied together by Chance’s infectious personality and unconventional rap structures. The project also broke more than just Recording Academy precedents: Upon its release as an Apple Music exclusive in May, Coloring Book became the first album to appear on the Billboard 200 based on streaming numbers alone, debuting at No. 8 with 57.3 million streams. The album’s 14 tracks bring in more than a dozen high-profile guests — Justin Bieber, Kanye West and Lil Wayne among them — yet it never feels like anyone other than Chance is steering the ship. And the Anonymous Nobody DE LA…

Dressed-Up Denim Elevate jeans with a statement piece: “The shirt or jacket has to be of a really beautiful material,” says stylist Lauren Matos, who works with Wiz Khalifa. If Pharrell Williams’ bouclé women’s Chanel jacket is too adventurous, try a blazer with patches or pins. Tough Luxe Boots While stilettos still reign, boots like Selena Gomez’s can be a powerful alternative. “Make sure there is something to balance the casual,” says Jennifer Lopez’s stylist, Rob Zangardi. In this case, layered resin and metal cuffs add polish. Basic On Top “The turtleneck-and-skirt combination is timeless, feminine and sexy,” according to stylists Zangardi and Mariel Haeen, who together dressed Ciara for the American Music Awards. “We loved that it accentuated her baby bump, but it was something she would wear even…

THE PATCH CORNER #BROOKLYNPATCH Although it took four years for Bridgit Mendler to follow up her debut album, Hello My Name Is... , the 23-year-old artist wasn’t willing to rush the journey — and it shows. On Nov. 18, Mendler released the four-song EP Nemesis, which, both lyrically and tonally, is a significant departure from the pop sound of her 2012 release and a sign of her growth as a singer-songwriter. In New York for a performance at Baby’s All Right in Brooklyn, Mendler discussed her new EP and progression as an artist while staying at The Patch House by SOUR PATCH KIDS, which provides accommodations for touring artists. “I’ve learned so much about music and the creative process with other people,” she says. “Coming from a very particular way…