Lizzo, Billie Eilish, RosalÃa rule at pre-Grammy Spotify gig
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Lizzo screamed at the top of her lungs, Lil Nas X brought out Billy Ray Cyrus for 'œOld Town Road'ť and Billie Eilish sang softly with her brother-turned-producer assisting on keys.
The three artists - the acts with the most nods at Sunday's Grammy Awards - celebrated their nominations for best new artist Thursday night at Spotify's annual event honoring breakthrough performers.
Lizzo kicked off the show in Los Angeles for a crowd of music industry players - some jaded, others in a chatty mode.
'œAre you happy to be here?'ť she questioned. 'œAm I the first person to perform tonight? So y'all really not loose yet. Let's loosen the (expletive) up.'ť
The singer - the top contender Sunday, with eight nominations - worked her magic onstage and won over the audience, singing the popular hits 'œGood as Hell'ť and 'œTruth Hurts,'ť which is nominated for record and song of the year.
Eilish is also up for the same honors with 'œBad Guy,'ť which she performed Thursday. Dressed like a neon highlighter, she shined brightly - both with her performance and outfit.
'œI look extra as (expletive). This outfit is stupid,'ť she said. 'œIf I saw someone wearing this...'ť
But she was top-notch as she sat still and sang beautifully, hitting all the right notes on songs like 'œOcean Eyes'ť and 'œidontwannabeyouanymore.'ť She was backed by her brother Finneas, who is also nominated for multiple Grammys since he produced and engineered his 18-year-old sister's debut album, 'œWhen We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?'ť It was Spotify's most-streamed album of 2019.
'œGrammys are on Sunday,'ť said Eilish, nominated for six awards. 'œThis (expletive) is crazy.'ť
Lil Nas X, also competing for six honors, was energetic as he worked the stage with hits like 'œPanini,'ť 'œRodeo'ť and 'œOld Town Road,'ť surprising the audience with Cyrus. Spanish singer RosalÃa also brought out a special guest: Puerto Rican singer Ozuna joined her for the anthemic hit 'œYo x Ti, Tu x Mi.'ť
RosalÃa, who mixes traditional flamenco sounds with reggaeton and Latin trap, won album of the year at the Latin Grammys in November with 'œEl Mal Querer.'ť The album is competing Sunday for best Latin rock, urban or alternative album.
RosalÃa worked the stage with skilled choreography and background dancers who matched her striking energy, and she earned the loudest standing ovation Thursday.
'œIt's such an honor to perform here tonight, honestly, because I really admire all the artists who are performing here tonight,'ť she said.
Other performers, and best new artist nominees, included singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, British country-soul singer Yola, Austin-based soul duo Black Pumas and New Orleans funk-soul band Tank and the Bangas.
Lizzo worked double duty Thursday night, running from Spotify's event to sing another four-song set at a pre-Grammy party thrown by her parent record label, Warner. The singer-rapper - who released her debut album in 2013 and toured for years before her major breakthrough last year - thanked Spotify for helping her reach a wider audience.
'œI wanna thank Spotify so much for being there with me from the beginning. I know I'm the best new artist nominee, but this (stuff) is not new to me,'ť she said.
'œBut I am new to the world and that's all because of the people at Spotify who brought me into their offices when I had 50,000 fans and showed me the (expletive) pie chart and was like, '~All your fans are in Minneapolis,''ť Lizzo explained, referencing where she started her musical career. 'œAnd they were like, '~Let's make that global.' And they did. And now I have 42 million monthly listeners, a billion streams and I'm among the lineup of incredible new artists.'ť
____
AP Entertainment Writer Andrew Dalton contributed to this report.