Gracie Abrams, Victoria Monét & Extra Mirror on Their Wins in 2024

This 12 months was once in large part outlined by means of pop stars who rewrote the foundations, style outlaws who succeeded in new territory and a rap red meat that gave us a unifying anthem. However all over the 12 months, a handful of artists had been taking part in their very own main milestones — ones that now not best outlined their 12 months, however their profession.

From award popularity to chart firsts to main synchs and extra, artists together with Victoria Monét, Gracie Abrams, Natasha Bedingfield, A. G. Cook dinner, Carín León, and Tems replicate on their defining moments of the 12 months.

Gracie Abrams

Final 12 months, each unmarried time I watched The Eras Excursion — which was once each time I opened — by no means as soon as did it really feel like there was once going to be an finish. Once we had been requested to return again, understanding that it could be to near it out, I in an instant felt so nostalgic for the revel in. Over the last few difficult, ordinary, horrifying years, Taylor has been a supply of sunshine for individuals who desperately wanted it, and for creating artists, the excursion has been an unimaginably vital springboard. For my profession, it’s been plain. It’s onerous to make sense of streaming numbers in your telephone — I’m now not any person who’s ever in point of fact been tremendous tapped into that information — so that you can monitor the variation in target audience reception somewhat actually in entrance of my eyes on The Eras Excursion has been mind-blowing. I assumed I used to be hallucinating once I first heard [Swifties] making a song my lyrics again.

What was once most enjoyable about my very own headlining excursion was once that I had made [2024 second album] The Secret of Us with my reside display in intellect. I’ve had essentially the most amusing appearing “us.” particularly as a result of at the days I’m now not making a song it with Taylor, it turns into this duet between all folks onstage and everyone within the crowd. And it was once nominated for a Grammy! The entire reason why Taylor and I wrote it within the first position was once we’d simply come off a dinner the place she’d very sweetly stated we had to rejoice my first Grammy nomination [for best new artist in 2023]. The overall circle of all of it is difficult for me to wrap my head round.

The Secret of Us has had essentially the most traction out of any of the tasks I’ve put out earlier than, and there are milestones which might be amusing to recognize. When “I Love You, I’m Sorry” ended up being the track that took off essentially the most, I felt find it irresistible was once — now not that we would have liked it — permission to permit acoustic guitar to stay the motive force in the back of “That’s So True,” which got here from the sensation of dwelling with a burning, fiery rage of jealousy. Seeing the existence that track is having at this time is psychotic to me. The target audience’s engagement has best felt more potent as those rooms have persevered to, by means of some miracle, extend. However what I clock as my metric for luck is the way it feels to create a factor after which sing it with a gaggle of people that resonate with it. I simply can’t imagine any of it’s actual.

Natasha Bedingfield

Final 12 months, my writer reached out and I identified the identify [in his pitch]. I used to be like, “Ah, [filmmaker] Will Gluck! I keep in mind him.” My track “Pocketful of Sunshine” was once a large a part of his [2010] film, Simple A. He turns out to make use of my songs in issues and so they resonate. So once I wrote again [about using “Unwritten” in his new film], I stated, “100% sure.”

I went to the premiere [of Anyone but You], and the actors had been like, “They simply stored making us sing your track!” I believe he made them sing it in each scene. I keep in mind my writer being like, “They’re in point of fact the use of it so much.” And so they even got here again once they edited the film and stated, “We if truth be told need to come up with a bit of extra money as a result of we ended up the use of the track much more.” We had been in point of fact blown away by means of the way it was once used and the way humorous it was once. There’s a second the place Sydney [Sweeney] is taking a look up at [Glen Powell’s] butt, making a song, “Attaining for one thing within the distance.” I imply, that’s the type of humor that I really like.

Folks watched the film and so they left making a song the track, after which they filmed themselves making a song it and put that up on TikTok. And I were given a choice from Will pronouncing, “For the reason that track is trending on TikTok, it’s making extra other people pass see the film.” So it was once this in point of fact superb factor that more or less served every different.

It appears like “Unwritten” has been one of the crucial songs of the 12 months. I think in point of fact touched by means of this, and I couldn’t have expected it. Final 12 months, I used to be pondering, “We want to do one thing for the [20th] anniversary! Let’s rejoice. Let’s put song out.” After which this came about with out me. It was once out of doors of my keep an eye on, and it’s simply been wilder than I may have imagined.

I believe it’s everybody’s track, however no person knew that till Someone however You. What’s so poetic about that is that “Unwritten” itself is a track that’s converting and rising, and the tale about it’s evolving. When I used to be writing it, we imagined the arenas and the stadiums and the group making a song it. And once we had been generating it, I keep in mind being like, “How will we select sounds that aren’t going to be dated?” “Unwritten” is like my child, and I am hoping it helps to keep shape-shifting.

A. G. Cook dinner

Charli and I had been speaking about doing remixes virtually from the start. I used to be in point of fact pushing this perception that I’ve about song usually within the post-streaming technology. I love that song doesn’t have to fully finish on the album liberate; the masters that get uploaded to streaming aren’t essentially the overall model.

What’s been so great about brat is that even how it was once rolled out, the Boiler Room set taking place early on and so on, it’s holistically been about there being other variations. We’d from time to time even speak about remixes whilst operating at the tracks themselves. There was once all the time this perception that one day, there can be a high-effort extension of the album. Thematically, brat is so fascinating in how it’s natural Charli, now not the use of options. However clearly there’s all that power increase for exact collaborations to occur. We knew whilst making it that if we would have liked to collaborate, that will pass at the remix album, however we’d additionally give collaborators company to make songs much more of their symbol.

The unique tracks had been running in actual time, so it was once no marvel that the remix album simply persevered that have [by reflecting on] the ones months [after brat’s release]. The confessional nature of brat additionally provoked numerous the remix collaborators to check that. Particularly the [“Girl, so confusing” remix with Lorde], as it was once conceived proper because the album got here out. That set the tone for the remixes to be exact conversations.

For [the “Mean girls” remix with Julian Casablancas], we would have liked to verify he may just in point of fact make it his personal, that it wasn’t simply “Julian’s going to leap on for a verse.” That might have felt flawed for everybody. Charli and I sought after to reveal, like, “We’re now not valuable. We’re high quality to dismantle it.” There are some remixes that didn’t occur just because we despatched it to other people and so they didn’t know the place to begin or had been uncomfortable making a fully other style. However the “Imply ladies” remix is a superb instance of constructing positive it didn’t simply really feel like a characteristic, however an amalgamation that will then problem Charli and I to additionally put ourselves on it.

The unique songs are as clubby as DJs need to cause them to, or now not. There’s such a lot ammo in brat, such a lot of intriguing moments that may be looped, taken aside. I’ve already heard other people do such a lot of of their very own remixes. There are humorous ones the place Charli is interviewed and is like, “Yeah, I really like dance song, however I don’t in point of fact like drum’n’bass.” Then there’ll be like 10 drum’n’bass remixes, virtually as like a “f–k you.” I believe that’s essentially the most amusing phase.

Carín León

Being on the Grand Ole Opry was once culturally very vital. As a Latino, as a Mexican, as partial to nation song, to visit the capital of nation and play throughout the temple of nation song intended so much to me. I believe we made our mark.

I’ve all the time been as regards to nation song, being attentive to Johnny Money, George Strait and the more recent era of artists who’re so just right and are breaking parameters and doing issues in a different way, simply as we’re with Mexican song. I really like what artists like Luke Combs and Put up Malone are doing, but when I had to select a unmarried nation act, it will be the nice Chris Stapleton. He’s given us numerous love.

In reality, the ultimate time we carried out within the South, we sang “Tennessee Whiskey,” and I stated, “Respectfully, for me, the most efficient nation singer, technically and artistically talking, is Chris Stapleton.” Then we discovered his spouse was once there, and he or she were given up and got here to the level to look us. It made me understand song in point of fact has no borders. We’ve a rustic mission set for subsequent 12 months, most commonly in English, with numerous collaborations.

We’ve been making different inroads with nation song this 12 months, and in the future my supervisor, Jorge Juárez, and I had been on a flight and he stated, “We’ve simply been showed for the Grand Ole Opry.” As though this was once commonplace. My first phrases had been “You’re kidding me!” As a result of I understand how onerous it’s to play there. Many American artists by no means get to do it. It felt like confirming the largest stadium ever.

It was once the end result of all the ones desires I had as a child of enjoying in a legendary and mythical area. Enjoying there allowed me to be me and to be that person who since formative years has beloved nation song, particularly as a result of our Mexican song is so influenced by means of nation. I believe it’s the one position the place I’ve cried onstage. It’s one thing cash can’t purchase — and a reminiscence I’ll take with me until the day I die.

Victoria Monét

I in point of fact preferred the method of having into the Grammys. I used to be doing numerous prep bodily, like staring at my meals consumption, a lot of exercises. A in point of fact particular second came about the place I took [my daughter] Hazel with me to a becoming with Versace. It was once my daughter’s first time on a purple carpet, and he or she [was going to] be matching with me. Versace allowed us to pick out a selected brown and produce that theme of [my album] Jaguar to existence.

[Winning the best new artist Grammy] was once one of the crucial greatest objectives that I had for the 12 months. You understand how a lot it takes to get popularity on this trade or carry a imaginative and prescient to existence and what sort of advertising it took to get there, what sort of center of attention and determination and sacrifice. [But I have this] yin-yang mentality like, despite the fact that this implies the sector to me and I respect it, I will’t make it my be-all and end-all to decide whether or not or now not I’m just right — for the reason that different [nominees] had been additionally superb and so they didn’t get it, and so they’re occurring with their lives and doing superb, improbable issues.

I’ve [my Grammys] on a banister upstairs; it’s more or less grow to be an awards banister. There are a couple of plaques there and a framed tweet concerning the Grammys that I tweeted in 2015, virtually like a manifestation. It places a pep on your step to understand that you simply did the fitting factor, but additionally you’ve got so a lot more paintings to do, so simply stay going and stay grounded and know that each one of these items are a blessing.

You need to proceed to do what you like despite the fact that the accolades don’t ever come once more. There have been a few years the place I assumed I used to be nice and I didn’t have the ones awards on my banister. It was once simply understanding, on account of my paintings ethic, greatness comes that means. And when the popularity and a focus come, you need to ensure that doesn’t grow to be your driver. The ones are extras, nevertheless it does really feel in point of fact great.

Tems

As soon as I’ve a imaginative and prescient, I’m all the time looking to do the whole lot to position my imaginative and prescient in position. However that may additionally from time to time become perfectionism, which I realized to let pass of whilst [making my debut album, Born in the Wild]. You [have to] be as original as conceivable and make allowance your self to go with the flow within the song — letting pass of anything else that you simply assume you’re intended to do, be or display.

I’m now not pondering an excessive amount of about genres or laws: “Oh, it’s important to make Afrobeats.” My “why” is other. My “why” is to liberate my ideas. It’s an honor with the intention to make song that you need to make and for other people with the intention to connect with it — and for any person to acknowledge that also is in point of fact nice.

[At Coachella], Wizkid was once round and we requested him if he’d pop out [to perform “Essence”], and he was once in point of fact down. Justin [Bieber] came about to even be round. He hit me up that morning and stated he’s down to return out if I wanted him. And I used to be like, “Sure!” It was once superb. Everyone was once going loopy. The group was once screaming, the ground was once shaking. It was once a vibe, like an enormous birthday party.

[In November], we had simply arrived in the dead of night in Melbourne, Australia, so I wasn’t pondering an excessive amount of concerning the Grammys. I used to be extraordinarily drained, so I went to mattress hoping to get slightly little bit of leisure earlier than my display the following day. Round 5 a.m., my telephone began vibrating on my mattress. It’s calls and other people shouting, “Oh, my God. Congrats!” I’m like, “Bro, what’s occurring?” They’re like, “Bro, 3 Grammy nominations!” It was once value being woken up for, particularly for the folk that experience labored in this album — now not simply me, however my buddy and my manufacturer [GuiltyBeatz], [and] Spax, [who] additionally engineered it.

There are such a lot of folks that labored sleepless nights and in point of fact did their perfect to lend a hand me out, and it’s stunning to look them have the popularity. All it takes is a Grammy-nominated mission that you simply had been part of in your existence to modify. That’s what I in point of fact care about essentially the most.

This tale seems within the Dec. 14, 2024, factor of Billboard.