The Honors Nights Before the Grammys
Coco Jones, Jelly Roll and more were honored at pre- Grammys parties by Spotify and Def Jam and Grey Goose.
Every year since 2017
Grammys' fresh faces have a moment to shine at Spotify's annual Best New Artist nominees bash in Los Angeles.
“To me it signifies a struggle together,” Jelly Roll, born Jason Bradley DeFord, said of being included in the Grammys category. “There's this shared theme between all of us that we kind of struggled at a point in our own way. And I feel that connection.”
The honor recognizes artists with distinctive voices; whether they're industry veterans or newbies, it's to toast their breakout year.
“I spent a lot of my life feeling really unseen, so it was really cool to have that moment,” Jelly Roll said of the recognition. “I felt really seen.”
He was joined at the streamer's event by fellow nominees Gracie Abrams, Fred Again, Ice Spice, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét and The War and Treaty. Each took the stage Thursday night for a mini concert held at Paramount Studios, ahead of music's biggest night on Sunday.
For Monét, known for her work with Ariana Grande, among others, it's been the highlight of her career. She was in a hotel room in L.A. when she saw the news.
“That's a pretty big moment,” she said of her Grammy nomination.
Meanwhile, Abrams was home in New York.
“I was in my bed by myself with my heating pad on, watching the livestream,” she said — standing out in men's Bode. “I've watched it every year that they've done it, really, as a fan. And I had no expectations. It was just kind of pure shock.” Jones was also in bed — flying high. “I was actually asleep [on a plane],” she said. “And I knew that once I landed I would be finding out whether I was nominated or not. So I went to sleep. The time zones changed so everyone knew before me. I woke up to all these messages, and I was really just shocked. I was anxious to land so I could call people back.”
On Friday, Jones — nominated for five Grammys — was honored by her label, Def
Jam, in partnership with Grey Goose. The packed party was on the rooftop of The West Hollywood Edition, where Jones was surrounded by her team and close friends. The woman of the hour had one request.
“Dancing is the requirement,” said the 26-year-old singer and actress. “This isn't a networking party, I'm sorry. If you haven't made connections by this day, by this Friday, you're out of luck. We're dancing. We're not catching content. We're living in the moment.”
Guests included Snow Tha Product, Ryan Destiny, Lakeyah, Kaliii and Reginae Carter.
“Grammy nominations, sold out shows, less than two years later we're here,” said Def Jam Recordings chief executive officer Tunji Balogun. “We're all so proud of you. And we're all so lucky to be able to work with you. And we know that this is just the beginning of your amazing musical journey — not the beginning but the new chapter, you know what I mean? You've been working so hard. You're one of the hardest working people I know. And you deserve all of this. And we salute you. We cheers to you, and we love you.”
They raised their glasses, sipping on espresso martinis and lemon drops.
“Let's dance,” Jones went on. “Let's have a good time.”
“That's my girl,” said singer and Fenty model Margie Plus. What makes her a fan?
“Just seeing her growth from literally Disney to now,” Plus said of Jones, who got her start on Disney's “So Random!” “And seeing someone who has been so motivated in her dreams. Because it just shows us that you can be more than one thing. You can be an actress. You can be a singer. You can be an influencer. You can be a songwriter. You can be all these things and still be an amazing artist.”
This summer Plus will appear in an MTV reality show alongside Chanel West Coast: “It's about a group of friends that are trying to make it in Hollywood. We're all in music, and we all come from different walks of life, but we're all supporting each other and trying to lift each other up.”
She's also getting ready to release her next single in about two weeks, “I Need It Now.”
“It's a dance track,” she said. “It's about
being authentic to yourself. The opening lyrics are, ‘There is no right body type. We're all the same under strobe lights.'”
Plus, who throws a party at the hotel on Thursdays, is no stranger to the strobe lights at The Edition's basement club, Sunset, where the party continued at Boogie Nights. Hosted by producer and DJ Alissia Benveniste, it brought out Anderson .Paak who took over the booth as DJ Pee Wee.
The likes of Leon Thomas, Destin Conrad, Shaun Ross, Tokio Hotel's Bill Kaulitz and Lucky Daye danced under the mirrored disco balls. And in the very early morning hours, none other than Doja Cat dropped by, shying away from camera flashes.