It’s been announced that your hostess with the mostest will be an iconic Grammy legend in her own right…Alicia Keys
“Alicia Keys will be the host of the 61st Grammy Awards. Fifteen-time Grammy winner Keys posted a video of the moment she found out that she’d been picked to host the Feb. 10 show on Tuesday morning (Jan. 15), captioning the clip, “I’m sooo EXCITED to announce that I’ll be hosting the 61st Annual Grammy Awards!! There’s so much in store and I CAN’T WAIT for y’all to see it ALL come to life.”
IT’S OFFICIAL! 15-time GRAMMY winner @AliciaKeys will host the 61st #GRAMMYs, marking her first time as master of ceremonies for Music’s Biggest Night. pic.twitter.com/DsgsYqDNej— Recording Academy / GRAMMYs (@RecordingAcad) January 15, 2019
In the nine-minute video, Keys hops on a phone call and gets the big news from her manager, Johnny Wright. “What would you say if I told you that you have a chance to host the whole damn thing?” Wright says to her surprise. “Wait, what? Are you serious?” Keys then begins dancing and shouting “yeah!” before joking, “wait, what if I don’t want to do it?”
“I know what it feels like to be on that stage, and I’m going to bring that vibe and energy,” said Keys in a statement. “I’m so excited to be the master of ceremonies on the biggest night in music and celebrate the creativity, power and, magic. I’m especially excited for all the incredible women nominated this year! It’s going up on February 10!”
Outgoing Recording Academy President/CEO Neil Portnow added in a statement, “A dynamic artist with the rare combination of groundbreaking talent and passion for her craft, Alicia Keys is the perfect choice as host for our show. Throughout her exciting career, I have watched her become a powerful force within the music industry and beyond. As an artist who speaks to the power of music for good, a role model, and a spokesperson for change, we are thrilled to have her on board for what’s sure to be an unforgettable GRAMMY Awards.”
“Alicia is one of those rare artists who meld true musical genius with heartfelt emotional lyrics to create a unique approach to everything she does. We have no doubt that she’ll bring all of that as she guides millions of GRAMMY viewers through what we believe will be a very special show in February,” said longtime Grammy Awards Executive Producer Ken Ehrlich in a statement.
Kendrick Lamar leads this year’s nominees with eight nods, and Drake follows with seven. Producer Boi-1da and Brandi Carlile earned six apiece, making Carlile the most nominated woman at the 2019 Grammys. Cardi B, Childish Gambino, H.E.R., Lady Gaga, Maren Morris, producer Sounwave and mastering engineer Mike Bozzi follow with five nods.
Watch Keys clown around with some golden gramophones, call her super excited mom, break the news to husband Swizz Beatz and the couple’s not-that-impressed children and go to some wardrobe fittings.
The 61st Grammy Awards will air on Sunday, Feb. 10 on CBS at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. P.T.” – Billboard.com
