The CMA board had decided that, due to the scandal over his being caught saying a racial slur, Wallen would not be eligible for any awards except for those that also included other nominees - in other words, he couldn’t compete for entertainer or male vocalist, but anything else was fair game. There had been some anticipation that Morgan Wallen might win the award for “Dangerous: The Double Album,” which would have led to some uncomfortable media scrutiny and questioning headlines, since Wallen had been barred from performing on or even attending the ceremony. Stapleton’s win for album of the year for “Starting Over” came as a relief to some - but certainly not all - of the Nashville community. 10, 2021, at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tenn. Osborne, left, and John Osborne, of Brothers Osborne, pose in the press room with the award for best vocal duo of the year at the 55th annual CMA Awards on Wednesday, Nov. “I Love My Hair” was introduced by Faith Fennidy, a Black student in Louisiana who was sent home from school after being told her braids violated school policy, an incident that inspired Guyton to write the song. And I just wish, I wish, my younger me could see me now.” The song that followed was written by Osborne after he came out as gay early in 2021, still a rarity in the mainstream country realm.Īlso making a statement was Mickey Guyton, who sang her recent album track “I Love My Hair,” joined in a trio by fellow Black artists Brittney Spencer and Madeline Edwards, who together ensured that country music was having one of its best hair days ever. And I always truthfully felt like it would never be possible because of my sexuality. Introducing the song “Younger Me,” singer TJ Osborne said it has been his dream growing up to be at the CMAs, but “there were so many hurdles for me. He was a double-winner in two of those categories for being a producer as well as artist and songwriter.Īlong with Stapleton, several others were making repeat trips to the podium, like Old Dominion, picking up the band’s fourth win for group of the year, and Brothers Osborne, also getting a fourth trophy for vocal duo of the year.īut it wasn’t just business-as-usual all night for Brothers Osborne and others. To me, that's always been the heart of this song: the uncertainty of moving into something new that plays across her face and the hope for what could possibly lie ahead that plays across his.Despite missing out in the entertainer category, Stapleton otherwise swept the awards, winning honors for male vocalist as well as album, single and song, all for his “Starting Over” album and its title track.
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There's a moment in the original opening credit sequence when Weezie Jefferson, played by Isabel Sanford, wipes tears while she stares out of the window of the cab taking her to her new life and George (Sherman Hemsley) grabs her hand in comfort and tosses his head back in triumph. More seriously, the song speaks to a specifically black experience of overcoming against the odds that, for some, requires a deep reserve of faith and provokes a gospel-like fervor.
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The song is a sort of praise anthem for the wonders of capitalism, as George, a small business owner, achieves such success that he's able to move into a fancy apartment building with an interracial couple as neighbors. Third, the choir! Half of the genius of "Movin' On Up" is the gospel-inflected background vocals. Pictured above, me sneaking into a conversation when I hear a little bit of drama.
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The "Jennifer Hudson randomly giving you life" moment deserves its own category on awards shows and possibly a multiplayer game where you can pit her song from Hairspray against the time she got up in the middle of The Voice UK and started belting "The Impossible Dream."Ī brief selection of times JHud has given you musical dramatics to ease your nerves, lower your debt, and erase your frown lines: The Impossible Dream But JHud seems to have built a comfortable melismatic niche out of showing up just when you needed her most, singing her face off (and your face, everyone's face no faces!), and then bopping on out of there. Jennifer Hudson is not the only person who could tear the roof off with this song Cynthia Erivo, Heather Headley, Jazmine Sullivan, and Patti Labelle also come to mind, among many others.
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brought the house down! #TheJeffersons #LiveInFrontOfAStudioAudience /6Bxz8cJYjQ- ABC May 23, 2019ĬAN YOU BELIEVE YOU ARE ALIVE TO SEE THIS?! There are so many perfect things about this one-minute video starting with the selection of Hudson.