Sheila E.,UsherandFKA twigstook center stage at the 2020Grammy Awardsin Los Angeles Sunday for the special salute.
Usher performing at the 2020 Grammys.Kevin Winter/Getty Images
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FKA twigs, 32, danced on a pole and then joined Usher to show off her moves with him during his version of “Kiss,” which had the audience at the Staples Center on their feet.
She later tweeted that she would have preferred to sing during the tribute, but was happy to be involved.
“Of course i wanted to sing at the grammys,” FKA twigs tweeted. “i wasn’t asked this time but hopefully in the future. none the less what an honour. congratulations to all the winners x.”
Sheila E., 62, Prince’s one-time fiancé, and longtime friend and collaborator, will also serve as musical director for the Recording Academy’supcoming concert specialin honor of the late icon.
She said that she trusted Usher to choose the songs.
“I asked Usher what he wanted to sing,” she told press after the performance. “If someone’s gonna do a tribute, you wanna ask them what songs they would like to sing because it has to be personal. You can’t just say, ‘Yeah, just sing this song’ because it doesn’t mean anything to them. I wanted to go through what songs meant something to him lyrically. It’s important for him to dance, to sing and be featured and as an entertainer he does all of the above.”
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Earlier this month, the Recording Academy announced the upcoming concert, titledLet’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince, which will be performed on Jan. 28 in Los Angeles, with a televised air date in April. Among the artists enlisted to evoke the Purple One areJohn Legend,Usher, Common and this year’s Grammys host,Alicia Keys.
“Regardless of how you identify [Prince], he is indisputably one of the greatest musical virtuosos of all time,” Recording Academy President and CEO Deborah Dugan said in a statement.
“With his subversive attitude and commanding nature, he straddled musical genres and created electrifying music that was bursting with character,” he added. “He continuesto serve as an inspirational iconfor artists and fans worldwide, and we are so honored to pay tribute to his legacy.”
Be sure to check out PEOPLE’sfull Grammy Awards coverageto get the latest news on music’s biggest night.
Sheila E, Prince.Jesse Grant/WireImage
Sheila E. previously toldRolling Stonethat she was “honored” to pay musical tribute to Prince, whodied in 2016 at the age of 57, “for so many reasons.”
“To be able to help celebrate the life of a dear friend and be a part of this and be musical director is awesome,” she said. “Musically, there’s so much to choose from. … It’s almost unfair to do a two-hour tribute to him — we could do a full week.”
“At the end of the day, it’s him bringing people together and having a good time,” she added.
The 62ndGrammy Awardsare airing live from Los Angeles’ Staples Center on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.
source: people.com
