Alicia Keys talks gender diversity and the Grammys: 'There’s not enough balance of power'
Alicia Keys is returning to host the Grammy Awards for the second year in a row after becoming the first female host in 14 years to do so.
The 15-time Grammy winner finds it revolting that it took so long for a woman once again host the most prestigious awards show in music.
"Don’t you find that when you hear these stats, you’re vomiting in your mouth?" she told Billboard. "It’s obvious, s--- is upside-down. There’s not enough balance of power."
She said accepting the hosting gig "felt right."
"I knew that a lot of women were nominated, and that it was really about the women for the show," she told the outlet. "A lot of my sisters and a lot of my friends were going to be a part of it, and it felt right to be in that mix and ushering in that new energy."
Keys drew rave reviews for her hosting the show in February 2019, featuring an amazing performance by her on two pianos simultaneously.
"I wanted to create this love fest where we could celebrate each other’s greatness and just have fun," the "Girl on Fire" singer shared. "We’re all trying to make our way through a very chaotic time, and we all just need a little celebration -- to feel like we’re with friends, like somebody actually cares."
As she prepares for the 2020 Grammy Awards, Keys says her goal is to recreate the atmosphere of classic television variety shows of the past.
"People who have created these beautiful variety-style shows, like Carol Burnett, or Sammy Davis Jr., or Dean Martin. Nobody does that anymore," Keys told Billboard.
"They had this cool mixture of musician and artist and comedian, so it mixed all of these worlds together in this casual [way], while they’re holding, like, a whiskey. I want to see how to modernize that," she added.
You can watch Alicia host the 62nd annual Grammy Awards Sunday, January 26, live from the Staples Center in Los Angeles on CBS.
