Ariana Grande’s been all over the billboards and advertising for the Grammy Awards, but it appears the “thank u, next” singer won’t even be attending the show, where she’ll be among the nominees for Best Pop Solo Performance. Variety reports that, due to a disagreement with the show’s producers, Grande has bailed on both her scheduled performance and her seat in the audience.
Per Variety, Grande wanted to perform “7 Rings,” the latest single from Thank U, Next, which is due out Friday. The producers, for some reason, forbid that, but decided they’d let her play part of it in a medley with a song of their choosing. Grande is said to be “insulted” by the ordeal, especially since, as Variety’s sources reveal, such stipulations were not imposed on other performers.
This, of course, calls back to last year’s ceremony, when pop artist Lorde was the only Album Of The Year nominee not offered a solo performance. That situation, coupled with the overwhelming maleness of the ceremony (and, lest we forget, shitty comments from Recording Academy president Neil Portnow), led to a fierce backlash that the Grammys supposedly heard loud and clear. A little weird, then, that they’d try and exert so much control over the world’s biggest pop star.
“I feel like there are certain standards that pop women are held to that men aren’t,” Grande said in a Billboard cover story last year. “It’s just like, bruh, I just want to fucking talk to my fans and sing and write music and drop it the way these boys do.”
While this is a major loss for the Grammys, the ceremony is still packed to the gills with star power. Today, it was announced that Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, and Travis Scott, as will St. Vincent and Dua Lipa, who will be teaming up for a dual performance. Alicia Keys will host and, this being the Grammys, Post Malone will probably win.