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Renée Elise Goldsberry, as Wickie Roy in "Girls5Eva," poses in sequin dress

Renée Elise Goldsberry in "Girls5Eva"

Photo: Pari Dukovic

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Renée Elise Goldsberry On “Girls5Eva,” "Hamilton" renee-elise-goldsberry-interview-channeling-destinys-child-girls5eva-hamilton

Renée Elise Goldsberry Talks Channeling Destiny's Child On “Girls5Eva,” Surprise Of Winning GRAMMY For "Hamilton" & More

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Taking a break from working on her long-awaited solo debut album, Renée Elise Goldsberry sat for a few laughs with GRAMMY.com about “Girls5Eva,” how musical theater helped her survive the pandemic, and more
Christopher A. Daniel
GRAMMYs
Jun 8, 2021 - 12:58 pm

What started out as eavesdropping on a 15-minute chit-chat between the members of Destiny’s Child at a television show soundcheck in the early 2000s quickly morphed into Renée Elise Goldsberry becoming a sponge of the music business. The then-background singer for the show’s house band closed her eyes and daydreamed about what it would be like to have success traveling the world as a successful musician.

It’s been two decades since then, and that dream to join a timeless all-female musical act has come true. The GRAMMY- and Tony-winning singer/songwriter and actress that ignited the Broadway stage as Angelica Schuyler in “Hamilton” currently co-stars as the over-the-top prima donna Wickie Roy on the Peacock TV serial mockumentary "Girls5Eva."

The eight-episode satire executive produced by Tina Fey chronicles a '90s girl group that attempts to reunite, relive their glory days, and heal old wounds after being sampled on a megahit by a young rapper. "Girls5Eva"'s irreverent jabs split with the comedy’s catchy musical numbers affords Goldsberry yet another vehicle to showcase her knack for using musical theater to transport her audience into the past and celebrate nostalgia.

The imaginative, multi-talented thespian racked up more Broadway credits in "The Color Purple," "The Lion King," "Rent" and "Good People." Coming-of-age between Houston and Detroit, Goldsberry, who co-starred in the feature films Waves and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, took on the small screen with memorable roles on "Ally McBeal," "One Life to Live," "The Good Wife," "Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist" and "Altered Carbon."

Goldsberry recently narrated the PBS documentary on singer Marian Anderson, Voice of Freedom, and lent her voice to Fast & Furious Spy Racers. The Emmy-nominated mother of two is set to join the cast of the upcoming Disney Jr. musical animated series "Eureka!" along with Marvel’s Disney+ series "She-Hulk."

Taking a break from putting the finishing touches on her long-awaited solo debut LP (due out later this year), Goldsberry sat for a few laughs with GRAMMY.com about "Girls5Eva," winning a GRAMMY for "Hamilton," and how musical theater helped her survive the pandemic.

What attracted you to portraying Wickie Roy on “Girls5Eva?”

I’ve been trying to get into that role since the ‘90s. I was trying to be in a group, get signed to a label, and have my Destiny’s Child dreams come true. Everything that happened in 2020 made it really clear that I will accept anything positive—with laughter, music or anything that’s about a second chance.

"Say My Name" 20 Years Later: Why The Destiny's Child Staple Is Still On Everyone's Lips

Are there any ‘90s-era artists you looked to that helped you mold the character?

What’s interesting is we talk about “Girls5Eva” being a failed pop group because they had one hit but couldn’t back it up. I’ve long stopped looking at one-hit wonders as failures because I ain’t had one hit yet. That’s young people saying one-hit wonder like they’re a joke. One-hit wonders won the lottery and beat all of the odds.

I was Wickie except I didn’t get into a girl group that got signed, had a hit song, and all of my dreams come true. I didn’t have the opportunity to blow it like Wickie did. It made me envious but more understanding to root for her. I learned from Wickie the audacity to believe that it isn’t too late to have that satisfaction that you made it if you can still dream it and put yourself out there.

For The Record: The Transformational Public Heartache Of Janet Jackson's 'All For You' At 20

Did you create playlists? If so, what’s on there?

Oh gosh: all of the ‘90s rap for sure, but definitely Mary J. Blige, En Vogue, Destiny’s Child, TLC, and every Janet Jackson hit of that time because she was a style and choreography icon along with those videos and her ability to redefine herself. I looked at the groups because they looked like they were having so much fun.

How was the chemistry on-set?

We had a great style team. The first thing I asked while they were still excited about me was about my hair. Wickie is fabulous, and whatever other mistakes she makes in life, she don’t mess up on her hair. She’s the real thing, and I had this vision that she was really bravely reinventing herself all the time like Madonna, so I asked if we could get [hair stylist] Takisha Sturdivant-Drew.

They had this really great wardrobe stylist and music from Jeff Richmond. The last piece of the puzzle were the three women I got to do this with: Sara Bareilles, Paula Peel and Busy Phillips. The chemistry we immediately had with each other was so electric; there’s so much love, we were those girls like Destiny’s Child. We were so excited that somebody was gonna dress us up together, give us some great songs and choreography, and let us do that and live that dream.

"Theater helps me in everything that I do… We dream really big in theater."

How do your experiences on Broadway reflect through “Girls5Eva?”

Theater helps me in everything that I do. It helps me know how to rely on the people that I’m working with because you can’t do any piece in the theater without being completely dependent on not only the people onstage with you but the people that are running the lights, behind-the-scenes, and mixing. It is truly a village of people that make you good. We dream really big in theater.

It seems like a limited set of tools we have because we’re not traveling all over the world; we’re in this one little black box, but we pull it off letting our imaginations run wild and make the groups of people that come into this box believe they’re in these places we’re taking them. It develops that muscle so that you’ll take really big risks in film and television because you’ve pulled it off in that little, dark space.

What qualities do you think Black women bring to Broadway?

We bring no apologies; that’s the most important thing. Knowing the more different that I am, the better I am. Believing the things that I grew up being told were subcultural are actually the most interesting, flavorful, spicy and exciting things that exist in the world.

In theater, I’ve studied the great people that came before me, and one thing I love about reading about so many of those people is how hard it was to be recognized and how hard they had to work to be able to tell all kinds of stories. That’s what I love about the time we’re living in, especially uniquely right now with COVID-19, where we’ve not been able to do what we do, but we’ve taken advantage of this break to really think about how we’re gonna come back stronger.

We’ve really spent a lot of time looking at ourselves in the mirror, saying as artists, we do a lot of pointing our finger at what’s wrong in other industries. We haven’t been responsible for the ways that we’re failing, and we’re not gonna do that when we get back. I’m excited as a Black woman and woman of color with any profile in theater whatsoever to be part of that revamp.

How did you and the cast of "Hamilton" react to the GRAMMY win for Best Musical Theater Album in 2016?

It was a surreal moment of complete ignorance. The crazy thing about the GRAMMY is when I was standing onstage and we won it, which was the most amazing moment for anybody ever in the theater, the GRAMMYs did this amazing thing. We couldn’t come to L.A., and because this was a unique situation, they actually allowed us to be on our stage on Broadway because we had to do a show.

I’m standing onstage with my cast, and they announced Hamilton wins this GRAMMY. I’m screaming with excitement, crying, jumping up and down because I’m thinking Lin-Manuel Miranda had just won. I did not know that I had won one, too; I didn’t know that if you’re on a cast album, then you actually win a GRAMMY as well. When it shows up to the house, it’s one of the most beautiful awards that you can have; it’s heavy, beautiful and shiny. I felt like I won it all over again.

Could you share some details about your upcoming role in Marvel’s "She-Hulk?"

It’s so cool. I’m actually in this really strange situation where I’m not officially allowed to talk about anything Marvel, and I don’t know much to talk about except for that I’m the biggest Marvel fan in the world. I’ve spent the pandemic watching any Marvel show that I missed; there’s some clairvoyance behind a lot of the plots, and I’m always getting chills behind some of that storytelling and character development.

I look at friends of mine like Teyonah Parris and Anthony Mackie just killing it, and I can’t imagine how many amazing actors down the pike are gonna have an opportunity to join that universe. They just do a really good job at dreaming for really wonderful actors. It would be amazing if I had an opportunity to have even the slightest bit of that world, but until that time, I’ll happily be watching that on television.

What satisfaction do you get from doing voiceover work?

It’s such a godsend. It’s another one of those things I couldn’t seem to break into, just like landing a record deal. It’s the most talented people in the world—the greatest writers and actors—really doing amazing things with their voices. You look at “The Simpsons,” and they can all play about a hundred different roles.

When I was coming up, there was the challenge of being typecast; if you’re Black, you had to sound like this type of McDonald’s commercial. That was frustrating to me when my voice type could be anything. The most important thing I could sound like is myself. The beauty of “Hamilton” is that I get a lot of really wonderful opportunities like “Eureka!” I have a son about to turn 12 and a daughter who’s eight, and they love watching television and reading books written by and featuring people of color. Now to be able to voice some of those characters has been awesome because my kids think I’m cool.

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Is there anything else “Girls5Eva” is allowing you to explore creatively that you haven’t before?

I’m writing an album. It’s exciting to be able to come through COVID with something artistic to show for that time, that I actually created. I was really stressed when we went into this because everybody kept saying learn a language, start a podcast, do a cooking show. I was just trying to stay alive and pay my bills. COVID lasted a lot longer than I hoped, but I had the opportunity to collaborate with some really wonderful producers to make a solo album that I’m really really proud of. It’s pop/R&B, my own voice, my own words, great tracks, great music. “Girls5Eva” inspired me to do this unapologetically; I just can’t wait.

One Year After #TheShowMustBePaused, Where Do We Stand? Black Music Industry Leaders Discuss

GRAMMYs

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis

Photo: Marselle Washington

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Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Finally Drop Debut LP legendary-duo-jimmy-jam-terry-lewis-interview-release-debut-album-jam-lewis-volume-one

35 Years In, Legendary Duo Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis Finally Release Their Debut Album, 'Jam & Lewis Volume One'

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GRAMMY-winning superproducers Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis detail making their first full-length album, 'Jam & Lewis Volume One,' their Midas touch, and their groundbreaking involvement with the Recording Academy
Christopher A. Daniel
GRAMMYs
Jul 9, 2021 - 11:23 am

Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis were actively writing and producing for their musical alter ego, The Secret, in 1986 when a demo they'd just completed caught the attention of an A&M Records executive. That minimal dance-pop track went on to become Janet Jackson's first Top Five hit, "What Have You Done For Me Lately," and put Jam and Lewis' personal recording careers on the backburner for awhile, their hit-making production and songwriting skills suddenly and incessantly in-demand.

The GRAMMY-winning Minneapolis natives' induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2017 encouraged them to revisit their dream to make their own albums. The prolific twosome is finally releasing their debut full-length project, Jam & Lewis Volume One, today, July 9, via BMG in collaboration with their revamped label, Perspective Records. At approximately 50 minutes, the Oscar and Emmy nominees' 10-track effort features The Sounds of Blackness, Toni Braxton, Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Babyface, Boyz II Men, Usher, Charlie Wilson, The Roots, Heather Headley, Morris Day, and Jerome Benton.

"We would love it if people listened to the record from start to finish," Jam said. "The thought process for all of the artists on the album is if you say the artist name and mention it's a new song by them, what would you want that song to sound like?  We use the word 'newstalgia,' which is the discovery moment of hearing something new but that comforting moment of familiarity."

Jam and Lewis originally pivoted and morphed into accomplished songwriters and producers after departing from the Prince-produced funk outfit The Time in 1983. The fedora and sunglass-wearing pair's knack for tailor-making tunes regardless of genres under their imprint, Flyte Tyme Productions, resulted in timeless classics for Klymaxx, Cheryl Lynn, The Human League, The S.O.S. Band, Alexander O'Neal, Cherelle, Herb Alpert, Force MDs, Robert Palmer, George Michael, New Edition, Michael Jackson, Yolanda Adams, TLC, Vanessa Williams, Patti Labelle, Barry White, Elton John, and Gwen Stefani.

The multi-instrumentalists, who originally met as teenagers at a college readiness program, have placed 41 songs in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100; earned more number one singles (16!) than any other songwriter and producer in history, and received over 100 gold and platinum plaques. The winner of five GRAMMYs, Jam and Lewis earned 11 career Producer Of The Year nominations, more than any other in the history of the Recording Academy. In 2007, Jam became the Recording Academy's first Black chair of the board.

GRAMMY.com recently caught up with Jam and Lewis to hear details about making their first full-length album, their Midas touch, and their groundbreaking involvement with the Recording Academy.

What's that like coming full circle as sought-after producers and artists?

Jam: Being outfront feels interesting. We really are the assist guys; we set the artists up to score, so it's a little different being the scorers this time. We're prepared for it because we started out as artists with The Time 40 years ago, but our artistry is all really based on just making everybody look really good. So with all of the artists involved, they're the inspiration for what we do. The difference [on this album] is our name is in big letters instead of little letters, but we pretty much do the same thing.

Lewis: We're used to being Nostradamus for everyone. All of the artists that we work with, we're fans of those people: their art and of them as humans. The hang factor is always high there. This project is a reflection of that; we got to hang with the people that we love and make music.

The long story is after the music stops being created and you let it part from your hands, then the other things begin. That's the part I'm still trying to get used to because I'm used to it for someone else. People love the songs, but now they're asking about videos, who's doing the artwork for the album cover, or who's the stylist. I hadn't thought about that. We can see everyone else from a 360-degree cycle, so we have to incorporate other people to help us see the vision for what we can't see. That's a little strange because we've never had management or too much of the other fluff things that make successful artists. Being an artist is no joke; it's no day at the beach.

How did you decide on which artists to collaborate with for your debut project?

Jam: We made a wishlist, which is ever-evolving, of people that we wanted to work with. Terry always calls it "hang factories:" the people we enjoy just being around whether we're making music or just hanging out. Then subject to their availability or other factors that go into it, that's how we determined the ten we thought were good enough to have. We also thought we wanted to have something that was long enough.

It was a combination of people we've worked with before and really loved working with, a few people that we've never had the chance to work with before, so it was a good opportunity to do that. There's a volume two already in the works and hopefully a volume three and four. One of our goals overall is we want to leave music in a better place than we found it; we can do that by creating music with great artists. It elevates everything, especially Black music.

Did your track record with Janet Jackson influence this album in any way?

Jam: The Control album days that we worked on with Janet helped us realize the palette we had to work with was endless. It wasn't that we had to say we couldn't do uptempo or downtempo, in this key, a rock song or a sensual love song. Everything was open, and we got a sense of trust with each other right away. That's been the key.

[Her] albums up to All For You and later Unbreakable, we did the whole album. Not only were we able to do the songs on the album, but we were able to arrange them in the order with the little interludes in between, so it was almost like telling a story or reading a book. That's how great records were done.

What's Going On by Marvin Gaye is probably our favorite albums of all-time because of the way the songs are sequenced and how they flow together with continuous thought. That, to me, was always the brilliance of making albums. That's what we love about doing this Jam & Lewis album; it's an actual album. There's something that's very special about that.

Watch For The Record: Inside Marvin Gaye's Revolutionary 'What's Going On' At 50

Is there a story that you're telling with the album sequencing?

Jam: The Sounds of Blackness was our musical foundation. It's very good for us to see our label logo for Perspective Records also. When we started Perspective 30 years ago this year, our idea was to give people the music that they needed, not necessarily what they wanted. The first foray into that was signing The Sounds of Blackness and the song, "Optimistic," which to this day is our favorite song that we've ever been involved with.

Our theory was if you're gonna build a nice tall building for success, the first thing to do is dig that foundation deep. Thirty years later as we come back to that Perspective label, it was that same idea. Let's dig that foundation deep. The Sounds of Blackness start our record with "Til' I Found You," which is appropriate to start off anything that you're doing. That was really important to us to try to do as the first thing you hear sonically. It sets the tone.

Lewis: It bookends. "Babylove" with Morris Day and Jerome Benton [who were also in The Time] as the last record is the beginning of our beginning. We have the beginning and the beginning at both ends of the record. That was very special to us and important to have that inclusive nature. Sounds of Blackness was the beginning of our record label 30 years ago, and [Morris Day and] The Time was the beginning of our artistry 40 years ago.

"When we started Perspective [Records] 30 years ago this year, our idea was to give people the music that they needed, not necessarily what they wanted. The first foray into that was signing The Sounds of Blackness and the song, 'Optimistic,' which to this day is our favorite song that we've ever been involved with." Jimmy Jam

How did the coronavirus pandemic and social climate affect plans for the album release?

Lewis: The last year was a little inconvenient. I used the last year to learn about things and to do things that I never had time to do. When people started talking about getting back to normal, I always say normal was overrated. Normal was not having enough time to spend with your family, running from here to there, being in meetings about meetings. I'm just not that guy.

There's always been racial unrest; it's magnified now because everybody slowed down enough to visualize it. The world is paying attention at the same time. When does that happen with the way the world works now? People had time off from work, so they had time to march. If those things happen six months from now, I don't know if the same results will come. How we handle that is we stay diligent and get over people's preferences. If you can't want for someone else the same things that you want for you and your family, then you don't deserve it. I want everybody to have the same opportunities that I have. If you got the goods, bring it on. It's enough for everybody.

Jam: Ditto. What he said.

What's your relationship like with the Recording Academy?

Jam: When we got involved with the GRAMMYs probably around '86, we were told if we joined the Academy, then we could vote for ourselves. We got nominated for Producer Of The Year [in 1987], voted for ourselves, and won. It was great, and it set us on a path where we have to live up to that.

Someone asked me about being on the board. I'd always thought of the organization as a one-night-a-year awards show. I didn't realize that year-round work was going into advocacy, music education, fundraising for schools and instruments, and MusiCares. When I got involved, I felt the music community was my community. I ran and ended up becoming vice chair, took that experience and ended up becoming chair. I ran uncontested. It was great, and it ushered in the 50th anniversary of the GRAMMYs.

I was the first African American chair of the GRAMMYs. One thing on my agenda was always diversity; membership was important because we're a member organization. There's nothing like receiving an award from your peers. What was cool was after becoming chairman, Harvey Mason jr, the new CEO, said the 50th anniversary when I was honored planted the seed in him. He knew someday he'd like to get involved and do something.

To have that inspiration for people is really the best thing that came out of it: for people to see me and know they can make a difference and get involved. I love the organization, but we're only as good as our members, and we have great members. That's the beauty of the Recording Academy. We're more relevant now than we've ever been. We're on a great path with great leadership, and I couldn't be more proud to be involved with the organization.

"It's great to be a part of the fabric of something great, and music is that great thing... As Jam said, it's a connector and what connects us all. To be a part of that is one of the most awesome feelings in the world, to think that we've added something to the world that no one can ever subtract. I know we've added some good music to the world because that was our passion; that's the gift that God gave us." Terry Lewis

What crosses your mind anytime people call you legends or icons?

Lewis: With music being the soundtrack of life, it's just great to be a part of people's lives. It's great to be a part of the fabric of something great, and music is that great thing. I really don't understand for the life of me why people don't wanna buy music anymore, but so be it. We just gotta figure out a new paradigm. Music is part of the fabric of who we are. We would live in a terrible world if we didn't have music. If we didn't have melody or just couldn't hear it, that would be tragic.

As Jam said, it's a connector and what connects us all. To be a part of that is one of the most awesome feelings in the world, to think that we've added something to the world that no one can ever subtract. I know we've added some good music to the world because that was our passion; that's the gift that God gave us. It feels really really awesome.

Donnie Simpson Talks To Jimmy Jam & Reveals How He Found His Radio Voice & Broke Onto The Airwaves | Up Close & Personal

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GRAMMY.com Genre Pages

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GRAMMY.com Launches New Genre Pages grammy-genre-pages-music-discovery

GRAMMY.com Launches New Genre Pages To Expand Music Discovery

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Updated daily, the genre pages will help GRAMMY.com fans explore the latest news, read artist interviews, watch original video series and exclusive performances, and discover your next favorite artist
GRAMMYs
Jan 20, 2021 - 8:00 am

The nature of music genres has changed. Today, we live in a genre-bending world where sounds and styles transcend boundaries. While the music you listen to and love can no longer only be defined by labels and categories, genres continue to provide music-lovers unique ways to discover new music and next-gen artists.

That's why we're launching our brand-new genre pages on GRAMMY.com, a dynamic feature aimed at fostering music discovery and expanding your musical knowledge. Updated daily, the genre pages will help GRAMMY.com fans discover their next favorite artist, stay up to date on the latest music news, read insightful artist interviews and explore our vast library of original video series, exclusive performances and archival footage. 

Launching with sections for Rap, R&B, Pop, Country and Rock, the genre pages will give GRAMMY.com readers all the newest updates in music to know now, all packed in one, easy-to-use destination.

GRAMMY.com will launch more genre pages soon where you can explore all the artists, sounds and styles we celebrate every year at the annual GRAMMY Awards. 

Much like genres themselves, the GRAMMY Awards have evolved with the ever-changing music industry throughout the decades. Originally launched in 1959, the annual GRAMMYs, music's only peer-recognized award and highest achievement, honor artists and music in a wide field of categories across more than a dozen genres. The number of awards and categories recognized at the GRAMMY Awards has changed throughout the years with the emergence of growing sounds and styles, like rap and Latin, while certain awards have been discontinued or combined into larger umbrella genres. 

This year, at the 63rd GRAMMY Awards, airing Sunday, March 14, on CBS, the Recording Academy will recognize 83 categories across a vast array of genres. 

As music continues to progress and fans expand the ways they consume music and culture, GRAMMY.com remains your go-to destination for new music discovery, Recording Academy and industry updates and engaging, music-first content.

2021 GRAMMYs: Complete Nominees List

Josh Gad

Josh Gad

Photo: Crawford Shippey

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Josh Gad Talks New Animated TV Show "Central Park" josh-gad-talks-new-animated-tv-show-central-park-and-his-mission-become-better-ally

Josh Gad Talks New Animated TV Show "Central Park" And His Mission To Become A Better Ally

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The GRAMMY-winning actor and singer breaks down the creative and musical vision that make "Central Park" a "true musical" and discusses how he's using his platform to address racial injustice head-on
John Ochoa
GRAMMYs
Jun 20, 2020 - 4:59 pm

Central Park represents a lot of things for a lot of people. For locals, it's a haven, a much-needed escape from the concrete jungle of New York City. For tourists, it's a must-see destination atop an endless list of can't-miss city stops. Josh Gad's version of Central Park is something all its own.

On "Central Park," his new animated musical TV comedy, now streaming on Apple TV+, the GRAMMY-winning actor and singer paints the beloved NYC landmark as a quirky place offering diverse sounds and colors through the prism of the city. Or as his character on the show, the happy-go-lucky busking narrator Birdie, calls it, "It's like New York, but undressed." 

Like the sprawling sight itself, "Central Park" is a unique composite of equally unique parts. There's the all-star cast, which includes GRAMMY winners and "Hamilton" stars Leslie Odom Jr. and Daveed Diggs, as well as Hollywood giants Kristen Bell, Stanley Tucci, Tituss Burgess and Kathryn Hahn. There's the stellar soundtrack, which features songs written by Fiona Apple, Meghan Trainor, Cyndi Lauper and Sara Bareilles, among many others. Then there's the creative team behind it all, which includes co-creators/co-executive producers Loren Bouchard, the creator of fellow animated hit TV series "Bob's Burgers," Emmy Award winner Nora Smith and Gad himself. 

But first and foremost, "Central Park" is a musical, a deliberate move Gad made from the jump.

"When I pitched this idea to Loren Bouchard ... and his partner, Nora Smith, I said to them, 'I want to do a true musical,'" Gad tells the Recording Academy. "'I don't want this to be a pastiche musical, I don't want it to be a spoof of musicals. I don't even want it to be a show with music. I want it to be a musical. I want the songs to be a part of the very fabric of the story, and I want the characters to have no emotional choice but to break out into song.'"

The show follows the Central Park-dwelling Tillerman family, which includes Owen (Odom Jr.), the patriarch of the family who works as the park's manager; Paige (Hahn), the journalist mom of the crew; and their two children, Molly (Bell) and Cole (Burgess). Their home is threatened when hotel tycoon Bitsy Brandenham (Tucci) and her assistant Helen (Diggs) try to turn Central Park into luxury condos. 

Despite the show's playfully ominous premise, "Central Park" has become a beacon of light for Gad since it debuted last month (May 29) during the coronavirus-fueled quarantine era. 

"It's surreal to see the kind of light it's bringing people in this moment of infinite darkness that we find ourselves in," he says of the show, "and it's a joy to be able to give something that is so joyful to the world." 

The Recording Academy chatted with Josh Gad about the creative and musical vision behind "Central Park," the dystopian soundtrack to 2020 and the lessons he's learned while working to become a better ally.

"Central Park" features what I would consider the definition of an all-star cast. The Los Angeles Times described it best: "The Avengers of musical theater." As one of the show's creators and executive producers, how involved were you in the casting? How did you navigate that process?

I was responsible for doing it. It was a conversation that I had with Loren [Bouchard] at the beginning, before we even had a script. He said, "On Bob's Burgers, what we did was we cast the people that we wanted to work with, and then we built characters around them." By casting the people we want to work with, he meant your friends, people that you see yourself doing this with. I reached out to all of the people that I knew I would want to not only work with, but that could legitimately carry a musical and not have it feel like we were bullsh*tting the audience, that we were autotuning anybody, that we were not giving anyone a voice that could legitimately match the incredible level on display in terms of the music that was written for the show.

I began by reaching out to people, like my college classmate Leslie Odom Jr. who had just won a Tony for a glowing performance in "Hamilton." And somebody I admired greatly also from ["Hamilton"], Daveed Diggs; both said yes. Kristen Bell, my co-star from Frozen, it was an immediate yes. And one by one—Tituss Burgess, Kathryn Hahn and Stanley Tucci—all signed on, and Loren and I were just in awe; we just couldn't believe it ... It's been very much about making sure that everyone who comes on really rises to the level of not only being the perfect vocal match for dialogue and the speaking voice, but also for the singing voice.

How do you go about balancing the plot with the songs? Do you write the songs and the show's plot congruently? Are the songs inspired by the plot itself, or vice versa?

It's a bit of both. When I pitched this idea to Loren Bouchard ... and his partner, Nora Smith, I said to them, "I want to do a true musical. I don't want this to be a pastiche musical, I don't want it to be a spoof of musicals. I don't even want it to be a show with music. I want it to be a musical. I want the songs to be a part of the very fabric of the story, and I want the characters to have no emotional choice but to break out into song."

We really tried to make it as cohesive a process as possible. Meaning, every episode we asked the question, "What moments want and need to sing? And what moments of the story feel like they need to be told through music rather than dialogue?" Once we have isolated what those moments are, then we break it down even further and we ask ourselves, "Do we want this song to be a function of the story? To tell us plot? Do we want this song to function as a comedic song? Do we want the song to function as an 'I want' song?" 

Once we identify those, then we go to the composers, either our in-house brilliant team of Kate Anderson and Elyssa Samsel and Brent Knopf, or our guest composers, people like Anthony Hamilton, people like Cyndi Lauper, people like Aimee Mann and Alan Menken, and we then have them bring their magic.

The show has been in production for a few years, prior to the quarantine. Did you have plans to take this show from TV to the stage? Or is that something that's potentially still in progress?

Oh, that hasn't even been broached. People have already started asking that question like yourself, which gives me such joy that people would even consider it to be worthy enough for the stage. I think right now, we're just trying to do our day job and we're in the midst of season two, and we're in the midst of literally creating an entire animated series from our respective homes. That's been the real challenge right now: How do we, in this ever-changing world, keep the wheels turning?

Read: Glen Ballard On How His Netflix Show "The Eddy" Puts Music, Jazz And Performance First

Your character in the show is a huge fan of Central Park. What about you?

I'm a huge fan of "Central Park." I've been a fan of "Central Park" for the past year. It's been a really frustrating thing to not be able to share it with the world until now. It is surreal to see kids already singing these songs in a way that truly reminds me of the experience I've had with Frozen. It's surreal to see the kind of light it's bringing people in this moment of infinite darkness that we find ourselves in, and it's a joy to be able to give something that is so joyful to the world. 

So much of the content that is on TV, it has a cynicism about it. What I love about Loren and what I love about Nora is they approach "Bob's [Burgers]" and subsequently "Central Park," along with myself, with a desire to just infuse as much joy into the world as possible.

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As far as the songwriting team, were you wanting to keep a regular cast of songwriters and composers? Or were you trying to institute an open-door approach?

Philosophically, my idea from the beginning was, if we're going to write four songs an episode, over 45 songs in a season, I do not want to put the burden on any one or even two individuals. I knew that we needed to have an anchor back at base, if you will, and that anchor became Kate and Elyssa, who I'd worked with on [2017 animated featurette] Olaf's Frozen Adventure years ago. I knew they were geniuses, and similarly Brent Knopf who came out of the "Bob's [Burgers]" world.

In addition to that, I knew that we needed somebody to come in every week and change the dynamic and keep the audience guessing. Then I thought that's what will keep the show fresh. We cast a wide net. The first person we went to, because we felt like she was the perfect match for the song, was, of course, Sara Bareilles. She wrote this incredible song called "Weirdos Make Great Superheroes." It was sort of a test run, but it was such a brilliant slam dunk that it put us all at ease and allowed us to recognize, "OK, this could actually work."

You work a lot in animation. Your credits include the Frozen, Ice Age and Angry Birds Movie franchises, among other titles. What is your attraction to that genre?

I'm attracted to anything that allows for as broad of an audience as possible to enjoy it. The movies that I love the most are movies that I grew up with. Movies that I experienced at 7 or 5 and now watch at 39 and still get such joy and satisfaction out of it. I love a good R-rated film, too, and I love to do them. There is something compelling to me about the broader appeal of those things that really allow for people of all ages to enjoy them, and I think animation, for whatever reason, is part of that tradition. It's got a timelessness, in many cases to it, and an opportunity to transcend any demographic.

You do come from a theater and Broadway background. Lately, you've been really busy with film and TV projects, as well as your YouTube series, "Reunited Apart." Do you ever miss the stage?

Every day, every day. I'd been flirting with doing something with my buddy, Andrew Rannells. We were, sort of like, legitimately looking at, and my prayer is that there is a stage to go back to in 2021, because I know we very much would like to have that opportunity.

Everyone's having a hard time right now with the pandemic, particularly the Broadway world. Have you had difficulty either enjoying your own show or just having a good time in general during this time of quarantine, nationwide protests and civil unrest? Are you able to enjoy the things you're creating?

No, but I'm a glutton for punishment. I genuinely have had a very difficult time enjoying much right now because it's so damn hard. There's so much sadness. There's this virus keeping everyone at home. There's this unbelievable recognition of inequality on the streets. There's so little about 2020 that's been worthy of smiles or worthy of joy. So the joy that I get is from being able to hear others take joy from what I can give. That's where I find my joy.

There is not a moment where I watch "Central Park" and I'm not absolutely floating. But I'm also watching it in critical of myself or critical of things that we could have done better. With that, and with my own neuroses put aside, the real blessing, the real joy, the real sense of fulfillment that I'm getting now is by hearing that it's bringing exactly what it was intended to those who have seen it.

If 2020 were a musical, what would it sound like?

Oh man, probably like the intro to Jaws [Laughs]. Or like the entire soundtrack to Mad Max: Fury Road or Blade Runner [Laughs]. I don't know. Find the most dystopian movie possible and fill in the blank.

The one silver lining that I've heard over and over about this difficult time in our lives is that it will produce great art. Out of the struggles we're all going through as a global community, we will eventually get some amazing art. Do you think that's a possibility?

I think it's a probability. If history has shown us anything in the art community, it's that some of the greatest pieces of art, some of the greatest moments that we have all celebrated in a movie theater or otherwise have been during very difficult times. You look at some of the iconic films, like Casablanca, like The Wizard Of Oz, that come out of these moments like the Second World War, the Great Depression. You look at movies like The Godfather that come out of moments like Vietnam. You look at these tremendous movies that come out of a time when the world seems backed into a corner.

It's a cliche at this point, but Shakespeare wrote some of his greatest plays during the plague. That's telling. That speaks to the potential of all of us, and I see that in movies, I see it in TV, but I especially see it in music. Some of the most powerful songs that I have always found to be some of the most influential in my life are songs that came out of the civil unrest of the 1960s. I see this as a similar opportunity all around.

You've been very vocal on social media about the heavy issues happening in our country right now, with regard to the nationwide protests, racial injustice, civil unrest. Do you consider yourself an ally? What does being a good ally mean to you?

Do I consider myself a good ally? I think you would have to ask others if they consider me a good ally because I feel so weird answering that question. I can tell you that my intention has always [been] to be an ally to everyone who needs it. I say this as someone who grew up hearing about the consequences of not having allies, of not having those who can defend you during times of great need.

My grandparents both lost their entire families during the Holocaust, and the message that they gave me was, "Never forget." But it wasn't a message that ever felt to me like a message specific about Jews. It wasn't a message that ever felt like a message specific to one faith. It was a message about those who need us at times of great need. Those who are looked at as "the other," those who are looking down upon, those who are treated differently. My entire life has been, "Why should anybody be entitled to less than I am?" Because that's what I grew up with. That was the guiding philosophy of the life or death message that my grandparents gave me.

So do I see myself as an ally? I sure damn hope so. Could I do more? Absolutely. I think we could all do more. I think we're learning that right now. I think this is a great reminder and an opportunity, and one of the silver linings of 2020, that great can come out of dark. That we can evolve, we can fight back. We can come together and do more. We can listen more, we can learn more, and I hope to never stop learning. I hope to never stop making mistakes, so that I can be better for that.

Yes, I look at myself as an ally, but I look at myself as an ally who still has a long way to go.

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Speaking of learning how to be a better ally, what have you learned so far in the last few months? What have you taken away from everything that you've been doing and everyone you've been talking to lately?

Man, I don't think the messages that I've learned can be put into one interview over a phone call, but I can give you a couple of highlights. I've learned there's so much I don't know. There's so much I don't know about the Black experience. There's so much I don't know about walking down the street and being judged in a way that could be life or death based on the color of your skin. There are so many things that I didn't know about the breadth of pain that so many people in my orbit and beyond have not only been feeling over the last few weeks, but have felt over the last however many years. And we're not talking about 10, 20 [years]—we're talking about over 100 [years].

I think that is the problem. Sometimes it's hard to experience things like the first Black president being elected and not think, "Man, we've really made changes, we've really done so much great. The world has changed." Then to see that not only has the world regressed, but there's so much accounting that still hasn't happened. There's so much accountability that still hasn't taken place, and there's so much wrong that is still being experienced by those who have felt wronged their entire lives.

There's been a lot that I've learned over the past three weeks, and specifically what I learned in a good way is that there are a lot of like-minded people who have had enough. My prayer for 2020 is that this isn't a moment—it's a movement. I hope that we can grow. I hope, as a parent, that I can teach, that I can give my kids a future that they not only deserve and that anyone deserves a future where equality is just a given. [Where] it's not something to even remotely consider the necessity of a march for, which, again, seems batsh*t crazy in the year 2020 that we have to be marching for that still, at this moment, with all we know and with what we've been through.

But man, racism is f*cking real. It's as real as the flower pot in front of me, it's as real as the phone that I'm on. And if we can't start recognizing the reality of it, then we can't change. That, to me, has given me the kernel of hope that I have. I think the band-aid's been ripped off. I think if all of us could stare at the wound long enough, we can start to heal.

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2022 GRAMMYs: New Date & Location Announced 2022-grammys-awards-64th-new-air-show-date-location-las-vegas-april-3-announcement

New Air Date & Location For 2022 GRAMMYs Show Announced: April 3 In Las Vegas

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The 2022 GRAMMYs, officially known as the 64th GRAMMY Awards, have been rescheduled and will now be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3
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Jan 18, 2022 - 12:15 pm

The following is a statement from Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.: 

I'm so pleased to let you know that the 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards have been rescheduled and will now be broadcast live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 3 (8:00-11:30 PM, live ET/5:00-8:30 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+. Trevor Noah, the Emmy Award-winning host of "The Daily Show," will return as master of ceremonies for Music's Biggest Night. 

Additional details about the dates and locations of other official GRAMMY Week events, including the GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony, MusiCares' Person of the Year, and the Pre-GRAMMY Gala, will be announced soon. 

We are excited to take the GRAMMYs to Las Vegas for the very first time, and to put on a world-class show. From the moment we announced the postponement of the original show date, we have been inundated with heartfelt messages of support and solidarity from the artist community. We are humbled by their generosity and grateful for their unwavering commitment to the GRAMMY Awards and the Academy's mission. We appreciate the leadership CBS and our production partners at Fulwell 73 have shown during these challenging weeks and the flexibility of everyone who worked toward this solution. 

Onward, 
Harvey 

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Some of the content on this site expresses viewpoints and opinions that are not those of the Recording Academy and its Affiliates. Responsibility for the accuracy of information provided in stories not written by or specifically prepared for the Academy and its Affiliates lies with the story's original source or writer. Content on this site does not reflect an endorsement or recommendation of any artist or music by the Recording Academy and its Affiliates.