Lorde didn’t perform at the Grammys because they wouldn’t let her perform solo
January 29, 2018Lorde did not walk the red carpet at the Grammys. I kind of think she didn’t walk because she was pissed at the Grammys, which I’ll get to in a moment. She did wear a pretty dress – a red Valentino – and she sat with her brother and the producer of her album, Jack Antonoff. Jack brought his sibling as his official date too, his sister. A few days ago, Us Weekly reported that Jack Antonoff does have a new girlfriend post-Lena Dunham, and that girlfriend is… model Carlotta Kohl. Us Weekly has photos of Jack and Carlotta together in New York. Which is pretty good evidence, except that Jack and Lorde basically spent all of Grammy weekend together, which made it seem like their coming out as a couple.
As for why Lorde was probably pissed at the Grammys – she was nominated for Album of the Year, and she lost to Bruno Mars, but that’s not why. She was the sole female nominee in that category and Grammy producers asked her to perform… but not solo. The Grammys tried to force her to perform as part of the Tom Petty tribute and she refused, which is completely understandable. Grammy producer Ken Ehrlich tried to justify the screw-up, saying: “It’s hard to have a balanced year and have everyone perform. We can’t have every nominee perform. These shows are always a matter of choices. She had a great album, but there’s no way we can deal with everybody. Maybe people get left out who shouldn’t, but we do the best we can to make sure it’s a fair and balanced show.” To which I say… the producers managed to find time for Sting and Shaggy to get something like 10 minutes of airtime. Surely they could have allowed the ONLY female AOTY nominee a solo performance slot?
As for this Valentino dress, Lorde had a #TimesUp message sewn onto the back, a quote from Jenny Holzer’s “Inflammatory Essays”: “Rejoice! Our times are intolerable. Take coverage for the worst is a harbinger of the best. Only dire circumstance can precipitate the overthrow of oppressors. The old and corrupt must be laid to waste before the just can triumph. Contradiction will be heightened. The reckoning will be hastened by the staging of seed disturbances. The apocalypse will blossom.” She posted the message to Instagram:
Photos courtesy of Getty.