LOS ANGELES (AP) — Grammy album of the year nominees The Weeknd and Chris Stapleton performed at a brunch honoring their record label on Sunday, where trailers for new documentaries on The Beatles and jazz great John Coltrane also aired.
The Weeknd kicked off the Universal Music Group showcase in downtown Los Angeles with his recent it, “Into the Night,” and his Grammy-nominated No. 1 smash, “Can’t Feel My Face.” Stapleton closed the three-hour event with a rousing performance as he stood onstage alone, strumming his guitar.
The brunch, hosted by UMG CEO Lucian Grainge, also showed a trailer for a Ron Howard-directed Beatles documentary about the band’s touring years from 1962-1966 titled “The Beatles Live!” It included interviews with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr and will be released this summer. There was also a clip from a documentary about Coltrane’s legacy called “Chasing Trane.”
Last year’s showcase debuted the trailer for “Amy,” the critically acclaimed documentary about Amy Winehouse which is nominated for both a Grammy and Oscar.
UMG is the parent company to labels such as Def Jam, Republic, Capitol and Interscope Records, where acts range from Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber to Sam Smith and Lorde. The event mainly featured rising acts, including multi-instrumentalist Jack Garratt, Australian pop singer Troye Sivan, country singer Thomas Rhett and pop-rock band DNCE, led by Joe Jonas.
Alessia Cara sang her Top 5 song “Here”; Demi Lovato hit high notes when she performed the ballad “Stone Cold”; and country singer Sam Hunt - who is nominated for best new artist and country album at the Grammys - worked the stage left to right as he sang his hits “House Party” and “Take Your Time.”
Stapleton’s “Traveller” and The Weeknd’s “Beauty Behind the Madness” are nominated for the album of the year Grammy against Kendrick Lamar’s “To Pimp a Butterfly,” Alabama Shakes’ “Sound & Color” and Taylor Swift’s “1989.”
Lamar is the overall top nominee with 11, while the Weeknd and Swift earned seven each. Stapleton is up for four honors.
Other performers at the brunch included pop singer Halsey and Canadian rockers the Strumbellas.
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