The Current

Great Music Lives Here ®
Listener-Supported Music
Donate Now

The Chart Show: Billie Sweeps the Grammys

Billie Eilish with some of her awards at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.
Billie Eilish with some of her awards at the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards.Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for The Recording Academy

January 30, 2020

The Grammy's weren't too kind to the artists with MN connections last weekend. Bon Iver, Big Thief, JS Ondara and The Okee Dokee Brothers all struck out and our Number One Lizzo only got two out of her eight nominations! But she pulled off the opening live performance of the evening, which must have been doubly difficult with Kobe Bryant passing away that morning, as the show was held in the arena that his Lakers team play in.

The big winner of the biggest music awards show of the year, watched apparently by it's smallest TV audience in years,was Billie Eilish stuck at Number Two for the second week. She'll be on Austin City Limits this Saturday on PBS.

Another artist to miss out at on Sunday was Yola, but she's up six places this week and did pay tribute to Aerosmith who were celebrated at the Musicares Person of the Year show the night before the Grammy's.

Biggest upward mover this week is Nathaniel Rateliff, coming to the State Theater for two shows in March.

Also climbing a big seven places is Polica with the second track from their new album to chart. It's released this Friday and Thursday night we'll have a special in-studio performance from the band at 7:15 p.m. Thanks to Channy for coming in to do a full preview of the album with Andrea on the Local Show last weekend.

Inducted for the second time to the Chart Hall of Fame is Brother Ali, who has performed and MC'ed the huge Soundset Festival over the years, but 2020 will be bereft of what has become the biggest hip hop festival in the USA, as Rhymesayers prepare to celebrate their 25th Anniversary!

Hope you all enjoyed our 15 Years in 15 Days celebration this month, it was great to re-live some of The Current's highlights over the years and re-discover some of the many wonderful sessions we've done. I'd forgotten that I'd had the pleasure of interviewing Phantogram back in 2010 on their first big tour. They're back in the basement with the third single released from what should be a full length later this year.

Submit your Chart Show ballot this week for a chance to win a pair of passes to see Calexico and Iron & Wine at the Palace Theatre in St. Paul, MN on February 14, 2020.