Five stories that have North Texas talking: A recap of Texas wins and losses at the Grammys; Austin mayor talks immigration raids; how music affects the brain; and more.
From gospel and pop to country and contemporary, Texans weren't hard to find at the 2017 Grammy Awards Sunday night. But one Texas icon didn't quite clean up as some might have predicted or hoped.
Houston native Beyoncé Knowles won two of her nine nominations for "Lemonade"; she had the most nominations for an individual this year. She won Best Music Video for “Formation” and Best Urban Contemporary Album. She lost out on Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance to Adele. The British singer subsequently thanked Knowles, both teary-eyed, in her acceptance speech.
Solange Knowles won Best R&B Performance for “Cranes in the Sky.” East Texas native Miranda Lambert was up for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song for “Vice.” But most of the musicians representing the Lone Star State at the 59th annual music awards came from North Texas. Here’s how the lot of them did last night:
- Arlington native Maren Morris wonBest Country Solo Performance for “My Church,” which also was nominated for Best Country Song. She was nominated forBest New Artist and Best Country Album for her debut, “Hero.”
- Gospel singer Kirk Franklin of Fort Worth won Best Gospel Performance/Song for writing “God Provides” and Best Gospel Album for “Losing My Religion.” He also was nominated for Best Rap/Sung Performance and Best Rap Song for his work on Kanye West’s “UltralightBeam.”
- Arlington’s a cappella groupPentatonix won Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Jolene,” featuring the song’s originator Dolly Parton.
- Snarky Puppy, the band that used to call Denton home, wonBest Contemporary Instrumental Album for “Culcha Vulcha.”
- Fort Worth’s Leon Bridges earned his second Grammy nomination for Best Music Video for his song, “River.”
- Kelly Clarkson of Fort Worth was nominatedfor Best Pop Solo Performance for “Piece By Piece.
- Demi Lovato of Dallas was nominated for “Confident,” in the Best Pop Vocal Album category.
See all the Grammy nominees and winners here. [KERA News]
- “We have a community that is, quite frankly, scared. There's a lot of uncertainty here.” Over the past few days, immigration officials have conducted raids around the country, arresting hundreds of undocumented immigrants. Officials say they’re arresting targeted immigrants with criminal backgrounds, but advocates say some don’t have criminal histories. Austin Mayor Steve Adler talked with NPR about the raids. “It's, unfortunately, undermining a lot of the trust relationship that had been built up with our public safety officials over time. It's sending people back into the darkness. My assessment is, in a lot of ways, it's making us less safe.” Listen to the full conversation. [NPR]
- What goes on in the brain when people experience intense emotional and social reactions to music? That question drives Zachary Wallmark’s work. A professor of musicology at Southern Methodist University, he studies how musical sounds affect the brain and what those results say about human empathy. He was a semi-professional jazz bassist for several years before moving to neuroscience. Wallmark said: “I’ve seen these sorts of reactions. I know how empathy works in musical contexts. I know how empathy can utterly break down. I know how you can lose your audience just as easily as you can have them eating out of your hand.” Learn more in the latest Artist Spotlight. [Art&Seek]
- Donald Trump initiated a minor Twitter kerfuffle with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban Sunday. The president tweeted Sunday morning about Cuban, saying: “I know Mark Cuban well. He backed me big-time but I wasn't interested in taking all of his calls. He's not smart enough to run for president!” A supporter of Hillary Clinton, Cuban has sparred with Trump during his political campaign and since his election victory. His initial response to Trump’s tweet was curt. Cuban followed up with screenshots of emails with a Trump aide that were dated last spring and answered a follower’s question about why the president was “dissing” him “all of a sudden.” [KERA News]
- For the last few weeks, we’ve been asking what you wanted to know about the Texas Legislature. We received questions from all corners of Texas. Now it’s your time to vote for your favorite. Which query should KERA reporters tackle? It’s all part of a project we’re calling “Texas Decides.” We want to shine some light on the often confusing inner workings of the Texas Capitol. We've again teamed up with public radio stations across Texas to collect and answer your questions about the Texas Legislature over the next few months. [Texas Station Collaborative]
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