Getty Ariana Grande sings
Ariana Grande will not be performing at the 2019 Grammy Awards. While the pop superstar was originally set to perform a medley that included recent singles like “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings”, the singer claims that creative differences with the show’s producers led to her pulling out.
Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich was the first to announce that Grande would not be part of the 2019 ceremony, stating that she didn’t have enough time to properly organize a performance. “As it turned out when we finally got the point where we thought maybe it would work, she felt it was too late for her to pull something together for sure,” Ehrlich told The Associated Press.
Grande Criticized Grammy Producers for ‘Stifling’ Her Creativity During the Planning Process
Within 48 hours of Ehrlich’s statement, Grande went on a Twitter rant that called the producer out by name and claimed that she had been creatively “stifled” by the Grammy team. “I’ve kept my mouth shut but now you’re lying about me,” she wrote. “I can pull together a performance over night and you know that, Ken. It was when my creativity & self expression was stifled by you, that I decided not to attend. I hope the show is exactly what you want it to be and more.”
In a separate tweet, Grande chastised Ehrlich for “playing games” with her. “I offered 3 different songs. It’s about collaboration. It’s about feeling supported,” she added. “It’s about art and honesty. Not politics. Not doing favors or playing games. It’s just a game y’all.. and i’m sorry but that’s not what music is to me.”
Grammy Producer Ken Ehrlich Says That Grande’s Remarks Were ‘Surprising’ & ‘Bothersome’
Ehrlich responded to Grande’s criticisms in a recent Rolling Stone interview. “I saw those tweets and what she said. I guess it was a surprise,” he explained. “I will say this, and they don’t want me to say it but I’m going to say it: The thing that probably bothered me more than whatever else she said about me is when she said I’m not collaborative.”
Ehrlich, who has produced the Grammy Awards since 1980, went on to say that never actually spoke to Grande, and therefore was surprised when she referenced him by name. “I don’t know if I’m good at anything else, but I understand artists and I can hear other artists in an artist,” he said. “I don’t say to people, ‘This is what you should do.’ I approach it casually and say, hey, this might be a good idea, let’s find something in the middle.”