Go ahead and add award show host to the list of career accomplishments of singer-songwriter Jhene Aiko and actress Niecy Nash.
On Tuesday (Mar. 2), Aiko was announced as the host of the official Grammy Awards’ pre-show, Grammy Premiere Ceremony, set live stream on Sunday, March 14. Not only will this be the Los Angeles bred artist’s first major gig as a host, but she’ll also be the first host to also be nominated for Album of the Year on the same night.
Aiko’s third studio Chilombo album is also nominated for Best Progressive R&B Album, while her John Legend-assisted single “Lightning & Thunder” is one of fives songs up for a Grammy for Best R&B Performance.
But Women’s History Month doesn’t end there.
Claws star Niecy Nash—who revealed her marriage to musician and long-time friend, Jessica Betts last year—will serve as the host of this year’s 32nd Annual GLAAD Media Awards, set to air virtually on Hulu and YouTube on Thursday, April 8.
“I was not suppressing my sexuality my whole life. I love who I love,” she told People after her surprise announcement. “At one point in my life, I married twice and I love those people. And today I love this person. I’ve done everything I wanted to do on my own terms and my own way.”
This isn’t Nash’s first rodeo as a host. Nash stepped in as guest host of Season 5 of FOX’s hit show, The Masked Singer after the current host, Nick Cannon, was diagnosed with COVID-19. It’s also been revealed that Nash may serve as the host of an upcoming daytime talk show which will air on CBS if given the green light.
The Grammy Awards’ Premiere Ceremony kicks off at 12 pm PT on Sunday, March 14 on Grammy.com while the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards’ live telecast—hosted by comedian and Daily Show‘s Trevor Noah—starts at 8 pm ET on CBS.
As for the Nash-hosted GLAAD Awards—which “recognizes and honors media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that affect their lives”—you can tune into the stream on YouTube at 8 pm ET and then at 10 pm ET on Hulu.
Congratulations to both ladies!
At the BTS concert in Tokyo on Friday (April 17), j-hope opened up to ARMY with heartbreaking news. His grandmother, who played a major role in raising him and had always been proud of his journey with the group, has passed away.
Speaking to the packed crowd at the Tokyo Dome, the K-pop star chose to be open with fans about what he was going through. “Honestly, this might be a bit of a heavy thing to share, but I really wanted to express how I’m feeling today,” he said, translated from Korean into English. “Right after we arrived in Japan, I got the news that my maternal grandmother, the one who raised me from when I was little, had passed away.”
“I felt completely stunned and did not really know how to process it at first, but being around the members, sitting down together for meals, and focusing on rehearsals helped me more than I thought it would,” j-hope went on. “My grandmother was always incredibly proud, not just of me but of all the members. She truly believed in what we do. So I feel like if she was watching from above today, she would have loved every second of it.”
He closed by thanking the audience for making his first performance after the loss feel meaningful and full of support.
BTS are currently touring in support of their new album ARIRANG, which has just earned a third week at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. Following three opening shows in Goyang, South Korea, the group is set to perform twice at the Tokyo Dome before heading abroad for the North American leg. Before the tour wraps in March next year, they will also visit Latin America, Europe, Australia, and several other regions across Asia.
On the same day as the first Tokyo concert, j-hope’s solo interview with Rolling Stone was released. During the conversation, he spoke about stepping into a leadership presence within the group. “I think that’s my role on the team,” he shared. “It just comes naturally. It feels strange to even call it a role, but I just try to handle things as they come and support the other members in any way I can.”
Additional reporting from Billboard Korea.
