André 3000 is set to miss the Grammys ceremony, despite being nominated for multiple awards, including Album of the Year.
‘New Blue Sun’, the OutKast rapper’s debut solo album, was released in November 2023 and has been nominated in three categories at the Grammys: Album of the Year, Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Instrumental Composition for ‘I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A ‘Rap’ Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time’.
With the ceremony taking place in Los Angeles on Sunday night (February 2), André has confirmed he will not be in attendance. Writing on Instagram on Saturday, he said: “Unfortunately, I’m not able to attend the Grammys tomorrow, but some of the ‘New Blue Sun’ musicians, friends and supporters will be in attendance.”
“Our album was conceived and recorded in Los Angeles with the spirit of openness and creative collaboration,” he added. “We hope that the rebound of Los Angeles is swift and renewing. Congrats to all the musicians and collaborators being acknowledged. Keep playing.”
In the Album of the Year category, ‘New Blue Sun’ is up against Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’, Billie Eilish’s ‘Hit Me Hard And Soft’, Chappell Roan’s ‘The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess’, Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’, Jacob Collier’s ‘Djesse Vol. 4’, Sabrina Carpenter’s ‘Short n’ Sweet’ and Taylor Swift’s ‘The Tortured Poets Department’.
After receiving his nominations in November, André spoke about his surprise at making the shortlist for such a major category. “We were trying to be nominated in some type of way for alternative jazz or ambient, possibly,” he admitted. “But I was totally surprised by this. So yeah, it was super, super, super duper cool.”
‘New Blue Sun’ is an 87-minute ambient jazz flute album that includes no beats or raps. “I’ve always kind of been analysing it or figuring out how I wanted to approach it… I have to feel happy about sharing it,” he said about his approach to the album.
“That’s why ‘New Blue Sun’ was something that I realised, whoa, I really want people to hear it. I really want to share it. That’s my only gauge. I have to like it as a person, as an artist myself, because if I don’t like it I can’t expect nobody else to like it. I can’t pretend in that way. That’s always been hard for me”.
André has told fans to expect “new music for sure” in 2025. “I don’t wanna pinpoint what it is, but I just want to express more…put it like that,” he told Amazon Music in November.
He has also said that OutKast are “further away” from new music “than we’ve ever been” in December.
Perry Farrell has released another public apology following an on-stage confrontation involving his bandmate Dave Navarro.
The Jane's Addiction frontman was involved in a physical altercation with guitarist Dave Navarro last year during a live performance, an incident that prompted the band to cancel their reunion tour and eventually led to their split.
“I'd like to address what happened on stage last year,” Perry, 66, said in a statement shared across both his personal Instagram account and Jane's Addiction’s official page. “I've reflected on it and know I didn't handle myself the way I should have. I apologize to our patrons and my bandmates for losing my temper and for disrupting the show.”
He went on to admit that he did not meet fan expectations and described himself as deeply remorseful toward everyone impacted by the incident.
“Jane's Addiction has been at the center of my life for decades. The band, the songs, the patrons, and the impact that we've had on music and culture mean more to me than any words I could ever possibly write down,” he shared.
“My aim has always been to give our audience the best possible show, something real, honest and positive. In Boston, we fell short of that, and I'm truly sorry to everyone who was impacted.”
Jane's Addiction also issued its own statement regarding the altercation, which ultimately led to the group’s remaining members filing a lawsuit against Perry alleging assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, breach of fiduciary duty, and breach of contract.
“Today we are here to announce that we have come together one last time to resolve our differences, so that the legacy of Jane's Addiction will remain the work the four of us created together,” the band wrote, signaling that the group would not move forward with Perry. “We now look forward to the future as we embark on our separate musical and creative endeavors.”
