The new year just got even better! Via a video posted on her YouTube channel Tuesday morning, Alicia Keys announced she’ll be hosting the 2019 Grammy Awards on Feb. 10.
“I’m sooo EXCITED to announce that I’ll be hosting the 61st Annual Grammy Awards,” Keys captioned the video. “There’s so much in store and I CAN’T WAIT for y’all to see it ALL come to life. Tune in on February 10th at 5PM PST/8PM EST. Only on CBS!”
In the nearly 10-minute-long video, Keys “brings that light” as she excitedly tells loved ones the good news — from her mom to her husband, Swizz Beatz, to the couple’s comically unfazed kids (“What’s the Grammys?”)
She then meets with her glam team to shoot promos for the event, trying on an elaborate structured dress she compares to a toilet bowl brush before settling on what appears to be a crushed velvet suit.
Some very special hardware makes a cameo in the clip too. As Keys sits down to play piano for the promos, her own 15 (yes, 15!) Grammy awards sit atop the piano.
“I know what it feels like to be on that stage, and I know what it feels like to be proud of the work that you’ve put in, and to be recognized for it,” Keys explains of her reason for accepting the gig. “I just feel grateful that I’m able to bring that light and that energy. This is a first — it’s a first and it’s amazing, and I think it’s perfect timing. Honestly, I’m really excited. I feel really good about it because I feel like it’s the perfect opportunity for me to give the light back, lift people up, especially all the young women that are nominated.”
Added Keys in a statement, “I’m so excited to be the master of ceremonies on the biggest night in music and celebrate the creativity, power, and magic. I’m especially excited for all the incredible women nominated this year! It’s going ‘UP’ on February 10!”
BIG news…. 🔥🔥🔥 @CBShttps://t.co/tMBjNFH2wjpic.twitter.com/QwrOWdejlt
— Alicia Keys (@aliciakeys) January 15, 2019
The news essentially brings things full circle for Keys, who picked up her first Grammy in 2002 for her breakout hit “Fallin’.” Just last year at Variety’s Power of Women event in New York, Keys touched on the importance of parity in the entertainment world.
“Look at all the action that’s around us: women running for office in record numbers, women banding together in the entertainment industry, women demanding an end to disparity in the music industry like equal representation on the Grammy stage,” Keys said in April 2018. And now, she’ll be contributing to that representation in a big way as the first female host of the Grammys in 14 years — the last being Queen Latifah back in 2005.
Given Keys’ commitment to empowering women and helping them recognize their worth, we can’t wait to see what she has in store for the Grammys stage.
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