Lady Gaga to pay tribute to David Bowie at the Grammys; Nile Rodgers to direct
Iconic rock provocateur David Bowie will be feted by another artist known for pushing the boundaries of genre, gender and beyond: Lady Gaga.
The pop star will pay tribute to Bowie at the Grammys, the Recording Academy announced Tuesday morning.
Gaga was already set for a performance on the Feb. 15 telecast, announcing that her Haus of Gaga creative team had teamed up with tech giant Intel for a special performance that would “showcase technology through creativity at the highest level.”
After Bowie’s death in January, Ken Ehrlich, the longtime producer of the Grammys, began discussing a tribute with Gaga and her manager, according to an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday.
Chic’s Nile Rodgers, who produced Bowie’s hit 1983 album “Let’s Dance,” will serve as music director for the performance. “We had already booked Lady Gaga on this year’s show, but when David passed — almost in a single moment — we knew we had to change direction,” Ehrlich said in a statement.
“We immediately spoke and agreed that she should be the one to honor David. She’s perfect for it. So I reached out to Nile and, before long, we were on our way to creating what we believe will not only make a great Grammy Moment, but one befitting of David.”
Ehrlich also revealed he’d received offers from several artists who wanted to pay tribute to Bowie on music’s biggest night. “Some of whom might have made sense; the vast majority didn’t,” he said.
The Bowie tribute won’t open the Feb. 15 telecast, but Gaga will cover at least three or four songs during the performance, Ehrlich said.
In a podcast interview with the Hollywood Reporter recorded shortly before Bowie’s death, Gaga spoke about the rock star’s impact on her.
“I always felt that his glamour was something he was using to express a message to people that was very healing for their souls,” she said. “[Bowie] is a true, true artist and I don’t know if I ever went, ‘Oh, I’m going to be that way like this,’ or if I arrived upon it slowly, realizing it was my calling and that’s what drew me to him.”
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