Sheila E., Usher to Play Special Prince Tribute at 2020 Grammys
Sheila E. and Usher will unite for a special tribute to Prince during the 2020 Grammy Awards, which takes place Sunday in Los Angeles.
The Recording Academy announced the collaboration on Friday while rolling out the event's final wave of live spots. It's unclear which songs — or how many of them — the duo will perform.
Sheila E. will also serve as musical director for the recently announced all-star concert Let's Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince, which takes place two days after the Grammys ceremony. Usher will also perform as part of the eclectic lineup, which includes Alicia Keys, John Legend, Common, Foo Fighters, Coldplay's Chris Martin, Beck and St. Vincent.
Other Prince collaborators booked for the show include the Revolution, Morris Day and the Time, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Mavis Staples and the Bangles' Susanna Hoffs.
"I was very honored to be able to do this for so many reasons," Sheila E. told Rolling Stone of the Grammy Salute. "But to be able to help celebrate the life of a dear friend and be a part of this and be musical director is awesome."
While the full set list is currently unknown, Sheila E. confirmed that "The Glamorous Life" and "America" will be played. Producer Ken Ehrlich noted that the show will feature "biographical segments" between the songs, which span Prince's entire career.
Ehrlich noted that the Recording Academy has been hoping to line up a Prince tribute in recent years but was concerned whether they could do justice to such a beloved figure.
"Sometimes you worry about these things because when an artist is so iconic, so individualistic and so unique, you get a little bit nervous about having people interpret their work," he said. "But I think, if anything, based on what we’ve done with these past shows, either we’ve gotten a little foolhardy to think that we could do Prince, or we’ve gotten confident that there are artists out there who fit, who will be faithful to what he did and reverent enough not to fuck around with him."