Singer Ariana Grande, despite being part of the promotion for Sunday’s Grammy Awards, will now skip the show due to “a disagreement with Grammy producers over which songs she would perform,” Variety reported Tuesday night.
According to the report, Grande, who was scheduled to perform at the show, had wanted to sing her current single, “7 Rings,” on the broadcast, but producers had refused. While a compromise was floated under which the song was at one point going to be part of a medley, the popular singer ultimately pulled out of the show after producers insisted on choosing the second song.
In addition to not performing, Grande will skip attending the show altogether, Variety said. The Grammy producers had placed billboards around Los Angeles with Grande and also promoted her as participating in the show on Sunday.
The dispute is similar to a controversy last year in which singer Lorde opted to pull out of performing at the Grammy Awards.
At this year’s awards show, Grande is nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance (for “God is a Woman”) and for Best Pop Vocal Album (for Sweetener ). Pharrell Williams is also nominated for Producer of the Year for his work on Sweetener. Grande’s new album, Thank U, Next…, is set for release Friday, although singles from the album have received heavy radio airplay for months.
Browse the full list of the 61st #GRAMMYs nominees! https://t.co/3D63kAGFkb
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Grande’s current single, “7 Rings,” has drawn attention for the tattoo the singer got on her hand with the song’s title, although the tattoo was botched and instead presented as the Japanese word for a certain type of barbecue grill. After a failed attempt to fix it, the singer recently received a “million dollar offer” to fix the tattoo. In non-tattoo considerations about the song, “7 Rings” has broken Spotify records for most plays within 24 hours of its release.
The news about Grande’s upcoming Grammy pull-out comes as her former fiance, Pete Davidson, is reportedly dating another famous person, actress Kate Beckinsale.
Confirmed performers for this year’s Grammy show include Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Dan + Shay, H.E.R., Post Malone, Shawn Mendes, Janelle Monáe, Red Hot Chili Peppers, J Balvin and Young Thug, Ricky Martin and Arturo Sandoval, Camila Cabello, and Diana Ross, per the Grammy website. In addition, a special Dolly Parton tribute will feature performances by Katy Perry, Little Big Town, Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, and Parton herself.
The Grammys will air on CBS Sunday night.
