Alabama Shakes Ready To Rock At Grammy Awards
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Brittany Howard of Alabama Shakes remembers being a nervous, fresh-faced, first-time nominee at the Grammys back in 2013.
"It was all (like), `Well, what's going to happen. What? Ahhh, it was really stressful. What is this? What do I do? Go here, go there; Staples Center. What?" Howard recalled in an interview Friday.
She, and her band, are back at the Grammys three years later, competing for four honors, including album of the year for their sophomore effort, "Sound & Color."
And they mean business.
"Now, it's like, I'm used to this and this is going to be cool. I'm going to be less stressed out. In the commercial breaks, I'll get to talk to more people. I'm not afraid to say hello and things like that," she said. "I'm going to use this as a huge opportunity to try to meet all my heroes."
The show, airing live on Monday in Los Angeles, will include performances from Adele, Kendrick Lamar, Taylor Swift, Rihanna and more. Lady Gaga will pay tribute to David Bowie, while members of the Eagles, along with Jackson Browne, will remember the band's founding member Glenn Frey.
Alabama Shakes will also perform at the Staples Center, and the band was busy Friday rehearsing "Don't Wanna Fight," which is nominated for best rock song and rock performance. "Sound & Color," which debuted at No. 1 last year, is also up for best alternative music album.
"I'm proud of the guys," Howard said of her bandmates. "We all worked really hard on this and put all of our love and creativity into it and it's nice to get recognized. To be nominated is actually a huge honor; I know it sounds cliché, but it is when you think about who's voting for you."
Her competition in the rock category includes more women than men -- a rarity for the genre at the Grammys. Florence Welch of Florence + the Machine, singer Elle King and the band Wolf Alice -- led by Ellie Rowsell -- also earned nominations.
"All the women are out here working just as hard as the guys and proving this is our world, too. We got this," Howard said. "I'm proud of all the ladies getting nominated and maybe seeing some awards."
Watch the Grammys Red Carpet Live at 4 p.m. on KPIX followed by the Grammys Award Show at 5 p.m. on Monday night.
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