Advertisement

Grammys’ Motown tribute with Jennifer Lopez upsets some viewers

Jennifer Lopez performs at the 61st Grammy Awards.
(Robert Gauthier / Los Angeles Times)
Share

Jennifer Lopez’s tribute to Motown at the 61st Grammy Awards has not gone over too well.

Viewers — at least those airing their grievances on social media — seem puzzled that out of all of the musicians (theoretically) available, the organizers of the telecast chose J. Lo to pay tribute to the iconic record label.

The online criticism during the telecast echoed that raised when Lopez’s involvement in the tribute was first revealed.

Advertisement

Some viewers took offense that Lopez was known more for her skills as a dancer than for her music (even though Lopez has released eight studio albums between 1999 and 2014).

GRAMMYS 2019: Full Coverage »

Others thought a tribute to Motown’s legacy would have been more appropriate from a black performer.

Motown’s own Smokey Robinson joined Grammy host Alicia Keys to introduce the performance, before joining in for a portion of the medley Lopez led.

Robinson addressed critics prior to the event by pointing out that “Motown was music for everybody.”

Some reactions to the tribute below.

Advertisement
Advertisement

tracy.brown@latimes.com

Twitter: @tracycbrown

Advertisement