Everything leaks, always, says Ben Winston, executive producer of the Grammy Awards.
The performance required complex backstage coordination, with stagehands and 107 dancers preparing backstage whileLady GagaandBruno Marssang California Dreamin.
In the new episode ofRolling Stone Music Now, Winston goes deep on the making of the show.
Even Grammys exec producer Ben Winston is stunned that the Weeknd’s performance managed to remain a secretJohnny Nunez/Getty Images
If you delay it, that budgets already been spent.
The result would be devastating for workers, he argues.
All that happens is you have to employ less staff.
Id be lucky to have her on the show…
He said, Is anybody on the show doing, like, California Dreamin?…
I loved what they did.
They were like, No, you know what?
Were not going to do our massive single that would make us money and help our albums.
Actually, were going to do something for the city.
When you ask Stevie Wonder to do the show, you have to accept two things, Winston explains.
We put him in the Motown tribute three years ago.
And it was the best nine minutes.
I really wanted him, the Academy wanted him, he was close to Quincy, says Winston.
We called Will Smith and he went, Yeah, Ill do that.
And that was it.
He adds, Were a different show.
You know, its not for me to comment on other shows.
Im so proud to produce this show… We can do what we want.
When the sequence concluded with Rayes performance, the production truck erupted in celebration.
We were literally punching the air, were hitting the walls, Winston says.
It was without question the hardest thing weve ever had to do on the show.
