Dear Grammy Insiders,
Every year when the Grammy nominations roll out, as they did this past Monday, I’m astonished — and proud — at the number of nominees who are alumni of the K.
So come along with me… for our annual review of KCRW live studio performances by Grammy nominees! This year, we are celebrating five badass women who made a fabulous racket in music this past year.
Natalia LaFourcade — Cancionera — Best Latin Pop Album
Let’s start with Mexican singer-songwriter and international superstar Natalia Lafourcade, who’s visited us three times. My favorite is her 2022 visit to Bob Clearmountain’s Apogee Studio — a stunning session and a wonderful, far-reaching conversation with DJ Raul Campos.
Lady Gaga — MAYHEM — 7 nominations including Album, Record, and Song of the Year
It was only last month when Lady Gaga dropped in with us at Bob Clearmountain’s Apogee Studio to perform new arrangements on solo piano of “Abracadabra” and “Vanish Into You,” both from MAYHEM.
Alongside these stripped-down songs, Gaga joined Chris Douridas for an intimate chat, recounting the inspiration that guided the production of her seventh studio album.
Billie Eilish — “Wildflower” from HIT ME HARD AND SOFT — Record and Song of the Year
Bigtime KCRW alumni Billie Eilish and her brother Finneas also sat down with Chris Douridas. They played a few acoustic songs for a small audience and reflected on the whirlwind of the past decade in music — which began for them at KCRW’s own School Night as well as their parallel futures as collaborators and solo artists.
Pink Pantheress — Fancy That — Best Electronic / Dance Album, “Illegal” — Best Dance Pop Recording
UK chart-topper Pink Pantheress is a producing and songwriting force who recently dropped by MBE to chat with Novena. In 2025, she dropped not only Fancy That, but also a remix collection, Fancy Some More? She cites the future as her primary musical inspiration, but uses electronic samples from the past in her work. If you have a young person in your life watching TikTok, you’ve likely heard (a bar of) her nominated single, “Illegal.”
Wet Leg — Moisturizer — Alternative Music Album, Alternative Music Performance for “davina mccall”
Last but not least: it’s breakout phenom Wet Leg whose recent live session was the subject of last week’s newsletter. Live session here! Travel back in time to their live performance of “Chaise Lounge” from my backyard, which was promptly shut down by the LAPD, here!
The Grammys air in February, so plenty of time to catch up on your listening. Til then — girl power.
xx, Anne
Charlotte de Witte
On Morning Becomes Eclectic, we welcomed Charlotte de Witte, one of the most electrifying DJs on the planet, joining us on the day her self-titled debut album dropped. Known for her thunderous techno sets and fearless approach to sound, Charlotte sat down to talk about her creative evolution, what it means to stay true to your pulse, and the power of losing yourself on the dance floor. Plus, she shared a few of her own music selections, sharp, dark, and beautifully hypnotic.
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Moon Boots DJ Residency
Musician and DJ Peter Dougherty, better known as Moon Boots, is taking listeners on a lunar journey throughout November with his themed KCRW Resident DJ series. Each of the four mixes mirrors a phase of the moon, charting a course from shimmering crescents to radiant fullness. The just-launched Full Moon mix closed the cycle in peak form, blending sleek, euphoric selections from Confidence Man, Skream, Cody Currie, Tony Romera, and more. A celestial send-off for the season and a reminder that even on Earth, the dance floor still orbits something cosmic.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand: Electric Nebraska
What if Bruce Springsteen’s Nebraska, that stark, homespun masterpiece recorded on a four-track in his bedroom, had gone electric? On Press Play, Madeleine Brand digs into the newly released Electric Nebraska, a reimagined version of the fabled album featuring the full E Street Band. Springsteen historian Erik Flannigan joins to unpack how this long-shelved recording reshapes our understanding of the original, not as a replacement but as a revelation of what might have been.
