Annie Lennox And Hozier ‘Put A Spell’ On The Grammys Audience
Singer-song writer Annie Lennox, 61, proved she still has the vocal chops to mesmerize an audience with any song she chooses. Lennox grinned as she sang with Hozier Sunday night at the Grammys. The duo performed Hozier’s Song of the Year nominee “Take Me to Church” which blended into Lennox’s cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You.”
Both artists belted out the rock classic, and with her stunning performance, Annie Lennox might have stolen the show. Most notably among the various audience reaction shots, as Rolling Stone reports, were the ones of Taylor Swift “freaking out” and Kanye West “looking impressed.” Lennox and Hozier received a standing ovation from the entire audience when their duet concluded.
Ken Ehrlich, producer of the Grammy Awards show, asked Annie Lennox if she would perform with Hozier, but at first she wasn’t sure it was a good idea. She decided to wait until meeting Hozier before making her final decision. Once Lennox agreed to performing with Hozier, they rehearsed at the Staples Center last Thursday. Lennox said during their rehearsal she thought he seemed a bit jittery around her.
“I wasn’t quite seeing it, initially. I said, when we get into a room together, we’re going to know if it works.
“I think he was a little nervous, to be honest with you. I’m always a little bemused by that, because I’m really not anybody to be afraid of.”
Lennox said Hozier is “such a grounded guy – he’s quite wise for his years.” She knows what it’s like to face pressure as a young artist when a debut single quickly takes off.
“Sweet Dreams was something like that, so I do know something about that, and I do know about how it can last your whole life,” Lennox said.
A very special moment last night at @TheGRAMMYs with the legendary @AnnieLennox. Thanks everyone for the support. http://t.co/s0lbkCzGfl
— Hozier (@Hozier) February 10, 2015
Last year, Annie Lennox spoke about possibly retiring while at a public Q&A in London. Lennox talked about how writing was cathartic for her, but now she hasn’t been writing because she’s “too happy.”
“I’ve stopped writing because I’m too happy. It’s thanks to someone who will remain nameless, but who makes me very happy with life these days. A lot of my writing was cathartic because it was a very helpful way to get certain feelings expressed. Misery is a great catalyst for some extraordinary music but you don’t really want to live there 24/7. I’d rather be not successful and happy than be super-successful and absolutely miserable.”
The Inquisitr previously reported many viewers found the Grammys boring this year with most of the performers older and singing ballads. Annie Lennox might have gained some new fans, however, because according to the Huffington Post, her stream blew up on Spotify. After Lennox’s performance with Hozier, her overall streams went up by 147 percent, and her cover of “I Put a Spell on You” went up by 211 percent. USA Today reports Pandora station adds for Lennox increased by 1,666 percent.
Congrats to @TheBrandyClark, @AnnieLennox & other #GRAMMYs performers who saw huge listening boosts post show! Blog: http://t.co/IGAB3UjUw6 — Pandora (@pandora_radio) February 10, 2015
Rolling Stone counted Annie Lennox’s performance among the best moments of the 2015 Grammys, stating it gave the night “its biggest jolt of electricity” and that Lennox “stole the performance that stole the show.”
Did you watch the Grammy awards? What do you think of Annie Lennox and her performance with Hozier?
[Image courtesy of Vogue]
