Fiona Apple explains why she won’t be attending tonight’s Grammys

Fiona Apple has explained that she won’t be attending tonight’s (March 14) Grammy awards in Los Angeles.

Apple is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album for her lauded 2020 record ‘Fetch The Bolt Cutters’, while that album’s track ‘Shameika’ is up for both Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song.

In a video message posted via her Zelda Hallman’s Instagram today, Apple explained her reasons for not attending the ceremony, which, despite strict COVID-19 protocols, will be open for attendance by a number of nominees.

“It’s not because I’m trying to protest, even though I have problems with the Grammys, it’s not because of that,” she said.

“It’s really because I don’t want to be on national television – I’m just not made for that kind of stuff anymore. I want to stay sober and I can’t do that sober – it doesn’t feel safe to me to be under exposure, scrutiny, comparison to people. I can’t.”

Going on to recognise that “there’s been lots of questions about the transparency of the Grammys,” Apple added: “I feel like that’s important, but it’s not important.

“What really really is undeniably important is the transparency in actual court rooms,” she said, urging fans to sign a petition to keep court rooms, including the Prince George’s County court room in Maryland, where Apple is a court watcher.

In the wake of her Grammy nominations, Apple revealed that she considered boycotting the ceremony over Dr. Luke being nominated.

Speaking in a new interview with The Guardian, Apple discussed the Recording Academy’s decision to nominate the producer (under the pseudonym Tyson Trax) despite Kesha’s allegations that he sexually assaulted her.

“I keep going back to them putting Kesha on stage like, ‘We believe you’ – and I believe her – then two years later, fucking Tyson Trax. Not to go back to that word, but it’s bullshit,” she said.

Apple is part of the Best Rock Performance category at tonight’s awards, part of a list of nominees that is all-female for the first time in history.

Alongside Apple, the nominees include Phoebe Bridgers for ‘Kyoto’, ‘The Steps’ by Haim, ‘Stay High’ by Brittany Howard, Grace Potter’s ‘Daylight’, and ‘Not’ by Big Thief, the band fronted by Adrianne Lenker.