After nearly 20 years, seven albums, numerous awards, painful tragedy, and multiple musical evolutions, the members of Avenged Sevenfold have earned their first GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Song for "The Stage."

Progressive, sprawling and epic, "The Stage" is the opening and title track on A7X's seventh studio album, which saw a surprise release on Oct. 28, 2016, and launched the quintet's sound in a bold new direction.

"This was definitely a really crazy record to write," says guitarist Synyster Gates. "'The Stage' in particular is a super-long, thematic, building, progressive opening track that excites you as an artist and it excites you to introduce it to your fans, but you don't think GRAMMYs or radio."

Gates continues, "The irony of this, our last record, Hail To The King — I wouldn't say we were trying to make a sell-out record, but we were trying to make a super-concise, one vibe a song, because we'd never done that before, and so it's got tons of these three-four-minute bangers that seem maybe a little bit more radio palatable, and nothing for that one. But we write the craziest record of our entire career and that's when we get the GRAMMY nomination."

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For The Stage, the band enlisted GRAMMY-nominated producer/engineer Joe Barresi (Melvins, Queens Of The Stone Age, Monster Magnet, Tool) for the first time. True to the LP's title, Barresi pushed the band to get the feel of their exhilarating stage show.

"Joe Barresi brought a lot of new things to the table," lead singer M. Shadows revealed on Full Metal Jackie (as told by Blabbermouth). "And one thing that I had never done was to do full-song vocal takes, where you sing from the very first lyric all the way to the end of the song, and as your voice starts straining, and as it gets a little more tough on the vocals, you get that live feel."

Exploring uncharted territory in the studio can be exhausting and time consuming. But in a world where many successful bands feel pressured to restart the album cycle with regularity, taking the time to craft the new album was a conscious decision.

"We kind of reached this point in life where we don't really want to put out anything just to put something out," Shadows told Rolling Stone. "We really don't want it to be like, 'Two years are up. You've had your break; now do another record and get it out there.' We needed to wait until something really inspired us, and that's why the record took a long time to get done."

Definitely worth the wait, "The Stage" gives Avenged Sevenfold their first crack at a GRAMMY win the 60th GRAMMY Awards on Jan. 28. A7X are currently on tour in the U.S., headed for Europe this summer, and they continue to push themselves musically, recently releasing their first acoustic recording, Live At The GRAMMY Museum.

No one is arguing that “Bridgerton” is realistic or even particularly historically accurate — in fact, leaning into anachronisms is the point. Entering its third season, which premieres on May 16, the pulpy Netflix show based on a series of romance novels by Julia Quinn — often classified as “bodice rippers” — mixes modern life ideas with Regency-era social rules.

From Lady Whistledown's tantalizing gossip columns to the complex romances of the Bridgerton siblings, the series grips viewers with its blend of historical drama and contemporary flair. One key note in that chord is classical music. Instead of using current tracks like some historical-contemporary-hybrids (most famously “A Knight’s Tale" in 2001), “Bridgerton” has mastered the art of the classical cover. 

Paired with original compositions by Kris Bowers, an Oscar winner and GRAMMY nominee — including one for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media for "Bridgerton" — the tone of the show is that of a heightened, classic world. Bowers, along with music supervisor Justin Kamps collaborates with the Vitamin String Quartet and other artists to create a full circle sonic landscape. They make the classical music in “Bridgerton” pop by re-recording, rearranging, and reimagining contemporary pop songs as classic pieces. 

Over three seasons, as well as with the spin off, “Queen Charlotte,” the team has included a mix of the newest songs as well as nostalgic favorites. This season features GAYLE’s “abcdefu,” which was released in 2022 as well as a cover of Pitbull, Ne-Yo, and Afrojack’s “Give Me Everything,” which was released in 2011, which can appease the full gamut of millennial and Gen Z viewers.  

Regency traditions 

The Regency period in which the show is based, spanned from 1811 to 1820, and was known as an era of elegance and refinement in British history.  In the first chunk of the 1800s, pop music included pieces by Beethoven, Liszt, Haydn, and Mendlesson (famous for the “Wedding March”). Waltzes were all the rage, and this “new” music was considered much more emotional and passionate than previous offerings. The romance of being swept away in a dance increased the thrill, and string quartets were highly popular. 

As seen throughout the series (and much like today), society placed a significant emphasis on social gatherings and music played a central role in these events. Balls, soirées, and intimate musical evenings were common, the perfect backdrop for orchestrating romance. 

In “Bridgerton," the show's modern portrayal of the Regency period occasionally features or references music from the time period, such as Vivaldi’s “The Four Seasons,” which was written a century before the events in the show but was and is still a popular piece of classical music. The show frequently uses arrangements of classical songs in a slightly modern way, but most often, it underscores scenes with either classically arranged covers of pop songs or original music by Bowers. 

Contemporary music covers

Choosing between a cover or original music is a nuanced decision for the music team. The music team considers “whether or not, there's something that can, lyrically, even though we don't hear lyrics, speak to a moment really well,” said Bowers. Absent a cover by an outside band, Bowers arranges pop hits to suit the tone of the scene. He said, “when you're saying something with a song, you're making commentary on what's happening.” 

When they do outsource tracks, more often than not, these covers come from Los Angeles-based Vitamin String Quartet. VSQ is the new Mendlesson in that they have been the predominant wedding-march artist for nearly a decade, known for producing string renditions of highly eclectic mix of artists including Cardi B, Lana Del Rey, Björk, and Sigur Rós. 

They contributed four covers in season one, including Billie Elish's “bad guy” and Ariana Grande's “Thank U, Next,” about which Leo Flynn, VSQ Brand Manager at CMH Label Group said, “Talk about a great track changing the temperature of a room.” In season two, VSQ’s cover of Robyn's “Dancing on My Own” played under a dance scene. 

When we spoke to James Curtiss, Director of A&R at CMH, the song placements for season three were still a mystery. Curtiss shared, “When we finished that Taylor [Swift] record, we sent it right over to the people at ‘Bridgerton.’” 

[Spoiler alert:] Since then, we have learned Swift's “Snow on the Beach” will be featured in season three. This isn't the first time Swift's music has been featured in the show: Duomo’s cover of “Wildest Dreams” played under the honeymoon scenes in season one. 

Composer Bowers added his favorite cover of the season is in episode eight, the finale, but what title that is will be a surprise. The surprise of an “unexpected cover” as Bowers calls it is that when you “hear a song that you know, and have this strong indelible connection with it that is represented in this style that you typically don't feel like is for you. People get excited by having this music that they really love be elevated to this other level.” He said the familiarity makes “you feel connected to this time period, these characters, and these people in a different way.” 

Flynn said, “There’s something about the past that’s inherently romantic,” and the use of VSQ songs “unites something from the past with what’s going on now.” Because classical music “feels very idealized and formal,” he said, “there’s all this history and mystique built into it.” 

Flynn also mentioned that “Bridgerton” fuses past and present on a “major storytelling scale” between the historically-inspired stories themselves, the “visual feast” of the show, and the music. Curtiss added that the “romantic nature of the string quartet” juxtaposed with pop songs helps viewers tie the feeling of going to a bar or club to the experience of hearing “the popular bangers of the day,” as he called Beethoven et al., at a ball in the Regency era. 

Original compositions

When the music needs to set a specific tone without taking the audience out of the action to try and name that tune, “Bridgerton” often uses original compositions by Bowers. Bowers said, “Looking at pop music for those things like rhythm and tempo and all that stuff also helps in moments where we want to have the score feel a little bit more modern and not as traditional.” He continued, “I’ll put something in the violas and the celli that have this kind of guitar and bass feeling to them even though we’re looking at it orchestrationally from a classical perspective.” He explained that “borrowing the rhythms or the way that parts interlock from pop music” makes it feel like a modern classical sound. 

Each character and couple has their own theme. Bowers explained that it was enjoyable to create themes that could fit both heartbreaking and celebratory moments. “The melodies are still the same even if the harmonic tone is changed,” he said.

Instrumental Pop In Visual Media

The “Bridgerton” style of using instrumentalized versions of pop songs is not unique. Famously, “Promising Young Woman” used a haunting version of Britney Spears’ “Toxic,” adapted by Anthony Willis, and “Westworld’s” Ramin Djawadi used adaptations of Radiohead among others. “Wednesday” featured a stirring string version of the Rolling Stones’ “Paint it Black.” The popularity of Vitamin String Quartet and other classical cover bands has not waned and, if anything, is becoming more of a mainstream staple.

As season three approaches, the unveiling of the time-spanning, romantic soundtrack is highly anticipated. Four episodes air May 16 and the second half of the season airs June 13, with original compositions by Kris Bowers and additional music by various artists, including Vitamin String Quartet, who will be taking over Pandora’s Classical Goes Pop in anticipation of their fall, “Bridgerton”-music-filled tour. 

Overall, to find the tone of the whole series, Bowers said, “Season three actually has a lot more lightness to it. (Showrunners) Shonda (Rhimes) and Jess (Brownell) really want to have a lot of fun this season so there's a little bit more of a playful, youthful quality to the music.” Whatever tunes make it into the season, they are sure to be a feast for the ears. 

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Updated Friday Oct. 13, 2023 to include info about Kendrick Lamar's most recent GRAMMY wins, as of the 2023 GRAMMYs.

A GRAMMY veteran these days, Kendrick Lamar has won 17 GRAMMYs and has received 47 GRAMMY nominations overall. A sizable chunk of his trophies came from the 58th annual GRAMMY Awards in 2016, when he walked away with five — including his first-ever win in the Best Rap Album category.

This installment of GRAMMY Rewind turns back the clock to 2016, revisiting Lamar's acceptance speech upon winning Best Rap Album for To Pimp A Butterfly. Though Lamar was alone on stage, he made it clear that he wouldn't be at the top of his game without the help of a broad support system. 

"First off, all glory to God, that's for sure," he said, kicking off a speech that went on to thank his parents, who he described as his "those who gave me the responsibility of knowing, of accepting the good with the bad."

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He also extended his love and gratitude to his fiancée, Whitney Alford, and shouted out his Top Dawg Entertainment labelmates. Lamar specifically praised Top Dawg's CEO, Anthony Tiffith, for finding and developing raw talent that might not otherwise get the chance to pursue their musical dreams.

"We'd never forget that: Taking these kids out of the projects, out of Compton, and putting them right here on this stage, to be the best that they can be," Lamar — a Compton native himself — continued, leading into an impassioned conclusion spotlighting some of the cornerstone rap albums that came before To Pimp a Butterfly.

"Hip-hop. Ice Cube. This is for hip-hop," he said. "This is for Snoop Dogg, Doggystyle. This is for Illmatic, this is for Nas. We will live forever. Believe that."

To Pimp a Butterfly singles "Alright" and "These Walls" earned Lamar three more GRAMMYs that night, the former winning Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song and the latter taking Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (the song features Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat). He also won Best Music Video for the remix of Taylor Swift's "Bad Blood." 

Lamar has since won Best Rap Album two more times, taking home the golden gramophone in 2018 for his blockbuster LP DAMN., and in 2023 for his bold fifth album, Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers.

Watch Lamar's full acceptance speech above, and check back at GRAMMY.com every Friday for more GRAMMY Rewind episodes. 

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Originally hailing from the Orange County punk scene, metal chart-toppers Avenged Sevenfold have always pushed their personal and artistic boundaries, embracing new school sensibilities while pulling inspiration from classic bands. Their latest album, Life Is But A Dream… takes all of their influences and penchant for genre-bending songs and blends them into a bold new sonic landscape.

The 11-track LP — Avenged Sevenfold's eighth — features long running times, experimental compositions  and occasional orchestral accompaniment. While its swift genre-switching makes it a challenging collection, it also makes the album stand out among other works by mainstream rock bands.

As Life Is But A Dream… suggests, Avenged Sevenfold's willingness to experiment is what has kept the band active and vital for nearly 25 years. They've also not shied away from complex topics in their lyrics, delving into fantasy themes, broaching social and political issues, and getting emotional on songs about death, existence, and mourning the loss of their late drummer, The Rev. 

While they've served up several anthemic hits like "Bat Country" and "Hail To The King" along the way, the deep cuts are what have kept their music intriguing. Combine all of that with the potent vocal presence of frontman M. Shadows, searing leads of guitarist Synyster Gates and their interplay with guitarist Zacky Vengeance, the rhythmic power of bassist Johnny Christ and their late drumming powerhouse The Rev, it's no wonder the group have retained a loyal following since the beginning. The result has been five platinum-selling discs, two No. 1 albums and a GRAMMY nomination.

As Avenged Sevenfold release their eighth album, GRAMMY.com took a deep dive into the band's catalog to examine how keeping an open mind and ears has led them down rewarding musical paths.

Sounding the Seventh Trumpet (2001)

Avenged Sevenfold's debut was recorded under primitive conditions. Initially a quartet — Shadows, Vengeance, bassist Justin Sane, and drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan — the band had a $2,000 budget to play with. The Rev would immediately solidify his cred as a drumming force by recording every song in one take, and the band recorded everything else over those tight and often hyperactive tracks.

Avenged sounded utterly ferocious on thrashy songs like "Darkness Surrounding" and "Thick and Thin," then contrasted that with the piano ballad "Warmness On The Soul" and the melodic punk of "Streets," a tune ported over from Shadows' previous band Successful Failure. Unlike so many later epics, most of the tunes fell into the 4-minute range (the first and last time for an Avenged release), other than the melancholic 7-minute closing track "Shattered By Broken Dreams." The song starts in the vein of an acoustic ballad before transforming into an elegiac electric jam, combining many of their influences together in one composition.

Another one of those influences is seemingly their hometown of Huntington Beach, California, which the band has noted has a very diverse, eclectic population. The songs on Trumpet reflect that, combining elements of metalcore, punk, and classic metal into a raucous — if at times uneven — effort. Though they were all still teenagers when they recorded the project, it showed promise right away.

Waking the Fallen (2003)

Lineup changes after the release of their debut resulted in the arrival of shred king Synsyter Gates on guitar in April 2001 and Johnny Christ on bass in September 2002. Signing with Hopeless Records, who reissued their first album, A7X immediately showed how the revamped band gelled more and possessed increased confidence in the studio with their next effort, Waking the Fallen. Having two six-stringers increased the heaviness and their songwriting potential, and it was great for unleashing big guitar harmonies.

Godsmack producer Andrew Murdock (aka Mudrock) came onboard as co-producer and pushed the band to go further. He purposely reined in The Rev's drumming to balance chaos with control, and the group encouraged Shadows to sing more and not just focus on screaming, particularly in light of his vocal surgery around 2002 that took two years to fully recover from. While this singing shift would deeply influence their next album, it wouldn't sit well with some of the band's earliest fans. But it helped open up their music more. The singles "Eternal Rest/Chapter Four" and "Unholy Confessions" blended their new and old-school influences well.

The track "Remenissions" was among those that hinted at the multi-dimensional mentality to come, meshing aggressive metalcore with unexpected acoustic guitar work. The two-part, 13-minute "I Won't See You Tonight" is one of the album's most compelling pieces, both for its subject matter — detailing Shadows walking in on Sane attempting to take his own life, from Sane's perspective — and for its progression from an epic power ballad to the roaring second half, which invokes Shadows' reaction to his friend's suicide note.

It was clear from Waking The Fallen that Avenged Sevenfold were maturing fast. Their music and regular touring, including the Vans Warped Tour, set the stage for the big breakthrough.

City of Evil (2005)

With Murdock in the producer seat once again, the band's third album represented a turning point. Shadows worked with a vocal coach to have a gritty metal quality, but not blow out his voice the way he had when he was younger. He still tackles many screams live, but he took on a far more disciplined vocal approach on recordings, with grit and power that eschewed outright screaming. (Johnny Christ took over handling some of the other screams live.)

The video for the anthemic second single "Bat Country" really set the tone for the new Avenged Sevenfold — devilish Vegas imagery, lingerie-clad models, and lots of (digital) bats. The timing for this transition worked out well, as the nu-metal boom had ended and metalcore was peaking. With a classic '80s hard rock and metal revival in full swing, the time was ripe for a younger band to take those influences — Iron Maiden, Guns N' Roses, and Metallica among them — and shape them into a new sound. Avenged Sevenfold had arrived, heavy riffs and majestic guitar harmonies in tow.

Perhaps the metalcore mayhem was gone, but listen to the rapid fire riffs and pummeling double kicks on tracks like "Blinded In Chains" and "Burn It Down," and it's clear they still could bring the thunder. At the same time, their musical worldview had expanded. The melodic metal of "Sidewinder" featured Spanish guitar work from Gates' father, Brian Haner, in the song's extended Latin coda. "Seize The Day" recalled classic power ballads. The last three tracks veered into mid-tempo melodic metal including the galloping, Maiden-esque closer "MIA" about the horrors of the battlefield.

Avenged Sevenfold (2007)

Fourth time was the charm for the group's self-produced and self-titled album. Opening with the aggro assault of "Critical Acclaim" — which included criticism of keyboard warriors who whine about social problems but do nothing to solve them — the album traversed a truly wide range of sonic territory. "Scream" served up more groove metal intensity, "Rise" delivered high velocity power metal, and "Gunslinger" featured some bluesy acoustic work.

The Rev particularly came into his own on this album. He reportedly wrote 60% of the project himself, and he also provided co-lead vocals on half the songs. It's rare that a rock drummer gets that much input into their band's music, but he certainly provided plenty of artistic fodder to match his percussive propulsion.

Avenged Sevenfold closed out with two unexpected tracks. First was the 8-minute epic "A Little Bit Of Heaven," conjured by The Rev and inspired by Tim Burton, Danny Elfman, and Oingo Boingo. Featuring mostly orchestral instrumentation, the quirky track spun a gleefully morbid tale of murder, necrophilia, undead revenge, and a killing spree. In contrast, "Dear God" closed things out with a slow, country-leaning ballad of loneliness and longing on the road. (The video recalled Journey's "Faithfully.")

Leave it up to these guys to deliver a one-two punch without metal bombast.

Nightmare (2010)

This was originally meant to be the group's first concept album, but the tragic death of The Rev from an accidental overdose in December 2009 left the band facing an unexpected crossroads. The large void left by their 28-year-old drummer was immediately impactful, and the group enlisted then-Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy to finish recording their next album (building on The Rev's pre-planned drum parts) and join them on the subsequent tour. The choice made sense; The Rev represented the next generation of powerhouse players like Portnoy, and the duo had previously bonded personally.

While the original conceptual approach to Nightmare was abandoned, it became somewhat conceptual in that many of the songs addressed the band's despair and pain over the loss of their bandmate. The Rev's fingerprints are all over the album, which frequently favored slower and melodic songs than previous efforts. But there were also thrashier tracks like "God Hates Us," which served up a metalcore flashback for the band.

The first of two albums to be produced by Mike Elizondo (Eminem, Mastodon), Nightmare is arguably  the most emotional album from Avenged Sevenfold. Many of the lyrics expressed the sorrow and grief that they felt, such as on "So Far Away." The piano-driven eulogy "Fiction" (originally called "Death,") was written by The Rev and finished three days before his passing. In retrospect, it was eerily prophetic, with lyrics like "left this life to set me free" and "in the end I gave my life for you."

Hail to the King (2013)

Following the album and tour cycle with Portnoy, Avenged Sevenfold brought in former Confide drummer Arin Ilejay for touring starting in 2011, and then creating their sixth studio album. Ilejay faced a daunting task — filling in for two big sets of shoes behind the drums.

Hail To The King was a different sort of album. A majority of the tunes had a mid-tempo stomp or slower, with insistent grooves which gave it an '80s heavy rock feel. It's not been uncommon for some thrash bands to shift focus (think Metallica and The Black Album), and the change of pace produced some memorable tunes. 

While Ilejay tackled The Rev's faster, more thunderous parts live, he focused on strong, heavy grooves on Hail To The King. There was more consistency in approach for the band here, and the spirits of Metallica, Maiden, Megadeth, and other classic and thrash icons loom large over the album. Many bands have done cover albums or songs, Avenged included; here, they offer more of an homage record.

The Stage (2016)

In true A7X fashion, the follow-up to the streamlined music on Hail To The King turned into the group's first true concept album, but more thematically rather than utilizing a linear narrative. It revolved around artificial intelligence and humanity's place in the world and the universe.

While the prog tag had been tossed around in relation to the band before, The Stage really did live up to that term, as the group experimented with alternate time signatures and more complex arrangements. It was aggressive progressive metal. Producer Joe Barresi (Coheed and Cambria, Bad Religion) came onboard this time, and Christ recently explained that Barresi never says no to what they aspire to do — he just finds a way to make it happen.

The fourth Avenged album to open up with Gothic vibes — in this case, a keyboard intro in the spirit of Ozzy Osbourne's "Mr. Crowley" — the pounding tom work heralded the arrival of the group's fourth drummer, Brooks Wackerman, following the dismissal of Ilejay from behind the kit. Wackerman left his longtime gig with punk icons Bad Religion for A7X, who they felt was a better fit for the musical path they were on. He certainly unleashed powerful fills and kicks to attest to his worthiness to their drum throne.

The Stage was driven by a lot of fire and fury, but the band also chilled on ballads "Roman Sky" and "Angels" and the 15-minute, genre-hopping "Exist." That mammoth track opened with ambient mystery, erupted into power metal majesty, and churned through lots of guitar histrionics, with Shadows' subdued vocals arriving halfway through. Then the band wrapped it all up with a spoken-word passage from acclaimed astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson — metaphorically and literally reaching for the stars.

Life Is But a Dream… (2023)

And now we arrive at the album that Avenged Sevenfold have been threatening to make for nearly their whole career. Inspired by the likes of Mike Patton and his experimental band Mr. Bungle, A7X channel an "everything but the kitchen sink" ethos into their newest compositions. 

When M. Shadows announced that the band would be working with an orchestra, many people probably had visions of Metallica's S&M or a sweeping neo-classical album. But the band defied expectations by taking the opposite approach, and half of the songs are half as long as typical Avenged songs. (In other words, they run three to four minutes.) Even the barebones, black marker depiction of Death on the cover is a stark contrast to a lot of their more colorful past album art.

Shadows has stated that Life Is But A Dream… explores existentialism and absurdism, and it is inspired partially by the philosophical writings of Albert Camus as well as the use of psychedelic drugs by himself and Gates. The highly eclectic album is a study in wild contrasts, with its frequent tempo and dynamic shifts and avant-garde approach to songwriting.

A breakneck thrash pace dissipates into a gentle flute, piano, and acoustic guitar section on "Game Over," or into monotone vocals and atonal industrial sounds on "We Love You"; hypnotic horns and emotional vocals crescendo through guitar dissonance on "Cosmic." The last four tracks alone invoke elements of Broadway, funk, jazz, Sinatra-esque balladry, and, at the end, a neo-classical piano instrumental.

The latest Avenged Sevenfold platter circles back to what the band has shown from the start. By pushing themselves and their audience, one never knows what to expect from a new A7X album — or what kind of mark it will leave on its listener. How this latest epic will stand up over time remains to be seen, but Life Is But A Dream… proves that Avenged Sevenfold won't rest on their laurels. That's what's driven them all along.

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It's rare that a genre can be traced back to a single artist or group, but for funk, that was James Brown. The Godfather of Soul coined the phrase and style of playing known as "on the one," where the first downbeat is emphasized, instead of the typical second and fourth beats in pop, soul and other styles. As David Cheal eloquently explains, playing on the one "left space for phrases and riffs, often syncopated around the beat, creating an intricate, interlocking grid which could go on and on." You know a funky bassline when you hear it; its fat chords beg your body to get up and groove.

Brown's 1965 classic, "Papa's Got a Brand New Bag," became one of the first funk hits, and has been endlessly sampled and covered over the years, along with his other groovy tracks. Of course, many other funk acts followed in the '60s, and the genre thrived in the '70s and '80s as the disco craze came and went, and the originators of hip-hop and house music created new music from funk and disco's strong, flexible bones built for dancing.

Legendary funk bassist Bootsy Collins learned the power of the one from playing in Brown's band, and brought it to George Clinton, who created P-funk, an expansive, Afrofuturistic, psychedelic exploration of funk with his various bands and projects, including Parliament-Funkadelic. Both Collins and Clinton remain active and funkin', and have offered their timeless grooves to collabs with younger artists, including Kali Uchis, Silk Sonic, and Omar Apollo; and Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, and Thundercat, respectively.

In the 1980s, electro-funk was born when artists like Afrika Bambaataa, Man Parrish, and Egyptian Lover began making futuristic beats with the Roland TR-808 drum machine — often with robotic vocals distorted through a talk box. A key distinguishing factor of electro-funk is a de-emphasis on vocals, with more phrases than choruses and verses. The sound influenced contemporaneous hip-hop, funk and electronica, along with acts around the globe, while current acts like Chromeo, DJ Stingray, and even Egyptian Lover himself keep electro-funk alive and well.

Today, funk lives in many places, with its heavy bass and syncopated grooves finding way into many nooks and crannies of music. There's nu-disco and boogie funk, nodding back to disco bands with soaring vocals and dance floor-designed instrumentation. G-funk continues to influence Los Angeles hip-hop, with innovative artists like Dam-Funk and Channel Tres bringing the funk and G-funk, into electro territory. Funk and disco-centered '70s revival is definitely having a moment, with acts like Ghost Funk Orchestra and Parcels, while its sparkly sprinklings can be heard in pop from Dua Lipa, Doja Cat, and, in full "Soul Train" character, Silk Sonic. There are also acts making dreamy, atmospheric music with a solid dose of funk, such as Khruangbin’s global sonic collage.

There are many bands that play heavily with funk, creating lush grooves designed to get you moving. Read on for a taste of five current modern funk and nu-disco artists making band-led uptempo funk built for the dance floor. Be sure to press play on the Spotify playlist above, and check out GRAMMY.com's playlist on Apple Music, Amazon Music and Pandora.

Say She She

Aptly self-described as "discodelic soul," Brooklyn-based seven-piece Say She She make dreamy, operatic funk, led by singer-songwriters Nya Gazelle Brown, Piya Malik and Sabrina Mileo Cunningham. Their '70s girl group-inspired vocal harmonies echo, sooth and enchant as they cover poignant topics with feminist flair.

While they’ve been active in the New York scene for a few years, they’ve gained wider acclaim for the irresistible music they began releasing this year, including their debut album, Prism. Their 2022 debut single "Forget Me Not" is an ode to ground-breaking New York art collective Guerilla Girls, and "Norma" is their protest anthem in response to the news that Roe vs. Wade could be (and was) overturned. The band name is a nod to funk legend Nile Rodgers, from the "Le freak, c'est chi" exclamation in Chic's legendary tune "Le Freak."

Moniquea

Moniquea's unique voice oozes confidence, yet invites you in to dance with her to the super funky boogie rhythms. The Pasadena, California artist was raised on funk music; her mom was in a cover band that would play classics like Aretha Franklin’s "Get It Right" and Gladys Knight’s "Love Overboard." Moniquea released her first boogie funk track at 20 and, in 2011, met local producer XL Middelton — a bonafide purveyor of funk. She's been a star artist on his MoFunk Records ever since, and they've collabed on countless tracks, channeling West Coast energy with a heavy dose of G-funk, sunny lyrics and upbeat, roller disco-ready rhythms.

Her latest release is an upbeat nod to classic West Coast funk, produced by Middleton, and follows her February 2022 groovy, collab-filled album, On Repeat.

Shiro Schwarz

Shiro Schwarz is a Mexico City-based duo, consisting of Pammela Rojas and Rafael Marfil, who helped establish a modern funk scene in the richly creative Mexican metropolis. On "Electrify" — originally released in 2016 on Fat Beats Records and reissued in 2021 by MoFunk — Shiro Schwarz's vocals playfully contrast each other, floating over an insistent, upbeat bassline and an '80s throwback electro-funk rhythm with synth flourishes.

Their music manages to be both nostalgic and futuristic — and impossible to sit still to. 2021 single "Be Kind" is sweet, mellow and groovy, perfect chic lounge funk. Shiro Schwarz’s latest track, the joyfully nostalgic "Hey DJ," is a collab with funkstress Saucy Lady and U-Key.

L'Impératrice

L'Impératrice (the empress in French) are a six-piece Parisian group serving an infectiously joyful blend of French pop, nu-disco, funk and psychedelia. Flore Benguigui's vocals are light and dreamy, yet commanding of your attention, while lyrics have a feminist touch.

During their energetic live sets, L'Impératrice members Charles de Boisseguin and Hagni Gwon (keys), David Gaugué (bass), Achille Trocellier (guitar), and Tom Daveau (drums) deliver extended instrumental jam sessions to expand and connect their music. Gaugué emphasizes the thick funky bass, and Benguigui jumps around the stage while sounding like an angel. L’Impératrice’s latest album, 2021’s Tako Tsubo, is a sunny, playful French disco journey.

Franc Moody

Franc Moody's bio fittingly describes their music as "a soul funk and cosmic disco sound." The London outfit was birthed by friends Ned Franc and Jon Moody in the early 2010s, when they were living together and throwing parties in North London's warehouse scene. In 2017, the group grew to six members, including singer and multi-instrumentalist Amber-Simone.

Their music feels at home with other electro-pop bands like fellow Londoners Jungle and Aussie act Parcels. While much of it is upbeat and euphoric, Franc Moody also dips into the more chilled, dreamy realm, such as the vibey, sultry title track from their recently released Into the Ether.

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