Grammy hard-hitters to chart-toppers
TEXT OF INTERVIEW
Doug Krizner: Maybe you were one of the 17.5 million TV watchers of the Grammys last Sunday. In the days since, there’s been a slight bump up in music sales.
Let’s bring in Bill Werde of Billboard Magazine. Bill, which artists are getting the biggest boost post-Grammys?
Bill Werde: Well, a couple of the big ones. I mean, you might expect an act like Amy Winehouse, who had achieved some success but wasn’t really a household name yet. She’s suddenly reaching a much broader audience. She had a great performance, it was actually one of the few seemingly like very sincere moments of the Grammys when she won. She’s seen great jumps. A lot of people are expecting her to crack back into the top 10 of the billboard 200 albums chart based on the first couple days’ sales.
Krizner: Any big surprises from where you sit?
Werde: One would be the success of the Foo Fighters. You know, that rock band looks like it’s probably going to jump back into the top 15 or 20. You know, some people say they were one of the few bands to really get out there and show, like, the spirit of rock and roll, you know? They were kind of a little bit scruffy, wearing some t-shirts, and they played a great song.
Krizner: If we look at the other end of the spectrum, who was the biggest disappointment, in your view?
Werde: Well, I don’t know if I’d call them disappointments, but there’s some artists that maybe could have grabbed up a bigger share of the limelight. One of those that comes to mind is Feist, she’s a Canadian singer. Her song, 1234, I think was really poised to break out with the broad exposure of the Grammys. She gave a very subdued performance of the song, and while you are seeing some spikes, a lot of people around the industry feel that have she had gone out there and done a really vibrant show, she would have really benefitted.
Krizner: Bill Werde is executive editor for Billboard. Bill, always a pleasure, thanks so much.
Werde: Thanks Doug.
Krizner: As we wrap up, here’s the music of Feist. In Los Angeles, I’m Doug Krizner. Thanks for listening.
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