Trevor Noah is back as the host of the Grammy Awards for his fourth consecutive year.
In late November, the comedian’s new podcast, What Now? with Trevor Noah, debuted.
“It’s such a different platform and a different forum, and so I love being able to speak to people directly,” Noah told Blavity in an interview ahead of Grammys weekend. “I’m really lucky that people tune into the podcast and download it and listen to it. I hope over time to keep fostering an environment where I can engage honestly and intimately with audiences without any of the fuss that comes with TV, without any of the same constraints but try and create something authentic and intimate.”
In addition to being on the South African native’s Off The Record strand-up tour, starting his new podcast and hosting the upcoming Grammys, Noah’s third Netflix comedy special, I Wish You Would, earned him a Grammy nomination for best comedy album. As far as being the master of ceremonies again for “Music’s Biggest Night,” it’s an opportunity he doesn’t take for granted.
“I’m really grateful, first of all, and I want to say thank you so much to them for bringing me back. I think maybe part of it is luck,” Noah said. “I just happen to be at the right place at the right time. The other part I hope is that the Academy knows that I appreciate the night, I appreciate music, I appreciate artists and I appreciate the audience who supports what the artists create.”
He continued, “And so what I’m trying to do when I’m hosting the show is try and bring all of those elements together. I want to make sure that you as an audience member at home feel that you are appreciated because without you none of that would be happening. I would also want the artists to feel like they’re appreciated for creating the art itself. And then, I want to make sure that the team knows that I’ve given my all to make it a good performance. So, it’s been special doing it.”
Ben Winston, the executive producer of the Grammys, and the former The Daily Show host started their partnership with The Recording Academy during the first post-pandemic show in 2021. The recent Emmy award winner says that it’s great they’ve been able to carry out their producer roles effectively to create a fun show not only for true music fans but the artists in attendance as well. He made it clear they can’t do their job without the entire crew behind the scenes.
“What Ben Winston does brilliantly is think about the show as a whole, the award ceremony, the performances, the hosting duties and the live aspects of the show,” Noah said. “But when you break them down, there are many different teams who are handling each of those aspects. And so I focus predominantly on the hosting element, which is tasked with keeping the audience engaged with the show, moving the show along, being the conduit for both the control room and then the people who are in the room, and trying to usher things along and make sure that everything stays on track. So, that’s what I’m tasked with, and that’s what I focus on predominantly. “
Although some of what Noah says during the show is planned, he likes to originate content on the spot too in hopes that it goes over well.
“I try to think about what’s happened in music, what’s in the zeitgeist, what’s in the conversation. I definitely try and think about that. I also love to play off the cuff on the night. That’s the most exciting and the most dangerous, but I love doing it, so I’m always scanning the room to see what’s happening,” he said. “I’m watching the show on a TV screen to see what people at home are seeing, so that I have an idea of like, you know, the, the difference between seeing it live and seeing it on a screen, and then what I’m trying to do is come up with jokes in that moment that contain the essence of what we were all experiencing. If I can tap into that resonance, then I think I’ve done a good job of hosting the show.”
This year, Burna Boy will be performing, which will be a monumental moment since he will be the first Afrobeats artist in the history of the Grammys to hit the stage. As a fellow African himself, Noah opened up about the 32-year-old being one of the acts he is ready to see since he’ll be representing the motherland.
“Look, I’m as excited for this moment as I was when Reggaton was on the stage, okay?” he said. “I love how music is becoming more and more international. I love how it’s now just a genre. It doesn’t have to live in one specific place, they can all blend into each other.”
This led the Where I Was comic to speak on how the “Last Last” artist’s performance will be another step in the continuation of integrating different styles of music.
“We saw it with Nelly when he was making ‘Country Grammar,’ and you saw it with like Jay-Z and Lincoln Park just creating these fusions that you don’t necessarily think exist,” he said. “And I think the first step in creating those fusions is the music existing in the same space. And so, who knows, maybe now, we’ll see Afrobeats fusions with country music and maybe we’ll see a collaboration between like Amapiano and pop stars. I don’t know what it’ll be. I love it and I’m excited for Burna Boy and Nigeria and for the African continent as a whole.”
Tune in to see Trevor Noah host the 2024 Grammys on CBS on Sunday, Feb. 4 at 8 p.m.
