Finalists compete to perform live with Justin Timberlake on the 49th GRAMMY Awards
GRAMMY.com
The Recording Academy announced the Top 5 finalists in the "My GRAMMY Moment" program today. Jillian Gaudious (25), of Long Branch, N.J.; Jessica (Jessie) James (18), of Warner Robins, Ga.; Africa Miranda (30), of Montgomery, Ala.; Brenda Radney (22), of Staten Island, N.Y.; and Robyn Troup (18), of Houston, Texas, were chosen from among thousands of initial entries.
As The Academy continues its mission of discovering and nurturing music makers, it now places in the hands of music fans the historic opportunity for unsigned artists to vie for a special performance slot on the 49th Annual GRAMMY Awards with multi-GRAMMY nominee Justin Timberlake. The public can log on to Yahoo! Music, the official online partner of the GRAMMY Awards, to view the video submissions, bios and photos of all five hopefuls, and vote for their favorite.
"We have been overwhelmed by the enthusiastic response we have received for our 'My GRAMMY Moment' opportunity, and the Top 5 finalists reflect a diverse group of extremely talented singers," said Recording Academy President Neil Portnow. "Tens of thousands of music fans are passionately supporting their favorite 'My GRAMMY Moment' finalist, and that passion is at the very core of the fan and music maker relationship. And on Feb. 11, millions will tune in to watch the debut of a very deserving and talented new artist in the ultimate Recording Academy career development opportunity."
Over the next several weeks, fans will continue to narrow the field by voting online at Yahoo! Music. The Top 3 finalists will be announced during Super Bowl weekend and each will rehearse individually with Timberlake during GRAMMY Week in Los Angeles. For complete rules and voting times, please click here.
The winner will be announced live on the GRAMMY Awards before her performance with Timberlake on Feb. 11, at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The show will be broadcast live on the CBS Television Network at 8 p.m. (ET/PT).
