Fiona Apple is nominated for three Grammys this year, including Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album. While a limited number of guests will be allowed to attend tonight’s ceremony, Apple will not be among them.
“It’s not because I’m trying to protest, even though I have problems with the Grammys, it’s not because of that,” Apple explained in a video posted to her friend Zelda Hallman’s Instagram on Sunday.
“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.”
Apple continued by noting that “there’s been lots of questions about the transparency of the Grammys, and I feel like that’s important, but it’s not important.”
“What really really is undeniably important,” she added, “is the transparency in actual court rooms.” Apple then asked her fans to sign a petition to keep court rooms virtual, especially in Prince George’s County Maryland, where Apple herself is a court watcher.
Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, while “Shameika” is in the running for both Best Rock Performance and Best Rock Song. She won her first and only Grammy Award to date in 1998, earning Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for “Criminal”.