As two of the music industry’s most in-demand studio engineers, Serban Ghenea and his son Alex Ghenea are accustomed to being grilled about their signature techniques, as if making a hit record is about following some mysterious magic recipe.

The truth, says Serban, 54, is both simpler and a bit more complicated than that. “It always comes down to what the artist is looking for, or the producer, and how to get there. And that means a lot of different things for different artists.”

It’s reasonable enough to think the Gheneas have some secret sauce. With a credit list that spans the mightiest voices in pop past and present — including Taylor Swift, Michael Jackson, Adele, Bruno Mars and Justin Timberlake — and a staggering 19 Grammy Awards, Serban is one of the most prolific engineers in the world.

Alex, 28, has been a rising star ever since he remixed Adam Lambert’s “Better Than I Know Myself” in 2012 at age 15; since then, he has amassed a résumé of blockbuster credits with the likes of Ariana Grande, Khalid, blackbear, P!nk, Katy Perry and Selena Gomez.

These days, the Gheneas — who take on projects independently, though they informally weigh in on each other’s work — both are based at MixStar Studios, a private facility in Virginia Beach, Va., operated by Serban and Grammy-winning engineer John Hanes. Recent MixStar projects include The Rolling Stones’ “Angry” (mixed by Serban) and Halsey and Suga’s “Lilith (Diablo IV Anthem)” (remixed by Alex).

At this year’s Grammys, the two have eight nominations between them — including competing nods (two for Serban, one for Alex) in the new best pop dance recording category. That’s already cause for celebration for the duo, who are characteristically humble when considering the possibility of both father and son taking home trophies. “We’ll figure that out if that happens,” Serban says. “I don’t want to jinx it.”

Alex, you grew up in the studio, watching your dad. Serban, what did you think when he started to express an interest in the work?

Serban Ghenea: From way back in the day, I would check my mixes in the car, listen to what I was working on the day before. It’s part of the process. He was in a car seat, and he’d be sitting there, listening, and asking, “What’s that sound?” And I’d be, “Oh, that’s a triangle.”

And he was interested in music. He played drums; he started playing early. By the time he was 16, I got him Logic and a Mac, just to learn to mess with it. I didn’t expect much, but next thing I know, I come in one day and he’s working on something that sounded familiar.

Alex Ghenea: A Demi Lovato song.

Serban: Yeah, “Skyscraper.” He found an a cappella [recording] online and built a whole new track around it, just with Logic. I was like, “Holy sh-t, what are you doing?” He said, “I’m just playing around.” I said, “Here, listen to these songs and see if you can figure out how they make them and try to re-create it.” And so, he did a remix. I never explained how to do that, and never expected it. We sent it over to Disney —

Alex: It led to an Adam Lambert remix.

Serban: That opened the door for him doing a ton of remixes.

Alex: I think I was about 15 years old.

Did your dad have to explain to you that this wasn’t the typical career trajectory?

Alex: When I was a kid, I remember specifically, he said, “Forget about music; you should go study business or go be a lawyer,” and I actually ended up going to business school and studying marketing and I married a lawyer. So, I kind of took his advice.

Serban: He was on a path of doing remixes, and he was collaborating with a bunch of different people. Then, when COVID-19 happened, he was living in Los Angeles, and he came back [to Virginia Beach] that March and then the lockdown happened. He never went back to L.A. A lot of people that he was working with were writers; he would do the demos and rough mixes. So, when he was here, he just started to do that work, and it turned into mixing. And then, next thing you know, he was doing… What was the first big one?

Alex: [Blackbear’s] “hot girl bummer” with Andrew Goldstein, whom I’d met many years prior, during a writing-producing phase when I was living out in L.A.

Serban, in what ways have you passed your craft on to Alex?

Serban: The technical part of it he kind of just absorbed, being around and seeing it being done. I’d let him pick apart sessions and look at how things were put together. And I mean, anyone can learn that. The hard part is the aesthetic and trying to figure out what you should do. What do you like? What do you think people like? What do you react to? You only get that through experience and through listening.

Alex: Some of that early advice he gave me was, “Listen to a lot of music. Listen to stuff you like, listen to stuff you don’t like, listen to new stuff, old stuff.” You have to have a very wide palette of things to reference when you’re working on all sorts of songs and genres.

How much do you work together in the studio?

Alex: We don’t specifically work together, but now we’re sometimes on the same albums. Like with Tove Lo [Dirt Femme], I did a good bit, and he did some. Troye Sivan [Something To Give Each Other], that was about half and half. So, we’re working on the same projects, but it’s more of, I’d say, a collaborative thing. If I’m working on something and I’m like, “I think I’m at a good stopping point,” or, “I don’t know where to go next,” it might be cool to go play it for my dad.

Serban: We have the same manager, but Alex has his own clients. I have my own clients.

Alex: The biggest collaboration is probably figuring out what we’re eating for lunch at the studio.

How do you balance serving someone’s vision with stretching yourselves creatively?

Serban: It’s so different now than it was when I first started mixing on a console. People are very attached by the time it’s approved and ready for us to mix; the direction of the record is kind of set. You can’t go crazy and take it off the rails, so you need to figure out, like Alex said, what needs to be improved. What do you not want to mess with, because you don’t want to break it?

Every song’s got its own signature thing that makes it unique and attractive. Sometimes it’s a little riff; sometimes it’s the way the whole beat feels. Or there’s a melodic thing in there, or the sound of the vocal, or sometimes it’s all of the above. But, at the end of the day, you’re just trying to facilitate and help get it across the line depending on what [the artist is] looking to do.

Serban, you have seven Grammy nominations this year, and Alex, you’re nominated for the first time. What does that mean to you?

Serban: Back in the day, I was a guitar player. My perspective was always, “Wouldn’t it be cool to do something as a musician and get a Grammy?” I never thought I’d be doing what I’m doing now. It’s the highest level of recognition. It never gets old. It’s hard to describe, but it’s definitely an exciting and appreciative feeling, because so many amazing musicians don’t get the opportunity.

Alex: I remember at age 16 or 17, being able to go with my dad and see the whole thing and watch him win a few. Being around all the musicians and producers and seeing what that world is like, I remember always wanting to be a part of it, thinking, “Man, I hope one day I get to be up on the stage, or at least have a shot at being nominated.” To actually see that come to fruition is pretty humbling.

You’re up against each other for best pop dance recording — Serban for Bebe Rexha and David Guetta’s “One in a Million” and David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray’s “Baby Don’t Hurt Me,” and Alex for Troye Sivan’s “Rush.” How does that feel?

Serban: Well, I hope he wins.

Alex: Just to be up there with [nominees] Calvin Harris and Kylie Minogue and all that, that’s already a win.

Serban: Yeah, the Grammy itself is not the end goal. It’s a nice recognition and pat on the back and makes you realize that maybe what you’re doing may be on the right path, but it’s not the end-all.

Alex: It’s confirmation that what you’re doing is in the right direction.

This story will appear in the Jan. 27, 2024, issue of Billboard.

The 2024 Clio Music Awards will be taking over NeueHouse Hollywood next Wednesday (Jan. 31), and Clio Music announced Thursday (Jan. 25) that Pearl Jam and Ozzy Osbourne will receive honorary awards at this year’s ceremony.

Pearl Jam will be honored with a Clio Impact Award in recognition “of their diverse creative pursuits, building an enduring and inspiring connection to their fans,” per a press release. The band will also be recognized for their philanthropic work, as well as their creativity in crafting a unique poster for each individual concert date.

Osbourne will be recognized with the Clio Music Lifetime Achievement Award, honoring his illustrious career in music, touring, reality television and more.

“This show marks the 10th anniversary of the Clio Music Awards and we’re thrilled to be doing it bigger than ever before,” said Michael Kauffman, executive director of Clio Music, in a press statement. “We’re hosting our event during Grammy week in Los Angeles for the first time and we’ve got an incredible lineup of honorees, Grand Clio winners and other surprises. I look forward to getting together with our community and celebrating the groundbreaking creativity that we’re recognizing with our awards this year.”

The 2024 Clio Music Awards, hosted by Jai Rodriguez, will also feature a performance by LU KALA, a Congolese-Canadian singer-songwriter presented by Kobalt, last year’s Clio Music Publisher of the Year. 

Additionally, in partnership with Billboard, an executive from the global music authority will present the Billboard & Clio Music Marketing Visionary Award, which “celebrates an executive who has exhibited a consistent dedication to centering music in creative marketing endeavors in innovative, thoughtful, and impactful ways,” according to the release.

For a list of 2024 Clio Music Awards preliminary winners and Of The Year Finalists, see here. To buy tickets, check out Eventbrite here.

Victoria Monét and Usher received the most nominations in the music/recording categories for the 2024 NAACP Image Awards, earning six and five nods, respectively. RCA Records received 20 nominations, the most across record labels.

Winners will be revealed during a two–hour live TV special, airing Saturday, March 16, at 8 p.m. ET/PT on BET and CBS.

Usher is nominated for entertainer of the year, where he is competing with Colman Domingo, Fantasia Barrino, Halle Bailey and Keke Palmer.

Usher is also nominated for outstanding male artist, where he is squaring off against Burna Boy, Chris Brown, Davido and Jon Batiste.

Monét is competing for outstanding female artist with Ari Lennox, H.E.R., Janelle Monáe and Tems.

The awards recognize excellence across a broad range of categories. Here, we focus on the nominees in 15 recording categories, as well as two general categories, but the full list also includes 30 TV/streaming categories, 16 in motion pictures, nine in literary, six in podcasts, five in directing, four in writing, three in documentaries, three in costume design/make-up/hairstyling, one in stunt work.

Nominees for outstanding motion picture are American Fiction, Origin, Rustin, The Color Purple and They Cloned Tyrone. Of these five films, only American Fiction was nominated for an Academy Award for best picture.

Domingo leads the nominations across the motion picture categories with three nominations: outstanding actor in a motion picture for Rustin and two nods for his work in The Color Purple — supporting actor in a motion picture and outstanding ensemble cast in a motion picture.

Ayo Edebiri received the most nominations in the television and streaming categories with two for Abbott Elementary and The Bear.

“We are thrilled to celebrate the achievements of this year’s nominees, whose outstanding contributions across film, television and streaming, music, literature, podcasts, and more have inspired us all,” Derrick Johnson, president and CEO of the NAACP, said in a statement.

“As we reflect on the rich legacy of the NAACP, we take pride in honoring the artistic brilliance of this year’s nominees. We are excited to illuminate and celebrate the extraordinary talent within our community,” said Scott Mills, President and CEO, BET Media Group.

By visiting NAACPImageAwards.net, the public can vote to determine the winners of the 55th NAACP Image Awards in select categories. Voting closes Feb. 24 at 9 p.m. Winners will be revealed during the 55th NAACP Image Awards telecast on March 16, on BET and CBS. NAACP will also recognize winners in non–televised Image Awards categories March 11–14, which will stream via NAACPImageAwards.net.

Here are all the nominees in the 15 recording categories, preceded by the nominees in two general categories.

General categories

Entertainer of the year

Colman Domingo

Fantasia Barrino

Halle Bailey

Keke Palmer

Usher

Outstanding social media personality of the year

Angel Laketa Moore

Druski

Keith Lee

Lynae Vanee

Terrell Grice

Recording categories

Outstanding album

Clear 2: Soft Life – Summer Walker (LVRN/Interscope Records)

For All the Dogs – Drake (OVO/Republic Records)

I Told Them… – Burna Boy (Atlantic Records)

Jaguar II – Victoria Monét (RCA Records/Lovett Music)

The Age of Pleasure – Janelle Monáe (Atlantic Records/Bad Boy/Wondaland)

Outstanding soul/R&B song

“Back to Your Place” – October London

“Good Good” – Usher feat. 21 Savage x Summer Walker

“ICU Remix” – Coco Jones feat. Justin Timberlake

“On My Mama” – Victoria Monét

“Lipstick Lover” – Janelle Monáe

Outstanding hip hop/rap song

“All My Life” – Lil Durk feat. J. Cole (Alamo Records)

“Blue Eyes” – Vic Mensa (Roc Nation Records, LLC)

“Cobra” – Megan Thee Stallion (Atlantic/Warner Bros/Mattel and 10K Projects/Capitol Records)

“Palisades, CA” – Larry June & The Alchemist (The Freeminded Records/ALC/EMPIRE)

“Sittin’ on Top of the World” – Burna Boy & 21 Savage (Atlantic Records)

Outstanding male artist

Burna Boy (Atlantic Records)

Chris Brown (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)

Davido (RCA Records/Sony Music UK)

Jon Batiste (Verve Records)

Usher (Mega/Gamma)

Outstanding female artist

Ari Lennox (Dreamville/Interscope Records)

H.E.R. (RCA Records)

Janelle Monáe (Atlantic Records/Bad Boy/Wondaland)

Tems (RCA Records/Since ’93)

Victoria Monét (RCA Records/Lovett Music)

Outstanding duo, group or collaboration (contemporary)

Burna Boy & 21 Savage – “Sittin’ on Top of the World” (Atlantic Records)

Chris Brown feat. Davido & Lojay – “Sensational” (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)

Lil Durk & J. Cole – “All My Life” (Alamo Records)

Usher, 21 Savage, Summer Walker – “Good Good” (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)

Victoria Monét feat. Lucky Day – “Smoke” (RCA Records/Lovett Music)

Outstanding duo, group or collaboration (traditional)

Ciara feat. Chris Brown – “How We Roll” (Beauty Marks Entertainment

Coco Jones feat. Justin Timberlake – “ICU Remix” (Def Jam Recordings)

Dreamville, Bas & Black Sherif feat. Kel–P – “Creed III: Soundtrack” (Dreamville/Interscope Records)

Karen Clark Sheard, Hezekiah Walker, Kierra Sheard – “God Is Good” (Timeless Music Group/Roc Nation Records, LLC)

Voices of Fire – “Joy (Unspeakable)” (Columbia Records)

Outstanding new artist

FLO (Uptown Records / Republic Records)

Jordan Ward (Artium/Interscope Records)

Leon Thomas (EZMNY Records/Motown Records)

October London (Death Row Records)

Victoria Monét (RCA Records/Lovett Music)

Outstanding gospel/Christian album

All Yours – Kierra Sheard (RCA Inspiration / Karew Entertainment)

Father’s Day – Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul Recordings and RCA Records)

Impossible – Pastor Mike, Jr. (Rock City/Black Smoke)

My Truth – Jonathan McReynolds (MNRK Music Group)

The Maverick Way Complete – Maverick City Music (Insignia & TRIBL Records)

Outstanding international song

“Amapiano” – Asake feat. Olamide (YBNL Nation / EMPIRE)

“City Boys” – Burna Boy (Atlantic Records)

“Me & U” – Tems (RCA Records/Since ’93)

“People” – Libianca feat. Ayra Starr & Omah Lay (RCA Records/Sony Music UK/5K Records)

“Unavailable” – Davido (RCA Records/Sony Music UK)

Outstanding music video/visual album

“Boyfriend” – Usher (Mega/Gamma)

“Cobra” – Megan Thee Stallion (Hot Girl Productions)

“How We Roll” – Ciara (Beauty Marks Entertainment)

“On My Mama” – Victoria Monét (RCA Records/Lovett Music)

“Sensational” – Chris Brown feat. Davido & Lojay (RCA Records/Chris Brown Entertainment)

Outstanding soundtrack/compilation album

Creed III: The Soundtrack – Michael B. Jordan, Ludwig Göransson, Archie Davis, Frank Brim (Dreamville / Interscope Records)

Godfather of Harlem: Season 3 (Original Series Soundtrack) – Swizz Beatz & Avery Chambliss (Epic Records, a division of Sony Music Entertainment)

Metro Boomin Presents Spider–Man: Across the Spider–Verse (Soundtrack From and Inspired by the Motion Picture/Deluxe Edition) – Metro Boomin (Republic Records)

The Color Purple–Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Various Producers (WaterTower Music/Gamma)

The Little Mermaid Original Motion Picture Soundtrack – Alan Menken, Mike Higham and Lin–Manuel Miranda (Walt Disney Records)

Outstanding gospel/Christian song

“All Things” – Kirk Franklin (Fo Yo Soul Recordings and RCA Records)

“All Yours” – Kierra Sheard feat. Anthony Brown (RCA Inspiration / Karew Entertainment)

“In The Room” – Maverick City Music (TRIBL Records)

“It’s Working” – Todd Dulaney (DulaneyLand / MNRK)

“JOY (Unspeakable) –  Voices of Fire feat. Pharrell Williams (Columbia Records)

Outstanding jazz album

Brand New Life – Brandee Younger (Impulse! Records)

Melusine  – Cécile McLorin Salvant (Nonesuch Records)

Who Are You When No One is Watching? – Braxton Cook (Nettwerk Music Group)

Phoenix – Lakecia Benjamin (Whirlwind Recordings)

Truth Be Told – Angie Wells (Cafe Pacific Records)

Outstanding original score for TV/film

American Fiction – Laura Karpman (Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios)

Rustin – Branford Marsalis (Netflix)

The Color Purple – Kris Bowers (Warner Bros. Pictures)

The Other Black Girl – EmmoLei Sankofa (Hulu)

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts – Jongnic Bontemps (Paramount+)

Songwriter Justin Tranter will host the Premiere Ceremony prior to the 2024 Grammy Awards, live from Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. The event will stream live on Sunday, Feb. 4, at 3:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. PT on the Recording Academy’s YouTube channel and on live.GRAMMY.com.

More than 80 of this year’s 94 Grammy Awards will be presented at this ceremony. Tranter is nominated for songwriter of the year, non-classical in recognition of their work with such artists as Miley Cyrus, Måneskin and Reneé Rapp.

The show will also include several performances. The opening number will feature J. Ivy, Larkin Poe, Pentatonix, Sheila E., and Jordin Sparks. Other artists scheduled to perform include current Grammy nominees Adam Blackstone, Brandy Clark, Kirk Franklin, Robert Glasper, Bob James, Laufey, Terrace Martin, and Gaby Moreno, as well as one artist who isn’t nominated this year, but has been in the past, acclaimed drummer Harvey Mason Sr., the father of Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr.

Mason Sr. amassed 10 Grammy nominations between 1975 and 2009. That’s twice as many nods as his son has garnered. Oddly, neither musician has yet won a Grammy.

Presenters for these first Grammy Awards of the day include Patti Austin, Natalia Lafourcade, Carly Pearce, Molly Tuttle, Rufus Wainwright, and five-time Grammy winner Jimmy Jam, former chair of the Recording Academy’s board of trustees. Mason jr. and Tammy Hurt, current chair of the board of trustees, will provide opening remarks.

“The Premiere Ceremony is the most incredible lead-up to Music’s Biggest Night,” Mason jr. said in a statement. “With an amazing line-up of presenters and performers, we’ll reveal and celebrate the winners of more than 80 categories, spanning the diverse genres and crafts that have contributed to such a spectacular year in music.”

This year’s Premiere Ceremony is produced by Branden Chapman, Ruby Marchand, Chantel Sausedo, and Rex Supa on behalf of the Recording Academy. Greg V. Fera is executive producer and Cheche Alara is music producer and music director.

The 66th Annual Grammy Awards will broadcast live following the Premiere Ceremony on CBS from 8-11:30 p.m. ET/5-8:30 p.m. PT. It will also stream live and on-demand on Paramount+.

The Society of Composers and Lyricists (SCL) will honor Robbie Robertson and Martin Scorsese with their Spirit of Collaboration Award at the fifth Annual SCL Awards to be held Tuesday, Feb. 13 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

The Spirit of Collaboration Award recognizes a composer/director relationship which has resulted in a prodigious body of work. Robertson worked in various capacities on 11 films Scorsese directed over a 45-year period – The Last Waltz, Raging Bull, The King of Comedy, The Color of Money, Casino, Gangs of New York, Shutter Island, The Wolf of Wall Street, Silence, The Irishman and Killers of the Flower Moon.

Past award recipients of this award – the SCL’s best and most distinctive idea – are Thomas Newman & Sam Mendes, Terence Blanchard & Spike Lee, Carter Burwell & The Coen Brothers, and last year, Justin Hurwitz & Damien Chazelle.  

Robertson died last August at age 80. On Tuesday Jan. 23, he received a posthumous Oscar nod for best original score for Killers of the Flower Moon. He was the first composer to receive a posthumous Oscar nod in that category in 47 years, since Bernard Hermann received a pair of posthumous nods for his scores to Taxi Driver and Obsession.

Scorsese, 81, is nominated for both best picture and best director for his work on the same film.

The SCL Awards will be hosted by Siedah Garrett, a Grammy-winning, two-time Oscar-nominated songwriter and a member of the SCL. She recently reunited with Quincy Jones on The Color Purple.  She worked with Jones on Michael Jackson’s 1987 album Bad, co-writing “Man in the Mirror” and singing a backing vocal on “I Just Can’t Stop Loving You.” 

Barbie director Greta Gerwig and star Margot Robbie were famously snubbed in the 2024 Oscar nominations, which were announced on Tuesday (Jan. 23). On Wednesday, they heard from a woman who knows a thing or two about having to deal with a crushing disappointment: Hillary Clinton.

“Greta and Margot,” Clinton began her message to her 6.2 million Instagram followers. “While it can sting to win the box office but not take home the gold, your millions of fans love you. You’re both so much more than Kenough.” The missive was signed “#HillaryBarbie.”

Clinton won “the box office” in the 2016 presidential election, receiving 65.9 million votes to just 63 million for her rival, Donald Trump. But presidential elections are decided in the Electoral College, where Trump received 304 votes to 227 for Clinton.

Gerwig and Robbie won “the box office” in a more literal sense. Barbie was the biggest hit of 2023 both in the U.S. and around the world. And it did pretty well overall in the Oscar nominations, with eight nods. But Gerwig was passed over for a best director nod and Robbie, who played Barbie to pink perfection, was passed over for a best actress nod.

Both women are nominated in other categories. Gerwig is nominated for best adapted screenplay in tandem with her husband and creative partner Noah Baumbach. And Robbie is nominated for best picture as one of the producers of the film. But those nominations, while welcome, don’t completely take the sting out of being passed over in these other categories.

There was no equivalent “consolation prize” for Clinton in the 2016 election. Elections are all-or-nothing affairs and Clinton got nothing – except perhaps for something she hinted at in her self-description in her Instagram profile: “doting grandmother, among other things.” Losing the White House gave her more time to dote on her three grandchildren: Charlotte, Aidan and Jasper.

See Clinton’s post below:

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A post shared by Hillary Clinton (@hillaryclinton)