He creates music that stirs the coldest of hearts. He has collaborated with Kanye West. His albums have been chart-toppers. Now, Bon Iver has been awarded the title of Best New Artist at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles. It is no secret that this indie artist is making waves on the international music circuit. His success did not come easy, however. The story of Bon Iver is one of hardship, isolation, and overcoming every obstacle.

Bon Iver is the moniker of Justin Vernon, a young man from Wisconsin. Vernon grew up in Eu Claire, Wisconsin. He played in a band called DeYarmond Edison while in college, where he majored in World Religions. In 2005, he moved to North Carolina with his band. It is here that Vernon’s life entered a dark stage.

After living in North Carolina for little more than a year, Vernon broke up with his band, broke up with his then-girlfriend, and moved back to his hometown. Breaking all ties with the life he once knew, Vernon ran back home, seeking something his life in North Carolina could not give him.

Vernon did not run to the safety of his home, however. He found solace in the isolation of a log cabin. This cabin, found just outside Wisconsin, was built by his own father.

One could argue that the indie artist within Vernon was born here, in this alternative lifestyle and search for inner peace. It is also here that Vernon’s, or Bon Iver’s, beautiful, melancholy album, “For Emma, Forever Ago,” was born. Its title seems to refer to past loves, broken hearts, and nostalgia – a theme that runs through the entire album.

Following this album, Bon Iver released the Blood Bank EP, which was featured on the Billboard Charts of 2009. This EP is less heart-wrenching, with a more peaceful, serene tone to it. It tells stories of comfort and the discovery of new love.

It closes with the song, “Woods,” which features a constant repetition of the lyrics: “I’m up in the woods; I’m down on my mind; I’m building a sill to slow down the time.” The constant pauses and focus on his unaccompanied voice in this song does indeed create the effect of time slowing down.

In 2011, Bon Iver released his latest self-titled album, “Bon Iver.” Apart from Bon Iver, this album features the talents of the likes of Colin Stetson, C. J. Camerieri, and Mike Lewis. He also brought in the sounds of contributors to his previous albums, such as Rob Moose’s arranging talents and Sean Carey, Mike Noyce, and Matt McCaughan’s vocal, drumming, and production contributions.

The songs on this album are written about and named after different places in the world, such as Hinnon, TX and Minnesota, WI. The sound of his music here seems to have brightened considerably from his previous music. Woodwinds and added effects are dominant in this album, as are the influences of some of the brilliant musicians with whom he collaborated on this album.

Bon Iver‘s official website is an inspiration in itself. “Bon Iver, Bon Iver is the frozen beast pressing upward from a loosening earth; one ear cocked to the echo of the ghost choir still singing, the other craving the martial call of drums tumbling, of thrum and wheeze.” This quote, taken from Bon Iver’s website, embodies the other-worldliness and inspiration behind all that is Bon Iver.

Image Courtesy of   Christopher Halloran / Shutterstock.com

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Two-time Grammy winner Kenny Loggins ; Grammy- nominated band OneRepublic fronted by lead singer Ryan Tedder, who is currently nominated for two Grammy Awards; and DJ Michelle Pesce are scheduled to perform at the 2012 Grammy Celebration — The Recording Academy’s official after-party.

Additionally, in the celebration’s MasterCard Jazz Lounge, the exclusive event will feature performances by members of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and the Grammy Camp — Jazz Session with current Grammy nominee Arturo O’Farrill. Inspired by Rio’s Carnival, this year’s all-star gathering will be a euphoric event where guests will dance, sing, party and continue to celebrate Music’s Biggest Night. The night’s festivities will be catered and produced by Along Came Mary Productions.

One of the year’s most anticipated events attracting Grammy winners, nominees and celebrities, the 2012 Grammy Celebration will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center on Feb. 12 immediately following the 54th Annual Grammy Awards.

“We’re looking forward to continuing the celebration of Music’s Biggest Night by enjoying some amazing music and outstanding cuisine at our Grammy after-party,” said President/CEO of The Recording Academy Neil Port now. “This year’s festive Carnival will be a most fitting and exciting component of an extremely memorable evening.”

“I most commonly find inspiration in music and travel, and after experiencing the vibrant culture of Brazil earlier this year, the 2012 Grammy Celebration theme became glaringly clear,” said Branden Chapman, Executive in Charge of Production and Chief Business Development Officer for The Recording Academy.

“With the support of hundreds of event professionals, we will symbolically transport our 5,000-plus guests to Rio de Janeiro’s annual Carnival celebration complete with a life-sized samba float, Copacabana and Ipanema beach lounges and favela inspired scenes showcasing the 64 performers and dancers that will entertain the crowd throughout the evening.”

Once again, The  will partner with highly regarded event producers and renowned celebrity caterer Along Came Mary to co-produce and cater the post-telecast Grammy Celebration, overseeing all of the event entertainment, decor, menu, and other logistics.

Led by The Recording Academy, ACM and its design and lighting team will take the vast convention space, equaling the size of three football fields, and transform it into a festive Carnival theme with dancers, acrobats, aerialists, projections, elevated lounges, and floor-to-ceiling water walls.

The exquisite menu includes five buffet stations (Brazilian churrascaria, favelas fabulous, Copacabana nights, Latin flavors, and 42 degrees below) and seven different samba sweets (caramelized banana-chocolate bread pudding, spinning lady sundae bar, passion fruit creme tarts, palma saffron pears galette, Miami spice cheesecake, sugarcane wafers, and macadamia nut squares).

The menu was designed using locally grown meat, produce and cheese, when possible, and all seafood is sustainably produced. Leftover edible food from the Grammy Celebration is donated to local food banks, and all cooking oil used for the event will be recycled.

A mainstay in the entertainment industry, ACM has masterfully orchestrated many of Hollywood’s most distinguished events and has been named top caterer in the nation by numerous publications. The Recording Academy has hired ACM to co-produce the Grammy Celebration for 12 consecutive years.

Image Courtesy of   Dana Nalbandian / Shutterstock.com

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Current GRAMMY nominees Chris Brown ,deadmau5, Foo Fighters, David Guetta , and Lil Wayne will join for a special performance highlighting dance/electronica music for the first time ever on the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards (www.grammy.com ).

Music’s Biggest Night — hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT). The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys .

Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys , www.facebook.com/thegrammys .

The performance will take place in a special outdoor tent adjacent to STAPLES Center on the Nokia Plaza at L.A. LIVE. Consulting and participating on this special segment is renowned hospitality company The Light Group’s HAZE Nightclub at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

Four-time GRAMMY winner Lil Wayne has five nominations: Best Rap Performance for “Look At Me Now” (with Chris Brown and Busta Rhymes); two nods in Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “I’m On One” (with DJ Khaled, Drake and Rick Ross) and “Motivation” (with Kelly Rowland); Best Rap Song for “Look At Me Now”; and Best Rap Album for Tha Carter IV .

deadmau5 has three nominations: Best Dance Recording for “Raise Your Weapon” (with Greta Svabo Bech), Best Dance/Electronica Album for 4X4=12, and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for Foo Fighters’ “Rope” (deadmau5 Mix). Two-time GRAMMY winner Guetta is up for two awards: Best Dance Recording for “Sunshine” (with Avicii), and Best Dance/Electronica Album for Nothing But The Beat.

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards include Adele (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson ; Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood ; Chris Brown ; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton ; Coldplay and Rihanna; Foo Fighters; Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt ; Bruno Mars ; PaulMcCartney; Nicki Minaj; Katy Perry ; Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band; and Taylor Swift.

Aldean, The Band Perry, deadmau5, Guetta, Minaj, and Shelton will perform on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time. Previously announced presenters are Marc Anthony , Dierks Bentley , Jack Black ,Drake, Fergie, Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert , Gwyneth Paltrow , Ryan Seacrest , Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson, and Ringo Starr .

LL COOL J has hosted “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night” since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.

Image Courtesy of  Randy Miramontez / Shutterstock.com

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Brian Wilson, Mike Love, Al Jardine, Bruce Johnston, and David Marks, who have not performed together live in more than two decades — will reunite on the GRAMMY stage and join with current GRAMMY nominees Foster The People and Maroon 5 for a special performance; and current nominees The Civil Wars, two-time GRAMMY winner Diana Krall , funk artist Maceo Parker , and six-time GRAMMY winner Joe Walshhave been added to the stellar lineup for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards ( www.grammy.com ).

Two-time GRAMMY winner Common, actor Taraji P. Henson, two-time GRAMMY winner Reba McEntire , and Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Diana Ross will appear as presenters.

Music’s Biggest Night — hosted by two-time GRAMMY winner LL COOL J — takes place live on Sunday, Feb. 12 at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles and will be broadcast in high definition and 5.1 surround sound on the CBS Television Network from 8 – 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

The show also will be supported on radio worldwide via Dial Global, and covered online at GRAMMY.com and CBS.com, and on YouTube at www.youtube.com/thegrammys . Additional performers, presenters and special segments will be announced soon. For GRAMMY coverage, updates and breaking news, please visit The Recording Academy’s social networks on Twitter and Facebook: www.twitter.com/thegrammys ,www.facebook.com/thegrammys .

The Civil Wars and Foster The People each have two nominations. The Civil Wars are up for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Barton Hollow” and Best Folk Album for Barton Hollow . Foster The People have nods in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Pumped Up Kicks” and Best Alternative Music Album for Torches.

Three-time GRAMMY winners Maroon 5 are nominated in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Moves Like Jagger” (with Christina Aguilera).

Previously announced performers for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards include Adele (in her first live performance since undergoing vocal cord surgery last fall); Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson ; Tony Bennett and Carrie Underwood ; Chris Brown ; Glen Campbell with The Band Perry and Blake Shelton ; Coldplay and Rihanna; deadmau5; Foo Fighters; David Guetta ; Alicia Keys and Bonnie Raitt ; Lil Wayne ; Bruno Mars ; Paul McCartney ; Nicki Minaj; Katy Perry ; Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band; and Taylor Swift .

Aldean, The Band Perry, The Civil Wars, deadmau5, Foster The People, Guetta, Minaj, Parker and Shelton will perform on the GRAMMY telecast for the first time.

Previously announced presenters are Marc Anthony , Dierks Bentley , Jack Black , Drake, Fergie,Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert , Gwyneth Paltrow , Ryan Seacrest , Ringo Starr , and Ahmir “?uestlove” Thompson. LL COOL J has hosted “The GRAMMY Nominations Concert Live!! — Countdown To Music’s Biggest Night” since its inception in December 2008, and this is his first time hosting the annual GRAMMY Awards telecast.

The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards are produced by John Cossette Productions and AEG Ehrlich Ventures for The Recording Academy. Ken Ehrlich is executive producer, Louis J. Horvitz is director, and David Wild and Ken Ehrlich are the writers.

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Pandora, the leading personalized radio service, The Recording Academy, and PepsiCo recently announced a multi-layered campaign that will harness and capture the excitement around the 54th Annual Grammy Awards, which takes place on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2012. As the premier sponsor of Grammy-related content on Pandora, Pepsi is giving fans access to Grammy-nominated artist content with a Grammy mixtape, artist video series and, for the first time, Grammy genre stations.

The Grammy mixtape can be found at www.pandora.com/pepsigrammymusic and includes songs from nominees and newcomers in various 54th Grammy Awards categories.

In late January 2012, Pandora and Pepsi will introduce a Grammy artist video series, featuring exclusive interviews with select 54th Grammy nominees. The videos will provide an inside look at the artists’ experiences as they prepare for Music’s Biggest Night. Additionally, fans will be able to enjoy first-ever Grammy genre stations on Pandora. Approximately 12 genre stations will be based around major musical genres and will spotlight 54th Grammy nominees.

“We’re excited to work with Pepsi to help fans reflect on the past year in music entertainment,” said Pandora Chief Marketing Officer Simon Fleming Wood. “With Pepsi’s help, we are bringing fans a bit closer to their favorite Grammy-nominated artists and at the same time helping them discover and rediscover the music they love for any moment, mood, and situation.”

“As we count down to Music’s Biggest Night, we are proud to partner with dynamic, like-minded brands committed to ensuring availability of a wide variety of Grammy music to music fans where they live and breathe,” said Evan Greene, Chief Marketing Officer, The Recording Academy. “We are thrilled to harness the combined power of Pandora and Pepsi to help drive this vision forward.”

“Music and entertainment are at the core of Pepsi’s brand DNA and we are excited to partner with Pandora and the Grammy Awards to create exclusive content and deliver one-of-a-kind of experiences to music fans,” said Tom Moradpour, Senior Director, Pepsi.

Image Courtesy of  https://www.facebook.com/TheGrammys

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