Having the song she wrote removed from 2010 Grammy Awards' nominations after only one day appearing on the list, Jessi Alexander calls it 'devastating' and 'humiliating'.
- Dec 12, 2009
AceShowbiz - Shortly after news that Disney pulled out Miley Cyrus' "The Climb" from nominations list of 2010 Grammy Awards was covered by media, one of the song's writers Jessi Alexander spoke what she has in mind concerning the withdrawal. "To be honest, it's devastating," she told Entertainment Weekly.
"I spent one night on a high. And then the following morning was a new low, when I was told it was gonna be pulled by Disney. .... It sucks. I've got flowers and champagne showing up and people constantly congratulating me, and now I don't know how to respond," she stated. "To have NARAS [National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences] grant me a nomination and then take it away has been tough. And humiliating, really. It makes it look like I tried to submit it, or I'm covering up."
"The Climb" was considered illegible to be granted a nomination for Best Song Written for a Soundtrack because the song was not specifically penned for "Hannah Montana: The Movie" where it is featured. Of that matter, Jesse said, "This is the gray area. The story is, originally, me and Jon Mabe sat down as songwriters, like we do every day, and I had this melody that came to me on the way to work that morning. I knew that it was special."
"So before filming, Peter Chelsom, the director of 'Hannah Montana: The Movie', actually came to Nashville and heard my music, and wanted me to submit songs for the movie. I put the song 'It's the Climb' on a CD, and he called back within weeks and said the song was gonna be an integral part of the movie, and the only thing he needed was for me to change what I would consider to be a substantial amount of the song."
"As a songwriter, my job is just to follow these wonderful little pieces of music and lyrics that I get. And so many don't find homes. It's one in a million that you get this kind of placement. It's hard to say when a song is finished. And it's hard to say what you're writing a song for. And that's not my job. That's why I have a publisher. And that's why I feel like NARAS needs to reassess the eligibility requirements for this particular category. Because I think I'm not the first, and I won't be the last."
Walt Disney Pictures itself hasn't commented on the withdrawal issue.
