Sunday night at the Grammys, Cher appeared to forget that she was supposed to present the record of the year trophy. When she eventually did, she mistakenly announced that the winner was the late R&B icon Luther Vandross, instead of the actual winner: the song “luther” by SZA and Kendrick Lamar. But SZA said she understood Cher’s flub.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, SZA referred to the fact that “luther” has that title because it’s based on a sample of “If This World Were Mine,” recorded by Luther Vandross and Cheryl Lynn in 1982.
“We share the frequency of the song. Like, that’s his frequency that allowed us to win and that allowed it to be memorable,” SZA said of Vandross. “So, [Cher’s] not wrong and she’s from that era. She probably really knew Luther Vandross. Of course, her brain and her energy is connecting that energy to the energy that we’re sharing.”
SZA continued, “We’re mooching off what Luther already gave us … I wish I could speak to him. Thank you, Luther.”
Vandross, who died in 2005, sold over 40 million records and won eight Grammy Awards.
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