PJ Mortonis on a roll!
A week after theMaroon 5keyboardist stepped on the 2019Super Bowl Halftime show‘s stage alongside his bandmates —Adam Levine, James Valentine, Jesse Carmichael, Mickey Madden, Matt Flynn, and Sam Farrar — Morton is now making personal strides at theGrammy Awards.
On Sunday, Morton, 37, took home the award for best traditional R&B performance for “How Deep Is Your Love” — his first-ever solo Grammy win — at the annual music awards.
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“I’m actually happy we did it,” he said of their performance. “The reason we became a band — well, those guys were a band long before I joined — the reason we do this and do music is to make people happy and play music.”
“I think that’s the only time I’ll be able to play in front of a 100 million people at one time, and I’m glad we did it and glad we did the work to make it to that point to be able to do it,” he added.
PJ Morton.D Dipasupil/Getty
Though Morton previously told PEOPLE that getting the opportunity to perform at the Super Bowl had been a “lifelong dream” of his as a musician, some fans called for the band to forego the event in support of former San Francisco 49ers quarterbackColin Kaepernickand the#TakeAKnee movementto protest racial injustices.
Fans also flocked to social media after the performance to question why Levine, 39, was able to purposely remove his shirt during the halftime show, whileJanet Jacksonwas criticized for herinfamous wardrobe malfunctionduring her 2004 Super Bowl set withJustin Timberlake.
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Be sure to check outPEOPLE’s full Grammys coverageto get the latest news on music’s biggest night.
“I think there are plenty of people — a lot of the players, to be honest — who support Kap and also do their job for the NFL,” Morton told PEOPLE ahead of their performance. “I think we’re doing the same thing. We can support being against police brutality against black and brown people and be in support of being able to peacefully protest and still do our jobs. We just want to have a good time and entertain people while understanding the important issues that are at hand.”
He added: “There was a lot to go into that decision.”
Travis Schneider
Morton will soon celebrate his ninth year as a member of Maroon 5, as he first joined them as a touring member in 2010. Of balancing his involvement with the band and his solo career, the musician admitted that it can get exhausting at times.
“I’m about to fall over right now!” he joked on Sunday after his Grammy win. “It can be a challenge sometimes, but I always tell people that it’s a good problem to have.”
“I’ve been blessed enough to be a part of many successful things — me and my band’s career and my solo career — and just make it happen,” Morton continued. “It’s been going on for almost nine years now and I’ve gotten into the rhythm of it.”
In addition to best traditional R&B performance, Morton picked up two other solo Grammy nominations, including best R&B album for his recordGumbo Unpluggedand best R&B performance category for “First Began”.
He was also nominated with Maroon 5 for their hit “GirlsLike You,” which earned a nod for best pop duo/group performance.
“It feels amazing to put your heart into something and to have people notice it not one year, but back-to-back,” he said of the recognition. “It really makes you feel like you’re doing the right thing.”
The 61st AnnualGrammy Awardsare broadcasting live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Sunday, Feb. 10 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT on CBS.
source: people.com
