It’s that time of the year again! With the Grammy’s just around the corner, the music world pulls up its socks in anticipation. Following some recent controversial build-up which includes allegations of rigging, favouritism and racism, including backlash and boycott from many popular artists Jay-Z, Frank Ocean, Drake, Kanye West and most notably Canadian-American Pop Artist The Weeknd, who have all protested over the lack of recognition for black artists at the Grammys, the award organisation has ditched its longstanding “secret committees” that had curated the final lists in recent decades and launched a completely different procedure for selecting their nominees this year — going with a popular vote!
For the first time, it celebrates 10 nominees in each of the general field categories: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. In the last ceremony, Taylor Swift won album of the year for “Folklore,” making her the first woman to win this category three times. This time, the nominations continue to celebrate female artists. Newcomer Olivia Rodrigo, an 18-year-old actor who launched her musical career early last year with the viral smash “Drivers License,” had the most notable recognition by being nominated in all four of the general field
categories including three other nods. Singer-Songwriter Billie Eilish also leads three of the field categories whilst her brother Finneas gets a nod in the Best New Artist of the Year, surprising when one glances at the artists previous eight wins, but nevertheless well-deserved. This particular category also highlights Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab whereas the singer receives her second nod under Best Global Music Performance category for ‘Mohabbat’ off her third album, Vulture Prince, which was released last year.
Musician and veteran Jazz keyboardist Jon Batiste tops the nominated charts with an 11 nod near-record, not only for his genre-spanning “We Are” album but also for his stellar work on the Oscar-winning Pixar film “Soul” score. Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. came in close behind at eight nods each. Bieber is currently nominated for Album of the Year — for the deluxe edition of his latest full-length Justice — as well as both Record and Song of the Year—for his No. 1 hit “Peaches.” Drake’s Certified Lover Boy, one of the year’s top albums, was passed over for an Album of the Year nod along with Kacey Musgraves’ Star-Crossed, her follow-up to last years winning album Golden Hour. Other contenders for the race of the best album include Lil Nas X for Montero, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett for Love For Sale. Another takeaway is the Taylor vs. Kanye showdown going on in Album of the Year, just one of several nods West earned with “Donda” going up against Taylor’s “Evermore.” The two have had a long-standing feud that started at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards where West ambushed Taylor’s acceptance speech on stage.
Other details to highlight include contributing writer Brian Hugh Warner — a.k.a. Marilyn Manson’s removal from the Best Rap Song category where he was previously listed as a contributing writer to Ye’s song “Jail.” Manson has been accused of rape by multiple women, allegations he has categorically denied. Speaking of controversial ties, Comedian Louis C.K., who previously admitted to sexual misconduct, appears in best comedy album for his stand-up feature “Sincerely Louis CK.”
When it comes to snubs other than Drake’s and Musgrave’s, Miley Cyrus’ Plastic Hearts ranks high, which was eligible for Best Rock Album, but failed to land a nod in that or any category. Two Cyrus tracks vied for a nod for Best Rock performance — “Nothing Else Matters” (featuring WATT, Elton John, Yo-Yo Ma, Robert Trujillo & Chad Smith) and the solo track ”WTF Do I Know.” Korean Pop group BTS, after breaking into the pop category last year with a Best Pop Group Performance nod for “Dynamite,” returned this year in the same category for “Butter,” however failed to garner a nod in any other category despite having shattered records and dominating the charts last year for weeks.
Apparently, not all hope is lost in the Academy. Record of the Year welcomed pleasant surprise where the Eurovision-winning Swedish pop group, ABBA, who had been consistently left out of a single Grammy nomination despite its multi-decade run of worldwide smashes, received their first-ever Grammy nomination: “I Still Have Faith in You.” Ironic to note the track’s apt title, many of us feel the same way as we still have faith in Grammys, despite the prevalence of unbelievable snubs and questionable practices by the Recording Academy.
Taking place a week after the Oscars, the 64th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on April 3, 2022.
