Awards
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November means the start of classic end-of-year traditions: preparing for the holidays, seeing family… and finally seeing which artists did (or didn’t) get nominated for Grammys. On Friday (Nov. 10), the Recording Academy unveiled the full list of nominees for the 2024 Grammy Awards, set to take place Sunday, Feb. 4. In the latest round […]
Gracie Abrams was one of the buzziest names on the figurative list of contenders for best new artist at the 2024 Grammys — releasing an acclaimed debut album and touring with Taylor Swift will do that to you.
Still, the 24-year-old singer-songwriter insists that she truly wasn’t anticipating seeing her name pop up as a nominee on the Recording Academy’s annual broadcast, something she’s watched every year since they started livestreaming it. “I was very alone, in my bedroom with my heating pad on, expecting absolutely nothing at all except just to support my friends who might be in the running,” she tells Billboard, still in her PJs. “My name was the first that they listed, and it was like I couldn’t feel my body.”
In between freaking out with her family and going out for celebratory french toast and mimosas with her best friend, Abrams says that one of the first people she heard from was one of her fellow nominees. “Noah [Kahan] FaceTimed me immediately, and he’s just the f–king best ever,” she gushes of the “Stick Season” artist, who rounds out the new artist category with Ice Spice, Fred Again, Jelly Roll, CoCo Jones, Victoria Monét and The War and Treaty. “We kind of were just screaming at each other on the phone like, ‘Let’s pregame and sit with our moms at the awards!’”
For the “I Miss You, I’m Sorry” singer, the nod is the “cherry on top” of her biggest year yet, which was set into motion in February with the release of Good Riddance. In addition to becoming a mainstay on Swift’s Eras Tour, Abrams embarked on her own sold-out trek through North America and topped Billboard‘s Emerging Artists chart in June. In September, she and Dessner played a string of intimate acoustic shows across the country, and on Tuesday (Nov. 14), she’ll perform on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.
Many of her heroes — some of whom are also her friends and tourmates — are nominated for Grammys in 2024 as well, with Swift up for song, album and record of the year, and Phoebe Bridgers tying for the second-most nominations with seven nods total.
“I talked to Taylor and we were just screaming at each other over text like, lots of all-caps: Holy f–king s–t,” Abrams says of Swift. “And obviously she just deserves all of it, all of it, all of it. In moments of career celebration or any personal crisis, I text her, so to be able to celebrate this one mutually felt so wild.”
The rising pop star’s nomination doubles as a punctuation mark on her breathtaking debut as well as an introduction into her next era, which is already underway. Without sharing details, Abrams says she’s back in the studio working on her next project with Dessner, who she says is “the only reason” she was in the running for a Grammy this year.
“This stage of my career is, I so deeply hope, just the very beginning. My head recently has been so deeply in the next album and finishing up songs,” she says, noting that she’s “never felt so connected to anything” she’s made previously. “The honor of being nominated at this stage is such a wild thing, and I just think I really do not believe it.”
Although Ryan Gosling was the central piece of Barbie‘s big musical number, he will not have the chance to compete for Grammy gold. Contrary to some online reports, the actor is not among the nominees for the show-stopping “I’m Just Ken.”
On Friday morning (Nov. 10), the Recording Academy revealed the official nominations for the 2024 Grammy Awards. SZA reigns atop the leaderboard with nine nods; R&B star Victoria Monét, alt-rock singer-songwriter Phoebe Bridgers and engineer/mixer Serban Ghenea follow with seven each.
Barbie was widely expected to clinch a number of Grammy nominations thanks to its star-studded compilation soundtrack album and separate score album, composed by Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt. As Barbie broke records at the box office — eventually strutting its way to a worldwide gross of over $1 billion — the soundtrack reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200, collecting several Billboard Hot 100 smash hits in the process, including Dua Lipa‘s “Dance the Night” (No. 6), Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice‘s “Barbie World” (No. 7, with AQUA) and Billie Eilish‘s “What Was I Made For?” (No. 14).
All three of those tracks received nominations in the best song written for visual media category alongside “I’m Just Ken” and Rihanna‘s Oscar-nominated “Lift Me Up” (No. 2) from the Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack. The Grammy guidelines for best song written for visual media state that the award is a “songwriter(s) award.” A description of the category on the official Grammy website reads: “For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television, video games or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.”
Although Gosling is the sole vocalist for “I’m Just Ken,” he is not a credited writer on the song. Those honors go to Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt — a powerhouse duo that picked up both an Oscar and a Grammy for their contributions to Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper‘s Hot 100-topping “Shallow” from 2018’s A Star Is Born.
Gosling’s performance of the track was entered into the best pop solo performance race, but it failed to make the cut in what was a very crowded category this year (281 entries). This year’s best pop solo performance nominees are Miley Cyrus (“Flowers”), Taylor Swift (“Anti-Hero”), Olivia Rodrigo (“Vampire”), Doja Cat (“Paint the Town Red”), and “What Was I Made For?”
Furthermore, the Barbie actor likely won’t have a shot at taking home a gilded gramophone should Barbie The Album take home best compilation soundtrack for visual media. The rules for that category state: “Award to the principal artist(s) and/or ‘in studio’ producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album. In the absence of both, Award to the one or two individuals proactively responsible for the concept and musical direction of the album and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable. Award also goes to appropriately credited music supervisor(s).”
Currently, Barbie: The Album is credited to Various Artists — but it’s probably safe to bet that Ronson and Wyatt would take home the trophies in the case of a Barbie victory. At the very least, Gosling will be able to find solace in the fact that “I’m Just Ken” gifted him his very first Hot 100 entry, peaking at No. 87.
A Grammy may remain out of reach, but Gosling could very well add a third Oscar nomination to his collection. A nod for his supporting performance in Barbie would follow his best actor citations from 2007 (Half Nelson) and 2017 (La La Land).
Victoria Monét always had it written on her vision board that she would one day become a Grammy-nominated artist. She probably didn’t foresee that the achievement would also happen simultaneously for her 2-year-old daughter, Hazel.
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After Hazel has shown flashes of brilliance and a keen sense of musicality by making what her mommy describes as “potty songs,” on Friday (Nov. 10), Monét’s daughter became the youngest Grammy nominee in history, after being credited on her mom’s song “Hollywood” alongside Earth, Wind and Fire.
“I’m so proud of her, but she has no idea. She’s just on the phone watching Baby Shark, chilling, while we’re all celebrating,” Monét tells Billboard after earning seven 2024 Grammy nominations of her own. “She’s like, kind of panicking, because she doesn’t know why we’re all screaming. I know I’ll be able to explain it to her when she gets older, and she’ll definitely appreciate it because she’s already into music and is starting to write songs unknowingly. She’s making potty songs and all that kind of stuff. So I’m super excited that this will be something that she has forever. I’m already thinking about her wardrobe for the Grammys.”
Though parenting the youngest Grammy-nominated artist is a humble flex, Monét’s bragging rights result from her own songwriting abilities. Lauded as a premier songwriter thanks in part to Ariana Grande’s smashes “Thank U, Next” and “7 Rings,” Monét became an R&B contender this year when she released her project Jaguar II. Headlined by her buzzy single “On My Mama,” Monét served Black Girl Magic on a song brimming with positive affirmations and swagger. With her Grammy nominations including best new artist and record of the year, Monét is finally becoming the star she always saw in the mirror.
“I just think this a big deal and is something I always wanted people to see for me and not just me seeing it for myself,” she says. “Today is a big win.”
Billboard spoke to Monét about her seven nominations, finally being “seen” for the artist that she is, and the importance of Black women uplifting each other.
What was the initial reaction in the Monét household this morning?
Oh my God! I actually got a hotel because my house is under construction. I just wanted to be able to have my team over, watch it and celebrate. Pending that we didn’t get nominations, we definitely set ourselves up to fall hard because we already have balloons. We already had champagne pulled out and a TV set up. We were on Zoom with my whole PR team and we’re just super excited. We were hoping for the best for sure, but we were gonna be grateful just to be together and drinking. Champagne had our backs today.
Jelly Roll is also nominated for best new artist, and he made a viral speech the other night at the CMAs about receiving his flowers at an older age. Knowing that you’ve been in the music industry as a songwriter first, what does it mean for you to get honored for a category like best new artist at this stage of your career?
I’m really just so happy. It feels like a long time coming. I guess the easiest way to explain it is like when you have a team that’s been underrated and the underdog for a long time, and they finally go to the Super Bowl — it’s that feeling. As a fan, I’m sure people are like, “See! I told you. I been knew!” And then, newcomers are now discovering the strengths and to be the person that’s on the receiving end, it just feels like, oh my God. It’s such a great validation for all the sacrifices, the hard work and the “no’s” that I received. I love even in movies when there’s this great underdog story, when this person keeps finding a way and ends up where they really wanted to be. I feel like this is the road to that with these nominations.
Your friend and executive producer, D’Mile, was also nominated for producer of the year. Have you guys been able to touch base at all about your wins today?
Yes! We FaceTimed immediately as soon as I saw he was nominated for producer of the year. We FaceTimed him and we watched the rest of the ceremony together. His stream was a little bit earlier than mine, funny enough. So he would be celebrating and I’m like, “Wait. What happened?” So I would get it like 30 seconds later and I’m like, “Oh shoot!” We got to share that moment together. We credited my manager for one of the reasons why he’s nominated, because when we got on a call to go over the categories that exist — like what songs to submit to what categories — we were encouraging D’Mile to submit for producer of the year, because it didn’t occur to him that he should. So he did, and he’s actually nominated. I’m just so happy for him, and he’s actually on his way to the hotel now to celebrate.
What I’ve loved about the success of “On My Mama” is the outpouring of support from Black women in the music and entertainment space. What has that feeling been like for you?
I feel like it’s extra special when you see Black women supporting each other publicly, because I also think publicly, we are pitted against each other a lot. In this world it only seems like there’s only room for very few of us, if not one of us — like, only one queen. I feel like super appreciative when we go against that narrative and support each other, like, “No. There’s room for all of us at the top.” I always look at it like songs are three minutes long and there’s so many minutes in a day, why can’t we all be heard?
I really am grateful for all my sisters who show me love loudly. The text messages are appreciated, but it means so much more going against the grain if you’re being supportive online and showing love. I love to see that and wanna keep that alive.
Seven Grammy nominations and six Soul Train Music Awards in 2023 – did you have any of this on your vision board coming into this year?
Oh my God! The Grammys have been on my vision board since I stepped foot into a studio. I always saw Kanye [West] and his 16 Grammys — at the time I remember he had 16 and that was the goal. I remember I said, “I want 16 Grammys. That would be so amazing.” The Grammys are extra special because they’re not just a fan-voted thing — I appreciate fans’ support, of course — `but it’s different when you’re acknowledged by your peers, or people who actually do what you do, because they understand what it takes, the sacrifices that have been made, and the work that has been put in.
The Grammys hit so different. Today I feel so seen and elated. I just wanna celebrate. I told my team that I wish I had a job to quit because I sure would. I would say, “I’m Grammy-nominated. I quit!” [laughs] It feels so nice and it feels so good. I’m so proud of my team. There’s so many people that go into making dreams come true, and I know that this journey hasn’t been one I walked alone, even though music can sometimes makes you feel isolated. But today I feel seen and just so happy for my team that they were able to assist me on this layup.
I love how you’ve used the word “seen” when describing this feat, because to me, you’ve been “seen” and spotlighted from a songwriting standpoint in the past. Do you feel after today that you’ve gotten that extra boost of validation and confidence from an artist perspective?
Oh yeah, I definitely do. I feel there’s so many things that I can relate it to when I look at movies, or when people try to pigeonhole you into one thing and don’t always see you for what you’ve always been. So you just kind of have to move with grace and give people the opportunity to change your mind and keep putting up shots. I think that’s what’s happening today. The narrative has changed. It’s Victoria Monét, the songwriter and you can officially add [Grammy-nominated] artist. [laughs] I just think that’s a big deal and is something I always wanted people to see for me and not just me seeing it for myself. Today is a big win.
Miley Cyrus scored her first Grammy nomination for her own music in over a decade on Friday (Nov. 10). Hours after the Recording Academy’s announcement of the 2024 Grammy nominations, the “Used to Be Young” singer took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a message of gratitude. “Congratulations to all of this [year’s] Grammy nominees. […]
Hazel Monét, the 2-year-old daughter of budding R&B star Victoria Monét, is now officially the youngest Grammy nominee in history. Hazel Monét is nominated for best traditional R&B performance as a featured artist on her mom’s “Hollywood,” which also features the legendary Earth, Wind Fire.
Monét was born on Feb. 21, 2021, which means she’ll still be a little shy of her third birthday when the 66th annual Grammy Awards are presented at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 4, 2024.
Leah Peasall had held the record as the youngest Grammy nominee (and winner) as one of The Peasall Sisters, who were credited artists on O Brother, Where Art Thou?. That surprise-hit soundtrack was awarded album of the year on Feb. 27, 2002. Leah was 8 at the time. The rest of the trio consisted of her sister Hannah, then 11, and Sarah, then 14.
The youngest person before this to receive a Grammy nod as an individual – not as a part of a group or duo – was formerly DeLeon Richards, who was 8 years and 161 days in 1985 when she was nominated for best soul gospel performance, female for her Myrrh/Word album DeLeon.
The youngest person ever to win a Grammy as an individual (again, not as a part of group or duo) is Blue Ivy Carter, daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Blue Ivy shared in the award for best music video for “Brown Skin Girl” on March 14, 2021, when she was 8 years and 322 days old. She was one of three credited artists on the video, along with her mom and Wizkid.
If “Hollywood” wins best traditional R&B performance, Hazel Monét will become the youngest Grammy winner in history, either as a part of a group or duo or as an individual.
Hazel Monét is also credited as a co-writer of “Hollywood,” along with her mom and the song’s producers, D’Mile and Tim Suby. But the song isn’t nominated for a songwriting award.
“Hollywood” is featured on Victoria Monét’s first studio album Jaguar II, which is nominated for best R&B album, one of seven nods Monét received. She is also nominated for record of the year for “On My Mama” and best new artist, among others. Little Hazel also appears in the “On My Mama” music video, which you can view below:
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2024 Grammy nominations have officially rolled in, which means the stream of ecstatic reactions from artists around the world has begun. Announced by the Recording Academy on Friday (Nov. 10), this year’s group of nominees spans seasoned Grammy veterans as well as exciting newcomers. Taylor Swift, Jon Batiste, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo and SZA are […]
The Recording Academy announced nominations for the upcoming 66th Grammy Awards on Friday (Nov. 10), and Billboard wants to know who you think should have gotten a nomination in the Big Four categories of best new artist, and album, record and song of the year. SZA leads with nine nods, including in the categories of […]
2024 Grammy nominations were announced Friday (Nov. 10), with a star-studded collection of dance artists representing in the dance/electronic and pop dance categories. The most nominated dance artists this year include Skillex, who received a pair of nominations for his unstoppable “Rumble” and the album Quest for Fire, from whence it came. Fred Again.. also […]
Harvey Mason jr., the Recording Academy’s CEO, is pleased overall with this year’s Grammy nominations, which were announced on Friday (Nov. 10), but he’s aware that some, especially in the Latin and country fields, will be disappointed.
No Latin artists made the Big Four categories – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist. And in a startling move, there are only three nominations, rather than the standard five, for best música urbana album. That’s because Grammy rules specify that “each category shall have at least 40 distinct artist entries. If a category receives between 25 and 39 entries, only three recordings will receive nominations in that year.” Best música urbana album just missed that threshold – it had 37 entries.
Such country format leaders as Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Lainey Wilson were bypassed in the Big Four categories. Country’s only representation in the Big Four is the presence of Jelly Roll and the Americana duo The War and Treaty in the best new artist category.
Mason knows the Academy needs to do better in outreach to those communities – and said as much in this interview with Billboard on the eve of the announcement of the nominations.
This conversation has been lightly edited for length and clarity.
What impressed you about the nominations?
I’m really excited about the diversity – all the different genres. These nominations are inspirational and aspirational. A lot of times you see people on this list that the next generation of music people is going to look at and say, “Oh, that person looks like me.” Or “I like that type of music and I make that kind of music. Maybe I can be on the Grammy stage one day.”
Every media outlet will report on snubs and surprises. What surprised you?
I’m pleasantly surprised about the different types of things we’re seeing. [For example], the different types of [people who were nominated for] songwriter of the year, non-classical and producer of the year, non-classical.
Some of the things that also surprised me that weren’t huge positives — I felt that we didn’t have as many Latin artists and creators as I would have liked to have seen.
I agree with you about Latin music in the Big Four. And country, too. I was shocked that Luke Combs’ “Fast Car” wasn’t up for record of the year.
And that song, and country in general, had such a great year. [There were] so many really good records and great artists, so it was a surprise.
Are you determined to bring in more country and Latin voters? Do you see it as a weak spot where you need to do better?
We always feel like we can do better. We have to do more outreach in Latin communities, making sure that we’re representing the music accurately. We’re hearing from them things that we can do; making sure we have the right amount of membership and representation. Same goes for country. So, we have to make sure that we’re getting the right membership, which is something we have to talk about every year. When we look at the results of any given year, we always look and see where we can do better; where do we need to balance; where do we need to grow and evolve our membership. … It’s something that we pay close attention to, so we’ll continue to do work on our membership.
I was surprised Lainey Wilson wasn’t nominated for best new artist. She has won seven CMA Awards in the last two years.
I listen to a lot of the music that you’re talking about and I’m a huge fan of a lot of these records. I totally wish more people were nominated. There are great country artists I wish had been nominated, but we have a certain finite number of slots. I really like our 12,000 voters and the way they’re approaching this. They’re really voting with their ears. But they pick what they pick. I get my one vote, I can tell you that. I probably voted for some other things that maybe didn’t make it.
How did you think the drop from 10 nominees to eight in each of the Big Four categories worked out?
I supported it. We’ve gone from five to eight to 10 and back to eight [trying to hit the right number].
Do you like eight better?
I’m not going to say I like it better. I’m going to say I’m happy with it at eight. I think it will make for a great final round of voting. It’s something we’ll continue to look at.
Did you take a peek to see what finished No. 9 and No. 10 in the voting in the Big Four categories – that you missed out on by going with eight nominees?
I didn’t. I don’t want to torture myself. [laughs] I would be so frustrated [if they were records that would have been good to have.]
SZA is the leader in the nominations and also landed her first album of the year nod as a lead artist. What do you make of her ascendency?
It’s really spectacular. She obviously had a banner year. Extremely, hyper-creative project. She’s extremely talented. The music really resonated with our voters. I’m excited for her.
I was also happy to see Miley Cyrus do well, with nominations for record, album and song of the year. I don’t think anybody took her seriously 15 years ago, but she has proved herself a unique talent and unique singer.
Something about what she’s done this year definitely moved the voters. I’m really happy for her. This is going to be a really interesting shoot-out here in the next go-round. There are some great artists, great records, so we’re going to be excited to see what happens.
I was also surprised that “All My Life” by Lil Durk featuring J. Cole wasn’t up for record of the year. It’s the kind of hip-hop record that Grammy voters love.
I think the type of records that Grammy voters like is probably evolving as our membership is evolving. And we really intentionally got into a lot of communities – Black music, hip-hop. The membership has really evolved over the last two or three years. So, I think the outcomes in those types of music is going to continue to change and evolve. It will be hard to determine what is going to be a Grammy style of hip-hop record.
A lot of people will be surprised that there weren’t enough entries for best música urbana album to have five nominees in the category.
It felt like the dominance of Latin music is continuing. It had another massive year. Maybe there’s something to be said [for the fact] that the Latin Grammys are doing really, really well. Maybe some of the Latin creatives are feeling that they’re excited to be represented there as well.
Are you saying that the Latin Grammys have taken some of the shine off the Latin categories in the regular Grammys?
I wouldn’t say they’ve taken some of the shine. I would just say there’s probably a focus on the Latin music people to submit music in the Latin Grammys.
Victoria Monét has nominations in two of the Big Four categories. I would guess that there are going to be a lot of Internet searches on Friday so people can find out more about her. She’s probably the least broadly-known nominee in the major categories.
She’s extremely talented. She will be somebody who will come out of this with a whole new audience. This is what is cool about it. Sometimes the Academy celebrates these artists that no one knows about. I believe that to be a really cool feature of these awards and this process. People are going to learn about a great new artist and maybe even discover their favorite new artist.
Like Samara Joy winning best new artist last year.
There are always those stories were someone is like “Wait, who is that?” and then the next thing you know they’re playing that music as they’re driving in their car.
Barbie music did very well, with two of the four song of the year nominations and four of the five nominations for best song written for visual media.
Great artists. Great writers. You’re seeing some incredible names there on those records, both on the production side, writing side and artist side, so it’s exciting.
The only down note is that Barbie The Album was passed over for an album of the year nod. It’s really hard for a soundtrack to crack that category.
You could make an argument that it could be there based on how many great songs and all the great music that came off of it. But that’s how voting works: 12,000 voters listen and they decide.