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Trevor Noah previewed his role as the host for the 2023 Grammy Awards in a new interview on Tuesday (Jan. 31), and confirmed a couple of as-yet-unannounced superstars will be hitting the stage to perform.
“One of your favorite performers is a woman, and that woman is going to be performing at the Grammys,” the three-time host revealed on People‘s Every Day podcast. “Then one of your other favorite performers is a man, and that man is going to be performing at the Grammys, and you’re going, ‘Oh, but that could be anyone.’ But you know, it’s not anyone though because you’ve been listening to their album the whole year and it’s been huge.”
While the former host of The Daily Show remained mum on the two performers’ identities, whomever they are, they’ll be joining the roster of previously announced performers that includes Harry Styles, Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Bad Bunny, Lizzo, Luke Combs, Mary J. Blige, Steve Lacy and Brandi Carlile. Earlier this week, The Recording Academy also shared that the telecast will celebrate 50 years of hip-hop with an LL Cool J-introduced segment featuring Busta Rhymes, Ice-T, Missy Elliott and more.
Elsewhere during the interview, Noah confessed that he’s not usually the type of fan to listen to albums in full, but made an exception for this year’s pack of nominees. “I’ve enjoyed everything that’s come up this year,” he said. “Everything from DJ Khaled and Jay-Z and what they did together. And I’ve loved Kendrick [Lamar’s] work and Beyoncé was a soundtrack of my life. Harry Styles followed me around everywhere I went. So in many ways, the Grammys is always a wonderful celebration of the soundtrack of your year, the ups and downs, the highs, the lows, the joys and the sadnesses.”
The 65th annual Grammy Awards will air Sunday (Feb. 5) on CBS. Listen to Noah’s complete pre-Grammys interview below.
This Sunday (Feb. 5), the Grammys will celebrate a landmark anniversary, as the show enters its 65th year of serving as music’s biggest night.
When the awards first debuted in 1959, there were only 22 total categories and no live performances, and the ceremonies were held in New York and Los Angeles at the same time and never aired nationally. This year, there’ll be 91 total awards given out – including five brand new ones – as well as much-anticipated performances from nominated stars like Harry Styles, Bad Bunny and Lizzo, with the ceremonies airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
To commemorate the milestone Grammys, we at Billboard are digging back into show’s history to find the moment from each of the previous 64 years that most defined that year’s ceremony. Sometimes those are dramatic wins or unforgettable performances – but they also include unexpected fashion statements, memorable presentations, and, of course, a stage crasher or two. Some of them speak to the power of the Grammys in commemorating (or even creating) the most important and impactful musical moments of the year, and some of them are just the kind of surreal and unnerving happenings that tend to transpire when you get dozens of the biggest names in music in the same room for the evening.
From Chubby Checker to Stevie Wonder to Jethro Tull to SOY BOMB to the Chicks to BTS, come relive six and a half decades’ worth of Grammys greatness and weirdness with us — and find out which moments will be joining this proud legacy come Sunday night.
Throughout his six-plus decades in country music, Bill Anderson has been lauded for his considerable talents as both an artist and a songwriter, with more than 30 top 10 Billboard Country Songs hits to his credit as an artist, including seven chart-toppers. As a songwriter, he’s seen his songs recorded by artists including George Strait, Brad Paisley, Aretha Franklin, James Brown and Dean Martin.
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But even as a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame, the 85-year-old Anderson is still notching career firsts. Leading into Sunday’s (Feb. 5) Grammy Awards, Anderson is celebrating his first Grammy nomination as an artist, as “Someday It’ll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)” earned a nomination in the best American roots performance category.
The nomination is Anderson’s fifth overall Grammy nomination, with his four previous nominations stemming from his skill as a songwriter. He was the sole writer on Connie Smith’s 1964 hit “Once a Day” and Porter Wagoner’s “Cold Hard Facts of Life,” which were each nominated for a Grammy in the best country & western song category. His work as a co-writer on Steve Wariner’s “Two Teardrops” and George Strait’s “Give It Away” earned nominations in the same category, after it was renamed best country song.
“I knew I had Grammy nominations for writing. I have never won one. It’d probably be my last shot at it,” he says with an unassuming chuckle, seated at a table in his business office just outside of Nashville.
Anderson recalls playing the song for Sony Music Publishing Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston: “I didn’t even tell him I was going to play it, and he didn’t know Dolly was involved. He’s sitting there listening to it and of course, I sing the first verse of the song myself. When Dolly’s voice came on, he was like, ‘A Grammy!’ So he believed in it from the beginning.”
“Someday It’ll All Make Sense,” which Anderson wrote with Bobby Tomberlin and Ryan Larkins, is featured on Anderson’s most recent album, As Far as I Can See: The Best Of, which released in June on MCA Records/Ume.
As Far as I Can See is also the title of his current exhibit on display at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, detailing Anderson’s journey from being the 19-year-old disc jockey in Georgia who wrote “City Lights,” which would become a No. 1 hit for Ray Price in 1958. In 1960, Anderson earned his own first top 10 Country Songs hit with “Tips of My Fingers,” followed in 1962 by his first No. 1, the seven-week chart-topper “Mama Sang a Song.” He earned another seven-week chart-leader in “Still,” as well as later chart-toppers “I Get the Fever,” “For Loving You” (with Jan Howard) and “Sometimes” (with Mary Lou Turner).
By the 1980s, he parlayed his affable, humorous personality into work as a television game show host on The Better Sex and the now-defunct cable outlet Tennessee News Network’s country music-themed quiz show Fandango (he had previously hosted his own The Bill Anderson Show). However, in the 1990s, he began collaborating with Vince Gill, notably on the song “Which Bridge to Cross (Which Bridge to Burn).” That ushered in a renaissance for his songwriting career, leading to him writing with and for a new generation of artists and crafting fine-tuned hits including Kenny Chesney’s “A Lot of Things Different,” Strait’s “Give It Away,” and the Brad Paisley/Alison Krauss duet “Whiskey Lullaby” (which won the CMA’s song of the year honor in 2005).
Anderson talked with Billboard about his current Grammy nomination, working with his longtime friend and fellow singer-songwriter Dolly Parton, his thoughts on touring and songwriting and his memories from his decades in music.
How did Dolly come to be part of this song?
Her hairstylist is a girl named Cheryl Riddle, and we’ve been friends for many years. She’s had a lot to do with my career in some interesting ways. When I kind of quit songwriting for a while and backed away from it, she’s the one who encouraged me to do some co-writing. She was also doing Vince Gill’s hair at the time, and was trying to get me and Vince together to co-write. She finally succeeded, and that started my whole second songwriting career — and evolved into a wonderful friendship between me and Vince.
Bobby Tomberlin is also good friends with Cheryl, and he played some of it for her, with just me singing it. Cheryl said, “Oh my god, Dolly should be singing on that with him.” And asked for a copy. Dolly loved it, and next thing I know, they sent me a copy of her singing it with me. I told Dolly the day we filmed the video, I said, “This sounds like something you would’ve written,” and she said, “I wish I had! I love it,” which I took as a great compliment.
This is not the first musical collaboration you have had with Dolly. As Far as I Can See also features an early demo from around 1964 with Dolly, “If It Is All the Same to You,” a song you later recorded with Jan Howard.
It was lost for a long period of time. I’m almost positive that we did that session out at [Owen] Bradley’s barn. Dolly was new in town. Walter Haynes was working for the publishing company I was writing for at the time, and I said, “I need a girl singer to help me on this duet.” He said, “I know this girl from East Tennessee and she’s pretty good.” So she was hired and we sang the duet together. I think we recorded six or seven songs that night, and I went up there not long after to get a copy of the session, and someone had taken the duet and cut it out. There were seven songs on the demo but only six on the copy. Until recent years, I thought it had disappeared, until the Bear Family put out a box set of my music and uncovered it.
The two of you also filmed the video together for “Someday It’ll All Make Sense.” What do you recall about the day of filming?
She set aside from 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m., so we had three hours to do the video. When we finished filming all the scenes she would be involved, we got finished a little before one. There were all kinds of people coming to watch and Dolly stopped and said, “Okay, if anybody would like to get pictures or an autograph, we’ve got 15 minutes.” She stood there and took pictures with everybody in that room.
And then she turned to me and said, “Ok, I gotta go change clothes. I’m doing a video for the Queen of England” [for Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022, marking 70 years of service]. So she finished filming a video with Bill Anderson, changed clothes into something very prim and proper, a black dress with a set of pearls and did a video for the Queen of England, then changed again and did a video for NASCAR. She’s amazing.
In addition to being artists, writers and all-around entertainers, both you and Dolly were were part of impactful duos — Dolly and Porter were on the Porter Wagoner Show, and Jan Howard was part of your show and a frequent duet partner. Do you have any memories that stand out from that time?
There were occasions where promoters would book my show and Porter’s show together. There were some pretty big fairs up in the Northeast where Jan and my group, we’d do the first half of the show, and then there would be an intermission, and then Porter and Dolly would do their part of the show. One time, we did this cool thing where we decided to do a swap. Jan and I guested on the Porter Wagoner Show, and Dolly and Porter guested on the Bill Anderson Show, and we all sang songs together. I would love to have a copy of those shows.
You have several books here on your table, including a book about your Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit As Far as I Can See. What music or music business books have been some of your favorites?
I read all the time and have books stacked up. I’ve never thrown away a music book and an awful lot of ‘em are autographed. Probably the music book that got me the most, emotionally, was the Louvin Brothers book, Satan Is Real [written by Charlie Louvin with Benjamin Whitmer]. If I was a movie producer, I’d make a movie out of that book so quick. I knew Charlie [Louvin] quite well, and Ira as well as you could know Ira. They recorded quite a few of my songs. That book was just so brutally honest and it really moved me. But I’ve read Shania Twain’s book [From This Moment On], and Anne Murray [All of Me] and everything from Willie — Willie’s book of the month. I feel like I know Willie awfully well.
What Is ahead for you in terms of touring and recording?
I want to make some more records. [UMG Nashville president] Cindy Mabe has been a real champion for this whole project, and UMG re-released a lot of my older catalog digitally for the first time. So I’m just seeing what is ahead.
I’m not going out on the road right now. I haven’t been out on the road since [the] COVID [pandemic] started. Surprisingly, I haven’t missed it like I thought I probably would. I was on the road for over 50 years and I figured I couldn’t live without it. But I’ve kind of enjoyed just kicking back a little bit, writing a little bit more, taking time off and being with my kids and grandkids.
I’m not saying I’m never going back on the road — as soon as I say “Never,” something will change. I want to make more records and keep performing occasionally at the Opry. I’m not saying I’ll never work the road again, but it’s not on the top of my priority list.
You have had so much success, both as a solo writer and a co-writer. Who are some of your favorite rising songwriters?
I like Ryan Larkins, the third writer on “Someday.” And I like this kid, Drake Milligan. I’ve got two writing dates with him and one is going to be me and him and Vince. Ryan and Drake are two that I have connected with. They are young kids with old souls.
What are your thoughts on the nomination as we head into the Grammys?
I’ve been so blessed. I mean, I pinch myself sometimes that this has really all happened. If we do win a Grammy on Sunday, that’ll be the cherry on top of the sundae. And if we don’t, it’s still been a fun ride.
Stevie Wonder will perform on the Grammy telecast on Sunday, Feb. 5, in a spot that will feature two other famous artists — Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton. The performance was announced on CBS Mornings on Friday (Feb. 3). CBS has broadcast the Grammys since 1973.
Stapleton, an eight-time Grammy winner, is a nominee this year for best country song for “I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die.” He and Rodney Crowell co-wrote the song, which was recorded by Willie Nelson.
Robinson is this year’s recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year award, along with Motown founder Berry Gordy. The award will be presented at a gala tonight in Los Angeles. Robinson received a Grammy Legend Award in 1990 and a lifetime achievement award in 1999, but he has won just one Grammy in competition (for performing his 1987 hit “Just to See Her”). The fact the one of the greatest songwriters of all time has never won a songwriting Grammy is not something that is likely to be mentioned tonight.
Wonder has amassed 25 Grammys over the years and is the only artist ever to win album of the year with three consecutive studio albums. Adele has a chance to equal that feat on Sunday if she wins for her latest album, 30. In addition to his competitive wins, Wonder received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 1996.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah. The show will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The Recording Academy made its first performers announcement on Wednesday (Jan. 25), revealing that Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, and Sam Smith and Kim Petras would take the stage. Harry Styles was announced as an addition to the lineup on Sunday (Jan. 29) during the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game.
On Wednesday (Feb. 1), the Academy said that the In Memoriam segment at the 2023 Grammy Awards will include breakout tributes to three diverse artists who died last fall — Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie and Takeoff.
Kacey Musgraves will perform Lynn’s 1970 classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in tribute to the country legend, who died on Oct. 4 at age 90; Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt will team to perform “Songbird” from Fleetwood Mac’s album of the year-winning Rumours to honor McVie, who died on Nov. 30 at age 79; and Maverick City Music will join Quavo for Quavo’s sentimental ballad “Without You” to honor Takeoff, who died on Nov. 1 at just 28.
On Thursday (Feb. 2), the Academy announced a star-studded salute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. LL Cool J will host the segment, which will include performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Kapoor serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Winston and Jesse Collins as executive producers. Phil Heyes joins the team for the first time as director. Eric Cook is co-executive producer with Tabitha Dumo, Tiana Gandelman, Patrick Menton and David Wild as producers.
Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on live.Grammy.com. Randy Rainbow, a first-time Grammy nominee this year for best comedy album for A Little Brains, A Little Talent, is co-hosting the show. His co-host has yet to be named.
The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, the organization that bestows the Juno Awards, has defended its decision to nominate Arcade Fire for group of the year in light of accusations of sexual misconduct that have been levied against frontman Win Butler. The 2023 Juno nominations were announced on Tuesday, and the awards will be presented on March 13.
“We look at Arcade Fire’s nomination for group of the year as one for the entire band,” the Academy wrote in a statement to CBC Music. “While we take the allegations very seriously, in this situation we are also honouring the rest of the band for their success. We hope the allegations against Butler will not detract from the achievements of the other group members.”
The Junos are the Canadian equivalent of the Grammys, or the Brits in the U.K. Arcade Fire, which also includes Butler’s wife Régine Chassagne, Richard Reed Parry, Tim Kingsbury and Jeremy Gara, have previously won 11 Juno Awards, including a record-tying three awards for album of the year.
The nomination for group of the year is the band’s only Juno nod this year. By contrast, the band received four nominations in 2018, the year of its previous studio album, Everything Now. The band also received an honorary international achievement award that year.
Butler has faced controversy in recent months due to a series of investigations by the website Pitchfork in which five people accused him of sexual misconduct. The first report was published on Aug. 27. The alleged incidents took place between 2015 and 2020. (Within that time frame, in 2016, Arcade Fire was named humanitarian of the year at the Juno Awards.)
In response to the Pitchfork report, Butler released a lengthy statement which read in part: “I have had consensual relationships outside of my marriage. … I have connected with people in person, at shows, and through social media, and I have shared messages of which I am not proud. Most importantly, every single one of these interactions has been mutual and always between consenting adults. It is deeply revisionist, and frankly just wrong, for anyone to suggest otherwise.
“I have never touched a woman against her will, and any implication that I have is simply false. I vehemently deny any suggestion that I forced myself on a woman or demanded sexual favors. That simply, and unequivocally, never happened.
“While these relationships were all consensual, I am very sorry to anyone who I have hurt with my behavior. Life is filled with tremendous pain and error, and I never want to be part of causing someone else’s pain.”
In the aftermath of Pitchfork’s investigation, Feist canceled her planned appearances as a support act on an Arcade Fire tour through Europe and the U.K. Beck withdrew from opening for the band on a North American tour.
In a message shared to her Instagram account on Sept. 1, Feist said: “At a pub in Dublin, after rehearsing with my band, I read the same headline you did. We didn’t have any time to prepare for what was coming let alone a chance to decide not to fly across the ocean into the belly of this situation. This has been incredibly difficult for me and I can only imagine how much more difficult it’s been for the people who came forward. More than anything I wish healing to those involved.”
She also shared that the charges put her in an impossible position. “To stay on tour would symbolize I was either defending or ignoring the harm caused by Win Butler and to leave would imply I was the judge and jury.”
Beck withdrew from the planned North American tour in mid-October without providing a reason for his departure.
The band’s sixth studio album, We, debuted and peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard 200, breaking a string of three consecutive No. 1 albums by the band. It logged just two weeks on the chart, the briefest stay for any of the band’s albums.
We is vying for best alternative music album at this weekend’s Grammy Awards, but that nomination hasn’t stirred the same degree of controversy as the Juno nod has in the band’s home country. All six of the band’s studio albums have been nominated for best alternative music album. Only three other acts have received six or more nods in the category’s history. Björk leads with nine nods. Radiohead and Beck follow with eight.
Billboard reached out to both the Junos and the Grammys for additional comment.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can reach out to RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or chat at online.rainn.org 24/7 for confidential support.
Dance music is arguably having one of its biggest years ever at the Grammy Awards, led by our Queen Beyoncé, nominated in both best dance/electronic recording and best dance/electronic album for her club-oriented LP Renaissance and its life-giving lead single, “Break My Soul.”
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That nomination caused a stir in the dance music community, with many celebrating its inclusion as a win for the Black and queer roots of dance music, the leading dance producers who worked on the LP, and the visibility of house music in the mainstream realm while others side-eyed it as not entirely of the dance world.
Beyond the presence of this pop icon, the rest of the nominees are tried and true Grammy favorites, with previous winners Diplo, Kaytranada, David Guetta and RÜFÜS DU SOL all up for awards along with seven-time nominee Bonobo and three-time nominee ODESZA.
What does it all mean? Ahead of the presentation of the dance categories on the Grammys pre-telecast this Sunday (Feb. 5), we hash it all out.
In 2023, the Grammys have fully settled into their post-nominations review committee era, meaning the dance categories, among others, were determined by majority vote rather than a panel of experts. How do you think the removal of these review committees has affected the dance nominees pool this year?
ZEL MCCARTHY: Do you remember a few years ago when a woman rode a horse into a nightclub in South Beach? I think they got as far as the dance floor before the horse got spooked, the rider got thrown, and unbridled chaos was unleashed. Of course, it’s the album artwork of Renaissance that makes this club tale apposite, as Beyoncé, a divine being known primarily as a pop artist, rode a mirrorball-encrusted horse into the proverbial club that is the Dance Field this year and the result is chaotic. Disco visual aesthetics notwithstanding, “Break My Soul” is really a house-inspired record more than an actual dance track, but the Robin S sample is its stable pass into the paddock. Plus, as a tune, it undeniably slaps.
That said, Renaissance is not a dance album. The Grammys seem to know this, since two of the album’s tracks earned noms in the R&B and Traditional R&B fields. Given the exacting parameters each field establishes for itself, it strains credulity that some sort of nominations review committee-type invisible hand didn’t have something to do with leading this horse to the wrong starting line, perhaps in an effort to bolster the category’s star power, or maybe improve the jockey’s own record-breaking stats in this year’s derby. Either way, everybody knows that, when someone lets a horse into a club, you gotta shut it down.
KAT BEIN: I think the obvious knee-jerk reaction is to say, “Beyonce’s inclusion in the dance category seems to be a clear-cut result of this change,” but in reality, the dance category has long been a haven for strange pop inclusion. Should David Guetta and Bebe Rexha‘s “I’m Good (Blue)” be nominated simply because David Guetta was once a serious French DJ and producer, and this track interpolates a Eurodance hit from 25 years ago? Yeah, it has synths, but it has more hallmarks of modern pop music than electronic history. It’s a pop homage to the dance world… which is basically what Beyoncé’s album is as well, although Bey brings a touch more art to the table.
I think the greater issue at play, if it is at all an issue (and people seem to think there is one), is how we define electronic dance as a genre versus modern pop, which is all made with synths and electronic sounds. That issue already existed. I don’t think The Chainsmokers have been a dance act since “Closer” came out, and are rather a pop band, but we draw these weird lines to keep them in the “dance” category, as far as the industry seems to be concerned.
I don’t think much has actually changed in regard to nominations in the dance categories compared to anything that was nominated in the last five years. A major pop act just decided to make a dance record and submit for inclusion, and the timing is coincidental. We’ll see if the changes have any long-term effects.
KATIE BAIN: Without review committees in the mix to add a layer of tastemaking, it seems the dance Grammys have really settled upon a group of name recognition artists that feel safe and respectable, if not innovative, to nominate each year. No disrespect to any of these nominated acts, whom I’m generally all fans of, but to see the same artists over and over, and the same artists in both categories, in a genre that’s so incredibly diverse has to be at least partially a function of the review committees going away.
Is there anything surprising to you about this batch of nominees?
ZM: Given the bounty of excellent albums released this past year, it’s surprising that voters would have opted for three tonally similar albums of adult contemporary electronica and an album that is tantamount to a mixtape of singles from Diplo. Like, nothing here is technically bad, but is anything here inspiring?
On the recording side, the five nominees have so little in common with each other musically, it’s hard to compare them. Like the last few years, however, this category includes one or two tracks that are so forgettable, their inclusion speaks to the achievement of nomination campaigns above all.
KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ: I wasn’t very surprised. I think many dance music fans would have predicted most of these artists, and some are also Grammy dance-category darlings. (Bonobo and RÜFÜS have each been nominated for best dance/electronic recording in three out of the last four years, for example.) What gets me is the overlap: not just in the nominees’ musical styles, but how many of them appear in both categories. Yes, these artists are very prominent in the dance community, but they represent only a sliver of what our vast world has to offer. Some diversity would be nice, along with new and fresh names.
KAT BEIN: I think people were surprised to see Beyoncé, but now that I sit with it, nothing is shocking.
KATIE BAIN: I’m both surprised and unsurprised by how unsurprising this batch of nominees feels.
Let’s talk about snubs! Who didn’t get the nod and should have?
ZM: The majority of dance and electronic music is instrumental and not song-based in the way pop, rock and other mainstream genres are. There are entire genres of house, techno, ambient, and experimental music that are worthy of consideration, but it’s hard to expect artists to join the Academy and seek that recognition given what the awards currently honor. For instance, if the membership does have an understanding of DJing and electronic music production as art forms, it isn’t reflected in the nomination of a cover version of a late ’90s novelty Eurodance record.
KR: I would have liked to see Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal’s “B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)” in contention for best dance/electronic recording. It represents so much of the last couple years in music—the rise of U.K. club music, TikTok-viral success stories, sampling an older song and updating it for today’s dance floors. It’s also just really cute and fun and good!
The lack of Fred Again.. in either category is also surprising. With huge tracks such as “Jungle,” a full album, a Swedish House Mafia collab, a sold-out tour and a widely talked-about Coachella debut, it was the kind of star-making year that you’d think would be capped off by a Grammy nod.
KAT BEIN: As Krystal said, was anything Fred Again.. released possible to nominate? He is literally the biggest thing in dance music right now. His music and hype is so omnipresent, the mere phrase “Fred Again.. vibes” has become a meme as artists in any corner of house music desperately seek to carve out a slice of said hype, ironically or not. I was at Portola Festival in San Francisco, and they had to shut the whole warehouse stage down because it was so full of people, they were gonna break a fire penal code. Not that popularity alone should demand nominations, but he’s everywhere else. Why not the nom list?
Also, I feel Shygirl would have been a great artist to nominate for almost anything. She works with incredible producers and brings a fabulous energy to her tracks, and definitely creates inside the rave music space. Her work is also pushing the envelope in an interesting way, which deserves reward. I also feel they should have given Swedish House Mafia some love as the legacy act! That album was really fun!
KATIE BAIN: I agree with everything that’s been said here, particularly how weird the exclusion of Fred Again.. is. Over at the Brit Awards he’s nominated for album of the year, artist of the year and best dance artist. Given the incredible success he’s had and how widely beloved his music is, a nomination for him really could’ve marked a new type of dance music crossover at the Grammys. Feels like a missed opportunity. And yes Kat, I was also rooting for Swedish House Mafia.
If Drake‘s Honestly, Nevermind — which leaned fully into the sounds of of the moment underground house — had been submitted to the Grammys, would these categories look different?
ZM: Even if 2023 Drake was cool with trophies like 2019 Drake was, it’s hard to imagine him getting behind Honestly, Nevermind. As an artist who feeds off of his audience, despite critical acclaim, it feels like there wasn’t enough of a popular response to the album to keep him interested in promoting it and thus, he fulfills the promise of the album title in the process.
KR: I don’t think so. Based upon the reactions following its release, Honestly, Nevermind was not particularly well-received. (I find that mildly bizarre, considering the success of his previous dance-inspired singles like “Take Care” and “Passionfruit.”) Maybe in an alternate world it slides into best album on Drake’s name alone, but beyond that, I don’t think it would be successful.
KAT BEIN: I am one of the biggest Drake fans, historically, and I just did not listen to that album in full. I started it and then I was like, “Honestly, nevermind.” I really liked seeing his Instagram posts from Ibiza, I will say that much.
KATIE BAIN: I love this album, but given the other nominees in this category, I’m not sure the Grammys are up to speed on the type of underground house it showcases. So, nah.
Best dance/electronic recording. Who will win? Who should win?
ZM: “Break My Soul” will win. Kaytranada & H.E.R.’s “Intimidated” is a worthy rival to Bey, but if the Queen deserves any award this year, it might as well be this one.
KR: “Break My Soul.” A hit, a moment, a lifestyle.
KAT BEIN: “Break My Soul” is an uplifting track with an uplifting music video, and she’s the winningest woman in Grammy history. Personally, I like the RÜFÜS song the most. It has the most dynamics and interesting sounds in it, which is I guess how I rate music. I also like the Diplo song, in spite of myself.
KATIE BAIN: “Break My Soul.” It will, and it should, win, particularly given that this category wasn’t even around when the music that inspired the song was in its heyday during the early and mid-’90s.
Best dance/electronic album. Who will win? Who should win?
ZM: Beyoncé should win, but not because Renaissance is a great dance album; it’s just a better body of work than the four other underwhelming nominees.
KR: A win for Renaissance is a win for Honey Dijon, Green Velvet, Luke Solomon, house music and disco.
KAT BEIN: Geez, my logic for Best Dance/Electronic Recording said Beyoncé, so maybe Beyoncé. Who should win? I think ODESZA did a really interesting excavation of themselves on The Last Goodbye, and I’m a sucker for interesting stories and artists who try. I have some friends who helped produce the Diplo album, and I would selfishly love to see them get Grammys. I think these are all good albums with merit, but I struggle to say these albums moved the needle forward for the art of electronic dance music in general. So, in a weird way, maybe Beyoncé does deserve to win by virtue of being the most conversational?
KATIE BAIN: Beyoncé will undoubtedly win and, as Krystal said, that’s undoubtedly a very good thing for further visibility of its collaborators and themes. I do have a soft spot in my heart for ODESZA, who probably thought it was theirs to lose until Beyoncé rode in on her crystal horse. Considering that there were five years between this and their last album, it also seems unlikely we’ll be seeing them again in this category for awhile.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
ZM: For the last year, the Recording Academy has touted its many reforms as being emblematic of a “New” Academy. The televised show itself is operating in compliance with a highly touted inclusion rider, and all indicators from within and around the organization are that it is continuing to lead a recalcitrant industry towards meaningful improvements in equity and diversity. But the dance music industry has very quietly and deliberately resisted any such changes to the two dance field awards. Dance music power brokers have mollified concerns from Recording Academy leaders by upholding the existing categories as sufficient, and the overwhelmingly white and male nominees in those categories as accurate reflections of the state of dance and electronic music. Regardless, the music keeps on moving on. Maybe one day, the Academy will catch up.
KR: I still think dance music and electronic music should be separate categories.
KAT BEIN: This was the year I acknowledged that I am indeed an “old head,” and if that colors my interpretation of things as a critic, I will acknowledge it, but I will not apologize.
KATIE BAIN: I’m obviously biased and I say this every year, so not to beat a dead horse (in the club), but the dance categories really do deserve shine on the televised ceremony, particularly given how the nominations often reflect their role as a tangent of mainstream pop. I thought Beyoncé could be the one to inspire that move to primetime this year, but, just like always, we’ll see you at the pre-telecast.
Who will win in the Latin categories at the 2023 Grammy Awards? Each year, Billboard offers its analysis of who will win, or who should win, in those categories, which include best Latin pop album, best música urbana album, best Latin rock or alternative album, best regional Mexican music album (including tejano) and best tropical Latin album.
Leading up to Sunday’s 65th annual Grammy Awards, we’ve gathered our Latin editorial team and embarked on a lively discussion, with educated guesses based on the marketplace and past voting behavior (not endorsements). Our participants are Leila Cobo, Billboard’s Chief Content Officer, Latin/Español; Jessica Roiz, Billboard‘s Latin assistant editor; Griselda Flores, Billboard‘s senior Latin writer; Ingrid Fajardo, social media manager & Latin’s staff writer; Sigal Ratner-Arias, Billboard Español’s deputy editor; and Isabela Raygoza, Billboard Español’s associate editor.
Hosted by Trevor Noah, the 2023 Grammy Awards will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday (Feb. 5) and will air live at 8p.m. ET. on CBS. Here are our predictions for the Latin music categories:
Best Latin Pop AlbumAGUILERA, Christina AguileraPasieros, Rubén Blades & Boca LivreDe Adentro Pa Afuera, CamiloVIAJANTE, FonsecaDharma+, Sebastián Yatra
GRISELDA FLORES: The front-runners for me are Camilo, Christina Aguilera and Sebastián Yatra, because all three albums received both critical acclaim and had commercial success. Last year, Camilo was nominated for Mis Manos and it was a big upset that he didn’t win, so this time he might take the award. Having said that, Christina Aguilera’s AGUILERA was a big deal, as it marked her return to Spanish-language music. It’s a really solid album.
LEILA COBO: I think this is a really tough category. I agree that those are the front-runners, but out of those I’m leaning more toward Camilo and Yatra, who has gotten notoriety with Encanto and “Dos Oruguitas,” and now this song with Rita Wilson, “Til You’re Home.” Although it’s not a nominated song, it still has put him in the eye of the mainstream, which gives him a slight edge. But Camilo has been touring all over the states, he has a song with Camila Cabello, and he can be a favorite among the Latin voters of the Academy.
SIGAL RATNER-ARIAS.: Christina Aguilera’s album is a beauty. Sebastián Yatra just won his first Latin Grammy, so I’d love to see him win this one as well.
ISABELA RAYGOZA: I did like Christina Aguilera’s album. I thought that the way she utilized her bravado with rancheras translated beautifully in this album. She’s reclaiming her Latin roots, so for her to embrace that facet of herself, I definitely appreciate it. However, I want Sebastián to win, because I think he positions himself as Latin pop’s next heartthrob, following in the steps of Ricky Martin and Enrique Iglesias. And his album is great, it has symphonic arrangements and reggaeton, it was very poppy. I would like to see him continue to rise in 2023.
INGRID FAJARDO: To be honest, I didn’t love Camilo’s album from the get-go, but I got a different perspective when I saw him perform those songs live. It’s another level! I realized how profound those songs are, something I didn’t notice when I first listened to the album.
Likely winner: Camilo or Sebastián Yatra
Best Música Urbana AlbumTRAP CAKE, VOL. 2, Rauw AlejandroUn Verano Sin Ti, Bad BunnyLEGENDADDY, Daddy Yankee167, FarrukoThe Loe & Sex Tape, Maluma
JESSICA ROIZ: Isabela wants Rauw Alejandro to win. She’s going to make a case right now.
I.R.: I do! I think with TRAP CAKE, we can appreciate his foundation. He’s mentioned that it has his earlier Soundcloud vibes, like when he first started making music. My favorite song on there is “Gracias Por Nada,” because it starts off as a rock song with some guitars and suddenly it expertly transitions into this Latin drill song, and it’s so hooky. The whole album is great. I know it’s not going to win, but that was one of my favorite albums of the year.
J.R.: It was a good album. And he even said he was going to stick to trap because this was for his OG fans and ended up being edgy and innovative, fusing many different styles. But Bad Bunny is going to win.
S.R.A.: Bad Bunny has to win.
G.F.: The reality is that no other album had the same impact Bad Bunny’s did. It wasn’t just the Latin album of the year, it was the album of the year in general. It’s a no-brainer for me.
L.C.: If he wins album of the year and not this category, it will seem odd and signal a big disconnect. These are all good albums, and LEGENDADDY is a significant album because it’s Daddy Yankee’s “last album,” and Farruko’s La 167 has “Pepas.” But when you have an album that has broken all records like Bad Bunny has, and he’s in the running for album of the year, it’s hard to beat.
Likely winner: Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative AlbumEl Alimento, CimafunkTinta y Tiempo, Jorge Drexler1940 Carmen, Mon LaferteAlegoría, Gaby MorenoLos Años Salvajes, Fito PáezMOTOMAMI, Rosalía
L.C.: Rosalía has already won this award with El Mal Querer, and this was such an acclaimed album and she has such international recognition among voters of the academy that I cannot imagine anyone else would win it.
S.R.A.: 100%. There’s no other way.
G.F.: A contender for me is Jorge Drexler, since he won song and record of the year at the Latin Grammys, but how can Rosalía not win? I think people were already upset she didn’t score an album of the year nod, so she has to win this one. She totally deserves to win.
I.R.: Cimafunk and Jorge Drexler did release pretty great albums, but Rosalía blew it out of the water. She continued to showcase her musicianship in so many ways with that album. For her to do some reggaeton and experiment with jazz — each song has its own world, and her winning this category would be the right choice.
Likely winner: Rosalía
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)Abeja Reina, ChiquisUn Canto por México – El Musical, Natalia LafourcadeLa Reunión (Deluxe), Los Tigres del NorteEP #1 Forajido, Christian Nodal Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe), Marco Antonio Solis
G.F.: It’s a long shot, but Chiquis could win this category and take home her first Grammy. She’s been on a winning streak these past two years at the Latin Grammys, winning best banda album in 2020 and 2022. I think she has a shot, especially with an album like Abeja Reina with lyrics that are so raw and modern, but she sticks to traditional styles such as banda and cumbia. I think voters will really appreciate that.
S.R.A.: Natalia Lafourcade is a Grammy darling, but I’d like to see Chiquis take this one home.
L.C.: Nodal is a great artist. He’s young and makes music that is exceptional. What he does and how he takes the genre but modernizes, it is so clever. The results are really interesting. I don’t see another artist like him at that age. This should be Christian Nodal’s year.
I.R.: Christian Nodal has modernized the genre, but still stayed true to his essence. We’ve seen the emergence of so much regional, but fusing it with external elements. He stays true to the essence of what the genre is, and that’s what I appreciate about him.
I.F.: Nodal is like the Vicente Fernández of our generation. The power of his voice is unmatched. He truly represents this genre, and he should win.
Likely winner: Christian Nodal
Best Tropical Latin AlbumPa’llá Voy, Marc Anthony Quiero Verte Feliz, La Santa Cecilia Lado A Lado B, Víctor Manuelle Legendario, Tito Nieves lmágenes Latinas, Spanish Harlem Orchestra Cumbiana II, Carlos Vives
L.C.: I have a soft spot for Cumbiana, even though Carlos Vives has done it before. I liked Victor Manuelle’s album, I thought it was cool, but I’m rooting for Vives here.
G.F.: I’d like to see Victor Manuelle win, because it was an interesting to see him live in that duality of salsa and urban. It was a fun listen. I appreciate his experimental nature but what I respected most is that he didn’t lose touch with who he is and what he represents in that album.
S.R.A.: I love Carlos Vives and I love how he’s been able to spotlight Colombian music. I think it’s spectacular. If he wins, I’ll be happy. But Victor Manuelle is also deserving. He has a good album.
I.R.: I think it’s Victor Manuelle’s year. He’s celebrating 30 years in music, and being honored at Premio Lo Nuestro. And his album is pretty cool! He’s always maintained his essence even while collaborating with other contemporary artists such as Miky Woodz, and he sounds great. He doesn’t sacrifice his signature style for the sake of jumping on the bandwagon.
J.R.: I feel Carlos Vives is going to win. He really did the leg work, so much research for this album, there’s a film component to this. But I agree that Victor Manuelle should win because he’s never done a concept album like this one and he sounds amazing.
Likely winner: Victor Manuelle
The 2023 Grammy Awards are nearly upon us, and of the biggest questions that fans and spectators are waiting to have answered is who will win in the coveted best new artist award, one of the Big Four categories. This year’s best new artist has 10 contenders: Anitta, Måneskin, Wet Leg, Latto, Omar Apollo, Muni Long, Molly Tuttle, Domi & JD Beck, Samara Joy and Tobe Nwigwe.
Anitta had a breakout year in 2022. The Brazilian star’s album Pieces of Me was released in April and spawned a viral hit with “Envolver,” which allowed her career to ascend to heights in the time since. (See: tracks with Cardi B and Missy Elliott, appearing onstage alongside Snoop Dogg at Coachella.)
Italian rock band Måneskin found success following the success of breakthrough track “Beggin,” originally a cover of the classic 1967 Four Seasons song of the same name; the band’s take went viral on TikTok. Since then, the rockers have delivered a much-talked-about performance of “Supermodel,” a brand new album titled Rush, and now have a best new artist nom under their belts. “When they said our name I started screaming,” vocalist Damiano David said on the Tonight Show of the moment he found out about the band’s nomination. “We were actually shooting a video for this because we wanted to share the reaction but we couldn’t because it was too vulgar, too aggressive.”
British duo Wet Leg has also made waves over the past year, and secured an alternative hit with the heavily memed track “Chaise Lounge.” Not soon after, they started gaining the attention of hitmaker Harry Styles, who covered the duo’s “Wet Dream.” Now, the two-piece, in addition to being nominated for best new artist, is also up for best alternative performance, best alternative album, best engineering, nonclassical and best remixed recording.
Who do you think should win best new artist at the Grammys? Vote in our poll below.
In 2018, the Recording Academy increased the number of nominees in the Big Four Grammy categories — album, song and record of the year and best new artist — from five to eight. Then, three years later, it boosted the pool from eight to 10.
These expansions were made to recognize more music creators and to represent more genres, according to the academy — yet for country artists, the benefits have thus far been nonexistent.
For the five Grammy Award nomination cycles (for ceremonies taking place in 2019-2023) since the first increase, there have been 196 total Big Four nominations, yet only six have gone to mainstream country artists or projects, with only one victory: Kacey Musgraves’ album of the year trophy for Golden Hour in 2019. In the five cycles before the increase (2014-2018), country artists scored seven nominations of the far smaller 125 total nods.
For the 65th Grammys, which will take place Feb. 5 in Los Angeles, country music is completely absent from the Big Four.
Genre classification can be blurry, but for this story, Billboard counted nominations that went to an artist or music that appears on Billboard’s Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs and Top Country Albums charts or is traditionally considered country. For 2023, that means Brandi Carlile’s album and record of the year nods don’t count in the country tally (though her 2020 song of the year nomination for co-writing Tanya Tucker’s “Bring Me My Flowers Now” did); same with song of the year nominee Taylor Swift, who is now considered a pop artist despite her country start. Best new artist nominee Molly Tuttle plays bluegrass, and while the genre is a branch of country music, her music doesn’t appear on those Billboard charts.
Previous years also have not-quite-country outliers: Maren Morris’ record of the year nomination for appearing with Zedd and Grey on “The Middle” didn’t count in the 2019-2023 tally since it was a pop hit. Though Sturgill Simpson doesn’t receive mainstream country radio play, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and the set won the Grammy for best country album in 2017, so its album of the year nomination counts in the 2014-2018 tally. Similarly, Margo Price, whose albums chart on Top Country Albums, counts for her 2019 best new artist nomination.
Shelly Maree, the Recording Academy’s country awards manager, considers the low recent total cyclical, in part. “Right now, we’re in another lull period where you’re not hearing country played on top 40 [radio], so you’re not really hearing anybody break through like that, [while] rap and hip-hop and dance are having huge moments,” she says. “You can really kind of plop down into any decade or any five-year period in our top four nominations and you’re going to see reflected what is of the era at that moment.”
But for the country community, the absence of representation in the general field illuminates a bigger concern: that the genre doesn’t receive the broader attention it deserves, hurting its chances at nominations for those trophies. While the academy deems all Grammys equal, the four general-field categories carry more prestige and receive greater media attention.
“Generally speaking, country music remains outside of the large pop music tent, which includes many of the contemporary genres like pop and hip-hop and rock,” says Beverly Keel, Middle Tennessee State University dean of the College of Media and Entertainment and a former MCA Records Nashville executive. “I think a lot of Grammy voters may not even listen to country, and I think there is, in many voters’ minds, still a stigma about country that it’s not as sophisticated, hokey, the music of the conservatives.”
Additionally, despite the notable rise in streaming among younger country artists, the music lacks the global reach some pop-oriented genres enjoy. “Most country stars are not international stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Bruno Mars,” Keel says. “Country is largely limited to the United States and Canada, so it doesn’t have the reach, whereas a pop song may be No. 1 in 20 countries.”
As Mary Hilliard Harrington, manager for Dierks Bentley and Elle King, notes by email: “Even prior to 2019, country has been grossly underrepresented in the main categories. It has always been a problem.” The three mainstream country artists with the most career nominations are Willie Nelson (56), Dolly Parton (53) and Vince Gill (47) — but Nelson and Gill have each landed only one Big Four nomination (in 1983 and 2008, respectively), while Parton has earned two (most recently in 1988).
The current generation of country hit-makers hasn’t fared much better. Miranda Lambert, who is nominated in all four country categories this year, has never received a Big Four nomination despite 27 career nods. Only one of Chris Stapleton’s 17 nominations has been in the general field, when Traveller received an album of the year nod for the 2016 Grammys. And one of country’s biggest new stars, Morgan Wallen, didn’t compete at all in 2022: He was shut out from Grammy nominations after his 2021 smash Dangerous: The Double Album was mired in controversy.
Country music has recently fared best in the new artist category, with Price, Luke Combs, Ingrid Andress and Jimmie Allen nabbing nominations since 2019. For the 2023 awards, Zach Bryan, the top new country artist on Billboard’s year-end charts, and rising star Lainey Wilson were both considered leading contenders for best new artist, and their respective labels (Warner Records and BBR Music Group) ran campaigns accordingly. But when nominations were announced in November, neither earned a best new artist nod, nor did anyone else from the genre. Though Wilson made significant press and TV appearances in an effort to reach as broad an audience as possible, Bryan made almost none, which sources say may have limited his exposure to Grammy voters.
Significantly, the overall voting pool lacks enough country advocates to consistently propel the genre into the Big Four without strong support from allies. Of the current 12,000-plus voting members, less than 10% identify with the country genre, according to the academy, compared with pop (23%), jazz (16%), rock (15%), R&B (15%), American roots (13%), alternative (10%) and classical (10%). (Voters can identify with as many genres as they want.) All voting members can cast ballots for the Big Four.
While qualifying creators can still apply to join the academy, following the recommendation of its Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, in 2018 the academy began inviting creators to join as voting members. The move was meant to make the voting pool more reflective of the diverse creative community and initially focused on women, people of color and those under 40.
In recent years, however, potential new members who identify as country have received fewer invitations than peers in other popular genres. Of the 2,710 invitations extended in 2021, 9% of recipients identified with the country genre, with 13 other genres ranking higher. The highest percentage of invited voters identified as pop (29%), followed by R&B (23%), jazz (18%), alternative (18%), rock (16%) and rap (15%). In 2022, the academy welcomed nearly 2,000 new voting members; 9% cited country as their focus, compared with pop (33%), R&B (22%), alternative (19%) and rap (15%).
The country community’s easiest way to increase its odds would be by boosting its presence in the voting membership. “A really good place to start is talk to your friends and [ask], ‘Are you a Recording Academy member?’ And then step two is, ‘Are you voting?,’ ” Maree says. “This year, we were really encouraging our active members to fulfill that responsibility and use their voices, especially [since] the first round of voting directly dictates our nominations now that we no longer have nominating committees. ‘Are they voting?’ is the first thing we always ask people when they have any kind of questions about what they see when it comes to nominations day.”
Although Keel says a Grammy is “what people grow up dreaming about winning,” for country artists, the conversation doesn’t begin and end with one awards ceremony. More so than many other genres, country music has numerous awards shows to fete its own accomplishments, including the Country Music Association Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the CMT Music Awards. Those ample additional opportunities to bring home trophies could help lessen the sting of a Grammy snub, Harrington says.
“At this point — because it’s nothing new — [the omissions are] more of an eye roll than outrage,” she says. “The country community is truly the best in terms of supporting its artists, celebrating great music and producing our own network television award shows. Being part of the Grammys is cool and a bucket list dream for a lot of artists, but we have it pretty good in Nashville. If we aren’t invited to that party, we’ll just throw our own.”
This story will appear in the Feb. 4, 2023, issue of Billboard.
The announcement on Thursday (Feb. 2) that the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 5, will include a star-studded segment celebrating the 50th anniversary of hip-hop is just the latest in a long series of milestone moments for the genre on awards shows.
LL Cool J will introduce the segment, which will include performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort.
“For five decades, hip-hop has not only been a defining force in music, but a major influence on our culture,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Its contributions to art, fashion, sport, politics, and society cannot be overstated. I’m so proud that we are honoring it in such a spectacular way on the Grammy stage.”
While this segment is one of the most lavish celebrations of hip-hop to date on an awards show, rappers have been winning awards and earning plaudits for decades. In September 2022, The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar and 50 Cent became the first Super Bowl halftime show to win a Primetime Emmy for outstanding variety special (live).
Below, take a look at 31 milestones in hip-hop awards history. We’ll keep adding to this list as more history-making moments happen.