Awards
Page: 94
Halle Bailey and Danielle Brooks, who star in the 2023 musical version of The Color Purple, will be honored at the 17th annual ESSENCE Black Women in Hollywood Awards, set to take place on Thursday, March 7, at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles. Grammy-winning rapper Cliff “Method Man” Smith will host […]
If we’re going to talk snubs and surprises at the Grammys, let’s address the big Latin elephant in the room.
There was very little Latin presence at this year’s Grammy awards. Only three Latin names – Edgar Barrera, Gustavo Dudamel and 123 Andrés – were nominated in non-Latin categories (for songwriter of the year (non-classical), best orchestral performance and best children’s musical album, respectively). The first nomination is a major look, perhaps explained by the fact that this is a relatively new category with a fresh perspective.
And the latter two won – not entirely unsurprising, given Dudamel’s stature and new appointment as the director of the New York Philharmonic. The best children’s album win for 123 Andrés was the most poignant, a sign that the more innocent children’s music perhaps has less barriers.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
As for the show itself, only 10 to 12 awards of the 91 total are typically given out during the telecast. In his post Grammy column, Bob Lefsetz wrote, “Now if I want to be honest, a lot of other genres were recognized in the pre-show, but unless you won an award, or are related to or work with the winner, no one knows and no one cares. They won’t put this music on the telecast, it’s not broad enough.”
I beg to differ. First, many categories are given out in the pre-telecast simply because only a handful of awards are given out on air. There are many others that many people care about.
When it comes to the Latin music categories historically, however, they have hardly ever made the telecast – despite the fact that Latins now represent nearly 20% of the U.S. population, and that Spanish is the second most-consumed language in music in the country. But, the Grammys aren’t about representation, right? If that were the case, we would be advocating for Latin nominees in every category of the awards, because, well, we’re 20%. But that’s not it.
The Grammys are about quality, and cultural and artistic impact. That’s why the absence of Peso Pluma – a catalyst for the revival of an entire musical genre that has impacted the charts and American consciousness, and whose music is downright dazzling — in the general categories was so jarring.
The Mexican music superstar’s absence was especially conspicuous in the best new artist category. He was eligible among 405 new artists who competed for those eight slots, but he was not nominated. In fact, only two other artists who perform in Spanish have ever been nominated for best new artist – Rosalía in 2019 and Anitta in 2022, and neither artist won.
Why was Karol G considered good ratings fodder – the stadium headliner was seated at the front of the room and received her award for best música urbana album on air, after all — but was still shut out of any non-Latin category? This, despite the fact that she ended the year at No. 23 on Billboard’s year-end top artists chart, her Mañana Será Bonito was a top 20 album on Billboard’s year-end chart, and she played to sprawling sold-out crowds all year.
Clearly, despite all the positive moves towards diversifying the Recording Academy’s voting body, members are still resisting the concept of including music in Spanish as part of the mainstream. In the entire history of the Grammys, only one album in Spanish has ever received an album of the year nomination: Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Tí in 2023. The last Spanish-language song nominated for song of the year or record of the year was “Despacito” in 2018. It didn’t win in either category, but it got the chance to compete. The importance of those opportunities to participate in the competition cannot be overlooked.
Ironically, the first-ever record and song of the year winner, back when the awards launched in 1959, was an Italian-language song, Domenico Modugno’s “Nel Blu Dipinto Di Blu (Volare).” Then in 1964, the Stan Getz/Astrud Gilberto version of “The Girl From Ipanema” won record of the year. Los Lobos’ hit cover version of Ritchie Valens’ “La Bamba” was nominated for both record of the year and song of the year in 1988, and Ricky Martin’s “Livin’ La Vida Loca” was nominated in those same two categories in 1999 (although Martin’s smash was mostly in English). That’s an awfully short list across 60-plus years, and yet we remain unable to even consider Spanish-language music as a real option in the Big Four.
Yesterday, a major Latin recording artist told me, “How come we never get nominated in the main categories? It makes me really angry.”
It doesn’t make me angry. Just sad.
Leila Cobo is Billboard’s Chief Content Officer for Latin and Español.
Front row, from left: Public Enemy’s Chuck D, Victoria Monét, The Isley Brothers’ Ernie and Ronald Isley, Keyshia Cole, Clive Davis, Dionne Warwick and Rickey Minor. Back row, from left: Lainey Wilson, Andrew Wyatt, Harvey Mason Jr., Mark Ronson, Maluma, Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson, Public Enemy’s Flavor Flav, Noah Kahan, Jelly Roll, Josh Groban, The War and Treaty’s Michael Trotter Jr., Green Day’s Tré Cool, The War and Treaty’s Tanya Trotter, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, Andra Day and Green Day’s Mike Dirnt photographed on February 3, 2024 at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
Sami Drasin
It’s been less than 48 hours since SZA took home three Grammy Awards, and she’s had some time to reflect on the “fever dream” of a spectacular night at the 66th annual ceremony.
The SOS star took to Instagram on Monday night following the whirlwind of the Grammy Awards over the weekend, where she thanked those who played an integral role in her success and accolades.
“Thank you to every single person that forged this album out of thin air with me. Thank you to every person playing my sh– zooming me up the charts over and over and over again. Thank you for Putting me in rooms, conversations and stages I never dreamed of. Only way from up is higher.”
She had a leading nine nominations heading into the show, and SZA claimed victory in three different categories: best R&B song (“Snooze”), best progressive R&B album (SOS), and best pop duo/group performance (“Ghost in the Machine” with Phoebe Bridgers).
“It doesn’t feel like anything yet because I’m still in last night. I’m not really in today yet. But I’m just so grateful and relieved that it’s [Feb.] 5. I survived [Feb.] 4,’ she told The Hollywood Reporter. “I didn’t crash and burn on national television, and I’m so grateful.
“Had I not won a lick, won a single thing, I would’ve been so grateful to just have survived the night. So to have one of my closest friends [Lizzo] present me an award and then also get to take home a couple more is wild. It’s like a fever dream, basically.”
Billboard named SZA’s SOS loss to Taylor Swift’s Midnights in the album of the year category as one of the biggest Grammy snubs of the night.
“I don’t actually. I’m grateful I won three,” SZA said when asked if she had any thoughts on her loss to Swift. “I could have left with nothing and I didn’t, and I’m grateful. My parents got to see it and I didn’t bomb on live television, and that was so scary. And I faced some really big fears and I’m just happy that it all went well, genuinely. And I’m happy for everybody.”
Lizzo made a rare public appearance as a presenter for SZA’s best R&B song victory — in the midst of a harassment lawsuit filed against Lizzo by her dancers — and the pair shared a warm embrace. In her acceptance speech, SZA recalled when the duo was on a small tour together about a decade ago and to see how far they’ve come in the time since as superstars in the industry.
The “Truth Hurts” singer returned the favor and congratulated SZA with a heartfelt post to Instagram on Monday.
“I want to congratulate my beautiful friend SoLana. She made an album that touched millions of people and created a voice for so many women who aren’t afraid to feel deeply. S.O.S is a triumphant soliloquy of songs that effortlessly shows growth, grief, admissions of guilt and even Good days,” she wrote.
“I said it last night and I’ll say it again— WE NEED YOU SZA, you are the artist of a generation, a one of a kind voice and a timeless poet. I’m so glad you got your flowers on that Grammy stage, but the real trophy is your gift. And for that, WE Thank you. I’m so proud of you and LOVE YOU DEEP!!!! SIZZO SUPREMACY @sza.”
Find both SZA and Lizzo’s posts below.
[embedded content]
After years of of the dance community firing off hot takes on how the Grammys’ dance/electronic fields didn’t quite get the nominees — and occasionally the winners — right, the realm has been uniquely quiet since the close of the ceremony on Sunday.
Explore
See latest videos, charts and news
See latest videos, charts and news
This general calm (minus a few predictable naysayers) suggests a mutual agreement that the 2024 Grammys finally, more or less, nailed dance/electronic music.
This success is largely due to the best pop dance recording award, newly introduced in 2024 to honor dance music that crosses over with pop, while also freeing up space in the dance/electronic recording category for more traditional thump-thump, womp-womp, boot-and-cats dance/electronic music.(Albeit more traditional dance/electronic music that’s still, most often, very commercially popular.)
You couldn’t have come up with two more apt figureheads for these factions than Kylie Minogue and Skrillex, with the former winning the pop dance Grammy for her culture-penetrating “Padam Padam” and the latter winning for his widely beloved bass bomb “Rumble,” a collaboration with U.K. grime MC Flowdan and Fred again.., who both also received awards for the win.
It is, of course, difficult to say what the nominee field would have looked like this year if pop dance hadn’t been introduced, but it’s almost certain it wouldn’t have represented the both sonic ends of the dance/electronic world thoroughly. (Racial and gender representation is a different matter: Flowdan was the only person of color nominated in the fields and Romy was the only female producer, encapsulating the dance category’s persistent issue with nominating mostly straight, white men. This issue was particularly acute in 2024, given the big four categories were dominated by women, including three winning queer women.)
Without the extra space provided to dance with the new category, it’s possible the dance/electronic recording category’s most left-of-center nominee, Aphex Twin’s “Blackbox Life Record 21F”, wouldn’t have made the cut. Or maybe only one David Guetta song instead of two would have been nominated.
It’s also possible that “Padam Padam” might have beat “Rumble,” the victory of which is particularly important given the spotlight it puts on grime, a sonic and cultural phenomenon in the U.K. but not yet a commercial force in the U.S. “I think you can put a bit more respect on the [grime] name,” Flowdan told Cracked Magazine following his win, “because in certain areas I feel that the music or the genre or the culture’s kind of downplayed as if it’s not something that’s really influential.”
What’s almost certain, though, is that like in so many years past, without pop dance, the nominee field would have likely ended up being just kind of odd, with dance-oriented pop stars like Minogue potentially up against an avant-garde electronic artist like Aphex Twin. This issue was vividly demonstrated last year, when Beyoncé was up against Bonobo, Kaytranada, Diplo, Rufus du Sol and ODESZA when her “Break My Soul” was nominated for (and won) best dance/electronic recording.
In the category’s early years, the nominee field commonly included artists like Minogue (who won the award in 2004), as well as fellow dance-leaning pop greats Madonna, Cher, Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake. It started more frequently rewarding electronic-world producers like The Chemical Brothers and Daft Punk in the late ’00s. A few years after that, the category was taken over by a new strain of pop-leaning dance music, EDM, for an era when mainstage bangers by artists like The Chainsmokers competed against more underground acts like Riton — exacerbating the issue that ultimately resulted in the addition of the new category.
Competition between such different artists may have been technically fair, but it never totally made sense. But this year, the pop dance category eradicated the strange-bedfellows phenomenon that’s plagued the dance/electronic recording category since it was introduced to the awards in 1998.
The pop dance category not only made a formal space for producers like Guetta, whose work generally has major crossover with pop, but, by awarding Minogue in particular, pulled off the neat trick of returning an artist like her — one whose work is so often inspired by and at home in the club world — to the dance field where she rightly belongs. Minogue is as much of a dance act as Skrillex, and this year, finally, they didn’t have to fight for space or recognition.
Tate McRae‘s “Greedy,” which has topped the Billboard Canadian Hot 100 multiple times and has climbed as high as No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, is nominated for single of the year at the 2024 Juno Awards, where it is competing with Charlotte Cardin‘s “Confetti,” Daniel Caesar‘s “Always,” Lu Kala’s “Pretty Girl Era” and Talk‘s “A Little Bit Happy.”
Nominations were announced Tuesday (Feb. 6) in a press conference at the CBC Building in Toronto. Comeback artist Nelly Furtado, who will host as well as perform on the broadcast ceremony on March 24, was a surprise guest at the nominees announcement. She also received a nomination for “Eat Your Man,” her collaboration with Dom Dolla, for dance recording of the year.
Cardin received the most nominations for the 2024 Juno Awards. The breakthrough Montreal pop singer-songwriter got six nods, including artist of the year, album of the year and pop album of the year (99 Nights), single of the year (“Confetti”) and TikTok Fan Choice.
Cardin previously cemented her Canadian stardom on the Junos stage in 2022, winning six awards. With her “Confetti” ubiquitous in both Quebec and the rest of Canada, it could be another big year for her.
Caesar and Talk follow with five nods each. Allison Russell, who won her first Grammy on Sunday, Feb. 4, for “Eve Was Black,” voted best American roots performance, received three Juno nods, as did Aysanabee, Connor Price, Lauren Spencer Smith, McRae and DVBBS.
Punjabi-Canadian artist Karan Aujla, a cover star for Billboard Canada’s inaugural digital cover, was also announced as a performer at the upcoming Junos ceremony at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax. He follows fellow cover star AP Dhillon, who played the first full Punjabi performance at the awards last year. Joining Aujla as performers will be country breakout Josh Ross and singer-songwriter Talk.
Shubh, another Punjabi-Canadian artist, is nominated for the TikTok Fan Choice, a fan-voted award, along with Aujla, Cardin, Ross, Caesar, DVBBS, McRae, ThxSoMch and Walk off the Earth.
Nominated with Cardin for album of the year are Néo-Romance by Alexandra Stréliski, Never Enough by Caesar, Mirror by Spencer Smith and Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees by Talk.
Cardin, Caesar, Smith and McRae are all nominated for artist of the year too, along with the legacy artist of the category, Shania Twain.
International album of the year, the only category reserved for non-Canadian artists, includes hit albums by SZA, Metro Boomin, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen and Taylor Swift, who was nominated twice in the same category last year. Music executive, author and lawyer Chip Sutherland will receive the Walt Grealis Special Achievement Award.Tickets for the show, which will be broadcast live on CBC, and the JUNO Week events, are on sale at ticketmaster.ca/junos. The majority of the awards will be presented at The Juno Opening Night Awards the night before the main ceremony on March 23.
Here’s the complete list of 2024 Juno nominations:
TikTok Juno Fan Choice
Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard
Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal
DVBBS, Ultra*Sony
Josh Ross, Universal
Karan Aujla, Warner
Shubh, Mass Appeal*The Orchard
Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
The Weeknd, XO*Universal
ThxSoMch, Elektra*Warner
Walk off the Earth, Golden Carrot*The Orchard
Single of the Year
“Confetti,” Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard
“Always,” Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal
“Pretty Girl Era,” LU KALA, LVK/Amigo Records*AWAL
“A Little Bit Happy,” TALK, Capitol*Universal
“greedy,” Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
International Album of the Year
Gettin’ Old, Luke Combs, River House/Columbia*Sony
HEROES & VILLAINS, Metro Boomin, Boominati*Universal
One Thing At A Time, Morgan Wallen, Big Loud/Republic*Universal
SOS, SZA, Top Dawg/RCA*Sony
1989 (Taylor’s Version), Taylor Swift, Taylor Swift*Universal
Album of the Year
Néo-Romance, Alexandra Stréliski, Secret City*F.A.B.
99 Nights, Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard
NEVER ENOUGH, Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal
Mirror, Lauren Spencer Smith, Universal
Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, TALK, Capitol*Universal
Artist of the Year
Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard
Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal
Lauren Spencer Smith, Universal
Shania Twain, Republic*Universal
Tate McRae, RCA*Sony
Group of the Year
Arkells, Arkells Music*Universal
Loud Luxury, Armada*Sony
Nickelback, BMG*Warner/ADA
The Beaches, AWAL*Independent
Walk off the Earth, Golden Carrot*The Orchard
Breakthrough Artist of the Year
Connor Price, Independent
Karan Aujla, Warner
LU KALA, LVK/Amigo*AWAL
Shubh, Mass Appeal*The Orchard
TALK, Capitol*Universal
Breakthrough Group of the Year
Busty and the Bass, Arts & Crafts*Universal
Crash Adams, Warner
Good Kid, Good People*The Orchard
Men I Trust, Independent
New West, Republic*Universal
Songwriter of the Year
Allison Russell, Publisher: PO GIRL MUSIC / CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING
Aysanabee, Publisher: SELF PUBLISHED
Charlotte Cardin, Jason Brando & Lubalin, Publisher: BIG BOY ED
Nicholas Durocher & Connor Riddell, Publisher: SUMMER CAMP MUSIC PUBLISHING LTD. / ARTHAUS MEDIA INC. / PEER MUSIC CANADA INC.
William Prince, Publisher: SELF PUBLISHED
Country Album of the Year
The Compass Project – South Album, Brett Kissel, Big Star*Universal
Right Round Here, Dean Brody, Starseed*Stem
Do It Anyway, Jade Eagleson, Starseed*Stem
Ahead Of Our Time, James Barker Band, RECORDS/Columbia*Sony
Spillin’ My Truth, Tyler Joe Miller, MDM*Universal
Adult Alternative Album of the Year
Powder Blue, Begonia, Birthday Cake*The Orchard
Multitudes, Feist, Universal
Are We Good, Hayden, Arts & Crafts*Universal
Motewolonuwok, Jeremy Dutcher, Secret City*F.A.B.
Revolution, Shawnee Kish, Amelia*Symphonic
Alternative Album of the Year
Here and Now, Aysanabee, Ishkōdé*Universal
Dizzy, Dizzy, Royal Mountain*Universal
To Learn, Leith Ross, Republic*Universal
See You In The Dark, Softcult, Easy Life*The Orchard
Lord of the Flies & Birds & Bees, TALK, Capitol*Universal
Pop Album of the Year
99 Nights, Charlotte Cardin, Cult Nation*The Orchard
Mirror, Lauren Spencer Smith, Universal
Saturn Return, Rêve, 31 East*Universal
Queen Of Me, Shania Twain, Republic*Universal
Lost In Translation, Valley, Universal
Rock Album of the Year
Fearless, Crown Lands, Universal
Formentera II, Metric, Metric Music*Thirty Tigers/The Orchard
Blame My Ex, The Beaches, AWAL*Independent
Pretty Monster, The Blue Stones, MNRK*Outside
Glory, The Glorious Sons, TGS*Warner
Vocal Jazz Album of the Year
Songwriter, Alex Bird & Ewen Farncombe, Independent
You’re Alike, You Two, Caity Gyorgy & Mark Limacher, La Reserve*Independent/The Orchard
Little Bit a’ Love, Denielle Bassels, Independent
Our Roots Run Deep, Dominique Fils-Aimé, Ensoul*F.A.B./Believe
Your Requests, Laila Biali, Empress*Independent/Believe
Jazz Album of the Year (Solo)
Day Moon, Christine Jensen, Justin Time*F.A.B./Nettwerk
Walls Made of Glass, Gentiane MG, TPR*Propagande/A-Train
Sonic Bouquet, Jocelyn Gould, Independent
Twelve, Noam Lemish, TPR*Independent/A-Train
The South Detroit Connection, Russ Macklem, TQM*Independent/IDLA
Jazz Album of the Year (Group)
Migrations, Allison Au with the Migrations Ensemble, Independent
Septology-The Black Forest Session, Canadian Jazz Collective, HGBS Blue*MIG/Proper/UMV/MVD/Independent
Cry Me A River, Hilario Duran and His Latin Jazz Big Band, Alma*Universal
Recent History, Mike Murley & Mark Eisenman Quartet, Cornerstone*Outside/The Orchard
Convergence, Nick Maclean Quartet feat. Brownman Ali, Browntasauras/Independent
Instrumental Album of the Year
Néo-Romance, Alexandra Stréliski, Secret City* F.A.B.
When we were that what wept for the sea, Colin Stetson, 52 Hz
Calibrating Friction, Haralabos [Harry] Stafylakis, New Amsterdam*Naxos
Fourth Album, Markus Floats, Constellation*Secretly
Tesseract, Meredith Bates, Phonometrograph*Independent
Francophone Album of the Year
Zayon, FouKi, Disques 7ième, Ciel*Believe
Dans la seconde, Karkwa, Simone*Sony/The Orchard
En concert avec l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal (sous la direction du chef Simon Leclerc), Les Cowboys Fringants & l’Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Les Disques de La Tribu*Propagande/Believe
À boire deboutte, Salebarbes, Productions Grand V.*The Orchard
Non conventionnel Souldia, Disques 7ième Ciel*Independent/Believe
Children’s Album of the Year
Big Words, ABC Singsong, Independent/The Orchard
Going Back: Remembered and Remixed Family Folk Songs, Vol. 1, Ginalina, Independent
Love-a-By, Splash’N Boots, Independent/The Orchard
Welcome to the Flea Circus, The Swinging Belles, Independent
Maestro Fresh Wes Presents: Young Maestro, Stick To Your Vision For Young Athletes, Young Maestro, Independent
Classical Album of the Year (Solo Artist)
Infinite Voyage, Barbara Hannigan, Alpha Classics*Naxos/Independent
Nielsen: Violin Concerto, Symphony No. 4, James Ehnes, Chandos*Naxos/The Orchard
Fauré: Nocturnes & Barcarolles, Marc-André Hamelin, Hyperion*Universal
De Hartmann: Cello Concerto, Matt Haimovitz, Pentatone/Naxos
mouvance, Suzie LeBlanc, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos
Classical Album of the Year (Large Ensemble)
Bekah Simms: Bestiaries, Cryptid Ensemble, Ensemble Contemporain de Montreal, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos
Maxime Goulet: Symphonie de la tempête de verglas, Orchestre classique de Montréal, conducted by/dirigé par Jacques Lacombe, ATMA*Universal
Sibelius 3 & 4, Orchestre Métropolitain, conducted by/dirigé par Yannick Nézet-Séguin, ATMA*Universal
Mahler: Symphony No. 5, Orchestre Symphonique De Montreal, conducted by/dirigé par Rafael Payare, Pentatone*Naxos
Rachmaninoff: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3; Isle of the Dead, The Philadelphia Orchestra, conducted by/dirigé par Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Deutsche Grammophon*Universal
Classical Album of the Year
Mythes, Andrew Armstrong & James Ehnes, Onyx*The Orchard
Portrait: Alex Baranowski, Angèle Dubeau & La Pietà, Analekta*Naxos/The Orchard
Portrait, Cheng² Duo, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos
Il Ponte di Leonardo, Constantinople, Glossa*Naxos
Basta parlare!, Les Barocudas, ATMA*Universal
Classical Composition of the Year
Simulacra, Amy Brandon, Independent
Portrait of an Imaginary Sibling, Dinuk Wijeratne, Centrediscs*Canadian Music Centre/Naxos
…and the Higher Leaves of the Trees Seemed to Shimmer in the Last of the Sunlight’s Lingering Touch of Them…, Emilie Cecilia LeBel, Redshift
Shāhīn-nāmeh, for Voice and Orchestra, Iman Habibi, Analekta*Naxos/The Orchard
Don’t Throw Your Head in Your Hands, Nicole Lizée, Redshift
Rap Album of the Year
bag or die, bbno$, Independent*Stem
Spin the Globe, Connor Price, Independent
Crying Crystals, Haviah Mighty, Mighty Gang*Foundation Media
KAYTRAMINÉ, KAYTRAMINÉ, Independent
PANIC, TOBi, RCA*Sony
Dance Recording of the Year
“Eat Your Man,” Dom Dolla & Nelly Furtado, Three Six Zero*Sony
“Crew Thang,” DVBBS, Jeremih & Sk8, Ultra*Sony
“Need Your Love,” Felix Cartal & Karen Harding, Physical Presents*Fontana North
“I Go Dancing” (feat. Ella Henderson), Frank Walker, Ultra*Sony
“Next To You” (feat. Kane Brown), Loud Luxury & DVBBS, Armada*Sony
Contemporary R&B Recording of the Year
“For the Better,” Aqyila, Sony
“Never Enough,” Daniel Caesar, Republic*Universal
“Heartbreak Hill,” Jon Vinyl, Vinyl*Foundation Media
“When It Blooms,” Nonso Amadi, Universal
FACETS, Shay Lia, AWAL
Reggae Recording of the Year
“Stir This Thing,” Ammoye, Donsome*Ingrooves/Virgin
“Feel Like Home,” Exco Levi, Penthouse*High Priest/ONErpm
“Roots Girl,” Jah’Mila, Independent
“Dread Kirk,” Diamond & Finn, Independent
“Rush Dem” (feat. 4Korners, Haviah Mighty), Omega Mighty, Independent*Foundation Media
Contemporary Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year
Here and Now, Aysanabee, Ishkōdé*Universal
Scream, Holler & Howl, Blue Moon Marquee, Independent*IDLA
Inuktitut, Elisapie, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard
Revolution, Shawnee Kish, Amelia*Symphonic
Bekka Ma’iingan, Zoon, Paper Bag*Fontana North
Contemporary Roots Album of the Year
The Returner, Allison Russell, Fantasy*Universal
We Will Never Be The Same, Good Lovelies, Outside
Beyond The Reservoir, Julian Taylor, Howling Turtle*Warner
A Light in the Attic, Logan Staats, Red Music Rising*Believe
Stand in the Joy, William Prince, Six Shooter*The Orchard
Traditional Roots Album of the Year
Paint Horse, Benjamin Dakota Rogers, Good People*The Orchard
The Breath Between, David Francey, Independent
Roses, Jackson Hollow, Mountain Fever*Syntax Creative
Second Hand, James Keelaghan, Borealis*Universal/IDLA
Resilience, Morgan Toney, Ishkōdé*Universal
Blues Album of the Year
SoulFunkn’BLUES, Blackburn Brothers, Electro-Fi*Isotope Music/The Orchard
Scream, Holler & Howl, Blue Moon Marquee, Independent/IDLA
One Step Closer, Brandon Isaak, Independent
The Big Bottle of Joy, Matt Andersen, Sonic*Warner
Gettin’ Together, Michael Jerome Browne, Borealis*Universal/IDLA
Contemporary Christian/Gospel Album of the Year
Glory To God, Brooke Nicholls, Independent
ALL YE LEPERS, Joshua Leventhal, Independent
Arrow, K-Anthony, Independent
Where I’m Meant to Be, Stirling John, Independent
Alive, Tuzee, Independent
Global Music Album of the Year
Donte sann yo, Bel and Quinn, Independent
Kizavibe, Kizaba, Disques Nuits d’Afrique*Believe
SMS for Location Vol. 5, Moonshine, Moonshine/FORESEEN*MNRK
Okantomi, OKAN, Lulaworld*Symphonic
Soap Box, Waahli, Wyzah Musk*Lemont
Jack Richardson Producer of the Year
Hill Kourkoutis
Jason Brando, Lubalin, Mathieu Sénéchal & Sam Avant
Joel Stouffer
Shawn Everett
Wondagurl
Recording Engineer of the Year
Denis Tougas
George Seara
Matty Green
Serban Ghenea
Shawn Everett
Album Artwork of the Year
Carolyne De Bellefeuille (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Jessica Ledoux (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Mali Savaria-Ille (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Veronique Lafortune (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Leeor Wild (Photographer/Photographe); INUKTITUT – Elisapie, Bonsound*Sony/The Orchard
Heather Goodchild (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Colby Richardson (Designer/Concepteur), Colin Fletcher (Illustrator/Illustrateur), Sara Melvin (Photographer/Photographe), MULTITUDES – Feist, Universal
Kit King (Illustrator), Vanessa Heins (Photographer/Photographe), THE LOVE STILL HELD ME NEAR – City and Colour, Dine Alone*The Orchard
Nicolas Lemieux (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Mykaël Nelson (Designer & Illustrator/Concepteur & Illustrateur), Albert Zablit (Photographer/Photographe), RIOPELLE SYMPHONIQUE – Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, GSI*Independent
Quinton Nyce (Art Director/Directeur artistique), Brodie Metcalfe (Designer/Concepteur), Davis Graham (Illustrator/Illustrateur), Kaylee Smoke (Photographer/Photographe), I’M GOOD, HBU? – Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Independent*Fontana North
Music Video of the Year
“Of Woods and Seas,” Andrew De Zen, Alaskan Tapes, Nettwerk*Amped
“Demons,” Ethan Tobman, Allison Russell, Fantasy*Universal
“onetwostep” (feat. juicelover), Jordan Clarke, des hume des hume*Independent
“DAMN RIGHT,” Sterling Larose, Snotty Nose Rez Kids, Distorted Muse*Fontana North
“feral canadian scaredy cat,” Sterling Larose & Zachary Vague, young friend Nettwerk
Electronic Album of the Year
INFINITY CLUB, Bambii, Innovative Leisure*Red Eye
Birds, Bees, The Clouds & The Trees, Harrison, Last Gang*MNRK
Creatures of the Late Afternoon, Kid Koala, Envision*Amplified/Believe
Synthetic Season 2, Rich Aucoin, We Are Busy Bodies*Redeye
No Highs, Tim Hecker, Sunblind/Kranky*The Orchard
Metal/Hard Music Album of the Year
As Gomorrah Burns, Cryptopsy, Nuclear Blast*AEC/Believe
Electric Sounds, Danko Jones, Sonic Unyon*Universal
Goliath, Kataklysm, Nuclear Blast*AEC/Believe
VOID, KEN mode, Artoffact*MVD/The Orchard
Morgöth, Tales, Voivod Century*Sony
Adult Contemporary Album of the Year
Heavy Lifting, Amanda Marshall, Metatune*The Orchard
I Wish I Was Flawless, I’m Not, BANNERS, Nettwerk*Amped
To Be Loved, Vol. 1, Josh Sahunta, Independent*Believe
Run Where the Light Calls, Luca Fogale, Amelia*Symphonic
Wildflower, Steph La Rochelle, Independent
Comedy Album of the Year
Life of Leisure, Derek Seguin, Independent
Never Was, Graham Clark, Independent
A Lylebility, Kyle Brownrigg, Independent
Sexiest Fish in the Lake, Laurie Elliott, Howl & Roar*Independent
SAP, Mae Martin, Independent*Netflix
Traditional R&B/Soul Recording of the Year
“Hello,” Aqyila, Sony
“Unbreakable,” Jhyve, Independent
“Where To Find Me,” Katie Tupper, Arts & Crafts*Universal
“9 to 5,” Luna Elle, Hot Freestyle*Independent/Believe
“Real World,” RealestK, Columbia*Sony
Rap Single of the Year
“American Nightmare,” Belly, XO/Roc Nation*Universal
“Spinnin” (feat. Bens), Connor Price, Independent
“Honey Bun,” Haviah Mighty, Mighty Gang*Foundation Media
“Minimum Wage,” Pressa, RCA*Sony
“Someone I Knew,” TOBi, Same Plate/RCA*Sony
Underground Dance Single of the Year
“Call My Name,” BLOND:ISH, Warner
“Mad Mess,” DJ Karaba, DJ Karaba*The Orchard
“Could Be Wrong,” LOSTBOYJAY, Universal
“Eclipse,” Peach, Psychic Readings*One Eye Witness/Music Deli
“Concorde Groove,” Smalltown DJs, Fool’s Gold*Virgin Music
Traditional Indigenous Artist or Group of the Year
Sing. Pray. Love., Joel Wood, Independent
LFS5, Nimkii & the Niniis, Independent
Mitòòdebi (For My Relatives), The Bearhead Sisters, Independent
Reverie, The Red River Ramblers, Independent
Drum Nation, Young Scouts, Independent
The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) will celebrate this year’s Oscar nominees for best original song with a virtual roundtable. The annual discussion, which is in its eighth year, is viewable for free at songhall.org from Thursday Feb. 8 at 9 a.m. PT through March 10. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest […]
The 2024 Grammy Awards were a hit with reviewers and also with audiences. Viewership was up 34% from last year, averaging 16.9 million viewers, the show’s largest audience since 2020.
Live +3-day viewership will lift the audience past 17 million viewers.
The Grammy Awards remains the No. 1 music awards show for the 18th consecutive year.
On Paramount+, Grammy Awards live viewership was its highest ever, up +173% from last year.
The show peaked in the 9:45 p.m. quarter-hour with 18.25 million viewers during the In Memoriam segment, which featured performances by Fantasia Barrino (honoring Tina Turner), Stevie Wonder (feting Tony Bennett), Annie Lennox (Sinéad O’Connor) and Jon Batiste (Clarence Avant).
The 2024 Grammy Awards dominated social media with 62.6 billion potential impressions, ranking as the No. 1 social entertainment event of 2024. (Potential impressions are the estimated number of people who might have viewed posts related to this topic. NetBase calculates potential impressions based on followers/fans of original posts and followers/fans of engagements.)
#Grammys trended in the top 10 in the U.S. for 12 hours and peaked at No. 1. Nearly all of the top trending topics last night were related to the Grammys.
As of this morning there were 56.4 million social video clips consumed of Grammys content.
Broadcast and streaming information is according to Nielsen time zone-adjusted fast national and Out of Home ratings for Sunday, Feb. 5 and internal data.
The show was held at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, where it has been held for 21 of the past 25 years. Trevor Noah hosted for the fourth consecutive year. As always, the telecast had something for everybody. Performers ranged from 20-year-old superstar Olivia Rodrigo to music legend Joni Mitchell, who is still adding to her considerable legacy at 80.
The 66th annual Grammy Awards were produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy for the fourth consecutive year. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor and Jesse Collins served as executive producers. Hamish Hamilton directed the show and was one of six producers.
Kapoor and Hamilton won’t have much time to bask in the glory of the Grammys’ solid reviews and ratings. Kapoor is also set to executive produce the Oscars (along with Katy Mullan) on March 10. He will additionally serve as showrunner. Hamilton is set to direct. It will be Kapoor and Mullan’s first time executive producing and Hamilton’s fourth time directing the Oscars.
Billie Eilish, who performed “What Was I Made For?” on the Grammys, is expected to perform that nominated song on the Oscars as well.
The 2024 Grammy Awards held on Sunday night (Feb. 4) boasted a wealth of history-making moments: female artists took home trophies in each of the Big Four categories for the third time in just five years; Taylor Swift became the first artist to win album of the year four times; Miley Cyrus won her first-ever Grammy for best pop solo performance with “Flowers.”
But one such historic moment went quietly overlooked on Sunday night — three of the winners in the Big Four categories were queer women. Cyrus’s record of the year win with “Flowers,” Billie Eilish’s song of the year win for “What Was I Made For?” and Victoria Monét’s best new artist win mark the first time in recent memory that three different LGBTQ artists took home trophies in the evening’s main categories.
“It’s huge,” says Anthony Allen Ramos, vice president of communications and talent at LGBTQ advocacy organization GLAAD. “Seeing LGBTQ women dominate three of the biggest categories is something to be really excited about and proud of, especially today.”
Wins for queer artists weren’t relegated to the evening’s big categories, either — LGBTQ artists earned wins across a multitude of genres. Boygenius, the supergroup made up of queer superstars Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers and Lucy Dacus, took home three trophies for best rock performance, best rock song and best alternative music album; Bridgers, meanwhile, walked away as the most awarded artist of the night with her four wins. Monét nabbed a win for best R&B album with Jaguar II. Americana categories awarded trophies to LGBTQ stars like Allison Russell (best american roots performance for “Eve Was Black”), Brandy Clark and Brandi Carlile (both in best Americana performance for “Dear Insecurity”).
Ramos points out that even in oft-undiscussed categories, LGBTQ artists saw huge wins. “We had Carla Patullo winning for best new age, ambient or chant album,” he tells Billboard. “It felt like we finally had wonderful representation in all genres, and I think that’s really important, because it’s not just about [queer artists] being in pop or dance. I never even thought about having LGBTQ inclusion in the best new age category!”
Representation for LGBTQ talent at the Grammys has steadily risen over the last few years, with the Recording Academy even debuting their new Academy Proud initiative this year to help “support and amplify LGBTQIA+ voices and drive queer representation at the Recording Academy and the music industry at-large.”
These major successes for queer folks at the 2024 Grammys come at a time of upheaval for the LGBTQ+ community at large — nearly 400 bills targeting the community have already been proposed this year in state legislatures around the United States, with more no doubt still to come. While LGBTQ+ artists earning record-high honors at an awards show might seem trivial in the face of direct attacks against queer and trans people around the world, the facts actually show otherwise.
According to data collected by The Trevor Project, 79% of LGBTQ+ youth reported that seeing musicians come out as members of the LGBTQ+ community made them feel better about their own identity. Meanwhile, 71% of respondents said that seeing straight, cisgender celebrities advocate for the LGBTQ+ community improved their own feelings on gender and sexuality.
Kevin Wong, the Trevor Project’s senior vice president of marketing, communications and content, tells Billboard in an emailed statement that representation at awards shows like the Grammys isn’t just about winning more trophies for queer-identifying artists — it’s about providing an example to kids in desperate need of hope in dark times.
“Seeing queer artists celebrated for their contributions to the music industry can make a positive impact on LGBTQ+ young people’s mental health,” he explains, adding that the onslaught of anti-LGBTQ legislation makes that representation “especially meaningful for LGBTQ+ young people.”
Even in the realm of music, Ramos says that queer success only begets more queer success. “The more success and art that they put out into the universe, the more that will resonate and connect with other artists and [help them] feel empowered to be themselves and to tell their authentic stories,” he says. “I was speaking with TJ Osborne, and he said it’s incredible how many times people have come up to him and said, ‘I am part of the community, I never felt like I could be a fan of country music, but you are changing that.’”
While Ramos points to a continued lack of representation for transgender and non-binary artists at the annual ceremony as an “area for improvement,” he makes it clear that the road ahead for LGBTQ+ artists only gets brighter. “This is a moment for everyone to realize that accepting yourself affects the art that you put out in the best way.”
Gracie Abrams, Fred again.., Ice Spice, Jelly Roll, Coco Jones, Noah Kahan and The War and Treaty may be disappointed that they didn’t win the Grammy for best new artist on Sunday (Feb. 4), but they shouldn’t despair. No less a Grammy GOAT than Taylor Swift came up short when she was nominated in that category 16 years ago.
When Cyndi Lauper (who had won in the category in 1985) and Miley Cyrus (who won her first two Grammys just last night) announced the winner for best new artist at the 50th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, 2008, the award went to the gifted but troubled Amy Winehouse.
Winehouse was widely expected to win. She went into the night with six nominations, more than any of the other best new artist nominees that year. Fellow nominee Feist had four, Ledisi had two and the two remaining nominees, Swift and Paramore, each had just that one nod.
The bookings on the telecast reflected the nominations. Winehouse was invited to perform two songs, “You Know I’m No Good” and “Rehab.” (The performance was beamed in by satellite from a London studio when a work visa for Winehouse to enter the U.S. didn’t arrive in time.) Feist performed her hit “1234” on the telecast. Swift wasn’t invited to perform on the show, but she did at least get to co-present an award (best rap/sung collaboration) with Juanes.
Winehouse won five awards on the night. In addition to best new artist, she won record and song of the year and best female pop vocal performance for “Rehab” and best pop vocal album for Back in Black. She was the fifth female solo artist to land five awards in one night, following Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones, Alicia Keys and Beyoncé.
Here’s the thing people sometimes forget: Awards are a snapshot in time. They can’t predict the future. Who could have known that Swift would build (and build and build) as an artist, demonstrating amazing resilience, determination, ambition, grit and focus? Who could have known that Winehouse’s career would come to a tragically premature end with her death at 27 in 2011?
Winehouse had fully broken through commercially and had shown her full creative potential by the time of Grammy voting that first year. Back to Black entered the Billboard 200 at No. 7 in March 2007 (ultimately peaking at No. 2 in the wake of the Grammys). “Rehab” reached No. 9 on the Hot 100 in June 2007, well before the voting period began.
Swift’s development took much longer. Her debut album, Taylor Swift, didn’t crack the top 10 on the Billboard 200 until November 2007 (when it was in its 55th week on the chart). It ultimately peaked at No. 5 in January 2008. Swift didn’t land her first top 10 hit on the Hot 100 (“Change”) until August 2008.
The situation with Swift and Winehouse is similar in some ways to the situation with the Carpenters and Elton John at the very first live Grammy telecast on March 16, 1971. Karen and Richard won best new artist, besting Elton, country crossover star Anne Murray, R&B and Broadway star Melba Moore and The Partridge Family, then winding up the first season of their hit TV series. At the time of voting, Carpenters were headed for their third smash hit in a row, with “For All We Know” following “(They Long to Be) Close to You” and “We’ve Only Just Begun.” At that same point, Elton had just landed his first top 10 hit, “Your Song.”
Carpenters went into Grammy night with four nods, plus an additional nod for Richard for his arrangement of “Close to You,” a little-known Bacharach-David song from 1963 that he turned into a standard, earning the respect of no less an arranger than Bacharach himself. By comparison, Elton had three Grammy nods that year.
Voters at the time of course could not have known that Karen would later develop an eating disorder that she would battle for the last eight years of her life, leading to her death at age 32 in February 1983. (Elton also battled personal demons, as he has freely acknowledged.)
All four of these artists were/are tremendous talents. It’s a shame that they have to be pitted against each other like this, but that’s the nature of awards.
The thing to remember is that all career trajectories are different. To look once more at the best new artist nominees from 16 years ago, Feist has yet to land another nomination after the four nods that greeted her breakout hit “1234.” Winehouse won just one more Grammy after her five-award sweep – a posthumous win for best pop duo/group performance in 2012 for “Body and Soul,” a collaboration with Tony Bennett. Ledisi didn’t finally win her first Grammy until 2021. Paramore has won three Grammys – best rock song for “Ain’t It Fun” nine years ago and two more just last night: best rock album for This Is Why and best alternative music performance for the title track.
Swift is now up to 14 Grammys. In 2010, she became the youngest artist to win album of the year (a record that has since been eclipsed by Billie Eilish). In 2016, she became the first woman to win album of the year twice as a lead artist. In 2021, she became one of just four artists to win album of the year three times. And last night she became the first artist to win four times in that category.
I guess the old saying is true: It’s not where you start, it’s where you finish.