Grammys
Barbra Streisand fans woke up to wonderful news Wednesday morning (April 29): The diva of all divas is releasing a new studio album, The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, on her longtime label Columbia Records on June 27. To say the album is star-studded is an understatement. Her duet partners on the 10 tracks include Paul McCartney, Bob Dylan, Mariah Carey and Ariana Grande, James Taylor and Sting.
The album appears to be an instant front-runner to win the Grammy for best traditional pop vocal album. If it does score a W, it will be Streisand’s first Grammy win in 39 years, since she won best pop vocal performance, female for The Broadway Album in 1987. That would be an extraordinarily long gap between Grammys for an artist of Streisand’s stature, but she has endured it without complaint.
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Streisand has gone so long without a Grammy win that she has never won for best traditional pop vocal album. The category was introduced at the 1991 ceremony. She has been nominated in that category 13 times, second only to Tony Bennett, who was nominated 17 times.
Streisand won her first two Grammys in 1964, so a win early next year would give her a 62-year span of Grammys. That would set a new record for the longest span of Grammy wins (in any category). Bennett’s wins spanned 59 years, from 1963 to 2022, when he won best traditional pop vocal album for Love for Sale, his collab with Lady Gaga.
The roster of guest stars on the new album includes three past winners in the category: McCartney, who won in 2013 for Kisses on the Bottom; Taylor, who won in 2021 for American Standard and Laufey, who won in 2024 for Bewitched.
Three other guest stars on the album have been nominated in that category, though they haven’t won yet. Dylan and Josh Groban have each been nominated three times. Seal has been nominated once.
Before this long Grammy drought, Streisand was a frequent Grammy winner. In 1964, at age 22, she won album of the year for her debut album, The Barbra Streisand Album. She was the youngest winner in that category until 1996, when Alanis Morissette won at age 21 for Jagged Little Pill. The record is currently held by Billie Eilish, who was just 18 in 2020 when she won for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Streisand has received six album of the year nominations, which was the record for a female artist until Taylor Swift landed her seventh nod late last year.
Streisand won the Grammy Award for best female pop vocal performance three years running (1964-66), matching Ella Fitzgerald’s threepeat from 1959 to 1961. No one else has ever won three years in a row in that category or its gender-neutral successor category, best pop solo performance.
The new album includes “One Heart, One Voice,” a collab with Carey and Grande. The collab features three of the greatest singers of their respective generations: Streisand, 83; Carey, 56; and Grande, 31. In a way, it echoes a three-way collab on The Judy Garland Show in October 1963, when Streisand, then just 22, teamed with Judy Garland, then 41, and Ethel Merman, then 55, to sing Irving Berlin’s “There’s No Business Like Show Business.”
Groban is the only guest on The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two who was also featured on Partners. The two stars team to sing “Where Do I Go From You?” on the new album. They sang “Somewhere” from West Side Story on Partners.
The new album includes a collab with country star Tim McGraw. Partners, likewise, included a collab with a country star — Blake Shelton. Streisand teamed with country great Vince Gill in 1999 to record “If You Ever Leave Me” for her album A Love Like Ours.
The new album’s Grammy pedigree is also shown by the opening track, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face.” Roberta Flack’s original version won record of the year in 1973. The song, written in 1957 by Ewan MacColl, also won song of the year.
In titling this album The Secret of Life: Partners, Volume Two, Columbia is glossing over Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway, which was Streisand’s follow-up to Partners. Like its predecessor, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and received a Grammy nod for best traditional pop vocal album.
Will Streisand’s long Grammy draught end early next year? Place your bets.
On Friday and Saturday (April 25-26), hundreds of young professionals got a look behind the veil of the music industry with some help from Grammy winners Coco Jones, Samara Joy and Laufey — as well as the Recording Academy’s New York chapter.
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Hosted at Racket NYC in Chelsea, the Mastercard-presented 2025 Grammy U Conference featured two jam-packed days of networking opportunities, panel discussions, headshot stations and various activations spearheaded by industry professionals across disciplines. The two-day conference aimed to educate 18-29-year-olds actively pursuing careers in the music industry. From publicists and songwriters to DEI coordinators and engineers, virtually every music industry field had a representative at the sprawling conference.
Jones, who released debut studio album Why Not More? on the same day, headlined the first day of the conference, participating in a lively, edifying panel hosted by Grammy U Atlanta chapter representative Jasmine Gordon. Titled “Crafting A Multifaceted Career,” Jones’ panel provided the audience with an honest look at how she balances her multi-platinum musical career with her robust acting portfolio.
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Many students in the audience grew up alongside Jones as she transitioned from Disney starlet to Grammy-winning R&B siren — she took home best R&B performance for “ICU” in 2023 — so her industry insights felt particularly pertinent. From stressing the power of positive affirmations (“You gotta be delulu till it’s true-true!” she quipped) to the benefits of an entrepreneurial DIY mindset, Jones dropped several gems during her talk, while excited audience members quoted lyrics from her hours-old new album.
“The Grammys and the Recording Academy do so much for creatives that I want to help shine a light on,” Jones told Billboard minutes before she graced the stage. “The awards are obviously life-changing, but it’s also about keeping the lights on in that apartment while you’re writing songs. It’s also about helping somebody further their education on what this business is really like. I feel like it’s my duty to help highlight that. I see myself in these students.”
Following Jones’ chat, Grammy U mounted two additional panels — one on the world of sync licensing, and another on the evolution of influencers and digital media — before breaking for the day at 10:00 p.m. E.T. Bob Bruderman, Blu DeTiger and Riggs Morales led the panel on sync licensing, A&R and brand partnerships, while content creators Davis Burleson, Anthony Garguila, Julian Shapiro-Barnum, and Jonathan Tilkin headlined the night’s closing panel.
Pop-soul band Lawrence, who scored a divisive viral hit on TikTok with last year’s “Whatcha Want,” kicked off the conference’s second day by sharing an unflinching look at the studio sessions for their 2024 album Family Business. Band members Clyde Lawrence, Jordan Cohen and Jonny Koh projected their ProTools sessions and broke down how Tower of Power’s influence, hours of improvisation, ambitious songwriting collaborations and meticulous mixing of live and programmed drums gave way to album cuts like “Hip Replacement” and “Death of Me.”
Icelandic-Chinese jazz-pop star Laufey, who won the traditional pop vocal album Grammy for Bewitched in 2023, closed out the day with an equally charismatic and insightful keynote panel, moderated by TikTok game show “Track Star” host Jack Coyne. In their discussion, Laufey stressed the importance of her classical music foundation, detailed her Coachella debut alongside the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and explained how she found the fearlessness to write songs across a range of genres.
“Growing up, I felt like there wasn’t quite enough transparency on how the industry worked, how teams and artists are built, how you build and sustain a career, all of that,” she told Billboard shortly before her panel. “I was so recently a student that I felt this need to talk to kids who are in my footsteps and be transparent about what it’s like and show all the different opportunities that are available.”
Laufey, who dropped her “Silver Lining” single earlier this month, also treated the Grammy U Conference to the first-ever performance of her forthcoming new single, “Tough Luck.” Billed as an “angry, f–k you” song, Laufey performed the track accompanied by just an acoustic guitar. “You say, ‘I can’t read your mind,’ but I’m reading it just fine/ You think you’re so misunderstood, the black cat of your neighborhood,” she crooned, nailing her debut performance of the track.
After a break, the conference reconvened at the iconic Bowery Electric for a Grammy U & DEI showcase, headlined by five-time Grammy-winning jazz sensation Samara Joy. Before the Bronx native took the stage, three talented Grammy U performers — selected in collaboration with the Recording Academy’s New York chapter — treated the crowd to impressive sets. Neo-soul crooner Isea, saxophone-fronted jazz band The Jax Experience and new-school rock band The Millers all repped the region well, with each act winning over several new fans by the end of their performances.
Of course, Joy brought the house down with a rousing set comprised of cuts from her 2024 album Portrait, including standout tracks “No More Blues” and “Peace of Mind / Dreams Come True.” With upcoming performances in Brazil (Aug. 2) — while speaking with Billboard before her performance, she teased a forthcoming bossa nova-influenced single in which she may be singing in Portuguese — and at New York’s legendary Carnegie Hall (April 30), Joy reminded the Bowery crowd why she’s one of today’s most celebrated live vocalists.
“I’m inspired by my peers and folks younger than me who are passionate about music. I want to be in spaces where I’m surrounded by like-minded people,” she told Billboard moments before lighting up the Bowery Electric. “That’s what my band is, I like presenting that collaboration and sense of community as we develop and grow.”
As diversity efforts and arts education continue to face relentless attacks, the 2025 Grammy U Conference helped equip the next generation with the necessary insight to shape and protect the industry’s future.
Liza Minnelli is a legend, an icon and a superstar, but the one superlative she can’t quite claim is being an EGOT. She has won an Emmy, an Oscar and three Tonys in competition, but has yet to win a Grammy in competition. She may have another chance when the 68th Annual Grammy Awards are presented early next year.
Minnelli co-produced the cast album to the Off-Broadway hit DRAG: The Musical. The album will be released on April 25 via PEG Records/Warner. If it wins a Grammy for best musical theater album, Minnelli will become the 22nd EGOT (unless someone else gets there first).
Minnelli produced the album with co-creator Tomas Costanza, with Nicholas Kaiser as executive producer. (Minnelli is also a co-producer of the live show.)
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“From the moment I got involved with DRAG: The Musical, I knew it was something special — bold … brave … bursting with heart and music that is all about love,” Minnelli said in a statement. “The songs here will make you laugh and cry. This entire experience and adventure helps you find yourself. Producing this exquisite live album with Tomas is a joy, because he’s a genius surrounded by a brilliant cast and company, and because it captures that electric energy you only get in a theater full of love, laughter and lashes. This is a fabulous family show. It celebrates childhood innocence, adult tsuris and gorgeous glitter! Darling, this cast sings their faces off — and I couldn’t be prouder to help bring this art into the world.”
Minnelli has been nominated for Grammys for best traditional pop vocal album twice, for Gently (1997) and Liza’s at the Palace…! (2010). She received a Grammy Legend Award in 1990 (alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber, Smokey Robinson and Willie Nelson, when those awards were presented on a separate broadcast), and a Grammy Hall of Fame induction for the Cabaret soundtrack, but most awards historians don’t count honorary or special awards toward EGOT status. (Barbra Streisand, film and TV producer Frank Marshall and three late greats — James Earl Jones, Harry Belafonte and Quincy Jones — are also EGOTs only if you count honorary or special awards.)
If Minnelli wins a Grammy early next year, she’ll set a new record for the longest span of EGOT-qualifying wins of any EGOT winner (61 years). She won her first EGOT award, a Tony, in 1965 for her leading role in Flora the Red Menace. The current record holder for the longest span of EGOT-qualifying wins is held by Helen Hayes, with a 45-year span. Hayes won her first Oscar in 1932 and her first and only Grammy in 1977.
Minnelli is 79 and will still be 79 when the Grammys are dispensed early next year. Only one person has been that old or older upon clinching EGOT status. That’s John Gielgud (Minnelli’s co-star in the hit 1981 film Arthur), who was 87 when he achieved the feat.
Other people who were 70-plus when they finally became EGOTs (proving there’s always hope!), were Elton John (76), Helen Hayes (76), Mel Brooks (74), Tim Rice (73), Alan Menken (70) and Andrew Lloyd Webber (70).
Minnelli reached a career peak that few performers have ever reached in 1973 when she won both an Oscar for best actress for Cabaret and a Primetime Emmy for outstanding single program − variety and popular music for Liza With a ‘Z’. A Concert for Television. She won her second and third Tony Awards in 1978 for The Act and 2009 for Liza’s at The Palace…!, which won in the competitive category of best special theatrical event. (She also won a special, non-competitive Tony in 1974 for “adding luster to the Broadway season.”)
DRAG: The Musical, written by drag star Alaska Thunderfuck alongside Tomas Costanza and frequent collaborator Ashley Gordon, tells the tale of two rival drag bars coming to blows amid financial struggles. But underneath the glamorous costumes (courtesy of designer Marco Marco) is a story of acceptance, self-identity and the power of community.
The show debuted off-Broadway last October following two runs at Los Angeles’ The Bourbon Room. The show is playing at New World Stages in New York City until April 27.
Including two songs new to the production, “One of the Boys” and “The Showdown”, DRAG: The Musical LIVE (The Cast Recording) features a mix of drag and theater stars including Minnelli, Thunderfuck, Nick Adams, Adam Pascal, Beau Coddou, Dylan Patterson, Eddie Korbich, J. Elaine Marcos, Jan Sport, Jujubee, Lagoona Bloo, Kodiak Thompson, Luxx Noir London, Nicholas Kraft, Nick Laughlin, Peli Naomi Woods, Tamika Lawrence and Teddy Wilson Jr.
The album was engineered by Drew Levy, a two-time Tony-nominee for best sound design of a musical, and mixed by Davey Badiuk.
The show recently won a special recognition award from the GLAAD Media Awards and scored six Lucille Lortel Awards nominations, which tied Our Class and Three Houses for the most nods this year.
Such stars as Chappell Roan, Adam Lambert, Alex Newell, Bob the Drag Queen and Orville Peck have visited the show.
Minnelli is featured on two of the 18 tracks on the album – the opener, “Prologue / Welcome to the Fish Tank,” and the penultimate track, “Two Bitches Are Better Than One / Epilogue.” But that’s not enough for her to qualify for a Grammy as a performer. Her ticket to a Grammy nomination is as an album producer.
Here’s the Recording Academy’s rule for who is nominated in the category of best musical theater album. “For albums containing greater than 51% playing time of new recordings. Award to the principal vocalist(s), and the album producer(s) of 50% or more playing time of the album. The lyricist(s) and composer(s) of 50% or more of a score of a new recording are eligible for an Award if any previous recording of said score has not been nominated in this category.”
Here’s the complete track listing for DRAG: The Musical LIVE (The Cast Recording)
“Prologue / Welcome to the Fish Tank,” Liza Minnelli, Tamika Lawrence, Lagoona Bloo, Luxx Noir London, Nick Adams, Peli Naomi Woods, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr.
“She’s All That,” Nick Adams, Tamika Lawrence, Lagoona Bloo, Luxx Noir London, Peli Naomi Woods, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr.
“Cathouse Fever,” Jan Sport, Jujubee, Nick Laughlin, Peli Naomi Woods, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr.
“Queen Kitty,” Jan Sport, Jujubee, Nick Laughlin, Alaska Thunderfuck, Peli Naomi Woods, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr.
“Drag Is Expensive,” Nick Adams, Luxx Noir London, Lagoona Bloo, Tamika Lawrence, Adam Pascal
“Wigs,” Jan Sport, Jujubee, Nick Laughlin, Lagoona Bloo, Tamika Lawrence, Luxx Noir London, Alaska Thunderfuck, Nick Adams
“One of the Boys,” Tamika Lawrence
“Gay as Hell,” Eddie Korbich, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr.
“Gloria Schmidt,” Lagoona Bloo, J. Elaine Marcos, Adam Pascal, Tamika Lawrence
“Rita LaRitz,” J. Elaine Marcos, Alaska Thunderfuck
“It’s a Drag,” Alaska Thunderfuck, Nick Adams, Eddie Korbich
“It’s So Pretty,” Nick Adams, Beau Coddou, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr., Kodiak Thompson
“I’m Just Brendan,” Beau Coddou
“Straight Man,” Adam Pascal
“The Showdown,” Alaska Thunderfuck, Nick Adams
“Once Upon a Toilet,” Tamika Lawrence, Lagoona Bloo, Luxx Noir London, Nick Adams, Adam Pascal, Beau Coddou, Peli Naomi Woods, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr.
“Two Bitches Are Better Than One / Epilogue,” Liza Minnelli, Alaska Thunderfuck, Nick Adams
“Real Queens / Brendan is His Name / Welcome to the Catfish,” Luxx Noir London, Jan Sport, Jujubee, Lagoona Bloo, Tamika Lawrence, Nick Laughlin, Dylan Patterson, Adam Pascal, Alaska Thunderfuck, Nick Adams, Peli Naomi Woods, Nicholas Kraft, Teddy Wilson Jr., Kodiak Thompson
Kendrick Lamar had a big night at the 2025 Grammys on Feb. 2, winning in all five categories he was nominated in with his smash single and video “Not Like Us.” Lamar could be headed for another big Grammy night next year. He could become the first solo male rapper to win album of the year, for his sixth solo studio album, GNX. The only rap artists to win in that category to date are Lauryn Hill, in 1999 for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, and OutKast, in 2003 for Speakerboxxx/The Love Below.
If Lamar wins three Grammys, he would tie Jay-Z for the most career Grammys won by a rapper (25). If he wins four, he’ll set a new record (unless Jay also adds to his Grammy collection). The standings among rappers are currently: Jay-Z (25), Ye, formerly Kanye West (24) and Lamar (22).
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As we noted in a previous post, if Lamar wins record and/or song of the year for either “Luther” or “Squabble Up,” coming on the heels of his wins in those categories with “Not Like Us,” he’ll make history. He would become the fourth artist to win back-to-back awards for record of the year, following Roberta Flack, U2 and Billie Eilish, and just the second songwriter to win back-to-back awards for song of the year. D’ Mile won in 2021 for co-writing H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” and in 2022 for co-writing Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open.”
If Lamar wins best rap performance, that would be his eighth victory in that category, extending his lead as the artist with the most wins there.
But Lamar could make history even before the Grammys are presented next year. If GNX is simply nominated for album of the year – which seems almost certain – Lamar would make Grammy history. He would set these records. (The years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremonies.)
First Rapper to Land Five Album of the Year Nods as a Lead Artist
Lamar was nominated for album of the year for good kid. m.A.A.d. city (2014), To Pimp a Butterfly (2016), DAMN.(2018) and Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers (2023). If he is nominated for a fifth time, he would pull ahead of Ye, who has received four album of the year nods as a lead artist – for The College Dropout (2005), Late Registration (2006), Graduation (2008) and Donda (2022).
First Black Male Artist to Land Five Album of the Year Nods as a Lead Artist
If he is nominated for a fifth time, he would become only the second Black artist to receive five album of the year nods as a lead artist. Beyoncé was nominated for I Am…Sasha Fierce (2010), Beyoncé (2015), Lemonade (2017), Renaissance (2023) and Cowboy Carter (2025), winning for the latter album. This would obviously make Lamar the first Black male artist to achieve this feat.
As noted, Ye has received four album of the year nods as a lead artist. Black or biracial artists who have received three album of the year nods as a lead artist are Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, H.E.R. and André 3000 (counting two albums with OutKast).
First Solo Artist to Be Nominated for Album of the Year With Five Consecutive Studio Albums
Lamar would become the first solo artist – from any genre – to be nominated for album of the year with five consecutive studio albums. Donald Fagen was nominated for album of the year with five consecutive studio albums — but that combined solo albums and albums he recorded as half of Steely Dan. He was nominated with Steely Dan’s Aja (1978) and Gaucho (1982), then his first two solo albums, The Nightfly (1983) and Kamikiriad (1994), and finally Steely Dan’s Two Against Nature (2001), which won. He issued no other studio albums in those years, so these five nominated albums were consecutive releases.
We need to quickly add that album release patterns were very different in the 1960s. Artists often had multiple albums in one year. In that era, it’s best to look at consecutive years with an album of the year nomination instead of consecutive studio albums to be nominated.
The Beatles are the only act in Grammy history to receive a Grammy nomination for album of the year in five consecutive years. They were nominated for the Help! soundtrack (1966), Revolver (1967), Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (1968, which won), the Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack (1969) and Abbey Road (1970).
Barbra Streisand was nominated for album of the year in four consecutive years. She was a contender for The Barbra Streisand Album (1964, which won), People (1965), My Name Is Barbra (1966) and Color Me Barbra (1967). People competed in 1965 with the original cast album from Streisand’s Broadway triumph, Funny Girl. (That nomination went to the composers of the score.)
The eligibility period for the upcoming 68th Grammy Awards will end on Aug. 30. This is the second year in a row that the eligibility period has closed on that date. The eligibility period extends from Aug. 31, 2024, to Aug. 30, 2025. The Grammy eligibility year ran from Oct. 1 to Sept. 30 every […]
Elton John and Brandi Carlile’s new collaborative album Who Believes in Angels?seems to have a good shot at a Grammy nomination for album of the year. Carlile was nominated in the category with both of her last two solo studio albums – By the Way, I Forgive You (at the 2019 ceremony) and In These Silent Days (2023). John was nominated three times in his 1970s heyday, with Elton John (1971), Caribou (1975) and Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy (1976).
Who Believes in Angels? was produced by Andrew Watt, who won a Grammy for producer of the year, non-classical in 2021 and was nominated for album of the year the following year for his work on the deluxe edition of Justin Bieber’s Justice.
What’s more, Ben Winston, one of the executive producers of the annual Grammy telecast, also served as an executive producer of An Evening With Elton John and Brandi Carlile, which aired on CBS on Sunday April 6. Does that give the album an edge in the Grammy voting process? No. But it shows that it’s front-and-center in terms of Grammy consciousness.
It may seem early to be thinking in terms of Grammy nominations, but it’s actually not all that early. We’re more than seven months into the Grammy eligibility year, which runs from Aug. 31, 2024 to Aug. 30, 2025.
If Who Believes in Angels? receives an album of the year nod, John will have a 55-year span of nominations in that category, which would put him in second place on the list of artists with the longest span of nods in that category. Tony Bennett has the longest span – 59 years from I Left My Heart in San Francisco (a nominee at the 1963 ceremony) to Love for Sale, his collab with Lady Gaga (a nominee at the 2022 ceremony). Ray Charles would fall to third place. His nods span 43 years, from Genius + Soul = Jazz (1962) to Genius Loves Company (2005).
Who Believes in Angels? is vying to become the 12th collaborative album to receive a Grammy nod for album of the year. It would be the third pairing where one artist was a generation older than the other. John is 35 years older than Carlile. There was a 60-year age gap between Bennett and Gaga; a 23-year age gap between Robert Plant and Alison Krauss.
You may have noticed that John’s double-album opus Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, widely regarded as his most classic work, was not listed among his nominees for album of the year. You may be wondering: How can that be? The album was released on Oct. 5, 1973, just 10 days before the end of the eligibility year, a bit late for it to register its full impact. John was nominated the following year with Caribou, a solid album, but not in the same league with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. While Goodbye Yellow Brick Road should have been nominated, it probably wouldn’t have won. Stevie Wonder, then at his creative and commercial peak (and on a history-making Grammy roll), won that year for Innervisions.
Here’s a complete list of the 11 collaborations that have received album of the year nods, working backwards. Will Who Believes in Angels? join them? Place your bets. All chart references are to the Billboard 200; the years shown are the years of the Grammy ceremony.
2022: Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, Love for Sale
Image Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for LN
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. sent a letter via email to all Recording Academy members on Wednesday (April 2) sharing a report that the academy created and quietly posted on its website in January. In the report, the academy attempts to quantify its impact and summarize the changes it has made over the five years since Mason stepped into the top job at the organization (initially as interim CEO following the departure of Deborah Dugan).
“While many people know us as just an awards granting institution, we are actually a purpose-driven impact organization serving music makers and aspiring music makers around the world 365 days a year,” Mason wrote in his letter. … “This Grammy Impact 2024 report puts into one place all the ways the Recording Academy positively affected music people last year.”
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In an interview with Billboard, Mason shed further light on his aims with the report, which takes the form of a slick and visually appealing deck brimming with facts and figures. But Mason says the numbers aren’t the point. “To me, the bottom line is that they get a sense that the academy is making a real impact on the lives of music people beyond just giving trophies,” he says. “What I’m trying to do is hopefully build support for the academy, through seeing it maybe through a different lens, rather than just who got snubbed or who won or who didn’t win. That’s the objective of this report.”
Mason has long tried to get people to see the academy as more than just the dispenser of shiny gramophones. “When I took the role, one of my objectives and goals was to heighten the awareness of what happens the other 364 days of the year,” he says. “I did experience a lot of interaction with music people in studios as I was coming up where people just thought of the Grammys as a night to get an award, whereas I was always encouraging them to see the bigger picture; to see all the service work that’s being done; the advocacy, the education, the philanthropy, MusicCares; all the different parts of the academy.
“A lot of people know and love the awards ceremony,” he continues. “I’m thankful for that, but it is a challenge for us as an organization to tell the larger story as to why we exist. [This report is] a new way of positioning the academy. We needed to do a better job of explaining why the academy exists beyond to celebrate one night a year. So, this was an intentional effort for us over the last few years to make sure we’re telling that story in a new way.”
Perhaps the most eye-popping statistic in the deck presentation is one that was already reported in the academy’s 2024 membership report, which was released Oct. 3 and reported in Billboard that same day: That a whopping 66% of current academy voting members have joined since 2019.
“It’s great [in the] sense in that we are continuing to remain relevant,” Mason says, “to attract new music-makers, people who are at the height of their careers, or coming into their careers, and we are moving away from having people who have been members…” Mason pauses and starts anew. “We always want to keep our long-term members, but we want to make sure they’re continuing to qualify as voting members [by being able to show recent credits]. We don’t want people that have had music careers in the 1960s or ’70s still voting on music that maybe they’re not involved in making, so we’re making sure we’re refreshing the membership; making sure the membership’s relevant to professionals in the industry working today.”
The deck also includes the statistic, also first reported in the membership report, that people of color now constitute 38% of the voting membership. “I’m pleased with the progress,” Mason says. “We still feel like we have some room to go. You think about why are these numbers important: Why do you care about changing the make-up of our membership? It’s mostly because we want to make sure our membership reflects the industry.”
Mason says he has no set points in mind as to when the academy will have achieved its membership goals. “We’ll never be done, because these numbers are going to fluctuate,” he says. “They’re going to adjust based on what’s happening in our community, in music; changing based on genre popularity, so we’re going to be in a constant search to perfect our membership. We’re always going to continue to work and tinker with the numbers because we have to remain relevant. I don’t think we’re where we want to be yet. I’m not sure we’ll ever accomplish the perfect membership, but we will continue to [work on it].”
At this year’s Grammy Awards, artists and songwriters of color won three of the four highest-profile awards: album of the year (Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter) and record and song of the year (Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”). Does Mason see that as a reflection of the academy’s overhaul of its membership?
“Not necessarily,” Mason says. “I see it as a reflection of the quality of their individual work. I like to think having a relevant membership — regardless of their race — is probably what gives us the best outcomes, but I think those people had amazing years creatively and our voters recognized that.”
The deck also repeats the stat that the Recording Academy has added more than 3,000 women voting members since 2019, surpassing its 2019 goal to add 2,500 women voting members by 2025. Women now make up 28% of the voting membership.
“We really needed to increase the number of women voters,” Mason says. “A great first step is adding 3,000 new members. We’re not [yet] where you want to be.”
The deck also speaks to the academy’s “bold global expansion, working with stakeholders in Africa and the Middle East to help foster the dynamic music markets there.” (The academy first released this information on June 9.)
Asked why that effort is a priority for the U.S.-based academy, Mason replies, “Obviously, a big focus is on our American members, and it will continue to be that. We are an organization that represents music all around the world. If we’re going to do that, we have to have people that represent those genres. It very much can be said in the same way about Latin music: Why do you care about Latin music? Why did you build a Latin Academy? It’s because the music is very popular. It’s a thriving music community and it continues to affect people as they listen to it and consume music, and the same can be said for other parts of the world.
“We are not living in a time when music only comes from American creators,” he continues. “Music is coming from creators all around the planet. As a group that serves music people and hopefully uplifts music people, we want to be able to do that for people regardless of where they’re from. As long as they’re making music, we want to have an impact on those music groups.”
Here’s Mason’s letter to the academy membership in full:
Academy members,
I am writing today to share an exciting report that we recently created. You frequently hear me say that music is a powerful force for good in the world, and that the people who make it deserve an organization dedicated to their well-being. I feel so incredibly privileged to work for the organization that exists to do that.
But our highest purpose isn’t merely to serve music creators, it’s to make a positive impact on their lives and careers. And that’s exactly what we work to do, every single day of the year, through the tireless and amazing effort of our board and our teams.
While many people know us as just an awards granting institution, we are actually a purpose-driven impact organization serving music makers and aspiring music makers around the world 365 days a year. Every piece of legislation we help pass has a tangible impact on the music people we serve. Every event hosted by a chapter or wing, every dollar distributed by MusiCares, every scholarship we provide, and every time we open the Grammy Museum doors to a child, it impacts our music community. And yes, every Grammy nomination and award alters the trajectory of someone’s life and career.
This Grammy Impact 2024 report puts into one place all the ways the Recording Academy positively affected music people last year. As we say in the report, it is the combined work of the more than 300 dedicated employees of the Recording Academy, the Latin Recording Academy, the Grammy Museum, MusiCares, and thousands of music creators who volunteered their time in service to their peers.
Please take a moment to read through the report, and reflect on the ways you and your colleagues personally contributed to these outcomes. I hope you feel a sense of pride and purpose in what was accomplished, and for the role you play every day in serving the music people who rely on us.
Of course, we’re now into 2025, and while we celebrate the achievements of last year, we are also looking ahead to the impact we will make this year and beyond. Grammys on the Hill is right around the corner, the Day that Music Cares is coming soon, and much more awaits us in the months ahead.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to our work. It is making a lasting impact.Gratefully,Harvey Mason jr.
Kendrick Lamar & SZA’s old-school R&B smash “Luther,” now is in its fifth week atop the Billboard Hot 100, sounds like a natural to receive Grammy nods for record and song of the year when the nominations for the 2026 awards are announced later this year. The song, a nod to R&B legend Luther Vandross, contains a sample of Vandross and Cheryl Lynn’s 1982 rendition of “If This World Were Mine,” which was originally recorded in 1967 by another legendary pair, Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Its multi-format success in 2025 shows that old-school R&B songwriting values can still be embraced in today’s hip-hop-dominated R&B culture.
But while “Luther” may find favor next year with Grammy voters, Vandross had to wait nine years from his first Grammy nominations in 1982 until he finally won. His Grammy track record stood at 0-9 until he finally scored a W with “Here and Now,” which was voted best R&B vocal performance, male in 1991.
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Vandross was nominated for best new artist at the 1982 ceremony, but lost to Scottish pop singer Sheena Easton (who got off to a faster start, with a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, “Morning Train (Nine to Five),” and another top five hit with the Oscar-nominated James Bond theme “For Your Eyes Only”). More surprisingly, Vandross was nominated for best R&B vocal performance six times before he finally won in that category. That’s striking because Vandross is regarded as one of the premier R&B male vocalists of his time, and of all time.
Vandross, who suffered a severe stroke in 2003 and died in 2005 at age 54, won four Grammys during his lifetime. He won four more in the year following his death, including song of the year for “Dance With My Father,” which he co-wrote with Richard Marx.
Vandross isn’t the only R&B veteran who had to wait a good long while to finally win a Grammy. Gaye, who both wrote and recorded the original version of “If This World Were Mine,” had to wait even longer (15 years from the time of his first nomination) to win his first Grammys in 1983. His Grammy track record stood at 0-8 before he finally won best R&B vocal performance, male for his smash “Sexual Healing” and best R&B instrumental performance for an instrumental version that appeared on the B-side of that smash. Tragically, he was killed by his father less than 14 months after his belated double-Grammy triumph.
Vandross and Gaye have nothing on Lionel Richie, whose Grammy track record was a dismal 0-18 before he finally won best pop vocal performance, male, for “Truly,” also in 1983. Richie went on to win album of the year (for Can’t Slow Down) and song of the year (for “We Are the World,” a co-write with Michael Jackson), so we tend to think of him as Grammy royalty, but he had to wait a long while to be admitted to the club.
Lamar’s “Squabble Up” is also a strong candidate for Grammy nods in marquee categories. If either “Luther” or “Squabble Up” wins record or song of the year, coming on the heels of his wins in both categories on Feb. 2 with “Not Like Us,” Lamar would make Grammy history. He would become the fourth artist to win back-to-back Grammys for record of the year (following Roberta Flack, U2 and Billie Eilish), and only the second songwriter to win back-to-back Grammys for song of the year (following Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, who won for co-writing H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” in 2021 and Silk Sonic’s “Leave the Door Open” the following year).
The nominations for the 68th annual Grammy Awards are expected in November. The ceremony is expected in February 2026.
Chappell Roan is receiving some love from Lady Gaga — and the feeling is mutual.
In a recent interview with The New York Times, Gaga — who released her seventh album, Mayhem, on Friday (March 7) — was asked about Roan’s powerful acceptance speech at the 2025 Grammy Awards, where she advocated for record labels to support up-and-coming artists by providing them with livable wages and healthcare.
“I think Chappell Roan is speaking the truth, and she is courageous to do so,” Gaga said. “I look at what she’s been doing and saying and think, ‘Man, I should have stood up for myself more when I was younger.’ I think women speaking their mind is a powerful thing, and I was really happy she did that.”
On Saturday (March 8), the “Pink Pony Club” singer took to social media to thank Gaga for the shout-out and returned the compliment with a message of her own.
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“Thank you @ladygaga I love you + your album so much
Beyoncé had yet another groundbreaking night at the 2025 Grammy Awards earlier this month, where the superstar was at last awarded her first win in the album of the year category, thanks to Cowboy Carter. Bey’s shocked reaction has since become a hilarious meme, and her mother Tina Knowles was just as surprised by the […]