Grammys
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Will Beyoncé finally win album of the year at the 2025 Grammy Awards? Queen Bey has gone 0-4 in the category (as a lead artist), which has been a source of frustration for many in the BeyHive — and also those in her inner circle. Accepting an honorary award at the 2024 ceremony, Jay-Z confronted the issue head-on. “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won album of the year, so even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work.”
Jay-Z’s remark suggests that Bey’s fate in the category will be the most-watched moment at the 67th annual Grammys, which will be presented Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Nominations will be announced Nov. 8. Here are Billboard’s best bets for nods in the top four categories.
It’s likely that solo women will take seven of the eight slots here. That’s comparable to the 2024 Grammys, where solo women took six of the eight slots and an all-woman group, boygenius, took a seventh. Jon Batiste was the only male artist to be nominated at this year’s ceremony. Chris Stapleton may have the best chance of repping men next year. Nominees for album and record of the year must have been released during the eligibility period (Sept. 16, 2023-Aug. 30, 2024).
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Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter
This is Bey’s eighth solo studio album and would be her fifth to be nominated in this category following I Am…Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé, Lemonade and Renaissance. She would be the first Black artist to be nominated for a country album since Ray Charles for Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music (though none of the singles from that trailblazing 1962 album appeared on Hot Country Songs). Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (two weeks).
Sabrina Carpenter, Short N’ Sweet
Carpenter’s sixth studio album is due Aug. 23, one week before the end of the eligibility period. The album was co-produced by Jack Antonoff and Julian Bunetta. Antonoff has received eight album of the year nods — four with Taylor Swift, two with Lana Del Rey and one each with Lorde and his own pop trio, fun. He has also won producer of the year, non-classical the last three years running.
Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft
Eilish’s third album features 10 tracks, two songwriters (Eilish and FINNEAS), one producer (FINNEAS) and no featured artists. That may appeal to traditionalists in the Recording Academy’s voting membership who are put off by this era’s collaboration-heavy approach. Eilish won in this category five years ago for When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go? and was nominated three years ago for Happier Than Ever. Billboard 200 peak: No. 2.
Ariana Grande, Eternal Sunshine
This is Grande’s seventh studio album and would be her second to be nominated in this category. She was nominated five years ago for Thank U, Next. Swedish hit-makers Max Martin and ILYA, who were nominated as producers of Thank U, Next, are also among the producers of this album. Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (two weeks).
Chappell Roan, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
The singer’s debut album arrived Sept. 22, 2023, one week after the start of the eligibility period. This is vying to become the first debut album by a woman pop artist to receive an album of the year nod since Olivia Rodrigo’s SOUR in 2022. Daniel Nigro, who has been nominated twice in this category for work with Rodrigo, co-produced the album with Ryan Linvill and Mike Wise. Billboard 200 peak: No. 5.
Chris Stapleton, Higher
This is Stapleton’s fifth studio album and would be his second to be nominated in the category. Traveller was nominated nine years ago. Stapleton is vying to become the first male country solo artist to land two nominations in this category. “White Horse,” the lead single from Higher, won two Grammys in February. Higher won album of the year at the Academy of Country Music Awards on May 16. Billboard 200 peak: No. 3.
Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department
This would be Swift’s seventh nod in the category, which would allow her to stand alone as the woman artist with the most album of the year nods. She currently shares that distinction with Barbra Streisand, with six nods each. Swift co-produced the album with Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner and Patrik Berger. Billboard 200 peak: No. 1 (12 weeks so far).
Tyla, Tyla
The South African singer’s “Water” won the inaugural Grammy presented for best African music performance. It was the lead single from her self-titled debut album, which was released during the current eligibility period. Tyla features guest appearances from stars such as Tems, Gunna, Becky G and Travis Scott. Tyla won two BET Awards on June 30 — best new artist and best international act. Billboard 200 peak: No. 24.
Within Reach: Zach Bryan, The Great American Bar Scene; Charli xcx, brat; Doja Cat, Scarlet; Future & Metro Boomin, We Don’t Trust You; Post Malone, F-1 Trillion (due Aug. 16); Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well; 21 Savage, American Dream; Kali Uchis, Orquídeas; Usher, Coming Home; Lainey Wilson, Whirlwind (due Aug. 23).
From left: Sabrina Carpenter, Benson Boone, Kendrick Lamar and Hozier.
Illustration by Eleanor Shakespeare; Jo Hale/Redferns; Dennis Leupold; Timothy Norris/Getty Images; Barry McCall
Beyoncé already holds the record for most career nominations in this category. Her total of eight includes an early record with Destiny’s Child and collaborations with Jay-Z and Megan Thee Stallion. Will she extend her lead this year? And could two Black artists — Bey and Shaboozey — be nominated for country hits in the same year? Teddy Swims’ “Lose Control,” a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, was entered last year and thus is ineligible.
Beyoncé, “Texas Hold ’Em”
Two years ago, Beyoncé pulled ahead of Frank Sinatra for the most nominations in this category. This would give her a record-extending ninth nod. The big question: Will it compete for best solo performance honors in pop or country? “Texas Hold ’Em” wouldn’t be the first poker-themed hit to land a record of the year nod. Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” was nominated at the awards in 1980. Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks).
Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things”
This song is constructed like Billie Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” which was nominated for record and song of the year three years ago. It starts out soft and builds in intensity to a rock-inflected finish. This was Boone’s third Hot 100 entry, but his first to climb above No. 82. Hot 100 peak: No. 2.
Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”
Carpenter’s camp has to decide which hit to enter — “Espresso,” which topped Billboard’s staff list of The 50 Best Songs of 2024 (So Far), or “Please Please Please,” which was Carpenter’s first No. 1 on the Hot 100. The former is one of the catchiest singles of recent years; the latter, an offbeat, country-shaded follow-up. They’ll probably go with “Espresso,” but either would be a strong nominee. Hot 100 peak: No. 3.
Billie Eilish, “Lunch”
This would be Eilish’s fifth nod in this category. She won for “bad guy” and “Everything I Wanted” and was nominated for “Happier Than Ever” and “What Was I Made For?” Eilish’s brother, FINNEAS, produced all of these records. Nominations will be announced five weeks before Eilish turns 23. No one else has ever amassed five nods in this category at such a young age. Hot 100 peak: No. 5.
Ariana Grande, “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”
This record could give Grande a second nod in this category. She was nominated five years ago for the Rodgers & Hammerstein-interpolating “7 Rings.” Grande produced this track with Swedish pop masterminds Max Martin and ILYA, who were among the producers of “7 Rings.” Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week).
Hozier, “Too Sweet”
Hozier got some Grammy love nine years ago when his breakthrough smash, “Take Me to Church,” was nominated for song of the year. He came roaring back this year with this impeccably produced record. Hozier is vying to become the fourth Irish artist to be nominated for record of the year, following Gilbert O’Sullivan, U2 and Sinéad O’Connor. Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (one week).
Kendrick Lamar, “Not Like Us”
This scathing dis track is from Lamar’s bitter and highly public feud with Drake. This would be Lamar’s fourth nod in this category following “HUMBLE.” (2018); “All the Stars,” a collaboration with SZA (2019); and “The Heart Part 5” (2023). If this is nominated, Lamar will tie Jay-Z for the most record of the year nods by a rapper. Hot 100 peak: No. 1 (two weeks).
Chappell Roan, “Good Luck, Babe!”
This song, Roan’s first Hot 100 hit, was produced by Daniel Nigro, who has been nominated in this category for his work on two Olivia Rodrigo hits. Nigro has received eight Grammy nods, all for work with Rodrigo. He won best pop vocal album as the producer of her debut album, SOUR. Hot 100 peak: No. 10.
Within Reach: Doja Cat, “Agora Hills”; Jack Harlow, “Lovin on Me”; Future, Metro Boomin & Kendrick Lamar, “Like That”; Muni Long, “Made for Me”; Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen, “I Had Some Help”; Tommy Richman, “Million Dollar Baby”; Shaboozey, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”; Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, “Fortnight”; 21 Savage, “Redrum”; SZA, “Saturn.”
From left: FINNEAS, Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff, ILYA and Dan Nigro.
Illustration by Eleanor Shakespeare; Robin L. Marshall/Getty Images; David O’Donohue; Jason Koerner/Getty Images; Anna Sky; Alberto E. Rodriguez/WireImage
Last year, five of the eight nominees for record of the year were also nominated for song of the year. The year before that, six of the 10 nominees for record of the year also received song of the year nods. This year, seven of the eight record of the year nominees could double up. Taylor Swift has amassed seven nominations in this category, more than any other songwriter, but she has yet to win. Will this finally be her year?
“Beautiful Things”Songwriters: Benson Boone, Jack LaFrantz, Evan Blair
This song touches on themes that have long been attractive to Grammy voters — gratitude for life’s blessings and awareness of how quickly in life fortunes can change. Other philosophical songs that have been nominated here in recent years include “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Bless the Broken Road,” “7 Years” and “God’s Plan.” In addition to co-writing “Beautiful Things,” Blair produced Boone’s single.
“Espresso”Songwriters: Sabrina Carpenter, Amy Allen, Julian Bunetta, Steph Jones
This confection may seem a little light for a song of the year nod, but the irresistible tune has been inescapable in recent months. Even Adele was caught up in the hooky line “I’m working late/’Cause I’m a singer,” praising the song during her Las Vegas residency. (And being light didn’t prevent Bruno Mars’ “That’s What I Like” from winning in 2019.) Allen was nominated for the inaugural songwriter of the year, non-classical award two years ago.
“Fortnight”Songwriters: Taylor Swift, Post Malone, Jack Antonoff
All three writers are past nominees in this category: Swift has been nominated a record seven times, Antonoff four times and Post Malone once. Alternatively, Swift could enter “Is It Over Now? (Taylor’s Version),” which she also co-wrote with Antonoff. Both songs topped the Hot 100, for two and one weeks, respectively.
“Good Luck, Babe!”Songwriters: Chappell Roan, Justin Tranter, Daniel Nigro
Tranter and Nigro are past nominees in this category — Tranter for co-writing Julia Michaels’ “Issues,” Nigro for co-writing Olivia Rodrigo’s “drivers license” and “Vampire.” “Good Luck, Babe!” is about a woman parting ways with a woman who is denying her true sexual orientation. The next song on the list is about a woman accepting and embracing her own.
“Lunch”Songwriters: Billie Eilish, FINNEAS
The siblings have been nominated four times in this category, winning twice. If they win again, they’ll become the first three-time winners in the history of the category. They won most recently this year with “What Was I Made For?” They have another very pretty ballad (“Birds of a Feather”) that they could enter here instead, but “Lunch” feels like the more likely option.
“Not Like Us”Songwriter: Kendrick Lamar
As with record of the year, this would be Lamar’s fourth nod in this category following “Alright” (2016), “All the Stars” (2019) and “The Heart Part 5” (2023). And, as with record of the year, if this is nominated, Lamar will tie Jay-Z for the most song of the year nods for a rapper.
“Texas Hold ’Em”Songwriters: Beyoncé, Brian Bates, Nathan Ferraro, Raphael Saadiq, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow
This would be Beyoncé’s sixth nomination in the category. That would put her in a tie with Paul McCartney and Lionel Richie for second place on the list of all-time nominees in this category. Swift leads with seven nods. Saadiq has been nominated for best R&B song five times, winning twice, but this would be his first song of the year nod.
“We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)”Songwriters: Ariana Grande, Max Martin, ILYA
This would be the first nomination in this category for Grande and ILYA and the fifth for Martin, following nods for Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way,” Katy Perry’s “Roar” and Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space.” Martin, a Swede, and U2, from Ireland, are the only songwriters who hail from somewhere other than America or England to amass four or more nods in this category.
Within Reach: “Agora Hills” (artist: Doja Cat); “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” (Shaboozey); “Deeper Well” (Kacey Musgraves); “I Had Some Help” (Post Malone featuring Morgan Wallen); “Made for Me” (Muni Long); “Obsessed” (Olivia Rodrigo); “Pink Skies” (Zach Bryan); “Redrum” (21 Savage); “Saturn” (SZA); “Too Sweet” (Hozier).
Clockwise from top: Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Sexyy Red, Teddy Swims and Megan Moroney.
Illustration by Eleanor Shakespeare; Ryan Clemens; Daniel Prakopcyk; Chris Allmeid; CeCe Dawson; Aaron Marsh
According to the rules, “This category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness.” Artists with previous Grammy nominations are generally not allowed, nor are artists who have previously been entered in the category three times (whether or not they were nominated). That latter rule disqualifies Tate McRae. The last seven winners in this category have been solo women, which tied the record established in 1997-2003. If another solo woman wins next year, a new record will be set.
Benson Boone
Boone, 22, is the youngest of this year’s likely best new artist nominees. He is vying to become the first male artist to win in this category since Chance the Rapper in 2017. Boone could also become the second winner in this category with that surname. Debby Boone won in 1978.
Sabrina Carpenter
Short N’ Sweet is Carpenter’s sixth studio album, so how can she be considered new? Prior to this eligibility year, she had never climbed higher than No. 48 on the Hot 100. The Grammys aren’t charts-based, but they do think in terms of “public consciousness” and achieving “prominence.” Carpenter, 25, is vying to become the second winner in this category with that surname. Karen and Richard Carpenter won in 1971.
Megan Moroney
Moroney, 26, was passed over for a best new artist nod two years ago, when “Tennessee Orange” became a top 30 hit on the Hot 100. But she has continued to build. Moroney was nominated for the Country Music Association’s new artist of the year prize last year and won the Academy of Country Music’s new female artist of the year honor (on her second try) in May. Her second album, Am I Okay?, arrived July 12.
Chappell Roan
Atlantic Records dropped Roan, born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, following the release of a 2017 EP, School Nights. Her smash debut album was released through Island Records last September. Roan, 26, supported Olivia Rodrigo (who won in this category in 2022) on two major tours. She also opened for Vance Joy and Ben Platt, among others, and performed at Coachella in April.
Sexyy Red
The rapper, 26, reached the top 20 on the Billboard 200 with her third mixtape, In Sexyy We Trust. The tape spawned the top 20 Hot 100 hit “Get It Sexyy.” Sexyy Red was nominated in five categories, including best new artist, at the 2024 BET Awards, but was shut out.
Shaboozey
Shaboozey, 29, is at the forefront of bringing more diversity to the world of country music. His third album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, reached No. 5 on the Billboard 200. Its smash single, “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” has made it to No. 1 on the Hot 100. Shaboozey is also featured on two tracks on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter.
Teddy Swims
Swims’ debut studio album, I’ve Tried Everything but Therapy (Part 1), reached the top 20 on the Billboard 200. “Lose Control,” the smash single from the album, topped the Hot 100. Before becoming a headliner, Swims opened for Zac Brown Band, which won in this category in 2010, and Greta Van Fleet, which was nominated in 2019. Swims, 31, is the oldest of this year’s likely best new artist nominees.
Within Reach: The Beaches; Dasha; Djo; 4Batz; Knox; October London; Tommy Richman; Nate Smith; Brittney Spencer; Tigirlily Gold
This story will appear in the July 20, 2024, issue of Billboard.
The Recording Academy has renamed its two-year-old Best Song for Social Change Special Merit Award in honor of the late Harry Belafonte, who was a powerful voice for social justice throughout his career. The award will henceforth be known as the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award. It will continue to honor songwriters of message-driven music that speaks to the social issues of our time and has demonstrated and inspired positive global impact.
“The greatness of Harry Belafonte’s artistic legacy is matched by his profound impact of furthering social justice for all,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “We are honored to recognize his lasting influence with the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award and to continue celebrating works that have inspired global communities towards social impact.”
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“The Belafonte estate is deeply honored and thrilled that the Recording Academy’s Best Song for Social Change Award will now be named the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award,” said Belafonte’s daughters Adrienne, Shari and Gina and his third wife, Pamela, in a joint statement. “This recognition not only celebrates Harry Belafonte’s enduring legacy in music and activism, but also inspires future generations to continue using their voices and art for justice and positive change.”
The Recording Academy generally doesn’t name awards after individuals, though it in recent years introduced the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award (which was presented to Dre on the Grammy telecast in 2023 and to Jay-Z on this year’s telecast).
Many have forgotten that the academy’s lifetime achievement award was originally called the Bing Crosby Award. The legendary crooner was the first recipient in 1963. There were seven other recipients through 1972. The award wasn’t presented for the next 12 years, but when it returned in 1984, seven years after Crosby’s 1977 death, the academy had quietly dropped Crosby’s name from the award so that it wouldn’t be tied to any one artist or genre.
Formerly a Special Merit Award, the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award will now be categorized as a CEO’s Merit Award, with the finalists and the recipients selected annually by a committee composed of a community of peers dedicated to artistic expression, the craft of songwriting and the power of songs to affect social change.
The first two winners of the award, under its former name, were “Baraye” by Shervin Hajipour (2023) and “Refugee” by K’naan, Gerald Eaton and Steve McEwan (2024).
The submission period for the current cycle of the Harry Belafonte Best Song for Social Change Award is July 17 – Aug. 30, 2024. For guidelines and to make a submission, visit www.Grammy.com.
From his debut in the 1950s until his death in 2023 at age 96, Belafonte’s artistic career progressed on a parallel track with his work as a trailblazing activist. A friend of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and an advisor, organizer and contributor to the civil rights movement, Belafonte helped to organize the 1961 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, and contributed to the 1961 Freedom Rides and the Mississippi Freedom Summer of 1964. Belafonte performed at President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural ball in 1961 and was later named by Kennedy as a cultural advisor to the Peace Corps.
An advocate for global humanitarian causes including the anti-apartheid movement, Belafonte, in 1985, was a key organizer for USA for Africa’s benefit single “We Are the World,” which raised money for famine relief in Africa. The song topped the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks and won four Grammy Awards, including record and song of the year. Belafonte became a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador in 1987 and traveled internationally to raise awareness for the needs of children across sub-Saharan Africa.
Belafonte won two Grammy Awards – both in folk categories, for “Swing Dat Hammer” and An Evening With Belafonte/Makeba, a collab with South African singer Miriam Makeba.
Belafonte was not the first Black artist to receive a Grammy nod for album of the year – Ella Fitzgerald was, at the very first Grammy ceremony, for Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Songbook. But Belafonte was the first Black artist to receive two Grammy nods for album of the year. He was nominated at the second and third ceremonies for Belafonte at Carnegie Hall and Belafonte Returns to Carnegie Hall.
In addition, he had the first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200. His sophomore album, Belafonte, was No. 1 in March 1956 when the chart became a consistent weekly feature in Billboard. (Prior to that, it had appeared sporadically.) Belafonte’s third album, Calypso, remained atop that chart for 31 weeks in 1956-57.
Belafonte received the Recording Academy’s lifetime achievement award in 2000. Three of his recordings are in the Grammy Hall of Fame – “Banana Boat (Day-O)” (1956) and the albums Calypso (1956) Harry Belafonte at Carnegie Hall (1959).
His many other awards include the Kennedy Center Honors (1989) and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an early influence in 2022.
Kendrick Lamar was just three years old in late 1990, and perhaps not yet an avid Grammy watcher, when MC Hammer’s “U Can’t Touch This” became the first rap hit to receive a Grammy nomination for record of the year. At the Grammy ceremony in February 1991, Hammer’s mass-appeal smash lost to Phil Collins’ socially-conscious ballad “Another Day in Paradise,” which featured a backing vocal by David Crosby.
As we approach this year’s Grammy nominations, which will be announced on Nov. 8, Lamar’s “Not Like Us” stands an excellent chance of becoming the 26th rap hit to receive a record of the year nod. We define a rap hit as a track that appeared on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart, which originated as Hot Rap Singles in the March 11, 1989 issue.
Just one rap hit has won record of the year – Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2019. That sentence may need updating after the 67th annual Grammy Awards, set for Feb. 2, 2025. It’s easy to see “Not Like Us,” which returns to No. 1 on this week’s Billboard Hot 100 in the wake of the release of the song’s video, winning that award. The Mustard-produced smash may have originated in a dis battle with Drake, but it already seems like the kind of classic single that will live on after this dis battle becomes a dim and distant memory.
As you’ll see as you scroll through this list, at the Grammy ceremony in 2003, two rap hits were nominated for record of the year for the first time. At the ceremony in 2011, three rap hits were nominated for the first time. Bear in mind, this was back when there were just five nominees in the category, making this very hard to do. In 2019, a record four rap hits were nominated, but that year there were eight nominees, making it at least somewhat easier.
You may be wondering why Lauryn Hill’s “Doo Wop (That Thing),” which topped Hot Rap Songs for four weeks in 1998, doesn’t appear on this list. In 1999 her accompanying album, The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, famously became the first hip-hop project to win album of the year. “Doo Wop (That Thing)” was entered for both record and song of the year at that year’s Grammys, but it wasn’t nominated in either category. Go figure.
Here’s a chronological list of every rap hit to receive a Grammy nomination for record of the year. We show how high each hit climbed on Billboard’s Hot Rap Songs chart and what won that year for record of the year. The year shown is the year of the Grammy ceremony. If “Not Like Us,” and/or some other rap hit, receives a record of the year nod in November, you can bet we’ll update this list.
MC Hammer, “U Can’t Touch This” (1991)
Image Credit: Robin Platzer/IMAGES/Getty Images
The Recording Academy has extended membership invitations to more than 3,900 music professionals spanning diverse backgrounds, genres and disciplines, underscoring the academy’s commitment to inclusivity and representation. This year’s 2024 class of invitees is 45% women, 57% people of color and 47% under the age of 40.
“There’s no better way to kick off Grammy season than by inviting thousands of diverse and talented music creators and professionals to join our Recording Academy family,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Our members are the heart of the Academy, driving our mission to make lasting, positive impacts on the music community and shape music history. We are hopeful that all 3,900+ invitees join us in serving, celebrating and championing the voices of music creators year-round.”
Among this year’s invitees are Teddy Swims, whose first Hot 100 single, “Lose Control,” reached No. 1 in March; Tanner Adell, who is featured on Beyoncé’s Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter; as well as Ashnikko, Grupo Frontera, 310babii, Flavour, Flyana Boss, GAWD, girl in red, Jay Wheeler, Kaash Paige, Raja Kumari, Charm La’Donna, Al Sherrod, Xavier Omär, Sech, Leon Thomas and two group members: Ronnie Winter of The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus and Frank Iero of L.S. Dunes and My Chemical Romance. (Here’s a link to a page of quotes, supplied by the Recording Academy, from these invitees.)
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Invitations must be formally accepted by July 31 for recipients to become Recording Academy members and participate in the online entry process for the upcoming Grammy Awards.
The academy has invited thousands of new voting members in recent years in a bid to diversify its membership. Last year, it invited 2,800 new voting members. In 2022, it invited more than 2,000 new voting members – as well as more than 600 professional, non-voting members.
The academy announced its invitations for the new member class one day after the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced its own invited class of 487 individuals. That means the Recording Academy invited slightly more than eight times as many people to join its ranks as the film academy did.
A comprehensive report on the Recording Academy’s 2024 new member class, along with a detailed breakdown of the overall membership demographics and crafts, will be released later this year following the deadline for 2024 invitees to join the academy.
Last year’s breakdown of the 2023 new member class was released on Nov. 30, 2023. A record-breaking 2,400-plus diverse music creators were part of last year’s class, with the academy reporting that 50% of the new class were people of color, 46% were under the age of 40 and 37% were women.
The Recording Academy’s membership model is community-driven and peer-reviewed to create a more diverse and engaged membership base.
The academy also revealed on Nov. 30 that, since implementing the new member model in 2019, membership among people of color has jumped significantly, from 24% to 38%, and that the percentage of women members has also increased, albeit at a slower rate, from 26% to 30%. The academy further noted that it was 98% of the way to reaching its goal of adding 2,500 women voting members by 2025 and is set to achieve that milestone a year ahead of schedule, in 2024.
The Recording Academy offers three types of membership: voting membership for music creators, professional membership for music business professionals and GRAMMY U for those aspiring to a career in the music industry. (GRAMMY U follows a distinct application process.)
Each year, interested musicians and professionals must apply for membership by March 1. Their submissions are reviewed in the spring by a peer review panel comprised of existing Recording Academy members active in the music industry. If approved, candidates are invited to join the Recording Academy.
Recording Academy voting members — artists, songwriters, producers, engineers and others active in the music industry — are eligible to vote for the annual Grammy Awards. In addition, members can submit product for Grammy Awards consideration, propose amendments to Grammy Awards rules, run for a Recording Academy board position or committee, vote in chapter elections, support fellow musicians through advocacy efforts and MusiCares, and engage with the academy’s Producers & Engineers Wing, Songwriters & Composers Wing, Black Music Collective and more.
The first-round voting period for the 67th Grammy Awards opens on Oct. 4 and closes on Oct. 15. The telecast is set for Feb. 2, 2025, at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Sabrina Carpenter has a lot to look forward to in the coming months – the release of her sixth studio album, Short n’ Sweet, on Aug. 23, and the announcement of the Grammy nominations on Nov. 8. Carpenter could be nominated in each of the Big Four categories – album, record and song of the year plus best new artist.
How, you might ask, can an artist be nominated for best new artist when they’re on their sixth album? The Recording Academy bases eligibility on when an artist “achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness,” not on the number of releases they have had.
The rules and guidelines booklet for the upcoming 67th Grammy Awards notes: “While there will be no specified maximum number of releases, the Screening Committee will be charged with determining whether the artist had attained a breakthrough or prominence prior to the eligibility year. Such a determination would result in disqualification.”
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The eligibility year for the upcoming Grammys began on Sept. 16, 2023. At that point, Carpenter had reached the Billboard Hot 100 with two singles – “Skin,” which debuted and peaked at No. 48 in February 2021, and “Nonsense,” which peaked at No. 56 in February 2023.
While Carpenter had never climbed above a so-so No. 48 on the Hot 100 prior to this eligibility year, she has been on fire in recent months, with her current single, “Please Please Please,” debuting at No. 2 last week and moving up to No. 1 this week.
As of that same date – the start date for this Grammy eligibility year – Carpenter had cracked the Billboard 200 with five albums or EPs, three of which made the top half of the chart – Eyes Wide Open, which debuted and peaked at No. 43 in May 2015; Evolution, which debuted and peaked at No. 28 in November 2016; and Emails I Can’t Send, which debuted and peaked at No. 23 in July 2022. None of these titles had been certified gold by the RIAA by Sept. 16, 2023. Emails went gold on March 1, 2024, amid her current breakthrough.
It’s always been hard to come up with hard-and-fast rules governing best new artist, which is probably why the description of the category in the rules and guidelines booklet is easily twice as long as the descriptions of album, record and song of the year, combined.
Carpenter has not been previously nominated for a Grammy, which generally results in disqualification from best new artist. And she has not been entered in the best new artist competition three times, which is an automatic disqualifier. Tate McRae has been entered three times (the last three years), so she is not eligible to be entered again. Carpenter has been entered twice – in 2017 and 2024, so she does not run afoul of that rule.
It will be up to the aforementioned Screening Committee to weigh all these factors and decide if Carpenter should be allowed to compete for best new artist. The key criteria: “This category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.”
The Academy can’t confirm what will or won’t be on the ballot until the screening process is completed. They don’t want to box themselves into a position, when it’s really the prerogative of the screening committee to make those decisions.
But that committee does generally seem to look for ways to include, rather than exclude artists in this category. They seem to recognize that new artists develop and break through at their own pace.
Shelby Lynne won the award in 2001 on the strength of her sixth album, I Am Shelby Lynne.
British singer-songwriter David Gray was on his fifth album when he was nominated the following year. Meghan Trainor had three self-released albums prior to her first studio album for Epic, for which she won in 2016. Maren Morris had released three albums for smaller labels prior to her Columbia Nashville debut, for which she was nominated in 2017.
Rapper Tobe Nwigwe, Brazilian singer Anitta, bluegrass artist Molly Tuttle, country/Americana duo The War and Treaty and country sensation Jelly Roll had also all released numerous projects prior to the breakthrough sets that brought them Grammy nods for best new artist.
The Academy was not always so welcoming to artists who took awhile to break though. There was a time in the 1980s when the Academy’s committee was too strict and disqualified some new artists who would have been worthy nominees or winners. Whitney Houston was disqualified from the new artist category because she had released a pair of duets with Teddy Pendergrass and Kashif prior to the release of her blockbuster 1985 debut. Richard Marx was disqualified because he had recorded a song (“Burning of the Heart”) on the soundtrack to the Tom Hanks/Jackie Gleason film Nothing in Common prior to his 1987 debut album. Today, such relatively minor pre-debut activities would probably not result in disqualification.
In other years, the Academy erred in being too lenient. Lauryn Hill won best new artist in 1999 even though she had won two Grammys as a member of Fugees two years previously. The trio had even performed a song from their album of the year nominee The Score on the 1997 Grammy telecast. (The rules have since been tightened up so such a thing could not occur again. From the rulebook: “Not eligible: Any artist with a previous Grammy nomination as a performer, including a nomination as an established member of a nominated group.”)
If the screening committee does accept Carpenter, they may be more apt to also allow two other “borderline” cases, Megan Moroney and Chappell Roan.
Moroney, 26, was passed over for a best new artist nod two years ago, when “Tennessee Orange” became a top 30 hit on the Hot 100. But she has continued to build. Her sophomore album, Am I Okay?, is due July 12. Moroney was nominated for the CMA Awards’ new artist of the year prize last year and won the ACM’s new female artist of the year prize (on her second try) in May.
Roan, also 26, was dropped by Atlantic Records following the release of a 2017 EP, School Nights. Her smash debut album was released through Island Records.
Other likely best new artist nominees include Benson Boone, Reneé Rapp, Sexyy Red, Shaboozey and Teddy Swims.
Other artists hoping for nominations should any of these presumed front-runners falter (or be ruled ineligible) include The Beaches, Dasha, Djo, Knox, October London, Tommy Richman, Nate Smith and Tigirlily Gold.
Last week, the Recording Academy unveiled a flurry of rule tweaks that will be implemented at the 2025 awards. Among these 10 changes, three are directly related to the dance/electronic categories and a fourth also affects the dance/electronic categories.
One of the changes involves an award that was introduced to the Grammys just this year, with the “best pop dance recording” category now being called “best dance pop recording.” This tweak is not just a matter of aesthetics, but meant to make the category more accurately reflect the well-established style of dance pop music it was created to showcase.
The proposal for this name change, reviewed by Billboard, stated that “last year we conceded with Recording Academy staff to amend the award name to ‘Pop Dance’ rather than ‘Dance Pop’ for the purposes of classifying and defining: ‘what kind of Dance’. However, the result of this decision has been one of regular confusion and clarification. Numerous articles in mainstream media would either ‘correct’ or get ‘confused’ or ‘incorrectly label’ the Grammy Award.
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“The confusion,” the proposal continues, “has also led some people to question if this is a Pop category award, or a Dance category award. It is of extreme importance to the Dance/Electronic community, and the driving intention of the invention of the award, that it be recognized in the Dance category, albeit for the most Pop-leaning sounds of Dance music.”
With this new category functioning as intended during its debut this year, this new change is likely to only help the category establish itself as a home for electronic music with a pop lean, allowing space in the best dance/electronic recording category for more traditional electronic tracks and generally creating more space for dance/electronic music at the Grammys.
The next rule change involves the best remixed recording category, which has long focused on dance/electronic artists but was never an official dance/electronic category.
That changes in 2025, with this category being moved from the production, engineering, composition & arrangement field into the pop & dance/electronic field, a shift that makes sense given how deeply remixing is embedded in and largely synonymous with the dance/electronic realm.
To wit, the 2024 nominees in this category included tech house titan Dom Dolla and longstanding producer Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, with winners since the award was introduced in 1998 having included genre legends like Frankie Knuckles, Deep Dish, Roger Sanchez, Louie Vega, Justice, David Guetta, Skrillex and Tiësto.
The next tweak changes the name of the “best dance/electronic music album” to “best dance/electronic album.” The title change was made given that the word “music” was more or less considered unnecessary.
More crucially, this change also amends the definition of the category, which now states that “albums must be made up of at least 50% dance/electronic recordings to qualify.” This change is quite likely a result of the nomination of and subsequent win for Beyoncè’s Renaissance in 2023. Given that the album is not composed entirely of dance/electronic music, Renaissance‘s inclusion in the dance/electronic album category was the cause of major debate within the electronic music community.
Many felt it wasn’t a purely dance/electronic album, while others embraced it not only for its music but for how it shined a light on the Black and LGBTQ origins of the genre music itself. Given this definition change, however, it’s possible a similar album might be included in the dance/electronic album category going forward.
And while the final change is one that affects many categories, it’s especially significant for dance music. The tweak states that all eligibly credited featured artists with under 50% playtime will now be awarded a winners’ certificate for all genre album categories. These certificates previously went only to producers and engineers with less than 50% playing time; mastering engineers (if they weren’t also the artist) and immersive producers and immersive engineer/mixers.
“Most often,” the proposal for this change stated, “a Featured Artist would be a Vocalist that performed on one or multiple songs on the record, but didn’t achieve 50% playtime as a whole (otherwise they would be a Grammy winner).”
While featured artists could still previously get a certificate, this certificate did not come automatically, and many featured artists were unaware that they were eligible to apply for a certificate, which also previously cost $150. This was different from the process for contributors like engineers and producers, who received certificates automatically and didn’t have to pay the fee.
The Rules and Guidelines booklet for the upcoming 67th annual Grammy Awards sheds some light on certificates: “Individuals on a Grammy-winning recording whose roles are listed under Certificate receive a Winners Certificate from the Academy after the telecast but are not Grammy nominees or Grammy winners. These individuals can say they ‘worked on a Grammy winning project’ but are not ‘Grammy winners.’
“Additionally, those who worked in certain roles on Grammy-winning and Grammy-nominated projects but are not nominees, winners or recipients of Winners Certificates can order a Participation Certificate. These can be ordered for a fee from the Academy website.”
The proposal, introduced by members of the electronic music community, argued that in dance, this difference “disproportionately affects female creators or people of color,” stating that “vocalists in the Dance/Electronic community are predominantly people of color and female.” The last four winning albums in dance/electronic category (Fred again’s Actual Life 3 (January 1 – September 9 2022), Beyoncè’s Renaissance, Black Coffee’s Subconciously and Kaytranada’s Bubba) included 27 featured artists, 14 of whom are women and 21 of whom are people of color.
Given that the dance/electronic categories have had a dicey history in terms of representing women and people of color, this change opens up the category to recognize a more diverse group of artists. The change was co-proposed by Aluna, who last year expressed frustration about the number of white men nominated in the categories.
“You can say awards are bullshit but they ARE career builders,” the producer/writer/singer and label founder wrote upon the announcement of the new rule tweaks. “Today I got word that a change I fought for was implemented at the Grammys and I want to explain why it’s MASSIVE! As a Black woman in Dance music you get the message loud and clear; your value is as the Featured Artist not the main act. Labels, managers, leading (white male) artists in the field, festival bookers and media all tell us that our voices are incredibly valuable but investing in us as artists is rarely on the table.
“Now, while I can’t change this culture overnight with my label Noir Fever,” the statement continues, “I saw that while being featured artists is our bread and butter, it’s someone else’s Grammy award so there’s a simple shift that could be made; Featured artists need the credit they deserve when contributing to Albums. In the past if you poured your heart into a song on another artists’ Album that won you still went home with nothing. Now I’m proud to share that every featured artist who has sung on a Grammy winning album will get a certificate.”
Miley Cyrus was a ride-or-die pal of Beyoncé‘s long before their “II Most Wanted” collaboration dropped on the latter’s Cowboy Carter earlier this year.
And in her new W Magazine cover story published Monday (June 3), the “Flowers” singer opened up about how her yearslong friendship with Queen Bey indirectly inspired their decision to team up on the country-Western duet. “I wrote that song, like, two and a half years ago,” she said of “II Most Wanted,” which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April. “When Beyoncé reached out to me about music, I thought of it right away because it really encompasses our relationship.”
“I told her, ‘We don’t have to get country; we are country. We’ve been country,’” she continued. “Getting to write a song, not just sing, for Beyoncé was a dream come true.”
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Cyrus added that she’s been tight with the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer since they both participated in a 2008 performance for Stand Up to Cancer alongside Mary J. Blige, Mariah Carey and more female stars. “I was sandwiched between Beyoncé and Rihanna,” she recalled, noting that she was just 14 at the time. “They were protective of me.”
The Hannah Montana alum added that she often chats with Bey over text, sometimes discussing the similarities between their moms. “I think it’s a really cute part of our relationship, because over the past couple of years, I’ve really locked down on my privacy and on what I share with the public,” Cyrus told the publication. “She’s the same way. Part of our relationship is the safety between us.”
Both women were present at the 2024 Grammys in February, where Cyrus won awards for the first time, thanks to “Flowers” nabbing both best pop solo performance and record of the year. In the interview, the “Wrecking Ball” musician was candid about the milestone, revealing that she feels as though the recognition was long overdue.
“No shade, but I’ve been doing this for 20 years, and this is my first time actually being taken seriously at the Grammys,” she said. “I’ve had a hard time figuring out what the measurement is there, because if we want to talk stats and numbers, then where the f–k was I? And if you want to talk, like, impact on culture, then where the f–k was I? This is not about arrogance. I am proud of myself.”
See Cyrus’ W cover, plus photos from the shoot, below.
Miley Cyrus Covers W Magazine’s Volume 3, The Pop Issue
Alasdair McLellan/W Magazine
Miley Cyrus
Alasdair McLellan/W Magazine
Miley Cyrus
Alasdair McLellan/W Magazine
Nineteen people have been elected or re-elected to the Recording Academy’s 42-member board of trustees, including Taylor Hanson, a member of the brother trio Hanson, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in 1997 with “MMMBop”; Sara Gazarek, who won her first Grammy on Feb. 4 for helping to arrange a new version of the classic “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning”; and publishing veteran Mike Knobloch, president of music and publishing at NBCUniversal. Their terms took effect on Saturday (June 1).
“I’m honored to welcome this amazing group of creatives to our board of trustees,” Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, said in a statement. “Our board’s expertise and dedication to helping music people everywhere has been essential to all we have achieved at the Academy. However, the work never stops, and I look forward to working alongside our new and current trustees on ways we can continue to provide guidance for our music community.”
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Of the 42 trustees that serve on the national board, 30 are elected by the chapter board of governors (15 each year) and eight are elected directly by voting and professional members of the Academy (four each year). The remaining four seats are comprised of the national trustee officers, who are elected by the board of trustees once every two years. The current national trustee officers, who are all currently midterm, are Tammy Hurt (chair), Dr. Chelsey Green (vice chair), Gebre Waddell (secretary/treasurer) and Christine Albert (chair emeritus).
“Welcoming our newly elected trustees is always such an exciting time at the Academy,” Hurt said in a statement. “With new ideas to contribute to our board and the eagerness to helping change music, I have no doubt that together this year’s board of trustees will continue our commitment to fostering a diverse and representative music industry.”
The 2024-25 board includes six Grammy winners, including two who just won prizes at the 66th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 4. Those newly-minted winners are J. Ivy, who won best spoken word poetry album for the second year in a row for The Light Inside, and Gazarek, who won best arrangement, instruments and vocals for the aforementioned new version of “In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning” by säje featuring Jacob Collier.
The four other Grammy winners on the current board are Angélique Kidjo, who won her fifth Grammy two years ago, for best global music album for Mother Nature; songwriter Jonathan Yip, who won two Grammys six years ago for co-writing the Bruno Mars smash “That’s What I Like”; Ledisi, who won best traditional R&B performance three years ago for “Anything for You”; and Cheche Alara, who won best Latin pop album five years ago for Sincera.
Three members of the current board of trustees served on the Recording Academy’s all-important television committee for the 66th Grammy Awards: Alara, Hurt and Knobloch.
All positions on the board of trustees are subject to two, two-year term limits.
These newly elected or re-elected trustees joined the Academy’s midterm trustees to uphold the Academy’s mission, which the Academy says is “to serve and represent the music community at-large through its commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, fight for creators’ rights, protect music people in need, preserve music’s history, and invest in its future.”
You can find the full list of the Academy’s board of trustees, chapter officers and bylaws here.
The full list of the Academy’s board of trustees is shown below. An asterisk signifies that they were elected or re-elected this year.
Cheche Alara*
Christine Albert
Marcella Araica
Julio Bagué
Nikisha Bailey*
Larry Batiste
Marcus Baylor
Jennifer Blakeman*
Evan Bogart
Torae Carr*
Dani Deahl*
Maria Egan*
Fletcher Foster*
Anna Frick
EJ Gaines*
Kennard Garrett
Sara Gazarek*
Tracy Gershon
Dr. Chelsey Green
Dave Gross*
Jennifer Hanson
Taylor Hanson*
Justin “Henny” Henderson*
Tammy Hurt
J. Ivy
Terry Jones*
Angelique Kidjo
Mike Knobloch*
Ledisi
Eric Lilavois
Susan Marshall
Riggs Morales
Donn Thompson Morelli “Donn T”
Ms. Meka Nism*
Ashley Shabankareh*
Ken Shepherd*
Jessica Thompson*
Gebre Waddell
Paul Wall
Wayna
Tamara Wellons*
Jonathan Yip
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