State Champ Radio Grammys
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DJ Khaled is set to appear on the 2023 Grammy Awards telecast with collaborators Fridayy, Jay-Z, John Legend, Lil Wayne and Rick Ross to perform “God Did,” which is nominated for song of the year, best rap song and best rap performance.
DJ Khaled is also nominated for album of the year and best rap album for the album of the same name. “Beautiful,” another track from the album, is up for best melodic rap performance.
Jay’s participation in the collaboration means he is sure to be in the house for what is expected to be a big night for his wife, Beyoncé. Bey is up for nine awards, more than any other artist this year. If she wins three of them, she will tie the late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti for the most Grammys ever. If she wins four, she’ll set a new record.
Jay-Z is nominated for five awards, including double nominations for song of the year. He is nominated in that marquee category for co-writing both “God Did” and Bey’s “Break My Soul.” If he wins even one of his five nominations, he’ll surpass Kanye West as the most-awarded rap artist in history. The two rap stars are currently tied for that distinction with 24 wins each.
This year’s Grammys will have a strong hip-hop emphasis. On Thursday (Feb. 2), the Academy announced a star-studded salute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. LL Cool J will host the segment, which will include performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel and Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort.
Lizzo and Mary J. Blige, the longtime queen of hip-hop soul, are also set to perform on the show. In addition, Quavo will be joined by Maverick City Music for a performance of Quavo’s sentimental ballad “Without You” to honor Takeoff, who died on Nov. 1 at just 28.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah. The show will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The Recording Academy made its first performers announcement on Wednesday (Jan. 25), revealing a slate of Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Blige, Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, and Sam Smith and Kim Petras. Harry Styles was announced as an addition to the lineup on Sunday (Jan. 29) during the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game.
On Wednesday (Feb. 1), the Academy announced that the In Memoriam segment at the 2023 Grammy Awards will include breakout tributes to three diverse artists who died last fall — Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie and Takeoff.
Kacey Musgraves will perform Lynn’s 1970 classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in tribute to the country legend, who died on Oct. 4 at age 90; Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt will team to perform “Songbird” from Fleetwood Mac’s album of the year-winning Rumours to honor McVie, who died on Nov. 30 at age 79.
Earlier Friday, the Academy announced that Stevie Wonder would be performing in a spot that features his longtime Motown colleague Smokey Robinson as well as country star Chris Stapleton.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Kapoor serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Winston and Jesse Collins as executive producers. Phil Heyes joins the team for the first time as director. Eric Cook is co-executive producer with Tabitha Dumo, Tiana Gandelman, Patrick Menton and David Wild as producers.
Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on live.Grammy.com. Randy Rainbow, a first-time Grammy nominee this year for best comedy album for A Little Brains, A Little Talent, is co-hosting the show. His co-host has yet to be named.
Latto opened up about her prediction for best new artist, who she plans to bring to the Grammys and more during her interview with Billboard News. Sporting a fire-engine red pantsuit, the “Big Energy” rapper discussed her two nominations — best new artist and best melodic rap performance — saying that despite her start in 2016, she still categorizes herself as a new artist.
“Every month I feel like I’m constantly evolving,” she explains. “Especially the content I’m about to roll out — it’s a whole fresh new me.”
Latto recently released one of her raciest leaked tracks, “Another Nasty Song,” after the snippet gained traction online and was demanded by fans, including fellow rapper Cardi B. The song came on the heels of her collaborative single “FTCU” alongside GloRIlla and late rapper Gangsta Boo.
One of 10 best new artist nominees — including Muni Long, Anitta, Omar Apollo and DOMi & JD Beck — Latto bet on herself as the winner of the category. That is, before she found out that in an earlier Billboard News interview, fellow nominee Anitta said Latto would come out on top. “I don’t want her to say that or think that,” Latto said before changing her prediction. “I think Anitta is gonna win!”
When it comes to who the burgeoning star is bringing to music’s biggest night, it’s a no-brainer. Latto, who is extremely family-oriented, recruited her mother, Misti, and sister Brooklyn Nikole to be by her side, win or lose. “My mama, she too humble. So I’m telling her take my card, go get you something, she’s like, ‘No!’” Latto shares. “I’m like, ‘Girl, this is the Grammys!’”
The rapper is understandably excited for her Grammy nominations, sharing that she’ll be documenting every moment of the night. “I’m gonna have to tell my kids about me going to the Grammys for the first time,” she adds.
The 2023 Grammys will take place at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena, and broadcasts live on CBS while streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+ on Feb. 5 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT.
The Recording Academy held is second annual Black Music Collective event Thursday (Feb. 2) at the Hollywood Palladium, where Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne and Epic Records CEO Sylvia Rhone were this year’s honorees during an evening honoring hip-hop and the past, present and future of Black music.
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Established in 2020, the Black Music Collective “is a hub for power players in Black music, across all genres, under the Grammy roof, bringing together creative geniuses and business leaders to set unified goals, align on a shared agenda, and build community.” Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. told Billboard on the black carpet that he hopes this event, which was first held in Las Vegas last year, “continues to be a place people want to gather and want to celebrate Black excellence. I want this to be known as a place where we honor and respect Black music, and I hope that people will realize that the Academy is paying close attention to what’s happening in our music industry in every genre, but specifically in Black music.”
There were as many examples of Black excellence in the audience as there were on stage, including Lil’ Kim, Lucky Daye, Joey Bada$$, Ebonie Ward and many more, who were all deliciously treated to a menu dedicated to the honorees’ craft, including the “Carter III (Triple C’s)” (cornbread with crab and caviar), “Up in Smoke” (free range chicken with truffle BBQ sauce and pineapple), “California Love” (crispy cauliflower with BBQ miso glaze and benne) and “Sock It 2 Me” (chocolate wavy waffle with roasted plantain gelato). Among all the glitz and glam, Swizz Beatz praised “Queen” “Sylvia Rhone the Great” before commanding the audience to give her a standing ovation and twirling the executive on stage before presenting her with the Recording Academy Global Impact Award.
“It’s been a lot of years for me in hip-hop, and it’s even more special to me amongst this elite group of artists with Dr. Dre, Missy Elliott, Lil Wayne, each of whom I’ve had the privilege of working with throughout my career,” she said, adding how she was “excited for the future of Epic Records. And yes, that includes Future, but Future’s not in his seat yet, but I must say Future has had an amazing year…. And then along with Travis Scott and 21 Savage, we are starting to build a really strong hip-hop roster. But it’s nights like these that keep me revitalized. They serve as a powerful reminder that hip-hop was a calling. As we celebrate its 50th anniversary, it’s gratifying to see how far we actually have come. Rising from the embers of the Civil Rights Movement, hip-hop emerged as a revolutionary art form. What was once thought to be a momentary effect is now embedded in the fabrics of our daily lives, from fashion and shoes to film to fine art to television to technology and beyond. We have made history. We have changed lives. We are mighty. And we are worldwide.”
Busta Rhymes praised Rhone for believing in his vision when it came to filming outrageous, multimillion-dollar music videos and encouraged everyone at the Palladium to “f–k the cool sh–” and “undo your little bowtie” as he performed “Put Your Hands Where Your Eyes Can See,” “I Know What You Want,” his verse from Chris Brown‘s “Look at Me Now” and “Pass the Courvoisier, Part II” with Jermaine Dupri on stage.
Ciara and Mona Scott-Young then introduced Missy, with Ci Ci hailing her as “the true definition of a legend, an icon, an ultimate rockstar” and Scott-Young recalling a phone call she received from Rhone 26 years ago about managing Missy, a fruitful relationship that continues to this day. “You have changed the world, changed the way we see ourselves, changed the way we experience music. And for that, I thank you,” she said before the “Work It” MC tearfully accepted her award on stage while Wayne bowed down to her in the audience.
“This will never get old to me. I’ve won a lot of awards and I feel the same way,” she said while choking back sobs. “People don’t understand that this is a Global Impact Award. It’s not just neighborhood, it’s global. So it hits different when you stand up here, knowing that when you get something like this, you gotta know that you’ve been through a lot.”
Chloe Bailey paid homage to Missy’s production credits by performing a cover of Aaliyah‘s “One in a Million” as well as “One Minute Man,” while Tweet sang “Oops (Oh My)” and Ciara returned to the stage to perform double duty on their hit singles “1, 2 Step” and “Lose Control.”
Mason Jr. then introduced Dr. Dre, whom he called “one of the founding fathers of modern music” and a super producer he looked up to. “To tell you the truth, I was a little bit nervous when Harvey called me about this award because I was wondering if he knew something I didn’t. I was thinking to myself that they usually give this type of sh– to dead people,” he wisecracked, the venue erupting with laughter and later applause when prompted by Dre to “make some noise for hip-hop” in honor of the genre’s 50th anniversary. “The birth of hip-hop completely changed the course of my life. Just imagine where a lot of Black men, including myself, would be without hip-hop. I was in junior high school when I had ever heard hip-hop for the first time. I heard mixing and scratching, I couldn’t get enough of that sound. And once I got my hands on the turntables, I knew I had found my wings and I was determined to know how to fly.”
Snoop Dogg took it back to the ’90s with a performance of Dre’s debut solo single “Deep Cover” and continued the West Coast hip-hop celebration by bringing up Kurupt for “Nuthin’ But a ‘G’ Thang” and Ty Dolla $ign, who was wearing a Nate Dogg T-shirt, for “Ain’t No Fun (if the Homies Can’t Have None).”
DJ Khaled repeatedly proclaimed, “They didn’t believe in us, but Lil Wayne did!” as a revised mantra from their three-time Grammy-nominated song “God Did.” He proceeded to tell the story about how he witnessed Wayne meet Birdman at Odyssey, a record store in New Orleans that Khaled used to work at and DJ behind the counter. “The reason why I want to tell you that story is the consistency is Lil Wayne. The word ‘winner’ is Lil Wayne,” he said, exalting him for signing the next generation of superstars Drake and Nicki Minaj, the former of whom appeared via video and took a subtle dig at the Recording Academy by falsely presenting the Global Impact Award to Ed Sheeran.
“Good evening, Grammys. Wow, I haven’t said that since about 2016. My name’s Drake and I’m here tonight on behalf of the Black Music Collective,” he smirked while pulling his glasses down to wink at the camera, “to present the Global Impact Award to Ed Sheeran.” Then a man appears to Drake’s right and whispers in his ear. “Lil Wayne? Lil Wayne. Oh, makes sense,” Drizzy corrects himself sarcastically. “My brother — that’s a lot better, by the way — I love you so much. And I don’t want to make this personal because the Global Impact Award would be about how you affected everybody not just me. I know I probably get annoying with saying how much you mean to me and my family. I speak on behalf of everybody when I say our careers, our cadences, our melodies, maybe our face tats or our outfits or our decisions in general would not have been the same without your natural gift to just be yourself.”
Wayne’s daughter Reginae Carter contributed to the outpouring of love for Wayne, telling Billboard on the carpet earlier that evening, “I’ve been texting my daddy like every other day like, ‘I’m so proud of you. Congrats.’ You see the rapper, you don’t see the father much,” she explained. “He’s always been big on my education, big on just how I carry myself. I thank him and my mom for the woman that I became today.”
But while 2 Chainz performed their “Duffle Bag Boyz” collab, Swizz got back on the mic to rap their “Uproar” joint and former Young Money signee Tyga paid tribute to him by performing “A Milli” with a full band courtesy of the night’s musical director Adam Blackstone, Wayne remained in disbelief at the recognition.
“I want y’all to know that I don’t get honored. Where I’m from, New Orleans, you’re not supposed to do this,” the “Lollipop” rapper cautioned the audience sincerely before running down a long list of thank you’s, including his children and their mothers, his manager and Young Money Entertainment president Mack Maine, his former manager and Blueprint Group CEO Cortez Bryant and Cash Money Records. “Coming from New Orleans, Cash Money Records was if you was from Dallas and you just got signed to the Cowboys. They signed me when I was 12. I put out my first album when I was 13. This man Khaled had to tell you about that record store. The reason why I would be in that record store was because we didn’t have a picture on the front of the album cover, so to prove to my homies and to my friends at school that it’s really me, we had to go to the record store, I have to show them the album, flip it around and show them it says ‘Dwayne Carter.’ That man Khaled was in there every time, he witnessed that. Ladies and gentlemen, again, we don’t get honored.”
Trevor Noah previewed his role as the host for the 2023 Grammy Awards in a new interview on Tuesday (Jan. 31), and confirmed a couple of as-yet-unannounced superstars will be hitting the stage to perform.
“One of your favorite performers is a woman, and that woman is going to be performing at the Grammys,” the three-time host revealed on People‘s Every Day podcast. “Then one of your other favorite performers is a man, and that man is going to be performing at the Grammys, and you’re going, ‘Oh, but that could be anyone.’ But you know, it’s not anyone though because you’ve been listening to their album the whole year and it’s been huge.”
While the former host of The Daily Show remained mum on the two performers’ identities, whomever they are, they’ll be joining the roster of previously announced performers that includes Harry Styles, Sam Smith and Kim Petras, Bad Bunny, Lizzo, Luke Combs, Mary J. Blige, Steve Lacy and Brandi Carlile. Earlier this week, The Recording Academy also shared that the telecast will celebrate 50 years of hip-hop with an LL Cool J-introduced segment featuring Busta Rhymes, Ice-T, Missy Elliott and more.
Elsewhere during the interview, Noah confessed that he’s not usually the type of fan to listen to albums in full, but made an exception for this year’s pack of nominees. “I’ve enjoyed everything that’s come up this year,” he said. “Everything from DJ Khaled and Jay-Z and what they did together. And I’ve loved Kendrick [Lamar’s] work and Beyoncé was a soundtrack of my life. Harry Styles followed me around everywhere I went. So in many ways, the Grammys is always a wonderful celebration of the soundtrack of your year, the ups and downs, the highs, the lows, the joys and the sadnesses.”
The 65th annual Grammy Awards will air Sunday (Feb. 5) on CBS. Listen to Noah’s complete pre-Grammys interview below.
This Sunday (Feb. 5), the Grammys will celebrate a landmark anniversary, as the show enters its 65th year of serving as music’s biggest night.
When the awards first debuted in 1959, there were only 22 total categories and no live performances, and the ceremonies were held in New York and Los Angeles at the same time and never aired nationally. This year, there’ll be 91 total awards given out – including five brand new ones – as well as much-anticipated performances from nominated stars like Harry Styles, Bad Bunny and Lizzo, with the ceremonies airing live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
To commemorate the milestone Grammys, we at Billboard are digging back into show’s history to find the moment from each of the previous 64 years that most defined that year’s ceremony. Sometimes those are dramatic wins or unforgettable performances – but they also include unexpected fashion statements, memorable presentations, and, of course, a stage crasher or two. Some of them speak to the power of the Grammys in commemorating (or even creating) the most important and impactful musical moments of the year, and some of them are just the kind of surreal and unnerving happenings that tend to transpire when you get dozens of the biggest names in music in the same room for the evening.
From Chubby Checker to Stevie Wonder to Jethro Tull to SOY BOMB to the Chicks to BTS, come relive six and a half decades’ worth of Grammys greatness and weirdness with us — and find out which moments will be joining this proud legacy come Sunday night.
Stevie Wonder will perform on the Grammy telecast on Sunday, Feb. 5, in a spot that will feature two other famous artists — Smokey Robinson and Chris Stapleton. The performance was announced on CBS Mornings on Friday (Feb. 3). CBS has broadcast the Grammys since 1973.
Stapleton, an eight-time Grammy winner, is a nominee this year for best country song for “I’ll Love You Till The Day I Die.” He and Rodney Crowell co-wrote the song, which was recorded by Willie Nelson.
Robinson is this year’s recipient of the MusiCares Person of the Year award, along with Motown founder Berry Gordy. The award will be presented at a gala tonight in Los Angeles. Robinson received a Grammy Legend Award in 1990 and a lifetime achievement award in 1999, but he has won just one Grammy in competition (for performing his 1987 hit “Just to See Her”). The fact the one of the greatest songwriters of all time has never won a songwriting Grammy is not something that is likely to be mentioned tonight.
Wonder has amassed 25 Grammys over the years and is the only artist ever to win album of the year with three consecutive studio albums. Adele has a chance to equal that feat on Sunday if she wins for her latest album, 30. In addition to his competitive wins, Wonder received a lifetime achievement award from the Recording Academy in 1996.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles and will be hosted for the third year in a row by Emmy-winning comedian Trevor Noah. The show will be broadcast live on Sunday, Feb. 5, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS, and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.
The Recording Academy made its first performers announcement on Wednesday (Jan. 25), revealing that Lizzo, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, and Sam Smith and Kim Petras would take the stage. Harry Styles was announced as an addition to the lineup on Sunday (Jan. 29) during the fourth quarter of the AFC Championship game.
On Wednesday (Feb. 1), the Academy said that the In Memoriam segment at the 2023 Grammy Awards will include breakout tributes to three diverse artists who died last fall — Loretta Lynn, Christine McVie and Takeoff.
Kacey Musgraves will perform Lynn’s 1970 classic “Coal Miner’s Daughter” in tribute to the country legend, who died on Oct. 4 at age 90; Sheryl Crow, Mick Fleetwood and Bonnie Raitt will team to perform “Songbird” from Fleetwood Mac’s album of the year-winning Rumours to honor McVie, who died on Nov. 30 at age 79; and Maverick City Music will join Quavo for Quavo’s sentimental ballad “Without You” to honor Takeoff, who died on Nov. 1 at just 28.
On Thursday (Feb. 2), the Academy announced a star-studded salute to the 50th anniversary of hip-hop. LL Cool J will host the segment, which will include performances by Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort.
The 65th Annual Grammy Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Kapoor serves as showrunner and executive producer, alongside Winston and Jesse Collins as executive producers. Phil Heyes joins the team for the first time as director. Eric Cook is co-executive producer with Tabitha Dumo, Tiana Gandelman, Patrick Menton and David Wild as producers.
Prior to the telecast, the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony will be broadcast live from the Microsoft Theater at 12:30 p.m. PT and will be streamed live on live.Grammy.com. Randy Rainbow, a first-time Grammy nominee this year for best comedy album for A Little Brains, A Little Talent, is co-hosting the show. His co-host has yet to be named.
Dance music is arguably having one of its biggest years ever at the Grammy Awards, led by our Queen Beyoncé, nominated in both best dance/electronic recording and best dance/electronic album for her club-oriented LP Renaissance and its life-giving lead single, “Break My Soul.”
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That nomination caused a stir in the dance music community, with many celebrating its inclusion as a win for the Black and queer roots of dance music, the leading dance producers who worked on the LP, and the visibility of house music in the mainstream realm while others side-eyed it as not entirely of the dance world.
Beyond the presence of this pop icon, the rest of the nominees are tried and true Grammy favorites, with previous winners Diplo, Kaytranada, David Guetta and RÜFÜS DU SOL all up for awards along with seven-time nominee Bonobo and three-time nominee ODESZA.
What does it all mean? Ahead of the presentation of the dance categories on the Grammys pre-telecast this Sunday (Feb. 5), we hash it all out.
In 2023, the Grammys have fully settled into their post-nominations review committee era, meaning the dance categories, among others, were determined by majority vote rather than a panel of experts. How do you think the removal of these review committees has affected the dance nominees pool this year?
ZEL MCCARTHY: Do you remember a few years ago when a woman rode a horse into a nightclub in South Beach? I think they got as far as the dance floor before the horse got spooked, the rider got thrown, and unbridled chaos was unleashed. Of course, it’s the album artwork of Renaissance that makes this club tale apposite, as Beyoncé, a divine being known primarily as a pop artist, rode a mirrorball-encrusted horse into the proverbial club that is the Dance Field this year and the result is chaotic. Disco visual aesthetics notwithstanding, “Break My Soul” is really a house-inspired record more than an actual dance track, but the Robin S sample is its stable pass into the paddock. Plus, as a tune, it undeniably slaps.
That said, Renaissance is not a dance album. The Grammys seem to know this, since two of the album’s tracks earned noms in the R&B and Traditional R&B fields. Given the exacting parameters each field establishes for itself, it strains credulity that some sort of nominations review committee-type invisible hand didn’t have something to do with leading this horse to the wrong starting line, perhaps in an effort to bolster the category’s star power, or maybe improve the jockey’s own record-breaking stats in this year’s derby. Either way, everybody knows that, when someone lets a horse into a club, you gotta shut it down.
KAT BEIN: I think the obvious knee-jerk reaction is to say, “Beyonce’s inclusion in the dance category seems to be a clear-cut result of this change,” but in reality, the dance category has long been a haven for strange pop inclusion. Should David Guetta and Bebe Rexha‘s “I’m Good (Blue)” be nominated simply because David Guetta was once a serious French DJ and producer, and this track interpolates a Eurodance hit from 25 years ago? Yeah, it has synths, but it has more hallmarks of modern pop music than electronic history. It’s a pop homage to the dance world… which is basically what Beyoncé’s album is as well, although Bey brings a touch more art to the table.
I think the greater issue at play, if it is at all an issue (and people seem to think there is one), is how we define electronic dance as a genre versus modern pop, which is all made with synths and electronic sounds. That issue already existed. I don’t think The Chainsmokers have been a dance act since “Closer” came out, and are rather a pop band, but we draw these weird lines to keep them in the “dance” category, as far as the industry seems to be concerned.
I don’t think much has actually changed in regard to nominations in the dance categories compared to anything that was nominated in the last five years. A major pop act just decided to make a dance record and submit for inclusion, and the timing is coincidental. We’ll see if the changes have any long-term effects.
KATIE BAIN: Without review committees in the mix to add a layer of tastemaking, it seems the dance Grammys have really settled upon a group of name recognition artists that feel safe and respectable, if not innovative, to nominate each year. No disrespect to any of these nominated acts, whom I’m generally all fans of, but to see the same artists over and over, and the same artists in both categories, in a genre that’s so incredibly diverse has to be at least partially a function of the review committees going away.
Is there anything surprising to you about this batch of nominees?
ZM: Given the bounty of excellent albums released this past year, it’s surprising that voters would have opted for three tonally similar albums of adult contemporary electronica and an album that is tantamount to a mixtape of singles from Diplo. Like, nothing here is technically bad, but is anything here inspiring?
On the recording side, the five nominees have so little in common with each other musically, it’s hard to compare them. Like the last few years, however, this category includes one or two tracks that are so forgettable, their inclusion speaks to the achievement of nomination campaigns above all.
KRYSTAL RODRIGUEZ: I wasn’t very surprised. I think many dance music fans would have predicted most of these artists, and some are also Grammy dance-category darlings. (Bonobo and RÜFÜS have each been nominated for best dance/electronic recording in three out of the last four years, for example.) What gets me is the overlap: not just in the nominees’ musical styles, but how many of them appear in both categories. Yes, these artists are very prominent in the dance community, but they represent only a sliver of what our vast world has to offer. Some diversity would be nice, along with new and fresh names.
KAT BEIN: I think people were surprised to see Beyoncé, but now that I sit with it, nothing is shocking.
KATIE BAIN: I’m both surprised and unsurprised by how unsurprising this batch of nominees feels.
Let’s talk about snubs! Who didn’t get the nod and should have?
ZM: The majority of dance and electronic music is instrumental and not song-based in the way pop, rock and other mainstream genres are. There are entire genres of house, techno, ambient, and experimental music that are worthy of consideration, but it’s hard to expect artists to join the Academy and seek that recognition given what the awards currently honor. For instance, if the membership does have an understanding of DJing and electronic music production as art forms, it isn’t reflected in the nomination of a cover version of a late ’90s novelty Eurodance record.
KR: I would have liked to see Eliza Rose & Interplanetary Criminal’s “B.O.T.A. (Baddest Of Them All)” in contention for best dance/electronic recording. It represents so much of the last couple years in music—the rise of U.K. club music, TikTok-viral success stories, sampling an older song and updating it for today’s dance floors. It’s also just really cute and fun and good!
The lack of Fred Again.. in either category is also surprising. With huge tracks such as “Jungle,” a full album, a Swedish House Mafia collab, a sold-out tour and a widely talked-about Coachella debut, it was the kind of star-making year that you’d think would be capped off by a Grammy nod.
KAT BEIN: As Krystal said, was anything Fred Again.. released possible to nominate? He is literally the biggest thing in dance music right now. His music and hype is so omnipresent, the mere phrase “Fred Again.. vibes” has become a meme as artists in any corner of house music desperately seek to carve out a slice of said hype, ironically or not. I was at Portola Festival in San Francisco, and they had to shut the whole warehouse stage down because it was so full of people, they were gonna break a fire penal code. Not that popularity alone should demand nominations, but he’s everywhere else. Why not the nom list?
Also, I feel Shygirl would have been a great artist to nominate for almost anything. She works with incredible producers and brings a fabulous energy to her tracks, and definitely creates inside the rave music space. Her work is also pushing the envelope in an interesting way, which deserves reward. I also feel they should have given Swedish House Mafia some love as the legacy act! That album was really fun!
KATIE BAIN: I agree with everything that’s been said here, particularly how weird the exclusion of Fred Again.. is. Over at the Brit Awards he’s nominated for album of the year, artist of the year and best dance artist. Given the incredible success he’s had and how widely beloved his music is, a nomination for him really could’ve marked a new type of dance music crossover at the Grammys. Feels like a missed opportunity. And yes Kat, I was also rooting for Swedish House Mafia.
If Drake‘s Honestly, Nevermind — which leaned fully into the sounds of of the moment underground house — had been submitted to the Grammys, would these categories look different?
ZM: Even if 2023 Drake was cool with trophies like 2019 Drake was, it’s hard to imagine him getting behind Honestly, Nevermind. As an artist who feeds off of his audience, despite critical acclaim, it feels like there wasn’t enough of a popular response to the album to keep him interested in promoting it and thus, he fulfills the promise of the album title in the process.
KR: I don’t think so. Based upon the reactions following its release, Honestly, Nevermind was not particularly well-received. (I find that mildly bizarre, considering the success of his previous dance-inspired singles like “Take Care” and “Passionfruit.”) Maybe in an alternate world it slides into best album on Drake’s name alone, but beyond that, I don’t think it would be successful.
KAT BEIN: I am one of the biggest Drake fans, historically, and I just did not listen to that album in full. I started it and then I was like, “Honestly, nevermind.” I really liked seeing his Instagram posts from Ibiza, I will say that much.
KATIE BAIN: I love this album, but given the other nominees in this category, I’m not sure the Grammys are up to speed on the type of underground house it showcases. So, nah.
Best dance/electronic recording. Who will win? Who should win?
ZM: “Break My Soul” will win. Kaytranada & H.E.R.’s “Intimidated” is a worthy rival to Bey, but if the Queen deserves any award this year, it might as well be this one.
KR: “Break My Soul.” A hit, a moment, a lifestyle.
KAT BEIN: “Break My Soul” is an uplifting track with an uplifting music video, and she’s the winningest woman in Grammy history. Personally, I like the RÜFÜS song the most. It has the most dynamics and interesting sounds in it, which is I guess how I rate music. I also like the Diplo song, in spite of myself.
KATIE BAIN: “Break My Soul.” It will, and it should, win, particularly given that this category wasn’t even around when the music that inspired the song was in its heyday during the early and mid-’90s.
Best dance/electronic album. Who will win? Who should win?
ZM: Beyoncé should win, but not because Renaissance is a great dance album; it’s just a better body of work than the four other underwhelming nominees.
KR: A win for Renaissance is a win for Honey Dijon, Green Velvet, Luke Solomon, house music and disco.
KAT BEIN: Geez, my logic for Best Dance/Electronic Recording said Beyoncé, so maybe Beyoncé. Who should win? I think ODESZA did a really interesting excavation of themselves on The Last Goodbye, and I’m a sucker for interesting stories and artists who try. I have some friends who helped produce the Diplo album, and I would selfishly love to see them get Grammys. I think these are all good albums with merit, but I struggle to say these albums moved the needle forward for the art of electronic dance music in general. So, in a weird way, maybe Beyoncé does deserve to win by virtue of being the most conversational?
KATIE BAIN: Beyoncé will undoubtedly win and, as Krystal said, that’s undoubtedly a very good thing for further visibility of its collaborators and themes. I do have a soft spot in my heart for ODESZA, who probably thought it was theirs to lose until Beyoncé rode in on her crystal horse. Considering that there were five years between this and their last album, it also seems unlikely we’ll be seeing them again in this category for awhile.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
ZM: For the last year, the Recording Academy has touted its many reforms as being emblematic of a “New” Academy. The televised show itself is operating in compliance with a highly touted inclusion rider, and all indicators from within and around the organization are that it is continuing to lead a recalcitrant industry towards meaningful improvements in equity and diversity. But the dance music industry has very quietly and deliberately resisted any such changes to the two dance field awards. Dance music power brokers have mollified concerns from Recording Academy leaders by upholding the existing categories as sufficient, and the overwhelmingly white and male nominees in those categories as accurate reflections of the state of dance and electronic music. Regardless, the music keeps on moving on. Maybe one day, the Academy will catch up.
KR: I still think dance music and electronic music should be separate categories.
KAT BEIN: This was the year I acknowledged that I am indeed an “old head,” and if that colors my interpretation of things as a critic, I will acknowledge it, but I will not apologize.
KATIE BAIN: I’m obviously biased and I say this every year, so not to beat a dead horse (in the club), but the dance categories really do deserve shine on the televised ceremony, particularly given how the nominations often reflect their role as a tangent of mainstream pop. I thought Beyoncé could be the one to inspire that move to primetime this year, but, just like always, we’ll see you at the pre-telecast.
The 2023 Grammy Awards are nearly upon us, and of the biggest questions that fans and spectators are waiting to have answered is who will win in the coveted best new artist award, one of the Big Four categories. This year’s best new artist has 10 contenders: Anitta, Måneskin, Wet Leg, Latto, Omar Apollo, Muni Long, Molly Tuttle, Domi & JD Beck, Samara Joy and Tobe Nwigwe.
Anitta had a breakout year in 2022. The Brazilian star’s album Pieces of Me was released in April and spawned a viral hit with “Envolver,” which allowed her career to ascend to heights in the time since. (See: tracks with Cardi B and Missy Elliott, appearing onstage alongside Snoop Dogg at Coachella.)
Italian rock band Måneskin found success following the success of breakthrough track “Beggin,” originally a cover of the classic 1967 Four Seasons song of the same name; the band’s take went viral on TikTok. Since then, the rockers have delivered a much-talked-about performance of “Supermodel,” a brand new album titled Rush, and now have a best new artist nom under their belts. “When they said our name I started screaming,” vocalist Damiano David said on the Tonight Show of the moment he found out about the band’s nomination. “We were actually shooting a video for this because we wanted to share the reaction but we couldn’t because it was too vulgar, too aggressive.”
British duo Wet Leg has also made waves over the past year, and secured an alternative hit with the heavily memed track “Chaise Lounge.” Not soon after, they started gaining the attention of hitmaker Harry Styles, who covered the duo’s “Wet Dream.” Now, the two-piece, in addition to being nominated for best new artist, is also up for best alternative performance, best alternative album, best engineering, nonclassical and best remixed recording.
Who do you think should win best new artist at the Grammys? Vote in our poll below.
In 2018, the Recording Academy increased the number of nominees in the Big Four Grammy categories — album, song and record of the year and best new artist — from five to eight. Then, three years later, it boosted the pool from eight to 10.
These expansions were made to recognize more music creators and to represent more genres, according to the academy — yet for country artists, the benefits have thus far been nonexistent.
For the five Grammy Award nomination cycles (for ceremonies taking place in 2019-2023) since the first increase, there have been 196 total Big Four nominations, yet only six have gone to mainstream country artists or projects, with only one victory: Kacey Musgraves’ album of the year trophy for Golden Hour in 2019. In the five cycles before the increase (2014-2018), country artists scored seven nominations of the far smaller 125 total nods.
For the 65th Grammys, which will take place Feb. 5 in Los Angeles, country music is completely absent from the Big Four.
Genre classification can be blurry, but for this story, Billboard counted nominations that went to an artist or music that appears on Billboard’s Country Airplay, Hot Country Songs and Top Country Albums charts or is traditionally considered country. For 2023, that means Brandi Carlile’s album and record of the year nods don’t count in the country tally (though her 2020 song of the year nomination for co-writing Tanya Tucker’s “Bring Me My Flowers Now” did); same with song of the year nominee Taylor Swift, who is now considered a pop artist despite her country start. Best new artist nominee Molly Tuttle plays bluegrass, and while the genre is a branch of country music, her music doesn’t appear on those Billboard charts.
Previous years also have not-quite-country outliers: Maren Morris’ record of the year nomination for appearing with Zedd and Grey on “The Middle” didn’t count in the 2019-2023 tally since it was a pop hit. Though Sturgill Simpson doesn’t receive mainstream country radio play, A Sailor’s Guide to Earth debuted at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart and the set won the Grammy for best country album in 2017, so its album of the year nomination counts in the 2014-2018 tally. Similarly, Margo Price, whose albums chart on Top Country Albums, counts for her 2019 best new artist nomination.
Shelly Maree, the Recording Academy’s country awards manager, considers the low recent total cyclical, in part. “Right now, we’re in another lull period where you’re not hearing country played on top 40 [radio], so you’re not really hearing anybody break through like that, [while] rap and hip-hop and dance are having huge moments,” she says. “You can really kind of plop down into any decade or any five-year period in our top four nominations and you’re going to see reflected what is of the era at that moment.”
But for the country community, the absence of representation in the general field illuminates a bigger concern: that the genre doesn’t receive the broader attention it deserves, hurting its chances at nominations for those trophies. While the academy deems all Grammys equal, the four general-field categories carry more prestige and receive greater media attention.
“Generally speaking, country music remains outside of the large pop music tent, which includes many of the contemporary genres like pop and hip-hop and rock,” says Beverly Keel, Middle Tennessee State University dean of the College of Media and Entertainment and a former MCA Records Nashville executive. “I think a lot of Grammy voters may not even listen to country, and I think there is, in many voters’ minds, still a stigma about country that it’s not as sophisticated, hokey, the music of the conservatives.”
Additionally, despite the notable rise in streaming among younger country artists, the music lacks the global reach some pop-oriented genres enjoy. “Most country stars are not international stars like Beyoncé, Rihanna, Bruno Mars,” Keel says. “Country is largely limited to the United States and Canada, so it doesn’t have the reach, whereas a pop song may be No. 1 in 20 countries.”
As Mary Hilliard Harrington, manager for Dierks Bentley and Elle King, notes by email: “Even prior to 2019, country has been grossly underrepresented in the main categories. It has always been a problem.” The three mainstream country artists with the most career nominations are Willie Nelson (56), Dolly Parton (53) and Vince Gill (47) — but Nelson and Gill have each landed only one Big Four nomination (in 1983 and 2008, respectively), while Parton has earned two (most recently in 1988).
The current generation of country hit-makers hasn’t fared much better. Miranda Lambert, who is nominated in all four country categories this year, has never received a Big Four nomination despite 27 career nods. Only one of Chris Stapleton’s 17 nominations has been in the general field, when Traveller received an album of the year nod for the 2016 Grammys. And one of country’s biggest new stars, Morgan Wallen, didn’t compete at all in 2022: He was shut out from Grammy nominations after his 2021 smash Dangerous: The Double Album was mired in controversy.
Country music has recently fared best in the new artist category, with Price, Luke Combs, Ingrid Andress and Jimmie Allen nabbing nominations since 2019. For the 2023 awards, Zach Bryan, the top new country artist on Billboard’s year-end charts, and rising star Lainey Wilson were both considered leading contenders for best new artist, and their respective labels (Warner Records and BBR Music Group) ran campaigns accordingly. But when nominations were announced in November, neither earned a best new artist nod, nor did anyone else from the genre. Though Wilson made significant press and TV appearances in an effort to reach as broad an audience as possible, Bryan made almost none, which sources say may have limited his exposure to Grammy voters.
Significantly, the overall voting pool lacks enough country advocates to consistently propel the genre into the Big Four without strong support from allies. Of the current 12,000-plus voting members, less than 10% identify with the country genre, according to the academy, compared with pop (23%), jazz (16%), rock (15%), R&B (15%), American roots (13%), alternative (10%) and classical (10%). (Voters can identify with as many genres as they want.) All voting members can cast ballots for the Big Four.
While qualifying creators can still apply to join the academy, following the recommendation of its Task Force on Diversity and Inclusion, in 2018 the academy began inviting creators to join as voting members. The move was meant to make the voting pool more reflective of the diverse creative community and initially focused on women, people of color and those under 40.
In recent years, however, potential new members who identify as country have received fewer invitations than peers in other popular genres. Of the 2,710 invitations extended in 2021, 9% of recipients identified with the country genre, with 13 other genres ranking higher. The highest percentage of invited voters identified as pop (29%), followed by R&B (23%), jazz (18%), alternative (18%), rock (16%) and rap (15%). In 2022, the academy welcomed nearly 2,000 new voting members; 9% cited country as their focus, compared with pop (33%), R&B (22%), alternative (19%) and rap (15%).
The country community’s easiest way to increase its odds would be by boosting its presence in the voting membership. “A really good place to start is talk to your friends and [ask], ‘Are you a Recording Academy member?’ And then step two is, ‘Are you voting?,’ ” Maree says. “This year, we were really encouraging our active members to fulfill that responsibility and use their voices, especially [since] the first round of voting directly dictates our nominations now that we no longer have nominating committees. ‘Are they voting?’ is the first thing we always ask people when they have any kind of questions about what they see when it comes to nominations day.”
Although Keel says a Grammy is “what people grow up dreaming about winning,” for country artists, the conversation doesn’t begin and end with one awards ceremony. More so than many other genres, country music has numerous awards shows to fete its own accomplishments, including the Country Music Association Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards and the CMT Music Awards. Those ample additional opportunities to bring home trophies could help lessen the sting of a Grammy snub, Harrington says.
“At this point — because it’s nothing new — [the omissions are] more of an eye roll than outrage,” she says. “The country community is truly the best in terms of supporting its artists, celebrating great music and producing our own network television award shows. Being part of the Grammys is cool and a bucket list dream for a lot of artists, but we have it pretty good in Nashville. If we aren’t invited to that party, we’ll just throw our own.”
This story will appear in the Feb. 4, 2023, issue of Billboard.
Since their inception in 1958, the Grammy Awards have made plenty of history — from first-ever wins for new artists to record-breaking nomination numbers, the annual event has earned its title as Music’s Biggest Night.
In the modern era for the annual ceremony, the Grammys have finally started to make history for queer acts as well as representation for LGBTQ artists and performers at the show has steadily risen. From Culture Club winning best new artist in 1984 (making Boy George the first openly gay man to win the award) to Sir Elton John becoming the first LGBTQ person to win the prestigious Grammy Legend Award, to the Grammys becoming the first of the major award shows to remove gendered categories, the annual affair has proven to be a huge night for queer artists around the globe.
This Sunday (Feb. 5), that representation for queer folks will stay on full display — out folk star Brandi Carlile is nominated for seven awards at the ceremony (including album and record of the year), while other stars like Steve Lacy, Omar Apollo and Anitta round out noms in the remainder of the Big Four categories.
But along with awarding LGBTQ artists with statues, the Grammys have also historically provided a stage for queer performers to give that love right back to their community. Sunday will feature at least four queer performers (Carlile, Lacy, Sam Smith and Kim Petras), further adding to a grand tradition of stars standing up for LGBTQ people through their performances.
Below, Billboard takes a look back at some of our favorite queer performances in Grammys history that helped to uplift the LGBTQ community, from Elton John to Lil Nas X.
