For probably the most half, the nominations for subsequent yr’s Grammy Awards—which is ready to happen February 4 in Los Angeles—are a nice shock. SZA leads the pack with 9 nods, whereas Phoebe Bridgers and R&B songwriter-turned-headliner Victoria Monét are every shut behind at seven nominations apiece. (Six of Bridgers’ noms come alongside her Boygenius bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus.) Grammys mainstays like Taylor Swift and Jon Batiste are nonetheless within the combine, and artists together with Ice Spice and Impartial Milk Resort (!) obtained their first-ever nods. Right here’s our rundown of all of the highs, lows, and head-scratching selections from this yr’s Grammy nominations.
SZA’s masterful second album, SOS, is already one of the commercially and critically profitable data in current reminiscence, and now it’s poised to be a giant winner on the Grammys, too. Along with nominations for Album of the 12 months and Finest Progressive R&B Album, her playfully murderous single “Kill Invoice” is up for Tune and File of the 12 months in addition to Finest R&B Efficiency. Elsewhere, SZA racked up nods for tracks from all throughout her 23-song opus: Her digital duet with Phoebe Bridgers, “Ghost within the Machine,” received a nomination for Finest Pop Duo/Group Efficiency, “Love Language” is up for Finest Conventional R&B Efficiency, “Snooze” is acknowledged within the Finest R&B Tune class, and the lure banger “Low” received a nod for Finest Melodic Rap Efficiency. That wide selection of songs mirrors the unconventional method SZA synthesizes her influences, making her slew of noms really feel even sweeter. Even a traditionally traditionalist group just like the Grammys can’t deny her visionary excellence. –Nina Corcoran
Ladies declare their rightful Grammy throne, dominating the key classes
The nominations for the largest awards—Album, File, and Tune of the 12 months—are virtually completely full of music by girls: Billie Eilish, Boygenius, Dua Lipa, Lana Del Rey, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, SZA, Taylor Swift, and Victoria Monét. (Their grasp is so tight that just one man, Jon Batiste, is welcome to hitch their firm.) Elsewhere, Paramore, led by hearth breather Hayley Williams, break up the boys membership that’s Finest Rock Album; PJ Harvey provides some maturity to Finest Various Music Album; and Doja Cat, Nicki Minaj, and Ice Spice crash land into the usually dude-dominated Finest Rap Tune class.
The timing of this takeover—pure happenstance, at finest—carries a refutative undertone; Neil Portnow, the previous chairman and chief govt of the Recording Academy who infamously advised girls to “step up” after just one was nominated for Album of the 12 months in 2018, was sued for sexual assault this week. Following Portnow’s departure, the Academy recruited practically 2,000 “various musicians and music business professionals” into its ranks. It was by no means a matter of ladies needing to step up, after all, however relatively for the outdated guard to cease obstructing the best way ahead. –Nina Corcoran
On the eve of their Saturday Evening Dwell debut, Boygenius earned two of the largest Grammy nominations you will get: File and Album of the 12 months. Phoebe Bridgers, Julien Baker, and Lucy Dacus additionally received nods for Finest Rock Efficiency and Finest Rock Tune for “Not Sturdy Sufficient,” Finest Various Music Efficiency for “Cool About It,” and Finest Various Music Album for The File. It’s a becoming string of accolades for a trio of buddies who lately headlined Madison Sq. Backyard and seemingly achieved each single business and important feat a rock band may hope to perform all through 2023. For Bridgers, it’s a second victory lap of kinds, having beforehand earned 4 Grammy nominations in 2021. For Baker and Dacus, nevertheless, it’s a wild new actuality they will’t assist however snort their method by means of in disbelief.
As artists who lower their enamel in DIY scenes and scrappy golf equipment, the members of Boygenius know the significance of extending the ladder again down to tug up worthy expertise as you ascend. Sarah Tudzin, higher identified by her musical moniker Illuminati Hotties, is nominated thrice by means of Boygenius, after co-engineering The File. Probably the most direct award for her contributions is Finest Engineered Album, Non-Classical, a cherry on prime of one of the feel-good Grammy tales this yr. –Nina Corcoran
