The Grammys’ biggest surprise might be on Batiste: The multi-genre musician and recent Oscar winner made such an impression on voters that he was nominated for the most awards on Tuesday, with 11 nods.
Batiste was nominated for album of the year and record of the year for “We Are,” a feel-good homage to the city of New Orleans. R&B, jazz, American roots music, classical, and music video are among the categories for which he has been nominated.
From left, Jon Baptiste has 11 nominations, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and H.E.R. have each received eight nominations, and Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo have each received seven nominations for the 2019 Grammy Awards.
Jon Baptiste has 11 nominations, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and H.E.R each have eight nominations, while Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo each have seven nominations for the upcoming Grammy Awards. (Photo credit: AP)
“Oh my gosh,” says the speaker. “I’m still in a state of awe and wonder,” Batiste told The Associated Press shortly after the nominees were announced. “I’m just glad we were able to create something with great creative integrity and have it recognized.”
By the time the Recording Academy finished revealing its nominees for its Jan. 31 ceremony, Justin Bieber, Doja Cat, and H.E.R. had each received eight nominations. Both Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo received seven nominations.
Along with Batiste’s unexpected dominance, The Weeknd received three nominations after claiming he would not allow his record label to submit his work. He criticized the Grammys earlier this year, calling them “corrupt” after receiving zero nominations despite having the biggest single of 2020, “Blinding Lights.”
Despite his pledge to boycott future Grammys, The Weeknd was nominated for his involvement on album of the year projects such as Doja Cat’s deluxe edition “Planet Her” and Kanye West’s “Donda.” His third nomination came for his contribution to Kanye West’s hit “Hurricane,” which also features Lil Baby.
“What I admire is that no one is thinking about what happened previously, what was the controversy, what was the commotion, or where this artist was recording music last year,” said Harvey Mason jr., president and CEO of the Recording Academy. Voters, he said, were interested on “music quality” when considering nominees like Batiste and Kacey Musgraves, whose work spans multiple categories.
He went on to say, “The voters are honestly analyzing music and not getting caught up in the reputations of any other outside noise or any history of musicians.” “With that in mind, I believe they’re voting for things they consider to be exceptional.”
After seeing the list of nominees, Mason stated he was satisfied with the new peer-driven voting mechanism. He started the 10-3 project, which allows the academy’s 11,000 members to vote on up to ten categories in three genres. The top four honors are open to all voters.
Mickey Guyton for “Remember Her Name,” Walker Hayes for “Fancy Like,” Maren Morris for “Better Than We Found It,” Kacey Musgraves for “camera roll,” Thomas Rhett for “Country Again,” and Chris Stapleton for “Cold” are among the Grammy candidates for best country song.
From left to right: Grammy nominees for best country song “Remember Her Name” by Mickey Guyton, “Fancy Like” by Walker Hayes, “Better Than We Found It” by Maren Morris, “camera roll” by Kacey Musgraves, “Country Again” by Thomas Rhett, and “Cold” by Chris Stapleton. (Photo credit: AP)
The new approach took the role of the anonymous nominations review committee, which selected the nominees for major awards. Some stated that committee members favored initiatives based on personal relationships, and that they promoted and worked on ideas they liked.
Harvey recognizes that the new voting mechanism will not be ideal at first, but he believes that in the long run, the proposal will generate fair outcomes.
“I know we didn’t get them all flawless,” Harvey admitted. “I’m sure there will be some who feel left out or that we overlooked a nomination or two. That saddens me because I don’t want anyone to feel that way. However, I believe we are moving in the right path. I’m satisfied with how our voters went about their business.”
“I really just want to pay props to the Grammys,” Batiste said of the adjustments, which he attributed to his nominations. This year, they attempted to make the process more accessible and focused on the music. Other creators listened to the song and decided to nominate me, and I’m quite grateful.”
The academy increased the number of nominees in the general field categories from eight to ten for the first time. Record, album, song of the year, and best new artist are all affected by the shift.
Harvey said the academy boosted spaces in the general field categories after noticing a surge in voting engagement over the last year, as well as the acceptance of new membership invitations and a high number of submissions submitted for Grammy consideration of more than 21,730.
He explained, “We thought the timing was good.” “We saw an opportunity to expand on what the academy does, which is to spotlight music, the industry, and achievement in a larger way,” she says. We no longer have a nomination screening committee due to the change in our voting mechanism. This not only allows our voters to have their voices heard, but it also allows them to choose from a larger pool of nominees when it comes time to choose the Grammy winner.”
Bieber’s “Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe),” Eilish’s “Happier Than Ever,” West’s “Donda,” Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga’s “Love for Sale,” Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour,” Taylor Swift’s “evermore,” and Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO” are among the other album of the year finalists.
From left, Pablo Alborán for “Vértigo,” Paula Arenas for “Mis Amores,” Ricardo Arjona for “Hecho A La Antigua,” Camilo for “Mis Manos,” Alex Cuba for “Mendó,” and Selena Gomez for “Revelación” are among the Grammy candidates for best Latin music album. (Photo credit: AP)
From left to right, Grammy nominees for best Latin pop album: “Vértigo” by Pablo Alborán, “Mis Amores” by Paula Arenas, “Hecho A La Antigua” by Ricardo Arjona, “Mis Manos” by Camilo, “Mendó” by Alex Cuba, and “Revelación” by Selena Gomez. (Photo credit: AP)
Batiste, the bandleader of “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” was nominated in the best score soundtrack for visual media category for his work on Pixar’s “Soul,” for which he received an Oscar earlier this year for best score. He earned three Grammy nominations as of Tuesday, but no wins.
Bennett & Gaga’s “I Get a Kick Out of You,” ABBA’s “I Still Have Faith in You,” Justin Bieber’s “Peaches” featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon, Brandi Carlile’s “Right on Time,” Doja Cat’s “Kiss Me More” with SZA, Lil Nas X’s “MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name),” Rodrigo’s “Drivers License,” Eilish’s ”
With 83 nominations, Jay-Z currently holds the record for the most Grammy nominations of all time. Quincy Jones, who has been nominated 80 times, was passed by the 23-time Grammy winner.