As a new decade of music waits just around the corner, the nominations have been announced for the 62nd annual Grammy awards. And there’s certainly plenty of new names amongst the major categories, as well as the re-appearance of some old favourites. Of course, one thing that will never change at the Grammys from year to year is the upset caused when favourite artists and their music are snubbed – and there’s plenty of shade this year. So, without further ado, here’s a run-down of everything to look out for (and who you won’t find) at the 2020 Grammy Awards…
Fresh Faces
This year’s nominations for Best New Artist have caused plenty of excitement, mainly because two of the nominees are also leading the way across all four categories in the general field (Best New Artist, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Record of the Year). These artists are none other than international music sensations Lizzo and Billie Eilish.
Rapper and singer Lizzo’s album “Cuz I Love You” is in the running for Album of the Year, whilst her sassy, internet sensation “Truth Hurts” is nominated for both Song and Record of the Year. But it doesn’t end there for the 31-year-old. She has also been nominated in four other categories in this year’s Grammys: Best Pop Solo Performance, Best R&B Performance, Best Traditional R&B performance, and Best Urban Contemporary Album, totalling a crazy eight nominations in total!Meanwhile, 17-year-old singer/songwriter Billie Eilish’s catchy pop hit “Bad Guy” is nominated for Song and Record of the Year, and her already record-breaking debut album “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”, is in contention to beat the record for the youngest person ever to receive Album of the Year, which is currently held by none other than Taylor Swift (Swift was 20 when “Fearless” took home the award).
Return of the Veterans
It’s not all newbies at this year’s Grammy awards, though. Fans will also see the return of super star Ariana Grande, whose album Sweetener received the award for Best Pop Album last year. This time around, her follow-up album “Thank U, Next” has a shot at winning Album of the Year, whilst her massive hit single “7 Rings” receives its nod in the Record of the Year category. Meanwhile, pop veterans Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Ed Sheeran and Lady Gaga are all up for awards in various categories.
However, many fans of these already established artists have been left disappointed that they didn’t receive more love, Swifties in particular. Although Taylor Swift has received four nominations this year, her latest album “Lover” was left out of the running for Album of the Year. Sam Smith is in an even worse position, having been snubbed completely for the fifth ceremony in a row, with his hit single Dancing with a Stranger (sung with former Fifth Harmony member Normani) receiving no nominations.
Where’s the K-Pop?
Another Grammy first comes in the form of Spanish singer Rosalía, also being nominated for Best New Artist. This makes her the first singer who sings exclusively in Spanish (and Catalan) to do so. However, whilst fans are excited to see Rosalía getting the international acclaim she deserves, others are wondering why she is the only one, and why it has taken so long. It has been a long-held criticism of western awards ceremonies that international artists are unfairly underrepresented, and this is becoming especially apparent in a world where music streaming has made these genres and artists easier to access and far more globally successful.
On that note, it is not surprising that no K-pop artists have been nominated in either the General Field or in the Pop categories this year, despite their global success. This has left many fans of the genre, which continues to grow rapidly, outraged – none more so than fans of BTS and Blackpink, two of the biggest K-pop groups on the planet.
Michelle Obama is Nominated
Yes, you heard me right. The former First Lady Michelle Obama’s audiobook of her memoir “Becoming” is up for a Grammy in the Best Spoken Word Album! However, if she were to win it, she wouldn’t be the only ex-President’s wife to do so, as Hilary Clinton took home the award with her book “It Takes a Village” back in 1996.
The 2020 Grammy Awards will take place on the 26th January 2020, and will be aired from Los Angeles at 8pm ET, or 1am for us in the UK. This year, it will be hosted by world-renowned singer-songwriter Alicia Keys, so be sure to tune in!