2025 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The nominees have been announced for the 2025 Grammy Awards with Kendrick Lamar leading the nominations with nine, including Record, Song and Album of the Year, for his album, "GNX". The rest of the Album of the Year nominees include Lady Gaga, also one of the most nominated artists for Grammys with seven for her recent studio album "Mayhem"; the Latin music superstar, Bad Bunny is up for three awards in the top categories for his latest album, "Debí Tirar Más Fotos" and a total of six nominations; Sabrina Carpenter also received six nominations for her album, "Man"s Best Friend" as well as fellow actor/musician Leon Thomas for his second studio album, "Mutt"; Justin Bieber has been recognized for his recent pop-soul collection, "Swag"; "Chromakopia", the album from alt-hip-hop artist, Tyler, The Creator, has a total of five nominations and the hip-hop duo, Clispe has been recognized for their fourth recording collaboration, "Let God Sort Em Out".

This year sees the introduction by The Recording Academy of two new categories: Best Album Cover and Best Traditional Country Album. While honoring album cover art seems long overdue, the splitting of the country music album category from "traditional" and "contemporary" seems to be as a direct result of Beyoncé's win in this category last year for her alt-country work, "Cowboy Carter", clearly disturbing some members of the Academy. However from the look of the nominees in these categories it appears to be very arbitrary on the selections with no obvious reasoning on the distinction of what makes an artist modern or traditional country.

The 68th annual Grammy Awards will be revealed on Sunday, February 1, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. CBS will air the award show and stream it live on Paramount+.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards:

Album Of The Year:

"Debí Tirar Más Fotos" – Bad Bunny
"Swag" – Justin Bieber
"Man’s Best Friend" – Sabrina Carpenter
"Let God Sort Em Out" – Clipse
"Mayhem" – Lady Gaga
"GNX" – Kendrick Lamar
"Mutt" – Leon Thomas
"Chromakopia" – Tyler, The Creator

Record Of The Year:

"Debí Tirar Más Fotos" – Bad Bunny
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Anxiety” – Doechii
“Wild Flower” – Billie Eilish
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Luther” – Kendrick Lamar with SZA
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
“Apt” – Rosé and Bruno Mars

Song Of The Year:

“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga (Songwriters: Lady Gaga, Henry Walter and Andrew Watt)
“Anxiety” – Doechii (Songwriter: Jaylah Hickmon)
“Apt” – Rosé and Bruno Mars (Songwriters: Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas and Henry Walter)
“Debí Tirar Más Fotos” – Bad Bunny (Songwriters: Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Thomas Spry and Roberto José Rosado Torres)
“Golden” – Huntr/x:  (Songwriters: Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick)
“Luther” – Kendrick Lamar with SZA (Songwriters: Jack Antonof, Roswita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears and Kamasi Washington)
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter (Songwriters: Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff and Sabrina Carpenter)
“Wildflower” – Billie Eilish (Songwriters: Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell)

Best New Artist:

Olivia Dean
Katseye
The Marias
Addison Rae
Sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Swag" – Justin Bieber
"Man’s Best Friend" – Sabrina Carpenter
"Something Beautiful" – Miley Cyrus
"Mayhem" – Lady Gaga
"I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy" (Part 2) – Teddy Swims

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"Wintersongs" - Laila Biali
"The Gift Of Love" - Jennifer Hudson
"Who Believes In Angels?" - Elton John & Brandi Carlile
"Harlequin" - Lady Gaga
"A Matter Of Time" - Laufey
"The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2" - Barbra Streisand

Best Pop Solo Performance:

“Daisies” – Justin Bieber
“Manchild” – Sabrina Carpenter
“Disease” – Lady Gaga
“The Subway” – Chappell Roan
“Messy” – Lola Young

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

“Defying Gravity” – Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande
“Golden” – HUNTR/X 
“Gabriela” – KATSEYE
“APT.” – ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
“30 For 30” – SZA With Kendrick Lamar

Best Dance Pop Recording:

“Bluest Flame” – Selena Gomez & benny blanco
“Abracadabra” – Lady Gaga
“Midnight Sun” – Zara Larsson
“Just Keep Watching” – Tate McRae
“Illegal” – PinkPantheress

Best Dance/Electronic Album:

"EUSEXUA" - FKA twigs
"Ten Days" - Fred again..
"Fancy That" - PinkPantheress
"Inhale/Exhale" - RÜFÜS DU SOL
"F— U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!!" - Skrillex

Best R&B Album:

"BELOVED" - GIVĒON
"Why Not More?" - Coco Jones 

"The Crown" - Ledisi
"Escape Room" - Teyana Taylor
"MUTT" - Leon Thomas

Best Progressive R&B Album:

"BLOOM" - Durand Bernarr
"Adjust Brightness" - Bilal
"LOVE ON DIGITAL" - Destin Conrad
"Access All Areas" - FLO
"Come As You Are" - Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon

Best R&B Performance:

“YUKON” – Justin Bieber
“It Depends” – Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller
“Folded” – Kehlani
“MUTT (Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk)” – Leon Thomas
“Heart Of A Woman” – Summer Walker

Best Rap Album:

"Let God Sort Em Out" – Clipse
"GLORIOUS" – GloRilla
"God Does Like Ugly" – JID
"GNX" – Kendrick Lamar
"Chromakopia" – Tyler, The Creator

Best Rap Performance:

"Outside" - Cardi B
"Chains & Whips" - Clipse Featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams
"Anxiety" - Doechii
"tv off" - Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay
"Darling, I" - Tyler, The Creator Featuring Teezo Touchdown

Best Alternative Music Album:

"SABLE, fABLE" – Bon Iver
"Songs Of A Lost World" – The Cure
"DON’T TAP THE GLASS" – Tyler, The Creator
"moisturizer" – Wet Leg
"Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party" – Hayley Williams

Best Traditional Country Album:

"Dollar A Day" – Charley Crockket
"American Romance" – Lukas Nelson
"Oh What a Beautiful World" – Willie Nelson
"Hard Headed Woman" – Margo Price
"Ain’t In It for My Health" – Zach Top

Best Contemporary Country Album:

"Patterns" – Kelsea Ballerini
"Snipe Hunter" – Tyler Childers
"Evangeline vs. The Machine" – Eric Church
"Beautifully Broken" – Jelly Roll
"Postcards from Texas" – Miranda Lambert

Best Country Solo Performance:

“Nose On The Grindstone” – Tyler Childers
“Good News” – Shaboozey
“Bad As I Used To Be” – Chris Stapleton
“I Never Lie” – Zach Top
“Somewhere Over Laredo” – Lainey Wilson

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

"A Song To Sing" - Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton
"Trailblazer" - Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert and Lainey Wilson
"Love Me Like You Used To Do" - Margo Price & Tyler Childers
"Amen" - Shaboozey & Jelly Roll
"Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame" - George Strait & Chris Stapleton

Best Americana Album:

"Big Money" – Jon Batiste
"Bloom" – Larkin Poe
"Last Leaf On The Tree" – Willie Nelson
"So Long Little Miss Sunshine" – Molly Tuttle
"Middle" – Jesse Welles

Best Latin Pop Album:

"Cosa Nuestra" – Rauw Alejandro
"BOGOTÁ" (Deluxe) – Andrés Cepeda
"Tropicoqueta" – KAROL G
"Cancionera" – Natalia Lafourcade
"¿Y ahora qué?" – Alejandro Sanz

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television):

"How To Train Your Dragon" – John Powell, composer
"Severance: Season 2" – Theodore Shapiro, composer
"Sinners" – Ludwig Göransson, composer
"Wicked" – John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers
"The Wild Robot" – Kris Bowers, composer

Best Album Cover:

"Chromakopia" - Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez, art directors (Tyler, The Creator) 

"The Crux" - William Wesley II, art director (Djo)
"Debí Tirar Más Fotos" - Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, art director (Bad Bunny)
"Glory" - Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S., art directors (Perfume Genius)
"moisturizer" - Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale, art directors (Wet Leg)

Songwriter Of The Year (Non-Classical):

Amy Allen
Jessie Jo Dillon
Edgar Barrera
Tobias Jesso Jr.

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical):

Dan Auerbach
Cirkut
Dijon
Blake Mills
Sounwave

PEACHES

I've had a strange journey with Justin Bieber. When he first appeared back in 2009, a sweet-faced teen with a halo of perfectly coiffed hair and his style of bubble-gum soul, I can't say I ever listened to one of his early songs to completion. And as the Canadian-born singer became a international sensation, whipping legions of teenage girls in to a frenzy, I really didn't pay him much attention nor took him very seriously.

Like many teen idols before him, Bieber found great success yet struggled with his crushing fame. He suffered with depression and anxiety while having several run-ins with the law involving DUIs, vandalism and assault. Bieber managed to get it together, eventually settling down to get married and refocusing on his faith. And well aware that these idols of fickle teenage girls can have a short shelf-life, the performer wanted to evolve, searching for who he really wanted to be as an artist.

In 2015, Bieber unexpectedly teamed-up EDM musicians, Skrillex and Diplo with "Where Are Ü Now" earning him a worldwide club hit, newfound respect as a musician and a Grammy for Best Dance Recording in the process. This was also when I started to pay a little attention to Bieber. With his fourth studio album, "Purpose" released later in the year, I actually really liked the singles from the record, "What Do You Mean?", "Sorry" and "Love Yourself". Had I become a Belieber? Not quite but I no longer rush to turn off his music if it comes on the radio.

Bieber has just released his latest album, "Justice" which features more hits I enjoyed, "Holy", a song about faith and loyalty that features Chance the Rapper, the emotional ballad, "Lonely" where he become vulnerable, revealing his struggles with his fame at a young age and the pop anthem, "Anyone". But the song I'm really digging is the recent release, "Peaches", a slinky, r&b number with him trading verses with fellow Canadian, Daniel Caesar and Giveon. This lane is clearly where Bieber feels most at ease but he is trying on many hats on the album, creating wide ranging musical styles with some working better for him than others.

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN MUSIC OF 2020

I know I'm not the only one glad to see 2020 come to an end. It was a rough and difficult year in many ways but thankfully we had music to help us get through.

And to bring an official end to 2020, here are a few songs that I loved from last year that I didn't get a chance to highlight:

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

The previously announced charity single which teams Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber together in song has finally been released. As a thank-you to all of the healthcare workers, paramedics, police officers and firefighters serving on the front lines during this global pandemic, "Stuck With U" was created. The video for this romantic ballad features plenty of homemade clips submitted by fans and celebrity figures as well as footage from Bieber with the wife, Hailey Baldwin and Grande with her current flame, Dalton Gomez near the end. The proceeds from the purchase or stream of "Stuck With U" will go towards the First Responder's Children’s Foundation and at least $0.80 is going directly to the fund to help with grants and scholarships for children of these essential workers.



Here are a few new songs out now that I like and would like to share:

ZZ Top, the Southern rock band from Houston, TX, reached the height of their fame during the 1980's after changing their image and musical direction from their early beginnings in the '70's. After many successful years of extensive touring yet feeling creatively drained, the band (made up of founder, Billy Gibbons on lead vocals and guitar, Dusty Hill on bass and Frank Beard on drums) decided to introduce synthesizers and elements of Nu-Wave music that was popular at the time in to their blues rock sound. With their eighth studio album, "Eliminator" in 1983, ZZ Top crossed over to the pop-charts with the help of the singles, "Gimme All Your Lovin'", "Sharp Dressed Man", "TV Dinners" and "Legs" to find international success. And the music videos for these songs certainly added to the band's appeal which where released during the reign of MTV. These fun, story-driven clips featured fast cars, sexy girls and spinning furry guitars which perfectly represent the 1980's in all of it's delightfully gaudy, neon-colored glory. Here are a couple of ZZ Top's most popular songs to relive this moment in pop history:

MY FAVORITE MOMENTS IN MUSIC IN 2015

Another year has come and gone and with it, a year's worth of great music. I shared some my favorite songs throughout 2015 but here are a few more that loved I want to recognize:

"Talking Body" - Tove Lo (2015) mp3

"Don't Wanna Fight" - Alabama Shakes (2015) mp3



"Worth It" - Fifth Harmony featuring Kid Ink (2015) mp3

"How Deep Is Your Love" - Calvin Harris & Disciples (2015) mp3



"What Do You Mean" - Justin Bieber (2015) mp3

"Wet Dreamz" - J. Cole (2015) mp3

"I Don't F*** With You" - Big Sean featuring E-40 (2015) mp3

"Not For Long" - B.o.B featuring Trey Songz (2015) mp3

RANDOM SIGHTS + SOUNDS

First, let's begin with some new music I'm really loving right now:

"Boys Like You" - Who Is Fancy featuring Meghan Trainor & Ariana Grande (2015) mp3

"Falling For You" - Teenage Mutant + Laura Welsh (2015) mp3

"Automatic" - ZHU + Alunageorge (2015) mp3



I saw drag performance artist, Joey Arias at the Redcat in downtown L.A. last month. He is well-known for a vocal style and mannerisms that imitates jazz legend Billie Holiday. This year marks the centennial of Holiday's birth and Arias is touring in a show that celebrates the singer.  He does amazing versions of some of her classics like "Lady Sings The Blues", "Summertime"  "God Bless The Child" and "Good Morning Heartache". If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend you check out Joey Arias live in concert. Take a look at this clip of Arias performing one of Holiday's most haunting songs,  "Strange Fruit":



And here is Lady Day performing that same song:



David Bowie is preparing to release his twenty-fifth studio album early next year and the sixty-eight year old rocker is exploring experimental art-jazz. He has dropped a ten-minute music video for the song "Blackstar" and the sounds and images are dream-like and trippy. Words will probably not adequately describe this, so just sit back and watch:



I never, EVER thought I would put music by Justin Bieber here on this blog yet shockingly here it is. The song is "Sorry" and it follows his recent number one single, "What Do You Mean?" (which I also happen to like?!) that continues to give the twenty-one year old Canadian singer some much needed musical respectability. Skrillex (who first helped Bieber on the road to being taken somewhat seriously with the surprise hit, "Where Are Ü Now") and Blood Diamonds produced the track and here is the music video that features the amazing moves of ReQuest and The Royal Family dance crews: