2023 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The 2023 Grammy Award nominations have been announced and women dominate all the major categories with SZA and her sophomore alt-soul release, "SOS" received the most nominations with nine including Album of the Year. Indie rocker, Phoebe Bridgers (which includes her work with boygenius) and r&b vocalist, Victoria Monét each follow with a total of seven nods while Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Miley Cyrus, all received six.

Jon Batiste is the only male artist to be recognized for Album of the Year (who won the prize two years ago for "We Are") for his concept record, "World Music Radio". The debut studio album of boygenius, "The Record", an indie-rock supergroup which consists of Bridgers, Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus; Janelle Monáe's latest Afrobeat inspired collection, "The Age of Pleasure"; and Lana Del Rey's psychedelic-pop record, "Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" fill out the Album of the Year category along with Swift's "Midnights", Cyrus' "Endless Summer Vacation" and Rodrigo's follow-up album, "Guts".

This is a record year for Swift, with an overall total of twelve wins and a career year-to-date of forty-six nominations, who now holds a Grammy record with her nomination for Song of the Year with "Anti-Hero", making this her seventh in the category, the most held by any songwriter. And the Recording Academy has added three new categories this year: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording.

The 66th annual Grammy Awards will be held on Sunday, February 4, 2024 and can be viewed on CBS and Paramount+. Here is a partial list of the nominations of the 2023 Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year:

"The Record" - boygenius
"The Age of Pleasure" - Janelle Monáe
"World Music Radio" - Jon Batiste
"Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" - Lana Del Rey
"Endless Summer Vacation" - Miley Cyrus
"Guts" - Olivia Rodrigo
"SOS" - SZA
"Midnights" - Taylor Swift

Record of the Year:

"Worship" - Jon Batiste
"Not Strong Enough" - boygenius
"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus
“What Was I Made For?" - Billie Eilish
"On My Mama" - Victoria Monét
"Vampire" - Olivia Rodrigo
"Anti-Hero" - Taylor Swift

Song of the Year:

"A&W"— Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey & Sam Dew, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)
"Anti-Hero" — Jack Antonoff & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)
"Butterfly" — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
"Dance the Night" (From the Motion Picture, "Barbie") — Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Dua Lipa)
"Flowers" — Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein & Michael Pollack, songwriters (Miley Cyrus)
"Kill Bill" — Rob Bisel, Carter Lang & Solána Rowe, songwriters (SZA)
"Vampire” — Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Oliva Rodrigo)
"What Was I Made For?" (From the Motion Picture "Barbie") — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

Best New Artist:

Coco Jones
Gracie Abrams
Fred Again..
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Chemistry" - Kelly Clarkson
"Endless Summer Vacation" - Miley Cyrus
"Guts"- Olivia Rodrigo
"- (Subtract)" - Ed Sheeran
"Midnights" - Taylor Swift

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus
"Paint the Town Red" - Doja Cat
"What Was I Made For?" - Billie Eilish
"Vampire" - Olivia Rodrigo
"Anti-Hero" - Taylor Swift

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"Thousand Miles" Miley Cyrus featuring Brandi Carlile
"Candy Necklace" - Lana Del Rey featuring Jon Batiste
"Never Felt So Alone" - Labrinth featuring Billie Eilish
"Karma" -Taylor Swift featuring Ice Spice
"Ghost in the Machine" - SZA featuring Phoebe Bridgers

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

"To Steve with Love: Liz Callaway Celebrates Sondheim" - Liz Callaway
"Pieces Of Treasure" - Rickie Lee Jones
"Bewitched" - Laufey
"Holidays Around the World" - Pentatonix
"Only The Strong Survive" - Bruce Springsteen
"Sondheim Unplugged (The NYC Sessions), Vol. 3" - Various Artists

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album:

"Playing Robots into Heaven" - James Blake
"For That Beautiful Feeling" - The Chemical Brothers
"Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)" - Fred Again..
"Kx5" - Kx5
"Quest For Fire" - Skrillex

Best Pop Dance Recording:

"Baby Don’t Hurt Me" - David Guetta, Anne-Marie and Coi Leray
"Miracle" - Calvin Harris featuring Ellie Goulding
"Padam Padam" Kylie Minogue
"One in a Million" - Bebe Rexha & David Guetta
"Rush" - Troye Sivan

Best Dance/Electronic Recording:

"Blackbox Life Recorder 21F" - Aphex Twin
"Loading" - James Blake
"Higher Than Ever Before" - Disclosure
"Strong" - Romy & Fred Again..
"Rumble" - Skrillex, Fred Again.. & Flowdan

Best R&B Album:

"Girls Night Out" - Babyface
"What I Didn’t Tell You (Deluxe)" - Coco Jones
"Special Occasion" - Emily King
"Jaguar II" - Victoria Monét
"Clear 2: Soft Life EP" - Summer Walker

Best R&B Performance:

"Summer Too Hot" - Chris Brown
"Back To Love" - Robert Glasper Featuring SiR & Alex Isley
"ICU" - Coco Jones
"How Does It Make You Feel" - Victoria Monét
"Kill Bill" - SZA

Best Traditional R&B Performance:

"Simple" - Babyface Featuring Coco Jones
"Lucky" - Kenyon Dixon
"Hollywood" - Victoria Monét Featuring Earth, Wind & Fire & Hazel Monét
"Good Morning" - PJ Morton Featuring Susan Carol
"Love Language" - SZA

Best Rap Album:

"Her Loss" - Drake & 21 Savage
"Michael" - Killer Mike
"Heroes & Villains" - Metro Boomin
"King's Disease III" - Nas
"Utopia" - Travis Scott

Best Rap Performance:

"The Hillbillies" - Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"Love Letter" - Black Thought
"Rich Flex" - Drake & 21 Savage
"Scientists & Engineers" - "Killer Mike Featuring André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane
"Players" - Coi Leray

Best Melodic Rap Performance:

"Sittin' On Top of the World" - Burna Boy Featuring 21 Savage
"Attention" - Doja Cat
"Spin Bout U" - Drake & 21 Savage
"All My Life" - Lil Durk Featuring J. Cole
"Low" - SZA

Best Country Album:

"Rolling Up the Welcome Mat" - Kelsea Ballerini
"Brothers Osborne" - Brothers Osborne
"Zach Bryan" - Zach Bryan
"Rustin' In the Rain" - Tyler Childers
"Bell Bottom Country" - Lainey Wilson

Best Country Solo Performance:

"In Your Love" - Tyler Childers
"Buried" - Brandy Clark
"Fast Car" - Luke Combs
"The Last Thing on My Mind" - Dolly Parton
"White Horse" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

"High Note" - Dierks Bentley Featuring Billy Strings
"Nobody's Nobody" - Brothers Osborne
"I Remember Everything" - Zach Bryan Featuring Kacey Musgraves
"Kissing Your Picture (Is So Cold)" - Vince Gill & Paul Franklin
"Save Me" - Jelly Roll with Lainey Wilson
"We Don't Fight Anymore" - Carly Pearce Featuring Chris Stapleton

Best Americana Album:

"Brandy Clark" - Brandy Clark
"The Chicago Sessions" - Rodney Crowell
"You're The One" - Rhiannon Giddens
"Weathervanes" - Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
"The Returner" - Allison Russell

Best Rock Album:

"But Here We Are" - Foo Fighters
"Starcatcher" - Greta Van Fleet
"72 Seasons" - Metallica
"This Is Why" - Paramore
"In Times New Roman..." - Queens of The Stone Age

Best Rock Performance:

"Sculptures Of Anything Goes" - Arctic Monkeys
"More Than A Love Song" - Black Pumas
"Not Strong Enough" - Boygenius
"Rescued" - Foo Fighters
"Lux Æterna" - Metallica

Best Alternative Music Album:

"The Car" - Arctic Monkeys
"The Record" - boygenius
"Did You Know That There's a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd" - Lana Del Rey
"Cracker Island" - Gorillaz
"I Inside The Old Year Dying" - PJ Harvey

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

"For Ella 2" - Patti Austin Featuring Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band
"Alive At The Village Vanguard" - Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding
"Lean In" - Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke
"Mélusine" - Cécile McLorin Salvant
"How Love Begins" - Nicole Zuraitis

Best Jazz Instrumental Album:

"The Source" - Kenny Barron
"Phoenix" - Lakecia Benjamin
"Legacy: The Instrumental Jawn" - Adam Blackstone
"The Winds of Change" - Billy Childs
"Dream Box" - Pat Metheny

Best Latin Pop Album:

"La Cuarta Hoja" - Pablo Alborán
"Beautiful Humans, Vol. 1" - AleMor
"A Ciegas" - Paula Arenas
"La Neta" - Pedro Capó
"Don Juan" - Maluma
"X Mí (Vol. 1)" - Gaby Moreno

Best Contemporary Blues Album:

"Death Wish Blues" - Samantha Fish and Jesse Dayton
"Healing Time" - Ruthie Foster
"Live In London" - Christone "Kingfish" Ingram
"Blood Harmony" - Larkin Poe
"LaVette!" - Bettye LaVette

Best Gospel Album:

"I Love You" - Erica Campbell
"Hymns (Live)" - Tasha Cobbs Leonard
"The Maverick Way" - Maverick City Music
"My Truth" - Jonathan McReynolds
"All Things New: Live in Orlando" - Tye Tribbett

Best Global Music Album:

"Epifanías" - Susana Baca
"History" - Bokanté
"I Told Them..." - Burna Boy
"Timeless" - Davido
"This Moment" - Shakti

Best Reggae Album:

"Born For Greatness" - Buju Banton
"Simma" - Beenie Man
"Cali Roots Riddim 2023" - Collie Buddz
"No Destroyer" - Burning Spear
"Colors Of Royal" - Julian Marley & Antaeus

Best Comedy Album:

"I Wish You Would" - Trevor Noah
"I'm An Entertainer" - Wanda Sykes
"Selective Outrage" - Chris Rock
"Someone You Love" - Sarah Silverman
"What's In a Name?" - Dave Chappelle

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording:

"Big Tree" - Meryl Streep
"Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder" - William Shatner
"The Creative Act: A Way of Being" - Rick Rubin
"It's Ok to Be Angry About Capitalism" - Senator Bernie Sanders
"The Light We Carry: Overcoming in Uncertain Times" - Michelle Obama

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (includes Film and Television):

"Barbie" - Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, composers
"Black Panther: Wakanda Forever" - Ludwig Göransson, composer
"The Fabelmans" - John Williams, composer
"Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny" - John Williams, composer
"Oppenheimer" - Ludwig Göransson, composer

Best Song Written for Visual Media:

"Barbie World" (from "Barbie: The Album") - Naija Gaston, Ephrem Louis Lopez Jr. and Onika Maraj, songwriters (Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice featuring Aqua)
"Dance the Night" (from "Barbie: The Album") - Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Dua Lipa)
"I’m Just Ken" (from "Barbie: The Album") - Mark Ronson and Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Ryan Gosling)
"Lift Me Up" (from “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — Music from and Inspired By") - Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson, Robyn Fenty and Temilade Openiyi, songwriters (Rihanna)
"What Was I Made For?" (from "Barbie: The Album") - Billie Eilish O’Connell and Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

Songwriter of the Year (Non-Classical):

Edgar Barrera
Jessie Jo Dillon
Shane McAnally
Theron Thomas
Justin Tranter

Producer of the Year (Non-Classical):

Jack Antonoff
Dernst "D’Mile" Emile II
Hit Boy
Metro Boomin
Daniel Nigro

HOT AND FRESH OUT THE KITCHEN

Fresh off her dazzling performance in the Disney live-action musical, "The Little Mermaid", Halle Bailey is here to remind us she has not abandoned her music career. After spending much of her professional life with her sister, Chlöe (who had released her debut studio album, "In Pieces" in March), the twenty-three-year-old singer has released a single, "Angel" which is the first song off her own upcoming solo album. This uplifting ballad (written by Bailey, Sebastian Kole, and the song's producer, Ron "Neff-U" Feemster) explores her experiences of growing up as a Black woman in this world. And Bailey will be back on the big screen soon as she will make an appearance in the musical adaptation of "The Color Purple" due in theaters on Christmas Day.





"Freak Me Now", the latest single from Jessie Ware's euphoric, disco-inspired, "That! Feels Good!", is a now remixed and features fellow Brit dance floor veteran, Róisín Murphy. This pairing does not disappoint, with these fierce vocalists tearing up on this retro track and team up together in a fun, campy music video.

And the latest song from Doja Cat's upcoming fourth studio album has dropped. Coasting along on a sample of the Dionne Warwick's classic, "Walk On By", "Paint The Town Red" is about the singer not caring what her haters think, ignoring them all and enjoying her life. The accompanying music video certainly give you the impression that Doja Cat is "the Lady Gaga of Hip-hop" with the clip featuring outrageous imagery that includes scenes of her dancing intimately with "Death", throwing bloody chunks of meat and riding on a giant dragon through the sky. And there is still no release date or title of Doja's next album.

THE 64TH ANNUAL GRAMMY AWARDS

One week after the uncomfortably dramatic events at the Oscars, the 64th annual Grammy Awards have put on their show following a decision to postpone from their January 31st date after a surge of the omicron variant. Unable to secure a venue in LA due to the date change, the Grammys moved to Las Vegas for the very first time, holding the event at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Trevor Noah returned to host again, effectively delivering some much needed positive enthusiasm with his humor more good natured than biting. I guess it was unavoidable not to have the Will Smith incident mentioned at some point but it was brief (with Noah and Questlove, who had his winning moment upstaged by Smith's antics, both making quick jokes) and actually funny.

I don't know if it had anything to do with the location change or simply having the ability to perform once again in front of a large, mask-less crowd proved to be inspiring but every single performance throughout the night was absolutely electrifying. This event, for the first time in a long time, came across much more like a true celebration of music. And as Noah stated, the Grammys are like a concert where they give out awards.

Now even though there were not any bad moments, I still had some favorite performances. Following a taped message by President Volodymyr Zelensky, John Legend paid an emotional tribute to the people of Ukraine with a moving, new song, "Free" accompanied by Ukrainian performers, Mika Newton, Sluzanna Iglidan and Lyuba Yakimchuk. Chris Stapleton brought a blast of the blues to his country sound with a riveting rendition of "Cold". H.E.R. had a moment when she had Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis join her on "Damage" (which samples their song, "Making Love in the Rain") and then teamed up with rockers, Travis Barker and Lenny Kravitz to cover Kravitz's "Are You Gonna Go My Way". While the musicianship of BTS could certainly be up for debate, there is no denying that this K-pop boy band, who performed a thrilling version of their English-language hit, "Butter", are exceptional entertainers. And the In Memoriam began with a tribute to Taylor Hawkins, the drummer of Foo Fighters, who passed away almost two weeks ago and was supposed to appear on the show with his band who won three awards this evening. The rest of the segment featured Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Ben Platt and Rachel Zegler, exquisitely blending their voices together to perform a medley of songs by Stephen Sondheim, which honored the award-winning theatrical composer who also passed away last year.

Jon Batiste went into the evening with the most nominations at eleven and ended up taking home the most Grammys with five including Album of the Year. Not only was the musician and bandleader one of the major highlights with his rollicking performance of "Freedom" but Batiste delivered one of the more meaningful acceptance speeches of the night. Silk Sonic, the retro-soul duo made up of Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak, also did well, winning four awards that included Record and Song of the Year. They kicked off the show with "777", an appropriately themed tune about gambling from their slick, bedroom-ready album, "An Evening with Silk Sonic". Olivia Rodrigo, the nineteen year old who became one of the biggest pop stars of last year with her international smash debut, "Drivers License", won three Grammys including Best New Artist. On stage, she may have displayed the nervous energy of a novice yet remained a captivating force throughout her performance.

And special mention must be made about Lady Gaga who not only delivered a spectacular jazz number, paying loving tribute to her ailing musical partner, Tony Bennett (who at ninety-five had to retire last year due to the progression of his Alzheimer's disease) with "Love For Sale" and "Do I Love You?", but continued to display what a thoughtful and kind human being she is; small, simple gestures like making sure a very frail Liza Minnelli knew she had her at the Oscars and helping winner, SZA with the train of her dress as she struggled to the stage this evening on crutches. Gaga is truly a class act and could probably educate Smith on how to actually shine a light and uplift your fellow man.

Here is a partial list of the winners of the 2022 Grammy Awards:

Album of the Year: "We Are" - Jon Batiste
Record of the Year: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic
Song of the Year: "Leave the Door Open" - Silk Sonic - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars (songwriters)
Best New Artist: Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Vocal Album: "Sour" - Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Solo Performance: "Drivers License" - Olivia Rodrigo
Best Pop Duo or Group Performance: "Kiss Me More" - Doja Cat featuring SZA
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "Love for Sale" - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
Best Dance/Electronic Music Album: "Subconsciously" - Black Coffee
Best Dance Recording: "Alive" - Rüfüs Du Sol
Best Rap Album: "Call Me If You Get Lost" - Tyler, the Creator
Best Rap Performance: "Family Ties" - Baby Keem and Kendrick Lamar
Best Melodic Rap Performance: "Hurricane" - Kanye West featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby
Best Rap Song: "Jail" - Kanye West and Jay-Z - Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Kanye West and Mark Williams (songwriters)
Best R&B Album: "Heaux Tales" - Jazmine Sullivan
Best R&B Performance: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic and "Pick Up Your Feelings" - Jazmine Sullivan (tie)

Best Traditional R&B Performance: "Fight For You" - H.E.R.
Best R&B Song: "Leave The Door Open" - Silk Sonic - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars (songwriters)
Best Progressive R&B Album: "Table for Two" - Lucky Daye
Best Country Album: "Starting Over" - Chris Stapleton
Best Country Solo Performance: "You Should Probably Leave" - Chris Stapleton
Best Country Duo or Group Performance: "Younger Me" - Brothers Osborne
Best Country Song: "Cold" - Chris Stapleton - Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon and Chris Stapleton (songwriters)
Best Bluegrass Album: "My Bluegrass Heart" - Béla Fleck
Best Rock Album: "Medicine at Midnight" - Foo Fighters
Best Rock Performance: "Making a Fire" - Foo Fighters
Best Rock Song: "Waiting on a War" - Foo Fighters - Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett and Pat Smear (songwriters)
Best Metal Performance: "The Alien" - Dream Theater
Best Alternative Music Album: "Daddy’s Home" - St. Vincent
Best Latin Pop Album: "Mendó" - Alex Cuba
Best Musica Urbana Album: "El Último Tour Del Mundo" - Bad Bunny
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album: "Origen" - Juanes

Best Gospel Album: "Believe For It" - Cece Winans
Best Americana Album: "Native Sons" - Los Lobos
Best American Roots Performance: "Cry" - Jon Batiste
Best Jazz Vocal Album: "Songwrights Apothecary Lab" - Esperanza Spalding
Best Jazz Instrumental Album: "Skyline" - Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette and Gonzalo Rubalcaba
Best Latin Jazz Album: "Mirror Mirror" - Eliane Elias with Chick Corea and Chucho Valdés
Best Reggae Album: "Beauty in the Silence" - SOJA
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling): "Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis" - Don Cheadle
Best Comedy Album: "Sincerely Louis CK" - Louis C.K.
Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media: "The United States vs. Billie Holiday"
Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media: "The Queen’s Gambit" and "Soul" (tie)
Best Song Written For Visual Media: "All Eyes on Me" from "Bo Burnham: Inside" - Bo Burnham (songwriter)

Best Music Video: "Freedom" - Jon Batiste
Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical): Jack Antonoff

2021 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINATIONS

The nominations for the 64th annual Grammy Awards were announced on November 23rd with Jon Baptiste, receiving the most nominations this year with a total of eleven for "We Are", his latest studio album that features an intriguing blend of jazz and r&b. Batiste, best known for his role as musical director on "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert", had won an Oscar for Best Original Score alongside Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross earlier this year for the animated film, "Soul". 

Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. all received eight nominations. Last year's big winner, Billie Eilish received seven nominations for "Happier Than Ever", the follow-up to her debut along with Olivia Rodrigo for her debut, "Sour" who received a nom for Best New Artist. The Swedish super-pop group, ABBA shockingly received their very first Grammy Award nod for their first single in forty years, "I Still Have Faith in You" in the Record of the Year category. 

The music legend, Tony Bennett made history as the oldest nominee at age of ninety-five for his collaboration with Lady Gaga on the jazz collection, "Love For Sale". And Jay-Z, the recent inductee in to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, also made history this year as the most nominated individual artist of all-time with eighty-three with three new nominations for his work with the late DMX and Kanye West. Paul McCartney moved in to the second spot with eighty-one due to two additional nominations in the rock category.

One notable change this year is that in the four major categories; Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist, have been expanded to include ten nominees. I think that while this will give recognition to more deserving artists, there will still only be one winner, making the final selection even more difficult than it has been in the past.

The 2021 Grammys will be held in Los Angeles at the former Staples Center which has recently been newly renamed Crypto.com Arena on January 31, 2022, April 3rd, 2022 broadcasting live on CBS and streaming live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Here is a partial list of the nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards:

Album Of The Year:

"We Are" — Jon Batiste
"Love For Sale" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)" — Justin Bieber
"Planet Her (Deluxe)" — Doja Cat
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Back Of My Mind — H.E.R.
"Montero" — Lil Nas X
"Sour" — Olivia Rodrigo
"Evermore" — Taylor Swift
"Donda" — Kanye West

Record Of The Year:

"I Still Have Faith In You" — ABBA
"Freedom" — Jon Batiste
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Right On Time" — Brandi Carlile
"Kiss Me More" — Doja Cat Featuring SZA
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Lil Nas X
"Drivers License" — Olivia Rodrigo
"Leave The Door Open" — Silk Sonic

Song Of The Year:

“Bad Habits” — Fred Gibson, Johnny McDaid & Ed Sheeran, songwriters (Ed Sheeran)
"A Beautiful Noise" — Ruby Amanfu, Brandi Carlile, Brandy Clark, Alicia Keys, Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna, Linda Perry & Hailey Whitters, songwriters (Alicia Keys And Brandi Carlile)
"Drivers License" — Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
"Fight For You" — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
"Kiss Me More" — Rogét Chahayed, Amala Zandile Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Carter Lang, Gerard A. Powell II, Solána Rowe & David Sprecher, songwriters (Doja Cat Featuring SZA)
"Leave The Door Open" — Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Denzel Baptiste, David Biral, Omer Fedi, Montero Hill & Roy Lenzo, songwriters (Lil Nas X)
"Peaches" — Louis Bell, Justin Bieber, Giveon Dezmann Evans, Bernard Harvey, Felisha “Fury” King, Matthew Sean Leon, Luis Manual Martinez Jr., Aaron Simmonds, Ashton Simmonds, Andrew Wotman & Keavan Yazdani, songwriters (Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon)
"Right On Time" — Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

Best New Artist:

Arooj Aftab
Jimmie Allen
Baby Keem
Finneas
Glass Animals
Japanese Breakfast
The Kid Laroi
Arlo Parks
Olivia Rodrigo
Saweetie

Best Pop Vocal Album:

"Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe)" — Justin Bieber
"Planet Her (Deluxe)" — Doja Cat
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Positions" — Ariana Grande
"Sour" — Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Solo Performance:

"Anyone" -Justin Bieber
"Right On Time" - Brandi Carlile
"Happier Than Ever" - Billie Eilish
"Positions" - Ariana Grande
Drivers License" - Olivia Rodrigo

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

"I Get A Kick Out Of You" - Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Lonely" - Justin Bieber & benny blanco
"Butter" - BTS
"Higher Power" - Coldplay
"Kiss Me More" - Doja Cat Featuring SZA

Best Rap Album:

"The Off-Season" — J. Cole
"Certified Lover Boy" — Drake
"King’s Disease II" — Nas
"Call Me If You Get Lost" — Tyler The Creator
"Donda" — Kanye West

Best Rap Performance:

"Family Ties" — Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar
"Up" — Cardi B
"m y . l i f e" — J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray
"Way 2 Sexy" — Drake Featuring Future & Young Thug
"Thot Shit" — Megan Thee Stallion

Best Rap Song:

"Bath Salts" - Shawn Carter, Kasseem Dean, Michael Forno, Nasir Jones & Earl Simmons, songwriters (DMX Featuring Jay-Z & Nas)
"Best Friend" - Amala Zandelie Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Randall Avery Hammers, Diamonté Harper, Asia Smith, Theron Thomas & Rocco Valdes, songwriters (Saweetie Featuring Doja Cat)
"Family Ties" - Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Hykeem Carter, Tobias Dekker, Colin Franken, Jasper Harris, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald Latour & Dominik Patrzek, songwriters (Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar)
"Jail" - Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Brian Hugh Warner, Kanye West & Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z)
"M Y . L I F E" - Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph & Jermaine Cole, songwriters (J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray)

Best R&B Album:

"Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies" - Snoh Aalegra
"We Are" - Jon Batiste
"Gold-Diggers Sound" - Leon Bridges
"Back Of My Mind" - H.E.R.
"Heaux Tales" - Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Performance:

"Lost You" — Snoh Aalegra
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Damage" — H.E.R.
"Leave The Door Open" — Silk Sonic
"Pick Up Your Feelings" — Jazmine Sullivan

Best R&B Song:

"Damage" - Anthony Clemons Jr., Jeff Gitelman, H.E.R., Carl McCormick & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)
"Good Days" - Jacob Collier, Carter Lang, Carlos Munoz, Solána Rowe & Christopher Ruelas, songwriters (SZA)
"Heartbreak Anniversary" - Giveon Evans, Maneesh, Sevn Thomas & Varren Wade, songwriters (Giveon)
"Leave The Door Open" - Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II & Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic)
"Pick Up Your Feelings" - Denisia “Blue June” Andrews, Audra Mae Butts, Kyle Coleman, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Michael Holmes & Jazmine Sullivan, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)

Best Progressive R&B Album:

"New Light" — Eric Bellinger
"Something To Say" — Cory Henry
"Mood Valiant" — Hiatus Kaiyote
"Table For Two" — Lucky Daye
"Dinner Party: Dessert" — Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington
"Studying Abroad: Extended Stay" — Masego

Best Country Album:

"Skeletons" Brothers Osborne
"Remember Her Name" - Mickey Guyton
"The Marfa Tapes" - Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall & Jack Ingram"
"The Ballad Of Dood & Juanita" - Sturgill Simpson
"Starting Over" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Solo Performance:

"Forever After All" - Luke Combs
"Remember Her Name" - Mickey Guyton
"All I Do Is Drive" - Jason Isbell
"Camera Roll" - Kacey Musgraves
"You Should Probably Leave" - Chris Stapleton

Best Country Song:

"Better Than We Found It" — Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Velz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
"Camera Roll" — Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
"Cold" — Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton)
"Country Again" — Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
"Fancy Like" — Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins & Shane Stevens, songwriters (Walker Hayes)
"Remember Her Name" — Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram &Parker Welling, songwriters (Mickey Guyton)

Best Americana Album:

"Downhill From Everywhere" - Jackson Browne
"Leftover Feelings" - John Hiatt with The Jerry Douglas Band
"Native Sons" - Los Lobos
"Outside Child" - Allison Russell
"Stand For Myself" - Yola

Best American Roots Performance:

"Cry" - Jon Batiste
"Love And Regret" - Billy Strings
"I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" - The Blind Boys Of Alabama & Béla Fleck
"Same Devil" - Brandy Clark Featuring Brandi Carlile
"Nightflyer" - Allison Russell

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album:

"Subconsciously" - Black Coffee
"Fallen Embers" - ILLENIUM
"Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded)" - Major Lazer
"Shockwave" - Marshmello
"Free Love" - Sylvan Esso
"Judgement" - Ten City

Best Dance/Electronic Recording:

"Hero" — Afrojack & David Guetta
"Loom" — Ólafur Arnalds Featuring Bonobo
"Before" — James Blake
"Heartbreak" — Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs
"You Can Do It" — Caribou
"Alive" — Rüfüs Du Sol
"The Business" — Tiësto

Best Rock Album:

"Power Up" - AC/DC
"Capitol Cuts - Live From Studio A" - Black Pumas
"No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1" - Chris Cornell
"Medicine At Midnight" - Foo Fighters
"McCartney III" - Paul McCartney

Best Rock Performance:

"Shot In The Dark" - AC/DC
"Know You Better (Live From Capitol Studio A)" - Black Pumas
"Nothing Compares 2 U" - Chris Cornell
"Ohms" - Deftones
"Making A Fire" - Foo Fighters

Best Alternative Music Album:

"Shore" — Fleet Foxes
"If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power?" — Halsey
"Jubilee" — Japanese Breakfast
"Collapsed In Sunbeams" — Arlo Parks
"Daddy‘s Home" — St. Vincent

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

"Generations" — The Baylor Project
"SuperBlue" — Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter
"Time Traveler" — Nnenna Freelon
"Flor" — Gretchen Parlato
"Songwrights Apothecary Lab" — Esperanza Spalding

Best Gospel Album:

"Changing Your Story" — Jekalyn Carr
"Royalty: Live At The Ryman" — Tasha Cobbs Leonard
"Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition" — Maverick City Music
"Jonny x Mali: Live In LA" — Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music
"Believe For It" — CeCe Winans

Best Latin Pop Album:

"Vértigo" — Pablo Alborán
"Mis Amores" — Paula Arenas
"Hecho A La Antigua" — Ricardo Arjona
"Mis Manos" — Camilo
"Mendó" — Alex Cuba
"Revelación" — Selena Gomez

Best Spoken Word Album (includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling):

"Aftermath" — LeVar Burton
"Carry On: Reflections For A New Generation From John Lewis" — Don Cheadle
"Catching Dreams: Live At Fort Knox Chicago" — J. Ivy
"8:46" — Dave Chappelle & Amir Sulaiman
"A Promised Land" — Barack Obama

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media:

"Cruella" - Various Artists
"Dear Evan Hansen" - Various Artists
"In The Heights" - Various Artists
"One Night In Miami..." - Various Artists
"Respect" - Jennifer Hudson
"Schmigadoon! Episode 1" - Various Artists
"The United States Vs. Billie Holiday" - Andra Day

Best Music Film:

"Inside" — Bo Burnham
"David Byrne‘s American Utopia" — David Byrne
"Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter To Los Angeles" — Billie Eilish
"Music, Money, Madness. . .Jimi Hendrix In Maui" — Jimi Hendrix
"Summer Of Soul" — Various Artists

Best Music Video:

"Shot In The Dark" — AC/DC
"Freedom" — Jon Batiste
"I Get A Kick Out Of You" — Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga
"Peaches" — Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
"Happier Than Ever" — Billie Eilish
"Montero (Call Me By Your Name)" — Lil Nas X
"Good 4 U" — Olivia Rodrigo

Producer Of The Year (Non-Classical):

Jack Antonoff
Rogét Chahayed
Mike Elizondo
Hit-Boy
Ricky Reed

2021 VMAS

It was forty years ago this year that MTV was launched and delivered to the world the music video, a perfect blend of energized visuals with hard-driving music that completely changed how we were exposed to new songs. I was drawn to the channel immediately as it combined my great love of cinema and music and I would spend as much time as I possibly could watching my MTV. There is no denying MTV helped create pop stars, aiding these musicians by promoting their songs through the rotation of their videos which also defined these performers with a distinctive image. Sure, some of these artists probably would have been fine without the music channel but there is no doubt that many were able to achieve incredible global success with the far-reaching assistance of MTV.

The 2021 Video Music Awards celebrates the legacy of MTV and while the channel doesn't really show these clips anymore, they still enthusiastically honor the artistry behind the music video. Held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, Doja Cat was this year's host and while she might be one of the hottest pop acts at the moment, the singer didn't leave much of an impact. As a host, she was barely on stage, didn't say anything meaningful and never made much of an impression beyond her progressively weird outfits (which included some sort of worm-like contraption and a literal chair on her head). Even Madonna, who showed up just to kick off the show, was able to make more of a significant impression in her brief appearance where the still rebellious sixty-three year old highlighted her completely covered yet fully exposed, oddly enhanced backside.

And the Queen of Pop was just one of several musical artists from MTV's glory days that appeared throughout the evening to present awards. There was Madonna's "rival", Cyndi Lauper; Tommy Lee of the metal band, Motley Crew; AJ McLean of Backstreet Boys, Lance Bass of N'Sync and Nick Lachey of 98 Degrees who represented the "Boy Band" era and the still very witty, David Lee Roth of Van Halen. Busta Rhymes appeared on the show (along with his hype-man, Spliff Star) to do a melody of many of his hits from the '90's and '00's but the hip-hop legend was largely out-of-breath and low-energy.

Even though Nicki Minaj and Lorde (due to a "change in production elements") decided to drop out at the last moment, there were still plenty of big names that turned up live on stage. Some highlights included Justin Bieber appearing with The Kid Laroi to do their hit, "Stay" and then Biebs did his newest single, "Ghosts"; Ed Sheeran took to a stage at the Brooklyn Bridge Park to deliver his latest single, "Shivers"; lovebirds, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes appeared separately to perform their songs, "Don't Go Yet" and "Summer of Love" respectively; and our host, Doja Cat had to get on stage, doing a mash-up of "Been Like This" and "You Right" while soaring high above the audience in the air. A few of my favorite appearances included a fierce Chlöe performing (without her sister, Halle) her first solo song, "Have Mercy"; Normani bringing her hit, "Wild Life" to life with a sizzling performance; Kacey Musgraves brought a touch of country-pop while encircled by a ring of fire with the title track of her new album, "Star-Crossed" and the always welcome, Alicia Keys delivering a new song and a tribute to New York City with "Empire State of Mind". And Global Icon Award winners, Foo Fighters did a roaring set of their songs that reminded us that rock & roll is far from dead.

As for the awards, Lil Nas X and Olivia Rodrigo were the big winners of the night, each receiving three awards with Rodrigo winning Song of the Year for "Drivers License" and Best New Artist while Nas took the big Video of the Year award for his controversial clip, "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)". These young entertainers each had a moment on the show to make their presence felt with big, splashy production numbers surrounded by a small army of dancers. But this was were their inexperience as live performers came in to sharp focus. Nas and Rodrigo both looked slightly uncomfortable on stage while struggling to stand out from their massive productions.

This points out a glaring problem with some of today's musicians who manage to get a hit record yet never paid any dues by learning to perform their music in front of an audience. Lil Nas X and Ms Rodrigo are appealing pop stars and have made some great records but are they artists that will still be around in ten years? Five years? No one really knows as talent alone is not necessarily enough to keep people interested. Yet I think the era of "American Idol" insta-pop-stars has done a great disservice to young singers who think skipping much of the long, hard work involved and jumping straight to fame is enough to maintain a career.