If you didn’t already know, yesterday’s release of Golden Globes nominees began the wonderful time that is awards season. To keep the ball rolling after a slight delay in announcement because of former President George H. W. Bush’s funeral, the Recording Academy announced the 2019 Grammy Awards nominees Friday. With some expected nods and important surprise nominations, the Academy definitely took a lot into consideration this year. Here are seven thoughts on the Grammy nominations:
Hip-hop graced the most nominations
With Kendrick Lamar sitting at the top with eight nominations, and Drake closely following with seven, it’s no doubt that hip-hop has been at the top of its game in the past year. With Kendrick’s work on the Black Panther soundtrack and Drake’s chart-topping Scorpion, there’s no doubt that the two artists deserve the amount of nods they got. This also shows how the Recording Academy is looking to the future of music. Hip-hop is everywhere and it’s constantly growing, and it’s good to see the Academy’s mindset grow with it.
Brandi Carlile sits as the most nominated woman
With one of the best albums of the year, it’s no surprise resident country singer Brandi Carlile was nominated for six awards. Though some people might not necessarily know of Carlile and her most recent release By The Way, I Forgive You, it’s definitely an album they should go listen to. Between Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best American Roots Performance and Best American Roots Song, it’ll be crazy if she’s doesn’t walk away with at least one award.
Record of the Year was surprising
Record of the Year stands as one of the biggest awards of the night — and also one of the biggest surprises when it came to nominations. There are some obvious entries such as Childish Gambino’s “This Is America” and Zedd and Maren Morris’ “The Middle,” yet others are a bit surprising. With the inclusion of songs like Post Malone and 21 Savage’s “rockstar,” there’s the exclusion of songs like Maroon 5 and Cardi B’s “Girls Like You” or Florida Georgia Line and Bebe Rexha’s “Meant To Be.” The category definitely gives recognition to some of the best songs in the past year, but it’s disappointing to see some good songs get forgotten.
Women dominated the Big 4 categories
Women are infamously overlooked during award season, but in the face of the #MeToo Movement and an overall change in atmosphere that’s not the case this year — at least for the Grammys. In all of the Big 4 categories, women domineer the numbers. Between Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist, there are 14 different women nominated in some way. This is definitely a step in the right direction. Last year, only 17 percent of award winners were women. It’s already monumental that so many women were nominated, so it’ll be even better if one of the well-deserved ladies take home the coveted awards.
Lady Gaga was weirdly nominated for work on Joanne
Everyone knows Lady Gaga is a phenomenal singer and deserves all of the awards, yet her nomination for Best Pop Solo Performance definitely seems a bit odd. Gaga and her A Star Is Born co-star Bradley Cooper are already sitting at four nods for their single “Shallow,” making Gaga’s nod for “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Going?)” a bit unnecessary. As the third single off her 2017 album Joanne, it begs the question whether or not the song warrants eligibility. In fact, according to the Recording Academy, it does. The actual eligibility period lasts about 11 months and for the 2019 Grammys is spanned from Oct. 1, 2017 to Sept. 30, 2018. With Gaga’s album release on Oct. 21, 2017, it somehow made the cut. Weird.
Dua Lipa was snubbed in the pop categories
When thinking of the most prominent pop singers of the best year or so, Dua Lipa always comes to mind. From her life-lesson filled “New Rules” to her break-up anthem “IDGAF,” Dua has domineered both the charts and radio stations. Because of that, it’s perplexing the only nomination the British songstress received was for Best New Artist. Even though her self-titled debut album didn’t fit the eligibility period, it’s surprising. Surrounded by a slew of amazing artists, it’ll definitely be a toss up who will take the award, but currently my bet is on Dua.
The 61st Grammy Awards will premiere Feb. 10 on CBS.
