2023 Grammys

Drake Wins Big At 2023 Grammys Despite Not Submitting Any Music

by
drake apollo theater
Getty Image

It seems winning is just inevitable for Drake. Despite not submitting any music for the 2023 Grammys, the Toronto rap star still walked away with an award Sunday night. The “Rich Flex” rapper won best melodic rap performance for his guest appearance on Future’s No.1 hit, “Wait for U,” which also features vocals from Nigerian singer Tems. The track appears on Future’s album, I Never Liked You.

Even without entering any new music, Drake earned himself four nominations this year. Along with his work on “Wait for U,” the rapper also co-wrote and earned nominations for Jack Harlow‘s “Churchill Downs” and “Heated” from Beyoncé‘s album, Renaissance.

Unlike in years past, Drake opted out of submitting any work from his latest solo album, Honestly, Nevermind, or any of its singles like “Jimmy Crooks,” “Sticky,” and “Massive,” for awards. The now five-time Grammy winner has been critical of the awards show in the past. He even withdrew his two nominations for the 2022 awards.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, while attending the 2023 Recording Academy Honors, Drake honored Lil Wayne with a video message — one of the award’s honorees, along with Missy Elliot and Dr. Dre — and even took some jabs at Grammys while doing it.

“Good evening, Grammys. Well, I haven’t gotten to say that since 2016,” the rapper said in the video.

He continued, “Lil Wayne… I love you so much. I know I probably get annoying with saying how much you mean to me and my family, but I think I speak on behalf of everybody when I say that our careers, our cadences, our melodies, maybe our face tats or our outfits or our decisions, in general, would not have been the same without your natural gift to just be yourself.”

The Full List Of 2023 Grammy Award Winners

by
Grammys 2023
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards could prove to be historical, with a number of firsts for the award show. The Album Of The Year category has its first Spanish-language album nomination in Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, while the BTS song “Yet To Come” is the first Korean-language song to be nominated for a Grammy (it’s up for Best Music Video).

Meanwhile, Beyoncé — the most-nominated artist at this year’s Grammys with nine nods — has matched her husband Jay-Z for most nominations ever, as well as the opportunity to become the most-awarded artist ever with just four wins.

Check out our predictions for who we think will win (and should win) in both the Big Four and Rap categories, as this list will be updated as winners are announced.

Album Of The Year

ABBA — Voyage
Adele — 30
Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
Beyoncé — Renaissance
Brandi Carlile — In These Silent Days
Coldplay — Music Of The Spheres
Harry Styles — Harry’s House
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Lizzo — Special
Mary J. Blige — Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)

Best New Artist

Anitta
Domi & JD Beck
Latto
Måneskin
Molly Tuttle
Muni Long
Omar Apollo
Samara Joy
Tobe Nwigwe
Wet Leg

Record of the Year

ABBA — “Don’t Shut Me Down”
Adele — “Easy on Me”
Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius — “You and Me on the Rock”
Doja Cat — “Woman”
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
Mary J. Blige — “Good Morning Gorgeous”
Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”

Song of the Year

Adele — “Easy on Me”
Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
Bonnie Raitt — “Just Like That”
DJ Khaled — “God Did” Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
Gayle — “ABCDEFU”
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”
Taylor Swift — “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)”

Best Pop Solo Performance

Adele — “Easy on Me”
Bad Bunny — “Moscow Mule”
Doja Cat — “Woman”
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

ABBA — “Don’t Shut Me Down”
Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran — “Bam Bam”
Coldplay & BTS — “My Universe”
Post Malone & Doja Cat — “I Like You (A Happier Song)”
Sam Smith & Kim Petras — “Unholy”

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

Diana Ross — Thank You
Kelly Clarkson — When Christmas Comes Around…
Michael Bublé — Higher
Norah Jones — I Dream of Christmas (Extended)
Pentatonix — Evergreen

Best Pop Vocal Album

ABBA — Voyage
Adele — 30
Coldplay — Music of the Spheres
Harry Styles — Harry’s House
Lizzo — Special

Best Rap Performance

DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy — “God Did”
Doja Cat — “Vegas”
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug — “Pushin P”
Hitkidd & Glorilla — “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”

Best Melodic Rap Performance

DJ Khaled Featuring Future & SZA — “Beautiful”
Future Featuring Drake & Tems — “Wait for U”
Jack Harlow — “First Class”
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Blxst & Amanda Reifer — “Die Hard”
Latto — “Big Energy (Live)”

Best Rap Song

DJ Khaled — “God Did” Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
Future Featuring Drake & Tems — “Wait for U”
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug — “Pushin P”
Jack Harlow Featuring Drake — “Churchill Downs”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”

Best Rap Album

DJ Khaled — God Did
Future — I Never Liked You
Jack Harlow — Come Home The Kids Miss You
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Pusha T — It’s Almost Dry

Best Dance/Electronic Recording

Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
Bonobo — “Rosewood”
David Guetta & Bebe Rexha — “I’m Good (Blue)”
Diplo & Miguel — “Don’t Forget My Love”
Kaytranada Featuring H.E.R. — “Intimidated”
Rüfüs Du Sol — “On My Knees”

Best Dance/Electronic Music Album

Beyoncé — Renaissance
Bonobo — Fragments
Diplo — Diplo
Odesza — The Last Goodbye
Rüfüs Du Sol — Surrender

Best Instrumental Composition

Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers — “Fronteras (Borders) Suite: Al-Musafir Blues”
Geoffrey Keezer — “Refuge”
Miguel Zenón, José Antonio Zayas Cabán, Ryan Smith & Casey Rafn — “El País Invisible”
Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar — “African Tales”
Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar — “Snapshots”

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

Armand Hutton Featuring Terrell Hunt & Just 6 — “As Days Go By (An Arrangement of the Family Matters Theme Song)”
Danny Elfman — “Main Titles”
Kings Return — “How Deep Is Your Love”
Magnus Lindgren, John Beasley & The SWR Big Band Featuring Martin Auer — “Scrapple From the Apple”
Remy Le Boeuf — “Minnesota, WI”

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

Becca Stevens & Attacca Quartet — “2 + 2 = 5 (Arr. Nathan Schram)”
Cécile McLorin Salvant — “Optimistic Voices / No Love Dying”
Christine McVie — “Songbird (Orchestral Version)”
Jacob Collier Featuring Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer — “Never Gonna Be Alone”
Louis Cole — “Let It Happen”

Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen
Laura Veltz
Nija Charles
The-Dream
Tobias Jesso Jr.

Best Latin Pop Album

Camilo — De Adentro Pa Afuera
Christina Aguilera — Aguilera
Fonseca — Viajante
Rubén Blades & Boca Livre — Pasieros
Sebastián Yatra — Dharma +

Best Música Urbana Album

Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
Daddy Yankee — Legendaddy
Farruko — La 167
Maluma — The Love & Sex Tape
Rauw Alejandro — Trap Cake, Vol. 2

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

Cimafunk — El Alimento
Fito Paez — Los Años Salvajes
Gaby Moreno — Alegoría
Jorge Drexler — Tinta y Tiempo
Mon Laferte — 1940 Carmen
Rosalía — Motomami

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)

Chiquis — Abeja Reina
Christian Nodal — EP #1 Forajido
Marco Antonio Solís — Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe)
Natalia Lafourcade — Un Canto por México — El Musical
Los Tigres del Norte — La Reunión (Deluxe)

Best Tropical Latin Album

Carlos Vives — Cumbiana II
Marc Anthony — Pa’lla Voy
La Santa Cecilia — Quiero Verte Feliz
Spanish Harlem Orchestra — Imágenes Latinas
Tito Nieves — Legendario

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media

Various Artists — Elvis
Various Artists — Encanto
Various Artists — Stranger Things: Soundtrack From the Netflix Series, Season 4
Lorne Balfe, Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga & Hans Zimmer — Top Gun: Maverick
Various Artists — West Side Story

Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media (Includes Film and Television)

Germaine Franco — Encanto
Hans Zimmer — No Time to Die
Jonny Greenwood — The Power of the Dog
Michael Giacchino — The Batman
Nicholas Britell — Succession: Season 3

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

Austin Wintory — Aliens: Fireteam Elite
Bear McCreary — Call of Duty: Vanguard
Christopher Tin — Old World
Richard Jacques — Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
Stephanie Economou — Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök

Best Song Written for Visual Media

Beyoncé — “Be Alive”
Carolina Gaitán, La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto, Cast — “We Don’t Talk About Bruno”
Jessy Wilson Featuring Angélique Kidjo — “Keep Rising (The Woman King)”
Lady Gaga — “Hold My Hand”
Taylor Swift — “Carolina”
4*Town, Jordan Fisher, Finneas O’Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo & Grayson Villanueva — “Nobody Like U”

Best Comedy Album

Dave Chappelle — “The Closer”
Jim Gaffigan — “Comedy Monster”
Louis C.K. — “Sorry”
Patton Oswalt — “We All Scream”
Randy Rainbow — “A Little Brains, a Little Talent”

Best R&B Performance

Beyoncé — “Virgo’s Groove”
Jazmine Sullivan — “Hurt Me So Good”
Lucky Daye — “Over”
Mary J. Blige Featuring Anderson .Paak — “Here With Me”
Muni Long — “Hrs & Hrs”

Best Traditional R&B Performance

Adam Blackstone Featuring Jazmine Sullivan — “’Round Midnight”
Babyface Featuring Ella Mai — “Keeps on Fallin’”
Beyoncé — “Plastic Off the Sofa”
Mary J. Blige — “Good Morning Gorgeous”
Snoh Aalegra — “Do 4 Love”

Best R&B Song

Beyoncé — “Cuff It”
Jazmine Sullivan — “Hurt Me So Good”
Mary J. Blige — “Good Morning Gorgeous”
Muni Long — “Hrs & Hrs”
PJ Morton — “Please Don’t Walk Away”

Best Progressive R&B Album

Cory Henry — Operation Funk
Moonchild — Starfuit
Steve Lacy — Gemini Rights
Tank and the Bangas — Red Balloon
Terrace Martin — Drones

Best R&B Album

Chris Brown — Breezy (Deluxe)
Lucky Daye — Candy Drip
Mary J. Blige — Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
PJ Morton — Watch the Sun
Robert Glasper — Black Radio III

Best Music Video

Adele — “Easy on Me”
BTS — “Yet to Come”
Doja Cat — “Woman”
Harry Styles — “As It Was”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
Taylor Swift — “All Too Well: The Short Film”

Best Music Film

Adele — Adele One Night Only
Billie Eilish — Billie Eilish Live at the O2
Justin Bieber — Our World
Neil Young & Crazy Horse — A Band a Brotherhood a Barn
Rosalía — Motomami (Rosalía TikTok Live Performance)
Various Artists — Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story

Best Alternative Music Performance

Arctic Monkeys — “There’d Better Be a Mirrorball”
Big Thief — “Certainty”
Florence and the Machine — “King”
Wet Leg — “Chaise Longue”
Yeah Yeah Yeahs Featuring Perfume Genius — “Spitting Off the Edge of the World”

Best Alternative Music Album

Arcade Fire — We
Big Thief — Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You
Björk — Fossora
Wet Leg — Wet Leg
Yeah Yeah Yeahs — Cool It Down

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

Cheryl B. Engelhardt — The Passenger
Madi Das, Dave Stringer & Bhakti Without Borders — Mantra Americana
Mystic Mirror — White Sun
Paul Avgerinos — Joy
Will Ackerman — Positano Songs

Best Children’s Music Album

Alphabet Rockers — The Movement
Divinity Roxx — Ready Set Go!
Justin Roberts — Space Cadet
Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band — Los Fabulosos
Wendy and DB — Into the Little Blue House

Best Recording Package

Fann — Telos
Soporus — Divers
Spiritualized — Everything Was Beautiful
Tamsui-Kavalan Chinese Orchestra — Beginningless Beginning
Underoath — Voyeurist

Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package

Black Pumas — Black Pumas (Collector’s Edition Box Set)
Danny Elfman — Big Mess
The Grateful Dead — In and Out of the Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81, ’82, ’83
They Might Be Giants — Book
Various Artists — Artists Inspired by Music: Interscope Reimagined

Best Album Notes

Andy Irvine & Paul Brady — Andy Irvine / Paul Brady
Astor Piazzolla — The American Clavé Recordings
Doc Watson — Life’s Work: A Retrospective
Harry Partch — Harry Partch, 1942
Wilco — Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)

Best Historical Album

Blondie — Against the Odds: 1974 — 1982
Doc Watson — Life’s Work: A Retrospective
Freestyle Fellowship — To Whom It May Concern…
Glenn Gould — The Goldberg Variations: The Complete Unreleased 1981 Studio Sessions
Wilco — Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

Ambrose Akinmusire — “Rounds (Live)”
Gerald Albright — “Keep Holding On”
John Beasley — “Cherokee/Koko”
Marcus Baylor — “Call of the Drum”
Melissa Aldana — “Falling”
Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese — “Endangered Species”

Best Jazz Vocal Album

The Baylor Project — The Evening : Live at Apparatus
Carmen Lundy — Fade to Black
Cécile McLorin Salvant — Ghost Song
The Manhattan Transfer & The WDR Funkhausorchester — Fifty
Samara Joy — Linger Awhile

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride & Brian Blade — LongGone
Peter Erskine Trio — Live in Italy
Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton & Matthew Stevens — New Standards, Vol. 1
Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese & Esperanza Spalding — Live at the Detroit Jazz Festival
Yellowjackets — Parallel Motion

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

John Beasley, Magnus Lindgren & SWR Big Band — Bird Lives
Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows — Architecture of Storms
Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band Directed by Christian Jacob — Remembering Bob Freedman
Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber & WDR Big Band Conducted by Michael Abene — Center Stage
Steven Feifke, Bijon Watson & Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra — Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra

Best Latin Jazz Album

Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective — Fandango at the Wall in New York
Arturo Sandoval — Rhythm & Soul
Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers — Crisálida
Flora Purim — If You Will
Miguel Zenón — Música de las Américas

Best Reggae Album

Kabaka Pyramid — The Kalling
Koffee — Gifted
Protoje — Third Time’s the Charm
Sean Paul — Scorcha
Shaggy — Com Fly Wid Mi

Best Global Music Performance

Arooj Aftab & Anoushka Shankar — “Udhero Na”
Burna Boy — “Last Last”
Matt B & Eddy Kenzo — “Gimme Love”
Rocky Dawuni Featuring Blvk H3ro — “Neva Bow Down”
Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode — “Bayethe”

Best Global Music Album

Angélique Kidjo & Ibrahim Maalouf — Queen of Sheba
Anoushka Shankar, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley Featuring Manu Delago — Between Us… (Live)
Berklee Indian Ensemble — Shuruaat
Burna Boy — Love, Damini
Masa Takumi — Sakura

Best American Roots Performance

Aaron Neville & The Dirty Dozen Brass Band — “Stompin’ Ground”
Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell — “Prodigal Daughter”
Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton — “Someday It’ll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)”
Fantastic Negrito — “Oh Betty”
Madison Cunningham — “Life According to Raechel”

Best Americana Performance

Asleep at the Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett — “There You Go Again”
Blind Boys of Alabama Featuring Black Violin — “The Message”
Bonnie Raitt — “Made Up Mind”
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius — “You and Me on the Rock”
Eric Alexandrakis — “Silver Moon [A Tribute to Michael Nesmith]”

Best American Roots Song

Anaïs Mitchell — “Bright Star”
Aoife O’Donovan & Allison Russell — “Prodigal Daughter”
Bonnie Raitt — “Just Like That”
Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius — “You and Me on the Rock”
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss — “High and Lonesome”
Sheryl Crow — “Forever”

Best Americana Album

Bonnie Raitt — Just Like That…
Brandi Carlile — In These Silent Days
Dr. John — Things Happen That Way
Keb’ Mo’ — Good to Be…
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss — Raise the Roof

Best Bluegrass Album

The Del McCoury Band — Almost Proud
The Infamous Stringdusters — Toward the Fray
Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway — Crooked Tree
Peter Rowan — Calling You From My Mountain
Yonder Mountain String Band — Get Yourself Outside

Best Traditional Blues Album

Buddy Guy — The Blues Don’t Lie
Charlie Musselwhite — Mississippi Son
Gov’t Mule — Heavy Load Blues
John Mayall — The Sun Is Shining Down
Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder — Get on Board

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Ben Harper — Bloodline Maintenance
Edgar Winter — Brother Johnny
Eric Gales — Crown
North Mississippi Allstars — Set Sail
Shemekia Copeland — Done Come Too Far

Best Folk Album

Aoife O’Donovan — Age of Apathy
Janis Ian — The Light at the End of the Line
Judy Collins — Spellbound
Madison Cunningham — Revealer
Punch Brothers — Hell on Church Street

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Halau Hula Keali’i o Nalani — Halau Hula Keali’i o Nalani (Live at the Getty Center)
Natalie Ai Kamauu — Natalie Noelani
Nathan & The Zydeco Cha-Chas — Lucky Man
Ranky Tanky — Live at the 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
Sean Ardoin & Kreole Rock and Soul Featuring The Golden Band From Tigerland — Full Circle

Best Orchestral Performance

Berlin Philharmonic & John Williams — “John Williams: The Berlin Concert”
Los Angeles Philharmonic & Gustavo Dudamel — “Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7-9”
New York Youth Symphony — “Works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman”
Various Artists — “Sila: The Breath of the World”
Wild Up & Christopher Rountree — “Stay on It”

Best Opera Recording

Boston Modern Orchestra Project & Odyssey Opera Chorus — Anthony Davis: X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & The Metropolitan Opera Chorus — Blanchard: Fire Shut Up in My Bones
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & The Metropolitan Opera Chorus — Eurydice

Best Choral Performance

The Crossing — “Born”
English Baroque Soloists & Monteverdi Choir — “J.S. Bach: St. John Passion, BWV 245”
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, The Metropolitan Opera Chorus, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Ailyn Pérez, Michelle DeYoung, Matthew Polenzani & Eric Owens — “Verdi’s Requiem: The Met Remembers 9/11”

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

Attacca Quartet — “Caroline Shaw: Evergreen”
Dover Quartet — “Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Vol. 2 – The Middle Quartets”
Neave Trio — “Musical Remembrances”
Publiquartet — “What Is American”
Third Coast Percussion — “Perspectives”

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

Daniil Trifonov — “Bach: The Art of Life”
Hilary Hahn — “Abels: Isolation Variation”
Mak Grgić — “A Night in Upper Town — The Music of Zoran Krajacic”
Mitsuko Uchida — “Beethoven: Diabelli Variations”
Time for Three, The Philadelphia Orchestra & Xian Zhang — “Letters for the Future”

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Il Pomo d’Oro — Eden
Nicholas Phan, Brooklyn Rider, The Knights & Eric Jacobsen — Stranger — Works for Tenor by Nico Muhly
Renée Fleming & Yannick Nézet-Séguin — Voice of Nature: The Anthropocene
Sasha Cooke & Kirill Kuzmin — How Do I Find You
Will Liverman, Paul Sánchez & J’Nai Bridges — Shawn E. Okpebholo: Lord, How Come Me Here?

Best Classical Compendium

Christopher Tin, Voces8, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra & Barnaby Smith — The Lost Birds
Kitt Wakeley — An Adoption Story
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Yannick Nézet-Séguin — A Concert for Ukraine
Seunghee Lee, JP Jofre & London Symphony Orchestra — Aspire

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

Andris Nelsons & Gewandhausorchester — Gubaidulina: The Wrath of God
Carlos Simon, MK Zulu, Marco Pavé & Hub New Music — Simon: Requiem for the Enslaved
Ian Rosenbaum & Dover Quartet — Akiho: Ligneous Suite
Jack Quartet — Bermel: Intonations
Time for Three, The Philadelphia Orchestra & Xian Zhang — Puts: Contact

Best Country Solo Performance

Kelsea Ballerini — “Heartfirst”
Maren Morris — “Circles Around This Town”
Miranda Lambert — “In His Arms”
Willie Nelson — “Live Forever”
Zach Bryan — “Something in the Orange”

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Brothers Osborne — “Midnight Rider’s Prayer”
Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde — “Never Wanted to Be That Girl”
Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt — “Wishful Drinking”
Luke Combs & Miranda Lambert — “Outrunnin’ Your Memory”
Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton — “Does He Love You (Revisited)”
Robert Plant & Alison Krauss — “Gonig Where the Lonely Go”

Best Country Song

Cody Johnson — ’Til You Can’t”
Luke Combs — “Doin’ This”
Maren Morris — “Circles Around This Town”
Miranda Lambert — “If I Was a Cowboy”
Taylor Swift — “I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version) (From the Vault)”
Willie Nelson — “I’ll Love You Till the Day I Die”

Best Country Album

Ashley McBryde — Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
Luke Combs — Growin’ Up
Maren Morris — Humble Quest
Miranda Lambert — Palomino
Willie Nelson — A Beautiful Time

Best Rock Performance

Beck — “Old Man”
The Black Keys — “Wild Child”
Brandi Carlile — “Broken Horses”
Bryan Adams — “So Happy It Hurts”
Idles — “Crawl!”
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck — “Patient Number 9”
Turnstile — “Holiday”

Best Metal Performance

Ghost — “Call Me Little Sunshine”
Megadeth — “We’ll Be Back”
Muse — “Kill or Be Killed”
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Tony Iommi — “Degradation Rules”
Turnstile — “Blackout”

Best Rock Song

Brandi Carlile — “Broken Horses”
Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck — “Patient Number 9”
Red Hot Chili Peppers — “Black Summer”
Turnstile — “Blackout”
The War on Drugs — “Harmonia’s Dream”

Best Rock Album

The Black Keys — Dropout Boogie
Elvis Costello & The Imposters — The Boy Named If
Idles — Crawler
Machine Gun Kelly — Mainstream Sellout
Ozzy Osbourne — Patient Number 9
Spoon — Lucifer on the Sofa

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

Brad Mehldau — Jacob’s Ladder
Domi & JD Beck — Not Tight
Grant Geissman — Blooz
Jeff Coffin — Between Dreaming and Joy
Snarky Puppy — Empire Central

Best Gospel Performance/Song

Doe — “When I Pray”
Erica Campbell — “Positive”
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin — “Kingdom”
PJ Morton Featuring Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers & Darrel Walls — “The Better Benediction”
Tye Tribbett — Get Up”

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

Chris Tomlin — “Holy Forever”
Crowder & Dante Bowe Featuring Maverick City Music — “God Really Loves Us (Radio Version)”
Doe — “So Good”
For King & Country & Hillary Scott — “For God Is With Us”
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin — “Fear Is Not My Future”
Phil Wickham — “Hymn of Heaven (Radio Version)”

Best Gospel Album

Doe — Clarity
Maranda Curtis — Die to Live
Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin — Kingdom Book One (Deluxe)
Ricky Dillard — Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live)
Tye Tribbett — All Things New

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Anne Wilson — My Jesus
Chris Tomlin — Always
Elevation Worship — Lion
Maverick City Music — Breathe
TobyMac — Life After Death

Best Roots Gospel Album

Gaither Vocal Band — Let’s Just Praise the Lord
Karen Peck & New River — 2:22
Keith & Kristyn Getty — Confessio — Irish American Roots
Tennessee State University — The Urban Hymnal
Willie Nelson — The Willie Nelson Family

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Baynk — Adolescence
Father John Misty — Chloë and the Next 20th Century
Harry Styles — Harry’s House
Robert Glasper — Black Radio III
Wet Leg — Wet Leg

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Boi-1da
Dahi
Dan Auerbach
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
Jack Antonoff

Best Remixed Recording

Beyoncé — “Break My Soul (Terry Hunter Remix)”
Ellie Goulding — “Easy Lover (Four Tet Remix)”
The Knocks & Dragonette — “Slow Song (Paul Woolford Remix)”
Lizzo — “About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Remix)”
Wet Leg — “Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix)”

Best Immersive Audio Album

Anita Brevik, Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene — Tuvayhun — Beatitudes for a Wounded World
The Chainsmokers — Memories…Do Not Open
Christina Aguilera — Aguilera
Jane Ira Bloom — Picturing the Invisible: Focus 1
Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej — Divine Tides

Best Engineered Album, Classical

Anita Brevik, Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene — Tuvayhun — Beatitudes for a Wounded World
Anne-Sophie Mutter, Boston Symphony Orchestra & John Williams — Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Selected Film Themes
Edwin Outwater & Chicago Symphony Orchestra — Mason Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique: The Making of the Orchestra
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra & Manfred Honeck — Beethoven & Stucky: Orchestral Works
Third Coast Percussion — Perspectives

Producer of the Year, Classical

Christoph Franke
Elaine Martone
James Ginsburg
Jonathan Allen
Judith Sherman

Best Musical Theater Album

Original Broadway Cast — A Strange Loop
New Broadway Cast — Caroline, or Change
Into the Woods 2022 Broadway Cast — Into the Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)
Original Broadway Cast — MJ the Musical
Mr. Saturday Night Original Cast — Mr. Saturday Night
Original Broadway Cast — Six: Live on Opening Night

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording

Jamie Foxx — Act Like You Got Some Sense
Lin-Manuel Miranda — Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World
Mel Brooks — All About Me!: My Remarkable Life in Show Business
Questlove — Music Is History
Viola Davis — Finding Me

Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

Amanda Gorman — Call Us What We Carry: Poems
Amir Sulaiman — You Will Be Someone’s Ancestor. Act Accordingly
Ethelbert Miller — Black Men Are Precious
J. Ivy — The Poet Who Sat by the Door
Malcolm-Jamal Warner — Hiding in Plain View

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Jay-Z & DJ Khaled To Perform “God Did” At Grammys: Report

by

As rumors about his inclusion in this year’s Super Bowl run rampant, we have an update about Jay-Z’s appearance at the Grammys. In Los Angeles, things are heating up as Grammy weekend is upon us. Our favorite artists across all genres have descended on Tinsel Town, and events are firing off across the city. With the ceremony approaching fast, The Hollywood Reporter also offered news about performances. They say Jay and DJ Khaled will be gracing the stage.

Hov and Khaled will reportedly perform their acclaimed hit, “God Did.” The track comes from Khaled’s album of the same name and also hosts features from John Legend, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, and Fridayy. It was certainly a standout on the record, as Jay’s features are minimal these days. Already, fans are anticipating the epic display that only these superstars can erect.

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 11: (L-R) Fat Joe, Sean Combs, DJ Khaled and Jay-Z attend the Hollywood Walk of Fame Star Ceremony for DJ Khaled on April 11, 2022 in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Read More: Beyoncé Ties Jay-Z As Most-Nominated Grammy Artist Ever

“God Did” is nominated for three Grammys—Song of the Year, Best Rap Song, and Best Rap Performance. Additionally, Jay-Z also received an Album of the Year nomination for his songwriting on Beyoncé’s No. 1 album, Renaissance. He was also included in the Song of the Year category for co-writing “Break My Soul.”

This year’s Grammys are also set to be a huge tribute to Hip Hop as 2023 marks its 50th anniversary. Questlove is reportedly co-curating a Hip Hop 50th tribute for the ceremony in partnership with Nas’s Mass Appeal. The Roots icon also revealed performers are “some of the biggest names from the genre coming together to celebrate hip-hop history — its past, its present, its future.”

Fans have already begun speculating on the names of who will take to the mic for the epic tribute. Further, it is unclear if Jay and Khaled’s performance is tied to the Hip Hop tribute. Variety reports that other Grammy performers include Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo and Sam Smith with Kim Petras. For the Hip Hop tribute, performers are said to also include “Big Boi, Busta Rhymes with Spliff Star, De La Soul, DJ Drama, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Missy Elliott, Future, GloRilla, Grandmaster Flash, Grandmaster Mele Mel & Scorpio/Ethiopian King, Ice-T, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne, The Lox, Method Man, Nelly, Public Enemy, Queen Latifah, Rahiem, Rakim, RUN-DMC, Salt-N-Pepa and Spinderella, Scarface, Swizz Beatz and Too $hort.” Tune in to the Grammys this Sunday, February 5.

[via][via][via]

Who Are The Presenters At The 2023 Grammys?

by
Cardi B Tattoo Case
Getty Image

The 2023 Grammy Awards will take place this Sunday, February 5, in Los Angeles, California. Comedian Trevoh Noah will return as the ceremony’s host, many music lovers are curious about this year’s attendees. While superstar Adele ensures she will indeed be attending the event, other stars have kept their RSVP status a secret.

Well, given people that are on the fence about tuning into this year’s broadcast, the Recording Academy has released the first wave of featured presenters. The list includes multiple Grammy Award winners, Olivia Rodrigo, and Shania Twain. Despite being after to submit her smash single “WAP” for this year’s ceremony, Cardi B will also present at this year’s ceremony. Also, current Best Musical Theater Album nominee actor Billy Crystal will present.

Non-musical figures set to present during this year’s ceremony include First Lady Jill Biden, actor Dwayne Johnson, The Late Late Show host James Corden, and actress Viola Davis, who is nominated for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for her memoir, Finding Me.

If that isn’t enough, they’ve also shared a list of confirmed performers for the evening. Musicians Bad Bunny, Mary J. Blige, Brandi Carlile, Luke Combs, Steve Lacy, Lizzo, Kim Petras, and Sam Smith will take over the stage for a performance of one of their songs.

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. The ceremony will be broadcasted live on the CBS Television Network and streamed live and on-demand on Paramount+.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Latto And Anitta Dominated At Spotify’s Best New Artist Grammy Party With Memorable Performances

by
Latto Spotify Grammy Party 2023
Getty Image

The biggest event in music, the 2023 Grammy Awards, is just days away. But, before host Trevor Noah takes the main stage on February 5, leading up to the ceremony across the city of Los Angeles, this year’s nominees will be celebrated at smaller Grammy Week events. So, as music heavyweights and fans patiently wait to see if Beyoncé breaks another Recording Academy record at this year’s event, first-time nominees are excited to be welcomed into the fold.

For the first time since 2020, streaming giant Spotify hosted its annual event yesterday (February 2) at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood to highlight the musicians nominated in this year’s Best New Artist category. According to USA Today, during the over four-hour event, all 10 of the musicians (Anitta, Domi & JD Beck, Latto, Måneskin, Molly Tuttle, Muni Long, Omar Apollo, Samara Joy, Tobe Nwigwe, and Wet Leg) competing in the category performed.

While the event was not broadcasted, attendees shared clips of some of the performances across social media. Several fan pages uploaded Latto’s performance. Two songs featured in Latto’s set included “Big Energy (Remix),” which is nominated for best melodic rap performance as well as “It’s Givin’.”

Latin music star Anitta won the crowd with her signature seductive high-energy performance. Anitta performed her songs “Bola Rebola” and “Envolver.”

Fans also shared clips of Måneskin’s performance of their single ‘Beggin’.’

The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. The ceremony will be broadcasted live on the CBS Television Network and streamed live and on-demand on Paramount+. Find the complete list of 2023 nominees here.

Who Will Win And Who Should Win At The 2023 Grammys: Rap Categories

by
grammys 2023 predictions hip-hop
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

First things first, let’s get this out of the way: The Grammys have a fraught and sordid history with hip-hop. This much we know and there’s little reason to expect it to change in the near future, even with the adjustments the Grammys have made in recent years. But there is reason to hope, which we’ll get into below.

Now that that’s taken care of, let’s do some predictions! We’ve already done the Big Four awards, but here, we’ll concentrate on rap. Depending on where you stand, this year’s rap nominations are either the most forward-thinking the Recording Academy voters have put together in ages (I mean, GloRilla’s in there! Future and Gunna are nominated for stuff! It’s fun!), or it’s a thin field with the usual middle-of-the-road pandering (I personally like Jack Harlow, but I’m told rap fans aren’t rooting for him. Then there’s DJ Khaled…).

Either way, it should make for an interesting show full of surprises. Will Grammy voters (who tend to skew Gen-X) finally acknowledge the modern sounds of the genre? Will perennial favorite Kendrick Lamar clean up? Will the Grammys’ ugly history with female rap artists rear its head again? We’ll find out Sunday, February 5 (Here’s how to watch the show and here’s the full list of this year’s nominees) but for now, let’s pray for those parlays, for which I will warn you now, I bear no responsibility.

Best Rap Performance

DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy — “God Did”
Doja Cat — “Vegas”
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug — “Pushin P”
Hitkidd & Glorilla — “F.N.F. (Let’s Go)”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”

Who will win: Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
Who should win: Doja Cat — “Vegas”

Kendrick Lamar is an award-show favorite and his Big Steppers table setter, set to a smooth interpolation of Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You,” is a classic example of his primary preoccupations. He addresses the “culture,” expresses sympathy for the canceled, and muses on the destructive cycles and systems of modern-day America. The thing is, he’s done all this before, and while I hesitate to say the schtick is wearing thin, the series of caricatures Kendrick samples through in the face-morphing visual has aged poorly enough to put off much of the Recording Academy voting base.

On the other hand, Doja Cat, fresh off the successes of her versatile third album Planet Her, demonstrates she’s got plenty more creative space to stretch out in — and she’s just getting started. A venomous excoriation of a philandering romantic partner, “Vegas” catches Cat traipsing over a slick reimagining of Big Mama Thornton’s original version of “Hound Dog” by Shonka Dukureh — a sly reclamation of a musical legacy that reframes the titular ne’er-do-well, turning the spotlight on the subject of the film from which this song hails (and his ilk).

Best Melodic Rap Performance

DJ Khaled Featuring Future & SZA — “Beautiful”
Future Featuring Drake & Tems — “Wait for U”
Jack Harlow — “First Class”
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Blxst & Amanda Reifer — “Die Hard”
Latto — “Big Energy (Live)”

Who will win: Jack Harlow — “First Class”
Who should win: Latto — “Big Energy (Live)”

Jack Harlow’s gonna win by virtue of two facts: One, this song was borderline inescapable for the better part of a year after its release, and two, … well, you know. The Grammys have managed to avoid embarrassing themselves in that way in the rap categories since the Macklemore debacle in 2015, but then again, they haven’t had many opportunities since (the closest they came was Adele rejecting her win over Beyoncé for Lemonade).

Still, if they really want to make up for past mistakes, they can start by acknowledging that they snubbed Doja and Megan Thee Stallion in the performance and song categories and women overall for Best Rap Album. Yuck. If there was any song that challenged “First Class” for having a chokehold on your eardrums in 2022, it was “Big Energy,” which was also Latto’s breakout moment (even if she had already been around for a while).

Best Rap Song

DJ Khaled — “God Did” Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy
Future Featuring Drake & Tems — “Wait for U”
Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug — “Pushin P”
Jack Harlow Featuring Drake — “Churchill Downs”
Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”

Who will win: Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
Who should win: DJ Khaled — “God Did” Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy

So, like my colleague Derrick did in the Big Four list, I must begin here with a disclaimer. Best Rap Song is considered “A Songwriter(s) Award” by the Recording Academy. This means that it’s (ostensibly) awarded strictly on the technical aspects of the writing/production, rather than the vocal performance of the rapper(s). As we all know, good delivery can make a mediocre bar sound like the illest words ever written, while the transverse is also true. With that said, I looked at the lyrics of each song, combined with other stuff like sample selection. Ultimately, it’s still entirely subjective based on my own tastes.

From that standpoint, I think Jay’s peak on “God Did” overshadows Kendrick’s consistency on “The Heart.” While “God Did” on the whole is mostly a collection of fairly straightforward flexes from Jay’s co-stars, once his verse starts, it’s his song, relegating everyone else to background roles. Not only does he lay out his reasoning for “what the stove did,” but by the end of the verse, he’s got even the most staunch law-and-order conservative starting to agree with his choices, no matter how self-destructive they might have been.

What other verse — not song, verse — was getting breakdowns on MSNBC or dominating the Twitter discussion for days after its release? Jay reaffirmed his GOAT status already, a Grammy win would just seal the deal.

Best Rap Album

DJ Khaled — God Did
Future — I Never Liked You
Jack Harlow — Come Home The Kids Miss You
Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Pusha T — It’s Almost Dry

Who will win: Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
Who should win: Future — I Never Liked You

Don’t kill me! Look, it breaks my homer heart to give anything the nod over my Compton countryman, but from my perspective, the best album has to be the most consistent, the most committed to the bit. To quote a bit of secondhand writing advice from one of my esteemed peers, all the sentences in a piece should aim in the same direction, and every single bar on Future’s album does that.

While Kendrick gets credit for the ambition of his fifth and final project for TDE, it’s a little too disjointed, too directionless, and too difficult to listen to straight through. Meanwhile, Future has gone for over a decade and a half as one of rap’s most esteemed yet uncelebrated cult personalities; a genre unto himself, his sole win was for a feature on Jay Rock’s “King’s Dead” and it was a tie with Anderson .Paak’s “Bubblin’” (again, the Grammys are not known for making the best choices when it comes to rap; also nominated in 2019 were Drake’s “Nice For What” and Travis Scott’s “Sicko Mode”).

I Never Liked You offers exactly what it says on the tin, but it’s also Future at his best, stepping up his lyricism, curating some of his most effective beats choices, and delivering the consistency that has kept him at the top of the charts since his legendary three-mixtape run in 2015. Breaking new ground is cool, experimentation is fine, and pushing boundaries is always welcome, but sometimes, you just want dope beats, dope rhymes, and a signature Drake feature. The streets love I Never Liked You; for once, the Grammys can align with the people’s champ if they give it the hardware it deserves.

Find the full list of 2023 Grammy nominees here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Who Will Win And Who Should Win At The 2023 Grammys: The Big Four Categories

by
Grammys 2023
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

We are now just days away from the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 5. (Here’s how to watch the show, in case you didn’t know, and here’s the full list of this year’s nominees.) The Recording Academy’s picks for who is going to win what awards are in, and all that’s left to do is wait and see who will be cement themselves in music history and take a golden gramophone trophy home.

Actually, there’s another thing left to do, not a requirement but a fun thought exercise: make picks for who the Academy has likely chosen for the four major awards (Best New Artist, Song Of The Year, Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year) and who we think should win them.

Make your own selections if you’d like, but if you wouldn’t mind hearing another perspective before you do, I’ve come up with some predictions and opinions. It wasn’t easy, because New Artist, Song, Record, and Album categories are stacked this year; A lot of new artists made an immediate impact on the music landscape, a number of songs are already being hailed as classics, and some albums on this year’s list are all-timers (at least one is if you ask Questlove, anyway).

So, before the 2023 Grammys officially kick off, let’s take a look at who probably will win the big four awards and who probably should get them.

Best New Artist

  • Anitta
  • Domi & JD Beck
  • Latto
  • Måneskin
  • Molly Tuttle
  • Muni Long
  • Omar Apollo
  • Samara Joy
  • Tobe Nwigwe
  • Wet Leg

Who will win: Anitta

Who should win: Anitta

Really, it’s hard to call Anitta new. It’s been nearly a decade since the Brazilian superstar released her 2013 self-titled debut album, which went No. 1 in her home country. In recent times, though, she has profoundly broken out on a broader international level. Her 2022 album Versions Of Me was her first on Warner (previous releases came out via Warner Music Brasil) and its biggest single, “Envolver,” was a global hit: It’s her first solo track to place on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (after the Cardi B and Myke Towers collab “Me Gusta” in 2020), it became a TikTok sensation, and it was the first song by a Brazilian artist to rank No. 1 on the daily Spotify Global Chart. Between all that and other viral moments, Anitta is currently the best version of herself and is only getting better. While the crop of Best New Artist nominees is strong, none of the others have yet reached Anitta-level success.

Song Of The Year

  • Adele — “Easy On Me”
  • Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
  • Bonnie Raitt — “Just Like That”
  • DJ Khaled — “God Did” Feat. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend, and Fridayy
  • Gayle — “ABCDEFU”
  • Harry Styles — “As It Was”
  • Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
  • Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
  • Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”
  • Taylor Swift — “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)”

Who will win: Adele — “Easy On Me”

Who should win: Taylor Swift — “All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version)”

The new expanded version of “All Too Well” quickly became one of the most storied songs in Swift’s discography, an oeuvre that has not been wanting of praise. Rolling Stone‘s Rob Sheffield proclaimed the tune “sums up Swift at her absolute best,” and in the age of allegedly waning attention spans, fans have streamed the lengthy song over 450 million times on Spotify and made it the longest No. 1 song in Billboard Hot 100 history. There’s a problem, though: The Grammys honor new music (relatively new, anyway; “ABCDEFU” came out in August 2021). “All Too Well,” which originates from 2012’s Red, isn’t exactly a brand new track. That may dissuade Grammy voters from giving it the trophy, but it also wouldn’t be a crime if Adele’s “Easy On Me,” another powerfully evocative former No. 1 single, ended up winning. Steve Lacy’s “Bad Habit” is also worth noting here, as it’s far from a pop tune but has nonetheless had pop tune success and acclaim.

Record Of The Year

  • ABBA — “Don’t Shut Me Down”
  • Adele — “Easy On Me”
  • Beyoncé — “Break My Soul”
  • Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius — “You And Me On The Rock”
  • Doja Cat — “Woman”
  • Harry Styles — “As It Was”
  • Kendrick Lamar — “The Heart Part 5”
  • Lizzo — “About Damn Time”
  • Mary J. Blige — “Good Morning Gorgeous”
  • Steve Lacy — “Bad Habit”

Who will win: Adele — “Easy On Me”

Who should win: Harry Styles — “As It Was”

First, an important note: The Recording Academy previously explained, “Record Of The Year deals with a specific recording of a song and recognizes the artists, producers and engineers who contribute to that recording, while Song Of The Year deals with the composition of a song and recognizes the songwriters who wrote the song.”

So, broadly, Song is about songwriting and Record is about the finished recording. That said, Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is a gorgeously executed recording deserving of the Record Of The Year title. At its core, it’s a summery pop-rock song that sounds a lot like some beach-faring indie music from years back. But, that aesthetic has been revived and refreshed just enough for modern day, yielding a tune that sounds warmly and breezily nostalgic while also slotting nicely into the current pop landscape. Headphone listeners are rewarded with the one, too, as there are a lot of production treats and intricacies that are hard to appreciate on an iPhone speaker but that give the song new dimension when you pay attention to them. The results really speak for themselves: “As It Was” is the longest-running No. 1 song by a solo artist in Hot 100 history and it appears not too long from now, it’ll become the first song from 2022 to eclipse 2 billion Spotify streams.

Album Of The Year

  • ABBA — Voyage
  • Adele — 30
  • Bad Bunny — Un Verano Sin Ti
  • Beyoncé — Renaissance
  • Brandi Carlile — In These Silent Days
  • Coldplay — Music Of The Spheres
  • Harry Styles — Harry’s House
  • Kendrick Lamar — Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
  • Lizzo — Special
  • Mary J. Blige — Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)

Who will win: Adele — 30

Who should win: Beyoncé — Renaissance

Like many Grammy categories, pitting the nominees against each other is like comparing apples and oranges… and hammers and beach balls and secret family recipes. By what metrics do you measure products as wildly different as Album Of The Year nominees from Brandi Carlile, Adele, Coldplay, and Kendrick Lamar when they’re all up for the same award? It’s a task so impossible, it’s a wonder the Recording Academy is able to come to a decision at all year after year.

Annually, though, they do come up with a pick, one that makes fans mad regardless of who won. However, Beyoncé’s Renaissance would be a hard (but not impossible, as haters will prove should the album win) pick to hate, no matter your disposition. The LP has elements of dance, house, disco, pop, R&B, and probably dozens of other musical styles too numerous to mention here, all delivered by the incomparably confident, capable, and charismatic Beyoncé. Even putting her star power aside, Renaissance is a spectrum-spanning album that is full of mind-blowing musical moments. Here’s something that’s hard to make an argument against: Renaissance defined music in 2022 (and more importantly, during this year’s eligibility window from October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022). That sounds like the Album Of The Year to me.

Find the full list of 2023 Grammy nominees here.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Olivia Rodrigo, Cardi B, Shania Twain, And More Will Present At The 2023 Grammy Awards

by
olivia rodrigo 2022 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame
Getty Image

We are just days away from the 2023 Grammy Awards, and while we’re still not sure who’s performing, we can still expect to see some of our favorite artists at the ceremony. Today, the Recording Academy has revealed some of the presenters.

Olivia Rodrigo, who won the Best New Artist Grammy last year, as well as the Best Pop Vocal Album award for her debut album, Sour, and Best Pop Solo Performance for her breakthrough hit, “Drivers License,” is one of the artists scheduled to present an award on Sunday night. Cardi B, who won the Best Rap Album Grammy in 2019 for her debut album, Invasion Of Privacy, is also among the presenters for the awards show. Five-time Grammy winner Shania Twain will also present an award this Sunday.

In addition to some of our favorite artists, some notable figures will also deliver music’s highest honor. First Lady Jill Biden will be in attendance to present awards. Actor Billy Crystal, who is currently nominated for Best Musical Theater Album for his work in Mr. Saturday Night, and actress Viola Davis, who is nominated for Best Audio Book, Narration & Storytelling Recording for her memoir, Finding Me, are also set to present.

Also among this year’s presenters are The Late Late Show host James Corden, who hosted the Grammys back in 2017, as well as actor Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.

The Grammys will air on Sunday, February 5 beginning at 8 p.m. EST on CBS. The ceremony will also be available for streaming on Paramount+.

Cardi B is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

What Time Will The 2023 Grammy Awards Start?

by
Trevor Noah Grammys 2022
Getty Image

The full list of 2023 Grammys nominees has been out since November. Trevor Noah confirmed to Billboard in December that he would host the Grammys for the third-straight year. Yesterday, January 25, The Recording Academy revealed the “first wave” of performers for the year’s ceremony as Bad Bunny, Brandi Carlile, Kim Petras, Lizzo, Luke Combs, Mary J. Blige, Sam Smith, and Steve Lacy.

Cool. When is it?

The 2023 Grammys will air live on CBS on Sunday, February 5 — so, not this Sunday but the next Sunday — beginning at 8 p.m. ET. The ceremony will take place at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and, in addition to CBS on television, will stream live (and later on demand) on Paramount+. The full rundown can be found at the Grammys’ official website.

With Billboard, Noah reflected on becoming the second person alongside LL Cool J to host the Grammys at least three-straight times.

“I don’t think it’s normal to host it once, so I don’t have a great frame of reference for this. It is thrilling. For me, it’s a cheat code because I’m a fan of almost all the people who are there,” Noah said. “It has also been interesting because of the journey. The first one was [during] COVID-19, and it was a completely different way to make the show. And then the next one was in Las Vegas because of the restrictions [in Los Angeles], and that was a different type of show. Now it’s exciting [because] it’ll be the first one for me back in LA — that’s hopefully not just normal, but different for the right reasons.”

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

How The Stars Aligned For Mark Braster To Design The Grammy’s ‘When The Stars Align’ Capsule Collection

by
Mark Braster Recording Academy Interview
Getty Image/Ralph Ordaz

Mark Braster started out as an apprentice for Ms. Denise at D&M Apparel in Fort Wayne, Indiana (while also delivering the mail for two years) and now he’s being appointed to design merch lines for some major stars including 21 Savage, SZA, Kanye West, Young Thug, and Lil Wayne. His most recent collaboration is with The Recording Academy to celebrate the 65th Grammy Awards with a capsule collection modeled by rising artists JEELEL! and Bktherula.

The theme: “When The Stars Align.” Perhaps a message for those who still haven’t won a gilded gramophone? Either way, the collection is super clean. It includes uniquely designed sweats, hoodies, and t-shirts with a cosmic vibe that is both nostalgic and modern.

I spoke with the Brast Studios owner about how the stars aligned for him to create the collection for The Recording Academy, how the stars aligned for him to connect with the late Virgil Abloh, and how the stars aligned for him to work with Kanye West. He also gave me his Grammy speech.

How did you get on board with the Grammys to do their merch?

Long story short, I was referred. I found out last minute. I know that they wanted to try something different. At the end of the day, the power is in the youth. Everything is based on if the youth gravitates toward it or not. It makes or breaks the situation. They’re highlighting hip-hop this year, which is another huge thing. I thought that it was going to be myself and other designers but when I found that it was just me, it was surreal.

Tell me about the “when the stars align” theme.

It’s a concept that The Recording Academy wanted to go with. The initial theme was supposed to be love and music. My initial capsule that I presented was more Valentine’s Day driven. But I could also see why they wanted to switch it to “when the stars align.” At the end of the day, we were able to create those vibrant pieces that are pretty much cohesive with the Grammys branding this year.

Tell me a little bit about the pieces you worked on for it.

The first initial design was the long sleeve, which has a gradient on the sleeve, super vibrant. On the back of the shirt, there is an astronaut sitting on top of the world holding a Grammy. And then the upper left shoulder is a quote, which is a quote from Pharrell. Then all the movie posters from back in the day.

Hip-hop has this love-hate relationship with the Grammys and with this line and you being a Black designer, how do you feel about that?

It was not just the Grammys. It’s corporate brands overall. At some point, people just have to realize things have to change in order to grow. Change has to happen. A post on Twitter said, as much as they don’t want to believe corporate brands need people like us, we’re the ones with the creativity. We have fresh ideas to keep it relevant, which is 100% true. A lot of these brands are starting to collaborate with artists because they see the powers within the culture. I feel like someone (at the Recording Academy) really was like we need to make this change and I’m sure it wasn’t easy. Overall, it’s been a great experience. Unfortunately, we have to be the bigger person and be less emotionally driven to get the point across that we are powerful and we influence a majority of the world.

How did you get into the fashion field?

So, there’s a leather store here in Fort Wayne run by a lady named Ms. Denise. I would go to the leather shop and just watch her sew. I had ideas. I was putting pieces together but I just didn’t know how to do it myself. At some point, she was like, hey, I’m not doing this. You got to do it. I want you to learn. That was how I learned how to sew. She gave me my first industrial sewing machine. I actually got to rebrand the store. She paid me for the logo and it was one of the first times I got paid.

How much?

She gave me $500. She gave me a leather jacket because it was a leather jacket that I saw that I wanted. It was a Harley-Davidson leather jacket. So, she gave me $500, the leather jacket, and then the sewing machine.

Did you start making clothes to sell online after that?

I started selling clothes online out of high school. I had college scholarships for track but I ended up not taking a scholarship because fashion is what I wanted to do. I’ve always been artistic, so I ended up working at UPS as a delivery driver assistant. That’s when I first started teaching myself how to design for about a year. Then I wanted to try to do my own brand, so of course, I quit. I began doing custom pieces and that’s kind of how I started networking with celebrities.

Tell me what it was like working Virgil Abloh and Kanye West, which I am sure was a dream.

I actually spoke with Virgil way before anything with Kanye. Right after he started Off-White in 2013. He did the initial launch with Shane Gonzales from Midnight Studios and I took some photos for that shoot. I tagged him on Twitter and he reshared it. Then, he started following me on Twitter. Around 2015, I was more on Instagram where I would share stuff because I feel like that was the best way to get it out there, be creative, network, and show I was serious. I didn’t want a handout. I didn’t end up being like an employee for him or anything like that but just having Virgil acknowledge my work and my work was actually featured in an article of his.

What did acknowledgment do for you from that point on?

Money-wise, it didn’t really do anything, but I’d say I’ve always had high self-esteem. I know I’m good. Whatever I put my mind to, I’m good at it. I’ll be great. But just knowing that someone like that, of that caliber, makes me feel like I’m on the right track. I got a lot of work to do, but I’m on the right track.

How did Kanye connection happen?

The Donda thing was actually random. A friend of mine had just started working with Ye. I think he met him at Diddy’s house because he used to work for Diddy and then he met Ye at a party and Ye kind of just stole him from Diddy or whatever. A couple of weeks in, he hit me to work on the Donda stuff with him. He was like, the pay isn’t crazy, but I think you would be perfect or you will fit in. The first thing that we did was the New Year’s party flyer for him and Future. From there we kind of took on the Donda Sports and stuff, which led to the Slam Magazine cover placement.

Did you interact with Kanye much at all?

Just as a team. I did get to meet him in Chicago at a Donda game. Ye, Justin Laboy, and Antonio Brown. That whole era was crazy. Like the energy – I’ve never seen anything like it. When he came into a room, you could just feel it. It was wild. I’m not going to lie, it was almost intimidating for a quick second. It was a ton of people around. I got to say a few things.

What’s something you learned working with Ye that you take with you today?

Growing up, Ye was one of my idols. He and Pharrell. Those are the guys I looked up to fashion-wise; their whole demeanor and how they carry themselves. So you fast forward and I end up working with them. The biggest thing I took from this, it’s a couple of things was this was my first time actually working with an actual team. I’ve always done everything on my own. I’ve never had backup. I’ve worked with some people, but it wasn’t like this.

What’s the difference?

This is like an actual team effort. Everybody played their part and it was almost like a seamless situation. I will say it was like a ton of revision, but having that team aspect made it a lot easier to get clarity. As far as Ye’s vision, that’s one thing. Him as a creative, seeing how he works, it made me realize that it’s okay to be inspired. I feel like I was so hellbent on doing everything original or I can’t take inspiration from this or that. Whereas he’s inspired by everything around all of us. He doesn’t hide it at all. If he likes something, he’s going to let you know.

He had us watch this George Lucus film called THX 1138 and it’s like a futuristic film. I feel like the way he was dressing at that time, the boots and all of that, it just all made sense.

What was the deal with the boots, did you ask?

I don’t know. I wanted to ask. I literally felt like I feel like he’s in character. I feel like he took inspiration from THX 1138 as far as the boots and just how he wore his clothes and that George Lucas film played a part in the Donda Slam cover. If you look at the text, the way the names are at the bottom, it’s literally just like Star Wars. The intro where it’s angled was his vision. I loved it because I grew up watching Star Wars and Star Trek with my grandpa. That’s a huge thing. So seeing that it’s one of his favorite films and whatever, I was like, this is where I was supposed to be. Overall, it just helped with my confidence and just trusting other people, because working with other people, is a hard thing. And as a creative, it’s very hard. At the end of the day, there’s a purpose and the finished piece is like a masterpiece.

Give me your Grammy speech. Who do you want to thank?

I just like to thank everyone that has believed in me over the years. It’s too many people to name, but 100%, outside of me being talented, I wouldn’t be here without those people giving me a chance and just allowing me to show them that I’m a genuine person and I’m here to work. I specifically want to thank Barry (Hefner) from Since The 80s, because he’s the one that brought this opportunity to me. I’m still in disbelief. When he first asked me, I was like, bro, are you joking right now? And he’s like, nah. Like, I’m dead serious. I want to thank Barry.