New York. Turns out Jon Batiste was the biggest surprise in announcing this year’s Grammy nomination: The versatile musician and Academy Award winner was nominated eleven times on Tuesday, more than anyone else. He has a chance to win Album of the Year (“Us”) and Record of the Year (“Freedom”), a feel-good poem about the city of New Orleans. His nominations are for a variety of music genres, including R&B, jazz, American roots music, classical and music video.
Justin Bieber, Doga Cat and Hare received the second-highest number of nominations with eight nominations each, and Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo have a chance to win seven Grammy Awards each. Rapper Jay-Z, who has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, now holds the record for most nominations ever: 83. The 23-time Grammy winner beat Quincy Jones, who was nominated 80 times.
Battisti stated in his first reaction to his sudden dominance that he was “amazed and shocked”. He told the Associated Press news agency that he was pleased that “we were able to do something with complete technical integrity and achieve recognition.”
The Weeknd was nominated despite the boycotts
The three nominations for The Weeknd were also quite the sensation. The Canadian pop star previously stated that he would not allow his company to offer his music. He had angrily called the Grammys “rotten” that year after not receiving a single nomination for the most successful single of 2020, “Blinding Lights”.
Despite announcing a boycott of future Grammy Awards, he was nominated to work on Album of the Year projects, namely Doja Cat’s deluxe release “Planet Her” and Kanye West’s “Donda”. He received his third nomination for his work on West Hurricane’s single, which also features Lil Baby.
Harvey Mason Jr., chief executive of the Recording Academy, which awards the Grammys, said voters have focused entirely on “excellence in music.” That is why they nominated people like Batiste or musician Kacey Musgraves, who also belong to different categories. According to the new regulations, the academy’s 11,000+ members can vote for up to ten classes in three types. All voters can cast their votes for the four most important prizes.
The Grammy Awards winners will be announced at a ceremony on January 31 next year.
