Grammy nominations released November 10 in preparation for the 66th annual Grammy Awards event. Held February 4, 2024 at the Crypto.com Arena, these awards mark an impacting event in the music industry. Presented by the Recording Academy, the Grammy Awards reward musical achievements, a highly-recognized award.
“I’m so excited to see some of my favorite artists get recognized for their well-deserved achievements. So many artists can be seen and praised for their contribution in the music industry and it’s so rewarding to see,” magnet junior Laila Sain said.
The award ceremony consists of a series of performances along with winning announcements across all 98 categories, including the three newest categories: Best African Music Performance, Best Alternative Jazz Album and Best Pop Dance Recording. These awards range across 11 fields plus the highly-popularized general field. Televised on Paramount Plus and the CBS Television Network, viewers from across the world join in to see the event and root for their favorite artists.
The Grammy Awards reflect pop-culture movements throughout the span of a year, with this year’s awards showcasing several nominations from the movie “Barbie.” Including Billie Eilish’s hit “What Was I Made For?” and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night,” the “Barbie” movie truly made an impact on the music industry.
American popstar Taylor Swift dominates a portion of the Grammys, her nominations reaching from Record of the Year to Album of the Year. Swift also features in Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with rising star and Best New Artist nominee Ice Spice. After Ice Spice’s recent popularity across social media and musical platforms, she brings fierce competition to the table.
Singer-songwriter SZA, the first female artist to sign with Top Dawg Entertainment, holds nine nominations for the 2024 award season, claiming the top spot for the highest number of nominations. After the hit album “SOS” and lead single “Kill Bill,” SZA became a popular R&B star reaching nominations from record of the year to song of the year.
“Victoria Monet [should win her nomination], I’ve loved her music for years and I even got the chance to meet her over the summer. She’s written for other Grammy winning artists and has only very recently entered the spotlight herself, so she deserves the moment to shine after years of hard work,” magnet junior Zorian Lang said.
As world-famous artists such as Olivia Rodrigo receive nominations in their typical categories, they also achieve nominations in categories they do not typically participate in. For example, Rodrigo holds a nomination in Best Rock Song for her new song “ballad of a homeschooled girl.” Musical group boygenius, which features Grammy nominated Phoebe Bridgers, became the first group to receive six nominations in a single year since 2012.
In the Best African Music Performance category, one of the three new categories, four of the five groups and artists stand as first-time nominees, including Tyla, Ayra Starr and Burna Boy. These new branches of categories serve as a way to expand the Grammy award process into a fair event with reach across all types of musical communities.
“The new categories are good. Music is constantly progressing, so adding new categories for more popular genres every few years makes sense. I think the Grammys are a good accolade, but it isn’t the most important aspect of the music world like they are promoted,” Lang said.
Women seem to dominate a majority of the categories this year, with women as eight of nine most-nominated artists. Not only do singers receive nominations, but producers and songwriters also receive recognition in the music industry. As audience members wait in anticipation for February’s event, they continue to stand by their favorite artists and support them throughout the end of the year.
