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Pop queen Beyonce led the Grammy group with nine nominations on Tuesday as the music prepares to celebrate its hitmakers in a year in which the coronavirus crisis dealt devastating blows to the industry.
Second, with six nods, were Dua Lipa, who released a dance club hit album just as venues started closing in March, and pop shifter Taylor Swift, whose pandemic surprise album with folk overtones seemed to bring her back. at the disposal of the Recording Academy.
Rapper Roddy Ricch, who won a trophy last year for his collaboration with the late artist Nipsey Hussle, also received six chances to win a gold Grammy, including for Song of the Year, which honors songwriting, for his success. “The Box”.
Beyonce’s sweeping “Black Parade,” released in June amid explosive nationwide anti-racism protests after another series of police killings of black Americans, will compete for Album and Song of the Year honors on January 31.
“Raise your fists in the air, show black love,” sings Beyonce, the most Grammy-nominated female artist at 79, on the track.
The 39-year-old megastar has 24 Grammys to her name, but notoriously lost Album of the Year in 2017 to British balladeer Adele, a controversial snub often cited as an example of the Academy’s diversity problems.
Swift, a former Grammy favorite whose work the Academy sidelined in recent years, landed a coveted Album of the Year nomination for “Folklore.” His single “Cardigan” is nominated for Song of the Year.
Other than Beyonce and Ricch, rivals in that category include last year’s big winner Billie Eilish and rapper Post Malone.
Blues rock singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, known for her lead vocals with the band Alabama Shakes, rose to fame on her own with five nominations after releasing her first solo album “Jaime.”
BLACK LIVES MATTER
Justin Bieber garnered four nominations, including his first nod to country music for his work on Dan and Shay’s song “10,000 Hours.”
After sweeping the overall categories at last year’s gala, Eilish also garnered four other nominations, as did rapper DaBaby.
After a banner year, Houston rapper Megan Thee Stallion received her first Grammy nominations, with four.
The remix of her wildly popular song “Savage” featuring Beyonce is up for multiple awards, including Record of the Year, a collaboration that helped Queen Bey land the top spot.
The Black Lives Matter movement seemed to capture the Academy’s attention: In addition to Beyonce’s black power anthem, Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture”, released during the summer protests, is twice nominated.
And HER, the soulful 23-year-old R&B performer with two Grammy Awards to her credit, received a Song of the Year nod for her BLM track “I Can’t Breathe.”
The female-led acts garnered strong performances in the top categories and also swept through key genre nominations, including Best Country Album and Best Rock Performance.
Californian indie musician Phoebe Bridgers is running for four awards, including Best New Artist, and lonely Fiona Apple is running for three awards in the rock and alternative categories.
However, the famously disdainful artist in the industry was excluded from the mainstream, despite releasing the critically acclaimed album “Fetch The Bolt Cutters,” the first album in nearly a decade to receive a perfect 10 rating. the licensed music publication Pitchfork.
While the 2021 list appeared as another step forward in the Grammy’s bid to improve diversity within its ranks and better reflect the charts, a series of notable snubs made social media screech that there was still a lot to do.
Although regarded as a potential leader at this year’s awards, Canadian R&B singer The Weeknd did not receive a single nomination.
Harry Styles, prior to One Direction, seemed keen to enter the traditionally dismissive mainstream fields of boy bands, but was instead relegated to the pop categories.
Lady Gaga suffered the same fate, with “Chromatica”, her album released during the pandemic, garnering only two nominations.
And the K-pop phenomenon BTS received only one nomination, for best performance by a pop duo or group.
The nominations were submitted by stars from around the world who spoke via video chat. Trevor Noah will host the 63rd Annual Grammys, the format of which is unclear.
Other award shows have been forced to be partially or fully virtual in light of pandemic restrictions on large gatherings.
Acting Academy President Harvey Mason Jr. dedicated this year’s ceremony to resistance from the music industry, as well as frontline workers fighting the spread of the infection. * AFP
