The long-awaited Grammy nominations came out on Friday, November 8, announcing just which big names would be competing for “the single most coveted accolade in music” (Recording Academy) this year. The ceremony will be held on February 2nd of 2025, but before that, controversies about the nominations have just short of three months to excite, and predictions have just the same amount to popularize.
The Grammy Awards are highly respected as the most prestigious accolade anyone in the field of music inspires to obtain. The way the nominations take over the internet and gets everyone talking is a demonstration of that respect. Music enjoyers all over the world express bewilderment at who was nominated and mourn over who wasn’t. Posts on TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) either downgrade nominated artists or celebrate feverishly for their favorite artists’ nominations. In my experience, I’ve seen many posts on my feed criticizing nominees. For example, a few people question Charli XCX’s “brat” album having been nominated for 9 categories because they do not think the quality of the album is that commendable (an opinion that I respectfully disagree with.) In contrast, one user shared, “AESPA featured on a Grammy nominated album, I SCREAMED” (X) as one post of many that had a positive reaction to this year’s nominations. It is a spectrum of love, anger, and confusion on social media as a result of the Grammys, and the craze has never failed to rise every year.
However, the Recording Academy has much more heartfelt intentions in every step of the nominating process that some people seem to glaze over. The Recording Academy hopes to celebrate artists’ achievements, educate the next generation of music creators, and advocate for the rights of all music creators. There is care in every submission looked over, care in every single nomination in each of the 94 categories, and ultimately, there is care when counting votes and bestowing the award.
The entire process of the Grammys begins once the submission period does. Recordings that are to be submitted must have been released between September 16, 2023 and August 30, 2024. A similar time period occurs annually. Any album, record, or single released in this time has a shot in submissions. Typically, there are around 20,000 submissions per year. The submissions go through meticulous genre screening, where the songs are checked for their eligibility and placed in their respective categories, all done by the Recording Academy Awards Department and a screening committee.
The first round of voting comes as the third step. The Grammys, which some may not know, are given to artists from artists. There is no secret society that dictates the winner, no, but voters are the musical peers of the submitters. Voters are members of the Recording Academy and they are only allowed to vote for categories under their area of expertise. If a member is an alternative-rock artist, then they won’t be able to vote for classical or jazz categories. This is to ensure that the votes are as of high quality as possible. This round determines the 5 nominees for each category, save for a few in the General Field, where 8 nominees are accepted.
The second and final round of voting determines the winners of each of the 94 categories. The lengthy process bears fruit in the form of music’s biggest night: the Grammy Awards & Premiere Ceremony, where recognized artists perform and the awards are given out.
It’s easy to forget just how much diligence and thoughtfulness was put into the Grammy process when the ceremony’s stage lights go on and it’s time for a mind-blowing performance by artists like SZA or Beyonce (Entertainment Weekly). And though the results of the nominations may cause major upsets among the audience, no one other than the Recording Academy voters, the musical peers themselves, has put so much thought into their decisions. A nomination is great even in itself, and all nominees receive a medallion for their feat.
So while artists like Taylor Swift, Shaboozey, Kendrick Lamar, Chappell Roan, Doechii and Billie Eilish go head to head in the most popular categories under the General Field, disappointments are bound to happen. The very concept of the Grammy, however, is more meaningful than charts or popularity, and the process is more thoughtful than a row of select judges.
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