2026 Grammy Awards: Bad Bunny, Kendrick Lamar win big

February 1, 2026

by Carla Hay

At the 68th annual Grammy Awards, rap star Kendrick Lamar won the most prizes (five), while Latin trap/reggaeton singer Bad Bunny made history when his “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” album became the first Spanish-language to win Album of thr Year. The ceremony took place on February 1, 2026, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. Trevor Noah hosted the Grammy Awards for the sixth year in a row. He repeatedly mentioned during the show that this is the last Grammy Awards ceremony that he is hosting. CBS had the U.S. telecast of the show, which was livestreamed on Paramount+ Premium. Winners are voted for by the Recording Academy’s voting members.

Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” also won the prize for Best Música Urbana Album, while his song “Eoo” received the Grammy for Best Global Music Performance. He had six nominations going into the ceremony.

With nine nominations, Lamar was the top contender going into the ceremony. The five Grammy Awards he won this year (a repeat of the same number of Grammys he won in 2025) are Record of the Year (for “Luther,” his duet with SZA); Best Rap Album (for “GNX”); Best Rap Performance (for “Chains & Whips,” performed by Clipse, Pusha T and Malice featuring Lamar & Pharrell Williams); Best Melodic Rap Performance (for “Luther”); and Best Rap Song (for TV Off,” which Lamar wrote with Jack Antonoff, Larry Jayy, Dijon McFarlane, Sean Momberger, Mark Anthony Spears and Kamasi Washington).

Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower” (written by Eilish and her brother Finneas O’Connell) won for Song of the Year. It’s the third time that this songwriting duo won in this category, thereby setting a new record as the two artists with the most Grammy wins for Song of the Year. Olivia Dean was named Best New Artist. Pharrell Williams received the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award, a non-competitive prize for influential hip-hop artists. The recipient of the Dr. Dre Global Impact Award is announced in advance of the Grammy ceremony.

Category changes included the addition of two new categories: Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover. Best Country Album has been renamed Best Contemporary Country Album. The category for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package was renamed Best Recording Package.

Performers at the show included Bruno Mars and Rosé (“APT.”); Sabrina Carpenter (“Manchild”); Justin Bieber (“Yukon”); Lady Gaga (“Abracadabra”); Bruno Mars and The Hooligans (“I Just Might”); Tyler, the Creator (“Thought I Was Dead” and “Sugar on My Tongue”); and Clipse, Dr. Dre Global Impact Award recipient Williams and Voices of Fire (“So Far Ahead”).

The Grammys also had all of this year’s Best New Artist nominees sing a medley, where they each performed one of their respective songs. The Best New Artist nominee medley featured The Marías (“No One Noticed”); Addison Rae (“Fame Is a Gun”); Katseye (“Gnarly”); Leon Thomas (“Mutt”); Alex Warren (“Ordinary”); Lola Young (“Messy”); Best New Artist winner Dean (“Man I Need”); and Sombr (“12 to 12”).

Reba McEntire, Brandy Clark and Lukas Nelson teamed up to perform “Trailblazer” for the show’s In Memoriam segment. It was the first time that McEntire performed at the Grammy Awards. There were also separate performance tributes to major artists who died since the previous Grammy ceremony. Post Malone, Duff McKagan, Slash, Chad Smith and Andrew Watt collaborated for a perfomance of Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs,” in tribute to former Black Sabbath lead singer Ozzy Osbourne. Lauryn Hill, Lucky Daye, Leon Thomas, Bilal, Jon Batiste, October London, John Legend, Chaka Khan and Wyclef Jean did a combined tribute to Roberta Flack and D’Angelo.

Presenters at at the ceremony were Carole King, Chappell Roan, Charli XCX, Doechii, Harry Styles, Jeff Goldblum, Karol G, Lainey Wilson, Marcello Hernández, Nikki Glaser, Q-Tip, Queen Latifah and Teyana Taylor.

The 68th annual Grammy Awards show was produced by Fulwell Entertainment for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston, Raj Kapoor, Jesse Collins and Grammy host Noah were executive producers of the show.

The following is the complete list of winners and nominees for the 2026 Grammy Awards:

*=winner

General Field

Category 1

Record Of The Year

Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.

DtMF
Bad Bunny
Scotty Dittrich, Hydra Hitz, La Paciencia, JULiA LEWiS, MAG & Tyler Spry, producers; Antonio Caraballo, Josh Gudwin, Roberto Rosado & Tyler Spry, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

Manchild
Sabrina Carpenter

Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, producers; Jack Antonoff, Bryce Bordone, Jozef Caldwell, Serban Ghenea, Sean Hutchinson, Oli Jacobs, Michael Riddleberger & Laura Sisk, engineers/mixers; Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineer

Anxiety
Doechii

Doechii, producer; Jayda Love, engineer/mixer; Nicolas De Porcel, mastering engineer

WILDFLOWER
Billie Eilish

FINNEAS, producer; Jon Castelli, FINNEAS & Aron Forbes, engineers/mixers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer

Abracadabra
Lady Gaga

Cirkut, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt, producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Paul LaMalfa, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

luther*
Kendrick Lamar With SZA
*
Jack Antonoff, Bridgeway, M-Tech, roselilah, Sounwave & Kamasi Washington, producers; Jack Antonoff, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Hector Castro, Oli Jacobs, Jack Manning, Sean Matsukawa, Dani Perez, Tony Shepperd, Laura Sisk & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineer

The Subway
Chappell Roan

Daniel Nigro, producer; Chris Kaysch, Mitch McCarthy & Daniel Nigro, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

APT.
ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

Rogét Chahayed, Cirkut, Omer Fedi & Bruno Mars, producers; Serban Ghenea


Category 2

Album Of The Year

Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s) credited with 20% or more playing time of the album.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS*
Bad Bunny*
Big Jay, La Paciencia, MAG & Tainy, producers; Antonio Caraballo, Josh Gudwin, Luis Amed Irizarry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, engineers/mixers; Benito Antonio Ocasio Martinez, Roberto José Rosado Torres, Marco Daniel Borrero, Jay Anthony Nuñez & Marcos Efrain Masis, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

SWAG
Justin Bieber

Eddie Benjamin, Justin Bieber, Daniel Chetrit, Dijon, Carter Lang & Dylan Wiggins, producers; Felix Byrne & Josh Gudwin, engineers/mixers; Eddie Benjamin, Justin Bieber, Daniel Chetrit, Dijon Duenas, Tobias Jesso Jr., Carter Lang, Jackson Lee Morgan & Dylan Wiggins, songwriters; Dale Becker, mastering engineer

Man’s Best Friend
Sabrina Carpenter

Jack Antonoff, Sabrina Carpenter & John Ryan, producers; Zem Adu, Jack Antonoff, Bryce Bordone, Jozef Caldwell, Serban Ghenea, Jeff Gunnell, David Hart, Mikey Freedom Hart, Sean Hutchinson, Oli Jacobs, Jack Manning, Joey Miller, Michael Riddleberger, John Ryan, Laura Sisk & Evan Smith, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff, Sabrina Carpenter & John Ryan, songwriters; Nathan Dantzler & Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineers

Let God Sort Em Out
Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

Pharrell Williams, featured artist; Pharrell Williams, producer; Mike Larson, Manny Marroquin, Rob Ulsh & Pharrell Williams, engineers/mixers; Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., Terrence Thornton & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Zach Pereyra, mastering engineer

MAYHEM
Lady Gaga

Cirkut, Gesaffelstein, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt, producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Paul LaMalfa, engineers/mixers; Henry Walter, Mike Lévy, Lady Gaga, Michael Polansky & Andrew Watt, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

GNX
Kendrick Lamar

Jack Antonoff & Sounwave, producers; Jack Antonoff, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Jozef Caldwell, Oli Jacobs, Jack Manning, Dani Perez, Laura Sisk & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Jack Antonoff, Ink, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Kendrick Lamar, Matthew Bernard & Mark Anthony Spears, songwriters; Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineer

MUTT
Leon Thomas

Freaky Rob, Peter Lee Johnson, D. Phelps & Leon Thomas, producers; Jean-Marie Horvat, engineer/mixer; Lazaro Andres Camejo, Freaky Rob, Peter Lee Johnson, D. Phelps & Leon Thomas, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

CHROMAKOPIA
Tyler, The Creator

Tyler, The Creator, producer; NealHPogue, Tyler Okonma & Vic Wainstein, engineers/mixers; Tyler Okonma, songwriter; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer


Category 3

Song Of The Year

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Abracadabra
Lady Gaga, Henry Walter & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

Anxiety
Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)

APT.
Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas & Henry Walter, songwriters (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)

DtMF
Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Thomas Spry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, songwriters (Bad Bunny)

Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”]
EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X:EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)

luther
Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar With SZA)

Manchild
Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)

WILDFLOWER*
Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)


Category 4

Best New Artist

This category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.

Olivia Dean*
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young


Category 5

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

A Producer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

Dan Auerbach
Elegantly Wasted (Hermanos Gutiérrez Featuring Leon Bridges) (S)
Harsh & Exciting (Moonrisers) (A)
Holy Ghost Party (Robert Finley) (S)
Love Is Cruel (Miles Kane) (S)
Medium Raw (Early James) (A)
A Million Knives (The Velveteers) (A)
No Rain, No Flowers (The Black Keys) (A)
Our Time In The Sun (Jeremie Albino) (A)

Cirkut*
Abracadabra (Lady Gaga) (S)
AEOMG (Coco Jones) (T)
APT. (ROSÉ & Bruno Mars) (S)
Big Sleep (The Weeknd Featuring Giorgio Moroder) (T)
Disease (Lady Gaga) (S)
IT girl (JADE) (S)
A Little More (Ed Sheeran) (S)
Mayhem (Lady Gaga) (A)
Red Terror (The Weeknd) (T)

Dijon
Baby (Dijon) (A)
DAISIES (Justin Bieber) (T)
DEVOTION (Justin Bieber & Dijon) (T)
THINGS YOU DO (Justin Bieber) (T)
YUKON (Justin Bieber) (T)

Blake Mills
For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) (Japanese Breakfast) (A)
Forever Is A Feeling (Lucy Dacus) (A)
Glory (Perfume Genius) (A)
That Wasn’t A Dream (Pino Palladino And Blake Mills)(A)

Sounwave
GNX (Kendrick Lamar) (A)


Category 6

Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical

A Songwriter’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

Amy Allen*
APT. (ROSÉ & Bruno Mars) (S)
Bad As The Rest (Jessie Murph) (S)
Hail Mary (Shaboozey, Sierra Ferrell) (T)
Handlebars (JENNIE Featuring Dua Lipa) (S)
Just Keep Watching (Tate McRae) (S)
Lost In Translation (Carín León & Kasey Musgraves) (S)
Manchild (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)
Tears (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)
WHY (Jon Bellion Featuring Luke Combs) (S)

Edgar Barrera
Birthday Behavior (BIA, Young Miko) (S)
Coleccionando Heridas (KAROL G, Marco Antonio Solís) (T)
Ese Vato No Te Queda (Carín León, Gabito Ballesteros) (S)
Me Jalo (Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera) (T)
Me Retiro (Santana, Grupo Frontera) (S)
Milagros (KAROL G) (S)
Sigueme Besando Asi (Manuel Turizo) (T)
Soltera (Shakira) (S)
Una Noche Contigo (Juanes) (S)

Jessie Jo Dillon
Bless Your Heart (Megan Moroney) (T)
Bottomland (HARDY) (S)
Dreams Don’t Die (Jelly Roll) (S)
First Rodeo (Kelsea Ballerini) (T)
Happen To Me (Russell Dickerson) (S)
Hello S—ty Day (Jake Worthington, Miranda Lambert)(S)
If You Were Mine (Morgan Wallen) (T)
Patterns (Kelsea Ballerini) (T)
To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak (Kelsea Ballerini) (T)

Tobias Jesso Jr.
Another Baby! (Dijon) (T)
Baby! (Dijon) (T)
Daisies (Justin Bieber) (T)
From (Bon Iver) (T)
Go Baby (Justin Bieber) (T)
Golden Burning Sun (Miley Cyrus) (T)
Man I Need (Olivia Dean) (S)
Relationships (HAIM) (S)
Walking Away (Justin Bieber) (T)

Laura Veltz
About You (BigXthaPlug Featuring Tucker Wetmore) (T)
Blue Strips (Jessie Murph) (S)
Grand Bouquet (Maren Morris) (T)
Leave Me Too (Josh Ross) (S)
Parallel Universe (Lauren Spencer Smith) (T)
Someone In This Room (Jessie Murph Featuring Bailey Zimmerman) (T)
Touch Me Like A Gangster (Jessie Murph) (S)
What Tomorrow’s For (Blessing Offor) (T)
You’ll Be OK, Kid – From The Original Documentary “Child Star” (Demi Lovato) (S)


Field 1: Pop & Dance/Electronic

Category 7

Best Pop Solo Performance

For new vocal or instrumental pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

DAISIES
Justin Bieber

Manchild
Sabrina Carpenter

Disease
Lady Gaga

The Subway
Chappell Roan

Messy*
Lola Young


Category 8

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

Defying Gravity*
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande

Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”]
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI

Gabriela
KATSEYE

APT.
ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

30 For 30
SZA Featuring Kendrick Lamar


Category 9

Best Pop Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new pop vocal recordings.

SWAG
Justin Bieber

Man’s Best Friend
Sabrina Carpenter

Something Beautiful
Miley Cyrus

MAYHEM*
Lady Gaga

I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)
Teddy Swims


Category 10

Best Dance/Electronic Recording

For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.

No Cap
Disclosure & Anderson .Paak

Disclosure, producer; Guy Lawrence, mixer

Victory Lap
Fred again.., Skepta, & PlaqueBoyMax
Blake Cascoe, Berwyn Du Bois, Fred again.., Darcy Lewis, Dan Mayo & PlaqueBoyMax, producers; Tom Norris, mixer

SPACE INVADER
KAYTRANADA
KAYTRANADA, producer; KAYTRANADA, mixer

VOLTAGE
Skrillex
John Feldmann & Skrillex, producers; Luca Pretolesi, Skrillex & Virtual Riot, mixers

End Of Summer*
Tame Impala
Kevin Parker, producer; Kevin Parker, mixer


Category 11

Best Dance Pop Recording

For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.

Bluest Flame
Selena Gomez & benny blanco

benny blanco, Dylan Brady & Cashmere Cat, producers;benny blanco & Cashmere Cat, mixers

Abracadabra*
Lady Gaga

Cirkut, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt, producers; Serban Ghenea, mixer

Midnight Sun
Zara Larsson

Margo XS & MNEK, producers; Tom Norris, mixer

Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)
Tate McRae

Tyler Spry & Ryan Tedder, producers; Manny Marroquin, mixer

Illegal
PinkPantheress

Aksel Arvid & PinkPantheress, producers; Nickie Jon Pabon


Category 12

Best Dance/Electronic Album

For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.

EUSEXUA*
FKA twigs

Ten Days
Fred again..

Fancy That
PinkPantheress

Inhale / Exhale
RÜFÜS DU SOL

F— U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3
Skrillex


Category 13

Best Remixed Recording

A Remixer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.

Abracadabra – Gesaffelstein Remix*
Gesaffelstein, remixer (Lady Gaga, Gesaffelstein)

Don’t Forget About Us
KAYTRANADA, remixer (Mariah Carey & KAYTRANADA)

A Dreams A Dream – Ron Trent Remix
Ron Trent, remixer (Soul II Soul)

Galvanize
Chris Lake, remixer (The Chemical Brothers & Chris Lake)

Golden – David Guetta REM/X
David Guetta, remixer (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)


Field 2: Rock, Metal & Alternative Music

Category 14

Best Rock Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative rock recordings.

U Should Not Be Doing That
Amyl and The Sniffers

The Emptiness Machine
Linkin Park

NEVER ENOUGH
Turnstile

Mirtazapine
Hayley Williams

Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning*
YUNGBLUD Featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II


Category 15

Best Metal Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative metal recordings.

Night Terror
Dream Theater

Lachryma
Ghost

Emergence
Sleep Token

Soft Spine
Spiritbox

BIRDS*
Turnstile


Category 16

Best Rock Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

As Alive As You Need Me To Be*
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)

Caramel
Vessel1 & Vessel2, songwriters (Sleep Token)

Glum
Daniel James & Hayley Williams, songwriters (Hayley Williams)

NEVER ENOUGH
Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory, Meg Mills & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)

Zombie
Dominic Harrison & Matt Schwartz, songwriters (YUNGBLUD)


Category 17

Best Rock Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new rock, hard rock or metal recordings.

private music
Deftones

I quit
HAIM

From Zero
Linkin Park

NEVER ENOUGH*
Turnstile

Idols
YUNGBLUD


Category 18

Best Alternative Music Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative Alternative music recordings.

Everything Is Peaceful Love
Bon Iver

Alone*
The Cure

SEEIN’ STARS
Turnstile

mangetout
Wet Leg

Parachute
Hayley Williams


Category 19

Best Alternative Music Album

Vocal or Instrumental.

SABLE, fABLE
Bon Iver

Songs Of A Lost World*
The Cure

DON’T TAP THE GLASS
Tyler, The Creator

moisturizer
Wet Leg

Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Hayley Williams


Field 3: R&B, Rap & Spoken Word Poetry

Category 20

Best R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

YUKON
Justin Bieber

It Depends
Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller

Folded*
Kehlani

MUTT — Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk
Leon Thomas

Heart Of A Woman
Summer Walker


Category 21

Best Traditional R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental traditional R&B recordings.

Here We Are
Durand Bernarr

UPTOWN
Lalah Hathaway

LOVE YOU TOO
Ledisi

Crybaby
SZA

VIBES DON’T LIE*
Leon Thomas


Category 22

Best R&B Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Folded*
Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Dawit Kamal Wilson, songwriters (Kehlani)

Heart Of A Woman
David Bishop & Summer Walker, songwriters (Summer Walker)

It Depends
Nico Baran, Chris Brown, Ant Clemons, Ephrem Lopez Jr., Ryan Press, Bryson Tiller, Elliott Trent & Dewain Whitmore Jr., songwriters (Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller)

Overqualified
James John Abrahart Jr & Durand Bernarr, songwriters (Durand Bernarr)

YES IT IS
Jariuce Banks, Lazaro Andres Camejo, Mike Hector, Peter Lee Johnson, Rodney Jones Jr., Ali Prawl & Leon Thomas, songwriters (Leon Thomas)


Category 23

Best Progressive R&B Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded progressive vocal tracks derivative of R&B.

BLOOM*
Durand Bernarr

Adjust Brightness
Bilal

LOVE ON DIGITAL
Destin Conrad

Access All Areas
FLO

Come As You Are
Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon


Category 24

Best R&B Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new R&B recordings.

BELOVED
GIVĒON

Why Not More?
Coco Jones

The Crown
Ledisi

Escape Room
Teyana Taylor

MUTT*
Leon Thomas


Category 25

Best Rap Performance

For a Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.

Outside
Cardi B

Chains & Whips*
Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams

Anxiety
Doechii

tv off
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay

Darling, I
Tyler, The Creator Featuring Teezo Touchdown


Category 26

Best Melodic Rap Performance

For a solo or collaborative performance containing both elements of R&B melodies and Rap.

Proud Of Me
Fridayy Featuring Meek Mill

Wholeheartedly
JID Featuring Ty Dolla $ign & 6Lack

luther*
Kendrick Lamar With SZA

WeMaj
Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon Featuring Rapsody

SOMEBODY LOVES ME
PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake


Category 27

Best Rap Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Anxiety
Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)

The Birds Don’t Sing
Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., Terrence Thornton, Pharrell Williams & Stevie Wonder, songwriters (Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring John Legend & Voices Of Fire)

Sticky
Aaron Bolton, Dwayne Carter, Jr., Dudley Alexander Duverne, Tyler Okonma, Janae Wherry, Gloria Woods & Rex Zamor, songwriters (Tyler, The Creator Featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne)

TGIF
Lucas Alegria, Dillon Brophy, Yakki Davis, Jess Jackson, Ronnie Jackson, Mario Mims, Jorge M. Taveras & Gloria Woods, songwriters (GloRilla)

tv off*
Jack Antonoff, Larry Jayy, Kendrick Lamar, Dijon McFarlane, Sean Momberger, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay)


Category 28

Best Rap Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new rap recordings.

Let God Sort Em Out
Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

GLORIOUS
GloRilla

God Does Like Ugly
JID

GNX*
Kendrick Lamar

CHROMAKOPIA
Tyler, The Creator


Category 29

Best Spoken Word Poetry Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new spoken word poetry recordings.

A Hurricane in Heels: healed people don’t act like that — partially recorded live @City Winery & other places
Queen Sheba

Black Shaman
Marc Marcel

Pages
Omari Hardwick & Anthony Hamilton

Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends At Treepeople
Saul Williams, Carlos Niño & Friends

Words For Days Vol. 1*
Mad Skillz


Field 4: Jazz, Traditional Pop, Contemporary Instrumental & Musical Theater

Category 30

Best Jazz Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative jazz recordings.

Noble Rise
Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Immanuel Wilkins & Mark Whitfield

Windows – Live*
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade

Peace Of Mind / Dreams Come True
Samara Joy

Four
Michael Mayo

All Stars Lead To You – Live
Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth


Category 31

Best Jazz Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.

Elemental
Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap

We Insist 2025!
Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell

Portrait*
Samara Joy

Fly
Michael Mayo

Live at Vic’s Las Vegas
Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth


Category 32

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.

Trilogy 3 — Live
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade

Southern Nights*
Sullivan Fortner Featuring Peter Washington & Marcus Gilmore

Belonging
Branford Marsalis Quartet

Spirit Fall
John Patitucci Featuring Chris Potter & Brian Blade

Fasten Up
Yellowjackets


Category 33

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new large ensemble jazz recordings.

Orchestrator Emulator
The 8-Bit Big Band

Without Further Ado, Vol 1*
Christian McBride Big Band

Lumen
Danilo Pérez & Bohuslän Big Band

Basie Rocks
Deborah Silver & The Count Basie Orchestra

Lights on a Satellite
Sun Ra Arkestra

Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores
Kenny Wheeler Legacy Featuring The Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra & Frost Jazz Orchestra


Category 34

Best Latin Jazz Album

For vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded material. The intent of this category is to recognize recordings that represent the blending of jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinian tango music.

La Fleur de Cayenne
Paquito D’Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band

The Original Influencers: Dizzy, Chano & Chico Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Featuring Pedrito Martinez, Daymé Arocena, Jon Faddis, Donald Harrison & Melvis Santa

Mundoagua – Celebrating Carla Bley
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole*
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro

Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard
Miguel Zenón Quartet


Category 35

Best Alternative Jazz Album

For vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Alternative jazz recordings.

honey from a winter stone
Ambrose Akinmusire

Keys To The City Volume One
Robert Glasper

Ride into the Sun
Brad Mehldau

LIVE-ACTION*
Nate Smith

Blues Blood
Immanuel Wilkins


Category 36

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new traditional pop recordings.

Wintersongs
Laila Biali

The Gift Of Love
Jennifer Hudson

Who Believes In Angels?
Elton John & Brandi Carlile

Harlequin
Lady Gaga

A Matter Of Time*
Laufey

The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2
Barbra Streisand


Category 37

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new contemporary instrumental recordings.

Brightside*
ARKAI

Ones & Twos
Gerald Clayton

BEATrio
Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, Antonio Sánchez

Just Us
Bob James & Dave Koz

Shayan
Charu Suri


Category 38

Best Musical Theater Album

For albums containing greater than 51% playing time of new recordings. Award to the principal vocalist(s), and the album producer(s) of 50% or more playing time of the album. The lyricist(s) and composer(s) of 50 % or more of a score of a new recording are eligible for an Award if any previous recording of said score has not been nominated in this category.

Buena Vista Social Club*
Marco Paguia, Dean Sharenow & David Yazbek, producers (Original Broadway Cast)

Death Becomes Her
Taurean Everett, Megan Hilty, Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard & Michelle Williams, principal vocalists; Noel Carey, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Julia Mattison & Scott M. Riesett, producers; Noel Carey & Julia Mattison, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

Gypsy
Danny Burstein, Kevin Csolak, Audra McDonald, Jordan Tyson & Joy Woods, principal vocalists; David Caddick, Andy Einhorn, David Lai & George C. Wolfe, producers (Jule Styne, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (2024 Broadway Cast)

Just In Time
Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence & Michele Pawk, principal vocalists; Derik Lee, Andrew Resnick & Bill Sherman, producers (Bobby Darin, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)

Maybe Happy Ending
Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron & Helen J Shen, principal vocalists; Deborah Abramson, Will Aronson, Ian Kagey & Hue Park, producers; Hue Park, lyricist; Will Aronson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)


Field 5: Country & American Roots Music

Category 39

Best Country Solo Performance

For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.

Nose On The Grindstone
Tyler Childers

Good News
Shaboozey

Bad As I Used To Be [From “F1® The Movie”] Chris Stapleton*

I Never Lie
Zach Top

Somewhere Over Laredo
Lainey Wilson


Category 40

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country recordings.

A Song To Sing
Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton

Trailblazer
Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson

Love Me Like You Used To Do
Margo Price & Tyler Childers

Amen*
Shaboozey & Jelly Roll

Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame
George Strait, Chris Stapleton


Category 41

Best Country Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Bitin’ List*
Tyler Childers, songwriter (Tyler Childers)

Good News
Michael Ross Pollack, Sam Elliot Roman & Jacob Torrey, songwriters (Shaboozey)

I Never Lie
Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols & Zach Top, songwriters (Zach Top)

Somewhere Over Laredo
Andy Albert, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson & Lainey Wilson, songwriters (Lainey Wilson)

A Song To Sing
Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure, Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton)


Category 42

Best Traditional Country Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new traditional country recordings.

Dollar A Day
Charley Crockett

American Romance
Lukas Nelson

Oh What A Beautiful World
Willie Nelson

Hard Headed Woman
Margo Price

Ain’t In It For My Health*
Zach Top


Category 43

Best Contemporary Country Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new contemporary country recordings.

Patterns
Kelsea Ballerini

Snipe Hunter
Tyler Childers

Evangeline Vs. The Machine
Eric Church

Beautifully Broken*
Jelly Roll

Postcards From Texas
Miranda Lambert


Category 44

Best American Roots Performance

For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).

LONELY AVENUE
Jon Batiste Featuring Randy Newman

Ancient Light*
I’m With Her

Crimson And Clay
Jason Isbell

Richmond On The James
Alison Krauss & Union Station

Beautiful Strangers
Mavis Staples


Category 45

Best Americana Performance

For new vocal or instrumental Americana performance. Award to the artist(s).

Boom
Sierra Hull

Poison In My Well
Maggie Rose & Grace Potter

Godspeed*
Mavis Staples

That’s Gonna Leave A Mark
Molly Tuttle

Horses
Jesse Welles


Category 46

Best American Roots Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Ancient Light*
Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)

BIG MONEY
Jon Batiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Batiste)

Foxes In The Snow
Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)

Middle
Jesse Welles, songwriter (Jesse Welles)

Spitfire
Sierra Hull, songwriter (Sierra Hull)


Category 47

Best Americana Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.

BIG MONEY*
Jon Batiste

Bloom
Larkin Poe

Last Leaf On The Tree
Willie Nelson

So Long Little Miss Sunshine
Molly Tuttle

Middle
Jesse Welles


Category 48

Best Bluegrass Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.

Carter & Cleveland
Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter

A Tip Toe High Wire
Sierra Hull

Arcadia
Alison Krauss & Union Station

Outrun
The Steeldrivers

Highway Prayers*
Billy Strings


Category 49

Best Traditional Blues Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.

Ain’t Done With The Blues*
Buddy Guy

Room On The Porch
Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’

One Hour Mama: The Blues Of Victoria Spivey
Maria Muldaur

Look Out Highway
Charlie Musselwhite

Young Fashioned Ways
Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Bobby Rush


Category 50

Best Contemporary Blues Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.

Breakthrough
Joe Bonamassa

Paper Doll
Samantha Fish

A Tribute To LJK
Eric Gales

Preacher Kids*
Robert Randolph

Family
Southern Avenue


Category 51

Best Folk Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow
Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson

Crown Of Roses
Patty Griffin

Wild And Clear And Blue*
I’m With Her

Foxes In The Snow
Jason Isbell

Under The Powerlines April 24 – September 24
Jesse Welles


Category 52

Best Regional Roots Music Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental regional roots music recordings.

Live At Vaughan’s
Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet

For Fat Man
Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Church Of New Orleans
Kyle Roussel

Second Line Sunday
Trombone Shorty And New Breed Brass Band

A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco*
(Various Artists)


Field 6: Gospel & Contemporary Christian Music

Category 53

Best Gospel Performance/Song

This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best traditional Christian, roots gospel or contemporary gospel single or track.

Do It Again
Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, songwriter

Church
Tasha Cobbs Leonard, John Legend; Anthony S. Brown, Brunes Charles, Annatoria Chitapa, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Jonas Myrin, songwriters

Still Live
Jonathan McReynolds & Jamal Roberts; Britney Delagraentiss, Jonathan McReynolds, David Lamar Outing III, Orlando Joel Palmer & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters

Amen
Pastor Mike Jr.; Adia Andrews, Michael McClure Jr., David Lamar Outing II & Terrell Anthony Pettus, songwriters

Come Jesus Come*
Cece Winans Featuring Shirley Caesar


Category 54

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best contemporary Christian music single or track, (including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin, or rock.)

I Know A Name
Elevation Worship, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake; Hank Bentley, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake & Jacob Sooter, songwriters

YOUR WAY’S BETTER
Forrest Frank; Forrest Frank & Pera, songwriters

Hard Fought Hallelujah*
Brandon Lake With Jelly Roll; Chris Brown, Jason Bradley Deford, Steven Furtick, Benjamin William Hastings & Brandon Lake, songwriters

Headphones
Lecrae, Killer Mike, T.I.; Bongo ByTheWay, Clifford Harris, William Roderick Miller, Lecrae Moore, Michael Render & Tyshane Thompson, songwriters

Amazing
Darrel Walls, PJ Morton; PJ Morton & Darrel Walls,songwriters


Category 55

Best Gospel Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional or contemporary/R&B gospel music recordings.

Sunny Days
Yolanda Adams

Tasha
Tasha Cobbs Leonard

Live Breathe Fight
Tamela Mann

Only On The Road Live
Tye Tribbett

Heart Of Mine*
Darrel Walls, PJ Morton


Category 56

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, contemporary Christian music, including pop, rap/hip hop, Latin, or rock recordings.

CHILD OF GOD II
Forrest Frank

Coritos Vol. 1*
Israel & New Breed

King Of Hearts
Brandon Lake

Reconstruction
Lecrae

Let The Church Sing
Tauren Wells


Category 57

Best Roots Gospel Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.

I Will Not Be Moved — Live*
The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Then Came The Morning
Gaither Vocal Band

Praise & Worship: More Than A Hollow Hallelujah
The Isaacs

Good Answers
Karen Peck & New River

Back To My Roots
Candi Staton


Field 7: Latin, Global, Reggae & New Age, Ambient, or Chant

Category 58

Best Latin Pop Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Latin pop recordings.

Cosa Nuestra
Rauw Alejandro

BOGOTÁ DELUXE
Andrés Cepeda

Tropicoqueta
KAROL G

Cancionera*
Natalia Lafourcade

¿Y ahora qué?
Alejandro Sanz


Category 59

Best Música Urbana Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Música Urbana recordings.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS*
Bad Bunny

Mixteip
J Balvin

FERXXO VOL X: Sagrado
Feid

NAIKI
Nicki Nicole

EUB DELUXE
Trueno

SINFÓNICO — En Vivo
Yandel


Category 60

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Latin rock or alternative recordings.

Genes Rebeldes
Aterciopelados

ASTROPICAL
Bomba Estéreo, Rawayana, ASTROPICAL

PAPOTA*
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso

ALGORHYTHM
Los Wizzards

Novela
Fito Paez


Category 61

Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new regional Mexican (banda, norteño, corridos, gruperos, mariachi, ranchera and Tejano) recordings.

MALA MÍA
Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera

Y Lo Que Viene
Grupo Frontera

Sin Rodeos
Paola Jara

Palabra De To’s [Seca]*
Carín León

Bobby Pulido & Friends Una Tuya Y Una Mía – Por La Puerta Grande [En Vivo]
Bobby Pulido


Category 62

Best Tropical Latin Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new tropical Latin recordings.

Fotografías
Rubén Blades, Roberto Delgado & Orquesta

Raíces*
Gloria Estefan

Clásicos 1.0
Grupo Niche

Bingo
Alain Pérez

Debut y Segunda Tanda, Vol. 2
Gilberto Santa Rosa


Category 63

Best Global Music Performance

For new vocal or instrumental Global music recordings.

EoO*
Bad Bunny

Cantando en el Camino
Ciro Hurtado

JERUSALEMA
Angélique Kidjo

Inmigrante Y Que?
Yeisy Rojas

Shrini’s Dream [Live]
Shakti

Daybreak
Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar


Category 64

Best African Music Performance

Love
Burna Boy

With You
Davido Featuring Omah Lay

Hope & Love
Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin

Gimme Dat
Ayra Starr Featuring Wizkid

PUSH 2 START*
Tyla


Category 65

Best Global Music Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Global Music recordings.

Sounds Of Kumbha
Siddhant Bhatia

No Sign of Weakness
Burna Boy

Eclairer le monde – Light the World
Youssou N’Dour

Mind Explosion [50th Anniversary Tour Live]
Shakti

Chapter III: We Return To Light
Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar

Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo*
Caetano Veloso And Maria Bethânia


Category 66

Best Reggae Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new reggae recordings.

Treasure Self Love
Lila Iké

Heart & Soul
Vybz Kartel

BLXXD & FYAH*
Keznamdi

From Within
Mortimer

No Place Like Home
Jesse Royal


Category 67

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental new age recordings.

Kuruvinda
Kirsten Agresta-Copely

According To The Moon
Cheryl B. Engelhardt, GEM, Dallas String Quartet

Into The Forest
Jahnavi Harrison

NOMADICA*
Carla Patullo Featuring The Scorchio Quartet & Tonality

The Colors In My Mind
Chris Redding


Field 8: Children’s, Comedy, Audio Books, Visual Media & Music Video/Film

Category 68

Best Children’s Music Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new musical or spoken word recordings that are created and intended specifically for children.

Ageless: 100 Years Young
Joanie Leeds & Joya

Buddy’s Magic Tree House
Mega Ran

Harmony*
FYÜTCH & Aura V

Herstory
Flor Bromley

The Music Of Tori And The Muses
Tori Amos


Category 69

Best Comedy Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new recordings.

Drop Dead Years
Bill Burr

PostMortem
Sarah Silverman

Single Lady
Ali Wong

What Had Happened Was…
Jamie Foxx

Your Friend, Nate Bargatze*
Nate Bargatze


Category 70

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording

Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story
Kathy Garver

Into The Uncut Grass
Trevor Noah

Lovely One: A Memoir
Ketanji Brown Jackson

Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama*
Dalai Lama

You Know It’s True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli
Fab Morvan


Category 71

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

Award to the principal artist(s) and/or ‘in studio’ producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album. In the absence of both, award to the one or two individuals proactively responsible for the concept and musical direction of the album and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable. Award also goes to appropriately credited music supervisor(s).

A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet
Nick Baxter, Steven Gizicki & James Mangold, compilation producers; Steven Gizicki, music supervisor

F1® The Album
(Various Artists)
Brandon Davis, Joe Khoury, Kevin Weaver, compilation producers; David Taylor & Jake Voulgarides, music supervisors

KPop Demon Hunters
(Various Artists)
Spring Aspers & Dana Sano, compilation producers; Ian Eisendrath, music supervisor

Sinners*
(Various Artists)
Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson & Serena Göransson, compilation producers; Niki Sherrod, music supervisor

Wicked
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, (& Wicked Movie Cast)
Stephen Oremus, Stephen Schwartz & Greg Wells, compilation producers; Maggie Rodford, music supervisor


Category 72

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)

Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series, or other visual media.

How To Train Your Dragon
John Powell, composer

Severance: Season 2
Theodore Shapiro, composer

Sinners*
Ludwig Göransson, composer

Wicked
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers

The Wild Robot
Kris Bowers, composer


Category 73

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, video games and other interactive media.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Secrets of the Spires
Pinar Toprak, composer

Helldivers 2
Wilbert Roget, II, composer

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle
Gordy Haab, composer

Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune
Cody Matthew Johnson & Wilbert Roget, II, composers

Sword of the Sea*
Austin Wintory, composer


Category 74

Best Song Written For Visual Media

A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television, video games or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

As Alive As You Need Me To Be — From “TRON: Ares”
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)

Golden — From “KPop Demon Hunters”*
EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)

I Lied to You — From “Sinners”
Ludwig Göransson & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Miles Caton)

Never Too Late — From “Elton John: Never Too Late”
Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Bernie Taupin & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Elton John, Brandi Carlile)

Pale, Pale Moon — From “Sinners”
Ludwig Göransson & Brittany Howard, songwriters (Jayme Lawson)

Sinners — From “Sinners”
Leonard Denisenko, Rodarius Green, Travis Harrington, Tarkan Kozluklu, Kyris Mingo & Darius Povilinus, songwriters (Rod Wave)


Category 75

Best Music Video

Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

Manchild
Sabrina Carpenter

Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Aiden Magarian, Nathan Scherrer & Natan Schottenfels, video producers

So Be It
Clipse

Hannan Hussain, video director; Daniel Order, video producer

Anxiety*
Doechii

James Mackel, video director; Pablo Feldman, Jolene Mendes & Sophia Sabella, video producers

Love
OK Go

Aaron Duffy, Miguel Espada & Damian Kulash Jr., video directors; Petra Ahmann, video producer

Young Lion
Sade

Sophie Muller, video director; Aaron Taylor Dean & Sade, video producers


Category 76

Best Music Film

For concert/performance films or music documentaries. Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

Devo
Devo

Chris Smith, video director; Danny Gabai, Anita Greenspan, Chris Holmes & Chris Smith, video producers

Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Raye

Paul Dugdale, video director; Stefan Demetriou & Amy James, video producers

Relentless
Diane Warren

Bess Kargman, video director; Peggy Drexler, Michele Farinola & Kat Nguyen, video producers

Music By John Williams*
John Williams

Laurent Bouzereau, video director; Sara Bernstein, Laurent Bouzereau, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Meredith Kaulfers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg & Justin Wilkes, video producers

Piece By Piece
Pharrell Williams
Morgan Neville, video director; Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Mimi Valdes & Pharrell Williams, video producers


Field 9: Package, Notes & Historical

Category 77

Best Recording Package

And The Adjacent Possible
Hà Trinh Quoc Bao, Damian Kulash, Jr., Claudio Ripol, Wombi Rose & Yuri Suzuki, art directors (OK Go)

Balloonerism
Bráulio Amado & Alim Smith, art directors (Mac Miller)

Danse Macabre: De Luxe
Rory McCartney, art director (Duran Duran)

Loud Is As
Farbod Kokabi & Emily Sneddon, art directors (Tsunami)

Sequoia
Tim Breen & Ken Shipley, art directors (Various Artists)

The Spins — Picture Disc Vinyl
Miller McCormick, art director (Mac Miller)

Tracks II: The Lost Albums*
Meghan Foley & Michelle Holme, art directors (Bruce Springsteen)


Category 78

Best Album Cover

CHROMAKOPIA*
Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez, art directors (Tyler, The Creator)

The Crux
William Wesley II, art director (Djo)

Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, art director (Bad Bunny)

Glory
Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S., art directors (Perfume Genius)

moisturizer
Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale, art directors (Wet Leg)


Category 79

Best Album Notes

Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974
Scott B. Bomar, album notes writer (Buck Owens And His Buckaroos)

After The Last Sky
Adam Shatz, album notes writer (Anouar Brahem, Anja Lechner, Django Bates, Dave Holland)

Árabe
Amanda Ekery, album notes writer (Amanda Ekery)

The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967
Alec Palao, album notes writer (Sly & The Family Stone)

A Ghost Is Born — 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)

Miles ’55: The Prestige Recordings*
Ashley Kahn, album notes writer (Miles Davis)


Category 80

Best Historical Album

Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years — 1976-1980*
Patrick Milligan & Joni Mitchell, compilation producers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Joni Mitchell)

The Making Of Five Leaves Left
Cally Callomon & Johnny Chandler, compilation producers; Simon Heyworth & John Wood, mastering engineers; John Wood, restoration engineer (Nick Drake)

Roots Rocking Zimbabwe – The Modern Sound Of Harare’ Townships 1975-1980 — Analog Africa No.41
Samy Ben Redjeb, compilation producer; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Michael Graves & Jordan McLeod, restoration engineers (Various Artists)

Super Disco Pirata – De Tepito Para El Mundo 1965-1980 — Analog Africa No. 39
Samy Ben Redjeb, compilation producer; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Jordan McLeod, restoration engineer (Various Artists)

You Can’t Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos
Will Bratton, Sharyn Felder & Cheryl Pawelski,compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Michael Graves & Jordan McLeod, restoration engineers (Doc Pomus)


Field 10: Production, Engineering, Composition & Arrangement

Category 81

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

An Engineer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

All Things Light
Jesse Brock, Jon Castelli, Tyler Johnson, Nick Lobel, Simon Maartensson, Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, Anders Mouridsen, Ryan Nasci, Ernesto Olivera-Lapier, Ethan Schneiderman & Owen Stoutt, engineers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer (Cam)

Arcadia
Neal Cappellino & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station)

For Melancholy Brunettes & sad women
Joseph Lorge, Blake Mills & Sebastian Reunert, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Japanese Breakfast)

That Wasn’t A Dream*
Joseph Lorge & Blake Mills, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Pino Palladino, Blake Mills)


Category 82

Best Engineered Album, Classical

An Engineer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Cerrone: Don’t Look Down*
Mike Tierney, engineer; Alan Silverman, mastering engineer (Sandbox Percussion)

Eastman: Symphony No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2
Gintas Norvila, engineer; Jennifer Nulsen, mastering engineer (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra)

Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth Of The Mtsensk District
Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons, Kristine Opolais, Günther Groissböck, Peter Hoare, Brenden Gunnell & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Standard Stoppages
Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, Bill Maylone, Judith Sherman & David Skidmore, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Third Coast Percussion)

Yule
Morten Lindberg, engineer; Morten Lindberg, mastering engineer (Trio Mediæval)


Category 83

Producer Of The Year, Classical

A Producer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Blanton Alspaugh
All Is Miracle – The Choral Music Of Kyle Pederson (Timothy J. Campbell & Transept) (A)
Heggie: Intelligence (Kwame Ryan, Janai Brugger, Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges & Houston Grand Opera) (A)
Marsalis: Blues Symphony (Jader Bignamini & Detroit Symphony Orchestra) (A)
Massenet: Werther (Robert Spano, Matthew Polenzani, sabel Leonard & Houston Grand Opera) (A)
The Mirage Calls (Charles Bruffy & Kansas City Chorale) (A)
Sheehan: Ukrainian War Requiem (Michael Zaugg, Axios Men’s Ensemble & Pro Coro Canada) (A)
Sun, Moon, Stars, Rain (Christopher Gabbitas & Phoenix Chorale) (A)

Sergei Kvitko
Biedenbender: Enigma; River Of Time (Kevin L. Sedatole & Michigan State University Wind Symphony) (A)
Chiaroscuro (Vedrana Subotic) (A)
Dancing In A Still Life (Tasha Warren) (A)
Excursions (Vuorovesi Trio) (A)
Four Hands. Two Hearts. One Hope. Ukrainian And American Music For Piano Duo (Mykhailo Diordiiev & Anastasiia Larchikova) (A)
Here And Now – Trumpet Music By Virginia Composers (Jason Crafton, Richard Masters, Annie Stevens & Paul Langosch) (A)
Lansky: Touch And Go (Gwendolyn Dease) (A)
Orbiting Garden (William Hobbs) (A)
Would That Loving Were Enough (Haven Trio) (A)

Morten Lindberg
Fred Over Jorden (Peace To The World) (Elisabeth Holte, Kjetil Bjerkestrand & Uranienborg Vokalensemble) (A)
Stjernebru (Anne Karin Sundal-Ask & Det Norske Jentekor) (A)
Yule (Trio Mediæval) (A)

Dmitriy Lipay
Heggie: Before It All Goes Dark (Joseph Mechavich, Megan Marino, Ryan McKinny & Music Of Remembrance Ensemble) (A)
Odyssey (Jorge Glem, Gustavo Dudamel & Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela) (A)
Ortiz: Yanga (Gustavo Dudamel, Alisa Weilerstein & Los Angeles Philharmonic) (A)

Elaine Martone*
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
Chopin & Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonatas (Brian Thornton & Spencer Myer) (A)
Dear Mrs. Kennedy (Ryan Townsend Strand) (A)
Eastman: Symphony No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
LeFrak: Romántico (Sharon Isbin, Lopez-Yañez & Orchestra Of St. Luke’s) (A)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 & Symphony No. 29 (Garrick Ohlsson, Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestrea) (A)
The Poet & The Prodigy (Debra Nagy & Mark Edwards) (A)
Shapes In Collective Space (Tallā Rouge) (A)
Songs Of Orpheus (Kelley O’Connor) (A)


Category 84

Best Immersive Audio Album

For vocal or instrumental albums in any genre. Must be commercially released for physical sale or on an eligible streaming or download service and must provide a new immersive mix of four or more channels. Award to the immersive mix engineer, immersive producer (if any) and immersive mastering engineer (if any).

All American F—boy
Andrew Law, immersive mix engineer (Duckwrth)

Immersed*
Justin Gray, immersive mix engineer; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Justin Gray, Drew Jurecka & Morten Lindberg, immersive producers (Justin Gray)

An Immersive Tribute To Astor Piazzolla — Live
Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello, immersive mix engineers; Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello, immersive producers (Various Artists)

Tearjerkers
Hans-Martin Buff, immersive mix engineer; Hans-Martin Buff, immersive producer (Tearjerkers)

Yule
Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Arve Henriksen & Morten Lindberg, immersive producers (Trio Mediæval)


Category 85

Best Instrumental Composition

A Composer’s Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only

First Snow*
Remy Le Boeuf, composer (Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz)

Live Life This Day: Movement I
Miho Hazama, composer (Miho Hazama, Danish Radio Big Band & Danish National Symphony Orchestra)

Lord, That’s A Long Way
Sierra Hull, composer (Sierra Hull)

Opening
Zain Effendi, composer (Zain Effendi)

Train To Emerald City
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers (John Powell & Stephen Schwartz)

Why You Here / Before The Sun Went Down
Ludwig Göransson, composer (Ludwig Göransson Featuring Miles Caton)


Category 86

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Be Okay
Cynthia Erivo, arranger (Cynthia Erivo)

A Child Is Born
Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Nordkraft Big Band & Remy Le Boeuf)

Fight On
Andy Clausen, Addison Maye-Saxon, Riley Mulherkar & Chloe Rowlands, arrangers (The Westerlies)

Super Mario Praise Break*
Bryan Carter, Charlie Rosen & Matthew Whitaker, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band)


Category 87

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Big Fish*
Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick, Nate Smith & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Nate Smith Featuring säje)

How Did She Look?
Nelson Riddle, arranger (Seth MacFarlane)

Keep An Eye On Summer
Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)

Something In The Water — Acoustic-Ish
Clyde Lawrence, Gracie Lawrence & Linus Lawrence, arrangers (Lawrence)

What A Wonderful World
Cody Fry, arranger (Cody Fry)


Field 11: Classical

Category 88

Best Orchestral Performance

Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.

Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture, Ballade Op. 4, Suites From ’24 Negro Melodies’
Michael Repper, conductor (National Philharmonic)

Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie*
Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Ravel: Boléro, M. 81
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela)

Still & Bonds
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)

Stravinsky: Symphony In Three Movements
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)


Category 89

Best Opera Recording

Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) of a world premiere Opera recording only.

Heggie: Intelligence*
Kwamé Ryan, conductor; Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges & Janai Brugger; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Houston Grand Opera; Gene Scheer)

Huang Ruo: An American Soldier
Carolyn Kuan, conductor; Hannah Cho, Alex DeSocio, Nina Yoshida Nelsen & Brian Vu; Adam Abeshouse, Silas Brown & Doron Schachter, producers (American Composers Orchestra; David Henry Hwang)

Kouyoumdjian: Adoration
Alan Pierson, conductor; Miriam Khalil, Marc Kudisch, David Adam Moore, Omar Najmi, Naomi Louisa O’Connell & Karim Sulayman; Mary Kouyoumdjian, producer (Silvana Quartet; The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street)

O’Halloran: Trade & Mary Motorhead
Elaine Kelly, conductor; Oisín Ó Dálaigh & John Molloy; Alex Dowling & Emma O’Halloran, producers (Irish National Opera Orchestra; Mark O’Halloran)

Tesori: Grounded
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Ben Bliss, Emily D’Angelo, Greer Grimsley & Kyle Miller; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus; George Brant)


Category 90

Best Choral Performance

Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.

Advena – Liturgies For A Broken World
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Simon Barrad, Emily Yocum Black & Michael Hawes; Conspirare)

Childs: In The Arms Of The Beloved
Grant Gershon, conductor (Billy Childs, Dan Chmielinski, Christian Euman, Larry Koonse, Lyris Quartet, Anne Akiko Meyers, Carol Robbins & Luciana Souza; Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Lang: Poor Hymnal
Donald Nally, conductor (Steven Bradshaw, Michael Hawes, Lauren Kelly, Rebecca Siler & Elisa Sutherland; The Crossing)

Ortiz: Yanga*
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Grant Gershon, chorus master (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Requiem Of Light
Steven Fox, conductor; Emily Drennan & Patti Drennan, chorus masters (Brian Giebler & Sangeeta Kaur; The Clarion Choir)


Category 91

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.

Dennehy: Land Of Winter*
Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound

La Mer – French Piano Trios
Neave Trio

Lullabies For The Brokenhearted
Lili Haydn & Paul Cantelon

Slavic Sessions
Mak Grgić & Mateusz Kowalski

Standard Stoppages
Third Coast Percussion


Category 92

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.

Coleridge-Taylor: 3 Selections From ’24 Negro Melodies’
Curtis Stewart; Michael Repper, conductor (National Philharmonic)

Hope Orchestrated
Mary Dawood Catlin; Jesús David Medina & Raniero Palm, conductors (Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble)

Inheritances
Adam Tendler

Price: Piano Concerto In One Movement In D Minor
Han Chen; John Jeter, conductor (Malmö Opera Orchestra)

Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos*
Yo-Yo Ma; Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos; Solo Works
Yuja Wang; Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)


Category 93

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with greater than 50% playing time of new material.

Alike – My Mother’s Dream
Allison Charney, soloist; Benjamin Loeb, conductor (National Symphonia Orchestra)

Black Pierrot
Sidney Outlaw, soloist; Warren Jones, pianist

In This Short Life
Devony Smith, soloist; Danny Zelibor, pianist; Michael Nicolas, artist

Kurtág: Kafka Fragments
Susan Narucki, soloist; Curtis Macomber, artist

Schubert Beatles
Theo Hoffman, soloist; Steven Blier, pianist (Rupert Boyd, Julia Bullock, Alex Levine, Andrew Owens, Rubén Rengel & Sam Weber)

Telemann: Ino – Opera Arias For Soprano*
Amanda Forsythe, soloist; Robert Mealy, Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra)


Category 94

Best Classical Compendium

Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 50% playing time of the album, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) with over 50% playing time of a world premiere recording only.

Cerrone: Don’t Look Down
Sandbox Percussion; Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Christopher Cerrone, Ian Rosenbaum, Terry Sweeney & Mike Tierney, producers

The Dunbar/Moore Sessions, Vol. II
Will Liverman; Jonathan Estabrooks, producer

Ortiz: Yanga*
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer

Seven Seasons
Janai Brugger, Isolde Fair, MB Gordy & Starr Parodi; Nicholas Dodd, conductor; Jeff Fair, Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley, producers

Tombeaux
Christina Sandsengen; Shaun Drew & Christina Sandsengen, producers


Category 95

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

A Composer’s Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.

Cerrone: Don’t Look Down
Christopher Cerrone, composer (Conor Hanick & Sandbox Percussion)

Dennehy: Land Of Winter
Donnacha Dennehy, composer (Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound)

León: Raíces — Origins
Tania León, composer (Edward Gardner & London Philharmonic Orchestra)

Okpebholo: Songs In Flight
Shawn E. Okpebholo, composer (Will Liverman, Paul Sánchez & Various Artists)

Ortiz: Dzonot*
Gabriela Ortiz, composer (Alisa Weilerstein, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Review: ‘Caught Stealing,’ starring Austin Butler, Regina King, Zoë Kravitz, Matt Smith, Liev Schreiber, Vincent D’Onofrio and Benito Martínez Ocasio

August 25, 2025

by Carla Hay

Austin Butler and Tonic in “Caught Stealing” (Photo by Niko Tavernise/Columbia Pictures)

“Caught Stealing”

Directed by Darren Aronofsky

Some language in Spanish, Russian and Hebrew with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in 1998, in New York City, the comedy action film “Caught Stealing” (based on the novel of the same title) features a predominantly white cast of characters (with some African American and Latin people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: A bartender, who used to aspire to be a professional baseball player, becomes the target of deadly danger after unwittingly getting mixed up in a neighbor’s criminal activities.  

Culture Audience: “Caught Stealing” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of the movie’s headliners, filmmaker Darren Aronfosky and intense action thrillers that have acerbic comedic touches.

Matt Smith and Austin Butler in “Caught Stealing” (Photo by Niko Tavernise/Columbia Pictures)

“Caught Stealing” is a winning blend of high-octane action, crime thriller, and screwball comedy. The carnage is predictable and a bit repetitive, but the movie excels with unforgettable characters and a stylish presentation. The movie’s violence might be too much for some viewers, but for viewers who want to see a “Pulp Fiction”-type of film, then “Caught Stealing” is worth watching, even though it’s not as inventive as “Pulp Fiction.”

Directed by Darren Aronofsky and written by Charlie Huston, “Caught Stealing” is based on Huston’s 2004 novel of the same name. The movie takes place in 1998, in New York City, where “Caught Stealing” was filmed on location. It has the look and feel of a classic crime caper that could’ve been made in the 1990s.

In “Caught Stealing,” Butler plays Henry “Hank” Thompson, a bartender who lives and works in a gritty neighborhood on the city’s Lower East Side. Hank (whose hometown is the fictional Patterson, California) is a passionate fan of the San Francisco Giants. Hank is a good-but-flawed guy who has broken dreams of being a professional baseball player in Major League Baseball.

He’s haunted by a car accident that he had about 15 years ago, when was in his late teens and on track to be recruited straight from high school (where he was a star player) into Major League Baseball. Hank was driving in this car accident, which resulted in a knee injury that ended his chances of playing professional baseball. Several scenes in the movie show Frank waking up from having a nightmare about this accident, and more details are revealed about why this accident was so traumatic.

Hank is a bachelor who lives alone in a small apartment. There are indications that he’s addicted to alcohol. (He likes to get drunk a lot, and there are more liquor bottles than food in his refrigerator.) Hank is having a casual “friends with benefits” relationship with a paramedic worker named Yvonne (played by Zoë Kravitz), who has a tough-but-tender personality.

Hank might be an underachiever in some areas of his life, but one thing he doesn’t slack off from is calling his mother (played by Laura Dern, in an uncredited cameo) on a regular basis. His mother, who lives in California, is also a hardcore fan of the San Francisco Giants. Hank ends his conversations with her by saying, “Go Giants.”

The lives of Hank and other people get turned upside down when Hank’s next-door neighbor Russ Minor (played by Matt Smith) suddenly asks Hank to take care of his cat Bud played by Tonic) because Russ has to go back to his native London to look after Russ’ dying father. Russ has a Mohawk and dresses like a punk who looks like he stepped out of a 1978 Sex Pistols concert.

Hank finds out soon enough that Russ is involved in criminal activities. And soon enough, several people come looking for Russ. Hank gets caught in the crossfire because these people think Hank has information that they need. The trailer for “Caught Stealing” already reveals that Russ stole $4 million in cash from some criminals.

“Caught Stealing” shows the madcap and brutal experiences that Hank goes through to stay alive—while also looking out for Russ’ cat Bud. Among the tough people who come into contact with Hank are New York Police Department investigator named Elise Roman (played by Regina King); a nightclub owner named Colorado (played by Benito Martínez Ocasio, also known as Bad Bunny); two Russian Mafia thugs named Pavel (played by Nikita Kukushkin) and Aleksei (played by Yuri Kolokolnikov); and two Orthodox Jewish rabbis named Lipa (played by Liev Schreiber) and Shmully (played by Vincent D’Onofrio), who have some of the best scenes in the movie.

Butler leads the cast in all the right ways. He’s skilled at handling scenes as an “everyman” action star, as well as scenes with droll comedy and poignant drama. The supporting cast members, except for Kravitz as complicated Yvonne, have characters with two-dimensional personalities. However, the movie’s dialogue is snappy enough where some of these stereotypes don’t really matter. “Caught Stealing” is a fairly wild ride that has some very familiar tropes, but it’s a brash and adrenaline-filled experience that’s a tribute to human resourcefulness and reinvention.

Columbia Pictures will release “Caught Stealing” in U.S. cinemas on August 29, 2025. A sneak preview of the movie was shown in U.S. cinemas on August 23, 2025.

Review: ‘Cassandro,’ starring Gael García Bernal

October 17, 2023

by Carla Hay

Gael García Bernal in “Cassandro” (Photo courtesy of Amazon Content Services)

“Cassandro”

Directed by Roger Ross Williams

Spanish with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place in Mexico, from 1988 to 1993, the dramatic film “Cassandro” (based on a true story) features a predominantly Latin cast of characters (with some white people) representing the working-class, middle-class and wealthy.

Culture Clash: Openly gay wrestler Saúl Armendáriz changes his name to Cassandro, and he becomes a wrestling star, but he faces challenges inside and outside the ring because of his sexuality.

Culture Audience: “Cassandro” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of star Gael García Bernal and anyone interested in unique stories about wrestlers.

Gael García Bernal and Perla De La Rosa in “Cassandro” (Photo by Alejandro Lopez Pineda/Amazon Content Services)

The dramatic film “Cassandro” isn’t a comprehensive biopic because it only focuses on a period time when luchador Cassandro (whose real name is Saúl Armendáriz) had a career that was on the rise. Even though Gael García Bernal doesn’t look like the real Cassandro, he does a pretty good job of embodying his essence. This lucha libre biopic isn’t as interesting as the documentary “Cassandro, the Exotico!,” but it’s a fairly compelling drama.

Directed by Roger Ross Williams (who co-wrote the “Cassandro” screenplay with David Teague) “Cassandro” glosses over or leaves out some things that were in the 2019 documentary “Cassandro, the Exotico!,” which told much more of Cassandro’s life story. The dramatic film “Cassandro” (which had its world premiere at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival) is more like a few chapters in a biography. Bernal’s performance is the main reason to watch, because some of the movie gets repetitive.

The real Cassandro was born and raised in El Paso, Texas. As an adult, he relocated to Mexico, where he made his name as a luchador. His birth year was 1970, and the “Cassandro” movie takes place from 1988 to approximately 1993, when he was in his late teens and early 20s. Bernal was born in 1978, which means that he was in his early 40s when he made “Cassandro” but portraying someone who is supposed to be in his late teens and early 20s. Bernal is also much thinner than the stocky Cassandro, and their faces have no resemblance to each other.

Despite these discrepancies in physical appearance and age, Bernal immerses himself in the character of Cassandro. People who know what the real Cassandro looks like might not be able to get past how different Bernal looks from the real Cassandro. However, for those who can appreciate seeing a wrestling movie with good acting, there’s plenty to like about “Cassandro.”

The movie is told in chronological order and begins in a dressing room before a wrestling match. Cassandro, whose wrestling persona at the time was wearing a mask, is being taunted by the wrestler who will be his opponent in the ring: a brute named Gigántico (played by real-life wrestler Murder Clown), who is nearly twice the size of Cassandro.

“Do you like digging holes, or do you like getting your hole dug?” Gigántico asks Cassandro. Cassandro then places a photo of his mother Yocasta (played by Perla De La Rosa) on his dressing room table. Gigántico then tells Cassandro: “You should take off your mask and become an exotico.” (An exotico is a luchador who dresses in drag or wears heavy makeup un wrestling matches and does exaggerated moves that are meant to depict someone who is a flamboyant gay man.)

Gigántico continues to needle Cassandro: “What’s with the shitty moustache?” Cassandro answers, “I grew it for you, honey. I heard you like the way it tickles.” Cassandro loses the match against Gigántico. And then, Cassandro is even more disappointed when he hears he has to fight Gigántico again in Cassandro’s next match.

At the time, Cassandro is on the low end of the professional wrestling hierarchy. Like most athletes, he wants to become a champion. As luck would have it, Cassandro finds the trainer he needs. She’s a wrestler named Sabrina (played by Roberta Colindrez), who uses the wrestler name Lady Anarquía.

Sabrina has been observing Cassandro for a while and has become an admirer who thinks Cassandro has a lot of potential. When she offers to train Cassandro, he tells her he won’t be able to afford what she charges. Sabrina replies, “Don’t worry about it.”

Saúl/Cassandro is very close to his mother Yocasta and is unapologetic about being a “mama’s boy.” Yocasta, who works as a housekeeper/maid, is accepting of Saúl/Cassandro being openly gay. The movie shows that Yocasta gets some prejudice from two maid co-workers who make derogatory remarks about Yocasta being a single mother of an illegitimate son.

Saúl/Cassandro is estranged from his religious father Eduardo (played by Robert Salas), who does not accept Saúl/Cassandro being gay. Saúl/Cassandro and Eduardo have not seen each other since Saúl/Cassandro came out as gay when he was 15 years old. Eduardo and Saúl/Cassandro later have a conversation, which is one of the best scenes in the movie.

The movie alternates between showing Cassandro’s rise as an exotico in the lucha libre circuit and showing things that happen in his personal life. He starts using cocaine with a drug buddy named Felipe (played by Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, also known as music star Bad Bunny), who seems to be sexually attracted to Cassandro, but Felipe (who has a girlfriend) presents himself to the world as being heterosexual.

Cassandro has a more emotional connection to a fellow wrestler named Gerardo (played by Raúl Castillo), who is married to a woman and has two underage kids with her. Cassandro briefly met Gerardo’s wife and kids when he and Yocasta were at a diner and happened to see Gerado and his family at a nearby table. Soon after Cassandro and Gerardo meet each other, they have a secretive romance. But considering that Gerardo is deeply closeted and has no intention of leaving his wife, it’s easy to predict what will happen to the affair that he’s having with Cassandro.

“Cassandro” shows glimpses of the business wheeling and dealing that takes place in lucha libra industry. Cassandro’s agent/booker is Lorenzo (played by Joaquín Cosío), who introduced Felipe to Cassandro. Lorenzo’s ethics are very murky, since he knows and almost encourages Felipe to supply Cassandro with cocaine. Cassandro experiences a lot of homophobia from people in the wrestling industry and in the general public, but Lorenzo doesn’t seem to care too much, as long as Cassandro is making money for Lorenzo.

Because “Cassandro” takes place over an approximate five-year period, which consists of Cassandro’s earliest years as a pro wrestler, it’s not depicted in the movie how Cassandro’s cocaine addiction escalates and nearly ruins his life and career. This part of Cassandro’s life story is in “Cassandro the Exotico!” documentary. Perhaps the filmmakers of “Cassandro” didn’t want to do a typical “rise-fall-comeback” story arc that is often used in celebrity biopics, but it still feels like the movie doesn’t have a realistic portrayal of the down sides of Cassandro’s cocaine addiction.

“Cassandro” has some areas that come across as a bit dull and too talkative. The wrestling scenes are entertaining, but the movie’s most emotionally resonant moments happen outside the ring. The mother/son relationship that Cassandro and Yocasta have is enjoyable to watch. However, the character of Sabrina seems underdeveloped in the movie, which makes her dialogue quite generic. Even when the movie has some weak moments of banality, Bernal carries the movie with emotional authenticity and charisma.

Amazon Studios released “Cassandro” in select U.S. cinemas on September 15, 2023. Prime Video premiered the movie on September 22, 2023.

2022 American Music Awards: Taylor Swift is the top winner

November 20, 2022

The following is a press release from ABC:

Taylor Swift at the 2022 American Music Awards at the the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Nvoember 20, 2022 (Photo courtesy of ABC)

Taylor Swift broke her own record of the most wins of any artist in the history of the American Music Awards Sunday night by clinching the top spot in the winner’s circle with six wins at the “2022 American Music Awards” (AMAs), to bring her total count to 40 wins. The year’s hottest night in music represents top achievements in music determined by the fans, for the fans. Hosted by Wayne Brady, the thrilling evening filled with world premiere performances and pop-culture moments aired live on ABC from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. LIVE in Los Angeles.

Show highlights included the following:

  •  Eight-time AMA nominee P!NK skated in from the streets of Los Angeles for an epic start to the AMAs, opening the show with a powerful world premiere performance of her brand-new single “Never Gonna Not Dance Again.” She later graced the stage for a moving and powerful performance of “Hopelessly Devoted To You” dedicated to the inspirational life and career of 10-time AMA winner Olivia Newton-John.
  • This year’s AMA host Wayne Brady bantered with the audience, singing about how he prepared to host the AMAs in his opening monologue. Brady also tapped into his “Dancing With The Stars” skills to perform a number alongside his current DWTS partner, Witney Carson. Later in the show, Brady tapped into members of his audience including Niecy Nash-Betts for a random selection of words, which he used to improvise a rap on stage.
  • Two-time nominee Bebe Rexha made her U.S. television performance debut of her global smash hit “I’m Good (Blue)” in an out of this world futuristic performance.
  • Global superstar and Favorite Female Latin Artist winner Anitta made her AMAs stage debut with her smash hit “Envolver” and was joined by two-time AMA winner Missy Elliott who surprised fans hitting the stage to join Anitta for “Lobby.” The two danced through a hotel lobby celebrating the first-ever performance of their smash hit.
  • Country superstar, 17-time AMA winner and all-time Favorite Country Album record-holder Carrie Underwood flew through the theater on a neon orb to the stage to perform her hittrack “Crazy Angels.”
  • First-time nominee GloRilla made her AMAs stage debut with a surprise performance alongside last year’s AMA host Cardi B for their hit “Tomorrow 2.”
  • Imagine Dragons hit the stage for a fiery performance, singing a medley of their hits including “Bones.” The band was later joined by Atlanta rapper J.I.D. for a striking performance of their duo hit “Enemy.”
  • Multiplatinum rapper Lil Baby performed a medley of his smash hits “California Breeze” and “In a Minute” in a suave performance on the AMAs stage.
  • Artist, songwriter and actor Yola took the stage to perform her powerful original song “Break the Bough,” named the American Music Awards SONG OF SOUL, a spotlight moment that highlights an artist that uses music to invoke social change. Yola’s colorful performance showcased her vocal abilities and star power.
  • New Artist of the Year winner Dove Cameron made her AMAs stage debut in a theatrical performance of her hit single “Boyfriend.”
  • Presented by longtime friend Smokey Robinson, Lionel Richie received his 18th AMA award with the prestigious Icon Award. Later in the evening, stars joined together to honor Richie with tribute performances, including two-time AMA winner Stevie Wonder and two-time AMA nominee Charlie Puth,who performed a medley of Richie’s hit songs complete with dueling pianos and scat singing.
  • Superstars Jimmie Allen, Ari Lennox, Yola, Muni Long, Melissa Ethridge, Dustin Lynch, and Smokey Robinson joined Wonder and Puth on the stage for an epic surprise recreation of the 1986 AMAs performance of “We Are The World,” a nostalgic highlight of the evening with Lionel joining the group on stage.
  • Adding the musical connectivity to a night filled with superstar performances, tributes and pop culture moments, iconic DJ, producer/rapper and philanthropist D-Nice was the resident 2022 AMAs House DJ.
  • In tribute to the life and career of Loretta Lynn, country star Jimmie Allen took the stage for a quick rendition of one of her greatest hits.
  • Host Wayne Brady led a moment of tribute to the late rapper Takeoff, speaking to his life, career and success in the music industry.

Winner Highlights of the “2022 American Music Awards”:

  • Taylor Swift broke her own record with six AMA wins, making the 40-time winner the most decorated artist in AMAs history. Her album “Red (Taylor’s Version)” earned the awards for Favorite Country Album, Favorite Pop Album and Favorite Music Video, while Swift also won Favorite Female Pop Artist, Favorite Female Country Artist and Artist of the Year. In 2013, Swift won the AMA for Favorite Country Album for the first version of her album “Red.”
  • Last year’s Artist of the Year winners BTS took home two AMAs this year, including the first-ever AMA for Favorite K-Pop Artist.
  • Six-time nominee this year Beyoncé won two awards tonight for Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite R&B Album for her latest album, “Renaissance.”
  • Ghost took home the first-ever AMA for Favorite Rock Album for their latest album “Impera.”
  • This year’s most-nominated artist, Bad Bunny, took home two AMAs for Favorite Male Latin Artist, Favorite Latin Album for “Un Verano Sin Ti.”
  • Elton John won his first AMA since 1998 for Collaboration of the Year for his hit “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix” with Dua Lipa.
    First-time AMA nominee Dove Cameron took home this year’s New Artist of the Year award.
  • Anitta, a first-time nominee this year, won the AMA for Favorite Female Latin Artist.

Presenters throughout the night included Dan + Shay, Dustin Lynch, Ellie Goulding, Jessie James Decker, Jimmie Allen, Karrueche Tran, Kelly Rowland, Kim Petras, Liza Koshy, Latto, Meghan Trainor, Melissa Etheridge, Niecy Nash-Betts, Roselyn Sanchez, Sabrina Carpenter, Sheryl Lee Ralph and Smokey Robinson.


2022 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS WINNERS
Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift
New Artist of the Year: Dove Cameron
Collaboration of the Year: Elton John & Dua Lipa “Cold Heart – PNAU Remix”
Favorite Touring Artist: Coldplay
Favorite Music Video: Taylor Swift “All Too Well: The Short Film”
Favorite Male Pop Artist: Harry Styles
Favorite Female Pop Artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite Pop Duo or Group: BTS
Favorite Pop Album: Taylor Swift “Red (Taylor’s Version)”
Favorite Pop Song: Harry Styles “As It Was”
Favorite Male Country Artist: Morgan Wallen
Favorite Female Country Artist: Taylor Swift
Favorite Country Duo or Group: Dan + Shay
Favorite Country Album: Taylor Swift “Red (Taylor’s Version)”
Favorite Country Song: Morgan Wallen “Wasted on You”
Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist: Kendrick Lamar
Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist: Nicki Minaj
Favorite Hip-Hop Album: Kendrick Lamar “Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers”
Favorite Hip-Hop Song: Future ft. Drake & Tems “WAIT FOR U”
Favorite Male R&B Artist: Chris Brown
Favorite Female R&B Artist: Beyoncé
Favorite R&B Album: Beyoncé “Renaissance”
Favorite R&B Song: Wizkid ft. Tems “Essence”
Favorite Male Latin Artist: Bad Bunny
Favorite Female Latin Artist: Anitta
Favorite Latin Duo or Group: Yahritza Y Su Esencia
Favorite Latin Album: Bad Bunny “Un Verano Sin Ti”
Favorite Latin Song: Sebastián Yatra “Dos Oruguitas”
Favorite Rock Artist: Machine Gun Kelly
Favorite Rock Song (NEW): Måneskin “Beggin’”
Favorite Rock Album (NEW): Ghost “Impera”
Favorite Inspirational Artist: for KING & COUNTRY
Favorite Gospel Artist: Tamela Mann
Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist: Marshmello
Favorite Soundtrack: “ELVIS”
Favorite Afrobeats Artist (NEW): Wizkid
Favorite K-Pop Artist (NEW): BTS

2022 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARD WINNERS BY ARTIST
Taylor Swift (6): Artist of the Year, Favorite Music Video, Favorite Female Pop Artist, Favorite Pop Album,  Favorite Female Country Artist, Favorite Country Album
Bad Bunny (2): Favorite Male Latin Artist, Favorite Latin Album
Beyonce (2): Favorite Female R&B Artist, Favorite R&B Album
BTS (2): Favorite Pop Duo or Group, Favorite K-Pop Artist
Harry Styles (2): Favorite Male Pop Artist, Favorite Pop Song
Kendrick Lamar (2): Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist, Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Morgan Wallen (2): Favorite Male Country Artist, Favorite Country Song
Tems (2): Favorite Hip-Hop Song, Favorite R&B Song
Wizkid (2): Favorite R&B Song, Favorite Afrobeats Artist (NEW)
Anitta (1): Favorite Female Latin Artist
Chris Brown (1): Favorite Male R&B Artist
Coldplay (1): Favorite Touring Artist
Dan + Shay (1): Favorite Country Duo or Group
Dove Cameron (1): New Artist of the Year
Drake (1): Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Dua Lipa (1): Collaboration of the Year
Elton John (1): Collaboration of the Year
“ELVIS” (1): Favorite Soundtrack
for KING & COUNTRY (1):Favorite Inspirational Artist
Future (1): Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Ghost (1): Favorite Rock Album (NEW)
Machine Gun Kelly (1):Favorite Rock Artist
Måneskin (1): Favorite Rock Song (NEW)
Marshmello (1): Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Nicki Minaj (1): Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Sebastián Yatra  (1): Favorite Latin Song
Tamela Mann (1): Favorite Gospel Artist
Yahritza Y Su Esencia (1): Favorite Latin Duo or Group

About the “2022 American Music Awards”:

  • The AMAs represents the year’s top achievements in music determined by the fans, for the fans. Last year’s show stands as the most social telecast of 2021 with 46.5 million interactions, underscoring the role fans play in the annual event. A vibrant night of non-stop music, the AMAs features a powerful lineup featuring first-time collaborations and exclusive world premiere performances from music’s biggest names – from Pop to Rap, R&B to Country, Latin to K-Pop – and more, as well as memorable moments that live on in pop culture.
  • As the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, the AMAs air globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms in more than 120 countries and territories.
  • The “2022 American Music Awards” winners are voted entirely by fans.Nominees are based on key fan interactions – as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album and song sales, radio airplay, and tour grosses. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partner Luminate, and cover the eligibility period of Sept. 24, 2021, through Sept. 22, 2022.
  • Airing live on ABC, the “2022 American Music Awards” are produced by dick clark productions and Jesse Collins Entertainment. Jesse Collins is showrunner and executive producer. Dionne Harmon, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, and Larry Klein are also executive producers. For the latest AMA news, exclusive content and more, follow the AMAs on social (FacebookTwitterInstagramTikTokSnapchat and YouTube), online at theamas.com and ABC.com, and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.

ABOUT DICK CLARK PRODUCTIONS
dick clark productions is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” “So You Think You Can Dance,” and the “Streamy Awards.” dick clark productions owns one of the world’s most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For more information please visit www.dickclark.com.

ABOUT ABC ENTERTAINMENT
ABC Entertainment’s compelling programming includes “Grey’s Anatomy,” the longest-running medical drama in primetime television; ratings juggernaut “The Bachelor” franchise; riveting dramas “Big Sky,” “The Good Doctor,” “A Million Little Things,” “The Rookie” and “Station 19”; trailblazing comedies “Abbott Elementary,” “The Conners,” “The Goldbergs,” “Home Economics” and “The Wonder Years”; popular game shows, including “The $100,000 Pyramid,” “Celebrity Family Feud,” “The Chase,” “Press Your Luck” and “To Tell the Truth”; star-making sensation “American Idol”; “Judge Steve Harvey,” the network’s strongest unscripted series debut in a year; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank”; family favorites “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and “Holey Moley”; “General Hospital,” which heads into its milestone 60th season on the network; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”; as well as the critically acclaimed, Emmy®Award-winning “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” specials. The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars®,” “The CMA Awards” and the “American Music Awards.”

ABC programming can also be viewed on Hulu.

ABOUT JESSE COLLINS ENTERTAINMENT
Founded in 2012, Jesse Collins Entertainment (JCE) is a full-service television and film production company that has played an integral role in producing many of television’s most memorable moments in music entertainment. The Emmy® winning company has a multi-year overall agreement with ViacomCBS Cable Networks. On the film side, the company also has a first look on JCE’s film development projects which could include Viacom’s film entities such as Paramount Players.  JCE’s award-winning and critically acclaimed television includes programming from its three divisions.  From the scripted division: scripted series—Real Husbands of Hollywood, American Soul and miniseries—The New Edition Story and The Bobby Brown Story.  From the unscripted division: unscripted series – Cardi Tries, My Killer Body with K. Michelle, DJ Cassidy’s Pass the Mic and Forward: The Future of Black Music, competition/game shows—Becoming A Popstar, Rhythm + Flow, Sunday Best, Hip Hop Squares and Nashville Squares, talk show – Face to Face with Becky G and children’s series—Bookmarks: Celebrating Black Voices (Emmy® Award winner).  From the specials division: award shows—The American Music Awards, BET Awards, Soul Train Awards, BET Hip Hop Awards, Black Girls Rock!, BET Honors, UNCF’s An Evening of Stars and ABFF Honors, specials—The Super Bowl Halftime Show, CNN’s Juneteenth: A Global Celebration of Freedom, Martin: The Reunion, John Lewis: Celebrating A Hero, Love & Happiness: An Obama Celebration, Change Together: From The March On Washington To Today, A GRAMMY Salute to the Sounds of Change, Stand Up for Heroes, Dear Mama, Amanda Seales: I Be Knowin’, Def Comedy Jam 25, Leslie Jones: Time Machine, The All-Star Nickmas Spectacular and Rip the Runway.  Emmy® winner Jesse Collins, Founder and CEO, is the executive producer of all programming.  He is also an executive producer for the Grammy Awards.  He produced the 2021 Oscars.

Review: ‘Bullet Train’ (2022), starring Brad Pitt

August 2, 2022

by Carla Hay

Brad Pitt and Benito A Martínez Ocasio (also known as Bad Bunny) in “Bullet Train” (Photo by Scott Garfield/Columbia Pictures)

“Bullet Train” (2022)

Directed by David Leitch

Some language in Japanese, Spanish and Russian with subtitles

Culture Representation: Taking place primarily in Japan, the action film “Bullet Train” features a racially diverse cast of characters (white, black, Asian and Latino) representing the working-class, middle-class, wealthy and the criminal underground.

Culture Clash: A down-on-his luck American assassin has conflicts with international criminals during a ride on a fast-moving train traveling through Japan. 

Culture Audience: “Bullet Train” will appeal primarily to people who are fans of star Brad Pitt; the novel on which the movie is based; and movies that give more importance to loud violence instead of an interesting and innovative story.

Brian Tyree Henry and Aaron Taylor-Johnson in “Bullet Train” (Photo by Scott Garfield/Columbia Pictures)

The jumbled and repetitive “Bullet Train” is just a fast-moving train wreck. The movie has plenty of famous co-stars but ultimately has little substance or imagination as an action comedy. “Bullet Train” over-relies on too many similar gags until it all becomes very dull and obnoxious. After a while, the action starts to look stale and formulaic. With few exceptions, the movie’s characters are no better than soulless, computer-generated characters in a video game.

Directed by David Leitch and written by Zak Olkewicz, “Bullet Train” is based on Kōtarō Isaka’s 2010 Japanese novel “MariaBeetle,” which was translated in English and renamed “Bullet Train” in 2021. In the book, all the characters are Japanese. The “Bullet Train” movie has a cast of international characters, with characters from the United States and the United Kingdom getting most of the screen time. Characters from Japan, Russia and Mexico are secondary characters. “Bullet Train” takes place primarily in Japan but the movie was filmed at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California.

Prior to directing “Bullet Train,” Leitch directed the action feature films “Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw” (released in 2019) “Deadpool 2” (released in 2018) and “Atomic Blonde,” released in 2017. What all of these movies have in common is that they bit off more than they can chew. They’re very energetic when it comes to action scenes, but they’re very cluttered with sloppily edited characters and plot tangents that don’t necessarily serve the story very well. “Bullet Train” follows that same pattern. A better director would bring more finesse and charm to these movies instead of trying to make audiences think that violent action scenes are enough to make a good action flick.

People don’t really need to read the “Bullet Train”/”MariaBeetle” novel before seeing the “Bullet Train” movie. In fact, people who don’t know anything about the novel might be less disappointed in the “Bullet Train” movie, which dumbs down a lot of things about the novel. The “Bullet Train” movie removes a lot of the intrigue and personality that can be found in the novel, and substitutes it with an emphasis on staging scenes that are supposed to be outrageously violent.

In the “Bullet Train” movie, seven people on board the Nippon Speedline train going from Tokyo to Kyoto find their lives colliding and interwined because of various criminal activities:

  • Ladybug (played by Brad Pitt) is a cynical and unlucky American assassin, whose current mission is to steal a briefcase full of ransom money.
  • Tangerine (played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson) is a smooth-talking British assassin who likes to wear suits and gold jewelry but sometimes loses his seemingly suave cool with his hair-trigger temper.
  • Lemon (played by Brian Tyree Henry) is Tangerine’s more even-tempered adoptive bother/partner in crime, who takes a more philosophical view of their assassin work and who is fixated on the children’s book/cartoon character Thomas the Tank Engine.
  • The Prince (played by Joey King) is a sociopathic killer who disguises her evil by looking like an innocent teenage schoolgirl. (The character of the Prince was male in the “Bullet Train” novel.)
  • Kimura (played by Andrew Koji) is a quiet, low-level criminal from Japan who’s out for revenge against the Prince for a heinous act committed against Kimura’s son.
  • The Hornet (played by Zazie Beetz) is a sneaky assassin who usually goes undercover in disguise.
  • The Wolf (played by Benito A Martínez Ocasio, also known as Bad Bunny) is a ruthless assassin/gang leader from Mexico.

Ladybug is in constant communication through earpieces with his no-nonsense boss/handler Maria (played by Sandra Bullock), who inexplicably seems to know and see everything on the train. (And no, Ladybug isn’t wearing a secret hidden camera.) Maria is ultimately a character that doesn’t add much to the story except to make Ladybug look even more bungling and foolish than he needed to be.

But in some ways, this odd-couple pairing of Maria and Ladybug would have made a better movie if focused on these two characters, because Bullock (in the limited time that she has in “Bullet Train”) brings a certain charisma to the role that “Bullet Train” lacks overall. Unfortunately, only Maria’s voice is heard for most of “Bullet Train,” which lessens the impact of Bullock’s talent for physical comedy (facial expressions and other body language) that would have benefited “Bullet Train.” It isn’t until toward the end of the movie that Maria appears on screen.

The only interesting trivia note about “Bullet Train” is that cast members Pitt, Bullock and Channing Tatum (who has a useless cameo in “Bullet Train”) were co-stars in another 2022 movie: the romantic comedy “The Lost City.” Neither movie is award-worthy, but at least the comedy in “The Lost City” was depicted in a more skillful way. “Bullet Train” has some sporadic moments where the jokes land as intended, but the rest of the comedy falls very flat. Tatum and “Deadpool” movie franchise star Ryan Reynolds have “Bullet Train” cameos that are quick and underwhelming.

The messy plot of “Bullet Train” involves the kidnapped, unnamed son (played by Logan Lerman) of a Russian mob boss called the White Death (played by Michael Shannon), with Tangerine and Lemon having the responsibility of guarding the son on the train and carrying a briefcase full of ransom money. Ladybug’s job is to steal the money. A running gag in the movie is that Ladybug has encountered some of these criminals before in assassin assignments that he botched, but he has forgotten about these experiences until he’s reminded of them.

Lots of shootouts, explosions, and bloody fights ensue. There’s also a recurring plot device involving snake poison and a Taiwanese Blue Beauty snake. Masi Oka (as the Conductor) and Karen Fukuhara (as Kayda Izumi Concession Girl) have utterly thankless and forgettable roles in this schlockfest.

Except for the wisecracking Ladybug and Kimura’s humble florist father The Elder (played by Hiroyuki Sanada), the characters in “Bullet Train” come across as very hollow, and viewers will have a hard time connecting with most of these characters. There’s no clever mystery in this story that will keep viewers guessing. “Bullet Train” certainly delivers if people want lackluster jokes and cartoonish violence, but it just adds up to a lot of mindless hot air.

Columbia Pictures will release “Bullet Train” in U.S. cinemas on August 5, 2022.

2021 American Music Awards: BTS, Doja Cat, Megan Thee Stallion are the top winners

November 21, 2021

BTS at the 2021 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 21, 2021. (Photo courtesy of ABC)

With three prizes each, BTS, Doja Cat and Megan Thee Stallion were the top winners at the 2021 American Music Awards, which were presented November 21 at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. Cardi B was the host of the ceremony. ABC had the U.S. telecast of the show. The American Music Awards are voted for online by fans.

BTS won the American Music Awards for Artist of the Year; Favorite Pop Song (for “Butter”); and Favorite Pop Duo or Group. Doja Cat received the prizes for Collaboration of the Year (for her “Kiss Me More” duet with SZA); Favorite R&B Album (for “Planet Her”); and Favorite Female R&B Artist. Megan Thee Stallion won the awards for Favorite Trending Song (“for Body”); Favorite Hip-Hop Album (for “Good News”); and Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist.

Several artists won two awards each, such as Olivio Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, Bad Bunny, Cardi B, Carrie Underwood and Gabby Barrett. (See the complete list of winners at the end of the article.) Rodrigo went into the ceremony with the most nomnations (seven), followed by The Weeknd with six nods. The Weeknd ended up winning the award for Favorite Male R&B Artist. New categories this year were Favorite Trending Song (with nominees from TikTok on the year’s most viral songs); Favorite Gospel Artist; and Favorite Latin Duo or Group.

According to a press release from ABC: “Nominees are based on key fan interactions—as reflected on the Billboard charts—including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio airplay. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partner MRC Data, and cover the time period September 25, 2020, through September 23, 2021.” The 2021 American Music Awards ceremony was produced by MRC Live & Alternative and Jesse Collins Entertainment.

The following is from an ABC press release:

Show performance highlights included:

  • Multiple Grammy Award winners Bruno Mars and Anderson.Paak, who just dropped their debut album as Silk Sonic, kicked off the night with an energetic opening performance of their recently released hit “Smokin Out The Window.”
  • It was a night of AMA debut performances, with Olivia Rodrigo taking the stage for a powerful performance of “Traitor,” the fourth single from her record-smashing album, “Sour.”
  • Pop megastars BTS joined legendary British band Coldplay for the world television premiere performance of “My Universe.”
  • Tyler, The Creator performed “Massa” off his sixth studio album, “Call Me If You Get Lost.”
  • This year’s new “My Hometown” segments included spectacular performances by Carrie Underwood and Jason Aldean and an epic “Battle of Boston” as iconic boy bands New Edition and New Kids On The Block shared the stage together for the very first time and had everyone on their feet.
  • Italian rock band and first-time AMA nominee Måneskin made their U.S. awards show debut when they performed their global No. 1 hit “Beggin.’”
  • Three-time AMA winner Jennifer Lopez delivered a magical performance of her newly released song “On My Way” from the soundtrack of her upcoming film “Marry Me.”
  • Country music star Mickey Guyton wowed audiences with her performance of her newest single “All American.”
  • Chlöe made her AMA performance debut from the Xfinity Stage with her debut single, “Have Mercy.”
  • Walker Hayes marked his AMAs debut with a fun performance of his viral song “Fancy Like.”
  • This year’s “AMA Song of the Soul” segment honored German singer/songwriter Zoe Wees for her powerhouse performance of “Girls Like Us.”
  • Five-time AMA winner Kane Brown performed his hit “One Mississippi” at Tennessee State University (TSU), a notable HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities). Brown also gave fans a look into his Tennessee and Georgia roots leading into his performance.
  • Diplo took on a special role and served as the first-ever AMAs musical curator, DJing his iconic tunes throughout the night.

Winner Highlights of the “2020 American Music Awards”:

  • Tonight, BTS made history at the AMAs as the first Asian group to win in the Artist of the Year category and won Favorite Pop Duo or Group and Favorite Pop Song for their record-breaking hit “Butter.” The group now has nine AMAs.
  • Now 34-time AMA winner Taylor Swift took home the awards for Favorite Female Pop Artist and Favorite Pop Album for her No. 1 album “Evermore.”
  • Following her breathtaking debut performance on the AMAs stage, Olivia Rodrigo won her first-ever AMA with New Artist of the Year.
  • Bad Bunny was named Favorite Male Latin Artist at this year’s AMAs and won Favorite Latin Album for “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO.”
  • Kali Uchis, now first-time AMA winner, won Favorite Latin Song with her hit single “telepatía.”

Presenters included Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler, Anthony Ramos, Billy Porter, Brandy,  JB Smoove, JoJo Siwa, Liza Koshy, Machine Gun Kelly, Marsai Martin, Madelyn Cline and Winnie Harlow.

The following is the complete list of winners and nominees for the 2021 American Music Awards:

*=winner

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande
BTS*
Drake
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
24kGoldn
Giveon
Masked Wolf
Olivia Rodrigo*
The Kid LAROI

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
24kGoldn ft. iann dior “Mood”
Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez “DÁKITI”
Chris Brown & Young Thug “Go Crazy”
Doja Cat ft. SZA “Kiss Me More”*
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar & Giveon “Peaches”

FAVORITE TRENDING SONG
Erica Banks “Buss It”
Måneskin “Beggin’”
Megan Thee Stallion “Body”*
Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license”
Popp Hunna “Adderall (Corvette Corvette)”

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) “Leave The Door Open”
Cardi B “Up”
Lil Nas X “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”*
Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license”
The Weeknd “Save Your Tears”

FAVORITE MALE POP ARTIST
Drake
Ed Sheeran*
Justin Bieber
Lil Nas X
The Weeknd

FAVORITE FEMALE POP ARTIST
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Dua Lipa
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift*

FAVORITE POP DUO OR GROUP
AJR
BTS*
Glass Animals
Maroon 5
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak)

FAVORITE POP ALBUM
Ariana Grande “Positions”
Dua Lipa “Future Nostalgia”
Olivia Rodrigo “SOUR”
Taylor Swift “evermore”*
The Kid LAROI “F*CK LOVE”

FAVORITE POP SONG
BTS “Butter”*

Doja Cat ft. SZA “Kiss Me More”
Dua Lipa “Levitating”
Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande “Save Your Tears (Remix)”

FAVORITE MALE COUNTRY ARTIST
Chris Stapleton
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan*
Luke Combs
Morgan Wallen

FAVORITE FEMALE COUNTRY ARTIST
Carrie Underwood*

Gabby Barrett
Kacey Musgraves
Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert

FAVORITE COUNTRY DUO OR GROUP
Dan + Shay*

Florida Georgia Line
Lady A
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band

FAVORITE COUNTRY ALBUM
Chris Stapleton “Starting Over”
Gabby Barrett “Goldmine”*
Lee Brice “Hey World”
Luke Bryan “Born Here Live Here Die Here”
Morgan Wallen “Dangerous: The Double Album”

FAVORITE COUNTRY SONG
Chris Stapleton “Starting Over”
Chris Young & Kane Brown “Famous Friends”
Gabby Barrett “The Good Ones”*
Luke Combs “Forever After All”
Walker Hayes “Fancy Like”

FAVORITE MALE HIP-HOP ARTIST
Drake*

Lil Baby
Moneybagg Yo
Polo G
Pop Smoke

FAVORITE FEMALE HIP-HOP ARTIST
Cardi B
Coi Leray
Erica Banks
Megan Thee Stallion*
Saweetie

FAVORITE HIP-HOP ALBUM
Drake “Certified Lover Boy”
Juice WRLD “Legends Never Die”
Megan Thee Stallion “Good News”*
Pop Smoke “Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon”
Rod Wave “SoulFly”

FAVORITE HIP-HOP SONG
Cardi B “Up”*

Internet Money ft. Gunna, Don Toliver & NAV “Lemonade”
Lil Tjay ft. 6LACK “Calling My Phone”
Polo G “RAPSTAR”
Pop Smoke “What You Know Bout Love”

FAVORITE MALE R&B ARTIST
Chris Brown
Giveon
Tank
The Weeknd*
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE R&B ARTIST
Doja Cat*

H.E.R.
Jazmine Sullivan
Jhené Aiko
SZA

FAVORITE R&B ALBUM
Doja Cat “Planet Her”*

Giveon “When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time”
H.E.R. “Back of My Mind”
Jazmine Sullivan “Heaux Tales”
Queen Naija “missunderstood”

FAVORITE R&B SONG
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) “Leave The Door Open”*

Chris Brown & Young Thug “Go Crazy”
Giveon “Heartbreak Anniversary”
H.E.R. “Damage”
Jazmine Sullivan “Pick Up Your Feelings”

FAVORITE MALE LATIN ARTIST
Bad Bunny*

J Balvin
Maluma
Ozuna
Rauw Alejandro

FAVORITE FEMALE LATIN ARTIST
Becky G*

Kali Uchis
KAROL G
Natti Natasha
ROSALÍA

FAVORITE LATIN DUO OR GROUP
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga*

Calibre 50
Eslabon Armado
La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De Rene Camacho
Los Dos Carnales

FAVORITE LATIN ALBUM
Bad Bunny “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO”*

Kali Uchis “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)”
KAROL G “KG0516”
Maluma “PAPI JUANCHO”
Rauw Alejandro “Afrodisíaco”

FAVORITE LATIN SONG
Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez “DÁKITI”
Bad Bunny x ROSALÍA “LA NOCHE DE ANOCHE”
Farruko “Pepas”
Kali Uchis “telepatía”*
Maluma & The Weeknd “Hawái (Remix)”

FAVORITE ROCK ARTIST
AJR
All Time Low
Foo Fighters
Glass Animals
Machine Gun Kelly*

FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST
CAIN
Carrie Underwood*
Elevation Worship
Lauren Daigle
Zach Williams

FAVORITE GOSPEL ARTIST
Kanye West*

Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Maverick City Music
Tasha Cobbs Leonard

FAVORITE DANCE/ELECTRONIC ARTIST
David Guetta
ILLENIUM
Marshmello*
Regard
Tiësto

2021 American Music Awards: Olivia Rodrigo is the top nominee

October 28, 2021

Olivia Rodrigo (Photo by Randy Holmes/ABC)

The following is a press release from MRC Live & Alternative and ABC:

MRC Live & Alternative and ABC today announced nominees for the “2021 American Music Awards” (AMAs), the world’s largest fan-voted awards show.

The nominations announcement kicked off with reveals on ABC’s “Good Morning America” and Spotify’s morning show “The Get Up,” with the remaining nominees announced via the AMAs Twitter account. Voting is now open and this year, for the first time ever, fans can vote for all AMA categories on TikTok by searching for “AMAs” in-app. Music’s hottest night of the year will feature marquee performances and signature breathtaking moments live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sunday, Nov. 21, 2021, at 8:00 p.m. EST/PST on ABC and stream next day on Hulu.

“2021 American Music Awards” Nominee Highlights:

  • Pop powerhouse Olivia Rodrigo makes her AMAs debut scoring seven nominations, including Artist of the Year and New Artist of The Year, reaching the top-nominee spot.
  • Five-time AMA winner The Weeknd earned six nominations. The superstar will go up against Rodrigo in the Artist of the Year category, as well as Favorite Music Video and Favorite Pop Song.
  • Close behind with five nominations each are Bad Bunny, Doja Cat and Giveon. The Reggaeton superstar dominates in the Latin categories, scoring a double nod for Favorite Latin Album, while Doja Cat, 2020’s New Artist of the Year, is recognized in the Favorite Female R&B Artist and Favorite R&B Album categories, among others. First-time nominee Giveon received multiple nominations in his AMA debut, including New Artist of the Year, Favorite Male R&B Artist, and Collaboration of the Year for his hit song with Justin Bieber, “Peaches.” 
  • Multiple global superstars will battle it out for the night’s top honor, Artist of the Year. Nominees in this category include Ariana Grande,  BTS,  Drake,  Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor  Swift and The Weeknd. Swift is the current record-holder for most wins in this category with six wins, and holds the record for most AMA wins of all time, 32.
  • New categories this year are Favorite Trending Song, with nominees from TikTok on the year’s most viral songs, Favorite Gospel Artist, and Favorite Latin Duo or Group, which rounds out last year’s expansion of the Latin categories bringing the total to five in the genre.

About the “2021 American Music Awards”:

  • As it approaches its semicentennial anniversary next year, the AMAs represents the top achievements in music, as determined by the fans. A vibrant night of non-stop music, the AMAs features a powerful lineup featuring first-time collaborations and exclusive world premiere performances from music’s biggest names – from Pop to Rap to R&B to Country to Latin to K-Pop – and more, as well as memorable moments that live on in pop culture.     
  • As the world’s largest fan-voted awards show, the AMAs will air globally across a footprint of linear and digital platforms in over 120 countries and territories.
  • Voting for all awards is now open globally via TikTok. Fans can vote once per category per day by searching “AMAs” on TikTok. You can also access the voting hub by clicking here.
  • Nominees are based on key fan interactions – as reflected on the Billboard charts – including streaming, album sales, song sales and radio airplay. These measurements are tracked by Billboard and its data partner MRC Data, and cover the time period September 25, 2020, through September 23, 2021. The American Music Awards winners are voted entirely by fans.
  • The “2021 American Music Awards” is produced by MRC Live & Alternative and Jesse Collins Entertainment. For the latest American Music Awards news, exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the AMAs on social (FacebookTwitterInstagramTikTokSnapchat and YouTube), online at theamas.com and ABC.com, and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #AMAs.
  • The “2021 American Music Awards” is sponsored by Xfinity.
  • Tickets are now on sale now at www.axs.com

About MRC Live & Alternative
MRC Live & Alternative is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest” and the “Streamy Awards.” MRC Live & Alternative owns one of the world’s most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances and legendary programming. For more information please visit: www.mrcentertainment.com.

About ABC Entertainment
ABC Entertainment airs compelling programming across all day parts, including “Grey’s Anatomy,” the longest-running medical drama in primetime television; riveting dramas “The Good Doctor,” “A Million Little Things,” “Station 19,” “Big Sky” and new hip-hop series “Queens”; trailblazing comedy favorites “black-ish,” “The Conners,” “The Goldbergs,” “Home Economics” and the new, reimagined “The Wonder Years”; the popular Summer Fun & Games programming block, including “Celebrity Family Feud,” “Holey Moley,” “Match Game,” “Press Your Luck” and “To Tell the Truth”; star-making sensation “American Idol”; reality phenomenon “Shark Tank”; “The Bachelor” franchise; long- running hits “Dancing with the Stars” and “America’s Funniest Home Videos”; “General Hospital,” which has aired for more than 55 years on the network; and late-night talk show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”; as well as two critically acclaimed, Emmy® Award-winning “Live in Front of a Studio Audience” specials. The network also boasts some of television’s most prestigious awards shows, including “The Oscars®,” “The CMA Awards” and the “American Music Awards.”

ABC programming can also be viewed on demand and on Hulu.

 THE “2021 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS” NOMINEES:

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande
BTS
Drake
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift
The Weeknd

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR
24kGoldn
Giveon
Masked Wolf
Olivia Rodrigo
The Kid LAROI

COLLABORATION OF THE YEAR
24kGoldn ft. iann dior “Mood”
Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez “DÁKITI”
Chris Brown & Young Thug “Go Crazy”
Doja Cat ft. SZA “Kiss Me More”
Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar & Giveon “Peaches”

FAVORITE TRENDING SONG
Erica Banks “Buss It”
Måneskin “Beggin’”
Megan Thee Stallion “Body”
Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license”
Popp Hunna “Adderall (Corvette Corvette)”

FAVORITE MUSIC VIDEO
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) “Leave The Door Open”
Cardi B “Up”
Lil Nas X “MONTERO (Call Me By Your Name)”
Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license”
The Weeknd “Save Your Tears”

FAVORITE MALE POP ARTIST
Drake
Ed Sheeran
Justin Bieber
Lil Nas X
The Weeknd

FAVORITE FEMALE POP ARTIST
Ariana Grande
Doja Cat
Dua Lipa
Olivia Rodrigo
Taylor Swift

FAVORITE POP DUO OR GROUP
AJR
BTS
Glass Animals
Maroon 5
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak)

FAVORITE POP ALBUM
Ariana Grande “Positions”
Dua Lipa “Future Nostalgia”
Olivia Rodrigo “SOUR”
Taylor Swift “evermore”
The Kid LAROI “F*CK LOVE”

FAVORITE POP SONG
BTS “Butter”
Doja Cat ft. SZA “Kiss Me More”
Dua Lipa “Levitating”
Olivia Rodrigo “drivers license”
The Weeknd & Ariana Grande “Save Your Tears (Remix)”

FAVORITE MALE COUNTRY ARTIST
Chris Stapleton
Jason Aldean
Luke Bryan
Luke Combs
*Morgan Wallen

FAVORITE FEMALE COUNTRY ARTIST
Carrie Underwood
Gabby Barrett
Kacey Musgraves
Maren Morris
Miranda Lambert

FAVORITE COUNTRY DUO OR GROUP
Dan + Shay
Florida Georgia Line
Lady A
Old Dominion
Zac Brown Band

FAVORITE COUNTRY ALBUM
Chris Stapleton “Starting Over”
Gabby Barrett “Goldmine”
Lee Brice “Hey World”
Luke Bryan “Born Here Live Here Die Here”
*Morgan Wallen “Dangerous: The Double Album”

FAVORITE COUNTRY SONG
Chris Stapleton “Starting Over”
Chris Young & Kane Brown “Famous Friends”
Gabby Barrett “The Good Ones”
Luke Combs “Forever After All”
Walker Hayes “Fancy Like”

FAVORITE MALE HIP-HOP ARTIST
Drake
Lil Baby
Moneybagg Yo
Polo G
Pop Smoke

FAVORITE FEMALE HIP-HOP ARTIST
Cardi B
Coi Leray
Erica Banks
Megan Thee Stallion
Saweetie

FAVORITE HIP-HOP ALBUM
Drake “Certified Lover Boy”
Juice WRLD “Legends Never Die”
Megan Thee Stallion “Good News”
Pop Smoke “Shoot For The Stars Aim For The Moon”
Rod Wave “SoulFly”

FAVORITE HIP-HOP SONG
Cardi B “Up”
Internet Money ft. Gunna, Don Toliver & NAV “Lemonade”
Lil Tjay ft. 6LACK “Calling My Phone”
Polo G “RAPSTAR”
Pop Smoke “What You Know Bout Love”

FAVORITE MALE R&B ARTIST
Chris Brown
Giveon
Tank
The Weeknd
Usher

FAVORITE FEMALE R&B ARTIST
Doja Cat
H.E.R.
Jazmine Sullivan
Jhené Aiko
SZA

FAVORITE R&B ALBUM
Doja Cat “Planet Her”
Giveon “When It’s All Said And Done… Take Time”
H.E.R. “Back of My Mind”
Jazmine Sullivan “Heaux Tales”
Queen Naija “missunderstood”

FAVORITE R&B SONG
Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak) “Leave The Door Open”
Chris Brown & Young Thug “Go Crazy”
Giveon “Heartbreak Anniversary”
H.E.R. “Damage”
Jazmine Sullivan “Pick Up Your Feelings”

FAVORITE MALE LATIN ARTIST
Bad Bunny
J Balvin
Maluma
Ozuna
Rauw Alejandro

FAVORITE FEMALE LATIN ARTIST
Becky G
Kali Uchis
KAROL G
Natti Natasha
ROSALÍA

FAVORITE LATIN DUO OR GROUP
Banda MS de Sergio Lizárraga
Calibre 50
Eslabon Armado
La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De Rene Camacho
Los Dos Carnales

FAVORITE LATIN ALBUM
Bad Bunny “EL ÚLTIMO TOUR DEL MUNDO”
Kali Uchis “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)”
KAROL G “KG0516”
Maluma “PAPI JUANCHO”
Rauw Alejandro “Afrodisíaco”

FAVORITE LATIN SONG
Bad Bunny & Jhay Cortez “DÁKITI”
Bad Bunny x ROSALÍA “LA NOCHE DE ANOCHE”
Farruko “Pepas”
Kali Uchis “telepatía”
Maluma & The Weeknd “Hawái (Remix)”

FAVORITE ROCK ARTIST
AJR
All Time Low
Foo Fighters
Glass Animals
Machine Gun Kelly

FAVORITE INSPIRATIONAL ARTIST
CAIN
Carrie Underwood
Elevation Worship
Lauren Daigle
Zach Williams

FAVORITE GOSPEL ARTIST
Kanye West
Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Maverick City Music
Tasha Cobbs Leonard

FAVORITE DANCE/ELECTRONIC ARTIST
David Guetta
ILLENIUM
Marshmello
Regard
Tiësto

NOMINEES IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER (BY FIRST NAME):
24kGoldn (2) New Artist of The Year; Collaboration Of The Year
6lack (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
AJR (2) Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite Rock Artist
All Time Low (1) Favorite Rock Artist
Anderson .Paak (2) Favorite Music Video; Favorite R&B Song
Ariana Grande (4) Artist of The Year; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album; Favorite Pop Song
Bad Bunny (5) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album; Favorite Latin Song (X2)
Banda MS De Sergio Lizárraga (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Becky G (1) Favorite Female Latin Artist
Bruno Mars (2) Favorite Music Video; Favorite R&B Song
BTS (3) Artist of The Year; Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite Pop Song
CAIN (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist
Calibre 50 (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Cardi B (3) Favorite Music Video; Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Carrie Underwood (2) Favorite Female Country Artist; Favorite Inspirational Artist
Chris Brown (3) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Song
Chris Stapleton (3) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album; Favorite Country Song
Chris Young (1) Favorite Country Song
Coi Leray (1) Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Dan + Shay (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Daniel Caesar (1) Collaboration of The Year
David Guetta (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Doja Cat (5) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Song; Favorite Female R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album
Don Toliver (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Drake (4) Artist of The Year; Favorite Male Pop Artist; Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Dua Lipa (3) Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album; Favorite Pop Song
Ed Sheeran (1) Favorite Male Pop Artist
Elevation Worship (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist
Erica Banks (2) Favorite Trending Song, Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Eslabon Armado (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Farruko (1) Favorite Latin Song
Florida Georgia Line (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Foo Fighters (1) Favorite Rock Artist
Gabby Barrett (3) Favorite Female Country Artist; Favorite Country Album; Favorite Country Song
Giveon (5) New Artist of The Year; Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album; Favorite R&B Song
Glass Animals (2) Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite Rock Artist
Gunna (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
H.E.R. (3) Favorite Female R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album; Favorite R&B Song
iann Dior (1) Collaboration of The Year
ILLENIUM (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Internet Money (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
J Balvin (1) Favorite Male Latin Artist
Jason Aldean (1) Favorite Male Country Artist
Jazmine Sullivan (3) Favorite Female R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album; Favorite R&B Song
Jhay Cortez (2) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Latin Song
Jhené Aiko (1) Favorite Female R&B Artist
Juice WRLD (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Justin Bieber (2) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male Pop Artist
Kacey Musgraves (1) Favorite Female Country Artist
Kali Uchis (3) Favorite Female Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album; Favorite Latin Song
Kane Brown (1) Favorite Country Song
Kanye West (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
KAROL G (1) Favorite Female Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album
Kirk Franklin (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
Koryn Hawthorne (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De Rene Camacho (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Lady A (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Lauren Daigle (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist
Lee Brice (1) Favorite Country Album
Lil Baby (1) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist
Lil Nas X (2) Favorite Music Video; Favorite Male Pop Artist
Lil Tjay (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Los Dos Carnales (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Luke Bryan (2) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album
Luke Combs (2) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Song
Machine Gun Kelly (1) Favorite Rock Artist
Maluma (3) Favorite Male Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album; Favorite Latin Song
Måneskin (1) Favorite Trending Song
Maren Morris (1) Favorite Female Country Artist
Maroon 5 (1) Favorite Pop Duo or Group
Marshmello (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Masked Wolf (1) New Artist of The Year
Maverick City Music (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
Megan Thee Stallion (3) Favorite Trending Song, Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Miranda Lambert (1) Favorite Female Country Artist
Moneybagg Yo (1) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist
*Morgan Wallen (2) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album
Natti Natasha (1) Favorite Female Latin Artist
NAV (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Old Dominion (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Olivia Rodrigo (7) Artist of The Year; New Artist Of The Year; Favorite Trending Song, Favorite Music Video; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album; Favorite Pop Song
Ozuna (1) Favorite Male Latin Artist
Polo G (2) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Popp Hunna (1) Favorite Trending Song
Pop Smoke (3) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album; Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Queen Naija (1) Favorite R&B Album
Rauw Alejandro (2) Favorite Male Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album
Regard (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Rod Wave (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Album
ROSALÍA (2) Favorite Female Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Song
Saweetie (1) Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Silk Sonic (3) Favorite Music Video; Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite R&B Song
SZA (3) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Pop Song; Favorite Female R&B Artist
Tank (1) Favorite Male R&B Artist
Tasha Cobbs Leonard (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
Taylor Swift (3) Artist of The Year; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album
The Kid LAROI (2) New Artist of The Year; Favorite Pop Album
The Weeknd (6) Artist of The Year; Favorite Music Video; Favorite Male Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Song; Favorite Male R&B Artist; Favorite Latin Song
Tiësto (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Usher (1) Favorite Male R&B Artist
Walker Hayes (1) Favorite Country Song
Young Thug (2) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite R&B Song
Zac Brown Band (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Zach Williams (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist

NOMINEES BY NUMERICAL ORDER:
Olivia Rodrigo (7) Artist of The Year; New Artist of The Year; Favorite Trending Song, Favorite Music Video; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album; Favorite Pop Song
The Weeknd (6) Artist of The Year; Favorite Music Video; Favorite Male Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Song; Favorite Male R&B Artist; Favorite Latin Song
Bad Bunny (5) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album; Favorite Latin Song (X2)
Doja Cat (5) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Song; Favorite Female R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album
Giveon (5) New Artist of The Year; Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album; Favorite R&B Song
Ariana Grande (4) Artist of The Year; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album; Favorite Pop Song
Drake (4) Artist of The Year; Favorite Male Pop Artist; Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album
BTS (3) Artist of The Year; Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite Pop Song
Cardi B (3) Favorite Music Video; Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Chris Brown (3) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Song
Chris Stapleton (3) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album; Favorite Country Song
Dua Lipa (3) Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album; Favorite Pop Song
Gabby Barrett (3) Favorite Female Country Artist; Favorite Country Album; Favorite Country Song
H.E.R. (3) Favorite Female R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album; Favorite R&B Song
Jazmine Sullivan (3) Favorite Female R&B Artist; Favorite R&B Album; Favorite R&B Song
Kali Uchis (3) Favorite Female Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album; Favorite Latin Song
Maluma (3) Favorite Male Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album; Favorite Latin Song
Megan Thee Stallion (3) Favorite Trending Song, Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Pop Smoke (3) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Album; Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Silk Sonic (3) Favorite Music Video; Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite R&B Song
SZA (3) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Pop Song; Favorite Female R&B Artist
Taylor Swift (3) Artist of The Year; Favorite Female Pop Artist; Favorite Pop Album
24kGoldn (2) New Artist of The Year; Collaboration of The Year
AJR (2) Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite Rock Artist
Anderson .Paak (2) Favorite Music Video; Favorite R&B Song
Bruno Mars (2) Favorite Music Video; Favorite R&B Song
Carrie Underwood (2) Favorite Female Country Artist; Favorite Inspirational Artist
Erica Banks (2) Favorite Trending Song, Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Glass Animals (2) Favorite Pop Duo or Group; Favorite Rock Artist
Jhay Cortez (2) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Latin Song
Justin Bieber (2) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite Male Pop Artist
KAROL G (2) Favorite Female Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album
Lil Nas X (2) Favorite Music Video; Favorite Male Pop Artist
Luke Bryan (2) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album
Luke Combs (2) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Song
*Morgan Wallen (2) Favorite Male Country Artist; Favorite Country Album
Polo G (2) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist; Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Rauw Alejandro (2) Favorite Male Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Album
ROSALÍA (2) Favorite Female Latin Artist; Favorite Latin Song
The Kid LAROI (2) New Artist of The Year; Favorite Pop Album
Young Thug (2) Collaboration of The Year; Favorite R&B Song
6lack (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
All Time Low (1) Favorite Rock Artist
Banda MS De Sergio Lizárraga (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Becky G (1) Favorite Female Latin Artist
CAIN (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist
Calibre 50 (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Chris Young (1) Favorite Country Song
Coi Leray (1) Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Dan + Shay (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Daniel Caesar (1) Collaboration of The Year
David Guetta (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Don Toliver (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Ed Sheeran (1) Favorite Male Pop Artist
Elevation Worship (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist
Eslabon Armado (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Farruko (1) Favorite Latin Song
Florida Georgia Line (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Foo Fighters (1) Favorite Rock Artist
Gunna (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
iann Dior (1) Collaboration of The Year
ILLENIUM (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Internet Money (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
J Balvin (1) Favorite Male Latin Artist
Jason Aldean (1) Favorite Male Country Artist
Jhené Aiko (1) Favorite Female R&B Artist
Juice WRLD (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Kacey Musgraves (1) Favorite Female Country Artist
Kane Brown (1) Favorite Country Song
Kanye West (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
Kirk Franklin (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
Koryn Hawthorne (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
La Arrolladora Banda El Limón De Rene Camacho (1) Favorite Latin Duo Or Group
Lady A (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Lauren Daigle (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist
Lee Brice (1) Favorite Country Album
Lil Baby (1) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist
Lil Tjay (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Los Dos Carnales (1) Favorite Latin Duo or Group
Machine Gun Kelly (1) Favorite Rock Artist
Måneskin (1) Favorite Trending Song
Maren Morris (1) Favorite Female Country Artist
Maroon 5 (1) Favorite Pop Duo or Group
Marshmello (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Masked Wolf (1) New Artist of The Year
Maverick City Music (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
Miranda Lambert (1) Favorite Female Country Artist
Moneybagg Yo (1) Favorite Male Hip-Hop Artist
Natti Natasha (1) Favorite Female Latin Artist
NAV (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Song
Old Dominion (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Ozuna (1) Favorite Male Latin Artist
Popp Hunna (1) Favorite Trending Song
Queen Naija (1) Favorite R&B Album
Regard (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Rod Wave (1) Favorite Hip-Hop Album
Saweetie (1) Favorite Female Hip-Hop Artist
Tank (1) Favorite Male R&B Artist
Tasha Cobbs Leonard (1) Favorite Gospel Artist
Tiësto (1) Favorite Dance/Electronic Artist
Usher (1) Favorite Male R&B Artist
Walker Hayes (1) Favorite Country Song
Zac Brown Band (1) Favorite Country Duo or Group
Zach Williams (1) Favorite Inspirational Artist

*Statement on behalf of MRC Live & Alternative

Unique among awards shows, American Music Awards (AMA) nominees are determined by performance on the Billboard Charts and are not chosen by a voting committee or membership organization. AMA nominees are based on key fan interactions with music (including streaming, album sales, song sales, radio airplay, social engagement), tracked by Billboard and its data partner MRC Data.  The AMA winners are voted entirely by fans.

Morgan Wallen is a nominee this year based on charting. As his conduct does not align with our core values, we will not be including him on the show in any capacity (performing, presenting, accepting).

We plan to evaluate his progress in doing meaningful work as an ally to the Black community and will consider his participation in future shows.

2021 Grammy Awards: Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Beyoncé among the top winners

March 14, 2021

by Carla Hay

Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish and Beyoncé were among the top winners at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, which were presented in Los Angeles on March 14, 2021. The show was originally scheduled to take place at the Staples Center, but due to coronavirus pandemic restrictions, performances were held inside an unnamed alternate building, while the awards were given at an outside location directly across from the Staples Center. Trevor Noah hosted the show, which was televised in the U.S. on CBS and Paramount+.

Swift won Album of the Year for “Folklore,” and she became the first artist in Grammy history to win three Grammys for Album of the Year. It was the only award that she won at the 2021 Grammy ceremony. Swift previously won Grammys for Album of the Year for 2008’s “Fearless” and 2014’s “1989.”

Eilish received two prizes at the 2021 Grammy Awards: Record of the Year (for “Everything I Wanted”) and Best Song Written for Visual Media (for “No Time to Die”). These wins came a year after Eilish swept all four of the General Field categories (Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best New Artist) at the 2020 Grammy Awards.

Beyoncé had the most nominations (nine) at the 2021 Grammy Awards. She ended up winning four: “Black Parade” won for Best R&B Performance; “Brown Skin Girl” won for Best Music Video/Film (an award she shares with her daughter Blue Ivy and rapper WizKid); and as a featured artist and co-writer on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” Beyoncé won for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. Beyoncé’s Grammy haul brought her total to 28 Grammys in her career so far. Beyoncé now holds the record as the female artist with the most Grammys, breaking the previous record held by Alison Krauss, who has 27 Grammys.

Other winners in major categories included H.E.R.’s “I Can’t Breathe” (Song of the Year); Megan Thee Stallion (Best New Artist); Dua Lipa’s “Future Nostalgia” (Best Pop Vocal Album); Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” (Best Pop Vocal Performance); and Lady Gaga With Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me” (Best Pop/Duo Vocal Performance).

The performers at the 2021 Grammy Awards included Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Cardi B, BTS, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Eilish, Mickey Guyton, Haim, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Lipa, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Megan Thee Stallion, Maren Morris, Post Malone, Bruno Mars, Roddy Ricch, Styles and Swift.

The Grammy nominations and awards are voted for by the Recording Academy. The 2021 Grammy Awards ceremony was produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston was executive producer, Jesse Collins and Raj Kapoor were co-executive producers; and Fatima Robinson, Josie Cliff and David Wild were producers, Patrick Menton was talent producer, and Hamish Hamilton was director.

Here is the complete list of winners and nominations for the 2021 Grammy Awards:

*=winner

General Field

Record of the Year

“Black Parade” — Beyoncé — Beyoncé & Derek Dixie, producers; Stuart White, engineer/mixer; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

“Colors” — Black Pumas — Adrian Quesada, producer; Adrian Quesada, engineer/mixer; JJ Golden, mastering engineer

“Rockstar” —DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch — SethinTheKitchen, producer; Derek “MixedByAli” Ali, Chris Dennis & Liz Robson, engineers/mixers; Susan Tabor, mastering engineer

“Say So” — Doja Cat — Tyson Trax, producer; Clint Gibbs, engineer/mixer; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

“Everything I Wanted” — Billie Eilish — Finneas O’Connell, producer; Rob Kinelski & Finneas O’Connell, engineers/mixers; John Greenham, mastering engineer*

“Don’t Start Now” — Dua Lipa — Caroline Ailin & Ian Kirkpatrick, producers; Josh Gudwin, Drew Jurecka & Ian Kirkpatrick, engineers/mixers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

“Circles” — Post Malone — Louis Bell, Frank Dukes & Post Malone, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

“Savage” — Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé — Beyoncé & J. White Did It, producers; Stuart White, engineer/mixer; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

Album of the Year

“Chilombo” — Jhené Aiko — Fisticuffs & Julian-Quán Việt Lê, producers; Fisticuffs, Julian-Quán Việt Lê, Zeke Mishanec, Christian Plata & Gregg Rominiecki, engineers/mixers; Jhené Aiko Efuru Chilombo, Julian-Quán Việt Lê, Maclean Robinson & Brian Keith Warfield, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

“Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition)” — Black Pumas — Jon Kaplan & Adrian Quesada, producers; Adrian Quesada, Jacob Sciba, Stuart Sikes & Erik Wofford, engineers/mixers; Eric Burton & Adrian Quesada, songwriters; JJ Golden, mastering engineer

“Everyday Life” — Coldplay — Daniel Green, Bill Rahko & Rik Simpson, producers; Mark “Spike” Stent, engineer/mixer; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion & Chris Martin, songwriters; Emily Lazar, mastering engineer

“Djesse Vol.3” — Jacob Collier — Jacob Collier, producer; Ben Bloomberg & Jacob Collier, engineers/mixers; Jacob Collier, songwriter; Chris Allgood & Emily Lazar, mastering engineers

“Women in Music Pt. III” — HAIM — Rostam Batmanglij, Danielle Haim & Ariel Rechtshaid, producers; Rostam Batmanglij, Jasmine Chen, John DeBold, Matt DiMona, Tom Elmhirst, Joey Messina-Doerning & Ariel Rechtshaid, engineers/mixers; Rostam Batmanglij, Alana Haim, Danielle Haim, Este Haim & Ariel Rechtshaid, songwriters; Emily Lazar, mastering engineer

“Future Nostalgia” — Dua Lipa — Koz, producer; Josh Gudwin & Cameron Gower Poole, engineers/mixers; Clarence Coffee Jr. & Dua Lipa, songwriters; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer

“Hollywood’s Bleeding” — Post Malone — Louis Bell & Frank Dukes, producers; Louis Bell & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Austin Post & Billy Walsh, songwriters; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

“Folklore” — Taylor Swift — Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, producers; Jack Antonoff, Aaron Dessner, Serban Ghenea, John Hanes, Jonathan Low & Laura Sisk, engineers/mixers; Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer*

Song of the Year

“Black Parade” — Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk & Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)

“The Box” — Samuel Gloade & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch)

“Cardigan” — Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

Circles Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk, Austin Post & Billy Walsh, songwriters (Post Malone)

“Don’t Start Now” — Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa & Emily Warren, songwriters (Dua Lipa)

“Everything I Wanted” — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

“I Can’t Breathe” — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.)*

“If the World Was Ending” — Julia Michaels & JP Saxe, songwriters (JP Saxe Featuring Julia Michaels)

Best New Artist

Ingrid Andress

Phoebe Bridgers

Chika

Noah Cyrus

D Smoke

Doja Cat

Kaytranada

Megan Thee Stallion*

Field 1 – Pop

Best Pop Solo Performance

“Yummy” — Justin Bieber

“Say So” — Doja Cat

“Everything I Wanted” — Billie Eilish

“Don’t Start Now” — Dua Lipa

“Watermelon Sugar” — Harry Styles*

“Cardigan” — Taylor Swift

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

“Un Dia (One Day)” J Balvin, Dua Lipa, Bad Bunny & Tainy

“Intentions” — Justin Bieber Featuring Quavo

“Dynamite” — BTS

“Rain on Me” — Lady Gaga With Ariana Grande*

“Exile” — Taylor Swift Featuring Bon Iver

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album

“Blue Umbrella” — Burt Bacharach & Daniel Tashian

“True Love: A Celebration of Cole Porter” — Harry Connick, Jr.

“American Standard” — James Taylor*

“Unfollow the Rules” — Rufus Wainwright

“Judy” — Renée Zellweger

Best Pop Vocal Album

“Changes” — Justin Bieber

“Chromatica” — Lady Gaga

“Future Nostalgia” — Dua Lipa*

“Fine Line” — Harry Styles

“Folklore” — Taylor Swift

Field 2 – Dance/Electronic Music

Best Dance Recording

“On My Mind” — Diplo & Sidepiece

“My High” — Disclosure Featuring Aminé & Slowthai

“The Difference” — Flume Featuring Toro Y Moi

“Both of Us” — Jayda G

“10%” — Kaytranada Featuring Kali Uchis*

Best Dance/Electronic Album

“Kick” — I Arca

“Planet’s Mad” — Baauer

“Energy” — Disclosure

“Bubba” — Kaytranada*

“Good Faith” — Madeon

Field 3 – Contemporary Instrumental Music

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album

“Axiom” — Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah

“Chronology of a Dream: Live At The Village Vanguard” — Jon Batiste

“Take the Stairs” — Black Violin

“Americana Grégoire” — Maret, Romain Collin & Bill Frisell

“Live at the Royal Albert Hall” — Snarky Puppy*

Field 4 – Rock

Best Rock Performance

“Shameika” — Fiona Apple*

“Not” — Big Thief

“Kyoto” — Phoebe Bridgers

“The Steps” — HAIM

“Stay High” — Brittany Howard

“Daylight” — Grace Potter

Best Metal Performance

“Bum-Rush” — Body Count*

“Underneath” — Code Orange

“The In-Between” — In This Moment

“Bloodmoney” — Poppy

“Executioner’s Tax (Swing Of The Axe) – Live” — Power Trip

Best Rock Album

“A Hero’s Death” — Fontaines D.C.

“Kiwanuka” — Michael Kiwanuka

“Daylight” — Grace Potter

“Sound & Fury” — Sturgill Simpson

“The New Abnormal” — The Strokes*

Best Rock Song

“Kyoto” — Phoebe Bridgers, Morgan Nagler & Marshall Vore, Songwriters (Phoebe Bridgers)

“Lost in Yesterday” — Kevin Parker, Songwriter (Tame Impala)

“Not” — Adrianne Lenker, Songwriter (Big Thief)

“Shameika” — Fiona Apple, Songwriter (Fiona Apple)

“Stay High” — Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)*

Field 5 – Alternative

Best Alternative Music Album

“Fetch the Bolt Cutters” — Fiona Apple*

“Hyperspace” — Beck

“Punisher” — Phoebe Bridgers

“Jaime” — Brittany Howard

“The Slow Rush” — Tame Impala

Field 6 – R&B

Best R&B Performance

“Lightning & Thunder” — Jhené Aiko Featuring John Legend

“Black Parade” — Beyoncé*

“All I Need” — Jacob Collier Featuring Mahalia & Ty Dolla $Ign

“Goat Head” — Brittany Howard

“See Me” — Emily King

Best Traditional R&B Performance

“Sit On Down” — The Baylor Project Featuring Jean Baylor & Marcus Baylor

“Wonder What She Thinks of Me” — Chloe X Halle

“Let Me Go” — Mykal Kilgore

“Anything For You” — Ledisi*

“Distance” — Yebba

Best Progressive R&B Album

“Chilombo” — Jhené Aiko

“Ungodly Hour” — Chloe X Halle

“Free Nationals” — Free Nationals

“F*** Yo Feelings” — Robert Glasper

“It Is What It Is” — Thundercat*

Best R&B Song

“Better Than I Imagine” — Robert Glasper, Meshell Ndegeocello & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Robert Glasper Featuring H.E.R. & Meshell Ndegeocello)*

“Black Parade” — Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim “Kaydence” Krysiuk & Rickie “Caso” Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé)

“Collide” — Sam Barsh, Stacey Barthe, Sonyae Elise, Olu Fann, Akil King, Josh Lopez, Kaveh Rastegar & Benedetto Rotondi, songwriters (Tiana Major9 & Earthgang)

“Do It” — Chloe Bailey, Halle Bailey, Anton Kuhl, Victoria Monét, Scott Storch & Vincent Van Den Ende, songwriters (Chloe X Halle)

“Slow Down” — Nasri Atweh, Badriia Bourelly, Skip Marley, Ryan Williamson & Gabriella Wilson, songwriters (Skip Marley & H.E.R.)

Best R&B Album

“Happy 2 Be Here” — Ant Clemons

“Take Time” — Giveon

“Bigger Love” — John Legend*

“To Feel Love/D” — Luke James

“All Rise” — Gregory Porter

Field 7 – Rap

Best Rap Performance

“Deep Reverence” — Big Sean Featuring Nipsey Hussle

“Bop” — Dababy

“What’s Poppin” — Jack Harlow

“The Bigger Picture” — Lil Baby

“Savage” — Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé*

“Dior” — Pop Smoke

Best Melodic Rap Performance

“Rockstar” — Dababy Featuring Roddy Ricch

“Laugh Now, Cry Later” — Drake Featuring Lil Durk

“Lockdown” — Anderson .Paak*

“The Box” — Roddy Ricch

“Highest in the Room” — Travis Scott

Best Rap Album

“Black Habits” — D Smoke

“Alfredo” — Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist

“A Written Testimony” — Jay Electronica

“King’s Disease” — Nas*

“The Allegory Royce” — Da 5’9″

Best Rap Song

“The Bigger Picture” — Dominique Jones, Noah Pettigrew & Rai’shaun Williams, Songwriters (Lil Baby)

“The Box” — Samuel Gloade & Rodrick Moore, Songwriters (Roddy Ricch)

“Laugh Now, Cry Later” — Durk Banks, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Ron Latour & Ryan Martinez, Songwriters (Drake Featuring Lil Durk)

“Rockstar” — Jonathan Lyndale Kirk, Ross Joseph Portaro Iv & Rodrick Moore, Songwriters (Dababy Featuring Roddy Ricch)

“Savage” — Beyoncé, Shawn Carter, Brittany Hazzard, Derrick Milano, Terius Nash, Megan Pete, Bobby Session Jr., Jordan Kyle Lanier Thorpe & Anthony White, songwriters (Megan Thee Stallion Featuring Beyoncé)*

Field 8 – Country

Best Country Solo Performance

“Stick That In Your Country Song” — Eric Church

“Who You Thought I Was” — Brandy Clark

“When My Amy Prays” — Vince Gill*

“Black Like Me” — Mickey Guyton

“Bluebird” — Miranda Lambert

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

“All Night” — Brothers Osborne

“10,000 Hours” — Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber*

“Ocean” — Lady A

“Sugar Coat” — Little Big Town

“Some People Do” — Old Dominion

Best Country Album

“Lady Like” — Ingrid Andress

“Your Life Is a Record” — Brandy Clark

“Wildcard” — Miranda Lambert*

“Nightfall” — Little Big Town

“Never Will” — Ashley McBryde

Best Country Song

“Bluebird” — Luke Dick, Natalie Hemby & Miranda Lambert, Songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

“The Bones” — Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Veltz, Songwriters (Maren Morris)

“Crowded Table” — Brandi Carlile, Natalie Hemby & Lori McKenna, Songwriters (The Highwomen)*

“More Hearts Than Mine” — Ingrid Andress, Sam Ellis & Derrick Southerland, Songwriters (Ingrid Andress)

“Some People Do” — Jesse Frasure, Shane McAnally, Matthew Ramsey & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Old Dominion)

Field 9 – New Age

Best New Age Album

“Songs From the Bardo” — Laurie Anderson, Tenzin Choegyal & Jesse Paris Smith

“Periphery” — Priya Darshini

“Form//Less” — Superposition

“More Guitar Stories” — Jim “Kimo” West*

“Meditations” — Cory Wong & Jon Batiste

Field 10 – Jazz

Best Jazz Vocal Album

“Ona” — Thana Alexa

“Secrets Are the Best Stories” — Kurt Elling Featuring Danilo Pérez*

“Modern Ancestors” — Carmen Lundy

“Holy Room: Live at Alte Oper” — Somi With Frankfurt Radio Big Band

“What’s the Hurry” — Kenny Washington

Best Improvised Jazz Solo

“Guinevere” — Christian Scott Atunde Adjuah, Soloist Track From: Axiom

“Pachamama” — Regina Carter, Soloist Track From: Ona (Thana Alexa)

Celia Gerald Clayton, Soloist

“All Blues” — Chick Corea, Soloist Track From: Trilogy 2 (Chick Corea, Christian Mcbride & Brian Blade)*

“Moe Honk” — Joshua Redman, soloist Track from: RoundAgain (Redman Mehldau McBride Blade)

Best Jazz Instrumental Album

“On The Tender Spot Of Every Calloused Moment” — Ambrose Akinmusire

“Waiting Game” — Terri Lyne Carrington and Social Science

“Happening: Live at the Village Vanguard” — Gerald Clayton

“Trilogy 2” — Chick Corea, Christian Mcbride & Brian Blade*

“Roundagain” — Redman Mehldau McBride Blade

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

“Dialogues on Race” — Gregg August

“Monk’estra Plays John Beasley” — John Beasley

“The Intangible Between” — Orrin Evans and the Captain Black Big Band

“Songs You Like a Lot” — John Hollenbeck with Theo Bleckmann, Kate Mcgarry, Gary Versace and the Frankfurt Radio Big Band

“Data Lords” — Maria Schneider Orchestra*

Best Latin Jazz Album

“Tradiciones” — Afro-Peruvian Jazz Orchestra*

“Four Questions” — Arturo O’farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

“City of Dreams” — Chico Pinheiro

“Viento y Tiempo – Live at Blue Note Tokyo” — Gonzalo Rubalcaba & Aymée Nuviola

“Trane’s Delight” — Poncho Sanchez

Field 11 – Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music

Best Gospel Performance/Song

“Wonderful Is Your Name” — Melvin Crispell III

“Release (Live)” — Ricky Dillard Featuring Tiff Joy; David Frazier, songwriter “Come Together” — Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins Presents: The Good News; Lashawn Daniels, Rodney Jerkins, Lecrae Moore & Jazz Nixon, songwriters

“Won’t Let Go” — Travis Greene; Travis Greene, songwriter

“Movin’ On” — Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music; Darryl L. Howell, Jonathan Caleb McReynolds, Kortney Jamaal Pollard & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters*

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song

“The Blessing (Live)” — Kari Jobe, Cody Carnes & Elevation Worship; Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Kari Jobe Carnes & Steven Furtick, songwriters

“Sunday Morning” — Lecrae Featuring Kirk Franklin; Denisia Andrews, Jones Terrence Antonio, Saint Bodhi, Brittany Coney, Kirk Franklin, Lasanna Harris, Shama Joseph, Stuart Lowery, Lecrae Moore & Nathanael Saint-Fleur, songwriters “Holy Water” — We The Kingdom; Andrew Bergthold, Ed Cash, Franni Cash, Martin Cash & Scott Cash, songwriters

“Famous For (I Believe)” — Tauren Wells Featuring Jenn Johnson; Chuck Butler, Krissy Nordhoff, Jordan Sapp, Alexis Slifer & Tauren Wells, songwriters

“There Was Jesus” — Zach Williams & Dolly Parton; Casey Beathard, Jonathan Smith & Zach Williams, songwriters*

Best Gospel Album

“2econd Wind: Ready” — Anthony Brown & Group Therapy

“My Tribute” — Myron Butler

“Choirmaster” — Ricky Dillard

“Gospel According to PJ” — PJ Morton*

“Kierra” — Kierra Sheard

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

“Run to the Father” — Cody Carnes

All of My Best Friends” — Hillsong Young & Free

“Holy Water” — We the Kingdom

“Citizen of Heaven” — Tauren Wells

“Jesus Is King” — Kanye West*

Best Roots Gospel Album

“Beautiful Day” — Mark Bishop

“20/20” — The Crabb Family

“What Christmas Really Means” — The Erwins

“Celebrating Fisk! (The 150th Anniversary Album)” — Fisk Jubilee Singers*

“Something Beautiful” — Ernie Haase & Signature Sound

Field 12 – Latin

Best Latin Pop or Urban Album

“YHLQMDLG” — Bad Bunny*

“Por Primera Vez” — Camilo

“Mesa Para Dos” — Kany García

“Pausa” — Ricky Martin

“3:33” — Debi Nova

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

“Aura” — Bajofondo

“Monstruo” — Cami

“Sobrevolando” — Cultura Profética

“La Conquista Del Espacio” — Fito Paez*

“Miss Colombia” — Lido Pimienta

Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)

“Hecho En México” — Alejandro Fernández

“La Serenata” — Lupita Infante

“Un Canto Por México, Vol. 1” — Natalia Lafourcade*

“Bailando Sones Y Huapangos Con Mariachi Sol De Mexico De Jose Hernandez” — Mariachi Sol De Mexico De Jose Hernandez

“Ayayay!” — Christian Nodal

Best Tropical Latin Album

“Mi Tumbao” — José Alberto “El Ruiseñor”

“Infinito” — Edwin Bonilla

“Sigo Cantando Al Amor (Deluxe)” — Jorge Celedon & Sergio Luis

“40” — Grupo Niche*

“Memorias De Navidad” — Víctor Manuelle

Field 13 – American Roots Music

Best American Roots Performance

“Colors” — Black Pumas

“Deep in Love” — Bonny Light Horseman

“Short and Sweet” — Brittany Howard

“I’ll Be Gone” — Norah Jones & Mavis Staples

“I Remember Everything” — John Prine*

Best American Roots Song

“Cabin” — Laura Rogers & Lydia Rogers, songwriters (The Secret Sisters)

“Ceiling to the Floor” — Sierra Hull & Kai Welch, songwriters (Sierra Hull)

“Hometown” — Sarah Jarosz, songwriter (Sarah Jarosz)

“I Remember Everything” — Pat McLaughlin & John Prine, songwriters (John Prine)*

“Man Without a Soul” — Tom Overby & Lucinda Williams, songwriters (Lucinda Williams)

Best Americana Album

“Old Flowers” — Courtney Marie Andrews

“Terms of Surrender” — Hiss Golden Messenger

“World on the Ground” — Sarah Jarosz*

“El Dorado” — Marcus King

“Good Souls Better Angels” — Lucinda Williams

Best Bluegrass Album

“Man on Fire” — Danny Barnes

“To Live in Two Worlds, Vol. 1” — Thomm Jutz

“North Carolina Songbook” — Steep Canyon Rangers

“Home” — Billy Strings*

“The John Hartford Fiddle Tune Project, Vol. 1” (Various Artists)

Best Traditional Blues Album

“All My Dues Are Paid” — Frank Bey

“You Make Me Feel” — Don Bryant

“That’s What I Heard” — Robert Cray Band

“Cypress Grove” — Jimmy “Duck” Holmes

“Rawer Than Raw” — Bobby Rush*

Best Contemporary Blues Album 

“Have You Lost Your Mind Yet?” — Fantastic Negrito*

“Live at the Paramount” — Ruthie Foster Big Band

“The Juice” — G. Love

“Blackbirds” — Bettye Lavette

“Up and Rolling” — North Mississippi Allstars

Best Folk Album

“Bonny Light Horseman” — Bonny Light Horseman

“Thanks for the Dance” — Leonard Cohen

“Song for Our Daughter” — Laura Marling

“Saturn Return” — The Secret Sisters

“All the Good Times” — Gillian Welch & David Rawlings*

Best Regional Roots Music Album

“My Relatives” — “Nikso Kowaiks” Black Lodge Singers

“Cameron Dupuy and the Cajun Troubadours” — Cameron Dupuy And The Cajun Troubadours

“Lovely Sunrise” — Nā Wai ʽehā

“Atmosphere” — New Orleans Nightcrawlers*

“A Tribute to Al Berard” — Sweet Cecilia

Field 14 – Reggae

Best Reggae Album

“Upside Down 2020” — Buju Banton

“Higher Place” — Skip Marley

“It All Comes Back to Love” — Maxi Priest

“Got to Be Tough” — Toots & the Maytals*

“One World” — The Wailers

Field 15 – Global Music

Best Global Music Album

“Fu Chronicles” — Antibalas

“Twice As Tall” — Burna Boy*

“Agora” — Bebel Gilberto

“Love Letters” — Anoushka Shankar

“Amadjar” — Tinariwen

Field 16 – Children’s

Best Children’s Music Album

“All the Ladies” — Joanie Leeds*

“Be a Pain: An Album for Young (and Old) Leaders” — Alastair Moock And Friends

“I’m an Optimist” — Dog On Fleas

“Songs for Singin’” — The Okee Dokee Brothers

“Wild Life” — Justin Roberts

Field 17 – Spoken Word

Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling)

“Acid for the Children: A Memoir” — Flea

“Alex Trebek – The Answer Is…” — Ken Jennings

“Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rogue State Russia, and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth” — Rachel Maddow*

“Catch and Kill” — Ronan Farrow

“Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)” — Meryl Streep (& Full cast)

Field 18 – Comedy

Best Comedy Album

“Black Mitzvah” — Tiffany Haddish*

“I Love Everything” — Patton Oswalt

“The Pale Tourist” — Jim Gaffigan

“Paper Tiger” — Bill Burr

“23 Hours to Kill” — Jerry Seinfeld

Field 19 – Musical Theater

Best Musical Theater Album

“Amélie” — Audrey Brisson, Chris Jared, Caolan McCarthy & Jez Unwin, principal soloists; Michael Fentiman, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Barnaby Race & Nathan Tysen, producers; Nathan Tysen, lyricist; Daniel Messe, composer & lyricist (Original London Cast)

“American Utopia on Broadway” — David Byrne, principal soloist; David Byrne, producer (David Byrne, composer & lyricist) (Original Cast)

“Jagged Little Pill” — Kathryn Gallagher, Celia Rose Gooding, Lauren Patten & Elizabeth Stanley, principal soloists; Neal Avron, Pete Ganbarg, Tom Kitt, Michael Parker, Craig Rosen & Vivek J. Tiwary, producers (Glen Ballard & Alanis Morissette, lyricists) (Original Broadway Cast)*

“Little Shop of Horrors” — Tammy Blanchard, Jonathan Groff & Tom Alan Robbins, principal soloists; Will Van Dyke, Michael Mayer, Alan Menken & Frank Wolf, producers (Alan Menken, composer; Howard Ashman, lyricist) (The New Off-Broadway Cast)

“The Prince of Egypt” — Christine Allado, Luke Brady, Alexia Khadime & Liam Tamne, principal soloists; Dominick Amendum & Stephen Schwartz, producers; Stephen Schwartz, composer & lyricist (Original Cast)

“Soft Power” — Francis Jue, Austin Ku, Alyse Alan Louis & Conrad Ricamora, principal soloists; Matt Stine, producer; David Henry Hwang, lyricist; Jeanine Tesori, composer & lyricist (Original Cast)

Field 20 – Music for Visual Media

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (Various Artists)

“Bill & Ted Face the Music” (Various Artists)

“Eurovision Song Contest: The Story Of Fire Saga” (Various Artists)

“Frozen 2” (Various Artists)

“Jojo Rabbit” (Various Artists)*

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media

“Ad Astra” — Max Richter, composer

“Becoming” — Kamasi Washington, composer

“Joker” — Hildur Guðnadóttir, composer*

“1917” — Thomas Newman, composer

“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” — John Williams, composer

Best Song Written For Visual Media Category

“Beautiful Ghosts” (from “Cats”) — Andrew Lloyd Webber & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

“Carried Me With You” (from “Onward”) — Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

“Into the Unknown” (from “Frozen 2”) — Kristen Anderson-Lopez & Robert Lopez, songwriters (Idina Menzel & Aurora)

“No Time to Die” (from “No Time to Die”) — Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas Baird O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)*

“Stand Up” (from “Harriet”) — Joshuah Brian Campbell & Cynthia Erivo, songwriters (Cynthia Erivo)

Field 21 – Composing/Arranging

Best Instrumental Composition

“Baby Jack” — Arturo O’Farrill, composer (Arturo O’Farrill & the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra)

“Be Water II” — Christian Sands, composer (Christian Sands)

“Plumfield” — Alexandre Desplat, composer (Alexandre Desplat)

“Sputnik” — Maria Schneider, composer (Maria Schneider)*

“Strata” — Remy Le Boeuf, composer (Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly Of Shadows Featuring Anna Webber & Eric Miller)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

“Bathroom Dance” — Hildur Guðnadóttir, arranger (Hildur Guðnadóttir)

“Donna Lee” — John Beasley, arranger (John Beasley)*

“Honeymooners” — Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf’s Assembly of Shadows)

“Lift Every Voice and Sing” — Alvin Chea & Jarrett Johnson, Arrangers (Jarrett Johnson Featuring Alvin Chea)

“Uranus: The Magician” — Jeremy Levy, arranger (Jeremy Levy Jazz Orchestra)

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals

“Asas Fechadas” — John Beasley & Maria Mendes, arrangers (Maria Mendes Featuring John Beasley & Orkest Metropole)

“Desert Song” — Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Säje)

“From This Place” — Alan Broadbent & Pat Metheny, arrangers (Pat Metheny Featuring Meshell Ndegeocello)

“He Won’t Hold You” — Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Rapsody)*

“Slow Burn” — Talia Billig, Nic Hard & Becca Stevens, arrangers (Becca Stevens Featuring Jacob Collier, Mark Lettieri, Justin Stanton, Jordan Perlson, Nic Hard, Keita Ogawa, Marcelo Woloski & Nate Werth)

Field 22 – Package

Best Recording Package

“Everyday Life” — Pilar Zeta, art director (Coldplay)

“Funeral” — Kyle Goen, art director (Lil Wayne)

“Healer” — Julian Gross & Hannah Hooper, art directors (Grouplove)

“On Circles” — Jordan Butcher, art director (Caspian)

“Vols. 11 & 12” — Doug Cunningham & Jason Noto, art directors (Desert Sessions)*

Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package

“Flaming Pie (Collector’s Edition)” — Linn Wie Andersen, Simon Earith, Paul McCartney & James Musgrave, art directors (Paul McCartney)

“Giants Stadium 1987, 1989, 1991” — Lisa Glines & Doran Tyson, art directors (Grateful Dead)

“Mode” — Jeff Schulz, art director (Depeche Mode)

“Ode to Joy” — Lawrence Azerrad & Jeff Tweedy, art directors (Wilco)*

“The Story of Ghostly International” — Michael Cina & Molly Smith, art directors (Various Artists)

Field 23 – Notes

Best Album Notes

“At the Minstrel Show: Minstrel Routines From the Studio, 1894-1926” — Tim Brooks, album notes writer (Various Artists)

“The Bakersfield Sound: Country Music Capital of the West, 1940-1974” — Scott B. Bomar, album notes writer (Various Artists)

“Dead Man’s Pop” — Bob Mehr, album notes writer (The Replacements)*

“The Missing Link: How Gus Haenschen Got Us From Joplin to Jazz and Shaped the Music Business” — Colin Hancock, album notes writer (Various Artists)

“Out of a Clear Blue Sky” — David Sager, album notes writer (Nat Brusiloff)

Field 24 – Historical

Best Historical Album

“Celebrated, 1895-1896” — Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (Unique Quartette)

“Hittin’ the Ramp: The Early Years (1936 – 1943)” — Zev Feldman, Will Friedwald & George Klabin, compilation producers; Matthew Lutthans, mastering engineer (Nat King Cole)

“It’s Such a Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers” — Lee Lodyga & Cheryl Pawelski, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer (Mister Rogers)*

“1999 Super Deluxe Edition” — Michael Howe, compilation producer; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Prince)

“Souvenir” — Carolyn Agger, compilation producer; Miles Showell, mastering engineer (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark)

“Throw Down Your Heart: The Complete Africa Sessions” — Béla Fleck, compilation producer; Richard Dodd, mastering engineer (Béla Fleck)

Field 25 – Production, Non-Classical

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

“Black Hole Rainbow” — Shawn Everett & Ivan Wayman, engineers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Devon Gilfillian)

“Expectations” — Gary Paczosa & Mike Robinson, engineers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Katie Pruitt)

“Hyperspace” — Drew Brown, Andrew Coleman, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, David Greenbaum, Jaycen Joshua & Mike Larson, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Beck)*

“Jaime” — Shawn Everett, engineer; Shawn Everett, mastering engineer (Brittany Howard)

“25 Trips” — Shani Gandhi & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Adam Grover, mastering engineer (Sierra Hull)

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Jack Antonoff — “August” (Taylor Swift), “Gaslighter” (The Chicks), “Holy Terrain” (FKA Twigs Featuring Future), “Mirrorball” (Taylor Swift), “This Is Me Trying” (Taylor Swift), “Together” (Sia)

Dan Auerbach — “Cypress Grove” (Jimmy “Duck” Holmes), “El Dorado” (Marcus King), “Is Thomas Callaway” (CeeLo Green), “Singing For My Supper” (Early James), “Solid Gold Sounds” (Kendell Marvel), “Years” (John Anderson)

Dave Cobb — “Backbone” (Kaleo), “The Balladeer” (Lori McKenna), “Boneshaker” (Airbourne), “Down Home Christmas” (Oak Ridge Boys), “The Highwomen” (The Highwomen), “I Remember Everything” (John Prine), “Reunions” (Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit), “The Spark” (William Prince), “You’re Still The One” (Teddy Swims)

Flying Lotus — “It Is What It Is” (Thundercat)

Andrew Watt — “Break My Heart” (Dua Lipa), “Me And My Guitar” (A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie), “Midnight Sky” (Miley Cyrus), “Old Me” (5 Seconds Of Summer), “Ordinary Man” (Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Elton John), “Take What You Want” (Post Malone Featuring Ozzy Osbourne & Travis Scott), “Under The Graveyard” (Ozzy Osbourne)*

Best Remixed Recording

“Do You Ever (Rac Mix)” — Rac, Remixer (Phil Good)

“Imaginary Friends (Morgan Page Remix)” — Morgan Page, Remixer (Deadmau5)

“Praying for You (Louie Vega Main Remix)” — Louie Vega, Remixer (Jasper Street Co.)

“Roses (Imanbek Remix)” — Imanbek Zeikenov, Remixer (Saint Jhn)*

“Young & Alive (Bazzi Vs. Haywyre Remix)” — Haywyre, remixer (Bazzi)

Field 26 – Production, Immersive Audio

Best Immersive Audio Album

N/A: Due the COVID-19 pandemic, the Best Immersive Audio Album Craft “Committee was unable to meet. The judging of the entries in this category has been postponed until such time that we are able to meet in a way that is appropriate to judge the many formats and configurations of the entries and is safe for the committee members.”

Field 27 – Production, Classical

Best Engineered Album, Classical

“Danielpour: The Passion Of Yeshua” — Bernd Gottinger, engineer (JoAnn Falletta, James K. Bass, Adam Luebke, UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus)

“Gershwin: Porgy And Bess” — David Frost & John Kerswell, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (David Robertson, Eric Owens, Angel Blue, Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus)

“Hynes: Fields” — Kyle Pyke, engineer; Jesse Lewis & Kyle Pyke, mastering engineers (Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion)

“Ives: Complete Symphonies” — Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

“Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13, ‘Babi Yar’” — David Frost & Charlie Post, engineers; Silas Brown, mastering engineer (Riccardo Muti & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)*

Producer of the Year, Classical

Blanton Alspaugh

David Frost*

Jesse Lewis

Dmitriy Lipay

Elaine Martone

Field 28 – Classical

Best Orchestral Performance

“Aspects of America – Pulitzer Edition” Carlos Kalmar, conductor (Oregon Symphony)

“Concurrence” — Daníel Bjarnason, conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra)

“Copland: Symphony No. 3” — Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

“Ives: Complete Symphonies” — Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)*

“Lutosławski: Symphonies Nos. 2 & 3” — Hannu Lintu, conductor (Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra)

Best Opera Recording

“Dello Joio: The Trial at Rouen” — Gil Rose, conductor; Heather Buck & Stephen Powell; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Odyssey Opera Chorus)

“Floyd, C.: Prince of Players” — William Boggs, conductor; Keith Phares & Kate Royal; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Florentine Opera Chorus)

“Gershwin: Porgy and Bess” — David Robertson, conductor; Angel Blue & Eric Owens; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)*

“Handel: Agrippina” — Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor; Joyce DiDonato; Daniel Zalay, producer (Il Pomo D’Oro)

“Zemlinsky: Der Zwerg” — Donald Runnicles, conductor; David Butt Philip & Elena Tsallagova; Peter Ghirardini & Erwin Stürzer, producers (Orchestra Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin; Chorus Of The Deutsche Oper Berlin)

Best Choral Performance

“Carthage” — Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)

“Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua” — JoAnn Falletta, conductor; James K. Bass & Adam Luebke, chorus masters (James K. Bass, J’Nai Bridges, Timothy Fallon, Kenneth Overton, Hila Plitmann & Matthew Worth; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus & UCLA Chamber Singers)

“Kastalsky: Requiem” — Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Charles Bruffy, Steven Fox & Benedict Sheehan, chorus masters (Joseph Charles Beutel & Anna Dennis; Orchestra Of St. Luke’s; Cathedral Choral Society, The Clarion Choir, Kansas City Chorale & The Saint Tikhon Choir)

“Moravec: Sanctuary Road” — Kent Tritle, conductor (Joshua Blue, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Dashon Burton, Malcolm J. Merriweather & Laquita Mitchell; Oratorio Society Of New York Orchestra; Oratorio Society Of New York Chorus)

“Once Upon a Time” — Matthew Guard, conductor (Sarah Walker; Skylark Vocal Ensemble)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance

“Contemporary Voices” — Pacifica Quartet*

“Healing Modes” — Brooklyn Rider

“Hearne, T.: Place” — Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods & Place Orchestra

“Hynes: Fields” — Devonté Hynes & Third Coast Percussion

“The Schumann Quartets” — Dover Quartet

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

“Adès: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” — Kirill Gerstein; Thomas Adès, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

“Beethoven: Complete Piano Sonatas” — Igor Levit

“Bohemian Tales” — Augustin Hadelich; Jakub Hrůša, conductor (Charles Owen; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)

“Destination Rachmaninov – Arrival” Daniil Trifonov; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)

“Theofanidis: Concerto for Viola and Chamber Orchestra” — Richard O’Neill; David Alan Miller, conductor (Albany Symphony)*

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

“American Composers at Play” — William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto Stephen Powell (Attacca Quartet, William Bolcom, Ricky Ian Gordon, Lori Laitman, John Musto, Charles Neidich & Jason Vieaux)

“Clairières – Songs by Lili & Nadia Boulanger” — Nicholas Phan; Myra Huang, accompanist

“Farinelli” — Cecilia Bartoli; Giovanni Antonini, conductor (Il Giardino Armonico)  “A Lad’s Love” — Brian Giebler; Steven McGhee, accompanist (Katie Hyun, Michael Katz, Jessica Meyer, Reginald Mobley & Ben Russell)

“Smyth: The Prison” — Sarah Brailey & Dashon Burton; James Blachly, conductor (Experiential Chorus; Experiential Orchestra)*

Best Classical Compendium

“Adès Conducts Adès” — Mark Stone & Christianne Stotijn; Thomas Adès, conductor; Nick Squire, producer

“Saariaho: Graal Théâtre; Circle Map; Neiges; Vers Toi Qui Es Si Loin” — Clément Mao-Takacs, conductor; Hans Kipfer, producer

“Serebrier: Symphonic Bach Variations; Laments And Hallelujahs; Flute Concerto” — José Serebrier, conductor; Jens Braun, producer

“Thomas, M.T.: From The Diary of Anne Frank & Meditations on Rilke” — Isabel Leonard; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; Jack Vad, producer*

“Woolf, L.P.: Fire And Flood” — Matt Haimovitz; Julian Wachner, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

“Adès: Concerto for Piano and Orchestra” — Thomas Adès, composer (Kirill Gerstein, Thomas Adès & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

“Danielpour: The Passion of Yeshua” — Richard Danielpour, composer (JoAnn Falletta, James K. Bass, Adam Luebke, UCLA Chamber Singers, Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra & Buffalo Philharmonic Chorus)

“Floyd, C.: Prince of Players” — Carlisle Floyd, composer (William Boggs, Kate Royal, Keith Phares, Florentine Opera Chorus & Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra)

“Hearne, T.: Place” — Ted Hearne, composer (Ted Hearne, Steven Bradshaw, Sophia Byrd, Josephine Lee, Isaiah Robinson, Sol Ruiz, Ayanna Woods & Place Orchestra)

“Rouse: Symphony No. 5” — Christopher Rouse, composer (Giancarlo Guerrero & Nashville Symphony)*

Field 29 – Music Video/Film

Best Music Video

“Brown Skin Girl” — Beyoncé, Blue Ivy & WizKid — Beyoncé Knowles-Carter & Jenn Nkiru, Video Directors; Lauren Baker, Astrid Edwards, Nathan Scherrer & Erinn Williams, Video Producers*

“Life Is Good” — Future Featuring Drake — Julien Christian Lutz, Video Director; Harv Glazer, Video Producer

“Lockdown” — Anderson .Paak — Dave Meyers, Video Director; Nathan Scherrer, Video Producer

“Adore You” — Harry Styles — Dave Meyers, Video Director; Nathan Scherrer, Video Producer

“Goliath” — Woodkid — Yoann Lemoine, video director

Best Music Film

“Beastie Boys Story” — Beastie Boys — Spike Jonze, video director; Amanda Adelson, Jason Baum & Spike Jonze, video producers

“Black Is King” — Beyoncé

“We Are Freestyle Love Supreme” — Freestyle Love Supreme — Andrew Fried, Video Director; Andrew Fried, Jill Furman, Thomas Kail, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sarina Roma, Jenny Steingart & Jon Steingart, video producers

“Linda Ronstadt: The Sound of My Voice” — Linda Ronstadt — Rob Epstein & Jeffrey Friedman, video directors; Michele Farinola & James Keach, video producers*

“That Little Ol’ Band From Texas” — ZZ Top — Sam Dunn, video director; Scot McFadyen, video producer

2021 Grammy Awards: performers announced

March 7, 2021

The following is a press release from CBS and the Recording Academy:

CBS and the Recording Academy(R) announced the full lineup of performers for the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards. Hosted by Trevor Noah, CBS presents the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards live, Sunday, March 14, (8:00-11:00 PM, live ET/5:00-8:00 PM, live PT) on the CBS Television Network and available to stream live and on demand on Paramount+.

The performers include Bad Bunny, Black Pumas, Cardi B, BTS, Brandi Carlile, DaBaby, Doja Cat, Billie Eilish, Mickey Guyton, Haim, Brittany Howard, Miranda Lambert, Lil Baby, Dua Lipa, Chris Martin, John Mayer, Megan Thee Stallion, Maren Morris, Post Malone, Roddy Ricch, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift. Artists will come together, while still safely apart, to play music for each other as a community and celebrate the music that unites us.

Additionally, Music’s Biggest Night will pay tribute to independent venues, that have been greatly impacted by the pandemic. From bartenders to box office managers, the people who work day-to-day at the Troubadour (Los Angeles), Hotel Café (Los Angeles), the Apollo Theater (New York City) and The Station Inn (Nashville) will present awards for various categories throughout the night.

The 63rd Annual Grammy Awards are produced by Fulwell 73 Productions for the Recording Academy. Ben Winston is executive producer, Jesse Collins and Raj Kapoor are co-executive producers, Fatima Robinson, Josie Cliff and David Wild are producers, Patrick Menton is talent producer, and Hamish Hamilton is director.

About the Recording Academy

The Recording Academy(R) represents the voices of performers, songwriters, producers, engineers, and all music professionals. Dedicated to ensuring the recording arts remain a thriving part of our shared cultural heritage, the Academy honors music’s history while investing in its future through the Grammy Museum, advocates on behalf of music creators, supports music people in times of need through MusiCares, and celebrates artistic excellence through the Grammy Awards — music’s only peer-recognized accolade and highest achievement. As the world’s leading society of music professionals, we work year-round to foster a more inspiring world for creators.

2020 Billboard Music Awards: Post Malone is the top winner

October 14, 2020

Post Malone at the 2020 Billboard Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles (Photo by Todd Williamson/NBC)

The following is a press release from Dick Clark Productions and NBC:

Post Malone swept the “2020 Billboard Music Awards” (BBMAs), winning a total of nine awards, including Top Artist and Top Male Artist – the most of the evening – bringing his total number of BBMA wins to 10. Echoing the theme of “Music Unites All’ throughout the night Malone said “music can bring everyone together, it’s absolutely incredible.” Airing tonight from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, the BBMAs opened with an unforgettable performance by three-time host Kelly Clarkson, who brought down the house with Whitney Houston’s version of “Higher Love,” joined by two-time BBMA nominees Pentatonix and queen of percussion Sheila E. 

Khalid followed Post Malone for the most wins of the night with five, including Top R&B Artist, Top R&B Album, and Top R&B Song. Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus tied for the third most wins, with both artists recognized for their hit “Old Town Road” in the Top Hot 100 Song, Top Streaming Song, Top Selling Song, and Top Rap Song categories. Billie Eilish took home three awards including Top New Artist and Top Female Artist. Winners in the fan-voted categories were: BTS (Top Social Artist), Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello’s “Señorita” (Top Collaboration) and Harry Styles (Billboard Chart Achievement Award).

Rapper and social activist Killer Mike was honored with the inaugural Billboard Change Maker Award from the historic APEX (African American Panoramic Experience) Museum in Atlanta, GA. The award, which honors an artist or group that speaks truth to power through music, celebrity, and community and is active in their community and charitable with time, money, or influence to improve the lives of others, was presented by Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. NBC and MRC teamed up to deposit $1M to Killer Mike’s recently established digital bank, Greenwood.  

Cher made an appearance on the star-studded night to present Garth Brooks with the elite ICON Award, followed by his incredible performance of multiple chart-topping hits that was nothing short of iconic.

The night was full of spectacular performances: 

  • All the way from South Korea, K-Pop supergroup BTS gave an electrifying performance of “Dynamite,” their first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100
  • Demi Lovato gave a chills inducing world premiere performance of her timely and powerful new song “Commander in Chief” 
  • Post Malone delivered a soaring performance of his hits “Circles” and “Tommy Lee” featuring Tyla Yahweh, showing everyone why he took home nine awards
  • Alicia Keys made a long-awaited return to the BBMA stage for a dazzling perform of her latest single “Love Looks Better” 
  • Brandy made her BBMA performance debut and treated fans to her hit “Borderline” along with her new single “No Tomorrow” featuring Ty Dolla $ign, and “Almost Doesn’t Count” 
  • Bad Bunny was joined by surprise guests Nesi and Ivy Queen for “Yo Perreo Sola” for his dynamic and exciting BBMA performance debut
  • In her first BBMA performance, Doja Cat set the stage aflame with a dramatic medley of “Juicy,” “Say So,” and “Like That” 
  • EGOT-winner and multi-platinum singer-songwriter John Legend gave an emotional performance of “Never Break” 
  • Kane Brown, Khalid and Swae Lee tore up the stage with an energetic performance of their hit “Be Like That” 
  • In a rare appearance, Sia delivered a powerful moment with her song “Courage to Change” 
  • On the heels of one of his three wins, Luke Combs gave a moving performance of “Better Together” 
  • Breakout artist SAINt JHN, in his television debut, performed his global smash hit “Roses” 
  • And in this year’s Billboard throwback, iconic group En Vogue closed the evening with an empowering performance of their huge hit “Free Your Mind,” which first stormed the charts 30 years ago

In a tribute to legendary guitarist, musician, and songwriter Eddie Van Halen, the show featured a clip from the 2015 BBMAs when his son Wolfgang took the stage with him for a rare live tv performance. Presenters throughout the evening included Addison Rae, Cher, Garcelle Beauvais, Jane Lynch, Jay Ellis, Jharrel Jerome, Julia Michaels, Lilly Singh, Nicole Richie, Spencer X, Taraji P. Henson, TwinsthenewTrend (Fred & Tim Williams), and tWitch.

“Billboard Music Awards” nominees and winners are based on key fan interactions with music, including album and digital song sales, streaming, radio airplay, touring and social engagement, tracked by Billboard and its data partners, including MRC Data/Nielsen Music. The awards are based on the chart period of March 23, 2019, through March 14, 2020. Since 1940, the Billboard charts have been the go-to guide for ranking the popularity of artists, songs and albums, and are the ultimate measure of success in music.

The “2020 Billboard Music Awards” are sponsored by TikTok and Xfinity. The “2020 Billboard Music Awards” are produced by dick clark productions. Amy Thurlow, Mark Bracco, Barry Adelman, Linda Gierahn, Kelly Clarkson, and Robert Deaton are executive producers.

For the latest news on the Billboard Music Awards (BBMAs) visit billboardmusicawards.com and  www.billboard.com/bbma. For exclusive content and more, be sure to follow the BBMAs on social media (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube) and join the conversation by using the official hashtag for the show, #BBMAs.

About Dick Clark Productions:
Dick Clark Productions (DCP) is the world’s largest producer and proprietor of televised live event entertainment programming with the “Academy of Country Music Awards,” “American Music Awards,” “Billboard Music Awards,” “Golden Globe Awards,” “Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest,” and the “Streamy Awards.” Weekly television programming includes “So You Think You Can Dance” from 19 Entertainment and DCP. DCP also owns one of the world’s most extensive and unique entertainment archive libraries with more than 60 years of award-winning shows, historic programs, specials, performances, and legendary programming. DCP is part of MRC Live & Alternative, a division of diversified global entertainment company MRC. For additional information, visit www.mrcentertainment.com


Here is the complete list of nominations and winners:

*=winner

ARTIST AWARDS

Top Artist:
Billie Eilish
Jonas Brothers
Khalid
Post Malone*
Taylor Swift

Top New Artist:
DaBaby
Billie Eilish*
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Roddy Ricch

Billboard Chart Achievement Award (Fan Voted):
Mariah Carey
Luke Combs
Lil Nas X
Harry Styles*
Taylor Swift

Top Male Artist:
DaBaby
Khalid
Lil Nas X
Post Malone*
Ed Sheeran

Top Female Artist:
Billie Eilish*
Ariana Grande
Halsey
Lizzo
Taylor Swift

Top Duo/Group:
BTS
Dan + Shay
Jonas Brothers*
Maroon 5
Panic! At The Disco

Top Billboard 200 Artist:
Drake
Billie Eilish
Khalid
Post Malone*
Taylor Swift

Top Hot 100 Artist:
DaBaby
Billie Eilish
Khalid
Lil Nas X
Post Malone*

Top Streaming Songs Artist:
DaBaby
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Post Malone*
Travis Scott

Top Song Sales Artist:
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo*
Post Malone
Taylor Swift

Top Radio Songs Artist:
Jonas Brothers*
Khalid
Lizzo
Shawn Mendes
Post Malone

Top Social Artist (Fan Voted):
BTS*
Billie Eilish
EXO
GOT7
Ariana Grande

Top Touring Artist:
Elton John
Metallica
P!nk*
The Rolling Stones
Ed Sheeran

Top R&B Artist:
Chris Brown
Khalid*
Lizzo
Summer Walker
The Weeknd

Top R&B Male Artist:
Chris Brown
Khalid*
The Weeknd

Top R&B Female Artist:
Beyoncé
Lizzo
Summer Walker*

Top R&B Tour:
B2K
Janet Jackson
Khalid*

Top Rap Artist:
DaBaby
Juice WRLD
Lil Nas X
Post Malone*
Roddy Ricch

Top Rap Male Artist:
DaBaby
Lil Nas X
Post Malone*

Top Rap Female Artist:
Cardi B*
City Girls
Megan Thee Stallion

Top Rap Tour:
Drake
Post Malone*
Travis Scott

Top Country Artist:
Kane Brown
Luke Combs*
Dan + Shay
Maren Morris
Thomas Rhett

Top Country Male Artist:
Kane Brown
Luke Combs*
Thomas Rhett

Top Country Female Artist:
Maren Morris*
Kacey Musgraves
Carrie Underwood

Top Country Duo/Group:
Dan + Shay*
Florida Georgia Line
Old Dominion

Top Country Tour:
Eric Church
Florida Georgia Line
George Strait*

Top Rock Artist:
Imagine Dragons
Panic! At The Disco*
Tame Impala
Tool
twenty one pilots

Top Rock Tour:
Elton John*
Metallica
The Rolling Stones

Top Latin Artist:
Anuel AA
Bad Bunny*
J Balvin
Ozuna
Romeo Santos

Top Dance/Electronic Artist:
Avicii
The Chainsmokers*
DJ Snake
Illenium
Marshmello

Top Christian Artist:
Lauren Daigle*
Elevation Worship
for KING & COUNTRY
Hillsong UNITED
Kanye West

Top Gospel Artist:
Kirk Franklin
Koryn Hawthorne
Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Sunday Service Choir
Kanye West*

ALBUM AWARDS

Top Billboard 200 Album:
Billie Eilish “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”*
Ariana Grande “thank u, next”
Khalid “Free Spirit”
Post Malone “Hollywood’s Bleeding”
Taylor Swift “Lover”

Top Soundtrack:
“Aladdin”
“Descendants 3”
“Frozen II”*
“K-12” by Melanie Martinez 
“The Dirt” by Mötley Crüe

Top R&B Album:
Beyoncé “Homecoming: The Live Album”
Justin Bieber “Changes”
Chris Brown “Indigo”
Khalid “Free Spirit”*
Summer Walker “Over It”

Top Rap Album:
DaBaby “KIRK”
Juice WRLD “Death Race For Love”
Post Malone “Hollywood’s Bleeding”*
Roddy Ricch “Please Excuse Me for Being Antisocial”
Young Thug “So Much Fun”

Top Country Album:
Kane Brown “Experiment”
Luke Combs “What You See Is What You Get”*
Maren Morris “GIRL”
Thomas Rhett “Center Point Road”
Morgan Wallen “If I Know Me”

Top Rock Album:
The Lumineers “III”
Slipknot “We Are Not Your Kind”
Tame Impala “The Slow Rush”
Tool “Fear Inoculum”*
Vampire Weekend “Father of the Bride”

Top Latin Album:
J Balvin & Bad Bunny “Oasis”*
Farruko “Gangalee”
Maluma “11:11”
Romeo Santos “Utopía”
Sech “Sueños”

Top Dance/Electronic Album:
Avicii “TIM”
The Chainsmokers “World War Joy”
Illenium “Ascend”
Marshmello “Marshmello: Fortnite Extended Set”*
Alan Walker “Different World”

Top Christian Album:
Bethel Music “Victory: Recorded Live”
Casting Crowns “Only Jesus”
Hillsong UNITED “People”
Skillet “Victorious”
Kanye West “Jesus is King”*

Top Gospel AlbumL
Kirk Franklin “Long Live Love”
Donald Lawrence & The Tri-City Singers “Goshen”
William McDowell “The Cry: A Live Worship Experience”
Sunday Service Choir “Jesus Is Born”
Kanye West “Jesus is King”*

SONG AWARDS

Top Hot 100 Song:
Lewis Capaldi “Someone You Loved”
Billie Eilish “bad guy”
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”*
Lizzo “Truth Hurts”
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello “Señorita”

Top Streaming Song:
Chris Brown ft. Drake “No Guidance”
Billie Eilish “bad guy”
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”*
Lil Tecca “Ran$om”
Post Malone & Swae Lee “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)”

Top Selling Song:
Lewis Capaldi “Someone You Loved”
Billie Eilish “bad guy”
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”*
Lizzo “Truth Hurts”
Blake Shelton “God’s Country”

Top Radio Song:
Lewis Capaldi “Someone You Loved”
Jonas Brothers “Sucker”*
Khalid “Talk”
Lizzo “Truth Hurts”
Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber “I Don’t Care”

Top Collaboration (Fan Voted):
Chris Brown ft. Drake “No Guidance”
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”
Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello “Señorita”*
Post Malone & Swae Lee “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)”
Ed Sheeran & Justin Bieber “I Don’t Care”

Top R&B Song:
Chris Brown ft. Drake “No Guidance”
Doja Cat & Tyga “Juicy”
Khalid “Talk”*
Lizzo “Good As Hell”
The Weeknd “Heartless”

Top Rap Song:
Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus “Old Town Road”*
Lil Tecca “Ran$om”
Lizzo “Truth Hurts”
Post Malone & Swae Lee “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)”
Post Malone “Wow.”

Top Country Song:
Dan + Shay with Justin Bieber “10,000 Hours”*
Maren Morris “The Bones”
Old Dominion “One Man Band”
Blake Shelton “God’s Country”
Morgan Wallen “Whiskey Glasses”

Top Rock Song:
Imagine Dragons “Bad Liar”
Machine Gun Kelly x YUNGBLUD x Travis Barker “I Think I’m Okay”
Panic! At The Disco “Hey Look Ma, I Made It”*
twenty one pilots “Chlorine”
twenty one pilots “The Hype”

Top Latin Song:
Anuel AA, Daddy Yankee, Karol G, Ozuna & J Balvin “China”
Bad Bunny & Tainy “Callaita”
Daddy Yankee ft. Snow “Con Calma”*
Jhay Cortez, J Balvin, & Bad Bunny “No Me Conoce”
Sech ft. Darell, Nicky Jam, Ozuna, Anuel AA “Otro Trago”

Top Dance/Electronic Song:
Black Eyed Peas x J Balvin “Ritmo (Bad Boys For Life)”
Ellie Goulding x Diplo ft. Swae Lee “Close To Me”*
Illenium & Jon Bellion “Good Things Fall Apart”
Kygo x Whitney Houston “Higher Love”
Marshmello ft. CHVRCHES “Here With Me”

Top Christian Song:
Bethel Music, Jonathan David Helser & Melissa Helser “Raise A Hallelujah”
Casting Crowns ft. Matthew West “Nobody”
Lauren Daigle “Rescue”
for KING & COUNTRY “God Only Knows”*
Kanye West “Follow God”

Top Gospel Song:
Kirk Franklin “Love Theory”
Kanye West “Closed on Sunday”
Kanye West “Follow God”*
Kanye West “On God”
Kanye West “Selah”

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