Here's how voters are approaching the album of the year category at the 2021 Grammys.
Even in normal times, predicting the Grammys’ album of the year category can feel like trying to guess where lightning will strike. Great albums released early during the eligibility window can fade from memory, and the recently increased field of eight nominees means plenty of dark horse entries can shake things up.
“The thing I’m looking for most, which is the trickiest thing this year, is impact,” says Recording Academy member and Grammy-winning songwriter-producer Mark Batson . “It’s going to have an asterisk for me because there’s not much music reflecting what’s actually going on in the United States albumwise.”
Part of that comes down to timing: The major artists most likely to create a body work that speaks directly to the pandemic or the Black Lives Matter protests haven’t had the time to create it yet. Even so, a management/publishing executive and voting member tellsthe industry cannot settle for “business as usual” this time.
The diversity of winners particularly has come under fire in recent years, as back-to-back ceremonies spawned hashtags like #GrammysSoWhite and #GrammysSoMale. And while Batson says he still votes with quality in mind, the events of 2020 are hard to ignore. “A hundred and eighty-five thousand people have died [from COVID-19], and we have public executions that we’re watching again and again,” says Batson.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
How Grammy Voters Are Approaching Album of the Year at the 2021 CeremonyIn the wake of GrammysSoWhite and this year’s reckoning with systemic racism, how will voters approach music’s biggest honor?
Read more »
Why This Could Be K-Pop's Big Year For Grammy RecognitionK-pop artists took the U.S. by storm in 2020. Will an increasingly global Grammys recognize them — and their telecast-ready star power?
Read more »
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Win Primetime Emmy For ‘Watchmen’ to Go With Their Oscar & GrammyTrent Reznor and Atticus Ross won a primetime Emmy Award for &34;Watchmen&34; on Thursday (Sept. 17), Night 4 of the Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
Read more »
What Grammy Campaigning Looks Like During a PandemicGetting Grammy voters’ attention usually means showing up in person. But the pandemic has driven artists to find new tools to increase their chances.
Read more »
Life After Death: What Are the Posthumous Grammy Odds For Rap's Lost Stars?Over the past few years, a number of hip-hop’s leading artists have died — but thanks to recent posthumous albums, their presence could still be felt at the Grammys.
Read more »
How Grammy Voters Are Approaching Album of the Year at the 2021 CeremonyIn the wake of GrammysSoWhite and this year’s reckoning with systemic racism, how will voters approach music’s biggest honor?
Read more »