It’s one of the most exciting times of year for music lovers: Grammy time. The nominations for the 2018 Grammy Awards were announced on Nov. 28, 2017, in advance of final voting from Dec. 7 to 21. The Grammys, presented in Madison Square Garden in New York City, will be hosted by James Corden and air on Sunday, January 28th on CBS.
Critics have argued that the Grammy’s have been slow to recognize many powerful (and lucrative) trends in music over the years, often neglecting rap, urban, dance and electronic pioneers until they have become mainstream or ignoring them completely. In an industry beset by challenges, EDM has been a rare bright spot and with a wave of newer artists on the horizon, there is increasing optimism that electronic music is not a trend but reflects a seismic shift in the music business.
For fans of electronic music, Au5, Rezz, No Mana, Direct, MrFijiWiji, Fractal, Notaker, Haywyre, Koda, ATTLAS, Laszlo are creating groundbreaking music and inspiring newer artists with great promise and potential, such as Kindrid, a Houston-based DJ and producer getting a lot of buzz right now, whose “basement tape” of an original composition titled “Demise” attracted the attention of megastar deadmau5 on a live video broadcast, who immediately began work on a remix and collaboration that was viewed by thousands within just a few hours from airing live. “I have heard about people like Chris James being discovered overnight by large producers like deadmau5, and it was great to get the acknowledgement from Joel for my music. Although I don’t think I am there yet, I feel like I am on my way,” says Kindrid. “For me, it’s not about the money, but getting my music out there to as many people as possible and I’m very grateful to deadmau5 for giving me this incredible opportunity and sharing some of his time and experience with me.”
As music fans look ahead to 2018, New Year’s resolutions abound with the promise of incredible new music in the coming year and the hundreds of nominees are each hopeful that this will be the year where they bring home the coveted Grammy Award.
Here’s a first look at the Big 4: Best New Artist, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year. Most notably, JAY-Z was nominated eight times, followed by Kendrick Lamar (seven nominations) and Bruno Mars (six nominations).
Read more to find out how your favorite music artist fared.
General Field: The Big 4
1. Record of the Year. The coveted Record of the Year award aims to honor an amazing track from an album, as well as the artist’s performance of that song. This year’s nominees are:
- Redbone: Childish Gambino
- Despacito: Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee, Feat. Justin Bieber
- The Story of O.J.: JAY-Z
- : Kendrick Lamar
- 24K Magic: Bruno Mars
2. Album of the Year. Unlike Record of the Year, the Album of the Year award praises an entire album by a recording artist. This year’s nominees are:
- Awaken, My Love!: Childish Gambino
- 4:44: JAY-Z
- : Kendrick Lamar
- Melodrama: Lorde
- 24K Magic: Bruno Mars
3. Song of the Year. What’s the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year? Simply put, Record of the Year recognizes the artist, while Song of the Year recognizes the songwriter — it could be the same person as the artist, or a team of songwriters who wrote the track. Here are this year’s nominees:
- Despacito: Songwriters: Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton. Performed by Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber.
- 4:44: Songwriters: Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson. Performed by JAY-Z.
- Issues: Songwriters: Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter. Performed by Julia Michaels.
- 1-800-273-8255: Songwriters: Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury & Khalid Robinson. Performed by Alessia Cara & Khalid.
- That’s What I Like: Songwriters: Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip. Performed by Bruno Mars.
4. Best New Artist. The Best New Artist award is comprised of any new recording artist who became popular and made their mark on the music scene within the last year. This year’s nominees are:
- Alessia Cara
- Khalid
- Lil Uzi Vert
- Julia Michaels
- SZA
Enjoy the show!!!
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