Jon Batiste could well be the biggest surprise of the Grammys at the end of January: the “multigenres” artist, recent Oscar winner, is the one who collects the most nominations, with 11.
Batiste, who is also a conductor at the Late Show by Stephen Colbert, is a finalist for Album of the Year with We Are, as well as for the title of the year with Freedom, a joyful ode to New Orleans. His nominations span multiple genres and categories, including R&B, Jazz, Folk, Classical, and Music Video.
Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and HER are eight times nominated for the next Recording Academy gala, which is scheduled for January 31st. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo both landed seven academy nominations.
Quebec conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin is a three-time finalist. First with the Philadelphia Orchestra for the recording of Symphonies Nos. 1 and 3 by African-American composer Florence Price. Then for the recording of the opera Dialogues of the Carmelites de Poulenc at the Metropolitan in New York, where he is artistic director. Finally, for the voice-piano album of Winter trip by Schubert, with mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato and Nézet-Séguin at the piano.
Justin Bieber is notably a finalist thanks to his mega-success Peaches. Another Ontarian, Drake, landed two nominations, one for Best Rap Album and another for Best Rap Performance, alongside Future for Way 2 Sexy. Cuban-Canadian artist Alex Cuba has been nominated twice for his latest album Mendó.
Dan Snaith, better known as Caribou, was nominated for Best Dance / Electronic Recording category for his 10th studio album, Suddenly. Joni Mitchell got his 16th career nomination, in the “historical album” category, with Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years.
The Weeknd finalist … finally
Along with Jon Batiste’s unexpected dominance, another surprise came in The Weeknd, who landed three nominations after the Torontonian claimed he would not allow his record company to submit his music. He sharply criticized the Grammys earlier this year, calling them “corrupt,” after not receiving any nominations despite his 2020 mega-success, Blinding Lights.
Even though The Weeknd has said he will boycott future Grammys, he still ended up in the finalist list for his work on other artists’ album of the year projects, including the edition of Doja Cat luxury, Planet Her, and Donda by Kanye West. He owes his third nomination to his appearance in the song Hurricane de West, also starring Lil Baby.
“Voters really value the music and don’t get swayed by the reputation of any other outside noise or any artist story,” said Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “With that in mind, I think they vote for things they recognize as excellence. “
For the first time, the academy has reduced the number of finalists in the general categories from eight to ten. This change impacts categories such as Record, Album, Song of the Year and Best New Artist.
Other finalists for Album of the Year include: Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) by Justin Bieber, Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish, Donda by Kanye West, Love for Sale by Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, sour by Olivia Rodrigo, evermore by Taylor Swift and MONTERO by Lil Nas X.
Jon Batiste is also a finalist in the category of best soundtracks in visual media, for his work on the animated film. Drunk from Pixar, which already won him an Oscar earlier this year.
For the title of the year, he will be in contention against a multitude of big candidates, including I Get a Kick Out of You by Bennett and Gaga, I Still Have Faith in You ABBA, Peaches by Bieber with Daniel Caesar and Giveon, Right on Time by Brandi Carlile, Kiss me more by Doja Cat with SZA, MONTERO (Call Me by Your Name) by Lil Nas X, drivers license by Rodrigo, Happier Than Ever Eilish and Leave the Door Open by Silk Sonic – from the duo formed by Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak.
Jay-Z, who is a finalist for three Grammy Awards, now holds the record for most nominations of all time, at 83. The 23 Grammy Award-winning rapper has passed 80-time finalist Quincy Jones.