Dubai Telegraph - Beyonce leads Grammy nods after trailblazing country album

EUR -
AED 3.865039
AFN 71.961868
ALL 97.885367
AMD 409.705534
ANG 1.898038
AOA 960.733931
ARS 1055.061215
AUD 1.613881
AWG 1.894109
AZN 1.787029
BAM 1.951539
BBD 2.126437
BDT 125.855234
BGN 1.956342
BHD 0.396578
BIF 3110.579445
BMD 1.052283
BND 1.414399
BOB 7.293078
BRL 6.086683
BSD 1.053191
BTN 88.848028
BWP 14.387453
BYN 3.446543
BYR 20624.740218
BZD 2.122845
CAD 1.469502
CDF 3014.78969
CHF 0.929776
CLF 0.037101
CLP 1023.776253
CNY 7.619996
CNH 7.625593
COP 4626.455438
CRC 534.824751
CUC 1.052283
CUP 27.885491
CVE 110.024795
CZK 25.350861
DJF 187.538784
DKK 7.458788
DOP 63.520417
DZD 140.573397
EGP 52.274979
ERN 15.78424
ETB 131.306162
FJD 2.388363
FKP 0.830585
GBP 0.832524
GEL 2.883571
GGP 0.830585
GHS 16.7185
GIP 0.830585
GMD 74.71233
GNF 9078.051459
GTQ 8.13025
GYD 220.338958
HKD 8.189863
HNL 26.613518
HRK 7.506205
HTG 138.346648
HUF 411.186809
IDR 16734.714279
ILS 3.929639
IMP 0.830585
INR 88.911049
IQD 1379.588093
IRR 44293.214291
ISK 145.520299
JEP 0.830585
JMD 166.933965
JOD 0.746386
JPY 162.676061
KES 136.007134
KGS 91.02957
KHR 4249.68174
KMF 491.94202
KPW 947.053999
KRW 1471.222726
KWD 0.323672
KYD 0.877684
KZT 523.167824
LAK 23125.51255
LBP 94319.785398
LKR 306.411046
LRD 190.622024
LSL 19.101997
LTL 3.107117
LVL 0.636515
LYD 5.138732
MAD 10.521031
MDL 19.167154
MGA 4930.189594
MKD 61.546561
MMK 3417.773046
MNT 3575.656436
MOP 8.443666
MRU 41.866002
MUR 48.839087
MVR 16.268296
MWK 1826.195708
MXN 21.380416
MYR 4.698412
MZN 67.293799
NAD 19.101997
NGN 1768.455747
NIO 38.755022
NOK 11.613586
NPR 142.154623
NZD 1.792324
OMR 0.40513
PAB 1.053101
PEN 3.996674
PGK 4.239684
PHP 62.126243
PKR 292.773138
PLN 4.342422
PYG 8247.914831
QAR 3.840515
RON 4.977085
RSD 117.020141
RUB 106.281009
RWF 1452.315514
SAR 3.95054
SBD 8.79238
SCR 14.332083
SDG 632.944958
SEK 11.610939
SGD 1.413951
SHP 0.830585
SLE 23.75528
SLL 22065.84631
SOS 601.88026
SRD 37.282669
STD 21780.126598
SVC 9.214882
SYP 2643.891613
SZL 19.091139
THB 36.458458
TJS 11.216013
TMT 3.682989
TND 3.324243
TOP 2.464553
TRY 36.27081
TTD 7.130433
TWD 34.270209
TZS 2791.031424
UAH 43.426878
UGX 3886.514989
USD 1.052283
UYU 45.021709
UZS 13526.469111
VES 48.861031
VND 26751.65603
VUV 124.929112
WST 2.937543
XAF 654.521833
XAG 0.033884
XAU 0.000395
XCD 2.843846
XDR 0.801343
XOF 654.521833
XPF 119.331742
YER 262.991742
ZAR 19.064031
ZMK 9471.810193
ZMW 29.146091
ZWL 338.834589
  • RBGPF

    59.6900

    59.69

    +100%

  • RYCEF

    -0.0800

    6.61

    -1.21%

  • CMSC

    -0.0450

    24.52

    -0.18%

  • CMSD

    -0.0836

    24.26

    -0.34%

  • SCS

    -0.0200

    13.07

    -0.15%

  • BCC

    -0.7700

    137.41

    -0.56%

  • GSK

    -0.1100

    33.35

    -0.33%

  • RELX

    -0.1800

    45.11

    -0.4%

  • BCE

    -0.3100

    27

    -1.15%

  • NGG

    -0.3100

    63.27

    -0.49%

  • RIO

    -0.0400

    62.39

    -0.06%

  • JRI

    -0.0300

    13.23

    -0.23%

  • BP

    -0.0100

    29.08

    -0.03%

  • VOD

    0.0200

    8.94

    +0.22%

  • BTI

    0.1500

    37.08

    +0.4%

  • AZN

    -0.6000

    63.2

    -0.95%

Beyonce leads Grammy nods after trailblazing country album
Beyonce leads Grammy nods after trailblazing country album / Photo: VALERIE MACON - AFP/File

Beyonce leads Grammy nods after trailblazing country album

Beyonce and her groundbreaking "Cowboy Carter" album earned a leading 11 nominations for the Grammy Awards, the music industry's showcase gala, where she will face off against Taylor Swift and a new class of pop hitmakers.

Text size:

The nominations announced Friday by the Recording Academy make Beyonce the Grammys' most nominated artist -- and reignite the conversation about genre and race sparked by her innovative album vaunting Black cowboy culture.

But the megastar -- who despite her accolade-rich career still has never won the Grammy's most prestigious top album and record trophies -- faces stiff competition from perennial contenders Swift and Billie Eilish, who scored six and seven chances at Grammy gold, respectively.

And a buzzy, of-the-moment group of young artists including club hitmaker Charli XCX (seven nods) along with pop sensations Sabrina Carpenter (six) and Chappell Roan (six) are all also in contention for major prizes.

Kendrick Lamar -- whose dig-heavy rap battle with Drake earned him Grammy favor this year -- and the shapeshifter Post Malone each scooped seven nominations, including in the top categories.

Music released between September 16, 2023 and August 30, 2024 was eligible for nomination.

The Recording Academy will hand out trophies in all 94 categories on February 2 in Los Angeles.

- Bey versus Tay -

The nominee list sets up a showdown between Beyonce and Swift, global superstars and Grammy regulars.

The 43-year-old Beyonce was already the show's most decorated artist ever.

Before Friday, she was also tied for most nominations with her music mogul husband Jay-Z -- now, she's in a class of her own.

But for all the records she sets, Beyonce is among the most snubbed Grammy artist. She conspicuously has lost out the top album award to the likes of Adele and Harry Styles.

The 34-year-old juggernaut Swift, on the other hand, last year swept past Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon to win more best album prizes than anyone with four, and she could extend that lead this time around.

Her album "Fearless" beat Beyonce for the prestigious prize in 2010.

The Tay vs. Bey narrative once again highlights the Grammy organization's complicated history with race.

The Academy is routinely criticized for sidelining the work of Black artists, including at last year's gala when Jay-Z, accepting a non-competitive honor for his hip-hop contributions, castigated the institution onstage.

It's all the more prescient considering Beyonce's nominations this season stem from "Cowboy Carter," a rowdy, wide-ranging homage to her southern heritage that took to task the country industry, which has long promoted a rigid view of the genre that's overwhelmingly white and male.

At the last Grammys, Swift seized the limelight by taking the podium to accept a prize and announcing a surprise album, "The Tortured Poets Department," which was a sprawling double-album purging her insecurities and scorching former lovers.

It left critics lukewarm but it's put Swift back in the running.

Also vying for Album of the Year are works by Carpenter, Charli XCX, Eilish, Roan and...Andre 3000's "New Blue Sun," a flute album the former Outkast hip-hop star released late last year.

That niche entry is joined by another from multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier to round out the category.

- Genre-fluid -

Top nominee Post Malone was buoyed to the top thanks to his collaborations with both Beyonce and Swift. The one-time warbling rapper features in major categories as well as pop and country fields.

The closely watched Best New Artist field features Carpenter and Roan, who both soared into the mainstream this year and are favorites for that coveted prize.

Also in contention for Best New Artist is Shaboozey, whose song "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" has topped the US hot songs chart for weeks and is up for the top award honoring songwriting.

Shaboozey, 29, is also nominated for a melodic rap award thanks to his collaboration with Beyonce -- whom he will also compete against in the country categories, in a sign that the Academy might finally be reading the room when it comes to songs and artists that defy categorization.

An entry by The Beatles into the top record category will likely prompt a little head-scratching: "Now and Then" was the "last" song released by the iconic group, reconstituted based on John Lennon's rough demo.

But then again, the Grammys wouldn't be the Grammys without some idiosyncrasies -- or anger over snubs.

Megan Thee Stallion, Dua Lipa, Tinashe and South African phenom Tyla were all left out of the 2025 running.

And once again, top Latin artists including Shakira, Peso Pluma, Bad Bunny and Young Miko were notably relegated to genre-specific categories and overlooked for the top fields.

S.Saleem--DT