Lisa Respers France, CNN
(CNN) — most artists This year’s Grammy Award nominations Number 9 is a black woman.
Here’s why it’s important:
A lot of things happened in 2017, Discussion about the Recording Academy and race Grammy Awards, where Adele beat out Beyoncé and three other nominees to win the prestigious Album of the Year award.
Beyoncé’s album Lemonade was widely considered to be her favorite. She also thinks Bey should have won, and Adele tearfully said so in her acceptance speech.
“The artist in my life is Beyoncé, and for me this album, the Lemonade album, was just monumental,” Adele said.
Beyoncé superfan Bey Hive agreed.Former Recording Academy President Neil Portnow dealt with the disturbance At the time, racism was behind Adele’s victory.
“No, I don’t think there’s a racial issue at all,” Portnow said. Pitchfork interview.
Try saying that to a black person.
The 2024 Grammy nominations for Album of the Year are sure to stir up conversations about race once again. #GrammysSoWhite may not have caught fire like #OscarsSoWhite, but there’s still a perception that black artists, especially women, have a harder time winning Grammys.
That’s why all eyes will be on February’s Album of the Year category, given that three Black artists were nominated: SZA, Janelle Monáe and Jon Batiste. If Batiste wins Album of the Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards for “We Are,” it would be an absolute feat, beating Herbie Hancock in 2008 for “River: The Joni Letters.” He is the first black artist to do so.
If SZA wins, she will be the first black woman to win in this category since 1999’s “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill.” Monáe becomes the first Black and non-binary artist to win in this category. In the 66 years of the Grammy Awards ceremony, she is the only Black performer to win the top award 11 times.
In addition to Batiste, Hancock, and Hill, Stevie Wonder also won Album of the Year in 1974, 1975, and 1977. Michael Jackson won in 1984. Lionel Richie in 1985. Quincy Jones in 1991. Natalie Cole, 1992. Whitney Houston in 1994. Outcast in 2004. and Ray Charles in 2005.
Neither SZA nor Monae have shied away from being black in their art or interviews.
SZA talked about when she was the only black girl to compete in gymnastics as a child. Interview with Complex magazine in 2016 On the cultural influence of black women.
“I’m happy being a Black woman. I’ve always felt good. But being a Black woman now definitely makes me feel like I’m backed up,” she said. . “That feels good. I’ve never felt like that before.”
Monáe is also very assertive about her identity.
in 2020 Harvard Business Review interview, Monáe says, “Early in my career, I would show up to a photoshoot and the stylist would say, “Hey, you’re wearing this tuxedo and your hair is natural.” It’s a bit avant-garde, isn’t it? How can I sell it? Probably you should look like this. ”
“Or record label executives would say, ‘Oh, you’re a black woman who talks about science fiction and technology.’ That’s not marketable. You could write simpler songs and not have such a dense body of work.” What if I don’t have it?’” Monáe recalled. “Those conversations made me think, if I don’t find my voice, if I don’t speak up for myself, someone else will.”
Both artists managed to find their voices. It remains to be seen whether Grammy voters will listen to them.
CNN Wire
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