Nominees for the 64th annual Grammy Awards will be announced on Tuesday.
The ceremony will be the first since the awards made a major change to its nominating process: In late April, the board of the Recording Academy, the governing body of the Grammys, voted to eliminate the use of anonymous expert committees to whittle down the final ballot in dozens of categories, a practice that had been in place since 1989. The Grammys have been criticized in recent years by prominent artists including Jay-Z, Drake, Kanye West and Frank Ocean, who amplified concerns that Black artists have been routinely passed over in the top all-genre categories. In March, the Weeknd announced a boycott of the Grammys, citing the committees.
How the change might affect this year’s nominees is an open question. Established stars like Drake, Billie Eilish, Kanye West and Lorde all released albums within the eligibility window. Olivia Rodrigo, the Disney actress, became a powerhouse new artist: Her debut single, “Drivers License,” broke streaming-service records at the beginning of the year, and it was followed by a similarly successful album, “Sour.”
Another of this year’s biggest artists, the country musician Morgan Wallen, was rebuked by the industry in February after a video surfaced of him using a racial slur. His most recent release, “Dangerous: The Double Album,” has remained a strong seller, but he didn’t win at the Country Music Awards earlier this month.
The ceremony will be held on Jan. 31, 2022, at the Crypto.com Arena (formerly the Staples Center) in Los Angeles.
