Diversity overtakes

The recently announced 60th Grammy Award nominations were full of pleasant surprises, as well as some shocking snubs. This week we are taking an in-depth look at the results including some predictions for the biggest categories for the most highly anticipated musical awards of the year which will take place on Jan. 28 next year in New York.

Diversity seems to be the theme of this year’s Grammys. Instead of the usual go-to demographic for the Recording Academy, there are several women as well as numerous people of colour among the nominated in the main categories. It is crazy to even mention something like this, but it is an unfortunate reality in the showbiz world. Who could forget the #oscarsowhite debacle at the Academy Awards?

In the Album of the Year category we have Jay-z, who leads the nominations count with eight nods, as well Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars and Lorde. In other categories we see diversity again. For Record of the Year, Jay-z, Lamar, Mars and Childish Gambino are up against the hit Despacito by Puerto Rico’s Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee. Furthermore, the Best New Artist category has three women, Julia Michaels, Sza and Alessia Cara, African-american man Khalid and Lil Uzi Vert.

When it comes to the snubs of this year’s Grammy nominations, none is more shocking than Ed Sheeran. The Brit is up for Best Pop Vocal Performance and Pop Vocal Album but he has been left out of the four main categories. His latest album, which was released at the beginning of the year, was this year’s second best-selling album after Taylor Swift’s.