BEST R&B SONG
“Angel”
HALLE
Songwriters: Halle Bailey,
Theron Feemster, Coleridge Tillman
After spreading her wings and flying solo from the five-time Grammy-nominated sister duo Chloe x Halle — and donning a mermaid tail for her starring role in Disney’s live-action adaptation of The Little Mermaid — Halle scored her first solo Grammy nod for her debut solo single. The gorgeous, piano-driven ballad “Angel” inspires Black girls like Halle to love themselves for who they are without being tarnished by outside perceptions. The track marks her second nomination in this category after receiving a nod for Chloe x Halle’s breakout hit, “Do It,” in 2021.
“Back to Love”
ROBERT GLASPER FEATURING SIR & ALEX ISLEY
Songwriters: Darryl Andrew Farris, Robert Glasper, Alexandra Isley
With “Back to Love,” five-time Grammy winner and critically acclaimed jazz pianist Glasper hopes to bring home his second best R&B song trophy following his win in 2021. The first track from his and Derrick Hodge’s seasontwo soundtrack for the Starz original series Run the World, the slow-burning kiss-and-make-up song — also nominated for best R&B performance — features singer-songwriters SiR and Alex Isley crooning about reigniting the spark of a love worth fighting for.
“ICU”
COCO JONES
Songwriters: Darhyl Camper Jr., Courtney Jones, Raymond Komba, Roy Keisha Rockette
After starring in the Disney Channel musical film Let It Shine and signing a label deal with
Def Jam, Jones truly broke onto the music scene with “ICU.” The stirring piano-driven ballad — also up for best R&B performance — deals with a delicate matter tugging at Jones’ heart as she debates whether she and a significant other are better off as just friends or if she can’t live without his love. “ICU” is the second single from her fifth EP, What I Didn’t Tell You, the deluxe version of which is nominated for best R&B album, while another of its standout tracks, “Simple” (with Babyface), earned a nod for best traditional R&B performance.
“On My Mama” VICTORIA MONÉT
Songwriters: Dernst Emile II,
Jeff Gitelman, Victoria Monét,
Kyla Moscovich, Jamil Pierre,
Charles Williams
Among the seven nominations that Monét received this year are nods for the empowering hit single “On My Mama” and her debut album, Jaguar II, which is up for best
R&B album and best engineered album, non-classical. Monét wrote the song in 2021 while dealing with postpartum depression after giving birth to her first-born daughter, Hazel. It’s filled with positive affirmations (and a tad of hip-hop swag, courtesy of a Chalie Boy sample) to make listeners feel good. “On My Mama” is also up for record of the year, while Monét is also a contender for best new artist, best R&B performance for “How Does It Make You Feel” and best traditional R&B performance for “Hollywood” — making her tied for the second-most-nominated act at the 2024 Grammys.
“Snooze” SZA
Songwriters: Kenny B. Edmonds, Blair Ferguson, Khris Riddick-Tynes, Solána Rowe, Leon Thomas
As this year’s most-nominated artist with nine nods, SZA could put the competition in this category to bed with “Snooze.” The dreamy ballad finds SZA admitting she would go to the ends of the earth to stay with her love, even though she knows her efforts aren’t reciprocated. It’s one of five songs from her chart-topping second album, SOS — which is up for album of the year and best progressive R&B album — to earn nominations, in addition to “Low” (best melodic rap performance), “Love Language” (best traditional R&B performance), “Ghost in the Machine” (best pop duo/group performance) and “Kill Bill” (song and record of the year and best R&B performance).