BRANCHING OUT

AFTER LAST YEAR’S AWARDS WERE ROUNDLY CRITICISED FOR A DEARTH OF FEMALE WINNERS AT THE TOP OF THE HEAP, 2019’S GRAMMY NOMINATIONS SHOW EXPANSION AND DIVERSIFY

Recording Academy voters were most impressed this year with the sound of Wakanda, the fictional African country from the film Black Panther. The music Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar assembled to accompany the Marvel Studios blockbuster received a fieldleading eight nominations for its album and singles, including the hat trick of recognition in the top three categories of record, album and song of the year.

This is the second time in Lamar’s career that he has led the Grammy nominees. Lamar went into the 2016 ceremony with 11 nominations tied to his To Pimp a Butterfly and last year, his Damn competed for album of the year, ultimately losing to Bruno Mars.

This year his hip-hop peer Drake scored seven nods, and a pair of artists have six nominations: Washington statebred singer-songwriter Brandi Carlile and producer Boi-1da.

Lamar has company in pulling off nominations for record, album and song of the year: Carlile and Drake also have nominations in the three marquee categories, perhaps a reflection this year