Batiste leads Grammy field with 11 nods

Jon Batiste might be the Grammys biggest surprise: The multi-genre performer and recent Oscar winner made such an impression on voters that he scored the most nominations with 11 on Tuesday.

Batiste earned an album of the year nod for “We Are” along with record of the year with “Freedom,” a feel-good ode to the city of New Orleans. His nominations span several genres, including R&B, jazz, American roots music, classical and music video.

“I’m still in a state of astonishment and shock,” Batiste said moments after learning of the nominations. “I’m just really happy that we were able to make something in complete artistic integrity and have it be recognized.”

Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. each came away with the second-most nominations with eight for the Recording Academy’s Jan. 31 gala. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo both had seven nods.

Along with Batiste’s surprise domination, another shock was The Weeknd nabbing three nominations after the pop star claimed he would not allow his label to submit his music. This year, the 31-year-old angrily slammed the Grammys, calling them “corrupt” after he received zero nominations despite having 2020’s biggest single, “Blinding Lights.”

Even though The Weeknd said he would boycott future Grammys, he became a nominee for his work on album of the year projects, including Doja Cat’s deluxe edition “Planet Her” and Kanye West’s “Donda.” His third nomination was for his appearance on West’s single “Hurricane,” which also features Lil Baby.

“What I like is the fact that no one is thinking about what happened before, what was the controversy, what was the noise, or where was this artist making music last year,” said Harvey Mason Jr., the Recording Academy’s CEO. He said voters focused on the “excellence of music” while considering nominees such as Batiste and Kacey Musgraves, whose work also crosses over into different categories.

“The voters are truly evaluating music and not getting caught up in the reputations of any other outside noise or any history of artists,” he continued. “With that in mind, I think they’re voting for things that they are acknowledging as excellence.”

Jay-z, who was nominated for three Grammys on Tuesday, now has the most nominations of all time with 83. The 23-time Grammy-winning rapper moved past Quincy Jones, who has been nominated 80 times.