Taylor Swift‘s Evermore and Kanye West‘s Donda were reportedly added to the list of Grammy nominees at the very last minute.
The 2022 Grammy nominations were announced on Tuesday, November 23, but according to a New York Times report, the Recording Academy expanded its number of nominees from eight to ten in its big-four categories: Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Album of the Year, and Best New Artist, just the previous day.
Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and board-of-trustees chair Tammy Hurt sent a letter out to the Academy’s members on Tuesday, which was published in full on The Wrap, justifying the last-minute category change.
“The growth in music and your extraordinary engagement obligated us to seek this change. Perhaps in the past, the leadership would have waited for the next Awards cycle to make a change,” reads the letter. “But one thing that we’ve heard loud and clear from you is that you are tired of waiting for big changes. You asked for – and you deserve – an organization that is as nimble and brave as you. In that spirit, we went to the Board of Trustees and made the case for this direction, and just minutes ago, they adopted it.”
According to the Times report, West’s Donda and Swift’s Evermore, which were already nominated in other categories, were late additions to the album of the year nomination list.
Other nominees for album of the year include Justin Bieber‘s Justice, Olivia Rodrigo‘s Sour, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga‘s Love For Sale, Doja Cat‘ Planer Her, H.E.R.‘s Back Of My Mind, Billie Eilish‘s Happier Than Ever, Lil Nas X‘s Montero and Jon Batiste‘s We Are.
The Times also reported that the late expansion of the record of the year category saw Lil Nas X’s “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” and ABBA‘s “I Still Have Faith in You” added to the list that already included songs by Rodrigo, Bieber, Bennett and Lady Gaga, Batiste, Doja Cat, Eilish, Silk Sonic and Brandi Carlile.
(Photo: Beth Garrabrant)
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