On November 23, the Recording Academy released its full list of nominations for the 64th Grammys. Of the 86 categories, several local artists received nominations in their genres’ top categories. See their reactions below.
Leon Bridges
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The Fort Worth musician is nominated for Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Born Again,” the opening track on Gold-Diggers Sound, his latest studio album. In an interview with Apple Music, Bridges spoke about the song’s origins. “I wanted to make it parallel to the concept of spiritual newness within a gospel context or within the Bible, but I take that concept and just talk about how I felt during the pandemic and how the pandemic was very healing for me,” he says. “I felt like this song was a great opener for the album, and it totally sets the mood.” His second nomination is for Best R&B Album for Gold-Diggers Sound.
Mickey Guyton
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The Arlington country star received several nominations for Remember Her Name, Guyton’s debut studio album. The album received critical acclaim for Guyton’s vocal dexterity and her honest critiques of country music’s mistreatment of her as a Black woman.
At the 2021 CMT Music Awards, Guyton spoke about her album’s inspiration. “When I was thinking about [the story of the Black medical worker shot and killed by Louisville police officers in March 2020] Breonna Taylor, and seeing inaction regarding her murder, I thought, ’I need to bring justice to her life.’ I was writing these types of [thoughtful] songs long before America’s racial reckoning,” she says. “The frustration that I’ve felt as an African-American has been a part of my process for a while. So the song, and album, are dedicated to [Breonna Taylor] and giving her the justice that she deserves.”
Guyton made history as the first Black musician to be nominated for Best Country album. She is also nominated for Best County Solo Performance and Best Country Song for the album’s title track which shares the same name.
LilJuMadeDaBeat
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The DeSoto producer earned a nomination for his production work on “Thot Sh*t,” Megan Thee Stallion’s recent single. Last year, LilJuMadeDaBeat was listed as No. 1 on Billboard’s top Rap & R&B/Hip-Hop Producers Chart.
Jazzmeia Horn
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Jazmmeia Horn acquired her third Grammy nomination for Jazzmeia Horn And Her Noble Force in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album. The album is the first release under Empress Legacy Records, Horn’s record label. The Booker T. Washington alum started her own label after established labels rejected her idea to create a big band album. The album, Jazzmeia Horn And Her Noble Force, is a testament to Horn’s artistry.
Horn taught herself how to arrange, produce, write, sing and record a big band album. According to Horn, she is the first woman in the history of jazz to achieve this accomplishment.
Norah Jones
The University of North Texas alum earned her latest Grammy nomination for ‘Til We Meet Again (Live), Jones’ first live album. From 2017 to 2019, Jones recorded several in-person performances for the comprehensive album, which includes several of her most-known songs.
Maren Morris
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“It’s a protest song —it’s the most American thing to protest and protest songs have been so embedded in American culture: Bob Dylan, Nina Simone,” says Morris. Nominated for Best Country Song, the work addresses the societal issues of our generation: immigration, Black Lives Matter, and politics. The Arlington native is also nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for “Chasing After You,” a duet with her husband Ryan Hurd.
Miranda Lambert
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Recorded in rural West Texas, The Marfa Tapes pays tribute to Marfa and the state’s legacy of country music. Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall, and Jack Ingram returned to their home state of Texas to produce a collaborative record that is one of the contenders for Best Country Album. Lambert’s second nomination is for “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home),” her collective track with Elle King.
St. Vincent
Lake Highlands High School’s most famous and coolest alumni secures her latest Grammy nomination for Daddy’s Home in the category of Best Alternative Music Album.
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Selena Gomez
What can’t Selena Gomez do? Gomez receives her first Grammy nomination for Revelación in the category of Best Latin Pop Album.
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Kirk Franklin
The King of Modern Gospel receives a Grammy nomination for “We Win,” his collaborative track with Atlanta rapper Lil Baby for the Space Jam sequel soundtrack. “We Win” is the category of Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.
Kacey Musgraves
“camera roll,” Musgraves’ lower-cased single for Star-Crossed, is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song. At the time of voting, several country music executives and journalists debated over whether Star-Crossed was truly a country album. The Grammys have now weighed in.
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Lyle Mays
Lyle Mays, keyboardist, composer and orchestrator of The Pat Metheny Group, received a posthumous nomination for Best Instrumental Composition. Mays passed away in February 2020.
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