What makes a release the album of the year is completely up to interpretation by Grammy voters, and that’s what has made it so difficult to predict in the past few years. The trophy has gone to some surprising titles and artists recently, but there aren’t too many shocks in the field this time around.
But who will end up winning isn’t clear, and that may be where the shock lies.
Jon Batiste – World Music Radio
This nomination might be more surprising if Jon Batiste hadn’t not only broken into the Album of the Year field two years ago, but won the prize in a stunning upset with his previous offering We Are. Now he’s back with Marc Whitmore, an engineer/mixer who also won for We Are.
Producer and songwriter Jon Bellion earns his third Album of the Year nomination, while engineer/mixer Laura Sisk nabs an incredible three nods this year (also with frequent collaborator Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey), increasing her career total to seven nominations in this group.
World Music Radio stands as Batiste’s second-highest-charting album on the Billboard 200, thanks in large part to his newfound popularity following his previous Album of the Year win. The set peaked at No. 104 on the tally.
Boygenius – The Record
It’s rarely seen these days, but everyone who is nominated for working on Boygenius’ The Record appears in the Album of the Year category for the first time. That includes not only the three women who make up the alternative rock band, but also all the producers, mixers and engineers.
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
While she was never nominated for her own work, Miley Cyrus actually appears in the Album of the Year field for the second time. She was previously up for the honor–one of her two early Grammy nods — as a featured act on Lil Nas X’s Montero.
Now, her recent top 10 title, which benefits immensely from its lead single “Flowers,” brings plenty of others back to the field.
Perhaps most notably, Mike “Spike” Stent, the mixer/engineer, collects two more Album of the Year nods this time around, hitting 10 total chances to win–including with Olivia Rodrigo as well. Producers Kid Harpoon and Mike Will-Made-It are back for the third time, with Harpoon having won alongside Harry Styles for Harry’s House. Songwriter Michael Pollack is also a three-time nominee.
Producer and songwriters Tyler Johnon and Gregory Aldae Hein collect their second nominations, as does mastering engineer Joe LaPorta, who’s also a Record of the Year nominee as well.
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
As a lead artist, Lana Del Rey has now been nominated for Album of the Year twice, but her total count is up at three, as she was one included as a featured name on The Weeknd’s Beauty Behind the Madness. Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd may very well be the longest title to be featured in this category, and it was also Del Rey’s milestone tenth top 10 on the Billboard 200.
Producer Jack Antonoff is nominated against himself this year–also with Swift–and now he’s landed eight Album of the Year nods. Michael Harris, the engineer/mixer, is back for a second time.
Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
This is a bit of a surprise. Janelle Monáe is adored by critics, but even the most ardent supporters likely had a tough time suggesting that this album was a success. The title came five years after her last full-length, Dirty Computer, which was also nominated for Album of the Year, but it didn’t make the same impact. The set peaked at No. 17 and quickly faded away, but clearly not in the minds of voters.
The Age of Pleasure actually marks Monáe’s third Album of the Year nod, as she was featured on fun.’s Some Nights, which, coincidentally, marked Antonoff’s first chance to win as well. Now they’re nominated against one another.
The most-nominated person on this project is mastering engineer Dave Kutch, who collects his ninth Album of the Year nod. Amazingly, he’s never won.
Mick Guzauski, one of the mixers/engineers, returns for a fifth Album of the Year nomination. He’s been working for decades, and he first appeared in this vertical in 2000 with the Backstreet Boys’ Millennium.
Fellow collaborators Nate “Rocket” Wonder and Nathaniel Irvin III double their Album of the Year nod count thanks to working with Monáe again, as they were up for the honor with Dirty Computer.
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
Olivia Rodrigo and her songwriting partner and producer Dan Nigro have now worked on two albums together, and both were up for this Grammy. Guts was even bigger than the singer’s debut, and it went right to No. 1. It followed closely in sound from her debut, Sour, which turned out to be a smart move on her part. That title also earned Mitch McCarthy, one of the engineers/mixers on Guts, a nod as well.
While Rodrigo and Nigro may still be relatively new to this category, Guts also features some very seasoned vets. Serban Ghenea hits 20 Album of the Year nominations with his two chances to win this year, including Swift’s Midnights. Randy Merrill, the mastering engineer, is also nominated for both Guts and Midnights, increasing his career total to 12 Album of the Year nods.
Taylor Swift – Midnights
Speaking of Midnights, of course it’s here! The full-length stood out as one of the biggest releases of 2022, and it’s continued to perform incredibly well throughout 2023. Critics and fans alike adored the No. 1 bestseller, which spun off 10 top 10 hits – all at the same time, by the way.
Swift has now been nominated for Album of the Year six times, and she’s already won in half of those instances — an incredible track record.
The superstar is joined by talents who have been here many times before, including more than once this year, like the previously named Antonoff, Merrill, Sisk and Ghenea. Also, Mixer/engineer Mikey Freedom Hart collects his third Album of the Year nod, while Sean Hutchinson, Ken Lewis and Evan Smith, who are credited in the same capacity, are back for a second time–with most of them having debuted in this category with Swift.
SZA – SOS
SZA is a first-time nominee as an artist, as her No. 1 SOS, is a serious contender for the prize. The R&B was separated by many years from her debut, and it turned out to be well worth the wait. The singer has been nominated as a featured guest on Doja Cat’s Planet Her, as the two sent “Kiss Me More” into the Hot 100’s top 10.
Producers and songwriters Rob Bisel and Carter Lang return for a second go at the Album of the Year Grammy, while mastering engineer Dale Becker nabs his second nod in this category.
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