Inside the Grammy Awards: A Seat Filler’s Exclusive Behind-the-Scenes Experience

The nominees for Record of the Year have been announced, showcasing a diverse range of talents and genres. Leading the charge is Bad Bunny with his track “DtMF,” which has captivated audiences worldwide with its infectious rhythm and dynamic energy.

Sabrina Carpenter is also in the running with her hit “Manchild,” a song that has resonated with listeners through its poignant lyrics and compelling melody.

Rising star Doechii makes an appearance on the list with “Anxiety,” a track that delivers both lyrical depth and a fresh sound, marking her as a noteworthy contender in this category.

Billie Eilish rounds out the nominations with “WILDFLOWER,” a song that continues to showcase her unique artistry and ability to connect with fans on an emotional level.

Billie Eilish – WILDFLOWER

Lady Gaga – Abracadabra

Kendrick Lamar With SZA – luther – WINNER

Chappell Roan – The Subway

ROSE, Bruno Mars – APT.

 

Best New Artist

Olivia Dean – WINNER

KATSEYE

The Marias

Addison Rae

sombr

Leon Thomas

Alex Warren

Lola Young

 

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

Dan Auerbach

Cirkut – WINNER

Dijon

Blake Mills

Sounwave 

 

Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical

Amy Allen – WINNER

Edgar Barrera

Jessie Jo Dillon

Tobias Jesso Jr

Laura Veltz

 

Best Country Solo Performance

Tyler Childers – Nose On The Grindstone

Shaboozey – Good News

Chris Stapleton – Bad As I Used To Be — From F1 The Movie – WINNER

Zach Top – I Never Lie

Lainey Wilson – Somewhere Over Laredo

 

Best Country Duo/Group Performance

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton – A Song To Sing

Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson – Trailblazer

Margo Price and Tyler Childers – Love Me Like You Used To Do

Shaboozey and Jelly Roll – Amen – WINNER

George Strait, Chris Stapleton – Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame 

 

Best Country Song

Tyler Childers – Bitin’ List – WINNER

Shaboozey – Good News

Zach Top – I Never Lie

Lainey Wilson – Somewhere Over Laredo

Miranda Lambert and Chris Stapleton – A Song To Sing

 

Best Traditional Country Album

Charley Crockett – Dollar A Day

Lukas Nelson – American Romance

Willie Nelson – Oh What A Beautiful World

Margo Price – Hard Headed Woman

Zach Top – Ain’t In It For My Health – WINNER 

 

Best Contemporary Country Album

Kelsea Ballerini – Patterns

Tyler Childers – Snipe Hunter

Eric Church – Evangeline Vs. The Machine 

Jelly Roll – Beautifully Broken – WINNER

Miranda Lambert – Postcards From Texas 

 

Best American Roots Performance

Jon Batiste featuring Randy Newman -LONELY AVENUE

I’m With Her – Ancient Light

Jason Isbell – Crimson And Clay

Alison Krauss & Union Station – Richmond On The James

Mavis Staples – Beautiful Strangers – WINNER

 

Best Americana Performance

Sierra Hull – Boom

Maggie Rose and Grace Potter – Poison In My Well

Mavis Staples – Godspeed – WINNER

Molly Tuttle – That’s Gonna Leave A Mark

Jesse Welles – Horses

 

Best American Roots Song

I’m With Her – Ancient Light – WINNER

Jon Batiste – BIG MONEY

Jason Isbell – Foxes In The Snow

Jesse Welles – Middle

Sierra Hull – Spitfire

 

Best Americana Album

Jon Batiste – BIG MONEY – WINNER

Larkin Poe – Bloom

Willie Nelson – Last Leaf On The Tree

Molly Tuttle – So Long Little Miss Sunshine

Jesse Welles – Middle

 

Best Bluegrass Album

Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter – Carter & Cleveland

Sierra Hull – A Tip Toe High Wire

Alison Krauss & Union Station – Arcadia

The Steeldrivers – Outrun

Billy Strings – Highway Prayers – WINNER

 

Best Traditional Blues Album

Buddy Guy – Ain’t Done With The Blues – WINNER

Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’ – Room On The Porch

Maria Muldaur – One Hour Mama: The Blues Of Victoria Spivey

Charlie Musselwhite – Look Out Highway

Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Bobby Rush – Young Fashioned Ways

 

Best Contemporary Blues Album

Joe Bonamassa – Breakthrough

Samantha Fish – Paper Doll

Eric Gales – A Tribute To LJK

Robert Randolph – Preacher Kids – WINNER

Southern Avenue – Family 

 

Best Folk Album

Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson – What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow

Patty Griffin – Crown Of Roses

I’m With Her – Wild And Clear And Blue – WINNER

Jason Isbell – Foxes In The Snow

Jesse Welles – Under The Powerlines April 24 – September 24 

 

Best Regional Roots Music Album

Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet – Live At Vaughan’s

Preservation Brass – For Fat Man

Kyle Roussel – Church Of New Orleans

Trombone Shorty And New Breed Brass Band – Second Line Sunday

Various Artists – A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco – WINNER

 

Best Gospel Performance/Song

Kirk Franklin – Do It Again

Tasha Cobbs Leonard, John Legend; Anthony S. Brown, Brunes Charles, Annatoria Chitapa, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Jonas Myrin – Church

Jonathan McReynolds & Jamal Roberts; Britney Delagraentiss, Jonathan McReynolds, David Lamar Outing II, Orlando Joel Palmer & Terrell Demetrius Wilson – Still (Live)

Pastor Mike Jr.; Adia Andrews, Michael McClure Jr., David Lamar Outing II & Terrell Anthony Pettus – Amen 

CeCe Winans featuring Shirley Caesar – Come Jesus Come – WINNER

 

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song 

Elevation Worship, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake; Hank Bentley, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake and Jacob Sooter – I Know A Name 

Forrest Frank and Pera – YOUR WAY’S BETTER

Brandon Lake With Jelly Roll; Chris Brown, Jason Bradley Deford, Steven Furtick, Benjamin William Hastings and Brandon Lake – Hard Fought Hallelujah – WINNER

Lecrae, Killer Mike, TI; Tyshane Thompson, Bongo ByTheWay, Michael Render, Lecrae Moore and Clifford Harris – Headphones

Darrel Walls, PJ Morton – Amazing 

 

Best Gospel Album

Yolanda Adams – Sunny Days

Tasha Cobbs Leonard – Tasha

Tamela Mann – Live Breathe Fight

Tye Tribbett – Only On The Road Live

Darrel Walls, PJ Morton – Heart Of Mine – WINNER

 

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album

Forrest Frank – CHILD OF GOD II

Israel & New Breed – Coritos Vol. 1 – WINNER

Brandon Lake – King Of Hearts

Lecrae – Reconstruction

Tauren Wells – Let The Church Sing

 

Best Roots Gospel Album 

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir – I Will Not Be Moved — Live – WINNER

Gaither Vocal Band – Then Came The Morning

The Isaacs – Praise & Worship: More Than A Hollow Hallelujah

Karen Peck & New River – Good Answers

Candi Staton – Back To My Roots

 

Best Latin Pop Album

Rauw Alejandro – Cosa Nuestra

Andrés Cepeda – BOGOTA DELUXE

KAROL G – Tropicoqueta 

Natalia Lafourcade – Cancionera – WINNER

Alejandro Sanz – Y ahora que

 

Best Musica Urbana Album

Bad Bunny – DeBI TiRAR MaS FOToS – WINNER

J Balvin – Mixteip

Feid – FERXXO VOL X: Sagrado

Nicki Nicole – NAIKI

Trueno – EUB DELUXE

Yandel – SINFONICO — En Vivo 

 

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album

Aterciopelados – Genes Rebeldes

Bomba Estereo, Rawayana, ASTROPICAL – ASTROPICAL

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso – PAPOTA – WINNER

Los Wizzards – ALGORHYTHM

Fito Paez – Novela 

 

Best Musica Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)

Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera – MALA MIA

Grupo Frontera – Y Lo Que Viene

Paola Jara – Sin Rodeos 

Carín León – Palabra De To’s – Seca – WINNER

Bobby Pulido – Bobby Pulido & Friends Una Tuya Y Una Mía – Por La Puerta Grande – En Vivo

 

Best Tropical Latin Album 

Rubén Blades, Roberto Delgado & Orquesta – Fotografías

Gloria Estefan – Raíces – WINNER

Grupo Niche – Clasicos 1.0

Alain Perez – Bingo

Gilberto Santa Rosa – Debut y Segunda Tanda, Vol. 2 

 

Best Global Music Performance

Bad Bunny – EoO – WINNER

Ciro Hurtado – Cantando en el Camino

Angelique Kidjo – JERUSALEMA

Yeisy Rojas – Inmigrante Y Que

Shakti – Shrini’s Dream (Live)

Anoushka Shankar featuring Alam Khan and Sarathy Korwar – Daybreak

 

Best African Music Performance

Burna Boy – Love

Davido Featuring Omah Lay – With You

Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin – Hope & Love

Ayra Starr Featuring Wizkid – Gimme Dat

Tyla – PUSH 2 START – WINNER 

 

Best Global Music Album

Siddhant Bhatia – Sounds Of Kumbha

Burna Boy – No Sign of Weakness

Youssou N’Dour – Eclairer le monde – Light the World

Shakti – Mind Explosion – 50th Anniversary Tour Live

Anoushka Shankar Featuring Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar – Chapter III: We Return To Light

Caetano Veloso And Maria Bethânia -Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo – WINNER

 

Best Reggae Album

Lila Iké – Treasure Self Love

Vybz Kartel – Heart & Soul

Keznamdi – BLXXD & FYAH – WINNER

Mortimer – From Within

Jesse Royal – No Place Like Home

 

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album

Kirsten Agresta-Copely – Kuruvinda 

Cheryl B. Engelhardt, GEM, Dallas String Quartet – According To The Moon

Jahnavi Harrison – Into The Forest

Carla Patullo Featuring The Scorchio Quartet & Tonality – NOMADICA – WINNER

Chris Redding – The Colors In My Mind 

 

Best Children’s Music Album

Joanie Leeds & Joya – Ageless: 100 Years Young

Mega Ran – Buddy’s Magic Tree House

FYÜTCH & Aura V – Harmony – WINNER

Flor Bromley – Herstory

Tori Amos – The Music Of Tori And The Muses

 

Best Comedy Album

Bill Burr – Drop Dead Years

Sarah Silverman – PostMortem

Ali Wong – Single Lady

Jamie Foxx – What Had Happened Was…

Nate Bargatze – Your Friend, Nate Bargatze – WINNER

 

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording

Kathy Garver – Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story

Trevor Noah – Into The Uncut Grass

Ketanji Brown Jackson – Lovely One: A Memoir

Dalai Lama – Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama – WINNER

Fab Morvan – You Know It’s True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli 

 

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media

A Complete Unknown 

F1 The Album 

KPop Demon Hunters

Sinners – WINNER

Wicked 

 

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)

How To Train Your Dragon 

Severance: Season 2

Sinners – WINNER

Wicked

The Wild Robot 

 

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Secrets of the Spires

Helldivers 2

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle

Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune

Sword of the Sea – WINNER

 

Best Song Written For Visual Media

Nine Inch Nails – As Alive As You Need Me To Be (From TRON: Ares)

HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI – Golden (From KPop Demon Hunters)

Miles Caton – I Lied to You (From Sinners)

Elton John, Brandi Carlile – Never Too Late (From Elton John: Never Too Late)

Jayme Lawson – Pale, Pale Moon (From Sinners)

Rod Wave – Sinners (From Sinners)

 

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical

Cam – All Things Light

Alison Krauss & Union Station -Arcadia

Japanese Breakfast – For Melancholy Brunettes & sad women

Pino Palladino, Blake Mills – That Wasn’t A Dream – WINNER

 

Best Engineered Album, Classical

Sandbox Percussion – Cerrone: Don’t Look Down

Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra – Eastman: Symphony No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2

Andris Nelsons, Kristine Opolais, Günther Groissböck, Peter Hoare, Brenden Gunnell & Boston Symphony Orchestra – Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth Of The Mtsensk District

Third Coast Percussion – Standard Stoppages

Trio Mediæval – Yule

 

Producer Of The Year, Classical

Blanton Alspaugh

Sergei Kvitko

Morten Lindberg

Dmitriy Lipay

Elaine Martone 

 

Best Immersive Audio Album

Duckwrth – All American F—boy

Justin Gray – Immersed – WINNER

Various Artists – An Immersive Tribute To Astor Piazzolla (Live)

Tearjerkers – Tearjerkers

Trio Mediæval – Yule

 

Best Instrumental Composition

Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz – First Snow – WINNER

Miho Hazama, Danish Radio Big Band & Danish National Symphony Orchestra – Live Life This Day: Movement I

Sierra Hull – Lord, That’s A Long Way

Zain Effendi – Opening

John Powell & Stephen Schwartz – Train To Emerald City

Ludwig Goransson Featuring Miles Caton – Why You Here / Before The Sun Went Down

 

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella

Cynthia Erivo – Be Okay

Nordkraft Big Band & Remy Le Boeuf – A Child Is Born

The Westerlies – Fight On

The 8-Bit Big Band – Super Mario Praise Break – WINNER

 

Best Classical Instrumental Solo

National Philharmonic – Coleridge-Taylor: 3 Selections From 24 Negro Melodies

Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble – Hope Orchestrated

Adam Tendler – Inheritances

Malmö Opera Orchestra – Price: Piano Concerto In One Movement In D Minor

Boston Symphony Orchestra -Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos – WINNER

Boston Symphony Orchestra -Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos; Solo Works 

 

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album

National Symphonia Orchestra – Alike – My Mother’s Dream

Sidney Outlaw, Warren Jones – Black Pierrot

Devony Smith, Danny Zelibor, Michael Nicolas – In This Short Life

Susan Narucki, Curtis Macomber -Kurtág: Kafka Fragments

Rupert Boyd, Julia Bullock, Alex Levine, Andrew Owens, Rubén Rengel & Sam Weber – Schubert Beatles

Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra – Telemann: Ino – Opera Arias For Soprano – WINNER

 

Best Classical Compendium 

Cerrone: Don’t Look Down

The Dunbar/Moore Sessions, Vol. II

Ortiz: Yanga – WINNER

Seven Seasons

Tombeaux 

 

Best Contemporary Classical Composition

Conor Hanick & Sandbox Percussion Cerrone: Don’t Look Down

Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound –  Dennehy: Land Of Winter

Edward Gardner & London Philharmonic Orchestra – León: Raíces — Origins

Will Liverman, Paul Sánchez & Various Artists – Okpebholo: Songs In Flight

Alisa Weilerstein, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic – Ortiz: Dzonot – WINNER