9LIST STORI3S | SOMMER RAY

Read the AUG ISSUE #116 of Athleisure Mag and see 9LIST STORI3S | Sommer Ray in mag.

ON THE DANCE FLOOR | MATT STEFFANINA

There is something about dance music that brings people together through the beats, lyrics, and that feeling of being together. We took some time to chat with Matt Steffanina who is a noted choreographer that has worked with Taylor Swift, Meghan Trainor, Jason Derulo and more. In addition to his love of music as a dancer, he is also a DJ who loves EDM and how these passions combined together! We talk with him about his career, founding DNCR Academy, his focus as an EDM DJ, upcoming music, and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Before we delve into your DJing, you were a competitive snowboarder early on in your career. What led you from doing that to becoming interested in hip-hop dance and ultimately being a choreographer?

MATT STEFFANINA: Snowboarding was my first creative outlet, it gave me this rush of freedom and self- expression. I would train at the gymnastics spot every summer working on new flips and tricks on the trampolines. But when I saw dance for the first time in music videos, it hit different. I started using what I’d learned in snowboarding to pick up breakdancing, teaching myself by watching my favorite dancers in movies and eventually that led me to hip hop and choreography.

AM: You have danced with a number of notable people from Taylor Swift, Jason Derulo, Meghan Trainor and more. What has it meant to you that you have been able to work with so many people throughout your career?

MS: It’s surreal sometimes. Coming from a small town in Virginia, I never imagined I’d share the stage or studio with artists I grew up watching. What means the most to me isn’t just the star power, it’s the fact that these collaborations validate all the hours I put in dancing in my basement. It’s also taught me that no matter how big someone is, the best artists stay grounded and collaborative.

AM: As a choreographer, what is the creative process like when it comes to working with an artist and executing a vision whether it's for a performance on the stage for a show, a music video, or even for a tour? What is it that you are looking for and how does it come together?

MS: It always starts with the vibe, the message behind the song and how the artist wants to express it. From there, I focus on musicality and how movement can elevate the emotion of the track. I like to blend precision with personality making sure the choreography is clean but still allows the artist to shine as themselves. Collaboration is key, so I always leave space for spontaneity and input from the team.

AM: When did you found the DNCR Academy and tell us what takes place there?

MS: I launched DNCR Academy in 2020 at the start of COVID to give dancers everywhere access to the kind of training I never had growing up. It’s a global online dance platform where you can learn styles like hip-hop, shuffling, animation, and choreography for TikTok. What makes it special is the community, it’s not just about steps, it’s about confidence, growth, and connecting with dancers from around the world.

AM: In the midst of a successful career as a choreographer, you also have DJ'd as well. When did you realize that you enjoyed doing this as well?

MS: Music has always been at the core of everything I do. I started DJing in high school to save up money to move to LA. I played everything from birthday parties and corporate gigs to weddings and clubs. I loved the idea of being able to bring people together through playing a set and curating a vibe. When I realized I could combine my love for music, performance, and dance all in one, I was hooked.

AM: What do you enjoy about EDM music?

MS: EDM is emotional, and it brings people together in a way few genres do. I love the build-ups, the drops, the melodies, it’s like choreographing with sound. Plus, the festival scene is such an amazing, accepting, and creative space. It feels like home.

AM: What led you to debuting a sub-label from Spinnin' & One Hundred: Night Drive?

MS: I wanted a home for music that captures that late-night, windows-down, emotional kind of vibe, something that blends dance, electronic, and melodic storytelling. Partnering with Spinnin’ and One Hundred made sense because they get that vision.

AM: What is your creative process when it comes to creating music? Where do you start?

MS: It always starts with a feeling. Sometimes it’s a vocal sample, sometimes a chord progression or even a moment from my life I want to capture. I’m visual, so I often imagine the music video or the live performance while building the track. Collaboration with vocalists and other producers helps bring it to life and take it to the next level.

AM: Love Where We Are is a fun track and the video definitely is a vibe - tell us about this song!

MS: Love Where We Are was born out of that post-pandemic realization that happiness isn’t always somewhere else — it can be right here, right now. I wanted it to feel joyful and freeing. The video captures that energy, dancing, letting go, and being fully present with the people around you.

AM: We have enjoyed Amazing Race since the first season and you won S28 - what made you want to be on this show and what did it mean to you to be able to travel the world in this way?

MS: I’ve always been up for an adventure, and The Amazing Race was the ultimate challenge. It pushed me physically, mentally, and emotionally. Winning Season 28 was a dream come true, but the real prize was the growth and the perspective I gained from seeing the world through so many different cultures.

AM: What do you have coming up that we should keep an eye out for whether as a choreographer or a DJ?

MS: I’ve got some new music dropping soon under Night Drive, more melodic EDM tracks that blend dance with deeper storytelling. Also working on expanding DNCR with more teachers and dance fitness programs. And with my clothing brand Mad Chill, we’re building out a couple different mental health-driven campaigns that I think are going to make a big impact.

IG @mattsteffanina

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Matt Steffanina

Read the JUL ISSUE #115 of Athleisure Mag and see ON THE DANCE FLOOR | Matt Steffanina in mag.

9PLAYLIST | TYSON MCGUFFIN

Read the JUL ISSUE #115 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Tyson McGuffin in mag.

EVOLUTION OF SANDSTORM | DARUDE

There are certain songs that you remember where you were when you first heard them and then there are others that are linked to numerous moments and they become a major part of the soundtrack of our lives!

Sandstorm is that song for us. We remember hearing it when it first came out when we were in college, we have heard it at fashion, sports, and tech trade shows, many a night at Limelight (back when it was a club here in NY), we heard this song and even other top DJ's play and have remixed this song. When you think of songs in EDM, Toni-Ville Henrik Virtanen aka as Darude is pivotal in anthems that get us moving. With this iconic song being out for 25 years with over half a billion Spotify streams, we wanted to talk with Darude about the impact of this song, how it was created, and what it means to him.

Currently, Darude is on the STORM 25 Tour where he plays this song along with other tracks that we can vibe to. We also talk with him about how he got into this industry, his creative process, and upcoming projects.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the song that you heard that made you fall in love with dance music?

DARUDE: So around 1982, I was maybe seven or eight years old, my cousin played me Oxygène the album by French composer Jean-Michel Jarre. I think it was the piece Oxygène Pt.4 especially which really got me hooked onto electronic sounds. It’s maybe not what we’d consider straight-up “dance music” like you hear today but it was almost certainly a precursor for genres like Trance with the beautiful melodies and careful use of synths and phasers to create that ambient, uplifting sound.

Faithless and Scooter were also early loves of mine, but really growing up I listened to a whole melting pot of sounds from Punk to 80s Hair Metal, which still influences my music today.

AM: When did you realize that you wanted to be a DJ?

D: I never set out to be a DJ as such, I was a producer and live artist and I still consider myself a producer first. Then, when Sandstorm blew up, I started to get these incredible booking requests and had to pick up the art of DJing pretty quickly as although the live sets are great, travelling with all of the gear needed is not as practical.

AM: How do you define the Darude sound?

D: I’m not one for strict genre labels, I’d say my sound is energetic, emotive, electronic dance music created with the dancefloor in mind. Ask me again in a few years, even months, it might differ slightly, but that’s the beauty of being an artist, you’re always honing and evolving your craft.

AM: What is your creative process when you're making music and where do you start?

D: Inspiration for a full track or even just the melody can strike anywhere really. My approach hasn’t really changed too much over the years, I still love tinkering. Sometimes I start from the drums, I start from drum-works that are energetic and make me want to move, but really, I just love just playing with different sounds, adding a delay, adding a reverb and if I hear something in it, I just see where I can take it next.

My purpose-built studio at home in Finland is aptly called Serendipity Studio because it’s where happy accidents often happen. Ideas just crash into one another and it’s in my skillset to recognise those ideas that I see potential in developing into, hopefully, a hit record or a solid dancefloor number.

AM: I was in college when I first heard Sandstorm. How did this song come about and what do you think it is about it that it continues to be a song that draws people in?

D: It’s the million-dollar question! What’s so interesting about Sandstorm is not only does it resonate with so many people, but it goes way beyond just dance music fans.

A lot of sports teams, from college football to ice hockey, listen to Sandstorm to get hyped for a big match. It’s huge in the gaming world too, and then it’s got this whole other life as an online meme.

When it came to actually producing Sandstorm, the first thing people often think about is the lead sound, the “dududu” if you will, and that I’d already started working on in around 1997.

So, the Sandstorm riff stayed on my hard drive for a couple years, then in summer of ’99 I just happened to open the file again. I liked the melody, and at the time I was using Cubase VST 24 which had a plugin called Quadrafuzz and once I distorted the sound with it, it became what now is known as the Sandstorm lead.

After that, it only took a day or so for me to build the chords around the main melody, then a few sessions maybe over a week to develop it into a full track. It got played by a few local DJs in Finnish clubs, then JS16, Jaakko Salovaara, now a close friend, took me under his wing and that time had just launched his own record company, 16 Inch Records. He asked if I wanted to be his first artist, we refined Sandstorm in his studio with his better gear and knowledge into the final version you hear now.

It was then time to put it out into the world, and the rest as they say is history.

AM: Did you think that Sandstorm would have the staying power that it has had for 25 years, with over half a billion Spotify streams and a number of DJs from Martin Garrix, Tiësto, Hardwell, David Guetta, and more who enjoy playing this song?

D: I never could have predicted the insane global phenomenon that Sandstorm would become. To be honest, if someone told me at the time “hey this track is going to reach millions of people, launch your music career, feature in the USB of the world’s biggest DJs, and still be huge in twenty-five years” I think the pressure would have been too much and it never would have made it out of my head, let alone the studio.

That’s the beauty of that track I suppose it came about so organically. Another thing to remember is at the time of Sandstorm being released, the internet was still relatively new and social media didn’t exist so the concept of something going “viral” on that scale wasn’t even a passing thought in my mind. I was just hyped if my buddies down my local club were into it.

AM: Why did you want to launch a record label?

D: I launched my record label Vibing Out for a few reasons. One, I wanted a platform to release my own music where I had full creative freedom and could keep full rights and control as much as I can.

Secondly, and my biggest motivator behind the label, is to help platform other producers and artists who I see great potential in. We all remember that first foot-up into the industry and if this label can provide that to others, then it’s a success in my eyes.

The name Vibing Out actually stems from my weekly live-stream show on Twitch which I’ve been hosting for a few years now. It’s the buzzword of the moment but we really have created a nice little community on there and I wanted that same togetherness spirit to carry on into the label.

Plus, I’m not here for following trends. Good music is good music. So, as long as your track is something we can all “vibe out” to on the dancefloor then I’m all ears.

AM: You have toured all over the world and have played at phenomenal festivals and currently you are on the STORM 25 World Tour! What was the vision behind doing this tour?

D: The tour was originally planned for the twentieth anniversary, however, as with most tours scheduled around 2020, this didn’t happen for obvious reasons.

So, for the twenty-fifth anniversary we had to go big. The tour itself it really is about bringing people together, it’s my thanks to everyone who has partied with me and listened to my music over the last two and a half decades.

It’s about not just celebrating Sandstorm, but the whole Before The Storm album and years of Darude which have followed. I’ve released five studio albums in total now, so it’s been really fun digging through my catalogue and reworking some tracks into exclusive brand new STORM 25 remixes you’ll only hear on this tour.

I’m also going back to my roots in a way as for select shows I’m performing live sets, reimagining my tracks in real time. A lot of work has gone into these with additional synths, controllers and extra visual production too. Custom visuals, lasers, it’s a full spectacle and hopefully a great night for everyone who comes along.

AM: One of your dates will be here in NYC at Webster Hall! What can we expect from this show?

D: I am so excited to return to New York and Webster Hall specifically. In the early 00’s I played the exact venue a couple of times, and it always was a really unforgettable show that just captured the hype around Sandstorm and the first album at that time, so it’s a personal full circle moment to come back and perform almost twenty-five years later. I know I'll have some long-time friends and industry associates coming as well, it’ll be a night to remember!

AM: On Aug 31st, you will be on the Finnish leg of this tour and there will be a Sandstorm Run - tell us about this 6K event!

D: Yes! I’m super stoked for the Sandstorm run. The music video for Sandstorm is loved by fans almost as much as the track itself so we wanted to do something fun to honour this.

With the Finnish STORM 25 show coming up too, we had the idea to create a route around the city which passes by iconic landmarks from the video. The cathedral steps are probably the most famous of them all.

It’s all about having fun though, so if you’re not a hardcore runner don’t be put off, you can walk the route too. There are going to be photo stops along the way, I’ll be waving you all across the finish line to the tune of Sandstorm and I want to see everyone in their best Y2K outfits! Which is all the trend now I hear!

So far, the reception has been amazing. We’ve had people signing up from as far away as the US and Mexico which is crazy to me. Who knows, maybe this will be the first of many Sandstorm runs to come…

AM: We read that last month, on multiple Finnish radio stations Sandstorm was played at the same time! What does it mean to you about the impact that this song has had?

D: I mean, it’s a feeling that is just impossible to put into words. It still blows my mind to this day how far and wide that track resonates. It’s so cool seeing the younger generations dig it too.

Especially, when I see amazing moments like the Finnish radio stations, schools and public stations dropping Sandstorm in unison, I’m in awe of the real superpower Sandstorm has in bringing people together. That humbles me every time.

AM: Since you're in the thick of touring, how do you take care of yourself on the road? Are there any activities/sports you follow to keep up your physical and mental health?

D: I’ve been touring for twenty-five years now so I am used to it in a way, and how I tour today definitely looks a lot different to the early days. I’ve done the heavy partying (plenty of it!) so these days it’s important to me to get a good night’s sleep to keep up the stamina and maybe an energy bar or soda if needed.

As for my downtime, I’m super into skateboarding. It’s a hobby I started as a kid, and I picked it up again later in life. So, whenever I’m on tour I always pack my board and check out the local skateparks in whatever city I’m in if I’ve got a couple of hours to myself.

Physically, skating helps to loosen up any stiff backs from a long-haul flight that’s for sure! It’s invigorating for the brain too, I love the drive of working at a new skill, a new trick or move, and seeing my progression. Of course, there are a few bumps and bruises along the way but that’s part of the thrill.

AM: Beyond this tour, are there any upcoming tracks that we should keep an eye out for?

D: Definitely! Between shows, I’m straight into the studio. Right now, I can’t give too much away. Not to be that guy, but what I can say, is that big things are coming for sure!

AM: What do you want your legacy to be known as you have won multiple awards, participated in great partnerships, and more!

D: As nice as they are, for me, it’s never been about the whole awards and accolades thing.

What makes me feel most proud is when I get a DM from a follower saying how one of my songs made them feel a certain way, or soundtracked a particular moment in their life.

Similarly, when people come to my shows and leave with life-long memories. It’s always awesome to bump into fans and they still recall parties from maybe ten, fifteen, even twenty years ago, how they felt, the music they heard, and new friends they made on the dancefloor. That’s what it’s all about.

IG @darude

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Front/Back Cover Nana Simelius | PG 16 - 27 + PG 30 for 9PLAYLIST Rachel Gold | PG 28 + 29 Tomas Fotoo |

Read the JUN ISSUE #114 of Athleisure Mag and see EVOLUTION OF SANDSTORM | Darude in mag.

GOVBALL 2025

Earlier this month, we made our way to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, the home 3-Day home of of Governors Ball, a music festival that brings various genres of music together to Queens to kick off the Summer as well as a number of culinary vendors that are some of the favorite eats to enjoy across the boroughs. In addition, there are activations with beauty, alcohol and tech brands that people can enjoy!

We made our way to the festival grounds as we were fortunate that the 3 acts that we came to see would be taking place on one day. Our first stop was heading over to Gotham Burger Social Gotham Burger Social Club which is located on the LES as well as Greenpoint, BK. They're known for their collaborative hamburgers that they do! As we love a great burger and fries, we have no idea how we have never had the chance to check them out. We can report that their Gotham Smash burgers were juicy and their fries hit the spot - we can't wait to check them out soon as we're already planning another Gotham Smash Double, Frickles, Loaded Tots, and Limone Spritz.

In addition to staying properly hydrated thanks to having stations populated throughout the grounds, a great meal ensures that your energy will remain high at whatever festival you may be attending. Our press passes gave us access to the VIP viewing areas to catch the acts as the sets we watched were on the Kiehl's Stage and the Governors Ball stage. It allowed us to go back and forth between the stages and even had food and beverage vendors so that we could stay there while we waited for the next act!

We have enjoyed seeing Tyla for the past few months between hearing her music, videos, and her appearances on Awards Shows and red carpets. So we were excited to see her on stage and she didn't disappoint. In addition to enjoying her music, she had great dancers and choreography, and she kept the crowd going without a dull moment in between each song. We can't wait to see future performances as she puts on a great show!

While Tyla brought the sultry vibes on a warm Summer day with her amapiano X pop X R&B X Afro Beats, T-Pain brought all of the classics throughout his 45mins set! Seeing the crowd singing along to each song across generations and the energy that he gave made you see how much his songs have impacted us!

As the golden hour took place, we were really excited to see Benson Boone. Of course we knew that we had songs that were on our playlist and that he has a penchant for flipping. From the time he hit the stage he set the vibe as he went through a number of songs as well as performed those that are on his latest album that he dropped. Of course he showed us how many ways and things he could flip on and even had heartfelt moments that let us get to know more about him.

Although there are a number of festivals to enjoy around the globe, we really love the kinds of acts that come to this show. As we also had time sitting in the press lounge, whatever acts we didn't catch on their respective stages, we saw them there and it was great to see them before and after their sets. In addition, watching the crowds in general and seeing how they were taking in the activations, sets, and just enjoying the grounds - it was a great weekend to disconnect from our typical days and to link in with the love of music and discovery.

IG @govballnyc

@tyla

@tpain

@bensonboone

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 68 Charles Reagan | PG 71 Tylaby Deanie Chen | PG 72 - 73 Taylor Regulski | PG 74 Roger Ho | PG 75 Dusana Risovic

Read the JUN ISSUE #114 of Athleisure Mag and see GovBall 2025 in mag.

63MIX ROUTIN3S | DARUDE

Read the JUN ISUE #114 of Athleisure Mag and see 63MIX 63MIX ROUTIN3S | Darude in mag.

9PLAYLIST | DARUDE

Read the JUN ISSUE #114 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Darude in maa.

9PLAYLIST | OLIVER HELDENS

Read the JUN ISSUE #114 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Oliver Heldens in mag.

LAST SUMMER ON EARTH 2025

This Summer as we navigate our concerts and music festivals, we’re always looking at what act we should have on our list. Barenaked Ladies is hitting the road with special guests, Sugar Ray and Fastball who are currently touring together and here in NYC, they will be here at Pier 17 at South Street Seaport on Jul 9th on the rooftop. This show will definitely bring us back to our 2000’s era!

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

MACY'S 4TH OF JULY FIREWORKS

PHOTO CREDIT | Macy’s

With one of the largest Summer holidays taking place next week, many of us have a number of activities that we will partake in for the 4th of July! Whether it’s a rooftop party, a backyard barbecue, or laying out on the beach - the options are endless! We tend to find ourselves taking in our local fireworks as well as those that are presented via Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks which will be live from the Brooklyn Bridge (that includes fireworks off this iconic bridge and 4 barges that are on the lower East River in the Seaport District)! If you’re watching via broadcast, you can catch them on NBC at 8pm ET (the encore presentation will air on 10pm ET) or stream it on Peacock!

For the 49th edition of this show there will be an array of acts prior to the big show in the sky which will include the Jonas Brothers, Eric Church, Lenny Kravitz, Ava Max, Keke Palmer, and Trisha Yearwood. This year’s event will be hosted by Ariana DeBose and the musical score for the fireworks is created by Ahmir Questlove Thompson and James Poyser.

This year’s show will have more than 80.000 shells, 30 vibrant colors and of course effects that will include state-of-the-art projection mapping on the Brooklyn Bridge. We all have our favorite pyrotechnic effects such as the crackling crown jellyfish, atomic rings, yellow and green sunbursts and so much more! The telecast will also celebrate the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games as well as the NBA’s return to NBC this Fall.

Clearly, this is a Summer tradition that has been enjoyed since 1976 in terms of Macy’s creating this spectacular event each year! If you are with us in the city, you’ll want to check our public viewing areas where you can see it in person as there is a sponsored lottery for free public viewing tickets. If you have yet to see it in person but are planning ahead to next year, you can begin planning now as it will be in its 50th year.

Read the latest issue of Athleisure Mag.

GOV BALL 2025

As we close out the month of May, we're looking ahead to June which is filled with a number of events that includes NY's 3-day music festival - Governors Ball (Jun 6th - 8th), Bar Convent Brooklyn a trade 2-day event that showcases the spirits and hospitality (Jun 10th + Jun 11th) as well as the Summer Fancy Food Show (Jun 29th - Jul 1st) - another trade event that allows us to connect and sample foods from brands that are new to market as well as those who we have enjoyed previously.

We have always enjoyed covering Governors Ball as this music festival takes place in NYC that kicks off the Summer in many ways. This festival takes place in Flushing Meadows Corona Park in Queens. What makes this festival unique is that over the course of the 3 days, you have a number of genres of major acts such as Hozier, Olivia Rodrigo, T-Pain, and Benson Boone. But you will also find up and coming artists or those that are on the brink of being names to know that may be new to you!

With phenomenal music scheduled, it's also a great time to take in activations that are available as well as food and beverage vendors that give a depth of variety across dietary lifestyles. It's one of those events that you definitely feel the music community and there a number of memories that are built during this time of year. Last year [Editor's Note: you can check our our pre and post coverage], we enjoyed SZA who was the final act for this festival and we were mesmerized with her performance. We can't wait to see this year's acts and in our JUN ISSUE #114, we will share with you what we saw and will also share interviews with you as well.

IG @govballnyc

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Governors Ball/Paigge Warton

Read the MAY ISSUE #113 of Athleisure Mag and see GOV BALL 2025 in mag.

9PLAYLIST | SABRINA CARPENTER

Read the MAY ISSUE #113 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Sabrina Carpenter in mag.

BINGELY BOOKS

MUSHROOMS: OVER 70 RECIPES WHICH CELEBRATE MUSHROOMS

Hardie Grant

Martin Nordin

One of our favorite vegetables to eat is the mushroom as it is so versatile and can be enjoyed in many ways. In Mushrooms: Over 70 Recipes That Celebrates Our Favorite Fungi, this cookbook showcases 70 vegetarian recipes that you'll want to have in your culinary repertoire year around.

We're looking forward to making soups, dumplings, piccas, and more that feature this key ingredient.

LOLLAPALOOZA: THE UNCENSORED STORY OF ALTERNATIVE ROCK'S WILDEST FESTIVAL

St Martin's Press

Richard Bienstock + Tom Beaujour

In Lollapalooza: The Uncensored Story of Alternative Rock's Wildest Festival we get to know more about the history of this iconic festival from those who know - musicians, roadies, publicists, stage crews, record label execs, reporters, and industry people who lived through it. This book is filled with interviews from those that were involved in this festival from 1991 - 1997.

This book also looks at alternative rock as well as how it affected the culture. This festival was created by Perry Farrell as part of his farewell tour for Jane's Addiction.

The inaugural launch took place in the Summer of 1991 and became a movement that includes music, fashion, film, television, literature, food, politics, and beyond. You'll even hear from those who have played on this tour including: Perry Farrell, Jane's Addiction, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Nine Inch Nails, Sonic Youth, Tool, Smashing Pumpkins, Ice-T, Rage Against the Machine, Green Day, Patti Smith, Alice in Chains, Metallica and more.

It also examines how a diverse series of genres from rap, hip-hop, dance music, gothic, and so much more became the blueprint for the modern American music festival.

100% OFFICIAL CORNHOLE COOKBOOK

Fox Chapel Publishing

Frank Geers

As we begin thinking ahead to fun activities that can be enjoyed this Spring and Summer, we also think about the dishes we can enjoy with them. Cornhole is a fun outdoor activity and in 100% Official Cornhole Cookbook: 115 Epic Recipes: Cornhole History, Fun Facts, and Winning Tips From Burgers to Dessert Make the Perfect Backyard Spread For Your Next Game, you'll find appetizers, soups, salads, sliders, burgers, main dishes, desserts, and more! We can't wait to make the recipes in this book from the Hot Honey Cornbread Slabs, Batter Up Beer Burgers, and our recipe that is included - Lime Mezcal Chimichurri Wings. In addition, you'll enjoy learning facts and tips about cornhole.

Read the MAR ISSUE #111 of Athleisure Mag and see BINGELY BOOKS in mag.

9PLAYLIST MULTI | SLOANE STEPHENS

Read the MAR ISSUE #111 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST MULTI | Sloane Stephens in mag.

9PLAYLIST | KAAZE

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9PLAYLIST | RASHEE RICE

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9PLAYLIST | JALEN HURTS

Read the FEB ISSUE #110 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST Jalen Hurts in mag listen to his selects on 9PLAYLIST.

BLESSED ICE | SIMONE I SMITH

We love a bling moment and when we were first introduced to Simone I Smith's line in 2011 and 2012, we loved her lollipop pendant, creating a line that is filled with statement jewelry that includes earrings, necklaces, and rings! She has collaborated with Celebrity Fashion Stylist Misa Hylton as well as 9X Grammy Award winner (32X Nominated), 8 multi-platinum albums, 2X Golden Globe nominee and SAG nominee Executive Producer and actress, Mary J. Blige (Power Book II: Ghost, Respect, How to Get Away with Murder)! Her line empowers those who wear it and she continues to expand her design aesthetic so that we can put our best foot forward. We sat down with Simone to find out more about her namesake line, her creative process, her recent launch of Majesty, her men's jewelry line where her sons and husband, Todd Smith aka LL Cool J (Oz, Deep Blue Sea, NCIS: Los Angeles) participated in her campaign, and more.

ATHLEISURE MAG: I love the earrings, of course. Well, thank you so much for taking the time I met you briefly at your launch event with you and Misa Hylton last Spring which was amazing and you debuted your Denim and Diamonds collection which was beautiful. I've been a fan of yours for a number of years, so I'm just so excited to chat with you.

SIS: Thank you, I'm excited to chat with you too!

AM: Well, when did you first fall in love with fashion and accessories?

SIS: When I was a teenager, you know, like 17, 18 years, when I met my husband and that was in ‘87 and it was right when they called it back then, it was called Truck Jewelry (Editor’s Note: Truck Jewelry is a Hip-Hop style of jewelry representing the intersection of religion, faith, and the culture. It showcases wealth, power, and social statsus. It’s often associated with large hoop earrings, rings, chains, watches, and medallions. It has influenced fashion globally.). But it was, when the Doorknockers were out there and you know, I had the Triangle Earrings. Todd gave me my first pair of Doorknocker Earrings and I was 17 years old and that's when I like fell in love with big hoops.

But fashion was always something that I've just always loved! I was always in my mother's closet always trying to wear her stuff. You know, I would love to, you know, just like put really cool fashionable things together. But I would say my love, definitely started around 17.

AM: What led you to decide to design jewelry?

SIS: An opportunity was presented to me and I ran with it. I just grabbed it and I was like the opportunity was presented to design the jewelry line and I was like, absolutely. But the first things, first things, first is Hoops! It's gonna be hard to find.

AM: Yeah.

SIS: They were hard to find, it was a big void in the marketplace. You couldn't really find good quality hoop earrings that were affordable. At that time, I was actually able to find like sterling silver hoops right?

AM: Yeah.

SIS: Just the color sterling jewelry ones. Because all of my jewelry is sterling silver. But the gold ones have a sterling silver base with 18K, plating on top of it. Just to find good quality gold hoops without having to spend $5,000 because they're 14K gold which is good quality hoops and I just wanted to be that designer that just blessed women with really fabulous, good quality, affordable hoops which I have been able to do.

AM: Which have a good wearable weight to them too.

SIS: Right, they’re not too heavy. We have a few pairs that may have a little weight to them, but that's because of the design and thickness, but even my thickest earrings, aren't that heavy because the base is sterling silver and not Stainless Steel.

AM: I remember the very first jewelry piece that I had seen from you was your Lollipop Pendant, which I remember when those came out. What was the first piece that you remember just designing?

SIS: The first piece I designed – okay, the first earring that I designed was my logo earring and It was because I fell in love with my logo. When I decided and I chose my logo, I said, “oh my God, these are going to be the hottest freaking hoops! This is going to be a hot hoop.”

AM: Yeah!

SIS: That was my first earring that I designed, and we named, well, my husband actually named it Infinite Love because if you look at my logo, it looks like an infinity sign, you see a heart, and you see a butterfly. So, Todd actually named those earrings for me and they're called Infinite Love. And then my second design was my lollipop and that's, because by the grace of God, thank you Jesus. I am a 20-year cancer survivor going on 21.

I had a lollipop tattoo on my left leg. Let me back up, they found a chondrosarcoma in my right, tibia bone. So I had to have Microvascular Reconstructive surgery, so they had to remove my whole tibia bone and replace it with my left, fibular bone. So when they had to go into my left leg to take my fibula bone out, the surgeon said, “Simone, you may wake up and your lollipop tattoo may not be there." And I was like, “well if there's any way you can avoid from messing up my lollipop tattoo, I would really appreciate it.” I woke up and a part of the lollipop tattoo was on the front of my right leg because they had to do a skin graft -

AM: Oh wow.

SIS: To cover the scarring on where they had to open up. So, when I had created my lollipop pendant, my lollipop tattoo actually looked like somebody took a bite out of it. So I designed my lollipop, exactly the way it looked after my surgery and I called it A Sweet Touch of Hope.

AM: Yeah.

SIS: Because the candy represents how sweet life is and the bite represents what cancer does.

AM: Yeah.

SIS: In the bite, my logo, emerges out of it because it's just a reminder of me being a cancer survivor, getting well, staying well, and it's all a part of my journey because life is really sweet. Life is a gift. Because everybody's cancer journey is different and I praise God that I'm here 20 years cancer free. I can walk. I can wear heels.

AM: You surely can walk in those heels as you looked great at the event!

SIS: I can’t chase dogs or anything, but I’m here. You know, praise God. And I can workout and I can wear heels and And, you know, and I'm just healthy.

AM: Where do you start in terms of your design process? Where do you get the inspiration from?

SIS: My inspiration comes from nature, you know what I'm saying? Like, I remember one day, I was eating some strawberries, and I was like, you know what, I want to make it, I'm gonna design an earring, that's the shape of a strawberry. So, anything inspires me, you know? So with the strawberry shape, like I came with the earring called Precious Fruit. So Precious Fruit is one of the classics. It was in the first collection of my earrings that I designed and it's still a very popular piece because the earring is actually shaped like a strawberry. My inspiration comes from fashion, my inspiration comes from my children.

AM: Mmm

SIS: If I look at flowers, it’s like, it's so many things that my inspiration is also women always just want to make sure that women have like great earrings. My inspiration just comes from the culture. My inspiration comes from just growing up in New York. You know the New York fashion to me, I don't think anybody has it. New York fashion is amazing.

What else inspires me? Like growing up being a teenager, you know, in the late ‘80s and meeting my husband. And when I think about sister love and me and Mary J. Blige coming together, and creating Sister Love the whole Sister Love brand is about creating big bold jewelry for women, because that's what we grew up on big bold jewelry!

AM: Right.

SIS: So, Hip-Hop is definitely an inspiration when it comes down to certain designs on Sister Love like all of the Fly Girls and the Bam Beauties (Editor’s Note: Bam Beauties are earrings and hoops inspired by bamboo), and bringing back the Doorknocker Earrings, but recreating them and modernizing them, and making them high polished with beautiful crystals and all of that. Even though I create that, I don't want to be pigeonholed as just an urban jewelry designer.

AM: Right.

SIS: Because when you look at all of my pieces, it's like, they're not all urban, but they like to pigeonhole me as an urban designer because I'm a Black female designer. If I wasn’t Black and I was designing all of this stuff, I wouldn't be called an urban designer. I'm a jewelry designer. I’m Simone I Smith that happens to be a Black woman.

So that’s my inspiration. It’s inspired by life!

AM: It’s clear in using, wearing, and styling your pieces that they hold their own in luxury, they illustrate a focus craftsmanship, and it is something that is very versatile that regardless of your personal style that can be worn. So when I'm looking at your pieces, I see a point of view for that person who wants to wear statement pieces unapologetically.

SIS: Thank you, thank you!

AM: I will say that what I love most about it is that I live in New York now, and have wow since 2001. I was born in ‘79 and I'm from the Midwest. So growing up watching Salt-N-Pepa and all these people, when I first saw the collection years ago I loved the themes woven in them that took Hip-Hop elements, but then elevating it to be something that could be mixed in with like your Gucci wear or whatever your style is. It was just so exciting to see the homage and where each person can take it to when they wear it. As someone who's a stylist, who really likes to infuse my looks with accessories, there's just such a visual texture to what you're creating in your line.

SIS: Thank you. Thank you. Look, it goes with your Gucci wear, but it also goes if you're wearing a beautiful gown. If you're putting on a suit and going into the office. Which is why, you know, we have the medium-sized hoops and we have the large hoops and then we have the extra-large hoops and then we have extra extra-large hoops. So, it's really about your fashion.

AM: Yup.

SIS: And fashion as you know, as a stylist, fashion is personal.

AM: Very much so.

SIS: You know what I’m saying? Fashion is your own identity. I encourage women that come to my trunk shows like when they go, “oh, you know, I work in Corporate America, I can't wear this size hoop.” Well, who told you that?

AM: Exactly.

SIS: Who made up the rule that you can't wear a 60mm hoop? You may not want to wear 80mm hoop. But maybe you might, if you have the boldness, and the security to wear it. You could walk in that room with your suit on with a nice big hoop earring. As long as you're wearing it, nobody's gonna notice it unless you feel uncomfortable.

AM: Exactly.

SIS: You understand what I’m saying? If you’re working it and owning it, people are going to say okay.

AM: Who is the Simone I Smith customer and what do you feel that they're looking for when they're coming to your site and to your brand?

SIS: I think the Simone I Smith customer is a woman who knows who she is. Who loves hoops, who is looking for a good quality piece of jewelry and who wants to be inspired. Not only do I have hoops, I have beautiful necklaces, I am a God fearing woman. Women can come on to Simona I Smith site and they can get beautiful scrolls that reminds them of how good God is. It reminds them who they are to God, to give them inspiration. You know, one of my famous scrolls is Let Your Light So Shine and I think women shine and I think women come to the Simone I Smith site because they want to be inspired, they want to shine. They want to look good. They want to feel good and my focus is making jewelry to make women look good and feel good.

AM: As you go from season to season, are there core pieces of the collection that are essentials and carry over?

SIS: I would say that my jewelry is for every season, I'm gonna be honest. It’s for every season. I’m not going to say that this is for the Fall. It’s classic, it’s timeless, and it’s for every season.

AM: What do you look for in a collaboration? Talking about before with sister, love with Mary, J. Blige, obviously Misa Hylton. You have another Misa Hylton, collaboration that's come out. What do you look for when it comes to collaborating?

SIS: I look for people who are just as inspired with passion, and the love of big hoop earrings. That's what I look for. You know, if you inspire me like Misa inspires me, Mary inspires me like we have a couple of collaborations that we're working on now that I can't announce, you know, until you know, they actually come into fruition. But everybody that I work with that I'm going to be working with they inspire me, they love God, they love fashion, and they love jewelry. They love the love of big hoops. I think it's important to show other women that women can work together. That's so important because you know, we know women can be so catty and can be so competitive. We're all flowers so we should all bloom and we can bloom together. We make a beautiful bouquet, right?

AM: 100%.

SIS: We make a beautiful bouquet so it's about supporting one another and then showing these young women, showing these young girls, we're better together, let's work together. So that's so important to me. Just working with people that you know that are not necessarily like-minded but right-minded!

AM: That’s a word, I like that!

SIS: Yeah and then have a love for accessories and making women feel good and look good, you know?

AM: Well, I received your Cosmic Ice Hoops which are beautiful another great collab between you and Misa!

SIS: Aren’t they so cute?

AM: So cute! When I got them out of their duster bags it was so exciting to see them.

SIS: I'm so happy you love them!

AM: I can't wait to wear them as well as include them in our next shoot, that comes up!

SIS: You could have had them on today honey!

AM: I should have but honestly I just finished my hot pilates class and time got away from me!

I love that this is called Cosmic Ice hoops. So, what was the inspiration behind it?

SIS: The inspiration behind it was whoa. Are you talking about the actual name?

AM: Well, the name and then also, this particular collection in its design, yes.

SIS: Okay, so Cosmic Ice, you know, me and Misa, we were in a design meeting and we were just talking about, making a pair of earrings that just kind of like reminded us of like the solar system. We wanted to give the women a little bit of ice and a little bit of pearl. But then it winds up just being kind of like balls with ice and how could we create the earring that kind of reminds us of the solar system? It's kind of like just started, you know, Misa got to sketching - it's so interesting the way these meetings happen because they're kind of hard to explain. We would definitely talk about how can we make a solar system on a pair hoops that’s not a dangle. We decided to put it on the outside and then once the samples came, a lot of times the samples can come back one time, which it doesn't always happen when you come back one time, but the samples, you just take about two or three times, and then when you get that one sample and it's perfect - as soon as we looked at it, I said, Misa, we need to call these Cosmic Ice.

AM: Wow.

SIS: We got our solar system hoops, but now, we're going to call them Cosmic Ice because they have a touch of ice and the circles.

AM: I love that.

SIS: I hope that that is a good explanation.

AM: I think it is. A lot of times, you don't know until you see it. I mean I've designed lines and you know it's in your head but until like you said, you get that 1st, 2nd, 3rd pass, you're like, alright, that's what that is.

SIS: Until things are being sketched up, you have your visual, and it's like, okay, these are going to be dope and then once you get them and then it's like, oh, these are hot. Like you have the visual in your mind. There have been plenty of things that were sketched out, you see the finished product and you're like nah!

AM: Nope.

SIS: It didn’t come out the way I wanted it to – nope, we’re not doing this. This isn't what I envisioned.

AM: It's always about getting that tingle in your skin when you see it, and everybody's faces light up, but if it doesn't happen, it's like, let's just put that to the side. Rework it.

SIS: Some things can't even be reworked.

AM: Well, then there's that!

What are 3 pieces from your collection like across your collection that if someone says these are three essential pieces, I need to have. What would you suggest?

SIS: The 3 essential pieces you need to have, I would probably say let me think because it depends on the someone.

AM: Oh well, that's true.

SIS: It depends on the someone because if it's someone that likes a big hoop, if it's someone that likes a really big hoop, right? I would probably say the 3 essential hoop earrings that you should have from the Simone I Smith - are we talking about Simone I Smith or Sister Love?

AM: Well that is up to you. It can be from Simone I Smith, Sister Love, Denim and Diamonds, Cosmic Ice – it’s up to you!

SIS: Okay, so let me think. So you have 3 essential pieces that you should have from the Simone I Smith collection. If you're a big hoop girl, I would say are the Brilliance Hoops in XL because those are my go-to's. Those are like my go-to. I would say the Brilliance. I would say Precious Fruit size L because Precious Fruit size, L with the diamond embellishments, you could dress that hoop up, you could dress that hoop down. And I would probably say, The Bangles. Yeah, I would say more than 1 because I wear 10 of them.

AM: Nice, I love a good wrist stack.

SIS: You know, I would say an arm full of Bangles, Brilliance XL - Gold or silver. Ooo can I add a fourth one please?

AM: Yes ma’am you can.

SIS: I would definitely say my Blessed Necklace. I think that women should wake up and they should feel every day that they open up their eyes that they are blessed. Lord, thank you for waking me up this morning to see another day. Thank you for waking me up in my right mind. Thank you for starting me, guide my thoughts, guide my steps. I am blessed. I want women to wake up every morning and feel like they're blessed. And I think my Blessed Necklace is definitely in there. If you to narrow it down, I would say the Brilliance Hoops, the Blessed Necklace and an arm full of Bangles.

AM: Well we're giving you all four.

SIS: Thank you!

AM: You also launched Majesty. I'm loving right now that jewelry lines that I really love that maybe began with women are now adding a men's collection to it. So what was the inspiration behind that?

SIS: The inspiration behind Majesty was to create an affordable luxe line for men to wear because everybody can’t afford a $5,000 or a $10,000 chain and a lot of those Cuban links with the beautiful links with the ice with real diamonds cost of a lot of money.

AM: For sure.

SIS: For so many years, many of my girlfriends' husbands or if guys would come to my trunk shows and buy things for their wives, they were like, “when are you gonna make something for us guys?” Women would say the same thing asking about jewelry for their guys. The time was right to create Majesty and really men inspired me to do it. My husband inspired me to do it. My son inspired me to do it. And thank you Jesus, they were able to be my models.

AM: Which is amazing.

SIS: They did a cool video and a photo shoot and it was really just, you know, blessing the brothers with some really great good quality jewelry, so that they could feel fly, they feel good and they can have great bracelets and nice link chains that are affordable, but look good and make them feel good.

AM: What are 3 from the Majesty Collection that you want to highlight that are great, you know essentials to start with to add to your style?

SIS: I would definitely say that The Truth Necklace is a classic and it is probably our number 1 seller. The Lion of Judah, I believe it is 2 of 3 different pendants. Lions represent strength, royalty, courage, and all of that. It's something about that lion pendant, that men don't mind wearing. I would probably say, the 3rd piece would be like Divine Ice and it gives them that touch of ice and makes them feel like they’re blinging today and they have some luxe on.

AM: Are there things coming up that we should keep an eye out for?

SIS: Well, you know, I always drop something exciting for my birthday so you can keep your eyes out for that. I'm not sure what it's going to be. We’re still kind of like, working on designs and everything. For Valentine's Day, during the holidays, we dropped Couture and I don’t know if you checked that out yet, but it’s really beautiful. It’s nice, big, bold chains for women.

AM: I'm going to check it out.

SIS: Check out the Guetty Necklace and the Guetty Bracelet. So with this Couture we have a piece dropping for Valentine's Day that I'm excited about, and my fingers are crossed that they get here in time because I'm super excited about that. So we had some really cute stuff wrapping for Valentine's Day. Something for my birthday. There are some new collaborations coming so I'm excited about that. Just stay tuned, cuz you know, SIS always has the products that I will continue to bless you ladies with fabulous hoops and fabulous bangles and all of that good stuff just to make you feel good.

IG @simoneismith

@sislovespurple

PHOTOS COURTESY | Simone I Smith

Read the JAN ISSUE #109 of Athleisure Mag and see BLESSED ICE | Simone I Smith in mag.

9PLAYLIST | KENDRICK LAMAR + SZA

PHOTO CREDIT | Apple Music

Read the JAN ISSUE #109 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Kendrick Lamar + SZA in mag.

AWARDS SEASON | GRAMMYS WINNERS

Today, the GRAMMYs announced then winners for the 67th award show which took place today on Feb 2nd on CBS at 8pm ET. Music’s biggest night did not disappoint! As we do throughout Awards Season, we shared our predictions in bold, the ones we correctly identified as winners are in bold italics and winners that we didn’t predict are in italics. On the night of the event, we will share who we predicted correctly as well as those we didn’t that won.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

“Now and Then” The Beatles

“Texas Hold ‘Em” Beyoncé

“Espresso” Sabrina Carpenter

“360” Charli XCX

“Birds of a Feather” Billie Eilish

“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar

“Good Luck, Babe!” Chappell Roan

“Fortnight” Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

“New Blue Sun” André 3000

“Cowboy Carter” Beyoncé

“Short n’ Sweet” Sabrina Carpenter

“Brat” Charli XCX

“Djesse Vol. 4” Jacob Collier

“Hit Me Hard and Soft” Billie Eilish

“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” Chappell Roan

“The Tortured Poets Department” Taylor Swift

SONG OF THE YEAR

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)

“Birds of a Feather” Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

“Die With a Smile” Dernst Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars)

“Fortnight” Jack Antonoff, Austin Post & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone)

“Good Luck, Babe!” Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter, songwriters (Chappell Roan)

“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)

“Please Please Please” Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)

“Texas Hold ‘Em” Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

BEST NEW ARTIST

Benson Boone

Sabrina Carpenter

Doechii

Khruangbin

Raye

Chappell Roan

Shaboozey

Teddy Swims

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR (NON-CLASSICAL)

Alissia

Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II

Ian Fitchuk

Mustard

Daniel Nigro

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR

Jessi Alexander

Amy Allen

Edgar Barrera

Jessie Jo Dillon

Raye

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

“Bodyguard” Beyoncé

“Espresso” Sabrina Carpenter

“Apple” Charli xcx

“Birds of a Feather” Billie Eilish

“Good Luck, Babe!” Chappell Roan

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

“Us” Gracie Abrams Featuring Taylor Swift

“Levii’s Jeans” Beyoncé Featuring Post Malone

“Guess” Charli XCX & Billie Eilish

“The Boy Is Mine” Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica

“Die With a Smile” Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars’

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

“Short n’ Sweet” Sabrina Carpenter

“Hit Me Hard and Soft” Billie Eilish

“Eternal Sunshine” Ariana Grande

“The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” Chappell Roan

“The Tortured Poets Department” Taylor Swift

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING

“She’s Gone, Dance On” Disclosure

“Loved” Four Tet

“Leavemealone” Fred Again & Baby Keem

“Neverender” Justice & Tame Impala

“Witchy” Kaytranada Featuring Childish Gambino

BEST DANCE POP RECORDING

“Make You Mine” Madison Beer

“Von Dutch” Charli XCX

“L’Amour de Ma Vie [Over Now Extended Edit]” Billie Eilish

“Yes, And?” Ariana Grande

“Got Me Started” Troye Sivan

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC ALBUM

“Brat” Charli XCX

“Three” Four Tet

“Hyperdrama” Justice

“Timeless” Kaytranada

“Telos” Zedd

BEST REMIXED RECORDING

“Alter Ego – Kaytranada Remix” Kaytranada, remixer (Doechii Featuring JT)

“A Bar Song (Tipsy) [Remix]” David Guetta, remixer (Shaboozey & David Guetta)

“Espresso (Mark Ronson x FNZ Working Late Remix)” FNZ & Mark Ronson, remixers (Sabrina Carpenter)

“Jah Sees Them – Amapiano Remix” Alexx Antaeus, Footsteps & MrMyish, remixers (Julian Marley & Antaeus)

“Von Dutch” A.G. Cook, remixer (Charli xcx & A.G. Cook Featuring Addison Rae)

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM

À Fleur De Peau Cyrille Aimée

Visions Norah Jones

Good Together Lake Street Dive

Impossible Dream Aaron Lazar

Christmas Wish Gregory Porter

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE

“Now and Then” The Beatles

“Beautiful People (Stay High)” The Black Keys

“The American Dream Is Killing Me” Green Day

“Gift Horse” Idles

“Dark Matter” Pearl Jam

“Broken Man” St. Vincent

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE

“Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” Gojira, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Masne

“Crown of Horns” Judas Priest

“Suffocate” Knocked Loose Featuring Poppy

“Screaming Suicide” Metallica

“Cellar Door” Spiritbox

BEST ROCK ALBUM

“Happiness Bastards” The Black Crowes

“Romance” Fontaines D.C.

“Saviors” Green Day

“TANGK” Idles

“Dark Matter” Pearl Jam

“Hackney Diamonds” The Rolling Stones

“No Name” Jack White

BEST ROCK SONG

“Beautiful People (Stay High)” Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney, Beck Hansen & Daniel Nakamura, songwriters (The Black Keys)

“Broken Man” Annie Clark, songwriter (St. Vincent)

“Dark Matter” Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Pearl Jam)

“Dilemma” Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt & Tré Cool, songwriters (Green Day)

“Gift Horse” Jon Beavis, Mark Bowen, Adam Devonshire, Lee Kiernan & Joe Talbot, songwriters (Idles)

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE

“Neon Pill” Cage the Elephant

“Song of the Lake” Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

“Starburster” Fontaines D.C.

“Bye Bye” Kim Gordon

“Flea” St. Vincent

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM

“Wild God” Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds

“Charm” Clairo

“The Collective” Kim Gordon

“What Now” Brittany Howard

“All Born Screaming” St. Vincent

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE

“Guidance” Jhené Aiko

“Residuals” Chris Brown

“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” Coco Jones

“Made For Me (Live On BET)” Muni Long

“Saturn” SZA

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE

“Wet” Marsha Ambrosius

“Can I Have This Groove” Kenyon Dixon

“No Lie” Lalah Hathaway Featuring Michael McDonald

“Make Me Forget” Muni Long

“That’s You” Lucky Daye

BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM

“So Glad to Know You” Avery*Sunshine

“En Route” Durand Bernarr

“Bando Stone and the New World” Childish Gambino

“Crash” Kehlani

“Why Lawd?” NxWorries (Anderson .Paak & Knxwledge)

BEST R&B SONG

“After Hours” Diovanna Frazier, Alex Goldblatt, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Daniel Upchurch, songwriters (Kehlani)

“Burning” Ronald Banful & Temilade Openiyi, songwriters (Tems)

“Here We Go (Uh Oh)” Sara Diamond, Sydney Floyd, Marisela Jackson, Courtney Jones, Carl McCormick & Kelvin Wooten, songwriters (Coco Jones)

“Ruined Me” Jeff Gitelman, Priscilla Renea & Kevin Theodore, songwriters (Muni Long)

“Saturn” Rob Bisel, Carter Lang, Solána Rowe, Jared Solomon & Scott Zhang, songwriters (SZA)

BEST R&B ALBUM

“11:11 (Deluxe)” Chris Brown

“Vantablack” Lalah Hathaway

“Revenge” Muni Long

“Algorithm” Lucky Daye

“Coming Home” Usher

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE

“Enough (Miami)” Cardi B

“When the Sun Shines Again” Common & Pete Rock Featuring Posdnuos

“Nissan Altima” Doechii

“Houdini” Eminem

“Like That” Future & Metro Boomin Featuring Kendrick Lamar

“Yeah Glo!” GloRilla

“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar

BEST MELODIC RAP PERFORMANCE

“Kehlani” Jordan Adetunji Featuring Kehlani

“Spaghettii” Beyoncé Featuring Linda Martell & Shaboozey

“We Still Don’t Trust You” Future & Metro Boomin Featuring The Weeknd

“Big Mama” Latto

“3:AM” Rapsody Featuring Erykah Badu

BEST RAP ALBUM

“Might Delete Later” J. Cole

“The Auditorium, Vol. 1” Common & Pete Rock

“Alligator Bites Never Heal” Doechii

“The Death Of Slim Shady (Coup De Grâce)” Eminem

“We Don’t Trust You” Future & Metro Boomin

BEST RAP SONG

“Asteroids” Marlanna Evans, songwriter (Rapsody Featuring Hit-Boy)

“Carnival” Jordan Carter, Raul Cubina, Grant Dickinson, Samuel Lindley, Nasir Pemberton, Dimitri Roger, Ty Dolla $ign, Kanye West & Mark Carl Stolinski Williams, songwriters (¥$ (Kanye West & Ty Dolla $Ign)
Featuring Rich The Kid & Playboi Carti)

“Like That” Kendrick Lamar Duckworth, Kobe “BbyKobe” Hood, Leland Wayne & Nayvadius Wilburn, songwriters (Future & Metro Boomin Featuring Kendrick Lamar)

“Not Like Us” Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)

“Yeah Glo!” Ronnie Jackson, Jaucquez Lowe, Timothy McKibbins, Kevin Andre Price, Julius Rivera III & Gloria Woods, songwriters (GloRilla)

BEST SPOKEN WORD POETRY ALBUM

“Civil Writes: The South Got Something To Say” Queen Sheba

“Concrete & Whiskey Act II Part 1: A Bourbon 30 Series” Omari Hardwick

“Good M.U.S.I.C. Universe Sonic Sinema: Episode 1 In the Beginning Was the Word” Malik Yusef

“The Heart, the Mind, the Soul” Tank and the Bangas

“The Seven Number Ones” Mad Skillz

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

16 Carriages Beyoncé

I Am Not Okay Jelly Roll

The Architect Kacey Musgraves

A Bar Song (Tipsy) Shaboozey

It Takes A Woman Chris Stapleton

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

Cowboys Cry Too Kelsea Ballerini With Noah Kahan

II Most Wanted Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus

Break Mine Brothers Osborne

Bigger Houses Dan + Shay

I Had Some Help Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen

BEST COUNTRY SONG

The Architect Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)

A Bar Song (Tipsy) Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)

I Am Not Okay Casey Brown, Jason DeFord, Ashley Gorley & Taylor Phillips, songwriters (Jelly Roll)

I Had Some Help Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Morgan Wallen & Chandler Paul Walters, songwriters (Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen)

Texas Hold ‘Em Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

Cowboy Carter Beyoncé

F-1 Trillion Post Malone

Deeper Well Kacey Musgraves

Higher Chris Stapleton

Whirlwind Lainey Wilson

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE

Blame It On Eve Shemekia Copeland

Nothing In Rambling The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood

Lighthouse Sierra Ferrell

The Ballad Of Sally Anne Rhiannon Giddens

BEST AMERICANA PERFORMANCE

Ya Ya Beyoncé

Subtitles Madison Cunningham

Don’t Do Me Good Madi Diaz Featuring Kacey Musgraves

American Dreaming Sierra Ferrell

Runaway Train Sarah Jarosz

Empty Trainload of Sky Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG

Ahead of the Game Mark Knopfler, songwriter (Mark Knopfler)

All In Good Time Sam Beam, songwriter (Iron & Wine Featuring Fiona Apple)

All My Friends Aoife O’Donovan, songwriter (Aoife O’Donovan)

American Dreaming Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell)

Blame It on Eve John Hahn & Will Kimbrough, songwriters (Shemekia Copeland)

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

The Other Side T Bone Burnett

$10 Cowboy Charley Crockett

Trail Of Flowers Sierra Ferrell

Polaroid Lovers Sarah Jarosz

No One Gets Out Alive Maggie Rose

Tigers Blood Waxahatchee

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM

I Built A World Bronwyn Keith-Hynes

Songs of Love and Life The Del McCoury Band

No Fear Sister Sadie

Live Vol. 1 Billy Strings

Earl Jam Tony Trischka

Dan Tyminski: Live From the Ryman Dan Tyminski

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM

Hill Country Love Cedric Burnside

Struck Down The Fabulous Thunderbirds

One Guitar Woman Sue Foley

Sam’s Place Little Feat

Swingin’ Live at the Church In Tulsa The Taj Mahal Sextet

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM

Blues Deluxe Vol. 2 Joe Bonamassa

Blame It On Eve Shemekia Copeland

Friendlytown Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour

Mileage Ruthie Foster

The Fury Antonio Vergara

BEST FOLK ALBUM

American Patchwork Quartet American Patchwork Quartet

Weird Faith Madi Diaz

Bright Future Adrianne Lenker

All My Friends Aoife O’Donovan

Woodland Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM

25 Back To My Roots Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul

Live At The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival Big Chief Monk Boudreaux & The Golden Eagles Featuring J’Wan Boudreaux

Live At The 2024 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival New Breed Brass Band Featuring Trombone Shorty

Kuini Kalani Pe’a

Stories From The Battlefield The Rumble Featuring Chief Joseph Boudreaux Jr.

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG

Church Doors Yolanda Adams; Donald Lawrence & Sir William James Baptist, songwriters

Yesterday Melvin Crispell III

Hold On (Live) Ricky Dillard

Holy Hands DOE; Jesse Paul Barrera, Jeffrey Castro Bernat, Dominique Jones, Timothy Ferguson, Kelby Shavon Johnson, Jr., Jonathan McReynolds, Rickey Slikk Muzik Offord & Juan Winans, songwriters

One Hallelujah Tasha Cobbs Leonard, Erica Campbell & Israel Houghton Featuring Jonathan McReynolds & Jekalyn Carr; G. Morris Coleman, Israel Houghton, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Naomi Raine, songwriters

BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG

Holy Forever (Live) Bethel Music, Jenn Johnson Featuring CeCe Winans

Praise Elevation Worship Featuring Brandon Lake, Chris Brown & Chandler Moore; Pat Barrett, Chris Brown, Cody Carnes, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake & Chandler Moore, songwriters

Firm Foundation (He Won’t) Honor & Glory Featuring Disciple

In The Name Of Jesus JWLKRS Worship & Maverick City Music Featuring Chandler Moore; Austin Armstrong, Ran Jackson, Chandler Moore, Sajan Nauriyal, Ella Schnacky, Noah Schnacky & Ilya Toshinskiy, songwriters

In The Room Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore Featuring Tasha Cobbs Leonard; G. Morris Coleman, Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Naomi Raine, songwriters

That’s My King CeCe Winans; Taylor Agan, Kellie Gamble, Lloyd Nicks & Jess Russ, songwriters

BEST GOSPEL ALBUM

Covered Vol. 1 Melvin Crispell III

Choirmaster II (Live) Ricky Dillard

Father’s Day Kirk Franklin

Still Karen Karen Clark Sheard

More Than This CeCe Winans

BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM

Heart Of A Human DOE

When Wind Meets Fire Elevation Worship

Child Of God Forrest Frank

Coat Of Many Colors Brandon Lake

The Maverick Way Complete Maverick City Music, Naomi Raine & Chandler Moore

BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM

The Gospel Sessions, Vol 2 Authentic Unlimited

The Gospel According To Mark Mark D. Conklin

Rhapsody The Harlem Gospel Travelers

Church Cory Henry

Loving You The Nelons

BEST LATIN POP ALBUM

Funk Generation Anitta

El Viaje Luis Fonsi

GARCÍA Kany García

Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran Shakira

ORQUÍDEAS Kali Uchis

BEST MUSICA URBANA ALBUM

nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana Bad Bunny

Rayo J Balvin

FERXXOCALIPSIS Feid

LAS LETRAS YA NO IMPORTAN Residente

att. Young Miko

BEST LATIN ROCK OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM

Compita del Destino El David Aguilar

Pa’ Tu Cuerpa Cimafunk

Autopoiética Mon Laferte

GRASA NATHY PELUSO

¿Quién trae las cornetas? Rawayana

BEST MUSICA MEXICANA ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)

Diamantes Chiquis

Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 Carín León

ÉXODO Peso Pluma

De Lejitos Jessi Uribe

BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM

MUEVENSE Marc Anthony

Bailar Sheila E.

Radio Güira Juan Luis Guerra 4.40

Alma, Corazón y Salsa (Live at Gran Teatro Nacional) Tony Succar, Mimy Succar

Vacilón Santiaguero Kiki Valera

BEST CHILDREN’S MUSIC ALBUM

Brillo, Brillo! Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band

Creciendo Lucy Kalantari & The Jazz Cats

My Favorite Dream John Legend

Solid Rock Revival Rock For Children

World Wide Playdate Divinity Roxx and Divi Roxx Kids

BEST COMEDY ALBUM

Armageddon Ricky Gervais

The Dreamer Dave Chappelle

The Prisoner Jim Gaffigan

Someday You’ll Die Nikki Glaser

Where Was I Trevor Noah

BEST AUDIOBOOK, NARRATION, AND STORYTELLING RECORDING

All You Need Is Love: The Beatles In Their Own Words (Various Artists) Guy Oldfield, producer

…And Your Ass Will Follow George Clinton

Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones Dolly Parton

Last Sundays In Plains: A Centennial Celebration Jimmy Carter

My Name Is Barbra Barbra Streisand

BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM

Hell’s Kitchen Shoshana Bean, Brandon Victor Dixon, Kecia Lewis & Meleah Joi Moon, principal vocalists; Adam Blackstone, Alicia Keys & Tom Kitt, producers (Alicia Keys, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)

Merrily We Roll Along Jonathan Groff, Lindsay Mendez & Daniel Radcliffe, principal vocalists; David Caddick, Joel Fram, Maria Friedman & David Lai, producers (Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist) (New Broadway Cast)

The Notebook John Clancy, Carmel Dean, Kurt Deutsch, Derik Lee, Kevin McCollum & Ingrid Michaelson, producers; Ingrid Michaelson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

The Outsiders Joshua Boone, Brent Comer, Brody Grant & Sky Lakota-Lynch, principal vocalists; Zach Chance, Jonathan Clay, Matt Hinkley, Justin Levine & Lawrence Manchester, producers; Zach Chance, Jonathan Clay & Justin Levine, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

Suffs Andrea Grody, Dean Sharenow & Shaina Taub, producers; Shaina Taub, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

The Wiz Wayne Brady, Deborah Cox, Nichelle Lewis & Avery Wilson, principal vocalists; Joseph Joubert, Allen René Louis & Lawrence Manchester, producers (Charlie Smalls, composer & lyricist) (2024 Broadway Cast Recording)

BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA

The Color Purple (Various Artists)

Deadpool & Wolverine (Various Artists)

Maestro: Music By Leonard Bernstein London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bradley Cooper

Saltburn (Various Artists)

Twisters: The Album (Various Artists)

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA

American Fiction Laura Karpman, composer

Challengers Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, composers

The Color Purple Kris Bowers, composer

Dune: Part Two Hans Zimmer, composer

Shōgun Nick Chuba, Atticus Ross & Leopold Ross, composers

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VIDEO GAMES AND OTHER INTERACTIVE MEDIA

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Pinar Toprak, composer

God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla Bear McCreary, composer

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 John Paesano, composer

Star Wars Outlaws Wilbert Roget, II, composer

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord Winifred Phillips, composer

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA

Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma [From “Twisters: The Album”] Jessi Alexander, Luke Combs & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters (Luke Combs)

Better Place [From “TROLLS Band Together”] Amy Allen, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (*NSYNC & Justin Timberlake)

Can’t Catch Me Now [From “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”] Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)

It Never Went Away [From “American Symphony”] Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)

Love Will Survive [From “The Tattooist of Auschwitz”] Walter Afanasieff, Charlie Midnight, Kara Talve & Hans Zimmer, songwriters (Barbra Streisand)

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Tailor Swif A$AP Rocky Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors

360 Charli XCX Aidan Zamiri, video director; Jami Arceo & Evan Thicke, video producers

Houdini Eminem Rich Lee, video director; Kathy Angstadt, Lisa Arianna & Justin Diener, video producers

Not Like Us Kendrick Lamar Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar, video directors; Jack Begert, Sam Canter & Jamie Rabineau, video producers

Fortnight Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone Taylor Swift, video director; Jil Hardin, video producer

BEST MUSIC FILM

American Symphony Jon Batiste Matthew Heineman, video director; Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman & Joedan Okun, video producers

June (June Carter Cash) Kristen Vaurio, video director; Josh Matas, Sarah Olson, Jason Owen, Mary Robertson & Kristen Vaurio, video producers

Kings From Queens Run DMC Kirk Fraser, video director; William H. Masterson III, video producer

Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple Steven Van Zandt Bill Teck, video director; Robert Cotto, David Fisher & Bill Teck, video producers

The Greatest Night In Pop (Various Artists) Bao Nguyen, video director; Bruce Eskowitz, George Hencken, Larry Klein, Julia Nottingham, Lionel Richie & Harriet Sternberg, video producers

BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

Plot Armor Taylor Eigsti

Rhapsody In Blue Béla Fleck

Orchestras (Live) Bill Frisell Featuring Alexander Hanson, Brussels Philharmonic, Rudy Royston & Thomas Morgan

Mark Mark Guiliana

Speak To Me Julian Lage

BEST JAZZ PERFORMANCE

“Walk With Me, Lord (SOUND | SPIRIT)” The Baylor Project

“Phoenix Reimagined (Live)” Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Randy Brecker, Jeff “Tain” Watts & John Scofield

“Juno” Chick Corea & Béla Fleck

“Twinkle Twinkle Little Me” Samara Joy Featuring Sullivan Fortner

“Little Fears” Dan Pugach Big Band Featuring Nicole Zuraitis & Troy Roberts

BEST JAZZ VOCAL ALBUM

Journey In Black Christie Dashiell

Wildflowers Vol. 1 Kurt Elling & Sullivan Fortner

A Joyful Holiday Samara Joy

Milton + Esperanza Milton Nascimento & Esperanza Spalding

My Ideal Catherine Russell & Sean Mason

BEST JAZZ INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

Owl Song Ambrose Akinmusire Featuring Bill Frisell & Herlin Riley

Beyond This Place Kenny Barron Featuring Kiyoshi Kitagawa, Johnathan Blake, Immanuel Wilkins & Steve Nelson

Phoenix Reimagined (Live) Lakecia Benjamin

Remembrance Chick Corea & Béla Fleck

Solo Game Sullivan Fortner

BEST LARGE JAZZ ENSEMBLE ALBUM

Returning To Forever John Beasley & Frankfurt Radio Big Band

And So It Goes The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra

Walk A Mile In My Shoe Orrin Evans & The Captain Black Big Band

Bianca Reimagined: Music For Paws And Persistence Dan Pugach Big Band

Golden City Miguel Zenón

BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM

Spain Forever Again Michel Camilo & Tomatito

Cubop Lives! Zaccai Curtis

COLLAB Hamilton de Holanda & Gonzalo Rubalcaba

Time And Again Eliane Elias

El Trio: Live in Italy Horacio ‘El Negro’ Hernández, John Beasley & José Gola

Cuba And Beyond Chucho Valdés & Royal Quartet

As I Travel Donald Vega Featuring Lewis Nash, John Patitucci & Luisito Quintero

BEST ALTERNATIVE JAZZ ALBUM

Night Reign Arooj Aftab

New Blue Sun André 3000

Code Derivation Robert Glasper

Foreverland Keyon Harrold

No More Water: The Gospel Of James Baldwin Meshell Ndegeocello

BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE

Raat Ki Rani Arooj Aftab

A Rock Somewhere Jacob Collier Featuring Anoushka Shankar & Varijashree Venugopal

Rise Rocky Dawuni

Bemba Colorá Sheila E. Featuring Gloria Estefan & Mimy Succar

Sunlight To My Soul Angélique Kidjo Featuring Soweto Gospel Choir

Kashira Masa Takumi Featuring Ron Korb, Noshir Mody & Dale Edward Chung

BEST AFRICAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE

Tomorrow Yemi Alade

MMS Asake & Wizkid

Sensational Chris Brown Featuring Davido & Lojay

Higher Burna Boy

Love Me JeJe Tems

BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM

Alkebulan II Matt B Featuring Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Paisajes Ciro Hurtado

Heis Rema

Historias De Un Flamenco Antonio Rey

Born In The Wild Tems

BEST REGGAE ALBUM

Take It Easy Collie Buddz

Party With Me Vybz Kartel

Never Gets Late Here Shenseea

Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film (Deluxe) (Various Artists)

Evolution The Wailers

BEST NEW AGE, AMBIENT OR CHANT ALBUM

Break Of Daw Ricky Kej

Triveni Wouter Kellerman, Éru Matsumoto & Chandrika Tandon

Visions Of Sounds De Luxe Chris Redding

Opus Ryuichi Sakamoto

Chapter II: How Dark It Is Before Dawn Anoushka Shankar

Warriors Of Light Radhika Vekaria

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE

The Avett Brothers Jonny Black & Giorgia Sage, art directors (The Avett Brothers)

Baker Hotel Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (William Clark Green)

BRAT Brent David Freaney & Imogene Strauss, art directors (Charli XCX)

F-1 Trillion Archie Lee Coates IV, Jeffrey Franklin, Blossom Liu, Kylie McMahon & Ana Cecilia Thompson Motta, art directors (Post Malone)

Hounds Of Love The Baskerville Edition Kate Bush & Albert McIntosh, art directors (Kate Bush)

Jug Band Millionaire Andrew Wong & Julie Yeh, art directors (The Muddy Basin Ramblers)

Pregnancy, Breakdown, And Disease Lee Pei-Tzu, art director (iWhoiWhoo)

BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE

Half Living Things Patrick Galvin, art director (Alpha Wolf)

Hounds Of Love The Boxes Of Lost At Sea Kate Bush & Albert McIntosh, art directors (Kate Bush)

In Utero Doug Cunningham & Jason Noto, art directors (Nirvana)

Mind Games Simon Hilton & Sean Ono Lennon, art directors (John Lennon)

Unsuk Chin Takahiro Kurashima & Marek Polewski, art directors (Unsuk Chin & Berliner Philharmoniker)

We Blame Chicago Rebeka Arce & Farbod Kokabi, art directors (90 Day Men)

BEST ALBUM NOTES

After Midnight Tim Brooks, album notes writer (Ford Dabney’s Syncopated Orchestras)

The Carnegie Hall Concert Lauren Du Graf, album notes writer (Alice Coltrane)

Centennial Ricky Riccardi, album notes writer (King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band & Various Artists)

John Culshaw – The Art Of The Producer – The Early Years 1948-55 Dominic Fyfe, album notes writer (John Culshaw)

SONtrack Original De La Película “Al Son De Beno” Josh Kun, album notes writer (Various Artists)

BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM

Centennial Meagan Hennessey & Richard Martin, compilation producers; Richard Martin, mastering engineer (King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band And Various Artists)

Diamonds And Pearls: Super Deluxe Edition Charles F. Spicer, Jr. & Duane Tudahl, compilation producers; Brad Blackwood & Bernie Grundman,
mastering engineers (Prince & The New Power Generation)

Paul Robeson – Voice of Freedom: His Complete Columbia, RCA, HMV, and Victor Recordings Tom Laskey & Robert Russ, compilation producers; Nancy Conforti & Andreas K. Meyer, mastering engineers (Paul Robeson)

Pepito Y Paquito Pepe De Lucía & Javier Doria, compilation producers; Jesús Bola, mastering engineer (Pepe De Lucía And Paco De Lucía)

The Sound Of Music (Original Soundtrack Recording – Super Deluxe Edition) Mike Matessino & Mark Piro, compilation producers; Steve Genewick & Mike Matessino, mastering engineers (Rodgers & Hammerstein & Julie Andrews)

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL

Algorithm Dernst Emile II, Michael B. Hunter, Stephan Johnson, Rachel Keen, John Kercy, Charles Moniz & Todd Robinson, engineers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer (Lucky Daye)

Cyan Blue Jack Emblem, Jack Rochon & Charlotte Day Wilson, engineers; Chris Gehringer, mastering engineer (Charlotte Day Wilson)

Deeper Well Craig Alvin, Shawn Everett, Mai Leisz, Todd Lombardo, John Rooney, Konrad Snyder & Daniel Tashian, engineers; Greg Calbi, mastering engineer (Kacey Musgraves)

empathogen Beatriz Artola, Zach Brown, Oscar Cornejo, Chris Greatti & Mitch McCarthy, engineers; Joe La Porta, mastering engineer (WILLOW)

i/o Tchad Blake, Oli Jacobs, Katie May & Dom Shaw, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Peter Gabriel)

Short n’ Sweet Bryce Bordone, Julian Bunetta, Serban Ghenea, Jeff Gunnell, Oli Jacobs, Ian Kirkpatrick, Jack Manning, Manny Marroquin, John Ryan & Laura Sisk, engineers; Nathan Dantzler & Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineers (Sabrina Carpenter)

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL

Adams: Girls Of The Golden West Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (John Adams, Daniela Mack, Ryan McKinny, Paul Appleby, Hye Jung Lee, Elliot Madore, Julia Bullock, Davóne Tines, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Andres: The Blind Banister Silas Brown, Doron Schachter & Michael Schwartz, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Andrew Cyr, Inbal Segev & Metropolis Ensemble)

Bruckner: Symphony No. 7; Bates: Resurrexit Mark Donahue & John Newton, engineers; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

Clear Voices In The Dark Daniel Shores, engineer; Daniel Shores, mastering engineer (Matthew Guard & Skylark Vocal Ensemble)

Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, engineers; Alexander Lipay & Dmitriy Lipay, mastering engineers (Gustavo Dudamel, María Dueñas, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL

Erica Brenner

Christoph Franke

Morten Lindberg

Dmitriy Lipay

Elaine Martone

Dirk Sobotka

BEST IMMERSIVE AUDIO ALBUM

Avalon Bob Clearmountain, immersive mix engineer; Rhett Davies & Bryan Ferry, immersive producers (Roxy Music)

Genius Loves Company Michael Romanowski, Eric Schilling & Herbert Waltl, immersive mix engineers; Michael Romanowski,
immersive mastering engineer; John Burk, immersive producer (Ray Charles With Various Artists)

Henning Sommerro: Borders Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten
Lindberg, immersive producer (Trondheim Symphony Orchestra)

i/o (In-Side Mix) Hans-Martin Buff, immersive mix engineer; Brian Eno, Peter Gabriel & Richard Russell, immersive producers (Peter Gabriel)

Pax Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten
Lindberg, immersive producer (Ensemble 96 & Current Saxophone Quartet)

BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION

At Last Shelton G. Berg, composer (Shelly Berg)

Communion Christopher Zuar, composer (Christopher Zuar Orchestra)

I Swear, I Really Wanted To Make A “Rap” Album But This Is Literally The Way The Wind Blew Me This Time André 3000, Surya Botofasina, Nate Mercereau & Carlos Niño, composers (André 3000)

Remembrance Chick Corea, composer (Chick Corea & Béla Fleck)

Strands Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Akropolis Reed Quintet, Pascal Le Boeuf & Christian Euman)

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTAL OR A CAPPELLA

Baby Elephant Walk – Encore Michael League, arranger (Snarky Puppy)

Bridge Over Troubled Water Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly & John Legend, arrangers (Jacob Collier Featuring John Legend & Tori Kelly)

Rhapsody In Blue(Grass) Béla Fleck & Ferde Grofé, arrangers (Béla Fleck Featuring Michael Cleveland, Sierra Hull, Justin
Moses, Mark Schatz & Bryan Sutton)

Rose Without The Thorns Erin Bentlage, Alexander Lloyd Blake, Scott Hoying, A.J. Sealy & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Scott Hoying Featuring säje & Tonality)

Silent Night Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje)

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS

Alma Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johanye Kendrick & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (säje Featuring Regina Carter)

Always Come Back Matt Jones, arranger (John Legend)

b i g f e e l i n g s Willow, arranger (WILLOW)

Last Surprise (From “Persona 5”) Charlie Rosen & Jake Silverman, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band Featuring Jonah Nilsson & Button Masher)

The Sound Of Silence Cody Fry, arranger (Cody Fry Featuring Sleeping At Last)

BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE

Adams: City Noir, Fearful Symmetries & Lola Montez Does The Spider Dance Marin Alsop, conductor (ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra)

Kodály: Háry János Suite; Summer Evening & Symphony In C Major JoAnn Falletta, conductor (Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra)

Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Sibelius: Karelia Suite, Rakastava, & Lemminkäinen Susanna Mälkki, conductor (Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra)

Stravinsky: The Firebird Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

BEST OPERA RECORDING

Adams: Girls Of The Golden West John Adams, conductor; Paul Appleby, Julia Bullock, Hye Jung Lee, Daniela Mack, Elliot Madore, Ryan McKinny & Davóne Tines; Dmitriy Lipay, producer (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Catán: Florencia En El Amazonas Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Mario Chang, Michael Chioldi, Greer Grimsley, Nancy Fabiola
Herrera, Mattia Olivieri, Ailyn Pérez & Gabriella Reyes; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

Moravec: The Shining Gerard Schwarz, conductor; Tristan Hallett, Kelly Kaduce & Edward Parks; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Kansas City Symphony; Lyric Opera Of Kansas City Chorus)

Puts: The Hours Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming & Kelli O’Hara; David Frost, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

Saariaho: Adriana Mater Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Fleur Barron, Axelle Fanyo, Nicholas Phan & Christopher Purves; Jason O’Connell, producer (San Francisco Symphony; San Francisco Symphony Chorus; Timo Kurkikangas)

BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE

Clear Voices In The Dark Matthew Guard, conductor (Carrie Cheron, Nathan Hodgson, Helen Karloski & Clare McNamara; Skylark Vocal Ensemble)

A Dream So Bright – Choral Music Of Jake Runestad Eric Holtan, conductor (Jeffrey Biegel; True Concord Orchestra; True Concord Voices)

Handel: Israel In Egypt Jeannette Sorrell, conductor (Margaret Carpenter Haigh, Daniel Moody, Molly Netter, Jacob Perry &
Edward Vogel; Apollo’s Fire; Apollo’s Singers)

Ochre Donald Nally, conductor (The Crossing)

Sheehan: Akathist Elaine Kelly, conductor; Melissa Attebury, Stephen Sands & Benedict Sheehan, chorus masters (Elizabeth Bates, Paul D’Arcy, Tynan Davis, Aine Hakamatsuka, Steven Hrycelak, Helen Karloski, Enrico Lagasca, Edmund Milly, Fotina Naumenko, Neil Netherly, Timothy Parsons, Stephen Sands, Miriam Sheehan & Pamela Terry; Novus NY; Artefact Ensemble, The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street, Downtown Voices & Trinity Youth Chorus)

BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE

Adams, J.L.: Waves & Particles JACK Quartet

Beethoven For Three: Symphony No. 4 And Op. 97, ‘Archduke’ Yo-Yo Ma, Leonidas Kavakos & Emanuel Ax

Cerrone: Beaufort Scales Beth Willer, Christopher Cerrone & Lorelei Ensemble

Home Miró Quartet

Rectangles And Circumstance Caroline Shaw & Sō Percussion

BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO

Akiho: Longing Andy Akiho

Bach: Goldberg Variations Víkingur Ólafsson

Eastman: The Holy Presence Of Joan D’Arc Seth Parker Woods; Christopher Rountree, conductor (Wild Up)

Entourer Mak Grgić (Ensemble Dissonance)

Perry: Concerto For Violin & Orchestra Curtis Stewart; James Blachly, conductor (Experiential Orchestra)

BEST CLASSICAL VOCAL SOLO ALBUM

Beyond The Years – Unpublished Songs Of Florence Price Karen Slack, soloist; Michelle Cann, pianist

A Change Is Gonna Come Nicholas Phan, soloist; Palaver Strings, ensembles

Newman: Bespoke Songs Fotina Naumenko, soloist; Marika Bournaki, pianist (Nadège Foofat; Julietta Curenton, Colin Davin, Mark Edwards, Nadia Pessoa, Timothy Roberts, Ryan Romine, Akemi Takayama, Karlyn Viña & Garrick Zoeter)

Show Me The Way Will Liverman, soloist; Jonathan King, pianist

Wagner: Wesendonck Lieder Joyce DiDonato, soloist; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo d’Oro)

BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM

Akiho: BeLonging Andy Akiho & Imani Winds; Andy Akiho, Sean Dixon & Mark Dover, producers

American Counterpoints Curtis Stewart; James Blachly, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer

Foss: Symphony No. 1; Renaissance Concerto; Three American Pieces; Ode JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Bernd Gottinger, producer

Mythologies II Sangeeta Kaur, Omar Najmi, Hilá Plitmann, Robert Thies & Danaë Xanthe Vlasse; Michael Shapiro,
conductor; Jeff Atmajian, Emilio D. Miler, Hai Nguyen, Robert Thies, Danaë Xanthe Vlasse & Kitt Wakeley, Producers

Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer

BEST CONTEMPORARY CLASSICAL COMPOSITION

Casarrubios: Seven For Solo Cello Andrea Casarrubios, composer (Andrea Casarrubios)

Coleman: Revelry Valerie Coleman, composer (Decoda)

Lang: Composition As Explanation David Lang, composer (Eighth Blackbird)

Ortiz: Revolución Diamantina Gabriela Ortiz, composer (Gustavo Dudamel, Los Angeles Philharmonic & Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Saariaho: Adriana Mater Kaija Saariaho, composer (Esa-Pekka Salonen, Fleur Barron, Nicholas Phan, Christopher Purves, Axelle Fanyo, San Francisco Symphony Chorus & Orchestra)

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