NEW YEAR, N3W YOU

Read the JAN ISSUE #85 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.

A LEGACY MANIFESTED | ADAM BLACKSTONE

When we watch our favorite performances, there are so many people involved that make these shows come together. The Music Director has a birds eye view and is integral in making sure the components come together, keeping all the teams in lockstep with one another and being able to translate the artist's vision to what we see.

When you have a MD that is also musician and can play across genres, you really have someone that is multi-talented! We caught up with Adam Blackstone a bassist who has performed with Jay-Z, Dave Chapelle's Block Party, Justin Timberlake, Janet Jackson and so much more. He has also been the MD for a number of the entertainers above including Nicki Minaj and Rihanna - sometimes playing with these artists and more. In addition, this man has been the MD behind the historic Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show featuring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Eminem and will be back again when for the Apple Music Super Bowl LVII Halftime Show with Rihanna hits the stage for this moment of sports meets music. In this position, he has helmed the OSCARS, NBA All Star Weekend, The Masked Singer and more.

In addiiton to being in the industry for decades with a coveted list of talent that he has worked with, he just released his debut album Legacy last fall and his single 'Round Midnight’ with Jazmin Sullivan has been nominated for a GRAMMY which takes place next month! To ensure that he can continue to grow his brand and fingerprint on the industry, he also talks about how he supplies an array of talent from musicians, engineers and background singers to our favorite artists through BASSic Black Entertainment.

With some busy days ahead, we wanted to find out about how he found his way into the music industry, his love for bass, being a musician as well as a MD and what he has coming up.

ATHLEISURE MAG: What was the moment when you fell in love with music?

ADAM BLACKSTONE: That’s a great question! I think from birth! With my family, I was always surrounded by music, my father is a musician. What we would call today, probably a wedding band singer, but he did weddings, bat mitzvahs, church services, banquets, and all of that. Then, growing up in Black church, my mom and my family was heavy into choir and music ministry. I think that early early African American church experience allowed me to see the power that the music played in the emotional and psyche of human beings in general. Fast forward to me going to high school and getting some jazz band awards and all of the accolades and the praise and being a little bit turned on by that as well. It made me want to excel and to show Black excellence. Of course, fast forward to really my first major major gig was Jay-Z on stage at Madison Square Garden. There was nothing like that feeling! So those 3 instances for me were very much spread out, but were very much so similar feelings you know?

AM: Yes. What drew you to wanting to play bass?

AB: Funny story, I started as a drummer. I think every little Black boy in church as a musician wants to play drums. When we moved to a suburb in town - Willingboro, NJ, again, the band teacher who was white, I’ll never forget when he said, “listen, I have 14 drummers. I heard about your family, I hear about your musical lineage that you have and our band is missing a bass player.” This was in 2nd grade and he said, “I would love if you would switch over.” I said, “hell naw, I’m not doing that bro!” This was back in the day when you had to walk to school and all of that and I wanted to walk with my drum sticks – I didn’t want to walk with a bass! He talked to my parents and we made the switch and honestly, it was one of the best decisions that I had ever made of course!

So that is what introduced me to bass and that instrument in general allows me to be the foundation and the root of all of the chords that are being played. I learned that a little later on. Drums is the rhythm, but bass is really the melody and it controls the chordal structure. Me being the future MD that I was, I think that I like a little bit of the control!

AM: I like how one decision really made all the difference!

You have worked with so many people from Rihanna, The Roots, Justin Timberlake, Maroon 5, Jay-Z and even across genres.

AB: Yes!

AM: How do you approach when you’re working on these projects as they all have different needs and different focuses in terms of when you’re coming in as the musician role.

AB: I think that the biggest thing is that they allow me to be able to be myself, to be creative, allow me to present them with ideas, but also knowing that I am protecting them. They know that I am taking their vision and just trying to enhance it a little bit. As musical director and crossing genres specifically, it’s not about my vision, it’s about the artists’ vision. We’re all a team. If they win, we win. If they’re hot on stage, if their tour is hot, it allows for more opportunities for me as well! So, I always pride myself on asking the artists what they need, what they want and how I can be a vessel to enhance that vision across genres, that respect is given and so they allow me to, you know, continue to be as successful as I am.

AM: Tell me about your debut album Legacy which came out last fall!

AB: Yessss Legacy, Legacy! It was a labor of love for sure! We all went through that pandemic, and you know, we lost some folks. I lost a couple of good friends of mine, I lost a cousin and going through to their services, I realized that I didn't want to leave this Earth with a laptop full of ideas – you know what I’m saying? I heard Jazzy Jeff say, “leave here empty.” So, I was really inspired by loss and I buckled down for about 40 - 45 days and returned to my roots and one of my first loves is jazz and really progressive jazz. I decided what songs I wanted to do and really saw which artists were being impacted by me for a long time and how they wanted to pay it back to me by hopping on my album. Everybody from Kirk Franklin to Mary Mary to Jazmine Sullivan to Jill Scott to Queen Latifah. The list goes on and on! I made that one phone call and they said, “absolutely, whatever you need,” because they know for the last 20 years, I have answered their phone calls and said the same thing. You know what I mean? It’s what I like to call, Relationship Equity! It’s been really cool. We went Billboard #1 on Legacy, the single got a GRAMMY nomination, we are Image Award nominee now for 2023 and going on tour opening for Jill Scott this spring. I’m very excited about that that Legacy continues to hopefully impact people and to become part of their legacy as well. I really did it to inspire.

AM: That is amazing and I really love when you are talking about Relationship Equity, as I have definitely dipped into that pool many times and let them know that for the times I reached back, I needed it for what I was working on.

AB: Even with that, to the right person, you don’t even have to say that because they know what you’ve done and the value that you have added to their legacy, you know what I’m saying? I’m very grateful for God giving me the foresight 20 years ago, didn’t know I would be here doing a record. I was nice to people, I was a good character person, I had integrity and so now when I make these calls, it’s been no issues. I’m super thankful for that!

AM: So are you thinking about your next album?

AB: Legacy 2, I’m definitely thinking about it for sure!

AM: In addition to being an artist and a musician, you’re a noted Music Director. Can you tell us what a Music Director does?

AB: No problem. As an MD, my job is to curate everything live music oriented from stage, to lighting, to choreography, to programming – basically build that live experience for the viewer. So it starts by me sitting with the artist and seeing what story that they want to tell through their set list. Sometimes we have 2 hours and then for things like the Super Bowl, we have 13 minutes, you know what I mean? From there, I do a lot of hiring of the band, backgrounds, engineers and then I rehearse the band and then it’s everything from me going to choreo rehearsal, lighting rehearsal to make sure that their cues line up with the music cues. So that gives that total overall experience and that’s essentially what a music director does from arranging, to scoring to creative on the stage.

AM: When you’re doing that, is it hard for you to wear two hats when you’re actually playing as well as being the Music Director?

AB: That’s a great question. I have to be honest and say, that it’s easier for me to be able to do the two hats because I speak through my instrument. That allows me to have a little bit more of a fluent language if we use that analogy, because I can get the ideas out while playing. Sometimes, if I’m just coming in to oversee and there is another band like Maroon 5 or something like that - when I do Tim McGraw, he has his own band, it’s like I have to adapt to their language. Either way it’s cool, but I have to say that the two hats actually because of my musicianship and I’m thankful for that, it lets the MD job be a little easier for me!

AM: It’s amazing to think about the fact that you were saying that whether someone is going on a tour, last year’s halftime show for the Super Bowl and you were also involved with The Masked Singer as well which is a TV show. That’s a lot of hats to juggle, so how do you say, ok if this is a tour – it’s this way and a TV show is another way and then when you’re doing the halftime show which was ridiculous –

AB: Thank you so much!

AM: We just watched the documentary, The Show: California Love, so being able to see the behind-the-scenes as someone who is a fashion stylist and the Co-Founder and Creative Director of Athleisure Mag, I have such an appreciation for how all of those things come together and it’s nice to see how that all took place.

AB: I think that the biggest difference is trusting myself and trusting the process. When it comes to the creative, I started as a touring guy so a lot of times, the touring aspect comes a little easier to me and I’m a fan of music. So I know what the viewer wants to see/hear. When it comes to the television show whether it’s The Masked Singer, The Four, BET Awards, The Voice – things like that, we’re making television so how do we want to sustain people’s interest by watching the show? How we do that is by making very impactful moments happen in a very short period of time. That’s different then the tour, because you want to elongate the moment so that you can stretch out people’s attention span – you get what I’m saying? It’s a different hat to wear, but at the end of the day, it’s about entertainment and I am happy to be a true entertainer in the sense of the musicianship of it.

AM: This year, you’re going to be back at it again with Rihanna’s halftime show for the Super Bowl. What can you tell us about this show and anything that you can share as we’re all so excited!

AB: No doubt, I’m excited to be a Co-Musical Director this year with my partner, Omar Edwards. He’s another Philly guy and we are going to set the world ablaze! Riri has had the superpower of all her career of being Anti, no pun intended! So, what that allows us to do is for us to think completely outside of the box. I can’t give you too many more details to be completely honest, but I will say that it’s going to be a whirlwind experience for that 13 mins for sure. I think that the people will love it for sure. I always like to call it the Super Bowl catalog of songs so I promise you that you will hear your favorites!

AM: Tell us about BASSic Black Entertainment and what it offers to those in the music industry.

AB: Absolutely, BBE we call it for short, BASSic Black Entertainment was founded by myself and my beautiful wife, Kaisha Blackstone. At a point in 2008/2009/2010, my stock as MD was rising and I was not able to be in multiple places at one time! So, the artists trusted me and said, “hey, even though you can’t be there. Can you set it up for me, hire the personnel?” I said of course and knowing that these people shared the same core values as me musically and personally, character and integrity as well – at one point, I had over 250 musicians, singers and engineers collectively out on the road with different tours. My wife said, “ok guy, hold on. Let’s figure this out.” How can we not just monetize because it wasn’t about that, it was about creating a structure for these people. I kind of was like calling them up, doing the music and then throwing them out with the wolves per se in my earlier career. But once we set up BASSic Black Entertainment, there is a structure, there are tour managers, there are rates in place and everything that allows people to be able to come to work and maximize their jobs for the potential to be a musician and to not have to worry that anybody will take advantage of them. They also know that the BBE brand is represented as well so it’s all with excellence.

Right now, we are a music staffing agency, we have now branched into the record label industry business as well with BBE Records and we will continue to not only put out music, and new artists, but also support tours. Right now, I have a BBE band out with Jeezy, a BBE band out with SZA, a BBE band out with Ari Lennox, we’re doing great! For myself, I’m opening this spring for Jill Scott, so that is going to be a great experience as well.

AM: I mean, you have so many plates that are spinning, all those projects, prepping for your spring tour, going to the GRAMMYs next month!

AB: Yesssss!

AM: Congratulations on that! You have the halftime show coming up – how do you take a moment for yourself in terms of self-care and making sure that you can kind of refill your cup or at least partially?

AB: I’m about to give you some exclusiveness! I like to just disappear from rehearsal for 3 days and to see my kids! Family first over everything to me! If I have their blessing to go out and be great, that allows me to remain creative and to operate in my most maximum genius. If the home structure is not cool, I’m coming home – you know what I’m saying? Even if home is cool and my stomach is not cool, or me missing my family and my wife is not cool, I’m coming home so that is how I replenish myself. I kiss my babies – I love on my family. I bring them out with me when I can. They support me in all I do, it’s been a sacrifice. It’s a sacrifice not only for me, but my wife as well. I’m just so thankful that I have a strong woman like that to hold the fort down, be at the crib – she knows that I’m out here building a legacy for our children. Hopefully, for her to be proud of as well. That’s how I replenish myself by filling myself up with love from my family.

AM: Once again, it was so much fun to research you for this piece as there were things that we already know, but it was a treasure trove of so many things like being the MD for All Star Basketball Weekend and the Oscars, you got an Emmy for last year’s halftime show for Oustanding Music Direction – you have done so much, you have worked with so many artists and now you have your own album, what do you want your legacy to be?

AB: My legacy should be that Adam Blackstone was a core value person, giving, selfless, loving and also did good music and made people laugh, made them dance through the melody. If that can be my legacy, that would be more then I could ever ask for. If my music is it then that is a plus, I promise you! I’ve been so thankful to see the impact that it has had through the accolades. The Emmy award was so so great, but I was hired to do a job, right. I was always going to do the best that I could do. I’m alsoways going to be the best me that I can be and an Emmy just validated that someone else thought that it was a good job as well. This GRAMMY nomination hit differently for me, because it’s an idea in my head – the music, it’s an idea in my gut, it’s an idea in my soul and it’s an idea in my heart. So, to see how that one idea can come to fruition and other people then latch on to that idea which was created by yourself, it just meant a whole different aspect for me with that. So the music thing has been such a great tool to show me the power of music, you know what I mean? I’m super excited for what’s to come and super thankful for that!

IG @adamblackstone

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Adam Blackstone

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9PLAYLIST | HBZ

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9PLAYLIST | MEDUZA

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AWARDS SEASON | THE GRAMMYS 2023 - WINNERS

It all came together tonight for the 65th GRAMMY Awards which took place tonight. We always enjoy seeing what takes place during Awards Season as we get into the thick of things. The show took place on CBS and streamed live and on-demand on Paramount+. We shared our predictions which are in italics, those that are the winners are in bold and those that we guessed correctly that won are italicized in bold.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

• Don't Shut Me Down
  ABBA
  Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer

• Easy On Me
  Adele
  Greg Kurstin, producer; Julian Burg, Tom Elmhirst & Greg Kurstin, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé
  Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Brandon Harding, Chris McLaughlin & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• Good Morning Gorgeous
  Mary J. Blige
  D’Mile & H.E.R., producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Pat Kelly, engineers/mixers

• You And Me On The Rock
  Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
  Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Tom Elmhirst & Michael Harris, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

• Woman
  Doja Cat
  Crate Classics, Linden Jay, Aynzli Jones & Yeti Beats, producers; Jesse Ray Ernster & Rian Lewis, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

• Bad Habit
  Steve Lacy
  Steve Lacy, producer; Neal Pogue & Karl Wingate, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

• The Heart Part 5
  Kendrick Lamar
  Beach Noise, producer; Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, Ray Charles Brown Jr., James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• About Damn Time
  Lizzo
  Ricky Reed & Blake Slatkin, producers; Patrick Kehrier, Bill Malina & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• As It Was
  Harry Styles
  Tyler Johnson & Kid Harpoon, producers; Jeremy Hatcher & Spike Stent, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Voyage
  ABBA
  Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, songwriters; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer

• 30
  Adele
  Shawn Everett, Ludwig Göransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Joey Pecoraro & Shellback, producers; Julian Burg, Steve Churchyard, Tom Elmhirst, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert, Inflo, Greg Kurstin, Riley Mackin & Lasse Mårtén, engineers/mixers; Adele Adkins, Ludwig Göransson, Dean Josiah Cover, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin & Shellback, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

• Un Verano Sin Ti
  Bad Bunny
  Rauw Alejandro, Buscabulla, Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortez, Tony Dize, Bomba Estéreo & The Marías, featured artists; Demy & Clipz, Elikai, HAZE, La Paciencia, Cheo Legendary, MAG, MagicEnElBeat, Mora, Jota Rosa, Subelo Neo & Tainy, producers; Josh Gudwin & Roberto Rosado, engineers/mixers; Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Raquel Berrios, Joshua Conway, Mick Coogan, Orlando Javier Valle Vega, Jesus Nieves Cortes, Luis Del Valle, Marcos Masis, Gabriel Mora, Elena Rose, Liliana Margarita Saumet & Maria Zardoya, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• RENAISSANCE
  Beyoncé
  Beam, Grace Jones & Tems, featured artists; Jameil Aossey, Bah, Beam, Beyoncé, Bloodpop, Boi-1Da, Cadenza, Al Cres, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Kelman Duran, Harry Edwards, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Ivor Guest, Guiltybeatz, Hit-Boy, Jens Christian Isaksen, Leven Kali, Lil Ju, MeLo-X, No I.D., NovaWav, Chris Penny, P2J, Rissi, S1a0, Raphael Saadiq, Neenyo, Skrillex, Luke Solomon, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Syd, Sevn Thomas, Sol Was & Stuart White, producers; Chi Coney, Russell Graham, Guiltybeatz, Brandon Harding, Hotae Alexander Jang, Chris McLaughlin, Delroy "Phatta" Pottinger, Andrea Roberts, Steve Rusch, Jabbar Stevens & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Denisia "@Blu June" Andrews, Danielle Balbuena, Tyshane Thompson, Kevin Marquis Bellmon, Sydney Bennett, Beyoncé, Jerel Black, Michael Tucker, Atia Boggs p/k/a Ink, Dustin Bowie, David Debrandon Brown, S. Carter, Nija Charles, Sabrina Claudio, Solomon Fagenson Cole, Brittany "@Chi_Coney" Coney, Alexander Guy Cook, Lavar Coppin, Almando Cresso, Mike Dean, Saliou Diagne, Darius Dixson, Jocelyn Donald, Jordan Douglas, Aubrey Drake Graham, Kelman Duran, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Dave Giles II, Derrick Carrington Gray, Nick Green, Larry Griffin Jr, Ronald Banful, Dave Hamelin, Aviel Calev Hirschfield, Chauncey Hollis, Jr., Ariowa Irosogie, Leven Kali, Ricky Lawson, Tizita Makuria, Julian Martrel Mason, Daniel Memmi, Cherdericka Nichols, Ernest "No I.D." Wilson, Temilade Openiyi, Patrick Paige II From The Internet, Jimi Stephen Payton, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Michael Pollack, Richard Isong, Honey Redmond, Derek Renfroe, Andrew Richardson, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers, Oliver Rodigan, Freddie Ross, Raphael Saadiq, Matthew Samuels, Sean Seaton, Skrillex, Corece Smith, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Jabbar Stevens, Christopher A. Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Rupert Thomas, Jr. & Jesse Wilson, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
  Mary J. Blige
  DJ Khaled, Dave East, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, Griselda, H.E.R., Jadakiss, Moneybagg Yo, Ne-Yo, Anderson .Paak, Remy Ma & Usher, featured artists; Alissia, Tarik Azzouz, Bengineer, Blacka Din Me, Rogét Chahayed, Cool & Dre, Ben Billions, DJ Cassidy, DJ Khaled, D’Mile, Wonda, Bongo Bytheway, H.E.R., Hostile Beats, Eric Hudson, London On Da Track, Leon Michels, Nova Wav, Anderson.Paak, Sl!Mwav, Streetrunner, Swizz Beatz & J White Did It, producers; Derek Ali, Ben Chang, Luis Bordeaux, Bryce Bordone, Lauren D’Elia, Chris Galland, Serban Ghenea, Akeel Henry, Jaycen Joshua, Pat Kelly, Jhair Lazo, Shamele Mackie, Manny Marroquin, Dave Medrano, Ari Morris, Parks, Juan Peña, Ben Sedano, Kev Spencer, Julio Ulloa & Jodie Grayson Williams, engineers/mixers; Alissia Beneviste, Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Archer, Bianca Atterberry, Tarik Azzouz, Mary J. Blige, David Brewster, David Brown, Shawn Butler, Rogét Chahayed, Ant Clemons, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Kasseem Dean, Benjamin Diehl, DJ Cassidy, Jocelyn Donald, Jerry Duplessis, Uforo Ebong, Dernst Emile II, John Jackson, Adriana Flores, Gabriella Wilson, Shawn Hibbler, Charles A. Hinshaw, Jamie Hurton, Eric Hudson, Jason Phillips, Khaled Khaled, London Holmes, Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie, Leon Michels, Jerome Monroe, Jr., Kim Owens, Brandon Anderson, Jeremie "Benny The Butcher" Pennick, Bryan Ponce, Demond "Conway The Machine" Price, Peter Skellern, Shaffer Smith, Nicholas Warwar, Deforrest Taylor, Tiara Thomas, Marcello "Cool" Valenzano, Alvin "Westside Gunn" Worthy, Anthony Jermaine White & Leon Youngblood, songwriters

• In These Silent Days
  Brandi Carlile
  Lucius, featured artist; Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Dave Cobb, Tom Elmhirst, Michael Harris & Shooter Jennings, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

• Music Of The Spheres
  Coldplay
  BTS, Jacob Collier, Selena Gomez & We Are KING, featured artists; Jacob Collier, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Kang Hyo-Won, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson, Paris Strother & We Are KING, producers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, The Dream Team, Duncan Fuller, Serban Ghenea, Daniel Green, John Hanes, Jon Hopkins, Michael Ilbert, Max Martin, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson & Paris Strother, engineers/mixers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Denise Carite, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, Derek Dixie, Sam Falson, Stephen Fry, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Jung Ho-Seok, Chris Martin, Max Martin, John Metcalfe, Leland Tyler Wayne, Bill Rahko, Kim Nam-Joon, Jesse Rogg, Davide Rossi, Rik Simpson, Amber Strother, Paris Strother, Min Yoon-Gi, Federico Vindver & Olivia Waithe, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

• Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
  Kendrick Lamar
  Baby Keem, Blxst, Sam Dew, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Kodak Black, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Amanda Reifer, Sampha & Summer Walker, featured artists; The Alchemist, Baby Keem, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Bekon, Boi-1da, Cardo, Dahi, DJ Khalil, The Donuts, FNZ, Frano, Sergiu Gherman, Emile Haynie, J.LBS, Mario Luciano, Tyler Mehlenbacher, OKLAMA, Rascal, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, Tae Beast, Duval Timothy & Pharrell Williams, producers; Derek Ali, Matt Anthony, Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, David Bishop, Troy Bourgeois, Andrew Boyd, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Derek Garcia, Chad Gordon, James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Manny Marroquin, Erwing Olivares, Raymond J Scavo III, Matt Schaeffer, Cyrus Taghipour, Johnathan Turner & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Hykeem Carter, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Daniel Tannenbaum, Daniel Tannenbaum, Stephen Lee Bruner, Matthew Burdette, Isaac John De Boni, Sam Dew, Anthony Dixon, Victor Ekpo, Sergiu Gherman, Dennis Coles, Beth Gibbons, Frano Huett, Stuart Johnson, Bill K. Kapri, Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Daniel Krieger, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald LaTour, Mario Luciano, Daniel Alan Maman, Timothy Maxey, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Michael John Mulé, D. Natche, OKLAMA, Jason Pounds, Rascal, Amanda Reifer, Matthew Samuels, Avante Santana, Matt Schaeffer, Sampha Sisay, Mark Spears, Homer Steinweiss, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Donte Lamar Perkins, Duval Timothy, Summer Walker & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• Special
  Lizzo
  Benny Blanco, Quelle Chris, Daoud, Omer Fedi, ILYA, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, The Monsters & Strangerz, Phoelix, Ricky Reed, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin & Pop Wansel, producers; Benny Blanco, Bryce Bordone, Jeff Chestek, Jacob Ferguson, Serban Ghenea, Jeremy Hatcher, Andrew Hey, Sam Holland, ILYA, Stefan Johnson, Jens Jungkurth, Patrick Kehrier, Ian Kirkpatrick, Damien Lewis, Bill Malina, Manny Marroquin & Ricky Reed, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Daoud Anthony, Jonathan Bellion, Benjamin Levin, Thomas Brenneck, Christian Devivo, Omer Fedi, Eric Frederic, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Melissa Jefferson, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Michael Neil, Michael Pollack, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin, Peter Svensson, Gavin Chris Tennille, Theron Makiel Thomas, Andrew Wansel & Emily Warren, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• Harry's House
  Harry Styles
  Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Sammy Witte, producers; Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Spike Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles & Sammy Witte, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

SONG OF THE YEAR

• abcdefu
  Sara Davis, GAYLE & Dave Pittenger, songwriters (GAYLE)

• About Damn Time
  Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin & Theron Makiel Thomas, songwriters (Lizzo)

• All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)
  Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

• As It Was
  Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Harry Styles, songwriters (Harry Styles)

• Bad Habit
  Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Fousheé, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby & Steve Lacy, songwriters (Steve Lacy)

• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant & Christopher A. Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)

• Easy On Me
  Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)

• GOD DID
  Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)

• The Heart Part 5
  Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

• Just Like That
  Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

BEST NEW ARTIST

• Anitta

• Omar Apollo

• DOMi & JD Beck

• Muni Long

• Samara Joy

• Latto

• Måneskin

• Tobe Nwigwe

• Molly Tuttle

• Wet Leg

Pop

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

• Easy On Me
  Adele

• Moscow Mule
  Bad Bunny

• Woman
  Doja Cat

• Bad Habit
  Steve Lacy

• About Damn Time
  Lizzo

• As It Was
  Harry Styles

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

• Don't Shut Me Down
  ABBA

• Bam Bam
  Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran

• My Universe
  Coldplay & BTS

• I Like You (A Happier Song)
  Post Malone & Doja Cat

• Unholy
  Sam Smith & Kim Petras

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM

• Higher
  Michael Bublé

• When Christmas Comes Around...
  Kelly Clarkson

• I Dream Of Christmas (Extended)
  Norah Jones

• Evergreen
  Pentatonix

• Thank You
  Diana Ross

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

• Voyage
  ABBA

• 30
  Adele

• Music Of The Spheres
  Coldplay

• Special
  Lizzo

• Harry's House
  Harry Styles

Dance/Electronic Music

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING

• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé
  Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Stuart White, mixer

• Rosewood
  Bonobo
  Simon Green, producer; Simon Green, mixer

• Don't Forget My Love
  Diplo & Miguel
  Diplo & Maximilian Jaeger, producers; Luca Pretolesi, mixer

• I'm Good (Blue)
  David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
  David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, producers; David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, mixers

• Intimidated
  KAYTRANADA Featuring H.E.R.
  H.E.R. & KAYTRANADA, producers; KAYTRANADA, mixer

• On My Knees
  RÜFÜS DU SOL
  Jason Evigan & RÜFÜS DU SOL, producers; Cassian Stewart-Kasimba, mixer

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC ALBUM

• Renaissance
  Beyoncé

• Fragments
  Bonobo

• Diplo
  Diplo

• The Last Goodbye
  ODESZA

• Surrender
  RÜFÜS DU SOL

Contemporary Instrumental Music

BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

• Between Dreaming And Joy
  Jeff Coffin

• Not Tight
  DOMi & JD Beck

• Blooz
  Grant Geissman

• Jacob's Ladder
  Brad Mehldau

• Empire Central
  Snarky Puppy

Rock

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE

• So Happy It Hurts
  Bryan Adams

• Old Man
  Beck

• Wild Child
  The Black Keys

• Broken Horses
  Brandi Carlile

• Crawl!
  Idles

• Patient Number 9
  Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck

• Holiday
  Turnstile

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE

• Call Me Little Sunshine
  Ghost

• We'll Be Back
  Megadeth

• Kill Or Be Killed
  Muse

• Degradation Rules
  Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Tony Iommi

• Blackout
  Turnstile

BEST ROCK SONG

• Blackout
  Brady Ebert, Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)

• Broken Horses
  Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

• Harmonia's Dream
  Robbie Bennett & Adam Granduciel, songwriters (The War On Drugs)

• Patient Number 9
  John Osbourne, Chad Smith, Ali Tamposi, Robert Trujillo & Andrew Wotman, songwriters (Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck)

BEST ROCK ALBUM

• Dropout Boogie
  The Black Keys

• The Boy Named If
  Elvis Costello & The Imposters

• Crawler
  Idles

• Mainstream Sellout
  Machine Gun Kelly

• Patient Number 9
  Ozzy Osbourne

• Lucifer On The Sofa
  Spoon

Alternative

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE

• There'd Better Be A Mirrorball
  Arctic Monkeys

• Certainty
  Big Thief

• King
  Florence + The Machine

• Chaise Longue
  Wet Leg

• Spitting Off The Edge Of The World
  Yeah Yeah Yeahs Featuring Perfume Genius

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM

• WE
  Arcade Fire

• Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
  Big Thief

• Fossora
  Björk

• Wet Leg
  Wet Leg

• Cool It Down
  Yeah Yeah Yeahs

R&B

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE

• VIRGO’S GROOVE
  Beyoncé

• Here With Me
  Mary J. Blige Featuring Anderson .Paak

• Hrs & Hrs
  Muni Long

• Over
  Lucky Daye

• Hurt Me So Good
  Jazmine Sullivan

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE

• Do 4 Love
  Snoh Aalegra

• Keeps On Fallin'
  Babyface Featuring Ella Mai

• PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA
  Beyoncé

• 'Round Midnight
  Adam Blackstone Featuring Jazmine Sullivan

• Good Morning Gorgeous
  Mary J. Blige

BEST R&B SONG

• CUFF IT
  Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Beyoncé, Mary Christine Brockert, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

• Good Morning Gorgeous
  Mary J. Blige, David Brown, Dernst Emile II, Gabriella Wilson & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (Mary J. Blige)

• Hrs & Hrs
  Hamadi Aaabi, Dylan Graham, Priscilla Renea, Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Brandon John-Baptiste, Isaac Wriston & Justin Nathaniel Zim, songwriters (Muni Long)

• Hurt Me So Good
  Akeel Henry, Michael Holmes, Luca Mauti, Jazmine Sullivan & Elliott Trent, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)

• Please Don't Walk Away
  PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)

BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM

• Operation Funk
  Cory Henry

• Gemini Rights
  Steve Lacy

• Drones
  Terrace Martin

• Starfruit
  Moonchild

• Red Balloon
  Tank And The Bangas

BEST R&B ALBUM

• Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
  Mary J. Blige

• Breezy (Deluxe)
  Chris Brown

• Black Radio III
  Robert Glasper

• Candydrip
  Lucky Daye

• Watch The Sun
  PJ Morton

Rap

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE

• GOD DID
  DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy

• Vegas
  Doja Cat

• pushin P
  Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug

• F.N.F. (Let's Go)
  Hitkidd & GloRilla

• The Heart Part 5
  Kendrick Lamar

BEST MELODIC RAP PERFORMANCE

• BEAUTIFUL
  DJ Khaled Featuring Future & SZA

• WAIT FOR U
  Future Featuring Drake & Tems

• First Class
  Jack Harlow

• Die Hard
  Kendrick Lamar Featuring Blxst & Amanda Reifer

• Big Energy (Live)
  Latto

BEST RAP SONG

• Churchill Downs
  Ace G, BEDRM, Matthew Samuels, Tahrence Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Jack Harlow & Jose Velazquez, songwriters (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake)

• GOD DID
  Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)

• The Heart Part 5
  Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

• pushin P
  Lucas Depante, Nayvadius Wilburn, Sergio Kitchens, Wesley Tyler Glass & Jeffery Lamar Williams, songwriters (Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug)

• WAIT FOR U
  Tejiri Akpoghene, Floyd E. Bentley III, Jacob Canady, Isaac De Boni, Aubrey Graham, Israel Ayomide Fowobaje, Nayvadius Wilburn, Michael Mule, Oluwatoroti Oke & Temilade Openiyi, songwriters (Future Featuring Drake & Tems)

BEST RAP ALBUM

• GOD DID
  DJ Khaled

• I Never Liked You
  Future

• Come Home The Kids Miss You
  Jack Harlow

• Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
  Kendrick Lamar

• It's Almost Dry
  Pusha T

Country

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

• Heartfirst
  Kelsea Ballerini

• Something In The Orange
  Zach Bryan

• In His Arms
  Miranda Lambert

• Circles Around This Town
  Maren Morris

• Live Forever
  Willie Nelson

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

• Wishful Drinking
  Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt

• Midnight Rider's Prayer
  Brothers Osborne

• Outrunnin' Your Memory
  Luke Combs & Miranda Lambert

• Does He Love You - Revisited
  Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton

• Never Wanted To Be That Girl
  Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde

• Going Where The Lonely Go
  Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

BEST COUNTRY SONG

• Circles Around This Town
  Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels, Maren Morris & Jimmy Robbins, songwriters (Maren Morris)

• Doin' This
  Luke Combs, Drew Parker & Robert Williford, songwriters (Luke Combs)

• I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)
  Lori McKenna & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

• If I Was A Cowboy
  Jesse Frasure & Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

• I'll Love You Till The Day I Die
  Rodney Crowell & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Willie Nelson)

• 'Til You Can't
  Matt Rogers & Ben Stennis, songwriters (Cody Johnson)

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

• Growin' Up
  Luke Combs

• Palomino
  Miranda Lambert

• Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
  Ashley McBryde

• Humble Quest
  Maren Morris

• A Beautiful Time
  Willie Nelson

New Age, Ambient, or Chant

BEST NEW AGE, AMBIENT, OR CHANT ALBUM

• Positano Songs
  Will Ackerman

• Joy
  Paul Avgerinos

• Mantra Americana
  Madi Das & Dave Stringer With Bhakti Without Borders

• The Passenger
  Cheryl B. Engelhardt

• Mystic Mirror
  White Sun

Jazz

32. Best Improvised Jazz Solo

For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

• Rounds (Live)
  Ambrose Akinmusire, soloist

• Keep Holding On
  Gerald Albright, soloist

• Falling
  Melissa Aldana, soloist

• Call Of The Drum
  Marcus Baylor, soloist

• Cherokee/Koko
  John Beasley, soloist

• Endangered Species
  Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese, soloist

33. Best Jazz Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.

• The Evening : Live At APPARATUS
  The Baylor Project

• Linger Awhile
  Samara Joy

• Fade To Black
  Carmen Lundy

• Fifty
  The Manhattan Transfer With The WDR Funkhausorchester

• Ghost Song
  Cécile McLorin Salvant

34. Best Jazz Instrumental Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.

• New Standards Vol. 1
  Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton & Matthew Stevens

• Live In Italy
  Peter Erskine Trio

• LongGone
  Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, And Brian Blade

• Live At The Detroit Jazz Festival
  Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese & esperanza spalding

• Parallel Motion
  Yellowjackets

35. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new ensemble jazz recordings.

• Bird Lives
  John Beasley, Magnus Lindgren & SWR Big Band

• Remembering Bob Freedman
  Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band Directed By Christian Jacob

• Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra
  Steven Feifke, Bijon Watson, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra

• Center Stage
  Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber & WDR Big Band Conducted By Michael Abene

• Architecture Of Storms
  Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly Of Shadows

BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM

• Fandango At The Wall In New York
  Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective

• Crisálida
  Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers

• If You Will
  Flora Purim

• Rhythm & Soul
  Arturo Sandoval

• Música De Las Américas
  Miguel Zenón

Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG

• Positive
  Erica Campbell; Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Juan Winans, songwriters

• When I Pray
  DOE; Dominique Jones & Dewitt Jones, songwriters

• Kingdom
  Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Jonathan Jay, Chandler Moore & Jacob Poole, songwriters

• The Better Benediction
  PJ Morton Featuring Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers & Darrel Walls; PJ Morton, songwriter

• Get Up
  Tye Tribbett; Brandon Jones, Christopher Michael Stevens, Thaddaeus Tribbett & Tye Tribbett, songwriters

BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG

• God Really Loves Us (Radio Version)
  Crowder Featuring Dante Bowe and Maverick City Music; Dante Bowe, David Crowder, Ben Glover & Jeff Sojka, songwriters

• So Good
  DOE; Chuck Butler, Dominique Jones & Ethan Hulse, songwriters

• For God Is With Us
  for KING & COUNTRY & Hillary Scott; Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Joel Smallbone & Luke Smallbone, songwriters

• Fear Is Not My Future
  Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Nicole Hannel, Jonathan Jay, Brandon Lake & Hannah Shackelford, songwriters

• Holy Forever
  Chris Tomlin; Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Chris Tomlin & Phil Wickham, songwriters

• Hymn Of Heaven (Radio Version)
  Phil Wickham; Chris Davenport, Bill Johnson, Brian Johnson & Phil Wickham, songwriters

BEST GOSPEL ALBUM

• Die To Live
  Maranda Curtis

• Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live)
  Ricky Dillard

• Clarity
  DOE

• Kingdom Book One Deluxe
  Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin

• All Things New
  Tye Tribbett

BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM

• Lion
  Elevation Worship

• Breathe
  Maverick City Music

• Life After Death
  TobyMac

• Always
  Chris Tomlin

• My Jesus
  Anne Wilson

BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM

• Let's Just Praise The Lord
  Gaither Vocal Band

• Confessio - Irish American Roots
  Keith & Kristyn Getty

• The Willie Nelson Family
  Willie Nelson

• 2:22
  Karen Peck & New River

• The Urban Hymnal
  Tennessee State University Marching Band

Latin

BEST LATIN POP ALBUM

• AGUILERA
  Christina Aguilera

• Pasieros
  Rubén Blades & Boca Livre

• De Adentro Pa Afuera
  Camilo

• VIAJANTE
  Fonseca

• Dharma +
  Sebastián Yatra

BEST MUSICA URBANA ALBUM

• TRAP CAKE, VOL. 2
  Rauw Alejandro

• Un Verano Sin Ti
  Bad Bunny

• LEGENDADDY
  Daddy Yankee

• La 167
  Farruko

• The Love & Sex Tape
  Maluma

BEST LATIN ROCK OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM

• El Alimento
  Cimafunk

• Tinta y Tiempo
  Jorge Drexler

• 1940 Carmen
  Mon Laferte

• Alegoría
  Gaby Moreno

• Los Años Salvajes
  Fito Paez

• MOTOMAMI
  Rosalía

BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)

• Abeja Reina
  Chiquis

• Un Canto por México - El Musical
  Natalia Lafourcade

• La Reunión (Deluxe)
  Los Tigres Del Norte

• EP #1 Forajido
  Christian Nodal

• Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe)
  Marco Antonio Solís

BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM

• Pa'lla Voy
  Marc Anthony

• Quiero Verte Feliz
  La Santa Cecilia

• Lado A Lado B
  Víctor Manuelle

• Legendario
  Tito Nieves

• Imágenes Latinas
  Spanish Harlem Orchestra

• Cumbiana II
  Carlos Vives

American Roots Music

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE

• Someday It'll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)
  Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton

• Life According To Raechel
  Madison Cunningham

• Oh Betty
  Fantastic Negrito

• Stompin' Ground
  Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

• Prodigal Daughter
  Aoife O'Donovan & Allison Russell

BEST AMERICANA PERFORMANCE

• Silver Moon [A Tribute To Michael Nesmith]
  Eric Alexandrakis

• There You Go Again
  Asleep At The Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett

• The Message
  Blind Boys Of Alabama Featuring Black Violin

• You And Me On The Rock
  Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius

• Made Up Mind
  Bonnie Raitt

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG

• Bright Star
  Anaïs Mitchell, songwriter (Anaïs Mitchell)

• Forever
  Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott, songwriters (Sheryl Crow)

• High And Lonesome
  T Bone Burnett & Robert Plant, songwriters (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)

• Just Like That
  Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

• Prodigal Daughter
  Tim O’Brien & Aoife O'Donovan, songwriters (Aoife O'Donovan & Allison Russell)

• You And Me On The Rock
  Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius)

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

• In These Silent Days
  Brandi Carlile

• Things Happen That Way
  Dr. John

• Good To Be...
  Keb' Mo'

• Raise The Roof
  Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

• Just Like That...
  Bonnie Raitt

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM

• Toward The Fray
  The Infamous Stringdusters

• Almost Proud
  The Del McCoury Band

• Calling You From My Mountain
  Peter Rowan

• Crooked Tree
  Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

• Get Yourself Outside
  Yonder Mountain String Band

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM

• Heavy Load Blues
  Gov't Mule

• The Blues Don’t Lie
  Buddy Guy

• Get On Board
  Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

• The Sun Is Shining Down
  John Mayall

• Mississippi Son
  Charlie Musselwhite

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM

• Done Come Too Far
  Shemekia Copeland

• Crown
  Eric Gales

• Bloodline Maintenance
  Ben Harper

• Set Sail
  North Mississippi Allstars

• Brother Johnny
  Edgar Winter

54. Best Folk Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

• Spellbound
  Judy Collins

• Revealer
  Madison Cunningham

• The Light At The End Of The Line
  Janis Ian

• Age Of Apathy
  Aoife O'Donovan

• Hell On Church Street
  Punch Brothers

BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM

• Full Circle
  Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland

• Natalie Noelani
  Natalie Ai Kamauu

• Halau Hula Keali'i O Nalani - Live At The Getty Center
  Halau Hula Keali'i O Nalani

• Lucky Man
  Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas

• Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
  Ranky Tanky

Reggae

BEST REGGAE ALBUM

• The Kalling
  Kabaka Pyramid

• Gifted
  Koffee

• Scorcha
  Sean Paul

• Third Time's The Charm
  Protoje

• Com Fly Wid Mi
  Shaggy

Global Music

BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE

• Udhero Na
  Arooj Aftab & Anoushka Shankar

• Gimme Love
  Matt B & Eddy Kenzo

• Last Last
  Burna Boy

• Neva Bow Down
  Rocky Dawuni Featuring Blvk H3ro

• Bayethe
  Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode

BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM

• Shuruaat
  Berklee Indian Ensemble

• Love, Damini
  Burna Boy

• Queen Of Sheba
  Angélique Kidjo & Ibrahim Maalouf

• Between Us... (Live)
  Anoushka Shankar, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley Featuring Manu Delago

• Sakura
  Masa Takumi

Children’s

BEST CHILDREN’S MUSIC ALBUM

• Into The Little Blue House
  Wendy And DB

• Los Fabulosos
  Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band

• The Movement
  Alphabet Rockers

• Ready Set Go!
  Divinity Roxx

• Space Cadet
  Justin Roberts

Spoken Word

BEST AUDIO BOOK, NARRATION, AND STORYTELLING RECORDING

• Act Like You Got Some Sense
  Jamie Foxx

• All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business By Mel Brooks
  Mel Brooks

• Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World
  Lin-Manuel Miranda

• Finding Me
  Viola Davis

• Music Is History
  Questlove

BEST SPOKEN WORD POETRY ALBUM

• Black Men Are Precious
  Ethelbert Miller

• Call Us What We Carry: Poems
  Amanda Gorman

• Hiding In Plain View
  Malcolm-Jamal Warner

• The Poet Who Sat By The Door
  J. Ivy

• You Will Be Someone's Ancestor. Act Accordingly.
  Amir Sulaiman

Comedy

BEST COMEDY ALBUM

• The Closer
  Dave Chappelle

• Comedy Monster
  Jim Gaffigan

• A Little Brains, A Little Talent
  Randy Rainbow

• Sorry
  Louis CK

• We All Scream
  Patton Oswalt

Musical Theater

BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM

• Caroline, Or Change
  John Cariani, Sharon D Clarke, Caissie Levy & Samantha Williams, principal vocalists; Van Dean, Nigel Lilley, Lawrence Manchester, Elliot Scheiner & Jeanine Tesori, producers; Jeanine Tesori, composer; Tony Kushner, lyricist (New Broadway Cast)

• Into The Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)
  Sara Bareilles, Brian d'Arcy James, Patina Miller & Phillipa Soo, principal vocalists; Rob Berman & Sean Patrick Flahaven, producers (Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist) (2022 Broadway Cast)

• MJ The Musical
  Myles Frost & Tavon Olds-Sample, principal vocalists; David Holcenberg, Derik Lee & Jason Michael Webb, producers (Original Broadway Cast)

• Mr. Saturday Night
  Shoshana Bean, Billy Crystal, Randy Graff & David Paymer, principal vocalists; Jason Robert Brown, Sean Patrick Flahaven & Jeffrey Lesser, producers; Jason Robert Brown, composer; Amanda Green, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

• Six: Live On Opening Night
  Joe Beighton, Tom Curran, Sam Featherstone, Paul Gatehouse, Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, producers; Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

• A Strange Loop
  Jaquel Spivey, principal vocalist; Michael Croiter, Michael R. Jackson, Charlie Rosen & Rona Siddiqui, producers; Michael R. Jackson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Music for Visual Media

BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA

• ELVIS
  (Various Artists)

• Encanto
  (Various Artists)

• Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 (Vol 2)
  (Various Artists)

• Top Gun: Maverick
  Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe

• West Side Story
  (Various Artists)

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA (INCLUDES FILM AND TELEVISION)

• The Batman
  Michael Giacchino, composer

• Encanto
  Germaine Franco, composer

• No Time To Die
  Hans Zimmer, composer

• The Power Of The Dog
  Jonny Greenwood, composer

• Succession: Season 3
  Nicholas Britell, composer

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VIDEO GAMES AND OTHER INTERACTIVE MEDIA

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite
  Austin Wintory, composer

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarok
  Stephanie Economou, composer

• Call Of Duty®: Vanguard
  Bear McCreary, composer

• Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
  Richard Jacques, composer

• Old World
  Christopher Tin, composer

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA

• Be Alive [From King Richard]
  Beyoncé & Darius Scott Dixson, songwriters (Beyoncé)

• Carolina [From Where The Crawdads Sing]
  Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)

• Hold My Hand [From Top Gun: Maverick]
  Bloodpop® & Stefani Germanotta, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

• Keep Rising (The Woman King) [From The Woman King]
  Angelique Kidjo, Jeremy Lutito & Jessy Wilson, songwriters (Jessy Wilson Featuring Angelique Kidjo)

• Nobody Like U [From Turning Red]
  Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (4*Town, Jordan Fisher, Finneas O'Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo, Grayson Villanueva)

• We Don't Talk About Bruno [From Encanto]
  Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Carolina Gaitán - La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto - Cast)

Composing/Arranging

BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION

• African Tales
  Paquito D'Rivera, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)

• El País Invisible
  Miguel Zenón, composer (Miguel Zenón, José Antonio Zayas Cabán, Ryan Smith & Casey Rafn)

• Fronteras (Borders) Suite: Al-Musafir Blues
  Danilo Pérez, composer (Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers)

• Refuge
  Geoffrey Keezer, composer (Geoffrey Keezer)

• Snapshots
  Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)

BEST ARRANGEMENT,INSTRUMENTAL OR ACAPPELLA

• As Days Go By (An Arrangement Of The Family Matters Theme Song)
  Armand Hutton, arranger (Armand Hutton Featuring Terrell Hunt & Just 6)

• How Deep Is Your Love
  Matt Cusson, arranger (Kings Return)

• Main Titles (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
  Danny Elfman, arranger (Danny Elfman)

• Minnesota, WI
  Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf)

• Scrapple From The Apple
  John Beasley, arranger (Magnus Lindgren, John Beasley & The SWR Big Band Featuring Martin Aeur)

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS

• Let It Happen
  Louis Cole, arranger (Louis Cole)

• Never Gonna Be Alone
  Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer)

• Optimistic Voices / No Love Dying
  Cécile McLorin Salvant, arranger (Cécile McLorin Salvant)

• Songbird (Orchestral Version)
  Vince Mendoza, arranger (Christine McVie)

• 2 + 2 = 5 (Arr. Nathan Schram)
  Nathan Schram & Becca Stevens, arrangers (Becca Stevens & Attacca Quartet)

Package, Notes, and Historical

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE

• Beginningless Beginning
  Chun-Tien Hsia & Qing-Yang Xiao, art directors (Tamsui-Kavalan Chinese Orchestra)

• Divers
  William Stichter, art director (Soporus)

• Everything Was Beautiful
  Mark Farrow, art director (Spiritualized)

• Telos
  Ming Liu, art director (Fann)

• Voyeurist
  Tnsn Dvsn, art director (Underoath)

BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE

• Artists Inspired By Music: Interscope Reimagined
  Josh Abraham, Steve Berman, Jimmy Iovine, John Janick & Jason Sangerman, art directors (Various Artists)

• Big Mess
  Berit Gwendolyn Gilma, art director (Danny Elfman)

• Black Pumas (Collector's Edition Box Set)
  Jenna Krackenberger, Anna McCaleb & Preacher, art directors (Black Pumas)

• Book
  Paul Sahre, art director (They Might Be Giants)

• In And Out Of The Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81 ’82 ’83
  Lisa Glines, Doran Tyson & Dave Van Patten, art directors (The Grateful Dead)

BEST ALBUM NOTES

• The American Clavé Recordings
  Fernando González, album notes writer (Astor Piazzolla)

• Andy Irvine & Paul Brady
  Gareth Murphy, album notes writer (Andy Irvine & Paul Brady)

• Harry Partch, 1942
  John Schneider, album notes writer (Harry Partch)

• Life's Work: A Retrospective
  Ted Olson, album notes writer (Doc Watson)

• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
  Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)

BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM

• Against The Odds: 1974-1982
  Tommy Manzi, Steve Rosenthal & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Tom Camuso, restoration engineer (Blondie)

• The Goldberg Variations - The Complete Unreleased 1981 Studio Sessions
  Robert Russ, compilation producer; Martin Kistner, mastering engineer (Glenn Gould)

• Life’s Work: A Retrospective
  Scott Billington, Ted Olson & Mason Williams, compilation producers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Doc Watson)

• To Whom It May Concern...
  Jonathan Sklute, compilation producer; Kevin Marques Moo, mastering engineer (Freestyle Fellowship)

• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
  Cheryl Pawelski & Jeff Tweedy, compilation producers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Wilco)

Songwriting

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL

• Amy Allen

  • For My Friends (King Princess) (S)

  • The Hardest Part (Alexander23) (S)

  • If We Were A Party (Alexander23) (S)

  • If You Love Me (Lizzo) (T)

  • Magic Wand (Alexander23) (T)

  • Matilda (Harry Styles) (T)

  • Move Me (Charli XCX) (T)

  • Too Bad (King Princess) (S)

  • Vicious (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)

• Nija Charles

  • Cozy (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Ex For A Reason (Summer Walker With JT From City Girls) (T)

  • Good Love (City Girls Featuring Usher) (S)

  • Iykyk (Lil Durk Featuring Ella Mai & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie) (T)

  • Lobby (Anitta & Missy Elliott) (S)

  • Ride For You (Meek Mill Featuring Kehlani) (T)

  • Sweetest Pie (Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa) (S)

  • Tangerine (Kehlani) (T)

  • Throw It Away (Summer Walker) (T)

• Tobias Jesso Jr.

  • Boyfriends (Harry Styles) (T)

  • Can I Get It (Adele) (T)

  • Careless (FKA Twigs Featuring Daniel Caesar) (T)

  • C'mon Baby Cry (Orville Peck) (T)

  • Dotted Lines (King Princess) (T)

  • Let You Go (Diplo & TSHA) (S)

  • No Good Reason (Omar Apollo) (T)

  • Thank You Song (FKA Twigs) (T)

  • To Be Loved (Adele) (T)

• The-Dream

  • Break My Soul (Beyoncé) (S)

  • Church Girl (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Energy (Beyoncé) (T)

  • I'm That Girl (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Mercedes (Brent Faiyaz) (S)

  • Rock N Roll (Pusha T Featuring Kanye West and Kid Cudi) (T)

  • Rolling Stone (Brent Faiyaz) (T)

  • Summer Renaissance (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Thique (Beyoncé) (T)

• Laura Veltz

  • Background Music (Maren Morris) (T)

  • Feed (Demi Lovato) (T)

  • Humble Quest (Maren Morris) (T)

  • Pain (Ingrid Andress) (T)

  • 29 (Demi Lovato) (T)

Production

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL

• Adolescence
  George Nicholas & Ryan Schwabe, engineers; Ryan Schwabe, mastering engineer (Baynk)

• Black Radio III
  Daniel Farris, Tiffany Gouché, Keith Lewis, Musiq Soulchild, Reginald Nicholas, Q-Tip, Amir Sulaiman, Michael Law Thomas & Jon Zacks, engineers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer (Robert Glasper)

• Chloë and the Next 20th Century
  Dave Cerminara & Jonathan Wilson, engineers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer (Father John Misty)

• Harry's House
  Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Mark "Spike" Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Harry Styles)

• Wet Leg
  Jon McMullen, Joshua Mobaraki, Alan Moulder & Alexis Smith, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Wet Leg)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL

• Jack Antonoff

  • All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (Taylor Swift) (T)

  • Dance Fever (Florence + The Machine) (A)

  • I Still Believe (Diana Ross) (T)

  • Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Various Artists) (A)

  • Part Of The Band (The 1975) (S)

• Dan Auerbach

  • Dropout Boogie (The Black Keys) (A)

  • El Bueno Y El Malo (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)

  • Nightmare Daydream (The Velveteers) (A)

  • Rich White Honky Blues (Hank Williams Jr.) (A)

  • Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute To John Anderson (Various Artists) (A)

  • Strange Time To Be Alive (Early James) (A)

  • Sweet Unknown (Ceramic Animal) (A)

  • Tres Hermanos (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)

  • Young Blood (Marcus King) (A)

• Boi-1da

  • Chronicles (Cordae Featuring H.E.R. & Lil Durk) (T)

  • Churchill Downs (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake) (T)

  • Heated (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Mafia (Travis Scott) (S)

  • N95 (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • Nail Tech (Jack Harlow) (T)

  • Not Another Love Song (Ella Mai) (T)

  • Scarred (Giveon) (T)

  • Silent Hill (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

• Dahi

  • Buttons (Steve Lacy) (T)

  • Count Me Out (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • Die Hard (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • DJ Quik (Vince Staples) (T)

  • Father Time (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Sampha) (T)

  • Give You The World (Steve Lacy) (T)

  • Mercury (Steve Lacy) (T)

  • Mirror (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • Rich Spirit (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

• Dernst "D'mile" Emile II

  • Candy Drip (Lucky Daye) (A)

  • An Evening With Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak And Silk Sonic) (A)

  • Good Morning Gorgeous (Mary J. Blige) (S)

  • Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (Jazmine Sullivan) (S)

BEST REMIXED RECORDING

• About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
  Purple Disco Machine, remixer (Lizzo)

• BREAK MY SOUL (Terry Hunter Remix)
  Terry Hunter, remixer (Beyoncé)

• Easy Lover (Four Tet Remix)
  Four Tet, remixer (Ellie Goulding)

• Slow Song (Paul Woolford Remix)
  Paul Woolford, remixer (The Knocks & Dragonette)

• Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix)
  Soulwax, remixers (Wet Leg)

BEST IMMERSIVE AUDIO ALBUM

• AGUILERA
  Jaycen Joshua, immersive mix engineer; Jaycen Joshua, immersive mastering engineer (Christina Aguilera)

• Divine Tides
  Eric Schilling, immersive mix engineer; Stewart Copeland, Ricky Kej & Herbert Waltl, immersive producers (Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej)

• Memories...Do Not Open
  Mike Piacentini, immersive mix engineer; Mike Piacentini, immersive mastering engineer; Adam Alpert, Alex Pall, Jordan Stilwell & Andrew Taggart, immersive producers (The Chainsmokers)

• Picturing The Invisible - Focus 1
  Jim Anderson, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive mastering engineers; Jane Ira Bloom & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive producers (Jane Ira Bloom)

• Tuvayhun — Beatitudes For A Wounded World
  Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive producer (Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL

• Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique - The Making Of The Orchestra
  Shawn Murphy, Charlie Post & Gary Rydstrom, engineers; Michael Romanowski, mastering engineer (Edwin Outwater & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 6; Stucky: Silent Spring
  Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

• Perspectives
  Jonathan Lackey, Bill Maylone & Dan Nichols, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Third Coast Percussion)

• Tuvayhun - Beatitudes For A Wounded World
  Morten Lindberg, engineer; Morten Lindberg, mastering engineer (Anita Brevik, Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)

• Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Selected Film Themes
  Bernhard Güttler, Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Christoph Stickel, mastering engineer (Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL

• Jonathan Allen

  • Aspire (Seunghee Lee, JP Jofre, Enrico Fagone & London Symphony Orchestra) (A)

  • Cooper: Continuum (Jessica Cottis, Adjoah Andoh, Clio Gould & The Oculus Ensemble) (A)

  • Muse (Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Isata Kanneh-Mason) (A)

  • Origins (Lucie Horsch) (A)

  • Saudade (Plinio Fernandes) (A)

  • Schubert: Winterreise (Benjamin Appl) (A)

  • Secret Love Letters (Lisa Batiashvili, Yannik Nézet-Séguin & Philadelphia Orchestra) (A)

  • Song (Sheku Kanneh-Mason) (A)

• Christoph Franke

  • Brahms & Berg: Violin Concertos (Christian Tetzlaff, Robin Ticciati & Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin) (A)

  • John Williams - The Berlin Concert (John Williams & Berliner Philharmoniker) (A)

  • Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos (Lars Vogt & Orchestre De Chambre De Paris) (A)

  • Mozart: Complete Piano Sonatas (Elisabeth Leonskaja) (A)

  • Mozart Y Mambo: Cuban Dances (Sarah Willis, José Antonio Méndez Padrón & Havana Lyceum Orchestra) (A)

• James Ginsburg

  • As We Are (Julian Velasco) (A)

  • Avant L'Orage - French String Trios (Black Oak Ensemble) (A)

  • Gems From Armenia (Aznavoorian Duo) (A)

  • Stephenson: Symphony No. 3, 'Visions' (Vladimir Kulenovic & Lake Forest Symphony) (A)

  • Trios From Contemporary Chicago (Lincoln Trio) (A)

  • When There Are No Words - Revolutionary Works For Oboe And Piano (Alex Klein & Phillip Bush) (A)

• Elaine Martone

  • Beethoven: The Last Sonatas (Gerardo Teissonnière) (A)

  • Big Things (Icarus Quartet) (A)

  • Perspectives (Third Coast Percussion) (A)

  • Schnittke: Concerto For Piano And Strings; Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 (Yefim Bronfman, Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)

  • Strauss: Three Tone Poems (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)

  • Upon Further Reflection (John Wilson) (A)

• Judith Sherman

  • Akiho: Oculus (Various Artists) (A)

  • Bach, C.P.E.: Sonatas & Rondos (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)

  • Bolcom: The Complete Rags (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)

  • Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets (Takács Quartet) (A)

  • Huang Ro's A Dust In Time (Del Sol Quartet) (A)

  • It Feels Like (Eunbi Kim) (A)

  • León: Teclas De Mi Piano (Adam Kent) (A)

  • Violin Odyssey (Itamar Zorman & Ieva Jokubaviciute) (A)

  • Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman (Michael Repper & New York Youth Symphony) (A)

Classical

BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE

• Adams, John Luther: Sila - The Breath Of The World
  Doug Perkins, conductor (Musicians Of The University Of Michigan Department Of Chamber Music & University Of Michigan Percussion Ensemble)

• Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7-9
  Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

• Eastman: Stay On It
  Christopher Rountree, conductor (Wild Up)

• John Williams - The Berlin Concert
  John Williams, conductor (Berliner Philharmoniker)

• Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman
  Michael Repper, conductor (New York Youth Symphony)

BEST OPERA RECORDING

• Aucoin: Eurydice
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Barry Banks, Nathan Berg, Joshua Hopkins, Erin Morley & Jakub Józef Orliński; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

• Blanchard: Fire Shut Up In My Bones
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Angel Blue, Will Liverman, Latonia Moore & Walter Russell III; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

• Davis: X - The Life And Times Of Malcolm X
  Gil Rose, conductor; Ronnita Miller, Whitney Morrison, Victor Robertson & Davóne Tines; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Odyssey Opera Chorus)

BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE

• Bach: St. John Passion
  John Eliot Gardiner, conductor (English Baroque Soloists; Monteverdi Choir)

• Born
  Donald Nally, conductor (Dominic German, Maren Montalbano, Rebecca Myers & James Reese; The Crossing)

• Verdi: Requiem - The Met Remembers 9/11
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Donald Palumbo, chorus master (Michelle DeYoung, Eric Owens, Ailyn Pérez & Matthew Polenzani; The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLEPERFORMANCE

• Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Volume 2 - The Middle Quartets
  Dover Quartet

• Musical Remembrances
  Neave Trio

• Perspectives
  Third Coast Percussion

• Shaw: Evergreen
  Attacca Quartet

• What Is American
  PUBLIQuartet

BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO

• Abels: Isolation Variation
  Hilary Hahn

• Bach: The Art Of Life
  Daniil Trifonov

• Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
  Mitsuko Uchida

• Letters For The Future
  Time For Three; Xian Zhang, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)

• A Night In Upper Town - The Music Of Zoran Krajacic
  Mak Grgić

BEST CLASSICAL SOLO VOCAL ALBUM

• Eden
  Joyce DiDonato, soloist; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo D’Oro)

• How Do I Find You
  Sasha Cooke, soloist; Kirill Kuzmin, pianist

• Okpebholo: Lord, How Come Me Here?
  Will Liverman, soloist; Paul Sánchez, pianist (J’Nai Bridges & Caen Thomason-Redus)

• Stranger - Works For Tenor By Nico Muhly
  Nicholas Phan, soloist (Eric Jacobson; Brooklyn Rider & The Knights; Reginald Mobley)

• Voice Of Nature - The Anthropocene
  Renée Fleming, soloist; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist

BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM

• An Adoption Story
  Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley; Jeff Fair, Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley, producers

• Aspire
  JP Jofre & Seunghee Lee; Enrico Fagone, conductor; Jonathan Allen, producer

• A Concert For Ukraine
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; David Frost, producer

• The Lost Birds
  Voces8; Barnaby Smith & Christopher Tin, conductors; Sean Patrick Flahaven & Christopher Tin, producers

BEST CONTEMORARY CLASSICAL COMPETITION

• Akiho: Ligneous Suite
  Andy Akiho, composer (Ian Rosenbaum & Dover Quartet)

• Bermel: Intonations
  Derek Bermel, composer (Jack Quartet)

• Gubaidulina: The Wrath Of God
  Sofia Gubaidulina, composer (Andris Nelsons & Gewandhausorchester)

• Puts: Contact
  Kevin Puts, composer (Xian Zhang, Time for Three & The Philadelphia Orchestra)

• Simon: Requiem For The Enslaved
  Carlos Simon, composer (Carlos Simon, MK Zulu, Marco Pavé & Hub New Music)

Music Video/Film

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

• Easy On Me
  Adele
  Xavier Dolan, video director; Xavier Dolan & Nancy Grant, video producers

• Yet To Come
  BTS
  Yong Seok Choi, video director; Tiffany Suh, video producer

• Woman
  Doja Cat
  Child., video director; Missy Galanida, Sam Houston, Michelle Larkin & Isaac Rice, video producers

• The Heart Part 5
  Kendrick Lamar
  Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar, video directors; Jason Baum & Jamie Rabineau, video producers

• As It Was
  Harry Styles
  Tanu Muino, video director; Frank Borin, Ivanna Borin, Fred Bonham Carter & Alexa Haywood, video producers

• All Too Well: The Short Film
  Taylor Swift
  Taylor Swift, video director; Saul Germaine, video producer

BEST MUSIC FILM

• Adele One Night Only
  Adele
  Paul Dugdale, video director

• Our World
  Justin Bieber
  Michael D. Ratner, video director; Kfir Goldberg, Andy Mininger & Scott Ratner, video producers

• Billie Eilish Live At The O2
  Billie Eilish
  Sam Wrench, video director; Michelle An, Tom Colbourne, Chelsea Dodson & Billie Eilish, video producers

• Motomami (Rosalía Tiktok Live Performance)
  Rosalía
  Ferrán Echegaray, Rosalía Vila Tobella & Stillz, video directors

• Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story
  (Various Artists)
  Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern, video directors; Frank Marshall, Sean Stuart & Ryan Suffern, video producers

• A Band A Brotherhood A Barn
  Neil Young & Crazy Horse
  Dhlovelife, video director; Gary Ward, video producer

OWNING HIS SPACE | HARDWELL

When we think about some of our favorite DJ's over the past decade, Hardwell is one we enjoy seeing when he was at our favorite venues!

In this age of being committed to taking the time we need, self-care and mental health, Hardwell took 3 years off to take a break, fugure himself out as an artist and came back to the scene with a new album REBELS NEVER DIE, a tour of the same name and of course he launched it at Ultra Music Festival earlier this year!

We wanted to get to know more about his process, about the importance of his hometown in Breda, Netherlands, how he is approaching touring and more!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you fall in love with music?

HARDWELL: I discovered music super early, I actually started playing piano when I was 4 years old, but my love for DJing began when I was 12.

AM: What was the moment that you realized that you wanted to be a DJ?

H: I knew early on that it was a passion of mine. I started out playing hip hop when I was 12, before discovering electronic music when I was 13/14, which then became this huge part of my life and thankfully still is today.

AM: You’re from Breda which is a small city, but it has birthed a number of artists from yourself, Tiësto and even Elvis Presley’s manager, Colonel Tom Parker! What is the music scene like in Breda?

H: It’s crazy right! A small city with this deep musical history. We actually have a very small scene, so it’s not what people often think it will be. But because its small everyone knows each other and this is perhaps why it helps Breda artists to grow.

AM: How would you define your sound?

H: This new Hardwell REBELS NEVER DIE sound is me. It’s the raw, uncut version of who I am as an artist. It draws on all my influences from the moment I got into electronic dance music right through to what I am all about today. It is everything from big room to trance to electro to techno. I needed to free myself up from big labelled as one type of sound, so I could infuse everything into one sound, which is what fans are experiencing now.

AM: In terms of creating new music, what’s your process?

H: I feel most at home in my own studio. It’s a space that is custom built to fit my specific needs. I bring a lot of inspiration from life, travelling and the atmosphere of our scene into my creative process. But equally I don’t fixate on following the same process each time. It was why I took some time out because I need to recharge and free up my creativity to come back with something completely new and fresh.

AM: You’ve done some amazing collaborations, what do you look for when it comes to partnering with someone else to create music?

H: What makes the magic happen is that connection. When you work with a singer or another producer and there’s a creative connection where you’re vibing off the same ideas, that is usually a very positive sign. I like to connect with other artists who are open to trying new directions, freeing up the structure of a song and then seeing what will come out the other end.

AM: I’ve been a fan for years and have enjoyed your music, you’ve been a 2X #1 DJ, you’ve headlined many major festivals and you have travelled extensively and then in 2018, you decided to take an indefinite hiatus. Even though that was back in 2018, at that time it was a shock as mental health wasn’t really talked about and in the way that it is now. In the time that you took that step back, what did you learn about yourself?

H: Absolutely, I learned that it is ok to take time off. As an artist you always fear that if you don’t make that next show or release another song, your career will start to diminish, and it could be over before you know it. But the reality is that’s not the case. Everyone needs time off. From sports to medicine to education to even family life, everybody needs a break, but as artists we often to put pressure on ourselves to keep going, say “yes” to everything put in front of us. Taking a break, working on yourself for a while and coming back refreshed with new creative ideas is only ever going to be a positive decision.

AM: A portion of your hiatus also took place during COVID where everyone had lockdowns and we were all put in a place and a time where we re-evaluated how we went about work, the importance of connections and who we wanted to emerge as. Although you were already on that journey, what was that time period like for you?

H: Well, not much was different for me because, I was kind of already in my own lockdown, by not touring, being at home and then working in my studio. But I could see it was impacting so many of my friends and family, plus colleagues in the scene. That was hard to watch, but I’m thankful now that life has resumed for us all.

AM: At what point did you realize that you wanted to work on and release REBELS NEVER DIE?

H: The album didn't come until much later into my ‘sabbatical’ because I first needed to find myself again as an artist and then once I fell down that rabbit hole, and journeyed around what I was looking for, then the idea of REBELS NEVER DIE started to become a reality.

AM: How was creating music for this record different then when you have created previous albums/songs?

H: Before I started turning ideas into tracks, I decided to start from scratch. So I didn’t go back to a lot of the synth etc I was using previously. I needed a new canvas to work from, a new feel to the production. I also had released any pressure on myself which was a huge weight from my shoulders during the process because I was free to express myself this new sound.

AM: Tell me about REBELS NEVER DIE and what are you excited about this album?

H: The album excites me because it’s a new chapter in my journey. It’s an expression of where I am as an artist today. It has roots into my history with electronic music, but it projects a wide palette of my style to the fans. This Hardwell 2.0 version is a shift of perspective and sound, something which is best experience during the live performances of REBELS NEVER DIE.

AM: The decision to come back on the road and tour must have been one where you had to think about how you could do this in a way where you still felt comfortable. How do you approach touring now and deciding how many dates/cities that you want to include in your schedule?

H: I decided that this time around I will reduce the touring to a smaller number of shows. I think in 2022 I’ll have done about 50 flights in total, which is a much more manageable amount. I want to be back performing and connecting with the fans, but I also need that time in the studio to be creative, spend time with friends and family. It is all about balance.

AM: You played Ultra Music Festival with only unreleased music – such a bold move! Why did you want to take that approach and were you nervous about how it would be received?

H: I was incredibly nervous before that come back! I don’t usually get nervous, of course you get the pre-stage nervous out of excitement, but it’s part of the experience, it’s good to have some nervous. But this was a lot different because I had been away for a long time, I was also coming back with a new sound and new stage show. but after the first song, and feeling that love from the crowd, it all started to click into place.

AM: You’ve been navigating your world tour since Ultra what do you do the day that you have a show coming up. Are there any routines that you do that prepare you for a show and/or are there things that you do once you’ve left the stage that are a must for you?

H: Not really. I like to relax as much as possible to get ready for the show. Spend time with my team and just get myself into the zone of what’s about to go down with the show. I’m always working on new edits and ideas fo the show, so that keeps me focused in the build-up.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be seen as in terms of the mark that you have made in the music industry?

H: Just somone who put his heart and soul into making music he believed in.

IG @hardwell

PHOTOGRAPHY COURTESY | Hardwell

Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see OWNING HIS SPACE | Hardwell in mag.

NEW YEAR, N3W YOU

Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see NEW YEAR, N3W YOU in mag.

9DRIP | HARDWELL

Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | Hardwell in mag.

9PLAYLIST | SLOANE STEPHENS

Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Sloane Stephens in mag.

9PLAYLIST | ÖWNBOSS

Read the DEC ISSUE #84 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Öwnboss in mag.

9PLAYLIST | DR. PHUNK

Read the NOV ISSUE #83 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | DR. PHUNK in mag.

HUMANITY DEFINES HIS MUSIC | MIYAVI

This month's cover marks the 20th year of MIYAVI being a force in the music industry. Known as the Samurai Guitarist, he brings a message of passion and peace to those he plays for whether they're the fans that attend his shows or the refugees that he performs for as a Global Ambassador of the UNHCR where he gives his time to the camps when they are seeking relief from the crisis around him. He also talks about his 14th studio album, MIYAVIVERSE which covers anime songs. MIYAVI is also an actor who has done voiceover work in an Emmy-nominated anime show, Arcane: League of Legends as well as appearing in movies with Angelina Jolie in Maleficent 2 as well as Unbroken that she directed. We talk about his need to stay creative, collaborating with brands and continuing to challenge himself.

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you wanted to be a musician?

MIYAVI: When I lost my dream to be a professional soccer player when I was 14 years old. I was on a youth team of a professional soccer team in Osaka on the west side of Japan. Every single day, I was going to the soccer field and I got injured and then I lost my dream. The thing is I really really wanted to be a professional player, but at the same time, the practicing was really competitive to be on the team. I actually got tired of it because it was tough for me being a 14 year old boy to keep going to the field which was pretty far from my hometown. It was like a 90 minute train ride and that was really tough for me every single day. I was the captain of the local team for a very long time, but when I started going to the professional team, I lost my friends as well because I was not in the group anymore. I was the only one going to the professional team as well.

To me, it was really stressful and then it was really shocking to me that tmoment that I stopped going to that professional team, I was really relieved! It was really weird because soccer was my motivation and my passion every day that I was playing. But the moment that that happened, I was relieved not to play soccer because it was so stressful for me. That was the moment that I quit soccer and again, when you lose your dream, you lose yourself as well and you lose that shine so I was hanging out with my friends and I was doing bad things and then I got the guitar and I thought, “oh this might be it!” It might take me someplace else and I wanted to get out of my hometown anyway. This thing might be the one that takes me out. Now, I’m traveling the world and talking to you!

AM: Exactly and that’s quite a story.

How do you define the MIYAVI sound?

M: People call me the Samurai Guitarist and I’m honored to be called a Samurai! Samurai is such an important word for Japanese people. It’s such a big determination and it’s a really really big deal. For me, instead of katana, the Japanese sword, I play the guitar and I make people dance. I feel good that I can spread that positive message. As an artist which I am always trying to pursue the edgy style, but at the same time, I’m also a Goodwill Ambassador for UNHCR which is The United Nations Refugee Agency. So it’s about positivity and the moment that you feel the future, it’s really really crucial!

So yeah, it’s kind of like a guitar rock, dance kind of music. At the same time, to me, it’s about the attitude and how you enjoy my show is really really important. After people get back home, I want them to feel energized and motivated. Of course, I want you to have fun, we’ll have fun always – but I want to create something that people can feel and that it’s the future and is productive. It’s not just about being entertaining.

AM: How do you get inspired in terms of approaching creating your music?

M: You know, I like to watch movies or sometimes be in a movie. When I play a role in a film, I learn from that character and I want to be able to absorb and take it into my body. That’s also an inspirational source, to me. Again, I can learn things from my kids as well. As a parent, it’s kind of a learning process as well. Again, at the refugee camps, to witness those cruel devastating situations and the paths that those people had to go through – this is also a huge inspiration. I can’t look away from that fact and our generation is facing this crisis. So that’s not quite an inspiration it’s –

AM: It’s more of a driving force.

M: Yes, it’s more of a driving force. It’s a reason why I keep moving forward. It’s really really responsible.

AM: You’re so talented and from the music standpoint as a songwriter, producer, you play instruments – what’s your favorite part of working on a song?

M: To be honest, the most important thing is to put the message or the lyrics as a core part. The most fun part is just playing the guitar without thinking about anything. You just go free, that’s the fun part. That’s what I can do on stage once I’m done. Giving birth is the most hardest part, the most painful experience as we all know – the ladies. They give birth and it’s painful, but it’s also worth it for the real happiness. So doing what I do, it doesn’t actually hurt like that, but at the same time, when you’re making a song, it’s a really really tough process. But then again, it’s worth it. But playing the guitar, that’s the fun part!

AM: When you’re collaborating with other artists, what are you looking for when you’re deciding that you want to partner with them?

M: Just chemistry always! I know my world and I know how to maintain and to remain in my sound. I know my style and I know that it works. When I work with somebody else, I want to see new dimensions and to also feel that chemistry and to have a new me. Something that I never experienced or that I never thought to even try. That’s kind of a benefit and that’s the same with life. You don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow. Sometimes it doesn’t go as well as you expected, but that’s life. That kind of encountering a new part of myself in that way is nice.

AM: Earlier this year, you partnered with K-Pop superstar Kang Daniel with Hush Hush which also became a theme song for the Korean drama show Rookie Cops on Disney+ and you also collaborated with him again. What did you love about working on these projects with him?

M: Again, K-Pop is a global and phenomenal movement. I’m half Japanese and half Korean and I do respect the effort and the creative force that is there. Kang Daniel is a rising star and as an Asian, I do respect him. Again, it’s a totally different style and it does seem like he is building his own style right now. So it’s really really interesting to be part of the creation that we make together and then we see the shift as well. His style is really different from mine and it’s not like it’s a middle ground – it’s more like a 3rd or new destination! You can only find that with your collaborator. That’s why I said, a new me or a new world or a new dimension. I love his dedication for the creation and he’s so humble. It’s great to feel that different wave in the younger generation.

AM: You’ve been in the industry for over 20 years and you’re currently in a 19 city, 20 show tour here in North America. What does it mean to you to reach this achievement and to look back on all of the work that you have done?

M: I’m never satisfied and that’s the reason why I keep on doing this. I’ve done pretty much all of these different things not only in musi,c but acting, the fashion thing, humanitarian work, so it’s such a pleasure to be able to explore the many worlds and to encounter new people and I’m learning every single time. It might have been easier if I just focused on a music career or an acting career or a fashion career, but again there is also that chemistry when I take on a challenge of doing something different every time. I feel that chemistry and then I learn from it. Then I can be a new me and I can be stronger and I do just appreciate everyone that I have worked with and also the fans that are supporting me the whole time even if I changed my music style – not just costumes, but the music itself – the groove. Then doing acting and the fashion thing so I really really appreciate their support.

AM: So what can you tell me about your 14th studio album that is coming out?

M: That’s a cover album and I am covering anime songs. It’s a really really interesting path and also a process because those tracks are made by somebody else and they’re really popular ones like the song for Evangelion or song for City Hunter, the song for Naruto. At the same time as an artist, I’m really confident to make any song into MIYAVI’s world which is why we named this album, MIYAVIVERSE. That’s my world and that’s the sound that MIYAVI and the team creates. Every song has a great melody and there is a chemistry, there is a totally different sound in production and form. We’re kind of making a new style. It’s a really exciting project.

AM: In addition to your music career and you have also said this as we’ve been talking, you’re the face of a number of brands such as Gucci and you’ve been with Dell and McLaren. What does that mean to you to be able to crossover like that?

M: You know, it’s a new discovery of myself and then it’s such a pleasure to work with those top top brands that are trendsetting and leading their industries. It’s great to see what happens when I dive into those different worlds. I’m not a car geek or a car lover, but the attitude that McLaren and MIYAVI have really resonates. I’m not just making music for a business and they’re not just making a car for a business, we’re making history and we’re making a different thing. It might be easier to make some kind of a good pop stuff and there might be an easier path to become famous, but for it’s not. It’s about being more integrated. We would not be able to be satisfied with the answer. With Dell as well. The creativity that technology brings – they are expanding that as well. The honor to be part of it and to just explore together is great.

AM: In terms of your acting, you have a number of credits that you’re getting out there. You were cast in Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken and you worked with her again in Maleficent 2. What was it like to be in those projects?

M: It’s fun. Again, the music when it comes to the process, it’s all about me. I say it sounds like this, it should be like that, I am the producer. So I am doing the producing, the acting and the playing myself. But the movie, as an actor, there is a bigger part of it especially when the role is not that big. It’s a tiny part of it. But, it’s still you’re part of it. You’re performing and whatever you do in that work, it’s going to affect the entire creation – it’s teamwork a team achievement. To be able to work with those top top people from Disney or Pixar those people are the real deal! It’s really creative and more free. They are enjoying the flow and they are making something new in the flow. It‘s really fun!

AM: You’ve done voice overs for Arcane: League of Legends which won an Emmy recently for Outstanding Animated Series. Why did you want to be part of this show?

M: Why not?

AM: Love that!

M: Yeah! Why not? When I got the offer, I heard that Sting was on board, Imagine Dragons was on board. You know, those top artists were there and then the creation itself was really really great – a high level and a big passion. I was working with Christian Linke the Executive Producer. He’s like Steve Jobs like – he has the characters, the world, passion and even the music as well. It was simply a pleasure and honor to be part of it and then the music and also doing the voice acting for a little bit for a little role. That was such a surprise and that kind of flexibility and spontaneous kind of decision is the fun part of creation you know. You can change your creation drastically in the last minute. That’s all on you so it’s all about the passion and the clear vision. He had a clear vision and I was so happy to be part of it.

AM: Throughout this interview, you have been talking about your humanitarian work and working with the United Nations. Can you tell us more about what you are doing?

M: So my humanitarian work as an ambassador for UNHCR, is life work and it’s really volunteering. It’s not something that I get paid to do. Every single time I go to the refugee camps, I feel purified well as it is a special process to me. Anything that you can do for the future, global warming, animals, human rights – anything. But for me, I met Angelina Jolie – Angie, she’s the one that inspired me and opened the door and who met me. I was really surprised and amazed at how much she dedicates for this crisis and as an artist, I wanted to be able to do something if I could. I went to the refugee camp in Lebanon for the first time right after the Syria crisis exploded. It started around 2011ish but around 2014/2015, the refugees increased rapidly and I was really scared. I didn’t know what to do as an artist and still, I can’t play the guitar to people that just escaped from their countries because imagine the situation of it being do or die, you can’t enjoy the music at that moment. But still, after that first emergency phase, we call that Developmental or Sustainable Phase – people need to feel that dignity of a human being. We are not just living here a human being. We are not just living here, we are living here and standing on our own feet. That’s what everyone needs to feel and especially at the refugee camps, that set of circumstances is really hard to feel that way. Then art and culture like music and sports, can do many things to connect people and to make them feel alive. That’s my role as an ambassador. The thing about refugees is that you feel like a dark, serious burden – it's a serious issue. But at the same time, those people are like us! They used to be a professional musician, they used to be a writer, they used to be a politician. So my mission as an ambassador is to bring those kinds of bright sides of people and positivity. So we feel that we are the same and it could happen to us. When you think about a crisis that could happen like another war – I don’t even want to say, but you have that conflict that happens and it could happen to us if the place you are living in is so no longer safe. It’s really really important to me to keep doing this so that I can realize that I can redefine my mission of the reason why I keep moving forward. I keep creating and this is really really important now.

AM: Honestly, the way that you explained that this person who is a refugee had a life where they were a doctor or the fact that they had a life that they were part of. I think that that really puts a different type of life on it as opposed to saying this group of people had this devastating series of circumstances. It does give back the humanity and compassion to see it in that light.

M: Some of them used to be a doctor. Some of them used to be a professor.

AM: What do you want your legacy to be as an artist, as an actor, a humanitarian and as a father?

M: That’s a big question – the ultimate question. It’s interesting. It makes me rethink about the shift in me as an artist. I wanted to play the guitar when I was younger, but I'm not playing the guitar because I want to play the guitar now, I’m playing because I want to play music. That’s why I’m playing the guitar – I want to spread my message. It’s why I make music and then I play the guitar. I need to spread the message to help make this world better somehow. I want to dedicate myself somehow and that’s why I play music. That’s why I play the guitar. It used to be like – I want to be a legend playing the guitar. I do play it and it’s my thing and I will never quit playing the guitar. I’m not going to become obsessed by being a guitarist. It’s a tool to deliver my message to the audience. So, I don’t know about the answer to your question because for me, anything is fine. That’s why I am an actor and modeling as well because as long as you can just spread the message and the idea of peace, I think that that’s it!

IG @miyavi_ishihara

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | PG 16 - 27 + 32 Courtesy MIYAVI | PG 28 Mairo Cinquetti/Pacific -Press/Alamy | PG 30 UPI/Alamy |

Read the OCT ISSUE #82 of Athleisure Mag and see HUMANITY DEFINES HIS MUSIC | MIYAVI in mag.

AWARDS SEASON | THE GRAMMYS 2023

The nominations are in for the 65th GRAMMY Awards which takes place on Feb 5th. We always enjoy seeing what takes place during Awards Season as we get into the thick of things. You can tune in on CBS and stream live ad on-demand on Paramount+. As always, we’re sharing our predictions which are italicized, those that are the winners are in bold and those that we guessed correctly that won, they will be italicized in bold.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

• Don't Shut Me Down
  ABBA
  Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer

• Easy On Me
  Adele
  Greg Kurstin, producer; Julian Burg, Tom Elmhirst & Greg Kurstin, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé
  Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Brandon Harding, Chris McLaughlin & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• Good Morning Gorgeous
  Mary J. Blige
  D’Mile & H.E.R., producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Pat Kelly, engineers/mixers

• You And Me On The Rock
  Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius
  Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Tom Elmhirst & Michael Harris, engineers/mixers; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

• Woman
  Doja Cat
  Crate Classics, Linden Jay, Aynzli Jones & Yeti Beats, producers; Jesse Ray Ernster & Rian Lewis, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

• Bad Habit
  Steve Lacy
  Steve Lacy, producer; Neal Pogue & Karl Wingate, engineers/mixers; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

• The Heart Part 5
  Kendrick Lamar
  Beach Noise, producer; Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, Ray Charles Brown Jr., James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Matt Schaeffer & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• About Damn Time
  Lizzo
  Ricky Reed & Blake Slatkin, producers; Patrick Kehrier, Bill Malina & Manny Marroquin, engineers/mixers; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• As It Was
  Harry Styles
  Tyler Johnson & Kid Harpoon, producers; Jeremy Hatcher & Spike Stent, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

• Voyage
  ABBA
  Benny Andersson, producer; Benny Andersson & Bernard Löhr, engineers/mixers; Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus, songwriters; Björn Engelmann, mastering engineer

• 30
  Adele
  Shawn Everett, Ludwig Göransson, Inflo, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin, Joey Pecoraro & Shellback, producers; Julian Burg, Steve Churchyard, Tom Elmhirst, Shawn Everett, Serban Ghenea, Sam Holland, Michael Ilbert, Inflo, Greg Kurstin, Riley Mackin & Lasse Mårtén, engineers/mixers; Adele Adkins, Ludwig Göransson, Dean Josiah Cover, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Greg Kurstin, Max Martin & Shellback, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

• Un Verano Sin Ti
  Bad Bunny
  Rauw Alejandro, Buscabulla, Chencho Corleone, Jhay Cortez, Tony Dize, Bomba Estéreo & The Marías, featured artists; Demy & Clipz, Elikai, HAZE, La Paciencia, Cheo Legendary, MAG, MagicEnElBeat, Mora, Jota Rosa, Subelo Neo & Tainy, producers; Josh Gudwin & Roberto Rosado, engineers/mixers; Raul Alejandro Ocasio Ruiz, Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, Raquel Berrios, Joshua Conway, Mick Coogan, Orlando Javier Valle Vega, Jesus Nieves Cortes, Luis Del Valle, Marcos Masis, Gabriel Mora, Elena Rose, Liliana Margarita Saumet & Maria Zardoya, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• RENAISSANCE
  Beyoncé
  Beam, Grace Jones & Tems, featured artists; Jameil Aossey, Bah, Beam, Beyoncé, Bloodpop, Boi-1Da, Cadenza, Al Cres, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Kelman Duran, Harry Edwards, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Ivor Guest, Guiltybeatz, Hit-Boy, Jens Christian Isaksen, Leven Kali, Lil Ju, MeLo-X, No I.D., NovaWav, Chris Penny, P2J, Rissi, S1a0, Raphael Saadiq, Neenyo, Skrillex, Luke Solomon, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Syd, Sevn Thomas, Sol Was & Stuart White, producers; Chi Coney, Russell Graham, Guiltybeatz, Brandon Harding, Hotae Alexander Jang, Chris McLaughlin, Delroy "Phatta" Pottinger, Andrea Roberts, Steve Rusch, Jabbar Stevens & Stuart White, engineers/mixers; Denisia "@Blu June" Andrews, Danielle Balbuena, Tyshane Thompson, Kevin Marquis Bellmon, Sydney Bennett, Beyoncé, Jerel Black, Michael Tucker, Atia Boggs p/k/a Ink, Dustin Bowie, David Debrandon Brown, S. Carter, Nija Charles, Sabrina Claudio, Solomon Fagenson Cole, Brittany "@Chi_Coney" Coney, Alexander Guy Cook, Lavar Coppin, Almando Cresso, Mike Dean, Saliou Diagne, Darius Dixson, Jocelyn Donald, Jordan Douglas, Aubrey Drake Graham, Kelman Duran, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Dave Giles II, Derrick Carrington Gray, Nick Green, Larry Griffin Jr, Ronald Banful, Dave Hamelin, Aviel Calev Hirschfield, Chauncey Hollis, Jr., Ariowa Irosogie, Leven Kali, Ricky Lawson, Tizita Makuria, Julian Martrel Mason, Daniel Memmi, Cherdericka Nichols, Ernest "No I.D." Wilson, Temilade Openiyi, Patrick Paige II From The Internet, Jimi Stephen Payton, Christopher Lawrence Penny, Michael Pollack, Richard Isong, Honey Redmond, Derek Renfroe, Andrew Richardson, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers, Oliver Rodigan, Freddie Ross, Raphael Saadiq, Matthew Samuels, Sean Seaton, Skrillex, Corece Smith, Luke Francis Matthew Solomon, Jabbar Stevens, Christopher A. Stewart, Jahaan Sweet, Rupert Thomas, Jr. & Jesse Wilson, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

• Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
  Mary J. Blige
  DJ Khaled, Dave East, Fabolous, Fivio Foreign, Griselda, H.E.R., Jadakiss, Moneybagg Yo, Ne-Yo, Anderson .Paak, Remy Ma & Usher, featured artists; Alissia, Tarik Azzouz, Bengineer, Blacka Din Me, Rogét Chahayed, Cool & Dre, Ben Billions, DJ Cassidy, DJ Khaled, D’Mile, Wonda, Bongo Bytheway, H.E.R., Hostile Beats, Eric Hudson, London On Da Track, Leon Michels, Nova Wav, Anderson.Paak, Sl!Mwav, Streetrunner, Swizz Beatz & J White Did It, producers; Derek Ali, Ben Chang, Luis Bordeaux, Bryce Bordone, Lauren D’Elia, Chris Galland, Serban Ghenea, Akeel Henry, Jaycen Joshua, Pat Kelly, Jhair Lazo, Shamele Mackie, Manny Marroquin, Dave Medrano, Ari Morris, Parks, Juan Peña, Ben Sedano, Kev Spencer, Julio Ulloa & Jodie Grayson Williams, engineers/mixers; Alissia Beneviste, Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Archer, Bianca Atterberry, Tarik Azzouz, Mary J. Blige, David Brewster, David Brown, Shawn Butler, Rogét Chahayed, Ant Clemons, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Kasseem Dean, Benjamin Diehl, DJ Cassidy, Jocelyn Donald, Jerry Duplessis, Uforo Ebong, Dernst Emile II, John Jackson, Adriana Flores, Gabriella Wilson, Shawn Hibbler, Charles A. Hinshaw, Jamie Hurton, Eric Hudson, Jason Phillips, Khaled Khaled, London Holmes, Andre "Dre" Christopher Lyon, Reminisce Mackie, Leon Michels, Jerome Monroe, Jr., Kim Owens, Brandon Anderson, Jeremie "Benny The Butcher" Pennick, Bryan Ponce, Demond "Conway The Machine" Price, Peter Skellern, Shaffer Smith, Nicholas Warwar, Deforrest Taylor, Tiara Thomas, Marcello "Cool" Valenzano, Alvin "Westside Gunn" Worthy, Anthony Jermaine White & Leon Youngblood, songwriters

• In These Silent Days
  Brandi Carlile
  Lucius, featured artist; Dave Cobb & Shooter Jennings, producers; Brandon Bell, Dave Cobb, Tom Elmhirst, Michael Harris & Shooter Jennings, engineers/mixers; Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters; Pete Lyman, mastering engineer

• Music Of The Spheres
  Coldplay
  BTS, Jacob Collier, Selena Gomez & We Are KING, featured artists; Jacob Collier, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Max Martin, Metro Boomin, Kang Hyo-Won, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson, Paris Strother & We Are KING, producers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, The Dream Team, Duncan Fuller, Serban Ghenea, Daniel Green, John Hanes, Jon Hopkins, Michael Ilbert, Max Martin, Bill Rahko, Bart Schoudel, Rik Simpson & Paris Strother, engineers/mixers; Guy Berryman, Jonny Buckland, Denise Carite, Will Champion, Jacob Collier, Derek Dixie, Sam Falson, Stephen Fry, Daniel Green, Oscar Holter, Jon Hopkins, Jung Ho-Seok, Chris Martin, Max Martin, John Metcalfe, Leland Tyler Wayne, Bill Rahko, Kim Nam-Joon, Jesse Rogg, Davide Rossi, Rik Simpson, Amber Strother, Paris Strother, Min Yoon-Gi, Federico Vindver & Olivia Waithe, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

• Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
  Kendrick Lamar
  Baby Keem, Blxst, Sam Dew, Ghostface Killah, Beth Gibbons, Kodak Black, Tanna Leone, Taylour Paige, Amanda Reifer, Sampha & Summer Walker, featured artists; The Alchemist, Baby Keem, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Bekon, Boi-1da, Cardo, Dahi, DJ Khalil, The Donuts, FNZ, Frano, Sergiu Gherman, Emile Haynie, J.LBS, Mario Luciano, Tyler Mehlenbacher, OKLAMA, Rascal, Sounwave, Jahaan Sweet, Tae Beast, Duval Timothy & Pharrell Williams, producers; Derek Ali, Matt Anthony, Beach Noise, Rob Bisel, David Bishop, Troy Bourgeois, Andrew Boyd, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Derek Garcia, Chad Gordon, James Hunt, Johnny Kosich, Manny Marroquin, Erwing Olivares, Raymond J Scavo III, Matt Schaeffer, Cyrus Taghipour, Johnathan Turner & Joe Visciano, engineers/mixers; Khalil Abdul-Rahman, Hykeem Carter, Craig Balmoris, Beach Noise, Daniel Tannenbaum, Daniel Tannenbaum, Stephen Lee Bruner, Matthew Burdette, Isaac John De Boni, Sam Dew, Anthony Dixon, Victor Ekpo, Sergiu Gherman, Dennis Coles, Beth Gibbons, Frano Huett, Stuart Johnson, Bill K. Kapri, Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Daniel Krieger, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald LaTour, Mario Luciano, Daniel Alan Maman, Timothy Maxey, Tyler Mehlenbacher, Michael John Mulé, D. Natche, OKLAMA, Jason Pounds, Rascal, Amanda Reifer, Matthew Samuels, Avante Santana, Matt Schaeffer, Sampha Sisay, Mark Spears, Homer Steinweiss, Jahaan Akil Sweet, Donte Lamar Perkins, Duval Timothy, Summer Walker & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• Special
  Lizzo
  Benny Blanco, Quelle Chris, Daoud, Omer Fedi, ILYA, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, The Monsters & Strangerz, Phoelix, Ricky Reed, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin & Pop Wansel, producers; Benny Blanco, Bryce Bordone, Jeff Chestek, Jacob Ferguson, Serban Ghenea, Jeremy Hatcher, Andrew Hey, Sam Holland, ILYA, Stefan Johnson, Jens Jungkurth, Patrick Kehrier, Ian Kirkpatrick, Damien Lewis, Bill Malina, Manny Marroquin & Ricky Reed, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Daoud Anthony, Jonathan Bellion, Benjamin Levin, Thomas Brenneck, Christian Devivo, Omer Fedi, Eric Frederic, Ilya Salmanzadeh, Melissa Jefferson, Jordan K Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Ian Kirkpatrick, Savan Kotecha, Max Martin, Nate Mercereau, Leon Michels, Nick Movshon, Michael Neil, Michael Pollack, Mark Ronson, Blake Slatkin, Peter Svensson, Gavin Chris Tennille, Theron Makiel Thomas, Andrew Wansel & Emily Warren, songwriters; Michelle Mancini, mastering engineer

• Harry's House
  Harry Styles
  Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Sammy Witte, producers; Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Spike Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Tobias Jesso, Jr., Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon, Mitch Rowland, Harry Styles & Sammy Witte, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

SONG OF THE YEAR

• abcdefu
  Sara Davis, GAYLE & Dave Pittenger, songwriters (GAYLE)

• About Damn Time
  Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin & Theron Makiel Thomas, songwriters (Lizzo)

• All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film)
  Liz Rose & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

• As It Was
  Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon & Harry Styles, songwriters (Harry Styles)

• Bad Habit
  Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Fousheé, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby & Steve Lacy, songwriters (Steve Lacy)

• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant & Christopher A. Stewart, songwriters (Beyoncé)

• Easy On Me
  Adele Adkins & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Adele)

• GOD DID
  Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)

• The Heart Part 5
  Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

• Just Like That
  Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

BEST NEW ARTIST

• Anitta

• Omar Apollo

• DOMi & JD Beck

• Muni Long

• Samara Joy

• Latto

• Måneskin

• Tobe Nwigwe

• Molly Tuttle

• Wet Leg

Pop

BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE

• Easy On Me
  Adele

• Moscow Mule
  Bad Bunny

• Woman
  Doja Cat

• Bad Habit
  Steve Lacy

• About Damn Time
  Lizzo

• As It Was
  Harry Styles

BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

• Don't Shut Me Down
  ABBA

• Bam Bam
  Camila Cabello Featuring Ed Sheeran

• My Universe
  Coldplay & BTS

• I Like You (A Happier Song)
  Post Malone & Doja Cat

• Unholy
  Sam Smith & Kim Petras

BEST TRADITIONAL POP VOCAL ALBUM

• Higher
  Michael Bublé

• When Christmas Comes Around...
  Kelly Clarkson

• I Dream Of Christmas (Extended)
  Norah Jones

• Evergreen
  Pentatonix

• Thank You
  Diana Ross

BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM

• Voyage
  ABBA

• 30
  Adele

• Music Of The Spheres
  Coldplay

• Special
  Lizzo

• Harry's House
  Harry Styles

Dance/Electronic Music

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC RECORDING

• BREAK MY SOUL
  Beyoncé
  Beyoncé, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Jens Christian Isaksen & Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, producers; Stuart White, mixer

• Rosewood
  Bonobo
  Simon Green, producer; Simon Green, mixer

• Don't Forget My Love
  Diplo & Miguel
  Diplo & Maximilian Jaeger, producers; Luca Pretolesi, mixer

• I'm Good (Blue)
  David Guetta & Bebe Rexha
  David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, producers; David Guetta & Timofey Reznikov, mixers

• Intimidated
  KAYTRANADA Featuring H.E.R.
  H.E.R. & KAYTRANADA, producers; KAYTRANADA, mixer

• On My Knees
  RÜFÜS DU SOL
  Jason Evigan & RÜFÜS DU SOL, producers; Cassian Stewart-Kasimba, mixer

BEST DANCE/ELECTRONIC MUSIC ALBUM

• Renaissance
  Beyoncé

• Fragments
  Bonobo

• Diplo
  Diplo

• The Last Goodbye
  ODESZA

• Surrender
  RÜFÜS DU SOL

Contemporary Instrumental Music

BEST CONTEMPORARY INSTRUMENTAL ALBUM

• Between Dreaming And Joy
  Jeff Coffin

• Not Tight
  DOMi & JD Beck

• Blooz
  Grant Geissman

• Jacob's Ladder
  Brad Mehldau

• Empire Central
  Snarky Puppy

Rock

BEST ROCK PERFORMANCE

• So Happy It Hurts
  Bryan Adams

• Old Man
  Beck

• Wild Child
  The Black Keys

• Broken Horses
  Brandi Carlile

• Crawl!
  Idles

• Patient Number 9
  Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck

• Holiday
  Turnstile

BEST METAL PERFORMANCE

• Call Me Little Sunshine
  Ghost

• We'll Be Back
  Megadeth

• Kill Or Be Killed
  Muse

• Degradation Rules
  Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Tony Iommi

• Blackout
  Turnstile

BEST ROCK SONG

• Blackout
  Brady Ebert, Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)

• Broken Horses
  Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)

• Harmonia's Dream
  Robbie Bennett & Adam Granduciel, songwriters (The War On Drugs)

• Patient Number 9
  John Osbourne, Chad Smith, Ali Tamposi, Robert Trujillo & Andrew Wotman, songwriters (Ozzy Osbourne Featuring Jeff Beck)

BEST ROCKALBUM

• Dropout Boogie
  The Black Keys

• The Boy Named If
  Elvis Costello & The Imposters

• Crawler
  Idles

• Mainstream Sellout
  Machine Gun Kelly

• Patient Number 9
  Ozzy Osbourne

• Lucifer On The Sofa
  Spoon

Alternative

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC PERFORMANCE

• There'd Better Be A Mirrorball
  Arctic Monkeys

• Certainty
  Big Thief

• King
  Florence + The Machine

• Chaise Longue
  Wet Leg

• Spitting Off The Edge Of The World
  Yeah Yeah Yeahs Featuring Perfume Genius

BEST ALTERNATIVE MUSIC ALBUM

• WE
  Arcade Fire

• Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe In You
  Big Thief

• Fossora
  Björk

• Wet Leg
  Wet Leg

• Cool It Down
  Yeah Yeah Yeahs

R&B

BEST R&B PERFORMANCE

• VIRGO’S GROOVE
  Beyoncé

• Here With Me
  Mary J. Blige Featuring Anderson .Paak

• Hrs & Hrs
  Muni Long

• Over
  Lucky Daye

• Hurt Me So Good
  Jazmine Sullivan

BEST TRADITIONAL R&B PERFORMANCE

• Do 4 Love
  Snoh Aalegra

• Keeps On Fallin'
  Babyface Featuring Ella Mai

• PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA
  Beyoncé

• 'Round Midnight
  Adam Blackstone Featuring Jazmine Sullivan

• Good Morning Gorgeous
  Mary J. Blige

BEST R&B SONG

• CUFF IT
  Denisia "Blu June" Andrews, Beyoncé, Mary Christine Brockert, Brittany "Chi" Coney, Terius "The-Dream" Gesteelde-Diamant, Morten Ristorp, Nile Rodgers & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

• Good Morning Gorgeous
  Mary J. Blige, David Brown, Dernst Emile II, Gabriella Wilson & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (Mary J. Blige)

• Hrs & Hrs
  Hamadi Aaabi, Dylan Graham, Priscilla Renea, Thaddis "Kuk" Harrell, Brandon John-Baptiste, Isaac Wriston & Justin Nathaniel Zim, songwriters (Muni Long)

• Hurt Me So Good
  Akeel Henry, Michael Holmes, Luca Mauti, Jazmine Sullivan & Elliott Trent, songwriters (Jazmine Sullivan)

• Please Don't Walk Away
  PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)

BEST PROGRESSIVE R&B ALBUM

• Operation Funk
  Cory Henry

• Gemini Rights
  Steve Lacy

• Drones
  Terrace Martin

• Starfruit
  Moonchild

• Red Balloon
  Tank And The Bangas

BEST R&B ALBUM

• Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)
  Mary J. Blige

• Breezy (Deluxe)
  Chris Brown

• Black Radio III
  Robert Glasper

• Candydrip
  Lucky Daye

• Watch The Sun
  PJ Morton

Rap

BEST RAP PERFORMANCE

• GOD DID
  DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy

• Vegas
  Doja Cat

• pushin P
  Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug

• F.N.F. (Let's Go)
  Hitkidd & GloRilla

• The Heart Part 5
  Kendrick Lamar

BEST MELODIC RAP PERFORMANCE

• BEAUTIFUL
  DJ Khaled Featuring Future & SZA

• WAIT FOR U
  Future Featuring Drake & Tems

• First Class
  Jack Harlow

• Die Hard
  Kendrick Lamar Featuring Blxst & Amanda Reifer

• Big Energy (Live)
  Latto

BEST RAP SONG

• Churchill Downs
  Ace G, BEDRM, Matthew Samuels, Tahrence Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Aubrey Graham, Jack Harlow & Jose Velazquez, songwriters (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake)

• GOD DID
  Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts & Nicholas Warwar, songwriters (DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy)

• The Heart Part 5
  Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar & Matt Schaeffer, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)

• pushin P
  Lucas Depante, Nayvadius Wilburn, Sergio Kitchens, Wesley Tyler Glass & Jeffery Lamar Williams, songwriters (Gunna & Future Featuring Young Thug)

• WAIT FOR U
  Tejiri Akpoghene, Floyd E. Bentley III, Jacob Canady, Isaac De Boni, Aubrey Graham, Israel Ayomide Fowobaje, Nayvadius Wilburn, Michael Mule, Oluwatoroti Oke & Temilade Openiyi, songwriters (Future Featuring Drake & Tems)

BEST RAP ALBUM

• GOD DID
  DJ Khaled

• I Never Liked You
  Future

• Come Home The Kids Miss You
  Jack Harlow

• Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers
  Kendrick Lamar

• It's Almost Dry
  Pusha T

Country

BEST COUNTRY SOLO PERFORMANCE

• Heartfirst
  Kelsea Ballerini

• Something In The Orange
  Zach Bryan

• In His Arms
  Miranda Lambert

• Circles Around This Town
  Maren Morris

• Live Forever
  Willie Nelson

BEST COUNTRY DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE

• Wishful Drinking
  Ingrid Andress & Sam Hunt

• Midnight Rider's Prayer
  Brothers Osborne

• Outrunnin' Your Memory
  Luke Combs & Miranda Lambert

• Does He Love You - Revisited
  Reba McEntire & Dolly Parton

• Never Wanted To Be That Girl
  Carly Pearce & Ashley McBryde

• Going Where The Lonely Go
  Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

BEST COUNTRY SONG

• Circles Around This Town
  Ryan Hurd, Julia Michaels, Maren Morris & Jimmy Robbins, songwriters (Maren Morris)

• Doin' This
  Luke Combs, Drew Parker & Robert Williford, songwriters (Luke Combs)

• I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (From The Vault)
  Lori McKenna & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift)

• If I Was A Cowboy
  Jesse Frasure & Miranda Lambert, songwriters (Miranda Lambert)

• I'll Love You Till The Day I Die
  Rodney Crowell & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Willie Nelson)

• 'Til You Can't
  Matt Rogers & Ben Stennis, songwriters (Cody Johnson)

BEST COUNTRY ALBUM

• Growin' Up
  Luke Combs

• Palomino
  Miranda Lambert

• Ashley McBryde Presents: Lindeville
  Ashley McBryde

• Humble Quest
  Maren Morris

• A Beautiful Time
  Willie Nelson

New Age, Ambient, or Chant

BEST NEW AGE, AMBIENT, OR CHANT ALBUM

• Positano Songs
  Will Ackerman

• Joy
  Paul Avgerinos

• Mantra Americana
  Madi Das & Dave Stringer With Bhakti Without Borders

• The Passenger
  Cheryl B. Engelhardt

• Mystic Mirror
  White Sun

Jazz

32. Best Improvised Jazz Solo

For an instrumental jazz solo performance. Two equal performers on one recording may be eligible as one entry. If the soloist listed appears on a recording billed to another artist, the latter's name is in parenthesis for identification. Singles or Tracks only.)

• Rounds (Live)
  Ambrose Akinmusire, soloist

• Keep Holding On
  Gerald Albright, soloist

• Falling
  Melissa Aldana, soloist

• Call Of The Drum
  Marcus Baylor, soloist

• Cherokee/Koko
  John Beasley, soloist

• Endangered Species
  Wayne Shorter & Leo Genovese, soloist

33. Best Jazz Vocal Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.

• The Evening : Live At APPARATUS
  The Baylor Project

• Linger Awhile
  Samara Joy

• Fade To Black
  Carmen Lundy

• Fifty
  The Manhattan Transfer With The WDR Funkhausorchester

• Ghost Song
  Cécile McLorin Salvant

34. Best Jazz Instrumental Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.

• New Standards Vol. 1
  Terri Lyne Carrington, Kris Davis, Linda May Han Oh, Nicholas Payton & Matthew Stevens

• Live In Italy
  Peter Erskine Trio

• LongGone
  Joshua Redman, Brad Mehldau, Christian McBride, And Brian Blade

• Live At The Detroit Jazz Festival
  Wayne Shorter, Terri Lyne Carrington, Leo Genovese & esperanza spalding

• Parallel Motion
  Yellowjackets

35. Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new ensemble jazz recordings.

• Bird Lives
  John Beasley, Magnus Lindgren & SWR Big Band

• Remembering Bob Freedman
  Ron Carter & The Jazzaar Festival Big Band Directed By Christian Jacob

• Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra
  Steven Feifke, Bijon Watson, Generation Gap Jazz Orchestra

• Center Stage
  Steve Gadd, Eddie Gomez, Ronnie Cuber & WDR Big Band Conducted By Michael Abene

• Architecture Of Storms
  Remy Le Boeuf's Assembly Of Shadows

BEST LATIN JAZZ ALBUM

• Fandango At The Wall In New York
  Arturo O'Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra Featuring The Congra Patria Son Jarocho Collective

• Crisálida
  Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers

• If You Will
  Flora Purim

• Rhythm & Soul
  Arturo Sandoval

• Música De Las Américas
  Miguel Zenón

Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music

BEST GOSPEL PERFORMANCE/SONG

• Positive
  Erica Campbell; Erica Campbell, Warryn Campbell & Juan Winans, songwriters

• When I Pray
  DOE; Dominique Jones & Dewitt Jones, songwriters

• Kingdom
  Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Jonathan Jay, Chandler Moore & Jacob Poole, songwriters

• The Better Benediction
  PJ Morton Featuring Zacardi Cortez, Gene Moore, Samoht, Tim Rogers & Darrel Walls; PJ Morton, songwriter

• Get Up
  Tye Tribbett; Brandon Jones, Christopher Michael Stevens, Thaddaeus Tribbett & Tye Tribbett, songwriters

BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC PERFORMANCE/SONG

• God Really Loves Us (Radio Version)
  Crowder Featuring Dante Bowe and Maverick City Music; Dante Bowe, David Crowder, Ben Glover & Jeff Sojka, songwriters

• So Good
  DOE; Chuck Butler, Dominique Jones & Ethan Hulse, songwriters

• For God Is With Us
  for KING & COUNTRY & Hillary Scott; Josh Kerr, Jordan Reynolds, Joel Smallbone & Luke Smallbone, songwriters

• Fear Is Not My Future
  Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, Nicole Hannel, Jonathan Jay, Brandon Lake & Hannah Shackelford, songwriters

• Holy Forever
  Chris Tomlin; Jason Ingram, Brian Johnson, Jenn Johnson, Chris Tomlin & Phil Wickham, songwriters

• Hymn Of Heaven (Radio Version)
  Phil Wickham; Chris Davenport, Bill Johnson, Brian Johnson & Phil Wickham, songwriters

BEST GOSPEL ALBUM

• Die To Live
  Maranda Curtis

• Breakthrough: The Exodus (Live)
  Ricky Dillard

• Clarity
  DOE

• One Deluxe
  Maverick City Music & Kirk Franklin

• All Things New
  Tye Tribbett

BEST CONTEMPORARY CHRISTIAN MUSIC ALBUM

• Lion
  Elevation Worship

• Breathe
  Maverick City Music

• Life After Death
  TobyMac

• Always
  Chris Tomlin

• My Jesus
  Anne Wilson

BEST ROOTS GOSPEL ALBUM

• Let's Just Praise The Lord
  Gaither Vocal Band

• Confessio - Irish American Roots
  Keith & Kristyn Getty

• The Willie Nelson Family
  Willie Nelson

• 2:22
  Karen Peck & New River

• The Urban Hymnal
  Tennessee State University Marching Band

Latin

BEST LATIN POP ALBUM

• AGUILERA
  Christina Aguilera

• Pasieros
  Rubén Blades & Boca Livre

• De Adentro Pa Afuera
  Camilo

• VIAJANTE
  Fonseca

• Dharma +
  Sebastián Yatra

BEST MUSICA URBANA ALBUM

• TRAP CAKE, VOL. 2
  Rauw Alejandro

• Un Verano Sin Ti
  Bad Bunny

• LEGENDADDY
  Daddy Yankee

• La 167
  Farruko

• The Love & Sex Tape
  Maluma

BEST LATIN ROCK OR ALTERNATIVE ALBUM

• El Alimento
  Cimafunk

• Tinta y Tiempo
  Jorge Drexler

• 1940 Carmen
  Mon Laferte

• Alegoría
  Gaby Moreno

• Los Años Salvajes
  Fito Paez

• MOTOMAMI
  Rosalía

BEST REGIONAL MEXICAN MUSIC ALBUM (INCLUDING TEJANO)

• Abeja Reina
  Chiquis

• Un Canto por México - El Musical
  Natalia Lafourcade

• La Reunión (Deluxe)
  Los Tigres Del Norte

• EP #1 Forajido
  Christian Nodal

• Qué Ganas de Verte (Deluxe)
  Marco Antonio Solís

BEST TROPICAL LATIN ALBUM

• Pa'lla Voy
  Marc Anthony

• Quiero Verte Feliz
  La Santa Cecilia

• Lado A Lado B
  Víctor Manuelle

• Legendario
  Tito Nieves

• Imágenes Latinas
  Spanish Harlem Orchestra

• Cumbiana II
  Carlos Vives

American Roots Music

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS PERFORMANCE

• Someday It'll All Make Sense (Bluegrass Version)
  Bill Anderson Featuring Dolly Parton

• Life According To Raechel
  Madison Cunningham

• Oh Betty
  Fantastic Negrito

• Stompin' Ground
  Aaron Neville With The Dirty Dozen Brass Band

• Prodigal Daughter
  Aoife O'Donovan & Allison Russell

BEST AMERICANA PERFORMANCE

• Silver Moon [A Tribute To Michael Nesmith]
  Eric Alexandrakis

• There You Go Again
  Asleep At The Wheel Featuring Lyle Lovett

• The Message
  Blind Boys Of Alabama Featuring Black Violin

• You And Me On The Rock
  Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius

• Made Up Mind
  Bonnie Raitt

BEST AMERICAN ROOTS SONG

• Bright Star
  Anaïs Mitchell, songwriter (Anaïs Mitchell)

• Forever
  Sheryl Crow & Jeff Trott, songwriters (Sheryl Crow)

• High And Lonesome
  T Bone Burnett & Robert Plant, songwriters (Robert Plant & Alison Krauss)

• Just Like That
  Bonnie Raitt, songwriter (Bonnie Raitt)

• Prodigal Daughter
  Tim O’Brien & Aoife O'Donovan, songwriters (Aoife O'Donovan & Allison Russell)

• You And Me On The Rock
  Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius)

BEST AMERICANA ALBUM

• In These Silent Days
  Brandi Carlile

• Things Happen That Way
  Dr. John

• Good To Be...
  Keb' Mo'

• Raise The Roof
  Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

• Just Like That...
  Bonnie Raitt

BEST BLUEGRASS ALBUM

• Toward The Fray
  The Infamous Stringdusters

• Almost Proud
  The Del McCoury Band

• Calling You From My Mountain
  Peter Rowan

• Crooked Tree
  Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

• Get Yourself Outside
  Yonder Mountain String Band

BEST TRADITIONAL BLUES ALBUM

• Heavy Load Blues
  Gov't Mule

• The Blues Don’t Lie
  Buddy Guy

• Get On Board
  Taj Mahal & Ry Cooder

• The Sun Is Shining Down
  John Mayall

• Mississippi Son
  Charlie Musselwhite

BEST CONTEMPORARY BLUES ALBUM

• Done Come Too Far
  Shemekia Copeland

• Crown
  Eric Gales

• Bloodline Maintenance
  Ben Harper

• Set Sail
  North Mississippi Allstars

• Brother Johnny
  Edgar Winter

54. Best Folk Album

For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

• Spellbound
  Judy Collins

• Revealer
  Madison Cunningham

• The Light At The End Of The Line
  Janis Ian

• Age Of Apathy
  Aoife O'Donovan

• Hell On Church Street
  Punch Brothers

BEST REGIONAL ROOTS MUSIC ALBUM

• Full Circle
  Sean Ardoin And Kreole Rock And Soul Featuring LSU Golden Band From Tigerland

• Natalie Noelani
  Natalie Ai Kamauu

• Halau Hula Keali'i O Nalani - Live At The Getty Center
  Halau Hula Keali'i O Nalani

• Lucky Man
  Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas

• Live At The 2022 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival
  Ranky Tanky

Reggae

BEST REGGAE ALBUM

• The Kalling
  Kabaka Pyramid

• Gifted
  Koffee

• Scorcha
  Sean Paul

• Third Time's The Charm
  Protoje

• Com Fly Wid Mi
  Shaggy

Global Music

BEST GLOBAL MUSIC PERFORMANCE

• Udhero Na
  Arooj Aftab & Anoushka Shankar

• Gimme Love
  Matt B & Eddy Kenzo

• Last Last
  Burna Boy

• Neva Bow Down
  Rocky Dawuni Featuring Blvk H3ro

• Bayethe
  Wouter Kellerman, Zakes Bantwini & Nomcebo Zikode

BEST GLOBAL MUSIC ALBUM

• Shuruaat
  Berklee Indian Ensemble

• Love, Damini
  Burna Boy

• Queen Of Sheba
  Angélique Kidjo & Ibrahim Maalouf

• Between Us... (Live)
  Anoushka Shankar, Metropole Orkest & Jules Buckley Featuring Manu Delago

• Sakura
  Masa Takumi

Children’s

BEST CHILDREN’S MUSIC ALBUM

• Into The Little Blue House
  Wendy And DB

• Los Fabulosos
  Lucky Diaz And The Family Jam Band

• The Movement
  Alphabet Rockers

• Ready Set Go!
  Divinity Roxx

• Space Cadet
  Justin Roberts

Spoken Word

BEST AUDIO BOOK, NARRATION, AND STORYTELLING RECORDING

• Act Like You Got Some Sense
  Jamie Foxx

• All About Me!: My Remarkable Life In Show Business By Mel Brooks
  Mel Brooks

• Aristotle And Dante Dive Into The Waters Of The World
  Lin-Manuel Miranda

• Finding Me
  Viola Davis

• Music Is History
  Questlove

BEST SPOKEN WORD POETRY ALBUM

• Black Men Are Precious
  Ethelbert Miller

• Call Us What We Carry: Poems
  Amanda Gorman

• Hiding In Plain View
  Malcolm-Jamal Warner

• The Poet Who Sat By The Door
  J. Ivy

• You Will Be Someone's Ancestor. Act Accordingly.
  Amir Sulaiman

Comedy

BEST COMEDY ALBUM

• The Closer
  Dave Chappelle

• Comedy Monster
  Jim Gaffigan

• A Little Brains, A Little Talent
  Randy Rainbow

• Sorry
  Louis CK

• We All Scream
  Patton Oswalt

Musical Theater

BEST MUSICAL THEATER ALBUM

• Caroline, Or Change
  John Cariani, Sharon D Clarke, Caissie Levy & Samantha Williams, principal vocalists; Van Dean, Nigel Lilley, Lawrence Manchester, Elliot Scheiner & Jeanine Tesori, producers; Jeanine Tesori, composer; Tony Kushner, lyricist (New Broadway Cast)

• Into The Woods (2022 Broadway Cast Recording)
  Sara Bareilles, Brian d'Arcy James, Patina Miller & Phillipa Soo, principal vocalists; Rob Berman & Sean Patrick Flahaven, producers (Stephen Sondheim, composer & lyricist) (2022 Broadway Cast)

• MJ The Musical
  Myles Frost & Tavon Olds-Sample, principal vocalists; David Holcenberg, Derik Lee & Jason Michael Webb, producers (Original Broadway Cast)

• Mr. Saturday Night
  Shoshana Bean, Billy Crystal, Randy Graff & David Paymer, principal vocalists; Jason Robert Brown, Sean Patrick Flahaven & Jeffrey Lesser, producers; Jason Robert Brown, composer; Amanda Green, lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

• Six: Live On Opening Night
  Joe Beighton, Tom Curran, Sam Featherstone, Paul Gatehouse, Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, producers; Toby Marlow & Lucy Moss, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

• A Strange Loop
  Jaquel Spivey, principal vocalist; Michael Croiter, Michael R. Jackson, Charlie Rosen & Rona Siddiqui, producers; Michael R. Jackson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Music for Visual Media

BEST COMPILATION SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA

• ELVIS
  (Various Artists)

• Encanto
  (Various Artists)

• Stranger Things: Soundtrack from the Netflix Series, Season 4 (Vol 2)
  (Various Artists)

• Top Gun: Maverick
  Harold Faltermeyer, Lady Gaga, Hans Zimmer & Lorne Balfe

• West Side Story
  (Various Artists)

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VISUAL MEDIA (INCLUDES FILM AND TELEVISION)

• The Batman
  Michael Giacchino, composer

• Encanto
  Germaine Franco, composer

• No Time To Die
  Hans Zimmer, composer

• The Power Of The Dog
  Jonny Greenwood, composer

• Succession: Season 3
  Nicholas Britell, composer

BEST SCORE SOUNDTRACK FOR VIDEO GAMES AND OTHER INTERACTIVE MEDIA

• Aliens: Fireteam Elite
  Austin Wintory, composer

• Assassin's Creed Valhalla: Dawn Of Ragnarok
  Stephanie Economou, composer

• Call Of Duty®: Vanguard
  Bear McCreary, composer

• Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy
  Richard Jacques, composer

• Old World
  Christopher Tin, composer

BEST SONG WRITTEN FOR VISUAL MEDIA

• Be Alive [From King Richard]
  Beyoncé & Darius Scott Dixson, songwriters (Beyoncé)

• Carolina [From Where The Crawdads Sing]
  Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)

• Hold My Hand [From Top Gun: Maverick]
  Bloodpop® & Stefani Germanotta, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

• Keep Rising (The Woman King) [From The Woman King]
  Angelique Kidjo, Jeremy Lutito & Jessy Wilson, songwriters (Jessy Wilson Featuring Angelique Kidjo)

• Nobody Like U [From Turning Red]
  Billie Eilish & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters (4*Town, Jordan Fisher, Finneas O'Connell, Josh Levi, Topher Ngo, Grayson Villanueva)

• We Don't Talk About Bruno [From Encanto]
  Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Carolina Gaitán - La Gaita, Mauro Castillo, Adassa, Rhenzy Feliz, Diane Guerrero, Stephanie Beatriz & Encanto - Cast)

Composing/Arranging

BEST INSTRUMENTAL COMPOSITION

• African Tales
  Paquito D'Rivera, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)

• El País Invisible
  Miguel Zenón, composer (Miguel Zenón, José Antonio Zayas Cabán, Ryan Smith & Casey Rafn)

• Fronteras (Borders) Suite: Al-Musafir Blues
  Danilo Pérez, composer (Danilo Pérez Featuring The Global Messengers)

• Refuge
  Geoffrey Keezer, composer (Geoffrey Keezer)

• Snapshots
  Pascal Le Boeuf, composer (Tasha Warren & Dave Eggar)

BEST ARRANGEMENT,INSTRUMENTAL OR ACAPPELLA

• As Days Go By (An Arrangement Of The Family Matters Theme Song)
  Armand Hutton, arranger (Armand Hutton Featuring Terrell Hunt & Just 6)

• How Deep Is Your Love
  Matt Cusson, arranger (Kings Return)

• Main Titles (Doctor Strange In The Multiverse Of Madness)
  Danny Elfman, arranger (Danny Elfman)

• Minnesota, WI
  Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Remy Le Boeuf)

• Scrapple From The Apple
  John Beasley, arranger (Magnus Lindgren, John Beasley & The SWR Big Band Featuring Martin Aeur)

BEST ARRANGEMENT, INSTRUMENTS AND VOCALS

• Let It Happen
  Louis Cole, arranger (Louis Cole)

• Never Gonna Be Alone
  Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier Featuring Lizzy McAlpine & John Mayer)

• Optimistic Voices / No Love Dying
  Cécile McLorin Salvant, arranger (Cécile McLorin Salvant)

• Songbird (Orchestral Version)
  Vince Mendoza, arranger (Christine McVie)

• 2 + 2 = 5 (Arr. Nathan Schram)
  Nathan Schram & Becca Stevens, arrangers (Becca Stevens & Attacca Quartet)

Package, Notes, and Historical

BEST RECORDING PACKAGE

• Beginningless Beginning
  Chun-Tien Hsia & Qing-Yang Xiao, art directors (Tamsui-Kavalan Chinese Orchestra)

• Divers
  William Stichter, art director (Soporus)

• Everything Was Beautiful
  Mark Farrow, art director (Spiritualized)

• Telos
  Ming Liu, art director (Fann)

• Voyeurist
  Tnsn Dvsn, art director (Underoath)

BEST BOXED OR SPECIAL LIMITED EDITION PACKAGE

• Artists Inspired By Music: Interscope Reimagined
  Josh Abraham, Steve Berman, Jimmy Iovine, John Janick & Jason Sangerman, art directors (Various Artists)

• Big Mess
  Berit Gwendolyn Gilma, art director (Danny Elfman)

• Black Pumas (Collector's Edition Box Set)
  Jenna Krackenberger, Anna McCaleb & Preacher, art directors (Black Pumas)

• Book
  Paul Sahre, art director (They Might Be Giants)

• In And Out Of The Garden: Madison Square Garden ’81 ’82 ’83
  Lisa Glines, Doran Tyson & Dave Van Patten, art directors (The Grateful Dead)

BEST ALBUM NOTES

• The American Clavé Recordings
  Fernando González, album notes writer (Astor Piazzolla)

• Andy Irvine & Paul Brady
  Gareth Murphy, album notes writer (Andy Irvine & Paul Brady)

• Harry Partch, 1942
  John Schneider, album notes writer (Harry Partch)

• Life's Work: A Retrospective
  Ted Olson, album notes writer (Doc Watson)

• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
  Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)

BEST HISTORICAL ALBUM

• Against The Odds: 1974-1982
  Tommy Manzi, Steve Rosenthal & Ken Shipley, compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Tom Camuso, restoration engineer (Blondie)

• The Goldberg Variations - The Complete Unreleased 1981 Studio Sessions
  Robert Russ, compilation producer; Martin Kistner, mastering engineer (Glenn Gould)

• Life’s Work: A Retrospective
  Scott Billington, Ted Olson & Mason Williams, compilation producers; Paul Blakemore, mastering engineer (Doc Watson)

• To Whom It May Concern...
  Jonathan Sklute, compilation producer; Kevin Marques Moo, mastering engineer (Freestyle Fellowship)

• Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition)
  Cheryl Pawelski & Jeff Tweedy, compilation producers; Bob Ludwig, mastering engineer (Wilco)

Songwriting

SONGWRITER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL

• Amy Allen

  • For My Friends (King Princess) (S)

  • The Hardest Part (Alexander23) (S)

  • If We Were A Party (Alexander23) (S)

  • If You Love Me (Lizzo) (T)

  • Magic Wand (Alexander23) (T)

  • Matilda (Harry Styles) (T)

  • Move Me (Charli XCX) (T)

  • Too Bad (King Princess) (S)

  • Vicious (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)

• Nija Charles

  • Cozy (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Ex For A Reason (Summer Walker With JT From City Girls) (T)

  • Good Love (City Girls Featuring Usher) (S)

  • Iykyk (Lil Durk Featuring Ella Mai & A Boogie Wit Da Hoodie) (T)

  • Lobby (Anitta & Missy Elliott) (S)

  • Ride For You (Meek Mill Featuring Kehlani) (T)

  • Sweetest Pie (Megan Thee Stallion & Dua Lipa) (S)

  • Tangerine (Kehlani) (T)

  • Throw It Away (Summer Walker) (T)

• Tobias Jesso Jr.

  • Boyfriends (Harry Styles) (T)

  • Can I Get It (Adele) (T)

  • Careless (FKA Twigs Featuring Daniel Caesar) (T)

  • C'mon Baby Cry (Orville Peck) (T)

  • Dotted Lines (King Princess) (T)

  • Let You Go (Diplo & TSHA) (S)

  • No Good Reason (Omar Apollo) (T)

  • Thank You Song (FKA Twigs) (T)

  • To Be Loved (Adele) (T)

• The-Dream

  • Break My Soul (Beyoncé) (S)

  • Church Girl (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Energy (Beyoncé) (T)

  • I'm That Girl (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Mercedes (Brent Faiyaz) (S)

  • Rock N Roll (Pusha T Featuring Kanye West and Kid Cudi) (T)

  • Rolling Stone (Brent Faiyaz) (T)

  • Summer Renaissance (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Thique (Beyoncé) (T)

• Laura Veltz

  • Background Music (Maren Morris) (T)

  • Feed (Demi Lovato) (T)

  • Humble Quest (Maren Morris) (T)

  • Pain (Ingrid Andress) (T)

  • 29 (Demi Lovato) (T)

Production

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, NON-CLASSICAL

• Adolescence
  George Nicholas & Ryan Schwabe, engineers; Ryan Schwabe, mastering engineer (Baynk)

• Black Radio III
  Daniel Farris, Tiffany Gouché, Keith Lewis, Musiq Soulchild, Reginald Nicholas, Q-Tip, Amir Sulaiman, Michael Law Thomas & Jon Zacks, engineers; Chris Athens, mastering engineer (Robert Glasper)

• Chloë and the Next 20th Century
  Dave Cerminara & Jonathan Wilson, engineers; Adam Ayan, mastering engineer (Father John Misty)

• Harry's House
  Jeremy Hatcher, Oli Jacobs, Nick Lobel, Mark "Spike" Stent & Sammy Witte, engineers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer (Harry Styles)

• Wet Leg
  Jon McMullen, Joshua Mobaraki, Alan Moulder & Alexis Smith, engineers; Matt Colton, mastering engineer (Wet Leg)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, NON-CLASSICAL

• Jack Antonoff

  • All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (Taylor’s Version) (From The Vault) (Taylor Swift) (T)

  • Dance Fever (Florence + The Machine) (A)

  • I Still Believe (Diana Ross) (T)

  • Minions: The Rise Of Gru (Various Artists) (A)

  • Part Of The Band (The 1975) (S)

• Dan Auerbach

  • Dropout Boogie (The Black Keys) (A)

  • El Bueno Y El Malo (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)

  • Nightmare Daydream (The Velveteers) (A)

  • Rich White Honky Blues (Hank Williams Jr.) (A)

  • Something Borrowed, Something New: A Tribute To John Anderson (Various Artists) (A)

  • Strange Time To Be Alive (Early James) (A)

  • Sweet Unknown (Ceramic Animal) (A)

  • Tres Hermanos (Hermanos Gutiérrez) (T)

  • Young Blood (Marcus King) (A)

• Boi-1da

  • Chronicles (Cordae Featuring H.E.R. & Lil Durk) (T)

  • Churchill Downs (Jack Harlow Featuring Drake) (T)

  • Heated (Beyoncé) (T)

  • Mafia (Travis Scott) (S)

  • N95 (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • Nail Tech (Jack Harlow) (T)

  • Not Another Love Song (Ella Mai) (T)

  • Scarred (Giveon) (T)

  • Silent Hill (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

• Dahi

  • Buttons (Steve Lacy) (T)

  • Count Me Out (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • Die Hard (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • DJ Quik (Vince Staples) (T)

  • Father Time (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Sampha) (T)

  • Give You The World (Steve Lacy) (T)

  • Mercury (Steve Lacy) (T)

  • Mirror (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

  • Rich Spirit (Kendrick Lamar) (T)

• Dernst "D'mile" Emile II

  • Candy Drip (Lucky Daye) (A)

  • An Evening With Silk Sonic (Bruno Mars, Anderson .Paak And Silk Sonic) (A)

  • Good Morning Gorgeous (Mary J. Blige) (S)

  • Sometimes I Feel Like A Motherless Child (Jazmine Sullivan) (S)

BEST REMIXED RECORDING

• About Damn Time (Purple Disco Machine Remix)
  Purple Disco Machine, remixer (Lizzo)

• BREAK MY SOUL (Terry Hunter Remix)
  Terry Hunter, remixer (Beyoncé)

• Easy Lover (Four Tet Remix)
  Four Tet, remixer (Ellie Goulding)

• Slow Song (Paul Woolford Remix)
  Paul Woolford, remixer (The Knocks & Dragonette)

• Too Late Now (Soulwax Remix)
  Soulwax, remixers (Wet Leg)

BEST IMMERSIVE AUDIO ALBUM

• AGUILERA
  Jaycen Joshua, immersive mix engineer; Jaycen Joshua, immersive mastering engineer (Christina Aguilera)

• Divine Tides
  Eric Schilling, immersive mix engineer; Stewart Copeland, Ricky Kej & Herbert Waltl, immersive producers (Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej)

• Memories...Do Not Open
  Mike Piacentini, immersive mix engineer; Mike Piacentini, immersive mastering engineer; Adam Alpert, Alex Pall, Jordan Stilwell & Andrew Taggart, immersive producers (The Chainsmokers)

• Picturing The Invisible - Focus 1
  Jim Anderson, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive mastering engineers; Jane Ira Bloom & Ulrike Schwarz, immersive producers (Jane Ira Bloom)

• Tuvayhun — Beatitudes For A Wounded World
  Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive producer (Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)

BEST ENGINEERED ALBUM, CLASSICAL

• Bates: Philharmonia Fantastique - The Making Of The Orchestra
  Shawn Murphy, Charlie Post & Gary Rydstrom, engineers; Michael Romanowski, mastering engineer (Edwin Outwater & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

• Beethoven: Symphony No. 6; Stucky: Silent Spring
  Mark Donahue, engineer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Manfred Honeck & Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

• Perspectives
  Jonathan Lackey, Bill Maylone & Dan Nichols, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Third Coast Percussion)

• Tuvayhun - Beatitudes For A Wounded World
  Morten Lindberg, engineer; Morten Lindberg, mastering engineer (Anita Brevik, Nidarosdomens Jentekor & Trondheimsolistene)

• Williams: Violin Concerto No. 2 & Selected Film Themes
  Bernhard Güttler, Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Christoph Stickel, mastering engineer (Anne-Sophie Mutter, John Williams & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

PRODUCER OF THE YEAR, CLASSICAL

• Jonathan Allen

  • Aspire (Seunghee Lee, JP Jofre, Enrico Fagone & London Symphony Orchestra) (A)

  • Cooper: Continuum (Jessica Cottis, Adjoah Andoh, Clio Gould & The Oculus Ensemble) (A)

  • Muse (Sheku Kanneh-Mason & Isata Kanneh-Mason) (A)

  • Origins (Lucie Horsch) (A)

  • Saudade (Plinio Fernandes) (A)

  • Schubert: Winterreise (Benjamin Appl) (A)

  • Secret Love Letters (Lisa Batiashvili, Yannik Nézet-Séguin & Philadelphia Orchestra) (A)

  • Song (Sheku Kanneh-Mason) (A)

• Christoph Franke

  • Brahms & Berg: Violin Concertos (Christian Tetzlaff, Robin Ticciati & Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin) (A)

  • John Williams - The Berlin Concert (John Williams & Berliner Philharmoniker) (A)

  • Mendelssohn: Piano Concertos (Lars Vogt & Orchestre De Chambre De Paris) (A)

  • Mozart: Complete Piano Sonatas (Elisabeth Leonskaja) (A)

  • Mozart Y Mambo: Cuban Dances (Sarah Willis, José Antonio Méndez Padrón & Havana Lyceum Orchestra) (A)

• James Ginsburg

  • As We Are (Julian Velasco) (A)

  • Avant L'Orage - French String Trios (Black Oak Ensemble) (A)

  • Gems From Armenia (Aznavoorian Duo) (A)

  • Stephenson: Symphony No. 3, 'Visions' (Vladimir Kulenovic & Lake Forest Symphony) (A)

  • Trios From Contemporary Chicago (Lincoln Trio) (A)

  • When There Are No Words - Revolutionary Works For Oboe And Piano (Alex Klein & Phillip Bush) (A)

• Elaine Martone

  • Beethoven: The Last Sonatas (Gerardo Teissonnière) (A)

  • Big Things (Icarus Quartet) (A)

  • Perspectives (Third Coast Percussion) (A)

  • Schnittke: Concerto For Piano And Strings; Prokofiev: Symphony No. 2 (Yefim Bronfman, Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)

  • Strauss: Three Tone Poems (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)

  • Upon Further Reflection (John Wilson) (A)

• Judith Sherman

  • Akiho: Oculus (Various Artists) (A)

  • Bach, C.P.E.: Sonatas & Rondos (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)

  • Bolcom: The Complete Rags (Marc-André Hamelin) (A)

  • Felix & Fanny Mendelssohn: String Quartets (Takács Quartet) (A)

  • Huang Ro's A Dust In Time (Del Sol Quartet) (A)

  • It Feels Like (Eunbi Kim) (A)

  • León: Teclas De Mi Piano (Adam Kent) (A)

  • Violin Odyssey (Itamar Zorman & Ieva Jokubaviciute) (A)

  • Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman (Michael Repper & New York Youth Symphony) (A)

Classical

BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE

• Adams, John Luther: Sila - The Breath Of The World
  Doug Perkins, conductor (Musicians Of The University Of Michigan Department Of Chamber Music & University Of Michigan Percussion Ensemble)

• Dvořák: Symphonies Nos. 7-9
  Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Los Angeles Philharmonic)

• Eastman: Stay On It
  Christopher Rountree, conductor (Wild Up)

• John Williams - The Berlin Concert
  John Williams, conductor (Berliner Philharmoniker)

• Works By Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, Valerie Coleman
  Michael Repper, conductor (New York Youth Symphony)

BEST OPERA RECORDING

• Aucoin: Eurydice
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Barry Banks, Nathan Berg, Joshua Hopkins, Erin Morley & Jakub Józef Orliński; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

• Blanchard: Fire Shut Up In My Bones
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Angel Blue, Will Liverman, Latonia Moore & Walter Russell III; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

• Davis: X - The Life And Times Of Malcolm X
  Gil Rose, conductor; Ronnita Miller, Whitney Morrison, Victor Robertson & Davóne Tines; Gil Rose, producer (Boston Modern Orchestra Project; Odyssey Opera Chorus)

BEST CHORAL PERFORMANCE

• Bach: St. John Passion
  John Eliot Gardiner, conductor (English Baroque Soloists; Monteverdi Choir)

• Born
  Donald Nally, conductor (Dominic German, Maren Montalbano, Rebecca Myers & James Reese; The Crossing)

• Verdi: Requiem - The Met Remembers 9/11
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Donald Palumbo, chorus master (Michelle DeYoung, Eric Owens, Ailyn Pérez & Matthew Polenzani; The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

BEST CHAMBER MUSIC/SMALL ENSEMBLEPERFORMANCE

• Beethoven: Complete String Quartets, Volume 2 - The Middle Quartets
  Dover Quartet

• Musical Remembrances
  Neave Trio

• Perspectives
  Third Coast Percussion

• Shaw: Evergreen
  Attacca Quartet

• What Is American
  PUBLIQuartet

BEST CLASSICAL INSTRUMENTAL SOLO

• Abels: Isolation Variation
  Hilary Hahn

• Bach: The Art Of Life
  Daniil Trifonov

• Beethoven: Diabelli Variations
  Mitsuko Uchida

• Letters For The Future
  Time For Three; Xian Zhang, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)

• A Night In Upper Town - The Music Of Zoran Krajacic
  Mak Grgić

BEST CLASSICAL SOLO VOCAL ALBUM

• Eden
  Joyce DiDonato, soloist; Maxim Emelyanychev, conductor (Il Pomo D’Oro)

• How Do I Find You
  Sasha Cooke, soloist; Kirill Kuzmin, pianist

• Okpebholo: Lord, How Come Me Here?
  Will Liverman, soloist; Paul Sánchez, pianist (J’Nai Bridges & Caen Thomason-Redus)

• Stranger - Works For Tenor By Nico Muhly
  Nicholas Phan, soloist (Eric Jacobson; Brooklyn Rider & The Knights; Reginald Mobley)

• Voice Of Nature - The Anthropocene
  Renée Fleming, soloist; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist

BEST CLASSICAL COMPENDIUM

• An Adoption Story
  Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley; Jeff Fair, Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley, producers

• Aspire
  JP Jofre & Seunghee Lee; Enrico Fagone, conductor; Jonathan Allen, producer

• A Concert For Ukraine
  Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; David Frost, producer

• The Lost Birds
  Voces8; Barnaby Smith & Christopher Tin, conductors; Sean Patrick Flahaven & Christopher Tin, producers

BEST CONTEMORARY CLASSICAL COMPETITION

• Akiho: Ligneous Suite
  Andy Akiho, composer (Ian Rosenbaum & Dover Quartet)

• Bermel: Intonations
  Derek Bermel, composer (Jack Quartet)

• Gubaidulina: The Wrath Of God
  Sofia Gubaidulina, composer (Andris Nelsons & Gewandhausorchester)

• Puts: Contact
  Kevin Puts, composer (Xian Zhang, Time for Three & The Philadelphia Orchestra)

• Simon: Requiem For The Enslaved
  Carlos Simon, composer (Carlos Simon, MK Zulu, Marco Pavé & Hub New Music)

Music Video/Film

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

• Easy On Me
  Adele
  Xavier Dolan, video director; Xavier Dolan & Nancy Grant, video producers

• Yet To Come
  BTS
  Yong Seok Choi, video director; Tiffany Suh, video producer

• Woman
  Doja Cat
  Child., video director; Missy Galanida, Sam Houston, Michelle Larkin & Isaac Rice, video producers

• The Heart Part 5
  Kendrick Lamar
  Dave Free & Kendrick Lamar, video directors; Jason Baum & Jamie Rabineau, video producers

• As It Was
  Harry Styles
  Tanu Muino, video director; Frank Borin, Ivanna Borin, Fred Bonham Carter & Alexa Haywood, video producers

• All Too Well: The Short Film
  Taylor Swift
  Taylor Swift, video director; Saul Germaine, video producer

BEST MUSIC FILM

• Adele One Night Only
  Adele
  Paul Dugdale, video director

• Our World
  Justin Bieber
  Michael D. Ratner, video director; Kfir Goldberg, Andy Mininger & Scott Ratner, video producers

• Billie Eilish Live At The O2
  Billie Eilish
  Sam Wrench, video director; Michelle An, Tom Colbourne, Chelsea Dodson & Billie Eilish, video producers

• Motomami (Rosalía Tiktok Live Performance)
  Rosalía
  Ferrán Echegaray, Rosalía Vila Tobella & Stillz, video directors

• Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story
  (Various Artists)
  Frank Marshall & Ryan Suffern, video directors; Frank Marshall, Sean Stuart & Ryan Suffern, video producers

• A Band A Brotherhood A Barn
  Neil Young & Crazy Horse
  Dhlovelife, video director; Gary Ward, video producer

9PLAYLIST | ARMIN VAN BUUREN

Read the OCT ISSSUE #82 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | Armin van Buuren in mag.

THE POWER OF HEALING | ALOK

This month, our cover is with EDM DJ/Producer Alok who has over 20 million monthly listeners on Spotify, over 26 million fans and is the most listened to Brazilian artist in the world! He is also the 4th Best DJ in the world via DJ Mag's Top 100 in 2021. Known as one of the most influential Brazilian artists of all time, he has worked with a number of icons in creating great music from John Legend, The Rolling Stones, Dua Lipa and more. He previously shared his 9PLAYLIST with us in our MAR ISSUE #75.

We talked about his passion for music, how he approaches it, his latest single DEEP DOWN which is #1 on Billboard here in the US, how he collaborated with Ella Eyre, Kenny Dope and Never Dull, his recent performance and panel discussion here in NY where he kicked off Climate Change Week as well as his intitiative with The Future is Ancestral, his work with indigenous people and their communities and the power of making the world a better place!

ATHLEISURE MAG: When did you realize that you loved music?

ALOK: I think it was when my grandma would sing me songs so that I could go to sleep. So, I think it probably started from that. But I would also say that I never had any doubts about me and music.

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

A: Well that’s actually, my parents were DJs right? It’s kind of a very direct inspiration you know what I mean because honestly watching them performing at parties and stuff and also the ecosystem that they worked in for the festivals and parties – it’s kind of like I got very inspired by that and also the whole lifestyle. For many people, that kind of wasn’t a career to be a DJ. Sometimes, it was weird when I went to school and they asked what did my parents do and I was like, “oh they’re DJs” and people did not understand at all. It’s also like, they kind of didn’t want me to be a DJ to be honest! They wanted me to be able to go to university, but you know I’m a dad now guys and I understood that your kids will not do anything that you tell them to. But they will do exactly what you do! So how can they tell me to not be a DJ when they’re performing everywhere and I was always with them because they had no one to leave me with.

So me and my brother, we started to play at night, but at 12, I would say that we were professional. We started to do our own songs and we started to get our first fees. So 12 years old, we started our career.

AM: That’s a great story! How do you define the Alok sound?

A: I would say that I am a free spirit you know? In my life, I always tried to define my sound. When I was doing psytrance for 7 years, people said that it wasn’t psytrance and that it was kind of house trance. When I started to do house, people said that it wasn’t house – it was kind of whatever. Then I started to say that this was techno and people said, that this was not techno.

So, I said that I created Brazilian Base and they were like, ok this is Brazilian Base and it started to work well. It was that collective mindset where it was like, ok this is Brazilian Base. But at some moment, I didn’t want to be stuck myself to only one kind of style because it’s kind of a prison you know? I feel that my creativity does not fit into one place only. So, it’s like I can do whatever I want to do. Of course, you’ll still feel and kind of understand my signature there and there will be something that you will be able to relate, but definitely it’s not going to stick to one kind of style.

AM: When you’re creating, how do you stay inspired and how do you approach creating your music?

A: It really depends, every music has a different kind of inspiration and where it comes from. For example, sometimes I’m traveling and it inspires me you know? Looking at the ocean or nature inspires me. But also, when I am leaving a process in my life. For example, I was 3 months in Europe so that whole process to be there, inspired me to do songs that relate to the culture. When I’m back in Brazil, for example, I start to create the music based on what’s going on over here to understand specifically the markets because I do not believe that all the time you can create one formula that can work everywhere. It’s hard, but what I do, for example, is that there are songs that I do that perform well in Romania and Poland. So we start to promote over there, but it doesn’t happen really in other parts of Europe and there were songs of mine that went huge in Europe, huge in Mexico and Brazil, but never got across the US. So it’s really about understanding where I am and where I want to be and I am very happy actually that this is the first song, DEEP DOWN that I got #1 on Billboard in the US. But for example in Brazil, it’s not working haha!

AM: OMG what? First of all, I love that song. I love Crystal Waters and love Gypsy Woman so when I heard it, I knew that it was going to be amazing! The fact that it is #1 on Billboard congratulations. Tell me how this song came together with you and Ella Eyre, Kenny Dope and Never Dull. What was it like to put this collaboration together and to be part of it.

A: I feel that this song, if you go to the credits on Spotify, you can see how many people are involved. I think that it’s going to beat the world record of the most people involved in one song! Why? Because as you said, Crystal Waters, there’s also Chicago Hills, and Ella Eyre, she was writing a song which was very similar to Chicago Hills so we said it’s got to be a new version of it. Then I was doing this version with her and suddenly, Never Dull released the mashup on Tiktok between those 3 songs but in the very old school style, I think it was 20 seconds of audio and it became huge on Tiktok. But he didn't have the license for it and it was only kind of a mashup on Tiktok. So I got the idea and I was like, “this is a very good idea” to mix those two classics. So that’s what I did and when I did it, I finished it and I invited Never to be on one of the songs because he inspired me with the idea and also Kenny Dope he had all the rights for the song and it was a lot of teamwork. To be honest, the most hard process of it all was the office. It was the background of how to make the deal work and I was in the creative process and I was ready for a long time already!

AM: You have had such a busy summer! You played in Hï Ibiza in the Main Room and you had your summer residency and you were just at Tomorrowland. What does it mean to you to be able to show your art and creativity to so many people across so many different platforms?

A: The first question you asked me was when did you realize that I loved music. I feel that the music has something that accesses your emotion and it can be like emotionally healing and it can be something where you kind of forget your problems. It reminds you of some memories and some great new memories so to be there, I really feel that I am kind of serving people. I don’t know how their life is going what there issues are or problems – I don’t know. But in that moment, I want them to have their best time of their lives.

That’s kind of the reason why I want to be connected to them when I do the DJ set. That’s why when I am doing the DJ set in Europe, I want to play what brings the energy up. But if I play the same set in the US, it wouldn’t work. If I do the same set in Brazil, it also wouldn’t work. So it’s kind of like I’m respecting the place where I’m at. But it’s a very good feeling when I see people say, “hey this is the best night of my life,” and I say, “how old are you?” They say 50 and I say,”are you kidding me?” The best night in your life? You’re 50, there are so many nights that you've had. But that's the power of the music. It’s not mine it’s just the power of the music. I’m very grateful to be able to spread this around the world.

AM: We just saw your set at Rock in Rio which looked amazing. It was great to see all of the performances that you did as well as seeing that there was a gaming aspect to this festival. Dua Lipa and Megan Thee Stallion were also performing. Can you tell me more about what this festival is and why you wanted to be part of it?

A: This is by far, the biggest festival that we have in Brazil at the International level. We have all of those huge names and of course we have Lollapalooza which is very big. But Rock in Rio, is something that is kind of our own brand. So we feel very proud of it because it’s a local and national festival that has an international component to it as well. It’s probably one of the few ones that can bring all those huge international acts and for me, it’s very important!

In Brazil, 93% of the songs that we listen to are actually local songs. Only 7% are the international ones. Where I am competing with Harry Styles, Adele and all of these people. I’m there in that 7% because my songs are in English and I have this kind of English career right? If you go to the Top 50 on Spotify in Brazil, you won’t see any of the US in there, it’s all just local.

The point is, for me to be there it’s a very important moment for me to position myself of course between all of those huge acts and to show that – it’s kind of like a special moment for me to be there. Everyone that does a show at Rock in Rio is a unique experience that they cannot do anywhere else. So it’s important for me to create this awareness around what we have been doing. It’s also a statement on what’s next.

AM: Your shows have such high energy. Do you have any routines that you do hours before your performance and then are there things that you do after the performance so that you can come down after completing?

A: No, ha ha. It’s funny, in the past I would get very nervous before the show and that’s kind of a sabotage you know? You get too nervous, you lose control of it. So the same feeling that you have when you’re nervous, you also have when you’re excited. It’s the same butterfly in your stomach – excitement or nervousness. I just kind of switch and change the key so that every time I start to feel this nervous energy, I say, “no no this is excitement.” I am excited to be there. I have worked so much to be there that I will go there and I will do my best. I was in Brazil and the reporter was asking me what was going on for the show. I told her that she show has started and she asked me if I had to go right now and I said, “no I still have 10 seconds it’s fine.” They were all shocked because people said that I was too relaxed for the show!

AM: Ok, I’m going to have to remember that. I know at various points when I’m working on something or doing something, I get anxious feelings and I have that “holy shit” moment. But I’m going to think about turning that key to know that what I’m actually feeling is excitement and that is what I am going to tell myself.

A: Yeah. It is actually the same feeling.

AM: When you said it, I know that I know that and it’s a smart thing.

You have a collab coming out next month on Oct 7th. What can you tell us about this?

A: So it’s a collaboration with Ellie Goulding and Sigala. It’s a song that I have been working on for awhile. I think that this one has 30 versions. I’m a big fan. I started it with Ellie and in the middle of the process, I felt that it could connect well with the melody of Enjoy the Silence from Depeche Mode. I did a test and it actually fit very well. So we got the sample of Depeche Mode's Enjoy the Silence and mixed it together with the Ellie Goulding song that she wrote and again, it was a mashup. I’m very excited about this one. I think that it’s going to be very interesting.

AM: We can’t wait to hear this as well!

I know that you were just here in NY at the United Nations over the weekend kicking off NY’s Climate Change Week with The Future is Ancestral Event where you performed on the rooftop of the UN Building as well as partnering with your institute and the UN Global Compact Brazil for urgency to recognize Indigenous People Globally and their importance of the Future of Climate Change. Can you tell me more about what this was for you?

A: Ha you said everything!

AM: Yes, I’m that good!

A: Basically, last year I asked myself, where was the future? And the answer came to me. The future is ancestral. I started to work on an album that was inspired by indigenous roots with the indigenous. I did 12 different tribes. But my connection with them started 9 years ago when I was looking for inspiration in my life. I went on a very long journey. I went 13 hours on the road, I don’t know how many hours on a flight and then 9 hours on a very very small boat and I got suddenly to the Yawanawa tribe and I realized that I was in the heart of the Amazon. I had no option but to live in the culture and at that moment, I started to change my whole perspective about my career level, my spiritual level and also the way that we deal with nature. I also realized that there’s so much about culture and there are various failures and goals.

I felt that last year, we’re always talking about how can we protect the forest, but we are also very disconnected with it. I think that the best way to do this is to listen to what the forest has to say. A good way to do this is through indigenous songs because it’s kind of like they are translating that. I found that the music could amplify their voices. So actually, this project is a very important project of my career. That’s because it’s not about me, it’s about how we can get their voices out there through this collaboration. So I was there and of course at the UN we talked about all the topics among Climate Change and global warming. It wouldn’t make sense not to have the indigenous there and we brought them via the Alok Institute along with the UN Global Compact and we joined forces. And I also did a performance there when we were on the rooftop. So, it was a very interesting environment.

AM: That’s amazing and you also committed to support the Ancestors of the Future fund which benefits the Brazilian Indigenous communities. What can you tell me about this fund?

A: I realized that I’m 31 years old, a white man, I have a lot of privilege and I had access to school, university and everything. I realized that everything that I had learned was wrong. Why? Because they never had the opportunity to tell their story. They also don’t write so everything in the culture is done orally. So it’s kind of like, how can we change this collective mindset about the indigenous and I feel that entertainment is a very good instrument that we can do this through the music, the venue, the Web3 and the cinema. But giving them the protagonists the ability to tell their story with their point of view and so we can learn it properly. Also, what we learn in school is based on a European colonizer point of view. I feel that this will help them to be the protagonist through all of this entertainment stuff and also we have in the second path, technology. So getting good technology to help them preserve the forest – very nice drones, sophisticated tools so that they can instantly integrate and communicate what they wish to say in order to share it with the world.

I was asking myself about the future and we always think about it in an apocalyptic way. Like there are neon cars, there aren't forests any more and there are flying cars or whatever. What is the future like for the indigenous in small boats, in the middle of the Amazon where you can just take a sophisticated phone and scan the birds, you can see the borders of where they are with the scientific points and they are searching for healing with humanity. It’s kind of like, how can we change this mindset of this apocalyptic future? I think that this project is really about bringing consciousness. It’s more than just music you know?

AM: What is the Alok Institute and why did you want to create it?

A: If you asked me 9 years ago if I believed in philanthropy, I would say no. I would have said, why don’t you buy a Ferrari and just be happy. I didn’t have this kind of perspective on philanthropy. But at one point in my life, I had everything that people told me was a success. I had money, I had popularity, I had cars, my partner whatever and I suddenly realized that I was feeling a huge emptiness inside of myself. For me, life had no reasoning anymore. There had to be something else for why we are here.

So first, I went to the indigenous tribe which I told you and it was a very game changing experience. Then after, I went to Chokwé in Mozambique. We had a project where we had 300 kids and I remember that there was a lady there and I think that she was 80 years old and she was blind in both of her eyes. That woman told me that she was praying to God to send someone to help. I told the translator to tell her that God didn’t exist because if he did, there wouldn’t be so much poverty and that he had abandoned her. The translator told me her answer and it changed my whole life! The lady said, “no, no, I’m very connected and I’m praying for him and I can feel it.” So at that moment I realized I was the biggest miserable person there. I had everything and I was complaining about God's existence when she lives in that existence and she was still connected to the divine. She was way more connected then I was. I realized that God never abandoned her. What abandoned her was us, you see the stories of what took place in Africa, we abandoned them and at that moment I realized that I couldn’t abandon the situation any more. Of course, I can’t change the world, but I can change their world. So I started there. We have 20,000 kids there. Oh and I sent her to the hospital and she had cataracts so it was easy to help her. So one year later, she met me personally and saw me and it was a very interesting moment that we had. She finally looked at me.

I realized that my life could only have real meaning if I use my success for philanthropy as well. It’s about making this world a better place, it’s not about me it’s about a big movement that already exists. I was in a depressive mind and I was only thinking about the negative points. I remember I was feeling sick once and I took this antibiotic and the next day, I woke up better and I looked at this medicine and I said, “who created this?” I remember that there were a lot of people that were working hard so that this world is better today and so that we can have a better life. I want to be part of this movement. It’s really about giving meaning to my life.

So the Alok Institute developed after a few years through a lot of money that came through a collaboration that I did with the game, Free Fire. It’s the most downloaded game. And when they asked me what super power that I would like to have, I asked if it was possible to heal people? They asked me if I was sure and I said yes. I was doing music to be on the top charts and yet I was also doing it to use music as a way to heal. Then the Free Fire team gave my character the ability to do this and my character became the top selling one not because of me but because of the super power that actually created a whole new dynamic of the game. So I wanted to heal inside and outside of the game. So I donated 100% of my royalties, to charities around the world. If I could, I would have brought most of it to Brazil because we really need it here, but I also had to bring it to other countries. There was a country that I couldn’t bring in – South Africa because the players there weren’t buying and I convinced them to do it. I convinced them and that was 6 million there.

The Institute came because I really felt that with this amount of money, I needed a structure that had this brain that could think about the best solutions with the money. Because I was only doing it from the heart and there wasn’t any kind of strategy and we needed the Alok Institute to do it in the right way. We are very very very small in terms of employees and I almost don’t spend money to keep it because what we do is co-create together with projects that already exist so when we spend money, it’s not for us. We find the best projects that are going on and we help them to improve. We believe that there are so many amazing projects going on already that they only need that collaboration.

AM: In researching you, speaking with you today, knowing your impact in music as well as learning more about how you are giving back, what do you want your legacy to be known as musically as well as being a changemaker? What is that fingerprint?

A: First of all, I don’t know how, but in the future, the same way that I looked at the antibiotic – where there were a lot of people working hard to make the world a better place – there wasn’t just one person doing that. It was part of a movement. I don’t know who created that antibiotic, but I know it worked.

I don’t want to be reminded with my name, I want someone to remember that a lot of people in the past were part of a movement that made this world a better place. It’s more about giving meaning to my life because I was very afraid of death and what happened after death. But now I know, the right question isn’t what happens after death, the right question is, why are we here? I know that if I don’t do this, I will go back to a very deep depression because this is what drives me. I feel that depression is very hard to explain – it’s like how can I explain to you about something that you have never tried or never tasted? So, the flavor of sugar, but you have never tried sugar – how can I explain that to you? I do feel that people who have depression have a very powerful mind, but it’s just in the wrong direction.

IG @alok

@alokinstitute

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | FRONT COVER + PG 19 Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images | PG 16,23 + 24 Alisson Demetrio | PG 20 Ozuna Snake | PG 26 Courtesy of Alok | PG 29, 30 + BACK COVER Hudson Renan |

Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see The Power of Healing | Alok in mag.

FROM SET TO SOUND | ARMIN VAN BUUREN

Festival season continues on and one of our favorite DJ's that we have enjoyed for years has been Armin van Buuren! We caught up with him right before he headed to EZoo to perform here in NY. We wanted to know more about his label, his performances at festivals and his B2B set with David Guetta.

ATHLEISURE MAG: Why was it important for you to launch your independent label, Armada Music and what do you look for in terms of artists that are available on it?

ARMIN VAN BUUREN: Before I started Armada, I worked with United Recordings. They gave me a label (Armind) but refused to sign the tracks I wanted to release on there because they didn’t believe in those tracks. I got all these demos because I started a weekly radio show “A State of Trance” which was highly successful. I understood that the best way to release those tracks and get exclusive stuff for my sets and radio shows was to have my own label.

AM: You perform at a number of festivals as a headliner, from Tomorrowland, Zouk Out Dec 3rd in Singapore etc. do you have any routines that you do prior to hitting the stage to get ready for your set?

AVB: Mostly, I have already prepared my set weeks in advance but I never pre-program my set to the minute. I always leave room for last-minute additions or change the sound of my set if I feel the crowd is actually up for a different sound or isn’t feeling my sound at that moment. I always try to work out, eat healthy and sleep before a show. Then I take a shower and try to be on time before a show so I’m not stressed about traffic or something.

AM: This summer you played a B2B set with David Guetta at Ushuaїa in Ibiza, which was the first time that has happened! What was that like and do you have other people on your list that you would want to do a B2B with that you have yet to do?

AVB: It was incredible and I didn’t expect the crowd to go crazy like that!! We have the crowd to go crazy like that!! We have been friends for a long time but never really worked together. We came up with the idea when I met David in Los Angeles when we were both working there. It was also a success because it was a one-off show and we made special edits and mash-ups before the show. Earlier this year, I played B2B with Reinier Zonneveld at Ultra Music Festival which was also very inspiring. I don’t really have a list of names I want to go B2B with but I will always consider one if I feel we can find common ground in our sound.

IG @arminvanbuuren

PHOTOGRAPHY | PG 108 Bart Heemskerk | PG 111 Alive Coverage | 9DRIP PG 92 + 95 Bart Heemskerk | 9DRIP PG 95 Floris Heuer |

Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see FROM SET TO SOUND | Armin van Buuren in mag.

9DRIP | ARMIN VAN BUUREN

Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | Armin van Buuren in mag.

9DRIP | ALOK

Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see 9DRIP | Alok in mag.

ELECTRIC ZOO 3.0

Over Labor Day Weekend, over 100,000 fans enjoyed the "last dance" of summer at Electric Zoo 3.0 on Randalls Island Park in NY. With performances by DJ Diesel, Cheat Codes, Afrojack, Carl Cox, Martin Garrix and over 100 international artists were across multiple stages, it was a great way for us to come together and to keep the good vibes going.

As guests "plugged into the matrix," the grounds were transformed into an AI tech-driven environment. This allowed for new stages to debut at this festival, previous stages to be reimagined, innovative production and creating an immersive experience. Already, plans are undwrway to take these elements to the next level since they have a year before the next one rolls into town.

Michel Julian, EZoo's Chief of Marketing shared that “Having spent 13 years with EZoo since its inception, I have to say that this was one of the most special editions we’ve ever had. Working together with the new ownership we’ve brought about the start of an inspiring collaboration. We’re thrilled by support and such positive feedback from our fans, artists, and the industry – and can’t wait to show everyone what we have in store next year.”

This year's festival included an updated festival layout and all-new designs of the Antheon, The Landing, Morphosis, and Levitron stages created visual drama with their pyro, fireworks and massive LED walls.

IG @electriczoony

PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS | Alive Coverage

Read the SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see ELECTRIC ZOO 3.0 in mag.

9PLAYLIST | HOZHO

Read the latest issue of SEP ISSUE #81 of Athleisure Mag and see 9PLAYLIST | HOZHO in mag.