64th GRAMMY Nominations Updates for the 2021 GRAMMY Awards
Each year, the Recording Academy makes adjustments to the nominations list as necessary after the list is first published. Common changes are often the result of updated credits and may include spelling corrections, title modifications, and the addition of nominees who were not included in the original submission, among other revisions. This year, for the first time, we are making these updates public to ensure transparency and accessibility to the most up-to-date and accurate information.
Update January 25, 2022
In Category 9/Best Dance/Electronic Recording/Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs/Heartbreak
- Remove Orlando Higginbottom as mixer. He is a producer only.
Update January 25, 2022
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Olivia Rodrigo/Sour
- Add Chris Kasych as an engineer
Update January 10, 2022
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Kanye West/Donda
Add Songwriters:
- Albert Daniels, Andrew Dawson, Rennard East (Ab Liva), Donny Flores, Cristina Gallo, Leonard Harris, Anthony C. Khan, Jonathan Kirk (DaBaby), Ricardo LaMarre, Angie Martinez, Dexter Mills Jr., Rico Nichols, Edgar Nabeyin Panford, Jalil Pereza, Simon David Plummer, Demond Price (Conway The Machine), Cailin Russo, Raphael Saadiq, Che Smith (Rhymefest), Tobias Smith, Lee Stashenko, Tyshane Thompson, Terrence Thornton (Pusha T), Warren Trotter, Federico Vindver, Billy Walsh, Henry Russell Walter (Cirkut), Travis Darrelle Walton (Teddy Walton), Thomas Whitfield, Darius Woodley, Alvin Lamar Worthy (Westside Gunn), Adam Wright, Cydel Young (CyHi Tha Prynce), Malik Yusef
Add Producers:
- Cirkut, Jarrod “Twisco” Morgan, Nabeyin, The Twilite Tone, Federico “Fede” Vindver
Add Engineers/Mixers:
- Roark Bailey, A. ‘BAINZ’ Bains, Rafael Fai Bautista, Cirkut, Chris Connors, Dave Cook, Daniel Davila, Andrew Dawson, Mike Dean, Chris Dennis, Zack Djurich, Jesse Ray Ernester, Kyle Fitzgibbon, Shane Fitzgibbon, Marcus Fritz, Patrick Hundley, Ronald Lark III, Gentuar Memishi, Shelton “Renegade El Ray” Oliver, Kaushlesh “Gary” Purohit, Enzo Rarri, Reno Reagan, Preston Reid, Jeff Ryon, Randy Urbanski, Federico “Fede” Vindver, Cristal Viramontes
Add Featured Artist:
- Raphael Saadiq
Update January 05, 2022
In Category 38/Best Gospel Album/Jekalyn Carr/Changing Your Story Live!
- Change Title of Album from Changing Your Story to Changing Your Story Live!
Update December 13, 2021
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Kanye West/Donda
- Add Malik Yusef as songwriter
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Kanye West/Donda
- Add Cirkut as producer and engineer/mixer
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Kanye West/Donda
- Add Henry Russell Walter (aka Cirkut) as songwriter
Update December 09, 2021
In Category 60/Best Musical Theater Album/ Les Misérables: The Staged Concert (The Sensational 2020 Live Recording)
- Change Cameron Mackintosh’s name to Sir Cameron Mackintosh
In Category 60/Best Musical Theater Album/Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella
- Add Carrie Hope Fletcher, Helen George, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt & Ivano Turco as Principal Vocalists
Update December 08, 2021
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Doja Cat/Planet Her (Deluxe)
- Add Margaux Whitney as a songwriter.
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Jon Batiste/We Are
- Add Ethan Shumaker as engineer/mixer
In Category 67/Best Recording Package/Matt Berninger/Serpentine Prison
- Name correction: Change Dayle Doyle to Dale Doyle
In Category 60/Best Musical Theater Album/ Les Misérables: The Staged Concert (The Sensational 2020 Live Recording)
- Add as Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Carrie Hope Fletcher & Matt Lucas as Principal Vocalists
Update December 06, 2021
In Category 74/Best Immersive Audio Album/Steven Wilson/The Future Bites
Remove Bob Ludwig as Immersive Mastering Engineer
Add Dave Kosten as Immersive Producer
In Category 68/Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package/Steven Wilson/The Future Bites (Limited Edition Box Set)
- Add Steven Wilson as Art Director
In Category 68/Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package/Gang Of Four/77-81
- Add Bjarke Vind Normann as an Art Director
In Category 47/Best American Roots Song/Linda Chorney/Bored
- Add Featured Artists Becca Byram, EJ Ouellette, Trevor Sewell to artist
In Category 1/Record Of The Year/Doja Cat Featuring SZA/Kiss Me More
- Add John Hanes as engineer/mixer
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Doja Cat/Planet Her (Deluxe)
- Add John Hanes as engineer/mixer
In Category 71/Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical/Yebba/Dawn
- Add Gosha Usov as engineer
In Category 22/Best Rap Performance/Drake/Way 2 Sexy
- Remove the Drake Featuring Future & Young Thug “Way 2 Sexy” nomination
In Category 25/Best Rap Album/Drake/Certified Lover Boy
- Remove the Drake “Certified Lover Boy” nomination
Update December 05, 2021
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Olivia Rodrigo/Sour
- Songwriters Jack Antonoff, Annie Clark, and Taylor Swift have been removed.
Update December 03, 2021
In Category 61/Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media/Leslie Odom, Jr. (& Various Artists)/One Night In Miami
- Add (& Various Artists) to artist line following Leslie Odom, Jr.
In Category 1/Record Of The Year/Jon Batiste/Freedom
- Add DJ Khalil as a Producer
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Jon Batiste/We Are
Add DJ Khalil as producer
Add Ken Oriole as engineer/mixer
Update December 02, 2021
In Category 60/Best Musical Theater Album/Burt Bacharach And Steven Sater’s Some Lovers
- Add Cody Lassen as a Producer
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Taylor Swift/Evermore
- Add Michael Riddleberger as engineer/mixer
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/H.E.R./Back Of My Mind
- Remove Dave Kutch as mastering engineer.
Update December 01, 2021
Category 2/Album Of The Year/Lil Nas X/Montero
- Add John Hanes as an engineer/mixer
Category 1/Record Of The Year/Lil Nas X/Montero
- Add John Hanes as an engineer/mixer
Category 86/Best Music Film/Billie Eilish/Happier Than Ever
- Add Producers Michelle An, Chelsea Dodson, Justin Lubliner & Juliet Tierney
Category 2/Album Of The Year/Kanye West/Donda
- Remove engineer Jonathan Pfzar. This is the same person as Jonathan Pfarr who comes immediately after on the list.
Category 61/Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media/All Entries In Category
- Added compilation producers and music supervisors as shown below.
1. CRUELLA
(Various Artists)
Craig Gillespie, compilation producer; Susan Jacobs, music supervisor
2. DEAR EVAN HANSEN
(Various Artists)
Alex Lacamoire, Benj Pasek, Justin Paul & Dan Romer, compilation producers; Jordan Carroll, music supervisor
3. IN THE HEIGHTS
(Various Artists)
Alex Lacamoire, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Bill Sherman & Greg Wells, compilation producers; Steven Gizicki, music supervisor
4. ONE NIGHT IN MIAMI...
Leslie Odom, Jr.
Nicholai Baxter, compilation producer; Randall Poster, music supervisor
5. RESPECT
Jennifer Hudson
Stephen Bray & Jason Michael Webb, compilation producers
6. SCHMIGADOON! EPISODE 1
(Various Artists)
Doug Besterman, Cinco Paul & Scott M. Riesett, compilation producers
7. THE UNITED STATES VS. BILLIE HOLIDAY
Andra Day
Salaam Remi, compilation producer; Lynn Fainchtein, music supervisor
Update November 30, 2021
In Category 78/Best Opera Recording/Little: Soldier Songs
- Add David T. Little & Lewis Pesacov as producers
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/H.E.R/Back Of My Mind
- Change spelling of nominee Micah Petit to Micah Pettit
In Category 24/Best Rap Song/J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray/my.life
- Add Jacob Dutton as a songwriter
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Lil Nas X/Montero
- Add R.L. Stafford as a songwriter
In Category 85/Best Music Video/Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caeser and Giveon/Peaches
Corrected spelling of video director Colin Tilley’s name.
Add Jamee Ranta and Jack Winter as Video Directors
In Category 70/Best Historical Album/Marian Anderson – Beyond The Music: Her Complete RCA Victor Recordings
- Change the album title to “Marian Anderson – Beyond The Music: Her Complete RCA Victor Recordings
In Category 82/Best Classical Solo Vocal Album/Mythologies
- Add Danaë Xanthe Vlasse as pianist
Update November 29, 2021
Category 47/Best American Roots Song
- “Bored” by Linda Chorney has been added
Update November 23, 2021
In Category 1/Record of the Year/Peaches/Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caeser and Giveon:
- Louis Bell has been added as a producer.
In Category 83/Best Classical Compendium/Check Corea/Plays
- Change spelling of Bernie Kirsh’s name.
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/ Lil Nas X/Montero
- Change songwriter Isley Juber to Ilsey Juber
In Category 2/Album Of The Year/Jon Batise/We are
- Change producer Mickey Freedom Hart to Mikey Freedom Hart
In Category 73/Best Remixed Recording/Born For Greatness (Cymex Remix)
- Change remixer name from Spencer Bastin to Spencer Bastian
In Category 24/Best Rap Song/Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z/Jail
- Songwriter Marilyn Manson (aka Brian Hugh Warner) has been removed.
Category 70/Best Historical Album/Etching the Voice: Emile Berliner and the First Commercial Grammophone Discs, 1889-1895
- David Giovannoni & Richard Martin have been added as restoration engineers.
Category 71/Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical/Hey What (Low)
- Huntley Miller has been added as mastering engineer, and BJ Burton has been changed to engineer.
Category 75/Best Engineered Album, Classical/Chanticleer Sings Christmas
- Michael Romanowski has been added as Mastering Engineer
Award Process Updates for the 64th GRAMMY Awards
Category, Field and Definition Updates
The category title for Best Dance Recording changed to Best Dance/Electronic Recording to reflect that electronic music recordings are now included.
The Regional Roots Music Album category has been expanded specifically to include Go-go and Swamp Pop music.
We have created a new category, “Best Global Music Performance” for singles and tracks in the Global Music Field
- Definition: This category is intended for vocal & instrumental performances with strong elements of global cultural significance that blend music forms and techniques found in pop, R&B, dance, rap, and folk with unique music forms, local expressions and techniques found among the global diaspora originating outside the United States. The combination gives a unique sense of melody, rhythm, harmony, & lyric that is of global appeal.
We have created a new category, "Best Música Urbana," in the Latin Field, which encompasses music with 51% or more Spanish lyrics, originating in Reggaeton and other Latin urban styles, including Rap, House, R&B, Trap, and others.
In the Album Of The Year category, the 33% rule is removed to honor all credited artists, songwriters, producers, recording engineers, mixers, and mastering engineers. determined eligible to be GRAMMY nominees and recipients. However, the 33% policy applies for access to tickets to the Nominees Reception as well as tickets for the Telecast, Premiere and GRAMMY Celebration is still in place.
The Classical Field will allow singles to be entered for all classical categories that accept tracks in the Classical Field. This is for singles that are not part of an album in the following Classical categories:
Orchestral Performance
Choral Performance
Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
Classical Instrumental Solo
Contemporary Classical Composition
The Compilation for Visual Media category will have limits on the number of participants who can be awarded in the category.
For albums consisting largely of pre-existing masters, up to 2 album Producers and up to 2 Music Supervisors, per criteria.
For albums consisting largely of new recordings, awards to the Principal Artist (s) with significant contributing performance (s) (Ensemble-Driven Casts in which performers have comparable musical and dramatic participation in the recording are not eligible); up to 3 Producer(s); and up to 2 Music Supervisors, per criteria.
The Award will also go to the Engineer/Mixer(s) of greater than 50% playing time of newly recorded material.
The Music for Visual Media Field updates the rule that pertains to music released asynchronous to the visual media in order to help voters to experience the music in the context for which it was composed.
Albums and songs that are released during the current eligibility period but belong to a Visual Media that will be released during the next eligibility period and after the deadline for the First Round of GRAMMY Voting will have two options:
Enter them during the current year in categories other than the ones in the Music for Visual Media Field. They will not be eligible the following year in the Music for Visual Media Field if this option is chosen.
Enter them the following year as long as they do not get entered in any category during the current year. Albums will only be eligible in in their respective category: Compilation or Score. Songs will be eligible in Song Written for Visual Media. They will also be eligible in other song categories as long as they fulfil the “track from a previous year is eligible” rule.
- The Album definition includes a new material requirement percentage. An album must contain greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded (within five years of the release date), previously unreleased recordings. Updated, revised or expanded versions of previously submitted albums will not be eligible.
General Field Category Update
We expanded the number of nominations from eight to 10 nominees in each of the General Field Categories: Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year, and Best New Artist.
Entry Requirements Update
We require streaming links for all GRAMMY categories, with the exception of a few in the CraftFields: Recording Package, Boxed/Special Limited Edition, Album Notes, and Historical Album. These categories still need physical product, and we will continue to require entrants to send these to our Los Angeles office.
GRAMMY Awards Voting Method Update
All Voting Members are encouraged to vote in the four categories of the General Field. Additionally, voters may vote in up to ten other categories – based on areas in which the voter is actively engaged as a peer – on both ballots. The ten additional categories must be within no more than three fields (thus, the name for this voting change: 10/3).
Voting Members should be able to vote in the categories in which they are MOST qualified, based on their experience and skillset. Reducing the number of fields encourages voters to focus their votes to where they work.
Nominations Review Committee Update
We have discontinued the use of Nominations Review Committees as part of the GRAMMY voting process.
The membership requalification efforts over the past three years and the deliberate recruitment of an active, more diverse voting body go a long way towards ensuring that our voting members truly are the peers of the creative music-makers being judged. Add to that the more responsible and focused choices central to 10/3 voting, and we can trust that the results of the first ballot genuinely reflect the best in the category, according to its peers.
Craft Fields Update
We have restructured certain GRAMMY Awards fields to better reflect the overlapping peer groups within the voters by consolidating six of the current craft fields into two fields, one for production related categories, and one for presentation related categories. [The Composing/Arranging Field would remain as is due to the uniqueness of expertise required.]
The Craft realignment will enhance the ability of voting members with Craft expertise to cast their votes in a more efficient way.
Consolidations:
Package, Notes and Historical Field
Recording Package
Boxed/Special Limited Edition Package
Album Notes
Historical Album
Production Field
Engineered Album, Non-Classical
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Remixed Recording
Immersive Audio Album
Engineered Album, Classical
Producer Of The Year, Classical
For Your Considerations (FYC) Communication Update
Members or their designated publicists are restricted to FYC e-mails, social media posts, and physical mailings that promote only their own recordings. We prohibit lobbying on behalf of other members.
Full Calendar, Rules & Guidelines
The Board of Trustees ratifies all changes to the GRAMMY process each spring. Please click here to read the full Rules & Guidelines.