Arts & Entertainment
Grammy Awards return live from Las Vegas
After a delay of three months caused by the Omicron surge, the 64th Grammy Awards was held on the stage of the MGM Grand Garden Arena
After a delay of three months caused by the Omicron surge of the coronavirus, the 64th Grammy Awards was held on the stage the MGM Grand Garden Arena instead of its usual home in Los Angeles.
The show was hosted by comedian, actor, political commentator and anchor of The Daily Show, Trevor Noah who had presented the 63rd annual Grammy Awards last year. The awards kicked this year off with 64th Annual GRAMMY Awards Premiere Ceremony hosted by LeVar Burton prior to Sunday’s broadcast.
The Premiere Ceremony, featured 6 special performances and more than 70 GRAMMYs awarded across music genres ranging from classical and jazz to R&B, Global music and more. Tune-in to celebrate nominees, winners, and outstanding creators working behind the scenes.
In the category of Best Country Duo/Group Performance the winner was the Brothers Osbourne for the hit song ‘Younger Me’ which singer-songwriter T.J. Osborne credited the inspiration for by the reaction to publicly sharing for the first time in February, 2021 that he is gay.
CBS who broadcast the show noted that Jon Batiste scored the most nominations with 11, winning four Grammy Awards before the televised portion of the ceremony even began. Batiste is up for both Record of the Year and Album of the Year along with multiple nominations for his work on the animated film “Soul.” Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. all scored eight nominations of their own, with H.E.R. winning the Best Traditional R&B Performance award earlier in the evening.
Editor’s note the following full list of nominees and winners is below and will be updated after the ceremony ends:
Record of the Year
- “I Still Have Faith In You” – ABBA
- “Freedom” – Jon Batiste
- “I Get a Kick Out of You” – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
- “Peaches – Justin Bieber ft. Daniel Caesar and Giveon
- “Right On Time” – Brandi Carlile
- “Kiss Me More” – Doja Cat featuring SZA
- “Happier Than Ever” – Billie Eilish
- “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Lil Nas X
- “drivers license” – Olivia Rodrigo
- “Leave the Door Open” – Silk Sonic – Winner
Album of the Year
- “We Are” – Jon Batiste – Winner
- “Love For Sale” -Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
- “Justice” – Justin Bieber
- “Planet Her”- Doja Cat
- “Happier Than Ever” – Billie Eilish
- “Montero” – Lil Nas X
- “Back of my Mind” – H.E.R.
- “sour” – Olivia Rodrigo
- “Evermore” – Taylor Swift
- “Donda” – Kanye
Song of the Year
- “Leave The Door Open” – Silk Sonic — Winner
- “Bad Habits” – Ed Sheeran
- “A Beautiful Noise” – Alicia Keys & Brandi Carlile
- “drivers license” – Olivia Rodrigo
- “Fight For You” – H.E.R.
- “Happier Than Ever” – Billie Eilish
- “Kiss Me More” – Doja Cat featuring SZA
- “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” – Lil Nas X
- “Peaches” – Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon
- “Right On Time” – Brandi Carlile
Best New Artist
- Olivia Rodrigo – Winner
- Arooj Aftab
- Jimmy Allen
- Baby Keem
- FINNEAS
- Glass Animals
- Japanese Breakfast
- The Kid LAROI
- Arlo Parks
- Saweetie
Best Pop Solo Performance
- “drivers license” – Olivia Rodrigo — Winner
- “Anyone” – Justin Bieber
- “Right On Time” – Brandi Carlile
- “Happier Than Ever” – Billie Eilish
- “Positions” – Ariana Grande
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
- “I Get A Kick Out Of You” – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
- “Lonely” – Justin Bieber and Benny Blanco
- “Butter” – BTS
- “Higher Power” – Coldplay
- “Kiss Me More” – Doja Cat featuring SZA – Winner
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
- “Love For Sale” – Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga — Winner
- “Til We Meet Again (Live)” – Norah Jones
- “A Tori Kelly Christmas” – Tori Kelly
- “Ledisi Sings Nina” – Ledisi
- “That’s Life” – Willie Nelson
- “A Holly Dolly Christmas” -Dolly Parton
Best Dance/Electronic Recording
- “Alive” – Rüfüs Du Sol, Jason Evigan & Rüfüs Du Sol, producers; Cassian Stewart-Kasimba, mixer — Winner
- “Hero” – Afrojack & David Guetta, Kuk Harrell & Stargate, producers; Elio Debets, mixer
- “Loom” – Ólafur Arnalds Featuring Bonobo, Simon Green, producers; Ólafur Arnalds, mixer
- “Before” – James Blake, Dom Maker, producers; James Blake, mixer
- “Heartbreak” – Bonobo & Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Simon Green & Orlando Higginbottom, producers; Simon Green & Orlando Higginbottom, mixers
- “You Can Do It” – Caribou Dan Snaith, producer; David Wrench, mixer
- “The Business” – Tiësto, Hightower, Julia Karlsson & Tiësto, producers; Tiësto, mixer
Best Dance/Electronic Music Album
- “Subconsciously” – Black Coffee — Winner
- “Fallen Embers” – ILLENIUM
- “Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded)” – Major Lazer
- “Shockwave” – Marshmello
- “Free Love” – Sylvan Esso
- “Judgement” – Ten City
Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
- “Tree Falls” – Taylor Eigsti — Winner
- “Double Dealin'” – Randy Brecker & Eric Marienthal
- “The Garden” – Rachel Eckroth
- “At Blue Note Tokyo” – Steve Gadd Band
- “Deep: The Baritone Sessions, Vol. 2” – Mark Lettieri
Best Rock Performance
- “Shot In The Dark” – AC/DC
- “Know You Better (Live From Capitol Studio A)” – Black Pumas
- “Nothing Compares 2 U” – Chris Cornell
- “Ohms” – Deftones
- “Making A Fire” – Foo Fighters – Winner
Best Rock Song
- “Waiting On A War” Dave Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, Rami Jaffee, Nate Mendel, Chris Shiflett & Pat Smear, songwriters (Foo Fighters) — Winner
- “All My Favorite Songs” – Rivers Cuomo, Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson & Ilsey Juber, songwriters (Weezer)
- “The Bandit” – Caleb Followill, Jared Followill, Matthew Followill & Nathan Followill, songwriters (Kings Of Leon)
- “Distance” – Wolfgang Van Halen, songwriter (Mammoth WVH)
- “Find My Way” – Paul McCartney
Best Metal Performance
- “The Alien” – Dream Theater — Winner
- “Genesis” – Deftones
- “Amazonia” – Gojira
- “Pushing The Tides” – Mastodon
- “The Triumph Of King Freak (A Crypt Of Preservation And Superstition)” – Rob Zombie
Best Rock Album
- “Medicine At Midnight” – Foo Fighters — Winner
- “Power Up” – AC/DC
- “Capitol Cuts – Live From Studio A” – Black Pumas
- “No One Sings Like You Anymore Vol. 1” – Chris Cornell
- “McCartney III” – Paul McCartney
Best Alternative Music Album
- “Daddy’s Home” – St. Vincent — Winner
- “Shore” – Fleet Foxes
- “If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power” – Halsey
- “Jubilee” – Japanese Breakfast
- “Collapsed In Sunbeams” – Arlo Parks
Best R&B Performance
- “Pick Up Your Feelings” – Jazmine Sullivan — Winner (tie)
- “Leave The Door Open” – Silk Sonic — Winner (tie)
- “Lost You” – Snoh Aalegra
- “Peaches” – Justin Bieber Featuring Daniel Caesar & Giveon
- “Damage” – H.E.R.
Best R&B Song
- “Leave The Door Open” – Brandon Anderson, Christopher Brody Brown, Dernst Emile II and Bruno Mars, songwriters (Silk Sonic) — Winner
- “Damage” – Anthony Clemons Jr., Jeff Gitelman, H.E.R., Carl McCormick and Tiara Thomas
- “Good Days” – Jacob Collier, Carter Lang, Carlos Munoz, Solána Rowe & Christopher Ruelas, songwriters (SZA)
- “Heartbreak Anniversary” – Giveon Evans, Maneesh, Sevn Thomas and Varren Wade
- “Pick Up Your Feelings” – Denisia “Blu June” Andrews, Audra Mae Butts, Kyle Coleman, Brittany “Chi” Coney, Michael Holmes and Jazmine Sullivan
Best R&B Album
- “Heaux Tales” – Jazmine Sullivan — Winner
- “Temporary Highs In The Violet Skies” – Snoh Aalegra
- “We Are” – Jon Batiste
- “Gold-Diggers Sound” – Leon Bridges
- “Back Of My Mind” – H.E.R.
Best Rap Performance
- “Family Ties” – Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar — Winner
- “Up” – Cardi B
- “M Y . L I F E” – J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray
- “Way 2 Sexy” – Drake featuring Future & Young Thug
- “Thot S***” – Megan Thee Stallion
Best Rap Song
- “Jail” – Dwayne Abernathy, Jr., Shawn Carter, Raul Cubina, Michael Dean, Charles M. Njapa, Sean Solymar, Brian Hugh Warner, Kanye West & Mark Williams, songwriters (Kanye West Featuring Jay-Z) — Winner
- “Bath Salts” – Shawn Carter, Kasseem Dean, Michael Forno, Nasir Jones & Earl Simmons, songwriters (DMX Featuring Jay-Z & Nas)
- “Best Friend” – Amala Zandelie Dlamini, Lukasz Gottwald, Randall Avery Hammers, Diamonté Harper, Asia Smith, Theron Thomas & Rocco Valdes, songwriters (Saweetie Featuring Doja Cat)
- “Family Ties” – Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Hykeem Carter, Tobias Dekker, Colin Franken, Jasper Harris, Kendrick Lamar, Ronald Latour & Dominik Patrzek, songwriters (Baby Keem Featuring Kendrick Lamar)
- “m y . l i f e” – Shéyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph & Jermaine Cole, songwriters (J. Cole Featuring 21 Savage & Morray)
Best Rap Album
- “Call Me If You Get Lost” – Tyler, The Creator — Winner
- “The Off-Season” – J. Cole
- “Certified Lover Boy” – Drake
- “King’s Disease II” – Nas
- “Donda” – Kanye West
Best Melodic Rap Performance
- “Hurricane” – Kanye West featuring the Weeknd and Lil Baby) – Winner
- “Pride Is the Devil” – J. Cole featuring Lil Baby
- “Need to Know” – Doja Cat
- “Industry Baby” – Lil Nas X featuring Jack Harlow
- “WusYaName” – Tyler, the Creator featuring Youngboy Never Broke Again and Ty Dolla Sign
Best Country Album
- “Starting Over” – Chris Stapleton – Winner
- “Skeletons” – Brothers Osborne
- “Remember Her Name” – Mickey Guyton
- “The Marfa Tapes” – Miranda Lambert, Jon Randall and Jack Ingram
- “The Ballad of Dood and Juanita” – Sturgill Simpson
Best Country Solo Performance
- “You Should Probably Leave” – Chris Stapleton – Winner
- “Forever After All” – Luke Combs
- “Remember Her Name” – Mickey Guyton
- “All I Do Is Drive” – Jason Isbell
- “camera roll” – Kacey Musgraves
Best Country Duo/Group Performance
- “Younger Me” – Brothers Osborne — Winner
- “If I Didn’t Love You” – Jason Aldean & Carrie Underwood
- “Glad You Exist” – Dan + Shay
- “Chasing After You” – Ryan Hurd & Maren Morris
- “Drunk (And I Don’t Wanna Go Home)” – Elle King & Miranda Lambert
Best Country Song
- “Cold” – Dave Cobb, J.T. Cure, Derek Mixon & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Chris Stapleton) — Winner
- “Better Than We Found It” – Jessie Jo Dillon, Maren Morris, Jimmy Robbins & Laura Veltz, songwriters (Maren Morris)
- “camera roll” – Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves & Daniel Tashian, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
- “Country Again” – Zach Crowell, Ashley Gorley & Thomas Rhett, songwriters (Thomas Rhett)
- “Fancy Like” – Cameron Bartolini, Walker Hayes, Josh Jenkins & Shane Stevens, songwriters (Walker Hayes)
- “Remember Her Name” – Mickey Guyton, Blake Hubbard, Jarrod Ingram & Parker Welling
Best Progressive R&B Album
- “Table For Two” – Lucky Daye — Winner
- “New Light” – Eric Bellinger
- “Something To Say” – Cory Henry
- “Mood Valiant” – Hiatus Kaiyote
- “Dinner Party: Dessert” – Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington
- “Studying Abroad: Extended Stay” – Masego
Best Traditional R&B Performance
- “Fight For You” – H.E.R. – Winner
- “I Need You” – Jon Batiste
- “Bring It On Home To Me” – BJ The Chicago Kid, PJ Morton & Kenyon Dixon featuring Charlie Bereal
- “Born Again” – Leon Bridges Featuring Robert Glasper
- “How Much Can A Heart Take” – Lucky Daye Featuring Yebba
Best New Age Album
- “Divine Tides” – Stewart Copeland & Ricky Kej – Winner
- “Brothers” – Will Ackerman, Jeff Oster & Tom Eaton
- “Pangaea” – Wouter Kellerman & David Arkenstone
- “Night + Day” – Opium Moon
- “Pieces Of Forever” – Laura Sullivan
Best Improvised Jazz Solo
- “Humpty Dumpty (Set 2)” – Chick Corea – Winner
- “Sackodougou” – Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah
- “Kick Those Feet” – Kenny Barron
- “Bigger Than Us” – Jon Batiste
- “Absence” – Terence Blanchard
Best Jazz Vocal Album
- “Songwrights Apothecary Lab” – Esperanza Spalding – Winner
- “Generations” – The Baylor Project
- “SuperBlue” – Kurt Elling and Charlie Hunter
- “Time Traveler” – Nnenna Freelon
- “Flor” – Gretchen Parlato
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
- “Skyline” – Ron Carter, Jack DeJohnette and Gonzalo Rubalcaba – Winner
- “Jazz Selections: Music from and Inspired by Soul” – Jon Batiste
- “Absence” – Terence Blanchard featuring the E Collective and the Turtle Island Quartet
- “Akoustic Band Live” – Chick Corea, John Patitucci and Dave Weckl
- “Side-Eye NYC (V1.IV)” – Pat Metheny
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
- “For Jimmy, Wes and Oliver” – Christian McBride Big Band – Winner
- “Live at Birdland!” – The Count Basie Orchestra directed by Scotty Barnhart
- “Dear Love” – Jazzmeia Horn and her Noble Force
- “Swirling” – Sun Ra Arkestra
- “Jackets XL” – Yellowjackets + WDR Big Band
Best Latin Jazz Album
- “Mirror Mirror” – Eliane Elias with Chick Corea and Chucho Valdés – Winner
- “The South Bronx Story” – Carlos Henriquez
- “Virtual Birdland” – Arturo O’Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
- “Transparency” – Dafnis Prieto Sextet
- “El Arte del Bolero” – Miguel Zenón and Luis Perdomo
Best Gospel Performance/Song
- “Never Lost” – CeCe Winans – Winner
- “Voice of God” – Dante Bowe featuring Steffany Gretzinger and Chandler Moore
- “Joyful” – Dante Bowe
- “Help” – Anthony Brown & Group Therapy
- “Wait on You” – Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music
Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
- “Believe for It” – CeCe Winans – Winner
- “We Win” – Kirk Franklin and Lil Baby
- “Hold Us Together” (Hope Mix) – H.E.R. and Tauren Wells
- “Man of Your Word” – Chandler Moore and KJ Scriven
- “Jireh” – Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music featuring Chandler Moore and Naomi Raine
Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
- “Old Church Basement “– Elevation Worship and Maverick City Music – Winner
- “No Stranger” – Natalie Grant
- “Feels Like Home Vol. 2” – Israel and New Breed
- “The Blessing (Live)” – Kari Jobe
- “Citizen of Heaven (Live)” – Tauren Wells
Best Roots Gospel Album
- “My Savior” – Carrie Underwood – Winner
- “Alone with My Faith” – Harry Connick Jr.
- “That’s Gospel, Brother” – Gaither Vocal Band
- “Keeping On” – Ernie Haase & Signature Sound
- “Songs for the Times” – The Isaacs
Best Latin Pop Album
- “Mendó” – Alex Cuba – Winner
- “Vértigo” – Pablo Alborán
- “Mis Amores” – Paula Arenas
- “Hecho a la Antigua” – Ricardo Arjona
- “Mis Manos” – Camilo
- “Revelación” – Selena Gomez
Best Música Urbana Album
- “El Último Tour Del Mundo” – Bad Bunny – Winner
- “Afrodisíaco” – Rauw Alejandro
- “Jose” – J Balvin
- “KG0516” – Karol G
- “Sin Miedo (del Amor y Otros Demonios)” – Kali Uchis
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
- “Origen” – Juanes – Winner
- “Deja” – Bomba Estéreo
- “Mira Lo Que Me Hiciste Hacer (Deluxe Edition)” – Diamante Eléctrico
- “Calambre” – Nathy Peluso
- “El Madrileño” – C. Tangana
- “Sonidos de Karmática Resonancia” – Zoé
Best Regional Mexican Music Album (Including Tejano)
- “A Mis 80’s” – Vicente Fernández – Winner
- “Antología de la Musica Ranchera, Vol. 2” – Aida Cuevas
- “Seis” – Mon Laferte
- “Un Canto por México, Vol. 2” – Natalia Lafourcade
- “Ayayay! (Súper Deluxe)” – Christian Nodal
Best American Roots Performance
- “Cry” – Jon Batiste – Winner
- “Love and Regret” – Billy Strings
- “I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free” – The Blind Boys Of Alabama and Béla Fleck
- “Same Devil” – Brandy Clark featuring Brandi Carlile
- “Nightflyer” – Allison Russell
Best American Roots Song
- “Cry” – Jon Batiste and Steve McEwan – Winner
- “Avalon” – Rhiannon Giddens, Justin Robinson and Francesco Turrisi
- “Bored” – Linda Chorney
- “Call Me a Fool” – Valerie June
- “Diamond Studded Shoes” – Dan Auerbach, Natalie Hemby, Aaron Lee Tasjan and Yola
- “Nightflyer” – Jeremy Lindsay and Allison Russell
Best Americana Album
- “Native Sons” – Los Lobos – Winner
- “Downhill from Everywhere” – Jackson Browne
- “Leftover Feelings” – John Hiatt with the Jerry Douglas Band
- “Outside Child” – Allison Russell
- “Stand for Myself” – Yola
Best Bluegrass Album
- “My Bluegrass Heart” – Béla Fleck – Winner
- “Renewal” – Billy Strings
- “A Tribute to Bill Monroe” – The Infamous Stringdusters
- “Cuttin’ Grass, Vol. 1: The Butcher Shoppe Sessions” – Sturgill Simpson
- “Music Is What I See” – Rhonda Vincent
Best Traditional Blues Album
- “I Be Trying” – Cedric Burnside – Winner
- “100 Years of Blues” – Elvin Bishop and Charlie Musselwhite
- “Traveler’s Blues” – Blues Traveler
- “Be Ready When I Call You” – Guy Davis
- “Take Me Back” – Kim Wilson
Best Contemporary Blues Album
- “662” – Christone “Kingfish” Ingram – Winner
- “Delta Kream” – The Black Keys featuring Eric Deaton and Kenny Brown
- “Royal Tea” – Joe Bonamassa
- “Uncivil War” – Shemekia Copeland
- “Fire It Up” – Steve Cropper
Best Folk Album
- “They’re Calling Me Home” – Rhiannon Giddens with Francesco Turrisi – Winner
- “One Night Lonely (Live)” – Mary Chapin Carpenter
- “Long Violent History” – Tyler Childers
- “Wednesday (Extended Edition)” – Madison Cunningham
- “Blue Heron Suite” – Sarah Jarosz
Best Regional Roots Music Album
- “Kau Ka Pe’a” – Kalani Pe’a – Winner
- “Live in New Orleans!” – Sean Ardoin and Kreole Rock and Soul
- “Bloodstains & Teardrops” – Big Chief Monk Boudreaux
- “My People” – Cha Wa
- “Corey Ledet Zydeco” – Corey Ledet Zydeco
Best Reggae Album
- “Beauty in the Silence” − SOJA − Winner
- “Pamoja” − Etana
- “Positive Vibration” − Gramps Morgan
- “Live N Livin” − Sean Paul
- “Royal” − Jesse Royal
- “10” − Spice
Best Global Music Album
- “Mother Nature” − Angélique Kidjo − Winner
- “Voice of Bunbon (Vol. 1)” − Rocky Dawuni
- “East West Players Presents: Daniel Ho & Friends Live in Concert” − Daniel Ho & Friends
- “Legacy +” − Femi Kuti and Made Kuti
- “Made in Lagos (Deluxe Edition)” − Wizkid
Best Global Music Performance
- “Mohabbat” − Arooj Aftab − Winner
- “Do Yourself” − Angélique Kidjo and Burna Boy
- “Pà Pá Pà” − Femi Kuti
- “Blewu” − Yo-Yo Ma and Angélique Kidjo
- “Essence” − Wizkid featuring Tems
Best Children’s Album
- “A Colorful World” − Falu − Winner
- “Actívate” − 123 Andrés
- “All One Tribe” − 1 Tribe Collective
- “Black to the Future” − Pierce Freelon
- “Crayon Kids” − Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band
Best Spoken Word Album
- “Carry On: Reflections for a New Generation from John Lewis” − Don Cheadle − Winner
- “Aftermath” − LeVar Burton
- “Catching Dreams: Live at Fort Knox Chicago” − J. Ivy
- “8:46” − Dave Chappelle and Amir Sulaiman
- “A Promised Land” − Barack Obama
Best Comedy Album
- “Sincerely” – Louis C.K. – Winner
- “The Comedy Vaccine” – Lavell Crawford
- “Evolution” – Chelsea Handler
- “Thanks for Risking Your Life” – Lewis Black
- “The Greatest Average American” – Nate Bargatze
- “Zero F***s Given” – Kevin Hart
Best Musical Theater Album
- “The Unofficial Bridgerton Musical” – Emily Bear – Winner
- “Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cinderella” – Carrie Hope Fletcher, Ivano Turco, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and Helen George
- “Burt Bacharach and Steven Sater’s Some Lovers” – Burt Bacharach, Michael Croiter, Ben Hartman and Steven Sater
- “Girl from the North Country” – Simon Hale, Conor McPherson, and Dean Sharenow
- “Les Misérables: The Staged Concert” – Michael Ball, Alfie Boe, Carrie Hope Fletcher and Matt Lucas
- “Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots” – Daniel C. Levine, Michael J. Moritz Jr., Bryan Perri and Stephen Schwartz
Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media
- “The United States vs. Billie Holiday” – Andra Day – Winner
- “Cruella” – Various artists
- “Dear Evan Hansen” – Various artists
- “In the Heights” – Various artists
- “One Night in Miami…” – Leslie Odom, Jr. and various artists
- “Respect” – Jennifer Hudson
- “Schmigadoon! Episode 1” – Various artists
Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media
- “Soul” – Jon Batiste, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, composers – Winner (tie)
- “The Queen’s Gambit” – Carlos Rafael Rivera, composer – Winner (tie)
- “Bridgerton” – Kris Bowers, composer
- “Dune” – Hans Zimmer, composer
- “The Mandalorian: Season 2 – Vol. 2 (Chapters 13–16)” – Ludwig Göransson, composer
Best Song Written for Visual Media
- “All Eyes on Me” (from Bo Burnham: Inside) – Winner
- “Agatha All Along” (from WandaVision)
- “All I Know So Far” (from Pink: All I Know So Far)
- “Fight For You” (from Judas and the Black Messiah)
- “Here I Am (Singing My Way Home)” (from Respect)
- “Speak Now” (from One Night in Miami…)
Best Instrumental Composition
- “Eberhard” – Lyle Mays – Winner
- “Beautiful Is Black” – Brandee Younger
- “Cat and Mouse” – Tom Nazziola
- “Concerto for Orchestra: Finale” – Vince Mendoza
- “Dreaming in Lions: Dreaming in Lions” – Arturo O’Farrill
Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
- “Meta Knight’s Revenge” – Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman – Winner
- “Chopsticks” – Bill O’Connell
- “For the Love of a Princess” – Robin Smith
- “Infinite Love” – Emile Mosseri
- “The Struggle Within” – Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sanchez
Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
- “To The Edge of Longing (Edit Version)” – Vince Mendoza – Winner
- “The Bottom Line” – Ólafur Arnalds
- “A Change is Gonna Come” – Tehillah Alphonso
- “The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)” – Jacob Collier
- “Eleanor Rigby” – Cody Fry
Best Recording Package
- “Pakelang” – Winner
- “American Jackpot / American Girls”
- “Carnage”
- “Serpentine Prison”
- “Zeta”
Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
- “All Things Must Pass: 50th Anniversary Edition” – Winner
- “Color Theory”
- “The Future Bites (Limited Edition Box Set)”
- “77-81”
- “Swimming in Circles”
Best Album Notes
- “The Complete Louis Armstrong Columbia and RCA Victor Studio Sessions 1946-1966” – Winner
- “Beethoven: The Last Three Sonatas”
- “Creation Never Sleeps, Creation Never Dies: The Willie Dunn Anthology”
- “Etching The Voice: Emile Berliner and the First Commercial Gramophone Discs, 1889-1895”
- “The King of Gospel Music: The Life and Music of Reverend James Cleveland”
Best Historical Album
- “Joni Mitchell Archives, Vol. 1: The Early Years (1963-1967)” – Joni Mitchell – Winner
- “Beyond The Music: Her Complete RCA Victor Recordings” – Marian Anderson
- “Etching The Voice: Emile Berliner and the First Commercial Gramophone Discs, 1889-1895” – Various Artists
- “Excavated Shellac: An Alternate History of the World’s Music” – Various Artists
- “Sign O’ The Times (Super Deluxe Edition)” – Prince
Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
- Love for Sale – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga – Winner
- Cinema – The Marías
- Dawn – Yebba
- Hey What – Low
- Notes with Attachments – Pino Palladino and Blake Mills
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical
- Jack Antonoff – Winner
- Rogét Chahayed
- Mike Elizondo
- Hit-Boy
- Ricky Reed
Best Remixed Recording
- “Passenger” (Mike Shinoda remix) – Mike Shinoda, remixer (Deftones) – Winner
- “Back to Life” (Booker T Kings of Soul satta dub) – Booker T., remixer (Soul II Soul)
- “Born for Greatness” (Cymek remix) – Spencer Bastin, remixer (Papa Roach)
- “Constant Craving” (Fashionably Late remix) – Tracy Young, remixer (k.d. lang)
- “Inside Out” (3scape Drm remix) – 3scape Drm, remixer (Zedd and Griff)
- “Met Him Last Night” (Dave Audé remix) – Dave Audé, remixer (Demi Lovato featuring Ariana Grande)
- “Talks” (Mura Masa Remix) – Alexander Crossan, remixer (PVA)
Best Immersive Audio Album
- “Alicia” – Alicia Keys – Winner
- “Clique” – Patricia Barber
- “Fine Line” – Harry Styles
- “The Future Bites” – Steven Wilson
- “Stille Grender” – Anne Karin Sundal-Ask & Det Norske Jentekor
Best Engineered Album, Classical
- “Chanticleer Sings Christmas” – Winner
- “Archetypes”
- “Beethoven: Cello Sonatas – Hope Amid Tears”
- “Beethoven: Symphony No. 9”
- “Mahler: Symphony No. 8, ‘Symphony of a Thousand'”
Producer of the Year, Classical
- Judith Sherman – Winner
- Blanton Alspaugh
- Steven Epstein
- David Frost
- Elaine Martone
Best Orchestral Performance
- “Price: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3” – Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (Philadelphia Orchestra) – Winner
- “Adams: My Father Knew Charles Ives; Harmonielehre” – Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor (Nashville Symphony Orchestra)
- “Beethoven: Symphony No. 9” – Manfred Honeck, conductor (Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)
- “Muhly: Throughline” – Nico Muhly, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)
- “Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra; Scriabin: The Poem of Ecstasy” – Thomas Dausgaard, conductor (Seattle Symphony Orchestra)
Best Opera Recording
- “Glass: Akhnaten” – Karen Kamensek – Winner
- “Bartók: Bluebeard’s Castle” – Susanna Mälkki
- “Janáček: Cunning Little Vixen” – Simon Rattle
- “Little: Soldier Songs” – Corrado Rovaris
- “Poulenc: Dialogues Des Carmélites” – Yannick Nézet-Séguin
Best Choral Performance
- “Mahler: Symphony No. 8, ‘Symphony Of A Thousand'” – Gustavo Dudamel, conductor – Winner
- “It’s a Long Way” – Matthew Guard, conductor
- “Rising w/The Crossing” – Donald Nally, conductor
- “Schnittke: Choir Concerto; Three Sacred Hymns; Pärt: Seven Magnificat-Antiphons” – Kaspars Putniņš, conductor
- “Sheehan: Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom” – Benedict Sheehan, conductor
- “The Singing Guitar” – Craig Hella Johnson, conductor
Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
- “Beethoven: Cello Sonatas – Hope Amid Tears” – Yo-Yo Ma and Emanuel Ax – Winner
- “Adams, John Luther: Lines Made by Walking” – JACK Quartet
- “Akiho: Seven Pillars” – Sandbox Percussion
- “Archetypes” – Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad and Third Coast Percussion
- “Bruits” – Imani Winds
Best Classical Instrumental Solo
- “Alone Together” – Jennifer Koh – Winner
- “An American Mosaic” – Simone Dinnerstein
- “Bach: Sonatas & Partitas” – Augustin Hadelich
- “Beethoven & Brahms: Violin Concertos” – Gil Shaham; Eric Jacobsen, conductor (The Knights)
- “Mak Bach” – Mak Grgić
Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
- “Mythologies” – Sangeeta Kaur and Hila Plitmann – Winner
- “Confessions” – Laura Strickling; Joy Schreier, pianist
- “Dreams Of A New Day – Songs By Black Composers” – Will Liverman; Paul Sánchez, pianist
- “Schubert: Winterreise” – Joyce DiDonato; Yannick Nézet-Séguin, pianist
- “Unexpected Shadows” – Jamie Barton; Jake Heggie, pianist (Matt Haimovitz)
Best Classical Compendium
- “Women Warriors – The Voices Of Change” – Winner
- “American Originals – A New World, A New Canon”
- “Berg: Violin Concerto; Seven Early Songs and Three Pieces for Orchestra”
- “Cerrone: The Arching Path”
- “Plays”
Best Contemporary Classical Composition
- “Shaw: Narrow Sea” – Caroline Shaw, composer (Dawn Upshaw, Gilbert Kalish and Sō Percussion) – Winner
- “Akiho: Seven Pillars” – Andy Akiho, composer (Sandbox Percussion)
- “Andriessen: The Only One” – Louis Andriessen, composer (Esa-Pekka Salonen, Nora Fischer and Los Angeles Philharmonic)
- “Assad, Clarice & Sérgio, Connors, Dillon, Martin & Skidmore: Archetypes” – Clarice Assad, Sérgio Assad, Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin and David Skidmore, composers (Sérgio Assad, Clarice Assad and Third Coast Percussion)
- “Batiste: Movement 11′” – Jon Batiste, composer (Jon Batiste)
Best Music Video
- “Freedom” – Jon Batiste – Winner
- “Shot in the Dark” – AC/DC
- “I Get a Kick Out of You” – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
- “Peaches” – Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon
- “Happier Than Ever” – Billie Eilish
- “Montero (Call Me by Your Name)” – Lil Nas X
- “Good 4 U” – Olivia Rodrigo
Best Music Film
- “Summer of Soul” – Various Artists – Winner
- “Bo Burnham: Inside” – Bo Burnham
- “David Byrne’s American Utopia” – David Byrne
- “Happier Than Ever: A Love Letter to Los Angeles” – Billie Eilish
- “Music, Money, Madness… Jimi Hendrix in Maui” – Jimi Hendrix
Arts & Entertainment
Horror genre has evolved into space to explore queer identity
Forbidden love among topics explored
Spooky season is here, making it a fantastic time to talk about queerness and horror. More precisely, it’s a chance to explore how the horror genre emerged and transformed our perspective on queer identity.
Horror is far more political than most people realize.
Personally, if sci-fi was the genre that helped me understand what it feels like to be different, it was horror that truly allowed me to explore queer relationships and queer rage.
Let’s dive into how horror as a book genre has evolved — moving from portraying queer and transgender identities as monstrous threats to becoming a space where queer people can process our own fears, rage, sexuality, and trauma: from the deeply queer undercurrents of vampire fiction to the liberating “monstrosity” of trans rage.
The ‘monstrosity’ of transness
It’s 2026, so let’s begin with the elephant in the room — or rather, the biggest conservative scapegoat in our community (thanks for actual political monsters). But trigger warning: trauma crawls to the surface like a monster breaking through.
Imagine two scenes:
Fifteen-year-old me, a trans teenager who didn’t yet know they were trans, was reading Thomas Harris’s “The Silence of the Lambs” (1988) for the first time (yes, for me it was first the book, then the movie.) I “encountered” Buffalo Bill, a serial killer who used human skin to make a female costume because he wanted to be a woman. How did I feel? Cringed out, humiliated, and even more determined to hide. And I wasn’t yet permitted myself to think that I’m trans, but I felt terrible without knowing why. It was one more message from mass culture: if you think you belong to a gender different from the one assigned to you at birth, you are a “psycho.” The intersection of ableism and transphobia is striking in stories like this. People with mental illnesses, who in real life are much more often victims than aggressors, are portrayed as dangerous to society, while transness is presented as a mental illness.
Now imagine an adult me, a couple of years after coming out as trans, reading Andrew Joseph White’s young adult horror novel “Hell Follows with Us” (2022). It portrayed actual monsters and a trans boy, Benji, turned into a monster by his cultist family. I felt joy and sympathy for Benji, who stood up against the apocalyptic cult that destroyed humanity, despite his parents raising him to destroy what was left of the human race. His trans rage and rebellion felt justified, and the main character never felt like a pathetic freak.
This is the main difference between classical portrayals of trans people in horror and the changes made by trans authors and creators reclaiming the genre.
When Harris wrote “The Silence of the Lambs” and Jonathan Demme directed the movie (1991), the story made it clear that Buffalo Bill was not a “real” trans person and that real trans people were harmless. But this raises an important question: how can we decide who is a “real” trans person and who isn’t if someone’s gender identity differs from the one assigned to them at birth? The trope of an aggressive, perverse person who “wants to be a woman” has existed throughout modern fiction, with the “Psycho” (1960) movie being another famous example, that stigmatizes cross-dressing and gender non-conformity and, by association, trans women.
Aggressive trans characters and trans characters in serial-killer fiction have every right to exist. White’s young adult horror novel “You’re No Better” (2026), which is coming out this October, features a trans autistic boy trying to prove that he is nothing like his famous serial-killer father. There is also the transgender novel “Manhunt” (2022), featuring two trans women, Beth and Fran, who survive by hunting men transformed into monsters.
Honestly, I’m currently querying a vampire novel with a trans teenager who runs from his transphobic MAGA family and has literally become a monster, so it would be hypocritical of me to object to controversial or monstrous trans characters. They can be violent — but not because they are trans. They can be driven to become monsters by society, but not because of their supposed “perversion.”
Trans horror written by trans and trans-friendly authors can help process rage and alienation. Many trans horror authors reclaim the label of “monstrosity” without turning their characters into caricatures, perverted villains, or pathetic creatures, as often happened in more classical, cis-hetero normative horror.
Queer romance and forbidden love
For me, “The Vampire Chronicles” by Anne Rice was my first introduction to non-judgmental, queer-centered fiction as a teenager. As Rice famously observed, all her vampires are bisexual, and it was remarkably brave to publish books in the 1970s and 1980s where queer families, desire, and drama were simply part of the plot without any silly sensationalism. The 1994 film adaptation of “Interview with the Vampire” was the movie through which many people I knew who weren’t into queer stories first saw these dynamics onscreen. And the new AMC’s “Interview with the Vampire” (2022-current) TV series is, in my opinion, one of the best representations of messy queer relationships between traumatized people, addressing family trauma and the intersection of race and queerness. I recommend it even more than “reality-based” shows such as “Heated Rivalry” or “Queer as Folk.”
Gothic literature has always had a queer undercurrent. From Lord Byron’s homoerotic image of the undead to the lesbian desire of “Carmilla” and the obsessive relationships surrounding “Dracula” (book published in 1897), vampires have long been associated with forbidden desire, sexuality, and relationships outside social norms. “Carmilla,” published in 1872 by Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu, still resonates with the lesbian community today. “Carmilla” is unapologetically queer, declaring romantic passion for the human woman Laura without hiding her desires. Of course, “Carmilla” is literally a monster — but how else could an author write a forbidden queer love story in 1872?
New retellings of “Dracula” and “Carmilla” have become even more increasingly queer. Kat Dunn’s “The Hungerstone” (2025) is a sapphic story about feminine agency and the relationship between Carmilla and Lenore, a bisexual British woman in Industrial-era Sheffield, framed around sapphic emancipation and forbidden love. “Dracula” has also inspired plenty of retellings, most notably S. T. Gibson’s “A Dowry of Blood” (2021) — an explicitly polyamorous, bisexual retelling told from the perspective of one of his brides. It explores abuse and the importance of breaking codependency in queer relationships — a topic underrepresented in more “serious” fiction.
Vampires have also become a cross-cultural way to speak about queerness. For example, Dawn Chen’s “A Vampire in Beijing” that will be published in 2027, offers a sapphic story about the modern Chinese queer community and its unique struggles.
Together against the monsters
Another major trope in queer horror is queer people, especially queer youth, fighting monsters together. Those monsters may be supernatural, as in “The Dark We Know” (2024) by Wen-Yi Lee or “This Raging Sea” (2025) by De Elizabeth, where groups of bisexual, queer kids fight side-by-side with an old evil. Ultimately, these external threats represent a conservative society, oppressive stereotypes, and real-world mental health struggles.
Although horror historically mostly exploited queerness for sensationalism — harming real-world queer people in the process — today it has transformed into one of the most effective spaces to explore queer identity and trauma in our own language.
Photos
Center for Black Equity honors leaders, activists at BE. Gala
Miyake-Mugler, Oakes co-host annual awards ceremony
The Center for Black Equity held its annual BE. Gala at Conrad Washington, D.C. on Saturday, Oct. 5. Lolita Leopard Miyake-Mugler and Anthony Oakes co-hosted the awards ceremony.
Honorees included journalist and producer Justin Stewart; nonprofit leader Nikki Alexander; HIV advocate Marlene McNeese; the nonprofit organization FreeLux Project; actress Monroe Alise; public health advocate Tori Cooper; Manassas Park Vice Mayor Darryl G. Moore; Rev. Dr. Carmarion D. Anderson; Bishop Steven Sawyer; government relations professional Courtney Snowden; Senior Deputy Director of HAHSTA at D.C. Health, Clover Barnes; and Texas state Rep. Venton C. Jones.
The event was presented by Gilead.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)






























Books
In ‘The Lost Brontë,’ a complicated lie can lead to danger
New book features sweetly romantic girl-meets-girl twist
‘The Lost Brontë’
By Catherine Friend
c.2026, Bywater Books
$22.95/335 pages
Mom always said to tell the truth.
One lie leads to another and another and you have to remember them all until pretty soon, you’re caught. Fibs are hard, mistruths are messy, even little white social lies can destroy trust. Worst of all, as in the new novel, “The Lost Brontë” by Catherine Friend, a complicated lie can lead to danger.

Though Lilianne Loxley was very young when she lost her parents, she understood that her uncle didn’t really want her. As time passed, though, Lily made herself useful to Uncle, writing and signing letters for him and she became a good companion, helping him with his collection of Brontë memorabilia. Uncle was a keen enthusiast.
She had no idea that his obsession was out of control and he was deeply in arrears. The day Lily learned of his debt was the day she learned that he’d agreed to send her to his debtor’s home to work off the money owed.
It was so sudden. One minute, Lily was at Loxley House, happy and loved by Uncle’s staff … and five hours later, she was at Crag Thorn Manor, home of Lord Bexton, who informed her that she’d be working on his ledgers – work that seemed routine, but Lily tackled it.
Uncle always did say she was headstrong.
But would headstrong be enough to survive, when she was restricted from most of the Manor, when she was forced to dine with Brexton and his slimy friend, or – the worst! – when Brexton told Lily that her next task was to forge a letter from Emily Brontë? And then an entire manuscript?
Lily struggled to do what was right. She had to get Uncle out of debt but this last order horrified her. Did she dare refuse Brexton’s orders and commit a crime? It was unthinkable!
The only brightness in the whole situation was Wren, the ladies’ maid assigned to Lily’s room. Wren was adorable with freckles and the sweetest smile. But with everything else happening at Crag Thorn Manner, could Lily act upon her feelings?
This time of year, you may come to crave dark, spooky stories, and “The Last Brontë” fits those needs perfectly with its Gothic deliciousness. Think: Daphne du Maurier-type, stormy-night squirms with a dangerously chaste, sweetly romantic girl-meets-girl twist for fun.
If it’s been awhile since you’ve read a Gothic novel, you’re in for a nice reminder of why you love them here. You can almost tick off the must-haves: a novel like this is nothing without a foreboding stone manor with damp walls; stone steps to a dank basement; a mysterious portrait; and a nearby bog, and author Catherine Friend gives readers every one of them. You’d be disappointed if there was no ghost, wouldn’t you? Ha. You can practically feel the cold blow through the attic, right? Yeah, it’s that kind of book.
If you’re a fan of the Brontës, you’ll like this novel. If you love Gothic mysteries or Victorian romances, ditto. “The Lost Brontë” is good, no lie.
The Blade may receive commissions from qualifying purchases made via this post.
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