We may not know who will be nominated, but there’s already controversy over who won’t be.<\/b>
\nJason Lipshutz, editorial director at Billboard, told CNN he believes the 2019 Grammy nominations will hold surprises.
\u00ab\u00a0There’s a lack of consensus in a way that’s really exciting to me,\u00a0\u00bb Lipshutz said. \u00ab\u00a0I think part of that is because the big-four general categories have expanded to eight nominees. I also think that there are fewer ‘shoe-ins’ than in years past.\u00a0\u00bb
A broader, more unpredictable Grammy competition is likely good news for contenders and music lovers.
\u00ab\u00a0One of the byproducts of expanding the categories is that listeners might be introduced to songs and artists and albums that they might not have previously checked out,\u00a0\u00bb Lipshutz said. \u00ab\u00a0We’ve seen that in the past with the Grammys, where you have a kind of out of nowhere album of the year nomination.\u00a0\u00bb
There’s been discussion about a lack of inclusion among Grammy nominees (and eventual winners) in recent years, but Lipshutz is cautiously optimistic there’s at least one genre that won’t be overlooked.
\u00ab\u00a0[Hip Hop] has completely dominated popular music this year,\u00a0\u00bb he said.
More nominees in the major categories could also lead to more diversity among the artists and musical genres recognized.
While pop artists like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande are likely contenders, Lipshutz said country artists like Kacey Musgraves and R&B singer Janelle Mon\u00e1e could also score major nominations.
\u00ab\u00a0These are our big artists, but they’re not kind of ubiquitous superstars and they could really make an impact,\u00a0\u00bb he added.
Not that Recording Academy members vote by charts, but Drake and his \u00ab\u00a0Scorpion\u00a0\u00bb album ruled 2018, according to Billboard .
The Grammy nominations will be announced live Friday on \u00ab\u00a0CBS This Morning\u00a0\u00bb and on Apple Music at 8:30 a.m. ET, with the awards ceremony slated for February 10.<\/p>\n