Best Song Written For Visual Media nominees

Best Song Written For Visual Media nominees

(L-R) Justin Hurwitz, Common, Sia, Taylor Swift, Lin Manuel-Miranda
Photos: WireImage.com

News

2018 GRAMMY Nominations: Best Song Written For Visual Media Roundup

Facebook Twitter Email
Spanning songs written for 'La La Land,' 'Fifty Shades Darker,' 'Moana,' and more, zoom in on the 60th GRAMMY nominees up for Best Song Written For Visual Media
Tim McPhate
GRAMMYs
Dec 28, 2017 - 10:30 am

While films are no doubt all about the visuals, there's no denying the power of music in cinema.

Sometimes, the perfect song can punctuate a film scene perfectly, or, if the composer's lucky, result in an iconic Hollywood moment. Think Audrey Hepburn crooning "Moon River" in Breakfast At Tiffany's or John Travolta's strut to the tune of "Stayin' Alive" in Saturday Night Fever, just to name a couple.

The five nominees for Best Song Written For Visual Media for the 60th GRAMMY Awards are all songs written for the silver screen. Each offers a modern example of a vital auditory companion to a film. In other words, when you sing along, you can probably picture the movie instantly.

Have a closer listen to this year's nominated songs and learn more about the songwriters behind them.

(Editor's Note: Best Song Written For Visual Media is awarded to the songwriters of a song written specifically for a motion picture, television, video game or other visual media. Artist names appear in parentheses.)

"City Of Stars"

Justin Hurwitz, Benj Pasek & Justin Paul, songwriters (Ryan Gosling & Emma Stone)
Track from La La Land

The romantic musical La La Land had a fairy-tale ending in becoming the most decorated film of 2016 with six Oscars. The film's title song, "City Of Stars," featuring vocals shared by cast members Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling, netted Best Original Song.

The affable tune, which impeccably bottles the tone of the film, forms the basis of multiple scenes, including when Sebastian (Gosling) sings and dances on the Hermosa Beach pier. "['City Of Stars'] started at the piano with me just working on demos," said co-writer Justin Hurwitz. "I would say the tone is hopeful, but melancholy at the same time."

This nod is one of four La La Land-related nominations for Hurwitz. His collaborators Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are each up for Best Musical Theater Album for Dear Evan Hansen. All three are seeking their first GRAMMY win. Should "City Of Stars" prevail, it would become the latest in a lineage of songs to win both a GRAMMY and an Oscar.

"How Far I'll Go"

Lin-Manuel Miranda, songwriter (Auli'i Cravalho)
Track from Moana: The Songs

Lin-Manuel Miranda is seeking his third taste of GRAMMY gold with this song from the hit Disney animated motion picture, Moana. With its "I can do it" theme, the platinum tune, performed by actress/singer Auli'i Cravalho (Moana), was in the running for Best Original Song at the 2017 Oscars, but ending up losing to fellow nominee "City Of Stars."

As it turns out, Miranda employed a form of "acting" to compose the uplifting song. The GRAMMY winner returned to his parents' home and actually locked himself in his childhood bedroom in a bid to get in the creative mindset of a 16-year-old, the same age of the main character, Moana. "I kind of went method for it," said Miranda. "I like, locked myself up in my bedroom and it was like, 'All right, you're 16 years old.'"

'Hamilton' wins Best Musical Theater Album

Miranda is also up for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media for his co-producer role on the soundtrack to Moana: The Songs. He has two prior wins for Best Musical Theater Album for In The Heights and Hamilton.

"I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)"

Jack Antonoff, Sam Dew & Taylor Swift, songwriters (ZAYN & Taylor Swift)
Track from Fifty Shades Darker

Ripe with sexy falsettos and mesmerizing instrumentation, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever" is arguably as electric as the steamy film itself. The combustible chemistry of the unlikely pairing of Taylor Swift and ZAYN make for the perfect aural backdrop to Fifty Shades Darker's sailing scene between Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and billionaire Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan). And upon its release, the song sailed all the way to No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Not bad for a song that "came together very quickly," according to Jack Antonoff, who also revealed via Twitter that it was produced "at home mostly on paper sounds."

The 10-time GRAMMY winner Swift is a past winner in the category, earning the honor for "Safe And Sound (From The Hunger Games)" at the 55th GRAMMY Awards. She is up for another songwriter award this year, Best Country Song, for writing Little Big Town's "Better Man."

Anotnoff, a three-time past winner, is also up for Album Of The Year for his production and songwriting roles on Lorde's Melodrama. Sam Dew is a first-time nominee.

"Never Give Up"

Sia Furler & Greg Kurstin, songwriters (Sia)
Track from Lion

One of the more authentic film anthems in recent memory, "Never Give Up" is the product of Sia and her frequent collaborator, producer/songwriter Greg Kurstin.

Featured in Lion, starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman, the music in "Never Give Up" perfectly matches the film's storyline about a young Indian boy who searches for his Indian birth family 25 years after being adopted by Australians. The song's message mixes an inspirational message on top of Bollywood-style music flourishes, with Sia declaring, "I won't let you get me down/I'll keep getting up when I hit the ground/Oh, never give up, no."

Sia, who was nominated in this category last year for "Try Everything" from Zootopia, is in search of her first GRAMMY win. Four-time GRAMMY winner Kurstin is also nominated for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, which he won last year.

"Stand Up For Something"

Common, Andra Day & Diane Warren, songwriters (Andra Day Featuring Common)
Track from Marshall

The potent combination of Andra Day's powerhouse vocals and Common's insightful rhymes form the centerpiece of this anthem. Featured in Marshall, a biopic on African-American Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Common and film music songwriter par excellence Diane Warren focused on the timeless sentiment of standing one's moral ground.

"It could have taken place in the '60s or '70s, but it's relevant to today," Common told "Good Morning America" about Marshall. "Unfortunately, we have to encounter these issues, but we have to take them head-on. … We've got to stand up for whatever it may be, whether it's animal rights, the environment, women's rights, and standing up against the injustices."

Common and Warren are each prior winners in the category. The three-time GRAMMY-winning rapper won the honor for "Glory" from Selma at the 58th GRAMMY Awards. Warren has 10 prior nominations in the category, including a win for "Because You Loved Me" from Up Close & Personal at the 39th GRAMMY Awards. Day is seeking her first GRAMMY win.

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, 2018, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

60 Facts About The 60th GRAMMY Nominees

(L-R) Jay Z, Rapsody, Lady Gaga, Alessia Cara, Childish Gambino, SZA, Taylor Swift, Luis Fonsi, Bruno Mars, Cardi B
Photos: WireImage.com

List

2018 GRAMMYs: Alessia Cara To Jay-Z | 60 Nominee Facts

Facebook Twitter Email
From Luis Fonsi, Bruno Mars, SZA, and Childish Gambino to Rapsody, Lady Gaga, Shakira, and Taylor Swift, get forensic with 60 interesting facts about the 60th GRAMMY nominees
Paul Grein
THE GRAMMYs
GRAMMYs
Jan 3, 2018 - 4:56 pm

Looking for a different kind of New Year's resolution? How about pledging to become an expert on this year's nominees for the 60th GRAMMY Awards? We can help you do just that.

From first-time nominees and top nominees to GRAMMY history and potential records at stake, we've sliced and diced the 84 categories to bring you 60 delectable factoids about the 60th nominee class.

Make sure to read all 60 facts below and follow all the storylines during Music's Biggest Night at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, Jan. 28.

1. Jay-Z

Jay-Z is this year's leading GRAMMY nominee with eight nominations. This is the third time the rapper has been the year's leading nominee (or at least tied for the lead). He tied for the lead for 2003 with Beyoncé, OutKast and Pharrell Williams. He held the lead outright for 2013.

Jay-Z, Justin Timberlake Win Best Rap/Sung Collaboration

2. SZA

SZA is this year's top female nominee with five nominations, including Best New Artist.

3. Childish Gambino

Childish Gambino is nominated for five GRAMMYs, including Record and Album Of The Year. The versatile performer, aka Donald Glover, won two Emmy Awards in September for his work on the FX series Atlanta. (He won Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series and Outstanding Directing For A Comedy Series.)

4. "Despacito"

"Despacito" by Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber is this year's only work to be nominated for both Record and Song Of The Year. It's the first foreign-language hit to be nominated in both categories since "La Bamba," recorded by Los Lobos, 30 years ago.

5. "The Story Of O.J."

"The Story Of O.J." is Jay-Z's fourth single to receive a Record Of The Year nomination. It follows Beyoncé's "Crazy In Love," on which he was featured; Rihanna's "Umbrella," on which he was featured; and "Empire State Of Mind," a collaboration with Alicia Keys. Jay-Z is the first rapper to amass four Record Of The Year nominations.

6. Bruno Mars, Record Of The Year

Bruno Mars' "24K Magic" is nominated for Record Of The Year. It's Mars' fifth nomination in that category since 2010. That's more than any other artist in this decade. Mars and Beyoncé are the only artists to amass five nominations since 2000.

7. Kendrick Lamar

DAMN. is Kendrick Lamar's third consecutive studio album to be nominated for Album Of The Year. Kanye West is the only other rapper to receive nominations in this category for three consecutive studio albums.

8. Lorde

Lorde is among the nominees for Album Of The Year for her sophomore release, Melodrama. The young star has now been nominated in three of the General Field categories. Four years ago, her breakthrough hit, "Royals" was nominated for Record Of The Year and won for Song Of The Year.

Lorde, Joel Little Win Song Of The Year

9. Alessia Cara, Khalid, Julia Michaels: Song Of The Year

Three of this year's Best New Artist nominees — Alessia Cara, Khalid and Julia Michaels — are up for Song Of The Year. Cara and Khalid co-wrote "1-800-273-7255," the Logic hit on which they are featured. Michaels co-wrote her hit "Issues." This is only the second time in GRAMMY history that three Best New Artist nominees have also been nominated for Song Of The Year in the same year. It first happened 16 years ago with Alicia Keys ("Fallin'"), India.Arie ("Video") and Nelly Furtado ("I'm Like A Bird").

10. Alessia Cara, Best New Artist

Alessia Cara is the first artist who was born in Canada to receive a Best New Artist nomination since 2010, when both Justin Bieber and Drake were nominated.

11. Khalid, Best New Artist

Khalid, 19, is the first teenager to receive a Best New Artist nomination since Justin Bieber, who was 16 when he was a finalist for the 2010 award. Khalid will turn 20 on Feb. 11.

12. Michael Bublé

Michael Bublé lands his eighth nomination for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Nobody But Me (Deluxe Version). He is a four-time winner in the category.

13. Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for Triplicate. This gives the music legend a 55-year span of GRAMMY nominations. He received his first nomination for 1962, when his debut album was up for Best Folk Recording. Dylan received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 1991.

14. Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga's Joanne is among the nominees for Best Pop Vocal Album. She won in this category seven years ago for The Fame Monster. Gaga is vying to become the third two-time winner in the category's history, following Kelly Clarkson and Adele.

15. Kraftwerk

Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk are nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album for the second time for 3-D The Catalogue. The German group was first nominated in this category 12 years ago for Minimum-Maximum. 3-D The Catalogue is also nominated for Best Surround Sound Album. Electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk are nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album for the second time for 3-D The Catalogue. The German group was first nominated in this category 12 years ago for Minimum-Maximum. 3-D The Catalogue is also nominated for Best Surround Sound Album. Kraftwerk received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2014.

16. Leonard Cohen, Chris Cornell

Leonard Cohen and Chris Cornell are posthumously nominated for Best Rock Performance. Another late, great artist, David Bowie, won the award posthumously last year for "Blackstar."

17. Body Count

Body Count are vying for Best Metal Performance for "Black Hoodie." Bandleader Ice-won a GRAMMY 27 years ago for Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group, for his featured role on the title song from Quincy Jones' album, Back On The Block. He's vying to become the first artist to win in both of these categories.

18. Best Metal Performance

Each of the five bands vying for Best Metal Performance — August Burns Red, Body Count, Code Orange, Mastodon, and Meshuggah — is looking to bring home their first GRAMMY Award.

19. Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters are nominated for Best Rock Song for "Run." The group won in the category six years ago for their similarly titled song "Walk." In addition, group members Dave Grohl and Pat Smear shared the 2013 award in that category for "Cut Me Some Slack," a collaboration with Paul McCartney and Krist Novoselic.

20. Arcade Fire

Arcade Fire lands their fifth nomination for Best Alternative Music Album for Everything Now. Only one other group or duo has amassed five or more nominations in this category. Radiohead have had eight.

21. LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem's American Dream is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album. The group's first two albums, LCD Soundsystem and Sound Of Silver, were nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album.

22. Kali Uchis

Kali Uchis receives her first GRAMMY nomination for Best R&B Performance for her featured role on Daniel Caesar's "Get You." At the recent Latin GRAMMY Awards, she received a Record Of The Year nod for "El Ratico," a collaboration with Juanes, who is also a current GRAMMY nominee.

23. The Weeknd

The Weeknd's Starboy is among the nominees for Best Urban Contemporary Album. The Weeknd's previous album, Beauty Behind The Madness, won in the category two years ago. He is vying to become the first two-time winner in the category.

24. Ledisi

Ledisi's Let Love Rule is nominated for Best R&B Album. This is Ledisi's fourth nomination in this category. She was previously nominated for Lost & Found, Turn Me Loose and Pieces Of Me. Ledisi was nominated for Best New Artist 10 years ago.

25. Bruno Mars, Best R&B Album

Bruno Mars' 24K Magic is nominated for Best R&B Album. Mars won Best Pop Vocal Album four years ago for Unorthodox Jukebox. He is vying to become the first artist to win in both of these categories.

Bruno Mars wins 2014 Best Pop Vocal Album GRAMMY

26. Cardi B

"Bodak Yellow" brings Cardi B her first GRAMMY nominations for Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song. The title is a play on its musical inspiration: Kodak Black's 2014 hip-hop hit "No Flockin."

27. Jay-Z, Best Rap Album

Jay-Z's 4:44 is nominated for Best Rap Album. Jay-Z won in that category 19 years ago for Vol. 2…Hard Knock Life. If he wins, he'll have the longest span of wins in the category's history. Eminem currently holds that distinction, with a 15-year span of wins in the category.

28. Rapsody

Rapsody's Laila's Wisdom is nominated for Best Rap Album. Rapsody is the fifth female solo artist to be nominated in this category, following Missy Elliott (who has had four nominations in the category), Nicki Minaj (two) and Eve and Iggy Azalea (one each).

29. Tyler, The Creator

Tyler, The Creator's Flower Boy is up for Best Rap Album. It's his second GRAMMY nomination. He was nominated as a featured artist on Frank Ocean's Channel Orange, which was an Album Of The Year contender five years ago.

30. Alison Krauss

Alison Krauss is nominated for Best Country Solo Performance for "Losing You" and Best American Roots Performance for "I Never Cared For You." Krauss is currently tied with Quincy Jones for the second most wins in GRAMMY history with 27. The late classical conductor Sir Georg Solti is the long-time GRAMMY leader, with 31 awards.

31. Little Big Town

Little Big Town are seeking their third win for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "Better Man." The group won for "Pontoon" (2012) and "Girl Crush" (2015).

Little Big Town Win Best Country Duo/Group Performance

32. Taylor Swift, Best Country Song

Taylor Swift is vying to win for her third GRAMMY for Best Country Song. She is nominated for writing the Little Big Town hit, "Better Man." Swift previously won for co-writing "White Horse" and writing "Mean." She would become only the second three-time winner in the category. Josh Kear won for co-writing the Carrie Underwood hits "Before He Cheats" and "Blown Away" and the Lady Antebellum hit "Need You Now."

33. Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne

Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne are among the writers of two of this year's nominees for Best Country Song. They co-wrote Sam Hunt's "Body Like A Back Road" and Midland's "Drinkin' Problem." McAnally and Osborne won in this category four years ago for co-writing Kacey Musgraves' "Merry Go 'Round."

34. Chris Stapleton

Chris Stapleton is nominated for Best Country Album for From A Room: Volume 1. He won in the category two years ago for Traveller. Stapleton is vying to become the first male solo artist to win two awards in this category since the late Roger Miller did it more than 50 years ago.

Chris Stapleton Wins Best Country Album

35. Indie.Arie

Indie.Arie's SongVersation: Medicine is nominated for Best New Age Album. She won Best R&B Album 15 years ago for Voyage To India. India.Arie is vying to become the first artist to win in both of these categories.

36. Jazzmeia Horn, Alex Han, Pascal Le Boeuf

Three alumni of the GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session receive their first GRAMMY nominations. Jazzmeia Horn is nominated for Best Jazz Vocal Album, Alex Han for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album and Pascal Le Boeuf for Best Instrumental Composition. The GRAMMY Museum program is designed for outstanding high school jazz musicians.

37. CeCe Winans

CeCe Winans lands two nominations for Best Gospel Album for Let Them Fall In Love and Best Gospel Performance/Song for "Never Have To Be Alone." These are Winans' first nominations in seven years. The gospel great is a 10-time GRAMMY winner.

38. Reba McEntire

Reba McEntire's Sing It Now: Songs Of Faith & Hope is among the nominees for Best Roots Gospel Album. This marks her first nod in the Gospel/Contemporary Christian Music Field. She has 13 previous Country Field nominations and one prior Music Video/Film Field nod.

39. Shakira

Shakira's El Dorado is among the nominees for Best Latin Pop Album. Shakira won in that category 17 years ago for Shakira — MTV Unplugged. She is vying to become the first female artist to win twice in this category.

40. Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell is nominated for Best American Roots Performance for "Arkansas Farmboy." This gives the late music legend a 50-year span of GRAMMY nominations. He received six nominations (including four awards) for 1967 for his classic hits "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" and "Gentle On My Mind." Campbell received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2012.

Glen Campbell: Lifetime Achievement Award Acceptance

41. Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit

Jason Isbell And The 400 Unit's The Nashville Sound is nominated for Best Americana Album. Isbell won in this category two years ago for his previous album, Something More Than Free. Isbell is vying to become the second two-time winner in this category, following Levon Helm.

42. The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones are nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album for Blue & Lonesome. They won Best Rock Album 23 years ago for Voodoo Lounge. They are vying to become the first artist to win in both of these categories.

43. Yusuf/Cat Stevens

Yusuf/Cat Stevens lands his first GRAMMY nomination, more than 50 years after he released his first album. He is nominated for Best Folk Album for The Laughing Apple.

44. Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley

Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley is among the nominees for Best Reggae Album for Stony Hill. With two prior category wins, he's looking to join his brother Stephen Marley as a three-time Best Reggae Album winner. Another brother, Ziggy Marley, has the most wins in the category with seven.

45. Ladysmith Black Mambazo

Ladysmith Black Mambazo is nominated in two categories with different albums. Shaka Zulu Revisited: 30th Anniversary Celebration is nominated for Best World Music Album. Songs Of Peace & Love For Kids & Parents Around The World is nominated for Best Children's Album.

46. Lisa Loeb

Lisa Loeb is nominated for Best Children's Album for Feel What U Feel. It's her second GRAMMY nomination. She was nominated 23 years ago for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "Stay (I Missed You)," a chart-topping hit with her group, Nine Stories.

47. Carrie Fisher

The late Carrie Fisher scores her second GRAMMY nomination for Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Story Telling) for The Princess Diarist. The Star Wars actress was nominated in the same category eight years ago for Wishful Drinking.

48. Bernie Sanders

Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) earns his first GRAMMY nomination alongside actor Mark Ruffalo for Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling) for the audio version of his book, Our Revolution: A Future To Believe In. Sanders is the fourth politician to be nominated in this category this decade, following fellow Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and former presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter (the 2015 winner).

49. Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen receives his 50th GRAMMY nomination for Born To Run, which is among the nominees for Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling). The audiobook shares its title with Springsteen's classic 1975 album, which was voted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2003.

50. Sarah Silverman

Sarah Silverman is nominated for Best Comedy Album for A Speck Of Dust. She is vying to become the fifth female comic to win in this category, following Elaine May (who won for a collaboration with Mike Nichols), Lily Tomlin, Whoopi Goldberg, and Kathy Griffin.

51. Benj Pasek, Justin Paul

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul are nominated for Best Musical Theater Album as composers/lyricists and co-producers of Dear Evan Hansen. They're also nominated for Best Song Written for Visual Media for "City Of Stars" from La La Land (which they co-wrote with Justin Hurwitz). They previously won a Tony Award for Dear Evan Hansen and an Academy Award for "City Of Stars."

52. Hello, Dolly!

The New Broadway Cast Recording of Hello, Dolly!, starring Bette Midler, is nominated for Best Musical Theater Album. It's the third time a cast album from this durable show has been nominated. An album from the original production, starring Carol Channing, was nominated for 1964. An album from a previous revival, also starring Channing, was nominated for 1995.

53. Justin Hurwitz

Composer Justin Hurwitz's four nominations stemming from the hit film La La Land mark his second try for GRAMMY gold. He was up for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media for his work on Whiplash two years ago. Hurwitz worked with director Damien Chazelle on both films.

54. Game Of Thrones: Season 7

Game Of Thrones: Season 7 is nominated for Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media. It's vying to become the first TV soundtrack to win in this category since Mission: Impossible won 50 years ago. Ramin Djawadi is the composer of Game Of Thrones. Lalo Schifrin did the honors on Mission: Impossible.

55. Common, Diane Warren

Common and Diane Warren are nominated for Best Song Written For Visual Media for their collaboration, "Stand Up For Something," from Marshall. Both songwriters are past winners in the category. Common won two years ago for co-writing "Glory" from Selma. Warren won 21 years ago for writing "Because You Loved Me" from Up Close & Personal.

56. Taylor Swift, Best Song Written For Visual Media

Taylor Swift, another nominee for Best Song Written For Visual Media, is also a past winner in that category. Swift, nominated this year for co-writing "I Don't Wanna Live Forever (Fifty Shades Darker)," won five years ago for co-writing "Safe And Sound" from The Hunger Games.

57. Calvin Harris

Calvin Harris receives his first Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical nomination. Harris won his first GRAMMY five years ago for "We Found Love," his smash collaboration with Rihanna. They shared the award for Best Short Form Music Video.

58. Greg Kurstin

Greg Kurstin, last year's winner for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical, is nominated in that category again this year. He's vying to become the first producer to win it two years in a row since Babyface won it three years running from 1995 through 1997.

Greg Kurstin wins Producer Of The Year GRAMMY

59. Producer Of The Year, Classical

The Producer Of The Year, Classical category comprises five producers with previous nods in the category. Morten Lindberg, who now has 24 total GRAMMY nominations, is seeking his first win. Blanton Alspaugh, Manfred Eicher, David Frost, and Judith Sherman have each won the category previously.

60. Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar: Best Music Video

Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar are each vying for their second award in the Best Music Video category. Jay-Z, who is nominated for "The Story Of O.J.," won four years ago for "Suit & Tie," a collaboration with Justin Timberlake. Lamar, nominated for "HUMBLE.," won two years ago for "Bad Blood," a collaboration with Taylor Swift. To date, just four artists have won twice in this category: Peter Gabriel, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, and Johnny Cash.

The 60th GRAMMY Awards will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York on Jan. 28, 2018, airing live on CBS from 7:30–11 p.m. ET/4:30–8 p.m. PT.

(Paul Grein is a veteran music journalist and historian whose work appears regularly at Yahoo.com and Hitsdailydouble.com.)

(GRAMMY.com staff members Renée Fabian, Brian Haack, Nate Hertweck, Tim McPhate, and Philip Merrill contributed to this article.)

Andra Day

Andra Day

Photo: Dan MacMedan/WireImage

News

Oscar Performers: Mary J. Blige, Andra Day, Keala Settle, And More

Facebook Twitter Email
Oscar performances on March 4 to showcase original singers for all nominated songs, in an exciting parade of excellence featuring talent rich in GRAMMY wins as well
Philip Merrill
GRAMMYs
Feb 23, 2018 - 6:32 pm

On March 4 at the 90th Academy Awards all five nominated songs will be performed during the presentation ceremony by the original singers. The category is a songwriters' award, and both the performers and the composers nominated have totaled 23 GRAMMY wins to date. Let's take a closer look.

Mudbound's "Mighty River" is more than just a song as the winner of nine GRAMMY Awards, Mary J. Blige, has an independent Oscar nomination for supporting actress in the film. The song's performance on the soundtrack resonates with and against her character, her celebrity, and her style quite effectively. She created the composition with Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson.

GRAMMY-nominated Sufjan Stevens received his first Oscar nomination for "Mystery Of Love" from the movie Call Me By Your Name. Bringing back memories of his influence performing under the name Cat Stevens, we look forward to this uniquely emotional and insightful artist performing his song live.

"Remember Me" is the nominee from the movie Coco, which is so magnetically musical in its message that it helped kick off the GRAMMY Music Education Coalition. Songwriters Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez are both multiple GRAMMY winners and it will be performed by Gael Garcia Bernal with GRAMMY winners Natalia Lafourcade and Miguel.

Marshall's "Stand Up For Something" unites previous Oscar winner for Selma, Common, with the nine-time nominated Diane Warren, who has yet to win an Oscar to go with her GRAMMY. GRAMMY-nominated songstress Andra Day will perform their song with him, which was also nominated for Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

Keala Settle's performance of "This Is Me" at a key point in The Greatest Showman helped propel the soundtrack to No. 1 in Jan. Its composers, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, won Best Musical Theater Album at the 60th GRAMMY Awards for the recording Dear Evan Hansen.

Tune in on March 4 to discover which performances you enjoy the most and see who the night's winners will be.

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Mary J. Blige

Mary J. Blige

Photo: Dan MacMedan/Getty Images

Poll

Mary J. Blige To Andra Day: Who Will Win The 2018 Oscar For Original Song? | Poll

Facebook Twitter Email
With the Academy Awards approaching on March 4, it's your chance to weigh in on who you think will win the Oscar for Best Original Song
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Feb 27, 2018 - 12:56 pm

The Academy Awards may honor the best in the film industry each year, but that doesn't mean music isn't represented. Thanks to the Best Original Song category, we also get a chance to celebrate the music in film that made us laugh, cry, and jump for joy during our favorite film moments.

This year's class of Best Original Song Oscar nominees represents a diverse range of artists, songwriters and films. There's Sufjan Steven's "Mystery Of Love" from the LGBT-centric film Call Me By Your Name. Alongside Raphael Saadiq and Taura Stinson, the inimitable Mary J. Blige is nominated for her "Mighty River" from Mudbound, a period drama exploring life for African-Americans in the Jim Crow South.

From the animated celebration of family, Coco, Miguel's "Remember Me (Dúo)" featuring Natalia Lafourcade — authored by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez — earned a nod. Written by Diane Warren and Lonnie R. Lynn, Andra Day and Common's powerful "Stand Up For Something" is also nominated, taken from the biographical portrait of former Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall, Marshall.

Rounding out the category is "This Is Me," a song written by Benj Pasek and Justin Paul for the musical celebration of showmanship, The Greatest Showman.

Ahead of the 2018 Academy Awards, we want to know: Who do you think will earn the coveted Oscar for Best Original Song?

Polls

Who do you think will win the 2018 Oscar for Best Original Song?

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Benj Pasek and Justin Paul

Photo: Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

News

"Dear Evan Hansen" Producers On Winning A GRAMMY In New York

Facebook Twitter Email
The creatives behind the hit musical detail their path from the idea stage to Broadway to Music's Biggest Night
Renée Fabian
GRAMMYs
Feb 2, 2018 - 12:00 pm

If you haven't seen "Dear Evan Hansen," given the show's win at the 60th GRAMMY Awards in New York, now is the perfect time to look into checking out the hit Broadway musical.

"Dear Evan Hansen" One-On-One: 2018 GRAMMYs

Written by composers/lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, and produced by orchestrater Alex Lacamoire, Stacey Mindich, Pasek, and Paul, "Dear Evan Hansen" explores the struggle of social anxiety.

"It's about a young man who feels incredibly isolated and alone in his world," producer Pasek explained backstage at the 60th GRAMMYs. "And through a series of events he is believed to have been the best friend of a kid who just passed away and he basically [helps] a grieving family make them think that he was actually best friends with their son who has recently been deceased. His whole life changes as a result and the question is whether or not he should come clean and how his life changes because of this lie."

"Dear Evan Hansen" opened on Broadway in 2016 following a premiere at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C., in 2015. For the creators of the show, getting the musical from the conceptual stage all the way to Broadway was a collaborative process.

"The songs are created along with the rest of the show, so we really worked in tandem with our book writer Steven Levenson on this project. We developed these characters and this storyline all together. Then Michael Greif our director," said Paul. "We sit in a room for a long time and come up with it all together. We bring in our music team, Alex Lacamorie and the rest of them. It's an amazing sort of journey where you keep picking up more incredible, wonderful people all along the way as you create this show from scratch and then get it up, workshopped, up on its feet and finally, eventually, thankfully on Broadway."

"Dear Evan Hansen" has earned critical acclaim since its opening. The show took home six Tony Awards, including Best Musical in 2017, and Ben Platt's role as the lead garnered him a Best Performance by an Actor Tony Award. Now the creators and Platt have added a GRAMMY to the list of the musical's accolades, having earned the GRAMMY for Best Musical Theater Album this year.

Pasek and Paul couldn't wait to share their GRAMMY success with the rest of the cast and crew of the show, especially because Music's Biggest Night was celebrated right in the musical's hometown.

"It is really cool that our show is playing just up the street and then we get to celebrate this with our whole cast," Pasek said. "They're just finishing a matinee performance right now so I think they're going to come down and find out they're all GRAMMY winners at the end of it, which is a very, very cool thing. And to have it be in New York and to celebrate that energy that Broadway's so vital in, it's a very exciting thing for us."

Catching Up On Music News Powered By The Recording Academy Just Got Easier. Have A Google Home Device? "Talk To GRAMMYs"