Meet The Record Of The Year Nominees | 2019 GRAMMY Awards
Behind every hit there is a producer, recording engineer, mixer, mastering engineer and, of course, the artist. Every year, the GRAMMY Awards recognizes the talented minds that come together to create some of the most impactful recordings of the year, making Record Of The Year one of the most anticipated categories during Music's Biggest Night. This year's nominees in the category for the 61st GRAMMY Awards include recordings by the music creators who have continued to shape the culture of music through their artistry, creativity and ability to stand out in the industry. Let's take a look at this year's nominees.
I Like It" - Cardi B, Bad Bunny & J Balvin
It's been a standout year for Latin music and nothing proves that like Cardi B's "I Like It" featuring two of the biggest names in Latin urban music, Bad Bunny and J Balvin—who helped her become the first female rapper with two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Cardi B's bilingual hit pays tribute to Latin culture with a sample from Pete Rodriguez's boogaloo song, "I Like It Like That." The song was produced by Invincible, JWhiteDidIt, Craig Kallman and Tainy, with Leslie Brathwaite and Evan LaRay as engineers/mixers and Colin Leonard as the mastering engineer.
"The Joke" - Brandi Carlile
Brandi Carlile is without a doubt one of the strongest voices in folk music right now, and "The Joke," the lead single off By The Way, I Forgive You, is a testament to her power and influence. The song is co-produced by Dave Cobb and Shooter Jennings, with Tom Elmhirst and Eddie Spear on engineering and mixing, as well as Pete Lyman as the mastering engineer.
This Is America" - Childish Gambino
While Childish Gambino, aka Donald Glover, may be dropping that moniker soon, "This Is America" seeks to land him one more GRAMMY before he switches gears. The song, which got a lot of buzz for its socially-conscious video, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, earning him his first No. 1 on the chart. "This Is America" is also nominated for Song Of The Year. The record was produced by Glover and Ludwig Goransson, plus Derek "MixedByAli" Ali and Riley Mackin offering engineering and mixing support, with Mike Bozzi serving as mastering engineer.
"God's Plan" - Drake
Drake's Scorpion was hotly anticipated throughout the first half of 2018, and "God's Plan" was the arguably the biggest single to come out of it. The album marked his eighth consecutive No. 1 album (out of his eight full-length studio releases) on the Billboard 200. If that wasn't enough, "God's Plan" is his longest-leading Hot 100 No. 1 song and is also nominated for Song Of The Year and Best Rap Song. The record was produced by Boi-1Da, Cardo and Young Exclusive, it was engineered/mixed by Noel Cadastre, Noel "Gadget" Campbell and Noah "40" Shebib and mastered by Chris Athens.
"Shallow" - Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper
Lady Gaga duets with Bradley Cooper on "Shallow," one of the most popular singles from the A Star Is Born Soundtrack. The song is also up for Song Of The Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, and is one of two songs from a soundtrack nominated for Record Of The Year. "Shallow" gives Cooper his first GRAMMY nomination ever. The song was produced by Gaga and Benjamin Rice, engineered and mixed by Tom Elmhirst and mastered by Randy Merrill.
"All The Stars" - Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Kendrick Lamar and SZA come together in "All The Stars" to bring musical life to the Black Panther movie. The song is one of the hit singles from the movie's soundtrack, which is also nominated for Album Of The Year, and its video has more than 150 million views on YouTube. This is also the second song from a soundtrack nominated for Record Of The Year this year. "All The Stars" was produced by Al Shux and Sounwave, mixed and engineered by Sam Ricci and Matt Schaeffer and mastered by Mike Bozzi.
"Rockstar" - Post Malone Feat. 21 Savage
Beerbongs & Bentleys, Post Malone's wildly successful sophomore album, has earned the rapper his first GRAMMY nominations, including for Record Of The Year for its lead single, "Rockstar,"featuring 21 Savage. The nomination marks 21 Savage's first GRAMMY nod as well. The song gave Malone his first No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 and is also nominated for Best Rap/Sung Perfromance. The song's producers are Louis Bell and Tank God, with Bell and Manny Marroquin taking engineering and mixing credits, and Mike Bozzi serving as master engineer.
"The Middle" - Zedd Feat. Marren Morris & Grey
Zedd collaborated with country songstress Marren Morris and musical duo Grey to make "The Middle," one of 2018's dance music bangers. The song broke the record for the most weeks at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Dance/Electronic Songs Chart in August 2018 and gave Morris and Grey their first No. 1 song. The song is also up for Song Of The Year, and the record was produced by Grey, Monsters and Strangerz and Zedd, engineered and mixed by Grey, Tom Morris, Ryan Shanahan and Zedd, and mastered by Mike Marsh.
