Grammys Set New Date, Venue For 2022 Awards: Here Are The Ten Jamaican Nominees
The Recording Academy has announced that the 64th edition of the Grammys will take place on April 3, instead of the original January 31 date. This year’s staging will also be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, for the first time, with ten Jamaican artists nominated for one or more awards in four categories.
The revelation was made on their official Instagram page today.
“I’m so pleased to let you know that the 64th Annual Grammy Awards have been rescheduled and will now be broadcast(ed) live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, April 3 (8:00-11:00 p.m., live ET/5:00-8:30 p.m., live PT) on the CBS Television Network and will be available to stream live and on demand on Paramount,” the statement read in part.
Six acts are vying for the Grammy in the Best Reggae Album category, namely Dancehall artist Spice for her album 10; Sean Paul for Live N Livin; songstress Etana for Pajoma; Jesse Royal for Royal; Gramps Morgan for Positive Vibration and American band Soja for Beauty in the Silence.
Meanwhile, Shenseea, whose real name is Chinsea Lee, has one nomination under her belt after Kanye West’s Donda got a nod for Album Of The Year. She was credited for her songwriting and vocals on OK OK Pt 2 and Pure Souls featuring Roddy Rich, which peaked at No. 12 and 52 on the Billboard Hot 100, respectively.
Jamaican-born artist BEAM, whose real name is Tyshane Thompson, is nominated two times for Album Of The Year.
The 26-year-old’s AOTY nominations are for his contributions to Kanye West’s DONDA—where he co-wrote Pure Souls and OK Ok pt 2; and Justin Bieber’s Justice—where he is featured on the song Love You Different. He also co-wrote Bieber’s There She Go featuring Lil Uzi Vert.
Reggae/Dancehall star Buju Banton, whose real name is Mark Myrie, is also nominated for Album Of The Year, after he was credited for his vocal contribution to Donda, on the song Believe What I Say.
In the Best Dance/Electronic Album category, Major Lazer, a DJ trio of Diplo, Jamaican Walshy Fire & Ape Drums, which originated from Kingston, are among the six contenders with their Music Is The Weapon (Reloaded) project.
Jamaican-American singer Masego picked up a nomination for Best Progressive R&B Album with his EP titled Studying Abroad: Extended Stay, on which Shenseea is featured on the sultry IzyBeats-produced collab Silver Tongue Devil.
On April 3, South African comedian and TV host Trevor Noah will be the evening’s master of ceremonies.
The statement also said that details about the preceding events such as the Grammy Awards Premiere Ceremony, Musicares’ Person of the Year and Pre-Grammy Gala, will follow subsequently.
On January 5, the academy announced a postponement of entertainment’s biggest night due to the threat of the Omicron variant of the novel coronavirus.
“…We are excited to take the Grammys to Las Vegas for the very first time, and to put on a world class show. From the moment we announced the postponement of the original show date, we have been inundated with heartfelt messages of support and solidarity from the artist community. We are humbled by their generosity and grateful for their unwavering commitment to the Grammy Awards and the Academy’s mission. We appreciate the leadership CBS and our production partners at Fullwell 73 have shown during these challenging weeks and the flexibility of everyone who worked towards this solution,” the statement, signed by the Recording Academy’s CEO, Harvey Mason Jr concluded.