The Grammy field for dance and electronic music has honored some of the most iconic work in those genres, with everyone from Daft Punk to Aphex Twin and Lady Gaga crowned as winners. Most recently the field saw the addition of the Best Dance Pop Recording category, which has already given Troye Sivan and Coi Leray their first shots at Grammy glory. But for now, let’s focus on the strongest contenders for Best Dance/Electronic Recording and Best Dance/Electronic Album.
One of the biggest names in dance this year is Kaytranada, who returns with his album “Timeless,” the follow-up to his Grammy-winning “Bubba.” This new record could end up submitted in R&B instead of dance, but if it ends up in this field, it could be a serious threat to win. it features artists like PinkPantheress, Anderson .Paak and Childish Gambino, and has been well received by critics. What Kaytranada also has up his sleeve is that the record is very accessible — not too electronic to alienate voters from other fields who happen to also vote in dance/electronic. It’s unclear what the artist is submitting to Best Dance/Electronic Recording, but either “Lover/Friend” (featuring Rochelle Jordan) or “Snap My Finger” (featuring PinkPantheress) could be promising.
Another previous winner returning is French duo Justice, who are back with their album “Hyperdrama.” The album has also received good reviews and has been one of the most buzzed-about releases this year in the dance world. Justice’s previous album, “Woman Worldwide,” took Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2019, and that record wasn’t as acclaimed or commercially successful, so voters might enjoy this one even more. Most importantly, “Hyperdrama” topped the Billboard dance chart, and its lead single “One Night/All Night,” featuring Tame Impala, has also been well received, peaking at number-10 on the dance chart.
Similarly, this past year’s winner Fred Again is back with “USB,” a collection of songs which he has said will be updated for as long as he feels like it. It’s unsure if the album will be submitted, as it is supposed to be never-ending, but the single “Leavemealone,” featuring Baby Keem, is a likely bet for Best Dance/Electronic Recording, and could even give Fred his third win.
Acclaimed producer Gesaffelstein is also up this year, with his brand new album “Gamma.” While the French DJ has never been nominated before, his industry appeal is growing, thanks to collaborations this year with artists like Lil Nas X and Charli XCX. Teaming with high-profile names like that could be enough to launch “Gamma” into the nominations this year.
Singer-songwriter and producer Nia Archives is also looking at her first nominations for her popular album “Silence is Loud.” It’s one of the most talked about projects this year for bringing back drum and bass to the masses again. The record has also scored an impressive 78 on Metacritic. Producer Four Tet is in a similar situation, although he does have two previous nominations in the Best Remixed Recording category. He is looking to achieve his first dance/electronic nomination with his album “Three” after working with big names in the field like Skrillex and the aforementioned Fred Again.
But this year’s front-runner could end up being Charli XCX, who has this year’s most acclaimed album with “Brat.” The record has been a big success for her, earning a whopping 95 on Metacritic, making it one of the highest-scoring albums of all time on the site. Plus, it’s a commercial success, debuting in the top five of the Billboard 200 and pulling great numbers on streaming. The stars seem to be aligning for Charli to finally have her Grammy breakthrough, especially if the single “Club Classics” is submitted to Best Dance/Electronic Recording; “360” is likely to be submitted to Best Dance Pop Recording. The only thing holding Charli back from being a runaway front-runner is that she could end up competing in Best Pop Vocal Album instead. However, “Brat” is unapologetically a dance/rave album, and should be competing in the dance categories as a result.
We’ll see how the field shapes up as the eligibility period winds down (the deadline is August 30), but it’s looking like a battle between previous winners Justice and Kaytranada and this year’s most acclaimed artist, Charli XCX. The last definitely has the buzziest album, but it’ll come down to whether the academy wants to acknowledge it as a dance record or not. If so, you might as well engrave those trophies for the British singer now.
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