While a Grammy nomination should be about the artistic merit of a record, the reality is that artists and labels need to devise ways of getting that material in front of Grammy voters, who might not be familiar with every selection available in each category. And having repeated exposure or a more personal connection to the music can additionally help sway voters your way. This year was no exception, with many artists picking up on new and old campaign strategies to make sure their names were among those that got those sweet Grammy noms.
Some artists hosted Grammy Museum exhibits, including six-time nominee Sabrina Carpenter, three-time nominee Raye, and four-time nominee (with a lot of trophies already on her mantle) Kacey Musgraves. Best Progressive R&B Album nominee Avery*Sunshine hosted a special Q&A session with Grammy nominee Adam Blackstone, and the team behind “Twisters: The Album,” which is up for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, hosted a special event with Nashville Recording Academy members. These events are probably effective because they allow voters to directly connect with musicians, not to mention how compelling it can be to listen to the artists themselves explain the intricacies of their work.
The Recording Academy’s Summer Showcase series was also an opportunity to reach voters, with nominees like Carpenter, Ariana Grande, Jacob Collier, Tems, Green Day, and Teddy Swims taking part, among others. Giving voters exclusive access to a performance or two, complemented by a Q&A, probably helped get voters invested in these artists’ work.
Another effective promotional opportunity continued to be the “Tiny Desk Concert” series, hosted by NPR. First-time nominees this year Chappell Roan, Sierra Ferrell, and Willow all had successful installments of the series, as did other artists who exceeded expectations in the nominations, like Kehlani and Tems. A couple of artists, Durand Bernarr and Raye, had viral “Tiny Desk Concert” appearances last year but just got their Grammy blessings now.
This year there were also well-timed deluxe editions released during the voting period. During the first two weeks of October, Collier, Grande Charli XCX, Tyla, Lizzy McAlpine, Tori Kelly, and Sampha all released new versions of their eligible albums, though the results were mixed. It certainly didn’t hurt Collier or Charli, who both got into Album of the Year. And though she was snubbed from the general field, it might’ve helped Grande lock down the three pop field nominations she did get, including Best Pop Vocal Album. However, it didn’t help the others.
Grande’s outreach overall wasn’t as successful as it could’ve been, with many expecting the singer to do much better than she did. In terms of campaigning, Grande was pretty much everywhere: “Saturday Night Live” (twice), the aforementioned Summer Showcase, and a smartly planned live performance series of songs from “Eternal Sunshine,” not to mention the press she has been doing for the “Wicked” movie. Perhaps what went wrong with “Eternal Sunshine” was that its songs had already faded from the public consciousness, having slipped down the charts since the album’s March release.
While other albums like Charli XCX’s “Brat,” Taylor Swift‘s “The Tortured Poets Department,” Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet,” Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess,” and Billie Eilish‘s “Hit Me Hard and Soft” had big pop radio hits during voting, “Eternal Sunshine” didn’t. Heavy promotion at the right time can help bring albums back to the forefront, but pop voters only had so many available slots, so space was limited with five other pop albums dominating the industry. The same thing probably happened to Dua Lipa’s “Radical Optimism.” She also hit “Saturday Night Live” and even “60 Minutes.” Despite this, the album flew under the radar and was completely snubbed by the Academy.
So while campaigns are important, they’re never a guarantee of Grammy success. It’ll be interesting to see how music publicity campaigns advance in the future, whether it’s more “Tiny Desk” and private concerts, or perhaps new venues where artists can share their stories and craft. We may also have to get used to a batch of musicians dropping deluxe versions of their albums in early October every year.
