The nominations for the 62nd annual Grammy Awards that will be handed out Sunday provide a window into now, the artists that defined 2019: Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Rosalia, Lil Nas X. The trouble with "now" is making it last.
Just ask Taylor Swift and Chance the Rapper, relatively recent big winners at the Grammys who were nudged aside in this year's nominations for a wave of newcomers. Only Swift was nominated in one of the top categories. The title song of her recent album "Lover" got a nod for record of the year. But given her 10 previous Grammys, including two for album of the year, the exclusion of "Lover" in the album of the year category _ despite critical acclaim, platinum certification (1 million sales) and 18 top-100 singles _ came as a surprise.
Chance made Grammy history by garnering seven nominations and three awards in 2017 after releasing his debut album, "Coloring Book." He became the first artist to win a Grammy for music that was streamed for free instead of sold. Yet this year, Chance's follow-up album, "The Big Day, was shut out by the Recording Academy. The Chicago MC's only nomination came for a feature on a YBN Cordae song, "Bad Idea."
Even Lady Gaga, who once seemed like a shoo-in for a boatload of nominations for the soundtrack to her 2018 "A Star is Born" movie with Bradley Cooper, was snubbed for album of the year (though she did receive a record of the year nomination for the single "Always Remember Us This Way").
But in the free-for-all that is the digital era, the turnover in pop comes faster than you can say "Harlem Shake." Swift was the youngest artist ever to win album of the year, at age 20 in 2010 for "Fearless." Chance the Rapper was 23 when he had his big Grammy night three years ago. Their careers are hardly over, but the Grammy spotlight has shifted to relative newcomers such as the 18-year-old Eilish and the 20-year-old Lil Nas X.
Whereas the Grammys once specialized in rewarding veteran artists with major awards later in their careers, as if making up for past oversights, recent years have seen a pronounced shift toward the younger artists stirring up the most buzz on social media and digital streaming platforms. This is partially a matter of survival. The Grammys may pay lip service to the idea of rewarding musical excellence, but the awards ceremony is also a network television show in an increasingly desperate struggle to pry viewers away from countless other entertainment options.
Last year, the CBS Grammy broadcast drew 19.9 million viewers, up slightly from 2018. But it's reached all-time lows among the crucial 18-49 demographic in the last two years: a 5.6 rating in 2019, down from 5.9 in 2018.
More than ever, the Recording Academy, the nonprofit organization of 21,000 music professionals that votes on the Grammys, finds itself in a fight for not just relevance but survival. Its chief executive, Deborah Dugan, was placed on administrative leave last week after "a formal allegation of misconduct by a senior female member of the Recording Academy team," the academy said. Dugan's dismissal came after she sent an internal memo describing financial malfeasance and voting irregularities within the academy. Last year, Dugan replaced the previous academy CEO, Neil Portnow, who was criticized for suggesting that women in the industry needed to "step up" if they wanted wider recognition at the Grammys.
Little wonder that the academy is recalibrating by paying more attention than ever to artists on the rise rather than nostalgia acts. The flip side of that equation is that the churn may mitigate against performers developing the kind of career longevity enjoyed by previous generations of newcomers-turned-heritage artists. In the hustle to uncover what's newest all the time, the long-simmering development key to so many careers may become a casualty.
The news isn't all bad. Concerns about staying power and commerce aside, the Grammys have somehow stumbled into something that's actually quite energizing: diversity.
Among the first-time nominees this year are Rosalia, whose flamenco-flavored pop earned two nominations, including best artist, the first nominee ever in that category for music recorded entirely in Spanish.
Lil Nas X's six nominations centered on the hit "Old Town Road," which bridged the gap between rap and country. Last year, the rapper became the first openly gay artist to win a Country Music Association award. Novelty or not, the song spent a record-breaking 19 weeks as the No. 1 song on the Billboard Hot 100 last year.
Eilish was nominated in six categories for her debut album, "When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?" The album avoids brighter pop currency in favor of a darker electronic mix that touches on elements of Goth and industrial. If it should win for best album, it would make the teenager the youngest solo performer ever to do so, nudging aside Swift.
The Grammys also appear poised to affirm Lizzo's arrival as a pop force. Her eight nominations put an exclamation point on her latest album, "Cuz I Love You," in which her larger-than-life voice and personality intersect with an array of social-political movements: body-positive advocacy, feminism, LGBTQ rights, #BlackLivesMatter.
But she's not exactly a rookie. The flute-playing "no-genre hip-hop" artist is 31 years old and had been making adventurous music in relative obscurity for nearly decade before wider recognition arrived. She was more than ready for her moment, an example of an artist who not only feels fresh, but was seasoned enough to make the most of her opportunity once it arrived. For Lizzo at least, her "now" moment could have real staying power.
