SEVERAL musical artists of Filipino descent are among the nominees for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards.
R&B star H.E.R. — who is Filipina and Black — will be up for three Grammys, including Song of the Year for “I Can’t Breathe,” going up against several pop stars like Taylor Swift (“Cardigan”), Dua Lipa (“Don’t Start Now”), and Billie Eilish (“Everything I Wanted).
H.E.R., whose real name is Gabriella Wilson, is also up for Best R&B song for “Better Than I Imagine” (with Robert Glasper and Meshell Ndegeocello) and “Slow Down” (with Nasri Atweh, Badriia Bourelly, Skip Marley, Ryan Williamson).
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The acclaimed performer took to Instagram to react to the news, writing: “WOWWWWW. SO GRATEFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shout out to the teams!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Music is amazing. 13 nominations in 3 years!!!!!!!!!!! Unreal. Thank you for listening to the music!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
She was previously nominated for 10 Grammys over the past two years and in 2019, won Best R&B Performance for “Best Part” with Daniel Caesar and Best R&B Album for her first album, “H.E.R.”
Jhené Aiko’s “Chilombo” received nominations for Album of the Year and Best Progressive R&B Album, and Best R&B Performance for the song “Lightning & Thunder” (featuring John Legend. R&B producer Brian Keith Warfield, who is Filipino and Black, was among those who worked on the album.
“3 Grammy nominations and one of them being ALBUM OF THE YEAR! Wow, shout out to the whole team! We worked so hard on this album so I’m glad it’s getting the recognition it deserves. Now if we can just bring this trophy home!” Warfield wrote in an Instagram post.
Toro y Moi, who is Filipino and Black, got a Grammy nod in the Best Dance Recording category for “The Difference” with Flume.
Filipina-British actress Christine Allado received a nomination for Best Musical Theater Album for “The Prince of Egypt,” which will be up against “Soft Power,” starring Conrad Ricamora, a Fil-Am actor known for his role on ABC’s “How To Get Away with Murder.”
“Who knows what miracles you can achieve?” So ridiculously thrilled to be #GRAMMY nominated for the @princeofegyptuk album!! Actually pinch me cuz this is craaaazyyy!! Congratulations to all the nominees and huge big love to team POE yes yes yes!!” Allado wrote in an Instagram post.
Fil-Am composer Robert Lopez and his wife Kristen Anderson-Lopez, who co-wrote “Into The Unknown” for “Frozen 2,” received a nomination for Best Song Written For Visual Media.
Pop queen Beyoncé led the pack with a total of nine nominations including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for “Black Parade.”
Meanwhile, Dua Lipa and Taylor Swift received six nominations for their respective albums, “Future Nostalgia” and “Folklore.”
Trevor Noah is set to host the 63rd annual Grammys, which will air on January 31, 2021 on CBS.
A complete list of Grammy nominees in each of the 83 categories can be found here.
