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Exploring The Pop Field

Go inside the nominations in the pop categories for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards

GRAMMYs/Dec 3, 2014 - 05:06 am

You've seen the list of nominees, now take a closer look at the artists nominated in the Pop Field categories for the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards.

Three of the year's most dominant artists — Adele, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars — each received two nominations in the Pop Field. All three artists garnered nods in the General Field categories as well.

Best Pop Solo Performance
All five of the nominated songs were major hits. Lady Gaga's "Yoü And I" was the fourth top 10 hit from Born This Way. Bruno Mars' "Grenade" was the second No. 1 hit from Doo-Wops & Hooligans. Lady Gaga and Mars won GRAMMYs last year for Best Female and Male Pop Vocal Performance, respectively, for "Bad Romance" and "Just The Way You Are." Adele's "Someone Like You" was the second No. 1 hit from 21. The Lady Gaga, Adele and Mars albums are nominated for both Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album. Adele won in the Best Female Pop Vocal category category three years ago for "Chasing Pavements." Katy Perry's "Firework" was the third #1 hit from Teenage Dream. Pink's "F***in' Perfect" was the second top 10 hit from Greatest Hits…So Far!!! Perry's album was a finalist for both of these awards last year.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
This category features two collaborations: "Moves Like Jagger" by Maroon 5 featuring Christina Aguilera and "Body And Soul" by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse. "Moves Like Jagger" was added to Maroon 5's album Hands All Over. Aguilera and Bennett have both won GRAMMYs for previous collaborations. Aguilera shared an award with Lil' Kim, Mya and Pink for 2001's "Lady Marmalade." Bennett shared an award with Stevie Wonder for 2006's "For Once In My Life." "Body And Soul," which was first popularized in 1930 by Paul Whiteman And His Orchestra, was featured on Bennett's Duets II, which is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Songs by three groups round out the category: Foster The People's "Pumped Up Kicks" is from the group's album Torches, which is nominated for Best Alternative Music Album; Coldplay's "Paradise" is from Mylo Xyloto, which was released after the end of this eligibility year; and the Black Keys' "Dearest" is from Rave On Buddy Holly, a tribute album featuring artists such as Nick Lowe, Kid Rock and 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Paul McCartney, among others.

Best Pop Instrumental Album
 Booker T. Jones
, who is nominated for The Road From Memphis, is vying for his second award in this category. He previously won for 2009's Potato Hole. Jones' legendary ensemble, Booker T. & the MG's, received a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. The other nominees are Jenny Oaks Baker's Wish Upon A Star, Daniel Ho's E Kahe Malie, Dave Koz's Hello Tomorrow and Brian Setzer's Instru-Mental! Koz will serve as co-host for this year's GRAMMY Pre-Telecast Ceremony. Setzer has won three previous GRAMMYs, two in the category of Best Pop Instrumental Performance for 1998's "Sleepwalk" and 2000's "Caravan." Ho has won six previous GRAMMYs.

Best Pop Vocal Album
Four of the finalists are also vying for Album of the Year. They are Adele's 21, Lady Gaga's Born This Way, Mars' Doo-Wops & Hooligans and Rihanna's Loud. The other finalist is Cee Lo Green's The Lady Killer. Three of these albums include tracks that won GRAMMYs last year. Mars' album features "Just The Way You Are," which won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance. Green's album features "F*** You," which won Best Urban/Alternative Performance. Rihanna's album features "Only Girl (In The World)," which won Best Dance Recording. Lady Gaga won in this category last year with The Fame Monster. Her previous album, The Fame, won for Best Electronic/Dance Album of 2009.

Who will take home the awards in the General Field categories? Tune in to the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards on Feb. 12, 2012, taking place at Staples Center in Los Angeles and airing live on CBS from 8–11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

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Songbook: The Ultimate Guide To Rihanna's Reign, From Her Record-Breaking Hits To Unforgettable Collabs
(L-R) Rihanna in 2023, 2006 and 2010.

Photos: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Roc Nation, Greetsia Tent/WireImage, Kevin Mazur/WireImage

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Songbook: The Ultimate Guide To Rihanna's Reign, From Her Record-Breaking Hits To Unforgettable Collabs

As the world eagerly awaits Rihanna's musical comeback, GRAMMY.com takes a deep dive into the superstar's catalog and celebrates her evolution from teen idol to beloved icon.

GRAMMYs/Feb 20, 2024 - 06:37 pm

A chance meeting changed Rihanna's life.

The singer was just 15 years old when she met producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing with his wife in Barbados. Rogers recognized Rihanna's potential, and invited her to an audition in his hotel suite. 

Shortly after her 16th birthday, Rihanna left her home country for the U.S. to record a demo, which included her breakthrough hit "Pon de Replay." The demo found its way into Jay-Z's hands, and Hov signed the teen artist to Def Jam and the label expedited her 2005 debut album, aptly titled Music of the Sun.

"When I left Barbados, I didn't look back," Rihanna told Entertainment Weekly in 2007. "I wanted to do what I had to do [to succeed], even if it meant moving to America." 

Twenty years later, Rihanna is a renowned entertainer-turned-mogul. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, garnered over 12 billion Spotify streams, achieved 14 Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers, and won nine GRAMMY Awards. Even her business ventures have been a massive success, as her Fenty Beauty brand is worth $2.8 billion.

Though it's been close to a decade since Rihanna's last studio album, 2016's ANTI, she reminded the world of her reign with her 2023 Super Bowl halftime show — which also marked her first time taking the stage in five years. Performing hit after hit while unveiling a baby bump, her 13-minute set became one of the most-watched halftime shows of all time with over 121 million viewers. 

In honor of Rihanna's 36th birthday on Feb. 20, GRAMMY.com is revisiting the monstrous hits, ambitious projects, brow-raising visuals, and iconic collabs that propelled her to international stardom — and why it's all put her in a league of her own.

A New Island Girl In Town

True to her Carribean heritage, Rihanna's dancehall-inspired debut single "Pon de Replay" earned the then 17-year-old Barbados native her first entry on the Hot 100 at an impressive No. 2. Her official introduction to the world also hit No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart; she boasts 33 on the tally, second behind only the Queen of Pop herself, Madonna.

Follow-up single "If It's Lovin' That You Want" stalled at No. 36 on the Hot 100, but still whetted fans' appetite — as did her debut album, Music of the Sun, which is mostly comprised of dance-pop and dancehall tracks with hints of R&B (like "Willing to Wait"). Plus, her reimagining of Dawn Penn's 1994 reggae classic "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" is still so fun to listen to after all these years.

A mere eight months later, Rihanna's sophomore effort, 2006's A Girl Like Me, arrived to an eager audience. Defying the sophomore slump, she celebrated her first No. 1 with the ubiquitous lead single "SOS," which famously samples Soft Cell's 1981 hit, "Tainted Love." While A Girl Like Me is filled with high-energy, danceable tracks (including the nostalgic "Break It Off" with Sean Paul), Rihanna's second single was the melodramatic ballad "Unfaithful." 

Penned by then-labelmate Ne-Yo, "Unfaithful" peaked at No. 6 on the Hot 100. More importantly, it showed a different side to Rihanna, proving that she could channel deep emotion when the performance calls for it. It also marked Rihanna's first time veering away from her "girl next door" image, as the song's subject matter deals with infidelity.

A Girl Like Me contains many fan favorites, from the laid-back "We Ride" to standouts "Dem Haters" and "Kisses Don't Lie." The latter is a reggae-rock hybrid that sounds like a catalyst for some of Rihanna's edgier tunes like "Breakin' Dishes" from 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad era. Touching ballads"Final Goodbye" and "A Million Miles Away" showcase her voice beautifully, foreshadowing later big-vocal numbers like "Love on the Brain."

An Icon In The Making

Rihanna was a familiar face by 2007, but with the arrival of her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad, she graduated from cookie-cutter pop star to bonafide icon.

Produced by Tricky Stewart, the LP's juggernaut lead single "Umbrella" featuring Jay-Z skyrocketed to No. 1 in 17 countries. Between striking images of Rihanna's silver-painted silhouette in the accompanying video and the now-iconic "ella-ella, eh, eh, eh" hook, "Umbrella" thrust the then 19-year-old into another stratosphere. Her confident delivery also commanded attention in a way fans and critics hadn't heard before.

The transformative era also birthed the gritty "Shut Up and Drive," on which Rihanna channels her inner rock star. The next two singles cracked the top 10: an affectionate duet with Ne-Yo,  "Hate That I Love You," which showed off Rihanna's softer side, and the party-starting, Michael Jackson-sampling "Don't Stop the Music," which cemented her place in the digital era. 

The melancholy "Rehab" is a clever metaphor for lost love, co-written by Timbaland and Justin Timberlake. Despite being Good Girl Gone Bad's lowest-charting single, Timberlake heralded the song as "the bridge for her to be accepted as an adult in the music industry."

Good Girl Gone Bad remains Rihanna's best-selling album and marks her greatest reinvention as she adopted a more rebellious sound. She also won her first GRAMMY in 2008 (Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Umbrella") and scored four other nominations, including Record Of The Year. The album's reissue spawned two more No. 1s: "Take a Bow" and "Disturbia," the latter of which acts like a prelude to Rated R, which saw Rihanna exploring darker themes.

Nine months before the release of 2009's Rated R, Rihanna was assaulted by then-boyfriend Chris Brown. On the deeply personal album, she translated her pain into art. Through lead single "Russian Roulette" and bitingly catchy anthems "Stupid in Love," "Fire Bomb," "Photographs," "Cold Case Love," and "The Last Song," Rihanna explored her angst and confusion.

But to focus solely on the domestic violence incident undermines Rihanna's artistic vision. 

Following three multi-platinum albums in a three-year span, Rihanna's rebranding as a rebel at heart reached its apex. The singer had grown in leaps and bounds while taking musical risks, even penning nine of Rated R's 13 tracks (she had no writing credits on Good Girl Gone Bad).

The road to Rihanna's most badass anthems — including "Bitch Better Have My Money" — can be traced back to Rated R. Case in point: Her bravado is loud and clear on "Hard," "Wait Your Turn," and "G4L." On "Rockstar 101," which features legendary rocker Slash, Rihanna declares her power: "Six inch walker/ Big sh— talker/ I never play the victim/ I'd rather be a stalker."

Badgal RiRi returned to her dancehall roots on her fifth No. 1 "Rude Boy," which offsets the album's harrowing motif. Final single "Te Amo" didn't chart, but garnered a great deal of attention as the Latin-infused Stargate production depicts Rihanna being enticed by a female love interest. 

Rated R showcased Rihanna's undeniable star power, and allowed her to shed her good-girl image once and for all.

A Partygoer's Dream

Following the career-pivoting Rated R, 2010's Loud offered a welcome return to the West Indian artist's earlier sound. The album feels like one big celebration of life, as evidenced by Rihanna's fire-engine red hair and No. 1 singles "Only Girl (In the World)" and "What's My Name?" (the latter of which was Rih's first collaboration with Drake).

Best described as "Don't Stop the Music" 2.0, the effervescent "Only Girl" marked her eminent return to the dance floor and took home a GRAMMY for Best Dance Recording in 2011. While "What's My Name?" may not outshine Rih and Drizzy's other collabs — including 2011's "Take Care" or 2016's "Work" — the second she sings, "Hey, boy, I really wanna see if you can go downtown with a girl like me," it's impossible not to whine your waist to the riddim.

Easily one of Rihanna's most overlooked hits, "Cheers (Drink to That)" is built around an unexpected sample of Avril Lavigne's 2002 hit "I'm With You," but it works surprisingly well as a party anthem. That same carefree spirit can be heard in the feminist track "Raining Men," which features Nicki Minaj — their first of two collabs, as they joined forces again for "Fly," the final single off the rapper's iconic Pink Friday album. 

A playful ode to sadomasochism and bondage, "S&M" contains some of Rihanna's most provocative lyrics: "Sticks and stones may break my bones/ But chains and whips excite me," she declares on the chorus. 

Banned in 11 countries upon its release, the accompanying video features Rihanna tied up in pink rope, dancing with a blowup doll, and donning a Playboy bunny-esque costume as damning newsreels about herself flash across the screen. But Rihanna's love of kink made her an even bigger star: "S&M" produced a remix with Britney Spears and earned Rihanna her 10th No. 1 single. With this feat, she became the youngest artist to attain the most chart-toppers in a five-year span.

On "Man Down," Rihanna's patois is in full effect as she takes listeners through a gripping tale about murdering her abuser. "What started out as a simple altercation/ Turned into a real sticky situation," she laments in the opening verse, amplified by siren noises in the background. There's something so satisfying about Rihanna's Bajan accent as she unfurls "Rum-pum-pum-pum" repeatedly over an intensifying reggae beat that would make Sister Nancy and Bob Marley proud.

Nominated for Album Of The Year at the 2021 GRAMMYs, Loud is Rihanna's second most commercially successful LP — and for good reason. It was especially refreshing to see Rihanna emerge from one of the darkest periods of her life as exuberant as ever.

An Unapologetic Queen

Sonically and thematically, Talk That Talk doesn't break new ground, but Rih's DGAF attitude is front and center with plenty of sexual innuendos: Songs like "S&M" and "Rude Boy" seem pretty tame next to "Cockiness (Love It)," which features longtime friend-turned-boyfriend A$AP Rocky on its remix. "Suck my cockiness/ Lick my persuasion/ Eat my poison/ And swallow your pride down, down," she commands in the tantalizing chorus.

At just over a minute long, "Birthday Cake" leaves nothing to the imagination ("It's not even my birthday, but he wanna lick the icing off"). Rihanna controversially released a full-length version in the form of a remix with Chris Brown.

On an album that mostly sees Rihanna singing about her sexual fantasies, "We All Want Love" pulls back the curtain as it reveals her desire for true love: "And some say love ain't worth the buck/ But I'll give my last dime/ To have what I've only been dreaming about." 

Her longing continues in "Where Have You Been," which flaunts Rihanna's versatility, flipping Geoff Mack's 1959 country song "I've Been Everywhere" into an infectious EDM banger. Lead single "We Found Love" is undeniably the biggest hit to stem from the Talk That Talk era, spending 10 consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100. 

Boosting Calvin Harris' career, "We Found Love" presents one juxtaposition after the other: dark yet gleaming, euphoric yet sobering, fraught yet hopeful. Rihanna relies on more than just evocative lyrics to tell her story; accompanying synthesizers and alarm bells help to paint a picture as well. Met with controversy, its intense visuals portraying a drug-fueled, toxic relationship — and featuringwhat many speculated was a Chris Brown look-alike — earned RiRi a GRAMMY for Best Long Form Music Video in 2013.

Seven years into an already extraordinary career, 2012's Unapologetic became Rihanna's first album to debut at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart. Its lead single "Diamonds" resonated in an equally major way, giving Rih her 12th No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Written by Sia, the power ballad kicked off another exciting era for the Barbadian singer, who unleashes an impassioned vocal performance. One of Rihanna's most precious offerings to date, "Diamonds" emerged as a self-love mantra due to its uplifting "Shine bright like a diamond" chant.

Vocally, Rihanna's strength lies in her ability to evoke raw emotion à la "Stay." Featuring Mikky Ekko, the stripped-down, slow-burning piano ballad narrowly missed the top spot on the Hot 100 but gave Rihanna her 24th top 10 hit, surpassing Whitney Houston's record of 23 in 2013.

Her swagger is boisterous in "Phresh Out the Runway," "Jump," and strip club anthem "Pour It Up," but "Nobody's Business" really drives home the album's theme of being unbothered. Her decision to join forces with Chris Brown yet again perplexed fans and critics alike, though the track itself is an irresistible production that features a genius interpolation of Michael Jackson's "The Way You Make Me Feel."

Further down the track list, "Love Without Tragedy / Mother Mary" is as autobiographical as it gets, and further taps into Rihanna's emotionally vulnerable side. "Mr. Jesus, I'd love to be a queen/ But I'm from the left side of an island/ Never thought this many people would even know my name," she pleads in the seven-minute two-parter.

Unapologetic spawned fewer hit singles compared to Rihanna's previous efforts. Its win for Best Urban Contemporary Album at the 2014 GRAMMYs, however, proved that Rihanna's reign wasn't letting up anytime soon.

While recording her then-forthcoming album, ANTI, Rihanna delivered what is arguably the single most unapologetic moment of her career: "Bitch Better Have My Money." The backstory is almost inconceivable given Rihanna's awe-inspiring billionaire status, but in 2009, Rihanna faced bankruptcy due to her accountants mishandling her funds — and thus "Bitch" was born six years later in 2015.

With lyrics like "Your wife in the backseat of my brand new foreign car" over a cryptic-sounding trap beat and an accompanying video depicting kidnapping and torturing her debtors, "Bitch" is not for the faint-hearted. The one-off single is so quintessentially Rihanna that it notably kicked off her Super Bowl halftime show.

An In-Demand Collaborator

While bestowing hit after hit on her own, Rihanna generously lent her distinct voice to some of her biggest peers. 2008 marks one of the earliest instances of her Midas touch: She flirts with funk in Maroon 5's underappreciated "If I Never See Your Face Again" before hopping on T.I.'s "Live Your Life," which shot straight to No. 1 on the Hot 100.

In 2009, Rihanna joined Jay-Z and Kanye West for the militant "Run This Town," sounding defiant as ever in the intro. She was called upon again for West's horn-laden "All of the Lights," flying solo on the hook followed by a star-studded choir that included Alicia Keys, John Legend, Fergie, and Elton John. Both larger-than-life productions won GRAMMYs for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2010 and 2012, respectively.

In between joining forces with Hov and Ye, Rihanna assisted Eminem in "Love the Way You Lie," which struck a nerve with many for its gut-wrenching lyrics shedding a light on abusive relationships. (Rih recorded an equally moving sequel for her Loud album.) Three years later, the two confronted their inner demons in "The Monster," and their musical chemistry scored a GRAMMY in 2015 for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

Amid smash collabs, Rihanna and Coldplay's intricate "Princess of China" number gets lost in the shuffle, but it speaks to her charm as it's the band's first album (2011's Mylo Xyloto) to feature another artist. Another overlooked jam, her sultry "Can't Remember to Forget You" duet with Shakira sees both stars trade lines about struggling to let go of an undeserving lover.

On paper, a collaboration between Rihanna, Kanye West, and Sir Paul McCartney may seem strange, but the unlikely trio is further proof that opposites attract. Their "FourFiveSeconds" is a pop-folk hybrid with a universal message about carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. It's yet another example of Rihanna's willingness to push past her comfort zone to create something unique.

A year later, Rihanna got listeners on their feet by way of the Taylor Swift-penned "This Is What You Came For" with Calvin Harris. Understated compared to the duo's previous megahits ("We Found Love" and "Where Have You Been"), Harris' signature DJing style and Rih's ethereal vocals are a perfect match.

In 2017, Rih, DJ Khaled and Bryson Tiller dropped the song of the summer with "Wild Thoughts," which heavily borrows from Carlos Santana's 1999 GRAMMY-winning "Maria Maria." It may be DJ Khaled's song, but RiRi owns it from the very moment she utters, "I don't know if you could take it/ Know you wanna see me nakey, nakey, naked." The bop reached No. 2 on the Hot 100.

She spits bars in Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty" and "Lemon" with N.E.R.D., the latter of which comes close to rivaling your favorite rappers' verses: "You can catch me, Rih, in the new La Ferrar'/ And the truck behind me got arms/ Yeah, longer than LeBron/ Just waitin' for my thumb like The Fonz."

No matter what genre Rihanna touches or what artist she links up with, she brings her full self to each session whilst completely immersing herself into the music — taking on different personas to make the collab well worth it.

An Artist Fully Realized

With 13 No. 1s and twice as many top 10 hits under her belt, Rihanna set out to create timeless music instead of chasing a radio-friendly formula with her 2016 magnum opus, ANTI.

But that shift began with 2015's criminally underrated "American Oxygen." Her most political statement at the time, the goosebump-inducing lyrics detail Rihanna's journey as an immigrant, foreshadowing her then soon-to-be massive Fenty Beauty success. "We sweat for a nickel and a dime/ Turn it into an empire," she sings in the chorus.

Released four years after Unapologetic — her longest gap between albums at the time — ANTI illustrated Rihanna's greater desire for quality over quantity. "I needed the music to match my growth," she told Vogue in 2016 about the making of ANTI. "I didn't want to get caught up with anything the world liked, anything the radio liked, anything that I liked, that I've already heard. I just wanted it to be me."

The black-and-white, red paint-splattered album cover signals a rebirth, featuring a real-life image of Rihanna as a child. ANTI lives up to its name in its first 40 seconds, via opening track "Consideration." The minute she declares, "I got to do things my own way, darling," it's apparent that ANTI is not your average Rihanna album.

Lead single "Work" is the closest to pre-ANTI Rihanna on an album that defies expectations. But the dancehall masterpiece is one of a kind for Rih's refusal to water down the Jamaican patois (different from her native language of Bajan Creole) — proving that she is fully aware of her impact as one of the biggest Caribbean-born artists to make it in the U.S.

Many non-understanding listeners described it as "gibberish" at the time. Yet, the general public didn't seem to mind: About a month after its release, "Work" became Rihanna's 14th and longest-running chart-topper on the Hot 100. Weeks later, ANTI became her second LP to top the Billboard 200 chart. Subsequently, Rihanna held the No. 1 spots on the Billboard 200 and Hot 100 simultaneously, her second time achieving such an impressive feat.

Read More: How Rihanna's "Work" Reinvigorated Dancehall

ANTI is full of pleasant surprises that show off her artistry. Rihanna comes out of left field with the Prince-inspired "Kiss It Better," the album's second single, which sees the superstar falling back on addictive sex that "feels like crack" to justify a destructive relationship. "Same Ol' Mistakes" is a cover of psychedelic rock band Tame Impala's "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" — her first time remaking another artist's song for her own album since "You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)" on Music of the Sun. The Western-themed "Desperado" lends itself particularly well to covers by country artists, while the Dido-sampling "Never Ending" conveys the uncertainty she feels about entering a new relationship.

Elsewhere on ANTI, Rihanna drunk dials an ex ("Higher"), compares smoking weed to her lover ("James Joint"), and chastises a guy for getting emotionally attached after their fling ("Needed Me"). The latter song contains one of Rihanna's most empowering lyrics: "Didn't they tell you that I was a savage?/ F— ya white horse and ya carriage," she asserts in the pre-chorus.

Her voice sounds stronger than ever on "Love on the Brain," a doo-wop ballad resembling Etta James. But Rihanna makes it her own thanks to the bluntness of lines like "It beats me black and blue but it f— me so good."

The deep cuts on ANTI aren't merely fillers, and even rival some of the album's biggest hits. For instance, "Sex with Me" is featured on the deluxe edition as a bonus track, but managed to crack the Hot 100 at No. 83 and reach No. 8 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Airplay chart. Furthermore, the deluxe edition consists of 16 tracks, half of which topped the Dance Club Songs chart — smashing the record (previously held by Katy Perry's Teenage Dream) for the most No. 1s from a single album.

Accolades aside, ANTI is proof that magic happens when an artist of Rihanna's caliber follows their own instincts in pursuit of creating a body of work — one that can outlast them and continue to inspire generations to come.

Ever since ANTI, Rihanna's devoted fanbase has been begging for a new album, with Rih playfully trolling them with responses like "I lost it" and Instagram captions that read, "Me listening to R9 by myself and refusing to release it."

Her much-awaited return to music came at the tail end of 2022. The hitmaker twice contributed to the GRAMMY-nominated Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack: "Born Again" and "Lift Me Up," the latter of which helped Rihanna score her first Oscar and Golden Globe nominations in 2022 and 2023, respectively. With the glorious "Lift Me Up," she found herself in the top 10 for the first time since 2017's "Wild Thoughts."

While the world is still anticipating her ninth studio album, Rihanna — now a mom of two boys — continues to make her own rules and move at her own pace. But as she's proven time and time again, it's always worth the wait.

The Rihanna Essentials: 15 Singles To Celebrate The Singer's Endless Pop Reign

17 Love Songs That Have Won GRAMMYs: "I Will Always Love You," "Drunk In Love" & More
(L-R) Usher and Alicia Keys during the Super Bowl LVIII halftime show.

Photo: L.E. Baskow/Las Vegas Review-Journal/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

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17 Love Songs That Have Won GRAMMYs: "I Will Always Love You," "Drunk In Love" & More

Over the GRAMMYs' 66-year history, artists from Frank Sinatra to Ed Sheeran have taken home golden gramophones for their heartfelt tunes. Take a look at some of the love songs that have won GRAMMYs.

GRAMMYs/Feb 14, 2024 - 09:42 pm

Editor's Note: This is an update to a story from 2017.

Without heart-bursting, world-shifting love songs, music wouldn't be the same. There are countless classic and chart-topping hits dedicated to love, and several of them have won GRAMMYs.

We're not looking at tunes that merely deal with shades of love or dwell in heartbreak. We're talking out-and-out, no-holds-barred musical expressions of affection — the kind of love that leaves you wobbly at the knees.

No matter how you're celebrating Valentine's Day (or not), take a look at 18 odes to that feel-good, mushy-gushy love that have taken home golden gramophones over the years.

Frank Sinatra, "Strangers In The Night"

Record Of The Year / Best Vocal Performance, Male, 1967

Ol' Blue Eyes offers but a glimmer of hope for the single crowd on Valentine's Day, gently ruminating about exchanging glances with a stranger and sharing love before the night is through.

Willie Nelson, "Always On My Mind"

Best Country Vocal Performance, Male, 1983

In this cover, Nelson sings to the woman in his life, lamenting over those small things he should have said and done, but never took the time. Don't find yourself in the same position this Valentine's Day.

Lionel Richie, "Truly"

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, 1983

"Truly" embodies true dedication to a loved one, and it's delivered with sincerity from the king of '80s romantic pop — who gave life to the timeless love-song classics "Endless Love," "Still" and "Three Times A Lady."

Roy Orbison, "Oh, Pretty Woman"

Best Pop Vocal Performance, Male, 1991

Orbison captures the essence of encountering a lovely woman for the first time, and offers helpful one-liners such as "No one could look as good as you" and "I couldn't help but see … you look as lovely as can be." Single men, take notes.

Whitney Houston, "I Will Always Love You"

Record Of The Year, Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female, 1994

Houston passionately delivers a message of love, remembrance and forgiveness on her version of this song, which was written by country sweetheart Dolly Parton and first nominated for a GRAMMY in 1982.

Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On (Love Theme From Titanic)"  

Record Of The Year, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance, 1999

This omnipresent theme song from the 1997 film Titanic was propelled to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot 100 as the story of Jack and Rose (played by Leonardo DiCaprio and GRAMMY winner Kate Winslet) swept the country.

Shania Twain, "You're Still The One"

Best Female Country Vocal Performance, Best Country Song, 1999

Co-written with producer and then-husband Mutt Lange, Twain speaks of beating the odds with love and perseverance in lyrics such as, "I'm so glad we made it/Look how far we've come my baby," offering a fresh coat of optimism for couples of all ages.

Usher & Alicia Keys, "My Boo"

Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals, 2005

"There's always that one person that will always have your heart," sings Usher in this duet with Keys, taking the listener back to that special first love. The chemistry between the longtime friends makes this ode to “My Boo” even more heartfelt, and the love was still palpable even 20 years later when they performed it on the Super Bowl halftime show stage.

Bruno Mars, "Just The Way You Are"

Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, 2011

Dating advice from Bruno Mars: If you think someone is beautiful, you should tell them every day. Whether or not it got Mars a date for Valentine's Day, it did get him a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

Cee Lo Green & Melanie Fiona, "Fool For You" 

Best Traditional R&B Performance, 2012

It's a far cry from his previous GRAMMY-winning song, "F*** You," but "Fool For You" had us yearning for "that deep, that burning/ That amazing unconditional, inseparable love."

Justin Timberlake, "Pusher Love Girl" 

Best R&B Song, 2014

Timberlake is so high on the love drug he's "on the ceiling, baby." Timberlake co-wrote the track with James Fauntleroy, Jerome Harmon and Timbaland, and it's featured on his 2013 album The 20/20 Experience, which flew high to No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

Beyoncé & Jay-Z, "Drunk In Love"

Best R&B Performance / Best R&B Song, 2015

While "Drunk In Love" wasn't the first love song that won Beyoncé and Jay-Z a GRAMMY — they won two GRAMMYs for "Crazy In Love" in 2004 — it is certainly the sexiest. This quintessential 2010s bop from one of music's most formidable couples captures why their alliance set the world's hearts aflame (and so did their steamy GRAMMYs performance of it).

Ed Sheeran, "Thinking Out Loud"

Song Of The Year / Best Pop Solo Performance, 2016

Along with his abundant talent, Sheeran's boy-next-door charm is what rocketed him to the top of the pop ranks. And with swooning lyrics and a waltzing melody, "Thinking Out Loud" is proof that he's a modern-day monarch of the love song.

Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, "Shallow"

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance / Best Song Written For Visual Media, 2019

A Star is Born's cachet has gone up and down with its various remakes, but the 2018 iteration was a smash hit. Not only is that thanks to moving performances from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, but particularly thanks to their impassioned, belt-along duet "Shallow."

H.E.R. & Daniel Caesar, "Best Part"

Best R&B Performance, 2019

"If life is a movie/ Know you're the best part." Who among us besotted hasn't felt their emotions so widescreen, so thunderous? Clearly, H.E.R. and Daniel Caesar have — and they poured that feeling into the GRAMMY-winning ballad "Best Part."

Kacey Musgraves, "Butterflies"

Best Country Solo Performance, 2019

As Musgraves' Album Of The Year-winning LP Golden Hour shows, the country-pop star can zoom in or out at will, capturing numberless truths about the human experience. With its starry-eyed lyrics and swirling production, "Butterflies" perfectly encapsulates the flutter in your stomach that love can often spark.

Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber, "10,000 Hours"

Best Country Duo/Group Performance, 2021

When country hook-meisters Dan + Shay teamed up with pop phenom Justin Bieber, their love song powers were unstoppable. With more than 1 billion Spotify streams alone, "10,000 Hours" has become far more than an ode to just their respective wives; it's an anthem for any lover.

Lovesick Or Sick Of Love: Listen To GRAMMY.com's Valentine's Day Playlist Featuring Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Playboi Carti, Olivia Rodrigo, FKA Twigs & More

10 Love Songs That Have Nothing to Do With Love: From "Every Breath You Take" To "Baby It's Cold Outside"
Rihanna attends Marvel Studios' "Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever" Premiere on October 26, 2022 in Hollywood, California.

Photo: Axelle/Bauer-Griffin / FilmMagic / Getty Images

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10 Love Songs That Have Nothing to Do With Love: From "Every Breath You Take" To "Baby It's Cold Outside"

Don't let the song titles fool you. From misogynist attitudes to tales of coercion and even a secret pregnancy, many popular love songs aren't about love at all.

GRAMMYs/Feb 14, 2024 - 03:46 pm

Many studies on love have proven that it seems to be a trait present throughout species. Although it's undeniable that the capacity for love is universal, evidence suggests love manifests differently across individuals. That is why, for many people, love is undefinable, with the word meaning something for one and something else for another. 

This point has never been proven more true than in love songs. Numerous musicians and bands have sung about love, but their definition or meaning of the word and yours might be wholly different. You would be surprised to learn how many love songs have absolutely nothing to do with emotional or physical love.

When you delve beneath the surface, "love" songs are sometimes twisted, uncomfortable, sadistic, and unsavory. So, let's look at 10 love songs with nothing to do with love and everything to do with what they shouldn’t. 

"Every Breath You Take" - the Police 

When the Police released "Every Breath You Take" in 1983, it immediately became a huge hit, reaching No.1 on U.S., UK, Canadian, Irish, and South African charts. On the surface, this song seems romantic, which is why it made its way into numerous movie scenes and weddings, but the lyrics are uncomfortable and prove the song is not actually about love. 

Frontman Sting sings, "I'll be watching you," and, "Oh, can't you see, you belong to me?" about the song's object of affection. Rather than lyrics about a lover, it's believed that the song is about a stalker. At the time Sting was suffering a mental breakdown, making the verses infinitely more evil.

In fact, Sting himself said: "I think it's a nasty little song, really rather evil. It's about jealousy and surveillance and ownership."

"Rollercoaster of Love" - Ohio Players 

On the surface, the lyrics "It's a rollercoaster ride/we're on top for the moment/ and then we'll take that dive" seem to describe a relationship's exhilarating ups and downs. However, there has been much debate over the years about the true meaning behind the Ohio Players' staple. 

The most popular theory is that the song is about life's ups and downs, not love, but we'll never know. According to late frontman Leroy Bronner who wrote the tune, "To this day, I don't know what I wrote." He continued, "The words didn't make sense to me. But it was a hit."

The song also has a much darker recording humor, which further alienates it from the genre of love songs. According to the rumor to which the band responded "No comment," the scream on the track was the sound of a woman being murdered in the recording studio. 

The woman's death is an urban legend, but the band decided to leave it in as a joke and as a way to create buzz for the song, with the actual scream belonging to keyboard player Billy Beck. 

"Can't Feel My Face" - the Weeknd  

The Weeknd is well known for penning lyrics that have multiple meanings, so it's not surprising that his hit track "Can't Feel My Face" isn't really about love. 

With the lyrics: "I can't feel my face when I'm with you/But I love it" and "And I know she'll be the death of me, at least we'll both be numb/And she'll always get the best of me; the worst is yet to come." It sounds like a dark love song about a man who is so in love that he loses all control, which is plausible, but it's more likely the song is about cocaine. 

According to Billboard, the song is about drug dependency, and the Weeknd is crooning about cocaine and likening it to a bad relationship. The Weeknd had hinted at the song being about drugs when he commented: "I just won a new award for a kids' show, Talking 'bout a face numbing off a bag of blow." Unfortunately, it's not very romantic. 

"Umbrella" - Rihanna

Most believe that one of Rihanna's most famous songs is about a woman comforting her partner and explaining that she will be there for him through the good and bad times. "Baby 'cause in the dark you can't see shiny cars/And that's when you need me there. With you, I'll always share," she sings.

However, a few people believe "Umbrella" is about the corruption of a person's soul – Rhianna's in this case. Some believe that the 2007 hit is about Rhianna welcoming the devil into her heart, body, and soul. While this is more of a conspiracy theory than anything else,  a pastor recently posted on TikTok that he came back from hell, and "Umbrella" was one of the songs being used to torture individuals. 

"All I Wanna Do is Make Love To You" -  Heart

If you listen carefully to the lyrics in "All I Wanna Do Is Make Love To You," it's clear that the 1990 song actually about deceit. 

Nancy and Ann Wilson are singing about being in love with another man who cannot provide her with children because he is impotent — so she finds a willing one-night stand. She sings, "I didn't ask him his name, this lonely boy in the rain." When morning comes, the protagonist says "All I left him was a note/ I told him I am the flower; you are the seed. We walked in the garden; we planted a tree."

After some time has passed, she's unnerved to come across his path, presumably pregnant: "You can imagine his surprise when he saw his own eyes/I said please, please understand/I'm in love with another man/And what he couldn't give me was the one little thing that you can."

"Bad Romance" - Lady Gaga

"Bad Romance" was developed as an experimental pop record featuring elements of German techno and house. With more than 184 million YouTube streams, the 2008 track quickly became one of Lady Gaga's best songs. 

On the surface, "Bad Romance" centers on the pull of a love that's bad for you: "I want your ugly, I want your disease/I want your everything as long as it's free/I want your love." However, it's not so straightforward. 

Gaga said she drew inspiration from the paranoia she experienced while on tour. She also stated the song is about her attraction to unhealthy romantic romances that are not always about love. 

"Young Girl" - Gary Puckett and the Union Gap

Not all love is appropriate, as the song "Young Girl" by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap proves. This 1968 single is wholly inappropriate and creepy (and illegal), but it still managed to become one of the band's best-known songs. In fact, despite the lyrics being more about unsavory infatuation than love, it still reached No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 (just behind "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay"). 

Initially, this song doesn't appear inappropriate with lyrics  "Young girl, get out of my mind" possibly referencing the romance of a slight age gap. But the group doubles down: "My love for you is way out of line/ Better run, girl/You're much too young, girl."

If these words aren't enough to prove the song is about being infatuated with an underage girl, you might be convinced by lead singer Gary Puckett singing, "Beneath your perfume and make-up you're just a baby in disguise" and "Get out of here before I have the time to change my mind." 

"Under My Thumb" - by the Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones have had their share of controversy over the years, and it's not hard to see why when you consider the meaning behind many of their big hits. "Under My Thumb" might have been marketed as a love song, but it's about a relationship rooted in hate and control. 

With lyrics such as "Under my thumb/It's a squirmin' dog who's just had her day/Under my thumb/

A girl who has just changed her ways," it's apparent that Mick Jagger is singing less about heartbreak and more about power. The misogyny is so clear in this song that it made it into the book Under My Thumb: Songs That Hate Women and the Women That Love Them.

"Baby It's Cold Outside" - Dean Martin 

One of the most popular holiday season love songs, "Baby, It's Cold Outside" was written by Frank Loessser and performed by Dean Martin and Ella Fitzgerald. It's difficult to say if these musicians knew the song's sinister and controversial underbelly. 

"Baby It's Cold Outside" is about a man who pressures a woman to stay at his home by any means necessary. The woman in the song tries to give reasons why she cannot stay with lyrics like "My mother will start to worry" and "My father will be pacing the floor." Yet, her concerns are shot down at every turn, with the man using the bad weather outside to keep her captive. Fortunately, the song has been remade with consensual lyrics, thanks to Kelly Clarkson and John Legend

"You're Gorgeous" - Babybird

This song may have a happy rhythm, but if you pay attention to the lyrics, there is much more to this song than meets the eye. Although the song appears to be about a man who would do anything for his lady love, it is about exploitation. 

This song — the British group's biggest hit, from 1996 — is about a sleazy photographer who takes advantage of a young and naive model and photographs her for men's magazines. The lyrics "You got me to hitch my knees up/And pulled my legs apart" details the true nature of this song.

"People should never be told how to interpret a song," Babybird told the blog Essentially Pop. "So, if they thought it was romantic, then fine." He continued, "Sadly, very few people got the true meaning, which is about male predatory behavior, but in popular music, most critics are a little blind to correct interpretation."

Lovesick Or Sick Of Love: Listen To GRAMMY.com’s Valentine’s Day Playlist Featuring Taylor Swift, Doja Cat, Playboi Carti, Olivia Rodrigo, FKA Twigs & More

In Memoriam (2023): The Recording Academy Remembers The Music People We Lost
Tina Turner on stage at Wembley 1990.

Photo: Dave Hogan / Getty Images Archive

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In Memoriam (2023): The Recording Academy Remembers The Music People We Lost

Take a moment to salute the members of the music community we lost in 2022-2024.

GRAMMYs/Feb 9, 2024 - 09:02 pm

Below is a tribute to the luminaries and esteemed professionals from the music community we lost between Dec. 5, 2022, through Jan. 26, 2024.

During the 2024 GRAMMYs broadcast, the Recording Academy's In Memoriam segment featured performances by several masterful musicians. Annie Lennox  was joined by Wendy Melvoin and Lisa Coleman to honor Sinéad O’Connor. Stevie Wonder took the stage to pay homage to the legendary Tony Bennett, Jon Batiste honored the "Godfather of Black Music" Clarence Avant and Fantasia Barrino paid tribute to the Queen of Rock 'n' Roll, Tina Turner. The performances were set against a video homage of several of the distinguished figures on this list. Every individual who passed away before the publication date has also been respectfully commemorated in the official 2024 GRAMMYs program book.

The Recording Academy offers its profound respect and appreciation for the unique gifts and enduring contributions these individuals have bestowed upon our culture and collective spirit.

Aaron Spears

Abe Stoklasa

Adam Johnstone

Aérea Negrot

Ahmad Jamal

Akbar Golpayegani

Alan Arkin

Alan Copeland

Alan Niederland

Alan Rankine

Alan Warner

Alan Moore Stowell

Alba 'Albita' Eagan

Algy Ward

Alice Parker

Allen Becker

Alton Wade Kelley

Amos Ettinger

Amp Fiddler

Amparo Rubín

Ana Clara Benevides Machado

Anatol Ugorski

André Watts

Andrew Penhallow

Andrew Speight

Andy Rourke

Angela Zilia

Angelo Badalamenti

Angelo Bruschini

Anita Kerr

Anita Pointer

Anne Hart

Annie Nightingale

Anthony Topham

Anthony John Heyes

Anup Ghoshal

April Stevens

Arie Levanon

Arif Cooper

Arthur Ward Eller

Astrud Gilberto

Audie Blaylock

August 08

Axali Doëseb

B. Sasikumar

Barbara Bryne

Barrett Strong

Baxter Black

Beeyar Prasad

Ben Lipitz

Benito Castro

Benjamin Zephaniah

Berit Lindholm

Bernie Marsden

Betta St. John

Betty Price

Beytocan

Bhavani Shankar

Bhavatharini Raja

Big Pokey

Big Scarr

John Nelson "Big John" Trimble Jr.

William "Bill" Castle

Bill Humble

Bill Lee

Bill Mayne

Bill Rice

Bill Saluga

Bill Zehme

Bill Hayes

Billy Smith

Billy White Jr.

Billy "The Kid" Emerson

Bilqees Khanum

Bishop Carlton Pearson

Blair Tindall

Blas Durán

Blayne Tucker

Bob Burwell

Bob Feldman

Bob Jones

Bob Mummert

Bob Nalbandian

Bob Rice

Bob Siggins

Bob "Norton" Thompson

Bobbi Staff

Bobby Caldwell

Bobby Casey

Bobby Eli

Bobby Osborne

Bobby Schiffman

Bonny Beverley

Brad Houser

Brad Thomson

Bram Inscore

Brandon Marcel Williams

Brett Radin

Brian McBride

Brian "Brizz" Gillis

Bridgette Wimberly

Broderick Smith

Bruce Gowers

Bruce Guthro

Brucene Harrison

Bruno Ducol

Buck Trent

Buddy McNeill

Burt Bacharach

C-Knight

C.J. Harris

Calton Coffie

Calton Coffie

Calvin Newton

Canelita Medina

Canisso Canisso

Care Failure

Carl Davis

Carl Pagter

Carl Tovey

Carla Bley

Carlee Ann Vaughn

Carlin Glynn

Carline Smith Wilhite

Carlos Fonseca

Carlos Lyra

Carmen Jara

Carmen Xtravaganza

Carole Cook

Catherine Christer Hennix

Cayle Sain

Cecilia Pantoja Levi

Chabelita Fuentes

Chad Allan

Chaim Topol

Charline Whillhite

Charles Gayle

Charlie Dominici

Charlie Gracie

Charlie Monk

Charlie Robison

Chas Newby

Chick Rains

Chico Novarro

Choi Sung-Bong

Chris Ford

Chris Ledesma

Chris Lee

Chris Peluso

Chris Strachwitz

Christy Dignam

Chuck Flood

Chuck Jackson

Chuck Morris

Charley Morris

Clarence Avant

Clarence Barlow

Claude Kahn

Clay Hart

Cliff Fish

Clifton Oliver

Clint Yeager

Cobi Narita

Coco Lee

Colette Maze

Colin Burgess

Conny Van Dyke

Costa Titch

Craig Burbidge

Craig Hayes

Curtis Fowlkes

Cynthia Haring

Cynthia Weil

Dan Lardner

Daniel Bourgue

Daniel Jones

Daniel Lee Stephen Jones

Danny Kaleikini

Danny Schur

Danny Milhon

Dave Cohen

Dave Dickerson

Dave Roe

Dave Freeman

David Crosby

David Darling

David Del Tredici

David Drozen

David LaFlamme

David Lindley

David McCallum

David Leland

David Soul

David Lumsdaine

David Beckwith

David Jude Jolicoeur

Dedi Graucher

Del Palmer

Denis Badault

Denny Laine

Denyse Plummer

Dev Kohli

Dick Biondi

Dickie Harrell

Dima Nova

Dino Danelli

DJ Casper

DJ Deeon

DJ Dino Calvao

Djalma Corrêa

Don Graham

Don Kissil

Don Mulkey

Don Sebesky

Don Williams

Donnie McKethan

Dorian Kweller

Dr Latozi Madosini Mpahleni

Duane Tabinski

Dusty Street

Dwight Twilley

Ed Ames

Ed Stone

Ed "Beanpole" Efaw

Edino Krieger

Edward Sexton

Edward Walters

Edward "Kidd" Jordan

Elayne Jones

Eliud Treviño

Ellen Fitzhugh

Elliot Goldman

Eloise Wyatt Russo

Emahoy Tsegué-Maryam Guèbrou

Enrique "Zurdo" Roizner

Eric Boehlert

Eric Shoutin' Sheridan

Eric Moyo

Eric Alan Livingston

Essra Mohawk

Fallece Marilú

Faye Fantarrow

Fito Olivares

Florence Malgoire

Fran La Maina

Francesa Cappucci

Francis Monkman

François Glorieux

Frank Harlow

Frank Kozik

Frank Solivan Sr.

Frank Woodard

Frank Ford

Frank Farian

Fred White

Freddie Ross Hancock

Fuzzy Haskins

Gabriele Schnaut

Gangsta Boo

Garry Mapanzure

Garry Lee Rentfro

Gary Hobish

Gary Rossington

Gary Smith

Gary Wright

Gary Young

Gary Noble

Gennady Gladkov

George Brown

George Logan

George Maharis

George Moffett

George Newall

George Portz

George Tickner

George Winston

George Yanok

Georgia Holt

Gerald Fried

Gérard Drouot

Germano Mathias

Glen "Spot" Lockett

Gloria Belle

Gloria Coates

Glynis Johns

Goa Gil

Gordon Lightfoot

Gordy Harmon

Gordy Nichol

Grace Bumbry

Grady Hockett

Graeme Malcolm

Graham Clark

Grand Daddy I.U.

Gregory Brian Wright

Hans Poulsen

Harley Worthington

Harold Childs

Harold Killian

Harold Black

Harry Belafonte

Harry Sheppard

Haydn Gwynne

Heather Dunbar

Heike Matthiesen

Heklina Heklina

Helen Thorington

Henri Duaman

Henry Grossman

Herb Deutsch

Hiroshi "Heath" Morie

Hoppy Hopkins

Horacio Malvicino

Howie Kane

Huey "Piano" Smith

Ian Bairnson

Ian Emes

Ian Tyson

Iasos

Ilanga

Inga Swenson

Ingrid Haebler

Ira Selsky

Irish Grinstead

Irma Capece Minutolo

Irv Lichtman

Isaac "Redd" Holt

Ismaïlia Touré

Ivan "Mamão" Conti

Ivan M. Tribe

J.J. Barnes

Jack Lee

Jack Pruett Jr.

Jack Sonni

Jacqueline Dark

Jaquelyne Ledent-Vilain

Jah Shaka

Jaimie Branch

Jake Marlowe

James Bowman

James Casey

James Harvey IV

James Jorden

James Lewis

James Kottak

James C. "Jimmy" LaRocca

Jamie Reid

Jamie Tiller

Jan Woods

Jane Birkin

Jannis Noya Makrigiannis

Jasmin Stavros

Javier Álvarez Fuentes

Jay Goldberg

Jay Weston

Jay Clayton

Jean Knight

Jeff Beck

Jeff Cook

Jeff Davis

Jeff Heiman

Jeffrey Foskett

Jeno Jandó

Jeremiah Green

Jerry Bradley

Jerry Dodgion

Jerry Fretwell

Jerry Kearns

Jerry Moss

Jerry Samuels

Jerry Springer

Jerry Whitehurst

Jerry Kramer

Jerry Paul Arnold

Jerry Lee Lewis

Jesse McReynolds

Jesus Garber

Jet Black

Jim Boyer

Jim Gordon

Jim Parker

Jim Sharpley

Jim Vienneau

Jim Ladd

Jim Rae

Jimmy Buffett

Jo Mersa Marley

Jo-El Sonnier

Joanna Merlin

João Donato

Joaquin Romaguera

Joaquin "Jocko" Fajardo

Joe Fagin

Joe McGuire

Joey Bogan

John Albert

John Beckingham

John Cirillo

John Deyle

John Giblin

John Gosling

John Kezdy

John Lomax IV

John Marshall

John Miller

John Morris

John Regan

John Waddington

John Cutler

John Alexander

John Andrew Tartaglia

John Watson Algee

Johnny Allon

Johnny Fean

Johnny Ruffo

Jon Fausty

Jon Kennedy

Jordan Blake

José Evangelista

Joseph Koo

Joshua Culbreath

Joshua Madsen

Joss Ackland

Jovit Baldivino

Joy McKean

Joyce Bryant

Juan Carlos Formell

Judy Massey

Julián Figueroa

Julian Sebothane Bahula

Justin Bartlett

Justin Fontaine

K. Neville Garrick

K.J. Joy

Kaija Saariaho

Karaikudi Mani

Karl Berger

Karl Tremblay

Karl F. Dieterichs

Katherine Anderson Schaffner

Kathy Chow

Keiko Okuya Jones

Keith Gattis

Keith Reid

Keith Holzman

Kelly Joe Phelps

Ken Brigham

Ken Fish

Ken Roberts

Ken Calvert

Kendall A. Minter

Kenneth Anger

Kenneth Force

Kenneth Montgomery

Kenneth Riegel

Kent Stax

Kevin Fleming

Kevin Lemons

Kevin "Geordie" Walker

Kihnu Virve

Kim Simmonds

Kirk Arrington

Kirstie Alley

Klee Benally

Kwame Brathwaite

Kyle Jacobs

Ladislav Jásek

Lalo Rodriguez

Lance Reddick

Larry Chance

Larry Morris

Larry Collins

Lasse Wellander

Laura Lynch

Lawrence "Larry" Cohn

Lázaro Valdés

Lee Berk

Lee Purkis

Lee Rauch

Leela Omchery

Lefty SM

Leiji Matsumoto

Len Chandler

Lena McLin

Lenka Hlávková

Leny Andrade

Leo D. Sullivan

Leonard Abrams

Leonard Zinn

Leroy "Black Stalin" Calliste

Les Brown Jr.

Les Leverett

Les McCann

Leslie Jordan

Lester Sterling

Lewis Largent

Lewis Spartlan

Lewis Pragasam

Lily Afshar

Linda de Suza

Linda Lewis

Lisa Roy

Lisa Marie Presley

Lisandro Meza

Lisl Steiner

Liz Thiels

Lizeta Nikolaou

Lois Curtis Shepherd

Lola Mitchell "Gangta Boo"

Lola Dee

Lord Creator

Lou Deprijck

Loyal Jones

Luis Vasquez

Luke Bell

Lyn McLain

M Daud Kilau

Malini Rajurkar

Mam' Sylvia Mdunyelwa

Manana Doijashvili

Mandla 'Mampintsha' Maphumulo

Manny Martinez

Manuel Göttsching

Manuel Castillo Girón

Marc Roy

Marcel Amont

Marcel Zanini

Marek Kopelent

Margaret Josephine Nisbett

Margie Hunt

Margie Sullivan

María Jímenez

Mariana Sîrbu

Marianne Mantell

Marilyn Johnston Blankenship

Mark Adams

Mark Capps

Mark Howard

Mark James

Mark Kuykendall

Mark Russell

Mark Sheehan

Mark Stewart

Mark Thomas

Mark Nelson

Marlena Shaw

Mars Williams

Marsha Gray Basore

Martha Owen

Martin Duffy

Martin Petzold

Martin Stevens

Mary Weiss

Mary G. Dawson

Mary Jane Thomas

Mary Turner Pattiz

Mason Ruble

Massimo Savić

Matt Alese

Matt Stewart

Maurice Bourgue

Maurice Hines

Max Morath

Maxi Jazz

Mbongeni Ngema

Mbuya Stella Chiweshe

MC Fats

Megan Terry

Melanie Safka

Melvin "Magoo" Barcliff

Menahem Pressler

Merv Shiner

Michael Blackwood

Michael Keith

Michael Kupper

Michael Leon

Michael McGrath

Michael Parkinson

Michael Rhodes

Michael Snow

Michael "Ibo" Cooper

Michael John McGann

Mick Slattery

Mikael Maglieri

Mike Henderson

Mike Reeves

Mike Brown

Mike Taylor

Mike J Rojas

Miki Liukkonen

Mildred Miller

Milo Hrnić

Minneapolis Backyard Punk Show Shooting

Misha K. Hunke

Mo Foster

Mohbad

MoneySign Suede

Monte Cazazza

Moonbin

Myles Goodwyn

Mylon LeFevre

Najah Salam

Nancy Van de Vate

Nashawn (Lotto) Breedlove

Neal Langford

Neela Rampogal

Neil Kulkarni

Neville Garrick

Nicholas Lloyd Webber

Niel Immelman

Nihal Nelson

Niko Everette

Nina Matviienko

Nobuyuki Idei

Nora Forster

Norby Walters

Norm Pattiz

Notis Mavroudis

O.S. Thyagarajan

Oladips

Olga Chorens

Ordy Garrison

Orlando Marin

Óscar Agudelo

Otis Barthoulameu

Otis Redding III

Özkan Ugur

Pacho El Antifeka

Pamela Blair

Pamela Chopra

Pansequito

Pat Bunch

Patricia Burda Janečková

Patrick Emery

Paul Beasley

Paul Cattermole

Paul Desenne

Paul Justman

Paul Prestopino

Paul Woseen

Paxton Whitehead

Pedro Lavirgen

Pedro Messone

Pedro Henrique

Pedro Suárez-Vértiz

Pepe Domingo Castaño

Petch Osathanugrah

Pete Brown

Pete Garner

Peter Austin

Peter Brötzmann

Peter Cooper

Peter Kowalsky

Peter Luboff

Peter McCann

Peter Nero

Peter Solley

Peter Schickele

Phil Quartararo

Phill Niblock

Pilarín Bueno

Pluto Shervington

Polito Vega

Prabha Atre

Pt Vijay Kichlu

Qamar Gula

R.C. Harris

Ralph Gordon

Ramani Ammal

Ramla Beegum

Ramsey Lewis Jr.

Randy Bailey

Randy Meisner

Rashid Khan

Ray Cordeiro

Ray Hildebrand

Ray Pillow

Ray Shulman

Ray Sparks

Raymond Froggatt

Raymond Lumpkin

Red Paden

Reiner Goldberg

Rena Koumioti

Renata Scotto

Renée Geyer

Ricardo Iorio

Ricardo Drue

Richard Davis

Richard Landis

Richard Law

Richard Ross

Richard Gaddes

Rick Froberg

Rick Newman

Rickie May

Rita Hollingsworth

Rita Lee

R.L. Boyce

Rob Laakso

Robbie Bachman

Robbie Robertson

Robert Becerra

Robert Black

Robert Haimer

Robert Hicks

Robert Michaels

Robert H. Precht

Robert W. Smith

Robin Tamang

Rock Brynner

Rodney Hall

Rodriguez

Roger Sprung

Roger Whittaker

Rohana  Jalil

Rolf Harris

Ron Cornett

Ron Haffkine

Ron Hamilton

Ron Spears

Ron S. Peno

Ronnie Turner

Roseline Damian

Roxie Cawood Gibson

Roy Rifkind

Roy Taylor

Royal Blakeman

Royston Ellis

Rudolph Isley

Russell Batiste Jr.

Russell Sherman

Ryan Siew

Ryuichi Sakamoto

Sajid Khan

Sakevi Yokoyama

Sal Piro

Sam Cutler

Sanath Nandasiri

Sandra Butler Truesdale

Sandra Trehub

Sara Tavares

Sarah Schlesinger

Sarah Rice

Scott Johnson

Scott Schinder

Séamus Begley

Sean Martin

Seán Keane

Sebastian Marino

Seóirse Bodley

Seymour Stein

Shahidul Haque Khan

Shane Yellowbird

Shaul Greenglick

Shaun Roberts

Sheila Smith

Sheldon Harnick

Sheldon Reynolds

Shoji Tabuchi

Silent Servant

Silvio Berlusconi

Sinéad O'Connor

Sir David Lumsden

Sixto Diaz Rodriguez

Slim Andrews

Smokey Greene

Soňa  Červená

Spot

Stainslaw Radwan

Stan Hitchcock

Stanley Drucker

Stella Stevens

Stephen Gould

Stephen "tWitch" Boss

Stephen Allen Davis

Steve Harwell

Steve Riley

Steve Skold

Steve Travis

Steve Nelson

Steven Lutvak

Stevie B-Zet

Stuart Margolin

Sudakshina Sarma

Sueli Costa

Sulochana Chavan

Suna Kan

Surinder Shinda

Suzanne Somers

Suzy Frank

Swarup Nayak

Sweet Charles Sherrell

Tamara Milashkina

Tapas Das

Teddy White

Teresa Taylor

Teri Bristol

Terri Nolan

Terry Hall

Terry Kirkman

Terry Thacker

Terry Baucom

Teté Caturla

Thanga Darlong

The 45 King

Theo de Barros

Theresa Reneé Watson

Thom Bell

Thomas Stacy

Thomas H. Lee

Thomasina Winslow

Thotakura Somaraju

Tim Bachman

Tim Stacy

Tim Rogers

Tim Norell

Tina Turner

TJ De Blois

Tohru Okada

Tom Jones

Tom Langdon

Tom Leadon

Tom Verlaine

Tom Whitlock

Tom Wilkerson

Tom Smothers

Tom Mazzetta

Tony Bennett

Tony Coe

Tony McPhee

Tony Oxley

Tony Clarkin

Torben Ulrich

Toru Mitsui

Toto Cutugno

Treat Williams

Treva Chrisco

Trish Williams Warren

Troy Brammer

Tshala Muana

Vakhtang Kikabidze

Valentin Gheorghiu

Van Conner

Varnell Harris Johnson

Victor Pikayzen

Victor Rasgado

Vilayil Faseela

Vince Hill

Violeta Hemsy de Gainza

Virginia Zeani

Vivian Trimble

Vivian Williams

Vivienne Westwood

Walt Groller

Walt Wilson

Walter Aipolani

Walter Arlen

Walter Charles

Walter Cole Darcelle XV

Walter Ulloa

Walter "Wolfman" Washington

Wayne Shorter

Wayne Swinny

Wee Willie Harris

William "DJ Casper" Perry Jr.

Willie Ruff

Willis Spears

Yaacov Bergman

Yehonatan Geffen

Yitzhak Klepter

Yogesh Vaidya

Yotam Haim

Young Capone

Yukihiro Takahashi

Yuri Temirkanov

Yuzo Toyama

Yvonne Přenosilová

Zahara

Zdenek Macal

Zita Carno

2024 GRAMMY Nominees and Winners: See The Full List