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The Oral History Of The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness

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58th GRAMMY nominees The Weeknd, Stephan Moccio, Dannyboystyles, Ali Payami, and others tell the inside story of the Album Of The Year-nominated Beauty Behind The Madness
Bruce Britt
GRAMMYs
Feb 9, 2016 - 6:57 pm

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The Oral History Of The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness

He caught the global music scene unawares, thumbing his nose at pop convention with a fearless fusion of brooding R&B and high-concept art rock. Within three years of his 2011 debut, Canadian singer/songwriter Abel Tesfaye, known as The Weeknd, had cultivated an underground following so loyal he headlined the world-famous Hollywood Bowl without ever having placed a Top 40 U.S. single.

So when fans learned in 2015 that their mysterious antihero was collaborating on a new album with renowned hit producers, including Max Martin and Savan Kotecha, it came as a shock. Was The Weeknd abandoning his trademark shadowiness to perform smiley-faced pop?

Fans needn't have worried. The Weekend's Beauty Behind The Madness has been hailed as a masterful reconciliation of R&B, pop and rock. Spawning the Album Of The Year-nominated "Can't Feel My Face" and No. 1 hit "The Hills," the album garnered an Album Of The Year GRAMMY nomination, and officially marked a breakthrough for The Weeknd and his XO imprint.

It was tempting to view Beauty Behind The Madness as a cynical appeal to radio listeners but, in fact, the album represented a massive risk. Beauty Behind The Madness is the result of The Weeknd and his collaborators heedfully seeking that sweet spot between engaging Top 40 and exquisite, R-rated urban pop. Following, The Weeknd and other key participants give the inside story of the album.

*The Weeknd (artist): I think the worst thing anyone can say about an artist is, "He could have been great." I was always scared of being that guy where it's like, "He could have been big. He could have been a star." I was afraid I'd see somebody else up there and be like, "You're trying to tell me they're better than me? Why? Because they've got a couple of smash records? I can do smashes. I could figure it out."

Savan Kotecha (songwriter): We had this song for Ariana Grande called "Love Me Harder," and we felt like it needed a duet. Wendy Goldstein at Universal was really pushing The Weeknd — "You gotta get The Weeknd! You gotta get The Weeknd!" I think it took like a month for Abel to finally agree.

Stephen Moccio (co-producer): We were commissioned [to write songs for the Fifty Shades Of Grey movie soundtrack]. The producers were looking for a specific, old-school sound, kind of an Al Green-meets-James Brown sound. So I was in my studio in L.A. with Abel, DaHeala [Jason Quenneville] and Belly [Ahmad Balshe], and I just started playing these innocent chords, and Abel and DaHeala start freaking out — "Oh, that stuff's amazing! Record it, record it!" There were no lyrics at the time, but those two chords just became such a huge foundation of "Earned It [Fifty Shades Of Grey]."

Kotecha: We sent Abel "Love Me Harder," and I think he recorded it in Toronto. He sent us back his verse, and we had a couple of tweaks we asked for, which he did very graciously. Then he sang his vocals, wrote a second verse, did some ad-lib stuff, and that was it, really. Then Wendy contacted us, saying Abel would like us to collaborate with him for his album.

Moccio: By the time [the movie producers] heard "Earned It," we had weeks to lock and produce, it was that under-the-gun. So a lot of the simplicity of the song could be blamed on the fact that I didn't have time to do more, other than to just concentrate on the performance of the strings, a great bass performance, a piano performance, and Abel's incredible vocal. Had I had another week, there [might] have been other instruments in it.

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Danny "Dannyboystyles" Schofield (co-producer): I think Beauty Behind The Madness really started with "Often." That song set the tone for all us creators. It marked the letting go of [2013's] Kiss Land and the start of graduating. It was all of us in Miami just having a good time — me, DaHeala, Belly, Ben Billions, and Abel. I think it began with Ben Billions doing some programming, then DaHeala chopping up some samples, and Abel and Belly doing some melodies over the beat.

Ali Payami (co-producer): I met Abel at the studio here in L.A., and almost right away we started working. It was me, Max [Martin], and Abel's friends DaHeala and Belly, and everybody just throwing around ideas. The energy was so great. If anybody would get a little bit tired, somebody would give them energy to just, "C'mon! Let's do this!"

**The Weeknd: Max's studio used to be Marilyn Monroe's old house and I came up with the concept for a song called "In The Night" in her bedroom. That was pretty amazing.

In a span of like a month, we did so many songs. It was a learning experience for me. When you work with someone who has been doing it for as long as Max Martin, you can't help but learn.

Kotecha: The first song we did was "In The Night." We were talking about Michael Jackson, about doing a kind of shuffle beat like the one on "The Way You Make Me Feel."

Payami: We were listening to "Copacabana" by Barry Manilow, and talking about how the song is happy, but the lyrics are so depressing. So we wanted to make this dance-y song with real lyrics that would not be as happy. That's how "In The Night" came about. Thank you, Barry Manilow!

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The Weeknd - In The Night

Dannyboystyles: I initially started ["As You Are"] with me, Abel and Belly on a keyboard here in L.A. Initially it was just a song we were having fun with. As time went by, Abel's manager said, "That song is amazing." We were like, "Really? You think so?" Initially, it was a harder record, but DaHeala had the idea to make it more of a "feeling" song.

Kotecha: "Can't Feel My Face" was just fun … all of us in the room, coming up with melodies. It was a much brighter song when we started it, but Abel really kept pushing us to make it more moody … so Ali actually went back and sort of darkened it up really quickly, and that's what turned it into a hit. Ali and Max did a great job of translating what Abel was saying about the song.

Payami ["Can't Feel My Face" is] a very spare song. It's very concentrated on Abel's vocals. He's the one making it special.  

Kotecha: The funny story is that me and Max didn't realize what "can't feel my face" meant. Then we found out, and we were like, 'oooooooh!' [The expression is slang for feeling intoxicated].

**The Weeknd: I wrote "Dark Times" with Ed Sheeran; that was kind of spontaneous. He was hosting the Much Music [Video] Awards in Toronto and I invited him, and pretty much the entire awards show, to my condo to party. It went on until about 5 in the morning, but we didn't write the song until that next day, so you can imagine how that night went. Ed also did a freestyle battle with [rapper] Waka Flocka [Flame] in my kitchen. That was pretty dope. Good times.

Payami: Being a kid from a little South Sweden city … to be GRAMMY nominated … it's a special feeling. And it was so much fun doing it. We really didn't think, "Let's sit down and make hit songs." We just did stuff we loved. You knew that you were part of something special.

Bruce Britt is an award-winning freelance writer whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, USA Today, Detroit Free Press, San Francisco Chronicle, and other distinguished publications. He lives in Los Angeles.

Tune in to the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Monday, Feb. 15 at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on CBS.

*As told to Rolling Stone
** As told to GQ magazine

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Photo: Joe Klamar/AFP/Getty Images

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Find Out Who Just Made History With Their GRAMMY Nominations: 2020 GRAMMYs By The Numbers

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Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and FINNEAS are the top-nominated artists this year, and the first three are all first-timers
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 22, 2019 - 3:20 pm

Let's be real—the 2020 GRAMMYs have been on our mind lately, especially with all the excitement that came with artists finding out about their nominations on Wednesday. Let's take a look at the 62nd GRAMMY Awards by the numbers to find out who made history and other big takeaways from the expansive nominee list.

This year's top-nominated artists, in order of most nods, are Lizzo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande, H.E.R. and FINNEAS. As a first-time nominee, Lizzo leads the pack with eight total nominations—her fellow top-three artists, who both earned six nods, are also first-timers and all Best New Artist nominees.

Related: Record Of The Year Nominees Revealed | 2020 GRAMMY Awards

Eilish and Lizzo make history as the first time two artists have been nominated in all four General Field categories (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist). At just 17, the "bad guy" singer is the youngest nominee to ever receive nominations in these four all-genre categories. Last year, these four categories were expanded to include eight nominees.

Another Best New Artist contender, Barcelonan nu-flamenco queen Rosalía, also makes history as the first nominee in the category that performs completely in Spanish. The "Malamente" singer also has a nomination in Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album, for her Latin GRAMMY-Album-Of-The-Year-winning LP, El Mal Querer.

One of her fellow category contenders, Puerto Rican Latin trap king Bad Bunny, is competing against himself; his Latin GRAMMY-winning debut album, X 100PRE, and his 2019 J Balvin-collab project, Oasis, are both nominated.

Read More: Find Out Who's Nominated For Best New Artist | 2020 GRAMMY Awards

FINNEAS, Eilish's older brother and producer, is also being nominated for the first time, and earned five nods. He shares three with her (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Song Of The Year) and also is in the running for Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical and Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical.

Grande and H.E.R. snagged five more nods each this year, following both of their first-ever GRAMMY wins at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. This past show was H.E.R.'s debut year—she was a Best New Artist contender and took home wins for Best R&B Album and Best R&B Performance, the latter of which she is nominated for again.

Watch: H.E.R. Wins Best R&B Album

As for Ari, she won Best Pop Vocal Album for Sweetener last year and is in the running for this award again for her follow up, thank u, next. Her prior two albums, 2014's My Everything and 2016's Dangerous Woman, were also nominated for the same pop award. The 62nd GRAMMY Awards is the first time the "7 rings" singer is contending for Record Of The Year and Album Of The Year.

To decide who is nominated and, in the second round, take home the golden gramophones, approximately 11,000 Recording Academy voting members—music professionals across genres and disciplines, including recording artists, songwriters, producers and engineers—participate in the voting process.

2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List

This year, over 20,000 submissions were entered for GRAMMY consideration this year. Eligible music was released between Oct. 1, 2018 and Aug. 31, 2019.

In just 64 days, ton Jan. 26, 2020, the nominees will walk the red carpet into Staples Center in Downtown Los Angeles! Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com, our YouTube page, our newsletter (sign up below) and our social channels (follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for all things 2020 GRAMMYs, and make sure to catch the show live on CBS.

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Poll: Who Will Win Best Pop Vocal Album At The 2020 GRAMMYs?

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"WE ARE ALL WINNERS": 2020 GRAMMY Award Nominees React On Social Media

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From first-time nominees Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Lil Nas X to GRAMMY winners James Blake, H.E.R., Ariana Grande and The Chemical Brothers, current nominees are filling their social media with messages of gratitude and joy
Ana Monroy Yglesias
GRAMMYs
Nov 20, 2019 - 1:06 pm

With the full 62nd GRAMMY Award nominations dropping bright and early this morning, the music industry is now wide awake and celebrating on social media.

Read on to share in the excitement with some of the 2020 GRAMMY nominees: Lizzo, James Blake, Billie Eilish, H.E.R., Yola, Lil Nas X, Ariana Grande and more!

First-time nominee Lizzo is "feelin' good as hell" about her momentous eight nods, which include Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year and Best New Artist. She took to her Twitter bright and early, not long after the news went live to share the big mood. "THIS HAS BEEN AN INCREDIBLE YEAR FOR MUSIC AND IM JUST SO THANKFUL TO EVEN BE PART OF IT," she beamed in her second tweet, followed by "WE ARE ALL WINNERS." Congrats, queen!

Billie Eilish is another first-time nominee who's also up for Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year Best New Artist and more. The young anti-pop star, whose older brother FINNEAS produces her music, wrote "BETWEEN ME & MY BROTHER ITS 11 NOMINATIONS thank u grammyyys this is an honor." Talk about a sibling power duo!

Another first-time nominee and Best New Artist contender, Yola, is reveling in this big day. "I'm trying to find the right words for the @RecordingAcad nominations this morning, this is an absolute dream!!" the rising Queen of Country Soul first wrote on Twitter this morning.

Two hours later, the British songstress came up with a few more words to summarize her joy: "To be be nominated for four @RecordingAcad #GRAMMYs in the 10th month of my debut year is beyond a dream come true. Thank you to my incredible team and everyone who has supported and believed in me along the way. I'm truly honoured to be in the category with every artist nominated."

Country/trap king Lil Nas X also joined the first-time nominee rodeo with six nods, including for Best New Artist, Album Of The Year—for his debut EP, 7—and Record Of The Year for "Old Town Road."

"NO F***ING WAY" he wrote on Twitter. Yee-haw indeed, cowboy.

GRAMMY-winning alt-electro crooner James Blake, who was a Best New Artist nominee back at the 56th GRAMMY Awards, also took to social media to share the weight of this prestigious peer recognition. "Assume Form nominated for best alternative album! This one meant a huge amount to me. ahhhhhhhhh! LOVE YOU ALL," he wrote on Instagram.

Rising R&B powerhouse H.E.R., won her first two GRAMMYs at the 61st GRAMMY Awards, where she was a Best New Artist nominee. She is understandably thrilled about her five nominations this year, and gave her tweet the all-caps, multiple-exclamation-point treatment: "5 NOMINATIONS!!!! WHAAAAAT. THATS CRAZY!!!! AGAAAAAINNNNNN. AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. GOD IS GREAT."

Pop queen Ariana Grande may have won her first GRAMMY earlier this year, for Sweetener, but she was still blown away by today's news. She is up for five awards this year, including for Album Of The Year and Best Pop Vocal Album (the gramophone she snagged in 2019) for her 2019 follow-up, thank u, next.

In one of her excited tweets this morning she wrote, "thank u for acknowledging this music my beautiful best friends and i created in just a few weeks together. the acknowledgement is truly enough on its own for me and my heart."

GRAMMY-winning alt-rock stalwarts Cage The Elephant were stoked to earn another Best Rock Album nod, the category they won at the 59th GRAMMY Awards. The band wrote, "Such a blessing and honor to wake up this morning and see we're nominated for a GRAMMY!!! BIG LOVE!!!! @RecordingAcad #GRAMMYs2020 #GrammyNominations #GRAMMYs."

First-time nominees and Brit-rock experimenters The 1975 are celebrating their Best Rock Song nomination, sharing, "// B E S T R O C K S O N G - N O M I N A T I O N // @RecordingAcad L O V E #GRAMMYs," along with a picture featuring lyrics from the nominated song, "Give Yourself A Try."

Nigerian Afro-fusion artist Burna Boy also received his first GRAMMY nomination this year, as his major 2019 album, African Giant, is up for Best World Music Album. He joined in the conversation, retweeting a plethora of fan congrats, as well as his own post, which simply read, "African Giant #GRAMMYs @RecordingAcad!!"

Young rapper YBN Cordae officially joins the ranks of GRAMMY-nominated artists with his two first-ever nods (Best Rap Song and Best New Rap Album) for his 2019 debut LP, The Lost Boy. He shared his excitement with a tearful video of gratitude on his IG stories, as well as several tweets, one of which read, "Bro my DEBUT album got nominated for BEST RAP ALBUM..... this sh*t crazy."

He also tweeted a video of himself from just two years ago, prophesizing more was on the horizon ("This is just the beginning…give me two years"). "Don't let nobody tell you can't do whatever the f**k you put your mind too," this tweet read. Dayum, word.

While there are far too many nominees to share in this article, let's go out with pivotal U.K. electronic duo The Chemical Brothers, who are up for three GRAMMYs this year, including Best Dance/Electronic Album. They were first nominated (and won) back at the 40th GRAMMY Awards, for their classic 1997 track "Block Rockin' Beats."

"Joyful about today's 3 Grammy @RecordingAcad nominations for Best Dance/Electronic Album (No Geography), Best Dance Recording (Got To Keep On) & Best Music Video (We've Got To Try)! Love & gratitude to all that made it possible! #NoGeography #GRAMMYNoms #GRAMMYs #ChemicalBrothers," they shared.

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com, our YouTube page, our social channels (follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) and our newsletter (sign up below) for the latest on all things 62nd GRAMMY Awards. And don't forget to tune in on Jan. 26, 2020 to catch the Biggest Night In Music to find out who takes home the golden gramophones!

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2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Nominees List

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Album Of The Year Nominees Revealed | 2020 GRAMMY Awards

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Albums by Bon Iver, Lana Del Rey, Billie Eilish, Ariana Grande, H.E.R., Lil Nas X, Vampire Weekend and Lizzo all receive nominations
GRAMMYs
Nov 20, 2019 - 5:39 am

The 2020 GRAMMYs are just around the corner, and now the nominations are in for the coveted honor of Album Of The Year. While we'll have to wait until the 62nd GRAMMY Awards air on CBS on Jan. 26 to find out who will win, let's take a look at which albums have been nominated for one of the most anticipated GRAMMY Awards each year.

i,i - Bon Iver

Bon Iver's fourth studio album i,i, which dropped in August 2019, is home to chamber-folk singles "Hey, Ma" and "U (Man Like)" and features contributions from James Blake, Aaron Dessner, Bruce Hornsby, Moses Sumney and Channy Leaneagh. The folk outfit famously won two awards at the 54th GRAMMYs: Best New Artist and Best Alternative Music Album for Bon Iver.

Norman F***ing Rockwell! - Lana Del Rey

The soft-rocking sixth studio album from Lana Del Rey dropped on Aug. 30, 2019 and famously was produced by both Del Rey and superproducer Jack Antonoff, with contributions from Zach Dawes, Andrew Watt and longtime Del Rey collaborator Rick Nowels.

Del Rey has four GRAMMY noms under her belt, the most recent being Best Pop Vocal Album for Lust For Life at the 60th GRAMMY Awards.

Check out the complete 62nd GRAMMY Awards Nominees List

WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? - Billie Eilish

Teenage pop wunderkind Billie Eilish has quickly become one of the biggest stars to emerge over the last few years. Her debut album, WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. and is now the biggest North American debut of the decade (male, female or group), moving 313,000 units in the first week and has already hit No. 1 in the Billboard 200 album charts an additional two times since its release in March, earning Billie more than 15 billion combined streams worldwide to date.

"All I can say about that is I just don't even get it," Eilish told the Recording Academy of her rising success last year at Lollapalooza. It's just crazy to me because I grew up as a fan and I still am a fan, you know. I'm a fan of so much music and art and artists and stuff, and I grew up with their sort of mindset, and now, I'm seeing it from the other side, but also, being on the other side, it's weird. It's just something that doesn't happen, so when it happens, it's like, 'What the f***?'"

thank u, next - Ariana Grande

The fifth studio album by pop titan Ariana Grande, released on Feb. 8, 2019, by Republic Records, follows the release of her previous studio album, Sweetener (2018). For this GRAMMY-winning project, the ponytailed performer enlisted writers and producers such as Tommy Brown, Max Martin, Ilya Salmanzadeh and Andrew "Pop" Wansel. The album famously covered a lot of personal events, including the death of her ex-boyfriend, the late rapper Mac Miller, and her break-up with ex-fiancé Pete Davidson.

Ariana Grande first broke into the Top 10 with "The Way," featuring Mac Miller, from her chart-topping debut album, Yours Truly, in 2013. Later, Grande received her first career GRAMMY nominations in 2014 for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for "Bang Bang" with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj and Best Pop Vocal Album for her second studio album, My Everything. Grande made her GRAMMY stage debut at the 57th GRAMMY Awards, performing "Just A Little Bit Of Your Heart."

I Used To Know Her - H.E.R.

Two-time GRAMMY winning R&B player H.E.R. released a second compilation album, I Used To Know Her, on Aug. 30, 2019. The album comprised songs from the singer's EPs I Used to Know Her: The Prelude (2018) and I Used to Know Her: Part 2 (2018). It also included five additional songs, as well as extended editions of the songs "Going", "Be On My Way" and "The Lord is Coming."

The perma-shaded singer famously cleaned up at the 61st GRAMMY Awards last year, winning Best R&B Performance for "Best Part" and Best R&B Album for H.E.R.

7 - Lil Nas X

7 is the debut EP from 20-year-old rapper/singer Lil Nas X. Released on June 21, 2019, via Columbia Records, 7 was preceded by the ubiquitous chart-topper "Old Town Road" and its remix featuring country icon Billy Ray Cyrus.  

Back in August, the Recording Academy discussed Lil Nas X's success, helped in large part by the popular music app Tik Tok: Back in February, the then-unknown rapper, two months after self-releasing the original version of the country-trap song, uploaded it to TikTok along with a "challenge": to change into Western garb before the drop. The song went viral on the app as users like Michael Pelchat, a.k.a. NiceMichael, added their own versions. A month later, Lil Nas X signed to Colombia Records and in April they released the record-breaking remix.

Cuz I Love You - Lizzo

The third studio album and debut major label LP by flute-playing rapper/singer Lizzo was released through Nice Life and Atlantic Records on April 19, 2019. Featuring guest appearances from Missy Elliott and Gucci Mane, Cuz I Love You covered a host of topics the singer holds near and dear, such as self-love and positivity. "Vulnerability and strength is what this album is all about," she recently told the Recording Academy in an Up Close & Personal interview. 

"When you write these songs you get really excited about them and mind you, I had a song like 'Juice' just under my armpit in the darkness and nobody knew what it sounded like," the singer continued. "Or keeping it a secret that I had Missy Elliott on a song, at that point you just want to explode and when the album was out, I was so excited to just share the songs with people and the world."

Lizzo On 'Cuz I Love You,' Missy Elliott & More

Father Of The Bride - Vampire Weekend 

Father Of The Bride is the fourth studio album by indie greats Vampire Weekend. Their first album on a major label, FOTB was the band's first project in nearly six years, following 2013's Modern Vampires of the City. It was produced by Ariel Rechtshaid and lead singer Ezra Koenig, and features tons of high-profile collaborators, including Danielle Haim, Steve Lacy, Dave Macklovitch of Chromeo, DJ Dahi, Sam Gendel, BloodPop, Mark Ronson and former Vampire Weekend member Rostam Batmanglij.

Vampire Weekend won their first GRAMMY for 2013 for Best Alternative Music Album for their third studio album, Modern Vampires Of The City.

Stay tuned to GRAMMY.com, our YouTube page and our social channels (follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter) for the latest on all things 62nd GRAMMY Awards. 

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Album Of The Year Nominees Revealed | 2019 GRAMMY Awards

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Albums by Cardi B, Brandi Carlile, Drake, H.E.R., Post Malone, Janelle Monáe, Kacey Musgraves, and music from and inspired by 'Black Panther' receive nominations.
Nate Hertweck
GRAMMYs
Dec 7, 2018 - 5:33 am

The 2019 GRAMMYs are just around the corner, and now the nominations are in for the coveted honor of Album Of The Year. While we'll have to wait until the 61st GRAMMY Awards air on CBS on Feb. 10 to find out who will win, let's take a look at which albums have been nominated for one of the most anticipated GRAMMY Awards each year.

Invasion Of Privacy – Cardi B

With the success of her breakout single, "Bodak Yellow," which earned two GRAMMY nominations for Best Rap Song and Best Rap Performance at the 60th GRAMMY Awards last year, Cardi B set the stage for one of the most anticipated debut rap albums in recent memory. Invasion Of Privacy arrived on April 5, 2018, and showed the Bronx-born and raised rapper had a lot more to show.

In June, "I Like It" with J Balvin and Bad Bunny made it to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, making Cardi the first ever female rapper to earn two No. 1 hits. "I Like It" is also nominated for Record Of The Year, "Be Careful" received a nod for Best Rap Performance and Invasion Of Privacy is up for Best Rap Album this year. Tack on Cardi's nomination alongside Maroon 5 for "Girls Like You" for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance bring her total nominations this year to five.

By The Way, I Forgive You – Brandi Carlile

Since exploding from the folk music scene into the mainstream in 2007 with her the title track from her sophomore album, The Story, Brandi Carlile has released a string of quality folk/roots albums. Her latest, By The Way, I Forgive You, shows Carlile and longtime writing/singing partners, twins Tim and Phil Hanseroth, in top form. The album's lead single, "The Joke," encapsulates the spirit and power of love and forgiveness, two main themes of the album.

"I wrote 'The Joke' about a reckoning and a revolution and a time that's coming when we'll realize that love has already conquered the world and pick it back up," Carlile told us in July. 

The album, Carlile's sixth, yielded the same number of GRAMMY nominations—an impressive six—for the 61st GRAMMY Awards, including Best Americana Album as well as Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year, Best American Roots Song and Best American Roots Performance for "The Joke."

Scorpion – Drake

From the very beginning of 2018, chart titan Drake saw a groundswell of buzz for his fifth album, Scorpion. When it finally dropped in late June, the album already had three successful singles: "God's Plan," "Nice For What" and "I'm Upset." Shortly after the album's release, the album's fifth single, "In My Feelings," would climb to put Drake at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the third time of year. Simply put, the Canadian rapper spent the better part of the year shattering streaming and chart records, and the ambitious and hit-laden double-disc album Scorpion was well worth the wait for fans. The project was a hit for voters as well, as Drake clocked in with an impressive seven nominations for the 61st GRAMMY Awards.

H.E.R. – H.E.R.

With her soulful songs and jaw-dropping musicianship only further fueling the mystique of her persona, H.E.R. stepped into the light this year, releasing her widely acclaimed self-titled debut. Apropos of her moniker's meaning (Having Everything Revealed), H.E.R. showed the world her gift, with a breakthrough performance of "Focus" and "Best Part," both from her debut LP, at the BET Awards this summer alongside Daniel Caesar. After a string of successful EPs, H.E.R. gave her fans a new, more complete idea of H.E.R.'s musical ability and remarkable potential. In addition to the coveted Album Of The Year nomination, she's also up for Best New Artist.

Beerbongs & Bentleys – Post Malone

Not to be outdone online, Post Malone broke streaming records this year as well by earning the most streams in one week when Beerbongs & Bentleys arrived on April 27. Real name Austin Richard Post, the singer/rapper entered a new stratosphere of popularity with his sophomore album—and he brought many of this friends along for the joyride, as the album includes cameos by the likes of 21 Savage, Ty Dolla Sign, Nicki Minaj, G-Eazy and YG. Post Malone is nominated in a total of four categories at the 61st GRAMMY Awards.

Dirty Computer – Janelle Monáe

At the 60th GRAMMY Awards, Janelle Monáe delivered one of the most poignant and powerful speeches in recent memory, calling attention to the #TimesUp movement. Three months later, she made an equally powerful statement with her third studio album, Dirty Computer. With the catchy and bold singles "Make Me Feel," "Django Jane" and "Pynk" leading the way, Monáe set a new precedent for what it means to make infectious music with a message in 2018.

“[Creatives] have the power to create the culture and shape it to what we want it to be,” she told us earlier this year. “And we also have the power to undo the culture if it does not serve us well.”

Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves

Country music might be the platform Kacey Musgraves has chosen for her music, but it certainly is not a constriction for the singer/songwriter. On Golden Hour, Musgraves takes her signature stir-up of crafty lyric turns, progressive social themes and authentic twang to a new level, all while opening herself up more candidly than she has in the past.

"This album feels very special and different to me because it feels like my most personal." Musgraves told us back in July. "I don't feel like I've really let people in on this scale previously."

Black Panther: The Album, Music From And Inspired By – Various Artists

Music has always played a key integral role in film, but for this year's transcendent blockbuster "Black Panther," the soundtrack took on a life of its own. Led by the Kendrick Lamar and SZA hit "All The Stars," which earned four nominations of its own including Record Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best Rap/Sung Performance, Black Panther: The Album, Music From And Inspired By looks to make history as just the third ever movie soundtrack to win Album Of The Year, joining the soundtracks for Saturday Night Fever at the 21st GRAMMY Awards, The Bodyguard at the 36th GRAMMY Awards and, most recently, O Brother, Where Art Thou? at the 44th GRAMMY Awards.