One of modern country’s biggest names, Zach Bryan, opted not to submit any of his 2024 music, primarily The Great American Bar Scene, to the Recording Academy for Grammy consideration. This decision follows a recent trend of major artists striking out against the Grammys for a variety of reasons.
Sources told Variety that Bryan’s decision to not submit his music came from “feeling that he does not feel comfortable with awards shows making music competitive.” Bryan has won one Grammy in the past, for “Best Country Duo or Group Performance” for “I Remember Everything” featuring Kacey Musgraves.
Despite not submitting for the Grammys, Bryan has received plenty of success in 2024 so far. His album The Great American Bar Scene was on the Billboard 200 albums chart for 14 weeks, peaking at #2. “Pink Skies”, a song from that album, made it to #6 on the Billboard 100, his second-highest charting single to date. In support of the album, Bryan has been on a successful arena tour for much of the year.
This news arrives as members of the Recording Academy began voting last week, and in turn, plenty of artists put out “for your consideration” posts to not only encourage the Grammy voters to nominate them but remind the general public of their fight for these prestigious awards.
Zach Bryan is not the only major artist who has declined to submit to the Grammys in recent years. The Weeknd has made a habit of not submitting his music to the Academy. After his album After Hours received no nominations, The Weeknd accused the Academy of having “secret committees” and resolved not to submit any more of his music for the awards. While The Weeknd has received Grammy nominations since, these were collaborations, likely submitted by the labels of the artists he performed with.
Drake also has a history of boycotting the Grammys. He pulled Certified Lover Boy from consideration after the album received two nominations for the 2022 award ceremony. He chose to not submit Honestly, Nevermind the following year. However, this streak was recently broken, as Her Loss, Drake’s joint album with 21 Savage, was submitted for consideration at the 2024 Awards, though instead of attending the ceremony, the rapper posted on Instagram, “All you incredible artists remember this show isn’t the facts it’s just the opinion of a group of people who’s name are kept a secret..”
Nominations for the Grammys will be announced on November 8 and the ceremony will take place on February 2.
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