Here’s Where Genre-Bending Albums From Beyoncé, Charli XCX & More Landed for 2025 Grammys

In other news, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones could be headed for their first Grammy showdown.

The Grammys often emphasize honoring an artist’s creative vision, and this year the screening committee followed through on that in a few notable cases. They let Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter compete for Best Country Album and Dolly Parton’s Rockstar for Best Rock Album, even though both could’ve easily been placed in the Best Pop Vocal Album category. The Grammys respected the artists’ genre choices, which is becoming more important as artists frequently blur genre lines. In these situations, the Recording Academy’s screening committee strives to place albums in the category that best fits the artist’s intent.

For example, Jimmy Buffett’s final studio album, Equal Strain on All Parts, is up for Best Americana Album instead of Best Pop Vocal Album. Buffett passed away in September 2023, making this a special entry. Charli XCX’s sixth album, brat, is competing for Best Dance/Electronic Album, while Doja Cat’s reissue of Scarlet, called Scarlet 2 Claude, is in the running for Best Rap Album. Meanwhile, Twisters: The Album has been entered in the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category rather than Best Country Album.

In the Latin categories, all three Latin albums that hit the top 10 on the Billboard 200 during the eligibility period are competing in different areas. Bad Bunny’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana is vying for Best Música Urbana Album, Kali Uchis’ Orquídeas is going for Best Latin Pop Album, and Peso Pluma’s Éxodo is entered for Best Música Mexicana Album (including Tejano).

Interestingly, several top 10 albums didn’t get entered at all, like Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene, Drake’s For All the Dogs, and Ed Sheeran’s Autumn Variations. Additionally, Travis Scott’s Days Before Rodeo was ineligible since it was independently released on SoundCloud back in August 2014.

In other news, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones may be facing off for the first time at the Grammys. Both legendary bands are entered for Best Rock Performance – The Beatles with “Now and Then,” and The Stones with “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” (featuring Lady Gaga). If both get nominated, it will mark the first time they’ve gone head-to-head at the Grammys. Back in the day, The Beatles got plenty of nods, but The Stones were overlooked until 1978 when Some Girls was nominated for Album of the Year.

First-round voting kicked off on Oct. 4, and voters have until Oct. 15 to cast their choices. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 8, with final-round voting happening from Dec. 12 to Jan. 3. The winners will be unveiled on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.