Musician Jon Batiste leads Grammy Award nominations with 11
CTV
Jon Batiste might be the Grammys biggest surprise: The multi-genre performer and recent Oscar winner made such an impression on voters that he scored the most nominations with 11 on Tuesday.
Batiste earned an album of the year nod for "We Are" along with record of the year with "Freedom," a feel-good ode to the city of New Orleans. His nominations span several genres including R&B, jazz, American roots music, classical and music video.
"Oh my goodness. I'm still in a state of astonishment and shock," Batiste told The Associated Press moments after learning of the nominations. "I'm just really happy that we were able to make something in complete artistic integrity and have it be recognized."
Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R. each came away with the second-most nominations with eight by the time the Recording Academy was done announcing its nominees for its Jan. 31 show. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo both had seven nods.
Along with Batiste's surprise domination, another shock was The Weeknd nabbing three nominations after the pop star claimed he would not allow his label to submit his music. Earlier this year, he angrily slammed the Grammys, calling them "corrupt" after he received zero nominations despite 2020's biggest single, "Blinding Lights."
