If you missed the big music announcement this morning because you were sleeping (I envy you) or otherwise occupied, don't worry, I've got you covered. If there is just ONE thing you need to know about the 2016 Grammys nominations, it's this: This year's Album of the Year nominees are the most diverse they have been in awhile, and that's really important. The 2016 Grammys in general have been super diverse so far, with the number of women nominated in the 27 major categories rising nine percent and the number of nominations going to people of color in the top five categories rising 28 percent. But, it's the Album of the Year category that includes the most diversity in all senses of the word.
Last year, Album of the Year included the likes of Beck, Beyonce, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith, and Pharrell Williams (Beck eventually won.) And, while it's nice to see one woman and two people of color in there, the genres of music weren't very diverse — only including rock, pop, and R&B. Now, let's compare it to this year which saw a rise in everything from the diversity of the music to the diversity of the artists themselves. Nominated this year are Alabama Shakes, Kendrick Lamar, Chris Stapleton, Taylor Swift, and The Weeknd.
Now, that's two women, compared to last year's one, and three people of color compared to last year's two. Then, let's look at the music itself. As Bustle's own Alex Kritselis pointed out, there's music from every major category represented here: Rock, rap, country, pop, and R&B. Now, that's seriously impressive.
The whole point of the Grammys is to recognize the best of the best in the whole industry. Now, for the first time in a long time, that entire industry is actually represented in the Album of the Year category in both racial and gender makeup and in musical genre. So, whoever wins will truly be the best in the business, because they will have beat out competition from every genre of music out there. And, that's the most important (and awesome) thing about the 2016 Grammys.
