Los Angeles, CA – March 14: Taylor Swift with her Grammy for winning Album of the Year on the red … [+]
For the first time in history, 10 titles are nominated for Album of the Year at the 2022 Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy expanded the biggest four categories in a surprise move, allowing for two additional efforts to compete for the prize. According to the New York Times, releases by Kanye West and Taylor Swift were the lucky projects to earn a nod, as they were apparently the ninth and tenth-most-chosen submissions among Grammy voters. That means that had the organization not increased the number of nominations, neither artist would have scored a coveted spot in the field (for their own efforts).
Should she manage another win, Swift will make history and prove herself to be perhaps the greatest artist of all time, at least when looking at the top field at the Grammys.
Swift is up for Album of the Year at the 2022 Grammys with her recent release Evermore. The title followed behind its predecessor and sister surprise release Folklore by less than half a year, but it was released in a different eligibility period, and thus it’s in the running for the honor this time around. Folklore was named the Album of the Year winner in early 2021, and it’s coronation helped the superstar join a very, very exclusive club.
The “Message in a Bottle” chart-topper is currently tied with a trio of other musicians for the most Album of the Year wins at the Grammys, with three apiece. In addition to Swift, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder and Paul Simon have all taken home the trophy in three different instances, with the latter act doing so twice on his own and once as part of a duo. In just a few weeks, Swift could become the first musician to claim the top honor four times. In addition to her three wins, Swift was also nominated once more for Red, but she didn’t claim the prize that year.
Swift faces an uphill battle in terms of collecting a fourth Album of the Year Grammy, but nothing is impossible. Seeing as she wasn’t included in the top eight choices among voters, it seems unlikely that she’s now a frontrunner in their minds for the actual award. Also, it’s very rare for any artist to win any of the big four categories in back-to-back years, though again, it’s certainly not unheard of. Seeing as how Swift just earned another Album of the Year trophy, voters might not be eager to give her another one, at least not so soon.
At the moment, titles by Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Lady Gaga and Tony Bennett and Lil Nas X seem to be the strongest contenders for Album of the Year. Evermore is certainly being considered, but odds are it won’t come out on top. She could make history when the Grammys return in April, but even if she doesn’t, Swift will almost surely be back to compete for the prize once more. She continues to churn out music that performs incredibly well and which critics love, and her output seems to only be getting stronger as far as Grammy voters are concerned. Will she ever win a fourth time? If anyone can do it these days, Swift is a good choice.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2022/02/07/grammys-2022-will-taylor-swift-become-the-first-musician-to-win-album-of-the-year-four-times/