Kacey Musgraves' star-crossed will reportedly not be eligible for Best Country Album at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
As reported by Variety and Billboard, the Recording Academy made the decision during its screening committee meeting, an annual gathering where members can vote to veto songs and albums from particular genre categories if they don't feel that they fit. As noted by Rolling Stone, star-crossed will be placed in the running for Pop Vocal Album instead.
As outlined by the Grammys, an album must contain "51 percent playing time of new country recordings" in order to be eligible for Best Country Album.
star-crossed was released under joint partnership between the country-leaning Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA Nashville imprint and Interscope Records. It also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and is currently listed under the "Country" label on Apple Music.
In a letter to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, UMGN president Cindy Mabe argued against the decision to remove the album from the country music category, saying:
Taking [Musgraves] out of the country category actually does harm to a format struggling with change and inclusivity overall. For the past several years, the stories around country music have been the stories of country radio and the limitations put on women's voices or diversity of any kind from our key artists, their perspectives or their sound.
The numbers speak and are a matter of public record with women making up only 10 percent of all country airplay. This year alone country music has been mired in the controversy surrounding one of the format's biggest artists, Morgan Wallen, who used a racial slur and grew fans and audience from it. THIS IS NOT ALL THAT WE ARE. Under the surface are the artists that change it all and they are led by the example of Kacey Musgraves.
Morgan Wallen was infamously caught on camera using the n-word earlier this year — he's since been banned from attending this year's CMA Awards, though it's currently unclear whether he'll be nominated at the Grammys for this year's Dangerous: The Double Album.
Musgraves' removal comes amid a reconfiguration of the Grammys nomination process, following criticism from the Weeknd — citing the show's "secret committees" — after last year's blockbuster After Hours was shut out of the running. Justin Bieber took to Instagram last year to complain about Changes' placement in the pop rather than R&B category.
Musgraves' Golden Hour previously won both Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammys.
The 2022 Grammy nominations will be announced on November 23.
As reported by Variety and Billboard, the Recording Academy made the decision during its screening committee meeting, an annual gathering where members can vote to veto songs and albums from particular genre categories if they don't feel that they fit. As noted by Rolling Stone, star-crossed will be placed in the running for Pop Vocal Album instead.
As outlined by the Grammys, an album must contain "51 percent playing time of new country recordings" in order to be eligible for Best Country Album.
star-crossed was released under joint partnership between the country-leaning Universal Music Group Nashville's MCA Nashville imprint and Interscope Records. It also debuted at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart and is currently listed under the "Country" label on Apple Music.
In a letter to Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason, UMGN president Cindy Mabe argued against the decision to remove the album from the country music category, saying:
Taking [Musgraves] out of the country category actually does harm to a format struggling with change and inclusivity overall. For the past several years, the stories around country music have been the stories of country radio and the limitations put on women's voices or diversity of any kind from our key artists, their perspectives or their sound.
The numbers speak and are a matter of public record with women making up only 10 percent of all country airplay. This year alone country music has been mired in the controversy surrounding one of the format's biggest artists, Morgan Wallen, who used a racial slur and grew fans and audience from it. THIS IS NOT ALL THAT WE ARE. Under the surface are the artists that change it all and they are led by the example of Kacey Musgraves.
Morgan Wallen was infamously caught on camera using the n-word earlier this year — he's since been banned from attending this year's CMA Awards, though it's currently unclear whether he'll be nominated at the Grammys for this year's Dangerous: The Double Album.
Musgraves' removal comes amid a reconfiguration of the Grammys nomination process, following criticism from the Weeknd — citing the show's "secret committees" — after last year's blockbuster After Hours was shut out of the running. Justin Bieber took to Instagram last year to complain about Changes' placement in the pop rather than R&B category.
Musgraves' Golden Hour previously won both Album of the Year and Country Album of the Year at the 2019 Grammys.
The 2022 Grammy nominations will be announced on November 23.
