US singer Jon Batiste might be the Grammys' biggest surprise, after all!
The multi-genre performer and recent Oscar winner made such an impression on voters that he scored 11 nominations 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 and B, jazz, American roots music, classical and music video-film.
Batiste picked up a bid in the best score soundtrack for visual media category for his work on Pixar's "Soul," which won him an Oscar for best score earlier this year.
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 shocking revelation 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."
Even though The Weeknd said he would boycott future Grammys, he still became a nominee for his work on album of the year projects including Doja Cat's deluxe edition "Planet Her" and Kanye West's "Donda." His third nomination was for his appearance on West's single "Hurricane," which also features Lil Baby.
Jay-Z, who is nominated for three Grammys, has the most nominations of all time with 83. The 23-time Grammy-winning rapper moved past Quincy Jones, who has been nominated 80 times.
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