What is a Grammy Award, and Who Can Achieve This Recognition?

The Grammy Award is the biggest recognition an artist can ever achieve in their career. Learn every little detail of this award for a deeper understanding.

The Grammy Award is considered one of the most prestigious honors in the world of music. Also known as the Grammys is an award that recognizes the best music recording of the year from every genre. Thus, when it comes to finding out the best music creator, the Grammys can be a metric that can be useful for understanding the caliber of an artist. Every year, the Grammy Award takes place and honor the most talented music artists who have entertained the largest number of audiences all around the world. Among all awards, Grammys are the most respected ones, and that is why it plays a significant role in the career of even music artists. Let’s find out more about the Grammys-

What is a Grammy Award?

The Grammy Awards are a specific award that is presented by the Recording Academy, also known as the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences, or NARAS, in the United States of America. The very first Grammys took place in the year 1959, and since then, it has been going on till now. The Grammys were first started to honor the technical proficiency in the music industry, artistic achievement, and overall excellence in the music industry. Thus, from this, it can be understood that the award is presented to all the music creators who have done excellence in the industry. The name of this specific award came from the word gramophone, which was the very early device for playing recorded music. To symbolize the history of recording music, the trophy of the Grammys is a small golden gramophone.

When is a Grammy Award given to an artist?

A Grammy Award is given to an artist for their outstanding achievement in the industry. It focuses more on the recorded works. In many cases, it is seen that awards are given based on commercial success, fan votes, and chart performance, but for the Grammys, it is not like that. They mostly focus on technical excellence and artistic merits. Hence, an artist will get the chance to achieve a Grammy when they have done exceptionally well in their recordings. Here are a few simple terms of the Grammy Award-

• Excellent music production and engineering

• Outstanding musical performance

• Brilliant composition and songwriting

• Superiority in a specific music genre

• Technical and innovative contribution to a music recording

An artist or music creator will get the chance to win a Grammy when they fulfill any of these requirements. It has been observed that the Recording Academy prefers quality over popularity any day. A music creation that has done exceptionally well on a specific chart is not sufficient to win a Grammy. It is simply the excellence that can help an artist earn a Grammy.

How are Grammy winners selected?

A lot of people do not get to understand how Grammy select a winner for a specific category. There are a few criteria that are considered before finalizing a winner for a Grammy. Here is a detailed description of it-

• Voting:

All the members of the Recording Academy get to vote to decide a winner. The members of the Recording Academy consists several professionals from the industry. It includes many music engineers, producers, artists, songwriters, and various other industry experts. In brief, it can be said that experts from the industry get to be a part of the Recording Academy, and they have the potential to vote for the winner. Everyone gets the chance to give their vote after going through an artist’s creations and evaluating their caliber. So, it is one of the most important elements of deciding a winner for the Grammys.

• Eligibility:

An artist will be able to win a Grammy just by fulfilling a few criteria. It is known that an artist will get the chance to win a Grammy if they release new music between October and September. It is a must when it comes to qualifying as a Grammy nominee and the winner. Other than this, there are a few other metrics along with the voting, which help an artist to win a Grammy. If an artist gets to meet all the specific criteria given by the Recording Academy, only then will they get the chance to win this award.

• Submission and screening:  

Submission and screening are another important part of selecting a Grammy winner. It has been seen that record companies and Academy members get to submit the entries. After that, the committee has to review whether the entries have been made according to the right categories or not. When this requirement is fulfilled, only then do the artists and other creators get to qualify to be nominated for the Grammy. It is a significant part of selecting a Grammy winner. 

What are the major Grammy categories?

In the Grammy Awards, there are a few specific types of awards that are not bound to any genres. It covers all the genres and music productions. And those are considered the biggest honors of this whole event. These categories are known as ‘General Field’. Let’s find out more about it-

• Album of the Year:

Album of the Year is considered one of the most prestigious categories of the Grammys. In this category, an artist’s creativity, production, mixing, engineering, collaboration, and presentation are seen. A complete album also represents the caliber of an artist. That is why winning this award is definitely one of the most respected ones among all the other categories.

• Song of the Year:

Song of the Year is another category of the Grammy Awards that is known as one of the biggest awards. However, most people get a little confused between Song of the Year and Record of the Year. This specific award is given for songwriting. Whoever offers the best songwriting, they gets to win this award. It is not necessarily given to the performer of a song. It recognizes the lyrics, composition, and melody of a track.

• Record of the Year:

At the Grammys, Record of the Year is an award that is dedicated to single songs. This award is given to artists who have offered the best single track in the year. It is mainly based on performance and production of a track. It is not only won by a singer, but also by engineers and producers as well. Instrumentation and technical execution are also a major part of this award.

• Best New Artist:

Best New Artist is a major award of the Grammys that is offered to the emerging talents of the industry. Whoever budding music maker and releases the best song gets the chance to earn an award in this specific category. It is one of the biggest milestones that a rising artist can ever achieve in their life.

These are the few categories of the Grammys that are known as the major awards.

What are the genre-specific awards?

Apart from the General Field categories, there are many genre-specific awards in the Grammys. There are many music genres that are recognized in the Grammy Awards. Those are-

• Pop

• Rock

• Country

• Classical

• Hip-Hop/Rap

• Gospel and Christian music

• R&B

• Jazz

• Electronic/Dance music

• Latin

• Global music

What are the awards beyond performance in the Grammys?

In most cases, it is seen that people associate Grammys only with singers. But, in reality, all music professionals are included in the Grammy Awards. Here are a few Grammy Awards beyond any performances-

• Production and Engineering

This is a specific category that is dedicated to the technical craftsmanship of making a soundtrack. The award categories are-

• Best Engineered Album

• Best Immersive Audio Album

• Producer of the Year

• Best Remixed Recording
  
  
  

• Music Videos and Visual Media

The Grammys also include categories known as:

• Best Music Film

• Best Music Video

• Songwriting and Composition

Apart from Song of the Year, a few other awards are:

• Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media

• Best Arrangement

• Best Instrumental Composition

What are the special Grammy Awards?

There are a few special Grammy Awards given by the Recording Academy. Those are-

• Lifetime Achievement Award:

The Lifetime Achievement Award is given to artists who have done an exceptional job throughout music making career. It is known as the biggest achievement in the music industry. Thus, winning this specific award is the biggest achievement of an artist.

• Grammy Legend Award:

The Grammy Legend Award is given to music creators for their historic contribution to the recording industry. This award can only be won by artists who have made a long-term influence on the industry.

• Trustees Award:

This award focuses on all the individual artists who have made more contributions to the industry in non-performing capacities. It is one of the special awards of the Grammys that is known as a prestigious recognition.

The Grammys are the biggest award that a music artist can achieve in their life. Whoever has won this in their career is definitely the finest music creator in the industry.