Some say Raymond Antrobus isn't being deaf correctly. "There are people who feel like I shouldn't be doing this in a view, talking," he tells GRAMMY.com over Zoom. "That I should be signing, and I should get an interpreter."

Instead, the poet uses use technology that dramatically improves his quality of life. Among other things, his phone acts as an external mic, which boosts the clarity of the input.

"If technology has enabled me to have a direct conversation, then am I just performing something?" he asks. "Is that not authentic?"

Antrobus is far more concerned with the authenticity of his artistic output. Mixed in an accessible way for hard-of-hearing listeners, his new album, An Investigator (of Missing Sounds), is an unvarnished portrait of his experience.

"There is a kind of authenticity within it, which is to say that there are also shortcomings, there are also contradictions. It's not trying to be perfect or say something perfect," Antrobus says. 

Poems like "The Perseverance," "The Acceptance" and "Every Sound in the World" are charged with Antrobus's ethos — to "honor my authentic self, and what deafness is to me, what language is to me, and my day-to-day experiences.

"Because I'm in my head quite a lot," he continues. "I'm trying to convey what this internal headspace is like, and get it out and share that and hope that people resonate or understand what I'm speaking about."

Read on for an interview with Antrobus about the road to An Investigator (of Missing Sounds), navigating his deafness and his personal conception of his artform.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

What did you want to artistically impart with An Investigator (of Missing Sounds)?

Almost like an experiment, if I'm honest. There was no real grand vision.

I've been performing and writing poetry since I was a kid. And every now and then, I meet someone who's interested in recording my poems and my words.

Collaborating with [producer] Ian Brennan with his experience, and his understanding and appreciation of the voice as an instrument, felt like a worthwhile, important, potentially powerful collaboration or connection to make.

I think I wanted to create something that was kind of unexpected. The idea of the investigation of missing sound is to find a way into silences, to find a way into places where there's perhaps not much language — or no language, no noise, silence — and try and voice it.

I know that sounds quite vague and out there, but that's how almost in the dark I was in this collaboration and bringing it together.

Tell me more about how it came to be.

We recorded about three times that amount of material; it was Ian who kind of constructed the order, the atmosphere.

One way I think of Ian is as a kind of scientist of sound. He's done things with the track or the sound, which I don't access. I have to let other people listen to it to tell me what else is happening — my own missing sound, because there's things in there that I'm missing.

This is our second collaboration album; that was the case with the first one as well. So I don't hear any high decibel sounds. So if there's anything that's kind of faint, or an alarm, or a ringing, or anything high pitch, is just not going to... I just don't pick that up.

Ultimately, there were so many poets who record their poems and make poetry albums who I love. Poets like Jerome Ellis and some dub poets from the '80s and the '70s, like Linton Kwesi Johnson and Jean "Binta" Breeze and Mutabaruka.

So, I'm very much inspired by quite a lot of British, or European and Caribbean poets and noise makers, in a way. I've always wanted to make projects or records where the most important thing is the voice and the words. And that has been difficult to find someone that aligned with that vision.

I was in a band once and they just wanted me to rap. And I was like, "No, no, no. I'm a poet. I can't. Just don't let me rap." So that was a frustrating, a kind of creatively frustrating experience that I've had.

Whereas in An Investigator (of Missing Sounds) with Ian, he was just free. He was like, just record the poems, just let the voice and the words just do what they do instinctively.

Being trusted as a poet — and as a vocalist as well — is a new and liberating terrain for me.

Tell me how you've navigated your deafness up to this point.

I was educated in deaf school in London. I was slow to read, and I was slow to write.

So much of my engagement with language and with the written word has always felt very charged because I had to do so much work with speech therapists, with teachers of the deaf, with English teachers. Luckily, I got a lot of support when I was a child, because my deafness was picked up late.

I feel like with almost every poem I write, or every poem I record, or every poem that I want to get heard, it feels like I'm trying to honor the teachers or the people that have given me this speech or this language — and I don't want to waste it.

That's why it feels like so much is at stake for me. This is not something I can take for granted. Having a voice, wanting to be heard and channeling that through poetry felt and feels appropriate.

I'm sure this life change deeply altered your perspective as a poet.

I think so. It has enriched it, but it's also complicated it more — because I suppose people think about deafness or deaf identity as a kind of culture, a kind of lifestyle.

There's this idea sometimes within that community that there's a certain way to be a deaf person. So if you are speaking rather than signing, and you are someone who has done a lot of work to be able to sound like a hearing person, sometimes there's a bit of guilt that comes with that because my access is a privilege.

I have also visited deaf schools all over the world, around Africa and the Caribbean, around Europe. One of the most consistent things I see is a lack of funding to deaf schools. Most deaf schools and places that students don't even have hearing aids, let alone high-tech hearing aids that come with an app.

So it is complicated, but at the same time, it's also been quite interesting with the new technology, for example, watching films that I'd seen when I was younger and then realizing how much I had made up the plot of those films, or just had a completely different idea of what the films were about or what was going on.

The hearing aids aren't a cure, they're still an aid. The problem isn't always the sound itself. The volume of the sound is still happening, but then sometimes my brain just can't figure  out exactly what it's saying.

Can you give me an example?

I went to see Oppenheimer the other day. I thought it was a really good film, but I missed quite a bit of it because it was in this IMAX, a very bassy cinema, and the film is very talky film. With a lot of the dialogue, it was almost like reverting to my older days when I was just having to patch things together.

So I had to watch the film and then actually read about Oppenheimer and the experiment in New Mexico, everything like that after I'd watched the film to pick up on what has happened.

But I mentioned that film because I was actually really struck with the sound structure of it. It was an event of sound for me. The idea that light travels faster than sound — how that is a principle throughout the whole film.

I feel like there were a lot of things I noticed in that film in terms of the sound — that maybe hearing people, people that don't think as much about the physics of sound and the way of being in sound, might have missed.

That's interesting to me. It is a rich experience, but it still can be an alienating one knowing that most often other people are on a different page from you.

**To get back into An Investigator (of Missing Sounds): what made Ian the man for the job? Ian seems to possess an uncommon level of perceptiveness.**

He does. So many things came together in our meeting, but basically he'd reached out and said that he was a fan of my work.

I'd written a children's book; Ian bought it for his daughter, and she really resonated with it as well. And then Ian was releasing a polemic book on the music industry [2016's How Music ies (or Lives): Field Recording and the Battle for Democracy in the Arts], which is a really good read.

He asked me to come and basically read some poems at the launch. I did that. And at the launch I had a ESL interpreter show up; I was like, Wait, I recognize you. She happened to be one of my support teachers for when I was at school.

So, that was a kind of strange coincidence where we had this whole kind of conversation around the chances of that happening.

At the end of the event, Ian just said, "Look, you have a voice —I just hear something and recognize something that I need to capture."

Because at this point, I've spoken to Ian at the length about the philosophy of sound, about the philosophy of what makes a great vocalist, about the capturing music, and lyrics, and vocals that are outside of the mainstream Amplifying voices and sound that are basically from the margin and trying to center that.

I think Ian and I just kind of had a lot of similar understandings and similar appreciations for those kinds of, I suppose, marginalized narratives. And it just kind of connected, synced together.

It was just like a gut feeling — that this is someone I should work with. This is someone I feel I can trust with my poetry, with my voice to put on a record and hopefully get it heard and have it resonate with others.

Where do you want to go from here? What possibilities are flung open thanks to An Investigator (of Missing Sounds)?

Maybe four years ago, I was teaching creative writing in a men's prison. Most of the men I was working with, they're in jail for life and they're not coming out, and they've taken a liking to poetry.

Half of the group were raised in the same part of London that I'm from. And they'd been given copies of my books before I'd gone to work with them.

The ones who were from where I'm from in East London, in Hackney, once they heard me read the poems they said to me, "Look, I liked reading your work, but when I heard you, I understood you. I had to hear you to understand where you're from and what you're about."

I connected with that, and I never forgot that. That, for me, told me to lean more into my voice and to get some recordings out. And I feel like having had that now, it would just open up my work and the world that I'm talking about, this kind of internal world of mine, to hopefully find more worlds to connect with.

I'm still interested in further collaboration. I'm interested in reaching audiences outside of people who might feel like poetry isn't for them, or that poetry is too, I don't know, earnest, or too predictable, or too much of an old idea. But I truly believe that if poetry had nothing to offer the world today, that it would've died a long time ago.

There's just no way that this art form, which is one of the most ancient art forms of humanity, which is still very much living, breathing, being practiced, being taken seriously by a lot of people in the world.

So I really do feel like, or hope, one of my hopes is that the album would just reach the ears of people who wouldn't have opened up a poetry book in a library or bookshop and connected. But when they hear the voice, maybe they connect with that.

Meet Question, A Rapper/Producer Who Doesn't Want To Be Boxed In By Blindness

So you've been hard at work binge studying the full list of 58th GRAMMY nominees. Now that you've sized up the entire GRAMMY field, we've dissected all 83 categories to bring you 58 interesting and informative factoids about this year's nominees that will help skyrocket your GRAMMY IQ near genius level. Read all 58 facts below.

1. Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar is the leading nominee for the 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards. The critically acclaimed rapper received 11 nominations, a total topped by only two artists in GRAMMY history. Michael Jackson received 12 nods for 1983, as did Babyface for 1996. 

2. Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift received noms for Album, Record and Song Of The Year. It's the second time she has achieved this sweep. She first accomplished it six years ago. Only one other female artist in GRAMMY history has received nominations in all three categories more than once. Mariah Carey achieved the triple play for both 1990 and 2005.

3. Max Martin

Max Martin co-produced two of the contenders for Record Of The Year — Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" and The Weeknd's "Can't Feel My Face." It's the first time in five years that one producer (or team of producers) has produced or co-produced two of the nominees in this category. The Smeezingtons (Bruno Mars, Philip Lawrence and Ari Levine) produced two of the 2010 nominees — Cee Lo Green's "F*** You" and "Nothin' On You" by B.o.B Featuring Bruno Mars.

4. Alabama Shakes

Alabama Shakes are nominated for Album Of The Year for Sound & Color. The band received a GRAMMY nomination for Best New Artist three years ago. (Two other Album Of The Year candidates this year, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar, are also past Best New Artist nominees.)

5. Ronald Isley

R&B legend Ronald Isley is a featured artist on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, a current Album Of The Year nominee. Isley received his first two GRAMMY nominations 46 years ago for the Isley Brothers' classic "It's Your Thing." The trio won for Best R&B Vocal Performance By A Duo Or Group.

6. Courtney Barnett

Courtney Barnett is vying to become the second Australian artist to win Best New Artist. Men At Work won for 1982.

7. Maroon 5

Maroon 5 are vying for their third award in the Best Pop Duo/Group Performance category. The Los Angeles-based quintet is nominated this year for "Sugar." The group won the 2005 award for "This Love" and the 2007 award for "Makes Me Wonder."

8. The Chemical Brothers, Skrillex

The Chemical Brothers and Skrillex are each contending to become the first three-time winner in the category of Best Dance/Electronic Album. The Chemical Brothers, nominated for Born In The Echoes, previously won for Push The Button and We Are The Night. Skrillex, nominated along with Diplo for Skrillex And Diplo Present Jack Ü, previously won for Scary Monsters And Nice Sprites and Bangarang.

9. D'Angelo And The Vanguard

D'Angelo could be headed for his second award for Best R&B Album. He and the Vanguard are nominated this year for Black Messiah. He won the 2000 award for Voodoo. To date, only three artists have won multiple awards in this category. Alicia Keys has won three. John Legend and TLC have each won two.

10. Nicki Minaj

Nicki Minaj is vying to become the first female solo artist to win for Best Rap Album. She is nominated for The Pinkprint. Lauryn Hill shared the 1996 award in this category as a member of Fugees for The Score. (The title of Minaj's album is a nod to Jay Z's The Blueprint, which was a 2001 nominee in this category.)

11. Kacey Musgraves

Kacey Musgraves could become the first female solo artist to win twice in the category of Best Country Album. Musgraves is nominated this year for Pageant Material. She won two years ago for Same Trailer Different Park.

12. Joey Alexander

Joey Alexander, who is nominated for Best Jazz Instrumental Album and Best Improvised Jazz Solo, is just 12 years old. If the piano prodigy wins either award, he'll become the youngest individual artist to win a GRAMMY. The current record-holder is LeAnn Rimes, who was 14 1/2 when she won her first GRAMMY. (The Peasall Sisters were even younger when they won for their contribution to the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack. But they were a group.)

13. Emmylou Harris, Rodney Crowell

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell could be headed for their second GRAMMY in three years in the Best Americana Album category. They're nominated this year for The Traveling Kind. They won two years ago for Old Yellow Moon. To date, Levon Helm is the only two-time winner in this category.

14. Empire: Season 1

Empire: Season 1 is nominated for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media. It's vying to become the second television soundtrack to win in this category. The first was Boardwalk Empire: Volume 1, which won four years ago.

15. Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

One thing's for sure: There will be a first-time winner for Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical. Three of the nominees (Jeff Bhasker, Diplo and Larry Klein) have been nominated in this category once before (though they didn't win). The other two contenders, Dave Cobb and Blake Mills, are first-time nominees.

16. Lalah Hathaway

Lalah Hathaway is vying to win for Best Traditional R&B Performance for the second year in a row. She is nominated this year for "Little Ghetto Boy." She won last year as a featured artist on Robert Glasper Experiment's "Jesus Children." Only two other artists, Aretha Franklin and Beyoncé, have won twice in this category — and neither of them won in back-to-back years.

17. GRAMMY Creators Alliance

What do 58th GRAMMY nominees Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds, Charles Kelley, Adam Levine, and Ryan Tedder have in common? They are co-founders of the GRAMMY Creators Alliance, a collective established by The Recording Academy to help today's leading artists, songwriters and studio professionals form a powerful voice in shaping music's future.

18. Jay Mohr

Jay Mohr is a first-time nominee for Best Comedy Album for Happy. And A Lot. Should he emerge victorious, Mohr would become the fourth former "Saturday Night Live" cast member to win the category. The SNL cast alumni who have previously won Best Comedy Album are Jimmy Fallon, Chris Rock and Eddie Murphy. Mohr's SNL tenure ran from 1993–1995.

19. Roger Waters

Roger Waters' The Wall is nominated for Best Music Film. Pink Floyd's original recording of The Wall received a 1980 GRAMMY nomination for Album Of The Year. That album was voted into the GRAMMY Hall Of Fame in 2008.

20. Pharrell Williams

Pharrell Williams could be headed for his second consecutive award in the category of Best Music Video. The multitalented star is nominated this year for "Freedom." He won last year for "Happy." To date, Peter Gabriel is the only artist to win back-to-back awards in this category. He won the 1992 award for "Digging In The Dirt" and the 1993 award for "Steam."

21. Jimmy Carter

Jimmy Carter could become the first former U.S. President to win twice for Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books & Storytelling). The 39th president is nominated this year for A Full Life: Reflections At Ninety. He won the 2006 award for Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis. (Barack Obama won twice in this category before he became president.)

22. Keith Urban

Keith Urban is nominated in the category of Best Country Solo Performance for "John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16." John Cougar, as the artist was then known, won a 1982 GRAMMY for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male for "Hurts So Good." Urban won four GRAMMYs in the Best Male Country Vocal Performance category.

23. Big Sean

In addition to contending for his first career GRAMMY for "One Man Can Change The World," Big Sean is a curator for the fourth annual GRAMMY Amplifier, which provides aspiring artists with the opportunity to showcase their talent. The Detroit rapper — along with fellow 58th nominee Sam Hunt and Lzzy Hale of the GRAMMY-winning band Halestorm — will select the program's top three winners, who will be announced during GRAMMY Week.

24. Tamar Braxton

Tamar Braxton is a finalist for Best R&B Performance for "If I Don't Have You." This could be her first GRAMMY win. Braxton's older sister, Toni Braxton, has won seven GRAMMYs, including one just last year for Love, Marriage & Divorce, a collaboration with Babyface. It was voted Best R&B Album.

25. Björk

Björk is vying to become the second female solo artist in a row to win Best Alternative Music Album. She's nominated for Vulnicura. Last year the award went to St. Vincent for her eponymous album. Only one other female solo artist has won in the category — Sinéad O'Connor, who took the 1990 award for I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got.

26. James Bay

Englishman James Bay is a finalist for Best New Artist. Another Englishman, Sam Smith, won the award last year. If Bay wins, this will be the second time that artists from England have won in this category in successive years. Amy Winehouse and Adele won for 2007 and 2008, respectively.

27. "Girl Crush"

"Girl Crush" is nominated for Song Of The Year. The song, co-written by Hillary Lindsey, Lori McKenna and Liz Rose, could become the second song written by an all-female songwriting team to win in this category. The first was "Bette Davis Eyes," the 1981 winner, which was co-written by Jackie DeShannon and Donna Weiss. (Four female songwriters have won the award solo: Carole King, Julie Gold, Alicia Keys, and Amy Winehouse.)

28. "See You Again"

"See You Again" from Furious 7 is nominated for Song Of The Year. It's the first film soundtrack song in 12 years to receive a nom in the category. "Lose Yourself" from 8 Mile was a 2003 nominee. Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth co-wrote their hit "See You Again" with Andrew Cedar and Justin Franks. Eminem co-wrote "Lose Yourself" with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto.

29. Ed Sheeran

Ed Sheeran is represented in the Album Of The Year category for the third year in a row. This year, he is a featured artist on The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness. Last year, he was nominated for his own album, X. Two years ago, he was a featured artist on Taylor Swift's Red.

30. The Weeknd

The Weeknd's Beauty Behind The Madness is nominated for both Album Of The Year and Best Urban Contemporary Album. It's the fourth album to be nominated in both categories in the four years that the GRAMMYs have had an urban contemporary category. Beyoncé's self-titled album and Pharrell Williams' Girl were nominated for both awards last year. Frank Ocean's Channel Orange was nominated for both awards three years ago.

31. Ian Brennan

Producer Ian Brennan is nominated for Best World Music Album for his work on Zomba Prison Project's I Have No Everything Here. Brennan recorded the album over 10 days in 2013 with a group of male and female maximum security prisoners. Brennan won the same award for 2011 for his co-producer role on Tinariwen's Tassili.

32. Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me

Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me is competing for Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media. Two tracks from the album won GRAMMYs last year. "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," which Campbell co-wrote with Julian Raymond, was voted Best Country Song. The Band Perry's version of Campbell's 1967 hit "Gentle On My Mind" won for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. Campbell, a six-time GRAMMY winner, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Recording Academy in 2012.

33. Carrie Underwood

Carrie Underwood is vying to take home the award for Best Country Solo Performance for the third time in the past four years. She's nominated this year for "Little Toy Guns." She won the 2012 award for "Blown Away" and last year's award for "Something In The Water."

34. "Glory"

"Glory," which won an Academy Award last year, is nominated for three GRAMMYs: Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Rap Song and Best Song Written For Visual Media. Common and John Legend, whose recording of the song was heard at the end of Selma, co-wrote the song with Che Smith.

35. Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney has won GRAMMYs in the Pop, Rock and Traditional Pop Fields. Could he be headed for an award this year in the Rap Field? He's nominated in two rap categories — Best Rap Performance as a featured artist on Kanye West's "All Day" and Best Rap Song as a co-writer of that song.

36. Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar, a nominee for Best World Music Album for Home, is vying for her first career GRAMMY. Shankar is the daughter of the late Ravi Shankar, a recipient of a Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award. Ravi Shankar: A Life In Music is on display at the GRAMMY Museum through April 1. The exhibit offers visitors a glimpse into the sitar legend's early life and his impact on Western music.

37. Slipknot

Slipknot could be headed for their second award in the category of Best Metal Performance. The band is nominated for "Custer," a track from.5: The Gray Chapter. Slipknot won the 2005 award for "Before I Forget."

38. Best Rock Performance

Three female-fronted groups are nominated for Best Rock Performance: Alabama Shakes (fronted by Brittany Howard), Florence & The Machine (fronted by Florence Welch) and Wolf Alice (fronted by Ellie Rowsell).

39. Sam Hunt

Sam Hunt is a finalist for Best New Artist. He is just the fourth male country solo artist to receive a nomination in this category. He follows Billy Ray Cyrus, Brad Paisley and Hunter Hayes. Historical note: For two years in the mid-'60s, the GRAMMYs awarded a separate Best New Country & Western Artist award. Roger Miller (1964) and the Statler Brothers (1965) were the winners.

40. Kelly Clarkson

Kelly Clarkson, the only two-time winner for Best Pop Vocal Album, could be headed for her third award in the category. She's nominated this year for Piece By Piece. Clarkson won the 2005 award for Breakaway and the 2012 award for Stronger. Her competition includes two other past winners in the category: James Taylor (who won the 1997 award for Hourglass) and Mark Ronson (who shared the 2007 award for co-producing Amy Winehouse's Back To Black).

41. MusiCares Person of the Year

Current GRAMMY nominees Charles Kelley, John Legend and Pharrell Williams are slated to perform at the tribute gala honoring 2016 MusiCares Person of the Year Lionel Richie. Taking place Feb. 13 in Los Angeles, the gala raises funds to support the mission of MusiCares, which ensures music people have a place to turn in times of financial, medical and personal need.

42. Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's Shadows In The Night is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. The album is a collection of songs made famous by Frank Sinatra. Both of these artists have received Lifetime Achievement Awards from The Recording Academy — Sinatra in 1965; Dylan in 1991. (Coincidentally, both artists were 49 at the time they received those honors.)

43. Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg has never received an Album Of The Year nomination as a lead artist, but he has been a featured artist on two nominated albums in the category. He's featured on Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp A Butterfly, a nominee this year. He was previously featured on Katy Perry's Teenage Dream, a 2010 nominee.

44. Mark Ronson, Bruno Mars

"Uptown Funk" by Mark Ronson Featuring Bruno Mars is a finalist for Record Of The Year. This is the second time these two musicians have shared a nomination in that top category. Ronson co-produced Mars' "Locked Out Of Heaven," which was a nominee two years ago.

45. Irving Azoff

Irving Azoff will be honored at Clive Davis' and The Recording Academy's annual Pre-GRAMMY Gala on Sunday, Feb. 14. Known as the manager of bands such as the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac and Journey, Azoff now runs Azoff MSG Entertainment — a multifaceted company overseeing publishing rights, artist management, branding, and venue management. His current roster of clients includes 58th GRAMMY nominees Maroon 5 and Don Henley.

46. Best Music Film

Three of the films nominated for Best Music Film are focused on great artists from the past. What Happened, Miss Simone looks at Nina Simone, who died in 2003. Mr. Dynamite: The Rise Of James Brown focuses on the R&B legend, who died in 2006. Amy tells the story of Amy Winehouse, who died in 2011.

47. Charles Kelley

Charles Kelley is nominated for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for "The Driver," a collaboration with Dierks Bentley and Eric Paslay. As a member of Lady Antebellum, Kelley won back-to-back awards in this category. The trio took the 2009 award for "I Run To You" and the 2010 award for "Need You Now."

48. Foo Fighters

Foo Fighters are nominated for Best Music Film for Sonic Highways. They won this award four years ago for Foo Fighters: Back And Forth. Two artists, Sting and Madonna, each won twice in a predecessor category, Best Music Video — Long Form.

49. Sam Hunt

Current nominee Sam Hunt will perform at GRAMMY In The Schools Live! — A Celebration Of Music & Education during GRAMMY Week. The event features participants from the GRAMMY Foundation's GRAMMY Camp programs, including GRAMMY Camp — Jazz Session students.

50. Best Song Writtern For Visual Media

Two songs from the 2015 film Fifty Shades Of Grey — "Love Me Like You Do" and "Earned It (Fifty Shades Of Grey)" — are vying for Best Song Written For Visual Media. It's the first time in three years that two songs from the same film have been nominated in this category. Two songs from The Hunger Games were nominated for 2012.

51. Little Big Town

Little Big Town may be on their way to a second win for Best Country Duo/Group Performance. The co-ed quartet is nominated this year for "Girl Crush." They won three years ago for "Pontoon."

52. Drake

Drake could be headed for his second award for Best Rap Album. The superstar rapper is nominated for If Youre Reading This Its Too Late. He came out on top in this category three years ago for Take Care.

53. Muse

Muse are vying to become the first British band to win twice in the category of Best Rock Album. The band is nominated this year for Drones. They won the award five years ago for The Resistance. To date, the only bands to win two or more times in the category are either American (Foo Fighters, Green Day) or Irish (U2).

54. Bill Charlap

Jazz pianist Bill Charlap, who is nominated for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album for The Silver Lining: The Songs Of Jerome Kern, a collaboration with Tony Bennett, is the son of two past GRAMMY nominees. His mother, Sandy Stewart, received a 1962 nomination for Best Solo Vocal Performance, Female for "My Coloring Book." His father, Moose Charlap, shared a 1966 nod for Best Recording For Children for Alice Through The Looking Glass.

55. Kendrick Lamar

Kendrick Lamar could be headed for his second consecutive award for Best Rap Performance. He's nominated this year for "Alright." He won last year for "I." This would make him the second artist to win back-to-back awards in this category. Jay Z and Kanye West took the 2011 award for "Otis" and the 2012 award for "N****s In Paris."

56. GRAMMY Hall Of Fame

James Brown's "Cold Sweat — Part 1" is part of the 2016 GRAMMY Hall Of Fame induction class. Often called the first true funk recording, its influence — along with that of later Brown acolytes such as Prince and the Time — can be heard in Mark Ronson and Bruno Mars' Record Of The Year-nominated "Uptown Funk."

57. Max Martin

This is the third year in a row that Max Martin has received a Song Of The Year nomination. The Swedish hit-maker is nominated for co-writing Taylor Swift's "Blank Space." He was nominated in the same category last year for co-writing Swift's "Shake It Off" and two years ago for co-writing Katy Perry's "Roar." Martin received his first nom in the category 16 years ago for co-writing Backstreet Boys' "I Want It That Way."

58. Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift received her third nomination for Album Of The Year for 1989. She won the 2009 award for Fearless. If she wins again this year, she'll become the first female to win Album Of The Year twice for albums on which she was the lead artist. (Lauryn Hill, Norah Jones and Alison Krauss have each won Album Of The Year twice, but each won at least once for an album that was not a solo project.)

The 58th Annual GRAMMY Awards will be held Feb. 15 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). For updates and breaking news, visit The Recording Academy's social networks on Twitter and Facebook.

The 2024 Paris Olympics came to life today as the Parade of Nations glided along the Seine River for the opening ceremony. The opening spectacular featured musical performances from Lady Gaga, Celine Dion, and more. Earlier in the week, some of music’s biggest names were also spotted in the city for the Olympics, including Olympics special correspondent Snoop Dogg, BTS' Jin, Pharrell Williams, Tyla, Rosalía, and Ariana Grande.

Read More: When The GRAMMYs & Olympics Align: 7 Times Music's Biggest Night Met Global Sports Glory

Below, see a full breakdown of some of the special musical moments from the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.

Lady Gaga

In a grand entrance, Lady Gaga emerged behind a heart-shaped plume of feathers on the golden steps of Square Barye, captivating the audience with her cover of the French classic "Mon truc en plumes." Accompanied by cabaret-style background dancers, she flawlessly belted out the song, executed impressive choreography, and even played the piano.

Lady Gaga’s connection to the song is notable, as Zizi Jeanmarie, the original artist, starred in Cole Porter’s musical "Anything Goes," which was Lady Gaga’s debut jazz release.

"Although I am not a French artist, I have always felt a very special connection with French people and singing French music — I wanted nothing more than to create a performance that would warm the heart of France, celebrate French art and music, and on such a momentous occasion remind everyone of one of the most magical cities on earth — Paris," Lady Gaga shared on Instagram.

Closing out the ceremony with her first performance in four years since being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, Celine Dion delivered a stunning rendition of Edith Piaf’s everlasting classic, "L’Hymne à l’amour" from the Eiffel Tower. Her impressive vocals made it seem as though she had never left.

This performance marked Dion’s return to the Olympic stage; she previously performed "The Power of the Dream" with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and composer David Foster for the 1996 Olympics.

Axelle Saint-Cirel 

Performing the National Anthem is no small feat, yet French mezzo-soprano Axelle Saint-Cirel knocked it out of the park.

Dressed in a French-flag-inspired Dior gown, she delivered a stunning rendition of "La Marseillaise" from the roof of the Grand Palais, infusing the patriotic anthem with her own contemporary twist.

With the stirring lyrics, "To arms, citizens! Form your battalions. Let’s march, let’s march," Saint-Cirel brought the spirit of patriotism resonated powerfully throughout the city. 

Gojira 

Making history as the first metal band to perform at the Olympics Opening Ceremony is just one way Gojira made their mark at the event.

The French band took the stage at the Conciergerie, a historic site that once housed French kings during medieval times and later became a prison during the French Revolution, famously detaining Marie Antoinette – Creating a monumental moment as the first metal band to perform at the ceremony, but also stirring the pot as they used the chance to nod toward politics. 

Performing a revamped version of "Ah! Ça Ira," an anthem that grew popular during the French Revolution, the artists aren’t new to using their songs as a vehicle for political messages. The GRAMMY-nominated group are outspoken about issues concerning the environment, particularly with their song, "Amazonia," which called out the climate crisis in the Amazon Rainforest. Using music to spread awareness about political issues is about as metal as it gets. 

Aya Nakamura

Currently France’s most-streamed musician, Aya Nakamura went for gold in a striking metallic outfit as she took the stage alongside members of the French Republican Guard. As there were showstopping, blazing fireworks going off behind her, she performed two of her own hit songs, "Pookie" and "Djadja," then followed with renditions of Charles Aznavour’s "For Me Formidable" and "La Bohème." 

Although there was backlash regarding Nakamura’s suitability for performing at the ceremony, French President Emmanuel Macron dismissed the criticism. "She speaks to a good number of our fellow citizens and I think she is absolutely in her rightful place in an opening or closing ceremony," Macron told the Guardian.

Since Ice Spice first caught our attention two summers ago, she's been nothing short of a rap sensation. From viral hits like her breakout "Munch (Feelin' U)," to co-signs from Drake and Cardi B, to a Best New Artist nomination at the 2024 GRAMMYs, the Bronx native continues to build on her momentum — and now, she adds a debut album to her feats.

Poised to be one of the hottest drops of the summer, Y2K! expands on Ice Spice's nonchalant flow and showcases her versatility across 10 unabashedly fierce tracks. She dabbles in Jersey club on "Did It First," throws fiery lines on lead single "Think U the S— (Fart)," and follows the album's nostalgic title with an interpolation of an early '00s Sean Paul hit on "Gimmie a Light."

Y2K! also adds more star-studded features to Ice Spice's catalog, with Travis Scott, Gunna and Central Cee featuring on "Oh Shh...," "B— I'm Packin'," and "Did It First," respectively. At the helm is producer RiotUSA, Ice Spice's longtime friend-turned-collaborator who has had a hand in producing most of the rapper's music — proving that she's found her stride.

As you stream Ice Spice's new album, here are five key takeaways from her much-awaited debut, Y2K!.

Ice Spice is one of the few ladies holding down the New York drill scene on a mainstream level. She's particularly rooted in Bronx drill, a hip-hop subgenre known for its hard-hitting 808s, high-hats and synthesizers — and according to the sounds of Y2K!, it’s seemingly always going to be part of her artistry.

"It's always time to evolve and grow as an artist, so I'm not rushing to jump into another sound or rushing to do something different," Ice Spice told Apple Music of her tried-and-true musical style. 

While Y2K! may not be as drill-driven as her debut EP Like…?, the album further hints that Ice isn't ready to retire the sound anytime soon. The subgenre is the dominant force across the album's 10 tracks, and most evident in "Did It First," "Gimmie a Light" and "BB Belt." Even so, she continues her knack for putting her own flair on drill, bringing elements of trap and electronic music into bops like "Oh Shhh…" and "Think U the S— (Fart)."

Minus a few tunes, all of Ice Spice's songs start off with her signature "Stop playing with 'em, Riot" catchphrase — a direct nod to her right-hand man RiotUSA. Ice and Riot met while attending Purchase College in New York, and they've been making music together since 2021's "Bully Freestyle," which served as Ice's debut single. "As I was growing, she was growing, and we just kept it in-house and are growing together," Riot told Finals in a 2022 interview.

Riot produced every track on Like.. ? as well as "Barbie World," her GRAMMY-nominated Barbie soundtrack hit with Nicki Minaj. Their musical chemistry continues to shine on Y2K!, as Riot had a hand in each of the LP's 10 tracks.

In a surprising move, though, Ice doesn't just lean on Riot this time around. Synthetic, who worked on Lil Uzi Vert's GRAMMY-nominated "Just Wanna Rock," brings his Midas touch to "Think U the S—." Elsewhere, "B— I'm Packin'" is co-produced by Riot, Dj Heroin, and indie-pop duo Ojivolta, who earned a GRAMMY nomination in 2022 for their work on Kanye West's Donda. But even with others in the room, Riot's succinct-yet-boisterous beats paired with Ice's soft-spoken delivery once again prove to be the winning formula.

Named after Ice Spice's birthdate (January 1, 2000), her debut album celebrates all things Y2K, along with the music and colorful aesthetics that defined the exciting era. To drive home the album's throwback theme, Ice tapped iconic photographer David LaChapelle for the cover artwork, which features the emcee posing outside a graffiti-ridden subway station entrance. LaChapelle's vibrant, kitschy photoshoots of Mariah Carey, Lil' Kim, Britney Spears, and the Queen of Y2K Paris Hilton became synonymous with the turn of the millennium.

True to form, Y2K!'s penultimate song and second single "Gimmie a Light" borrows from Sean Paul's "Gimme the Light," which was virtually inescapable in 2002. "We really wanted to have a very authentic Y2K sample in there," Ice Spice said in a recent Apple Music Radio interview with Zane Lowe. Not only does the Sean Paul sample bring the nostalgia, but it displays Ice's willingness to adopt new sounds like dancehall on an otherwise drill-heavy LP.

Taking the Y2K vibes up another notch, album closer "TTYL," a reference to the acronym-based internet slang that ruled the AIM and texting culture of the early aughts. The song itself offers fans a peek insideIce's lavish and exhilarating lifestyle: "Five stars when I'm lunchin'/ Bad b—, so he munchin'/ Shoot a movie at Dunkin'/ I'm a brand, it's nothin.'"

Whether she's flaunting her sex appeal in "B— I'm Packin'" or demanding potential suitors to sign NDAs in "Plenty Sun," Ice exudes confidence from start to finish on Y2K!.

On the fiery standout track "Popa," Ice demonstrates she's in a league of her own: "They ain't want me to win, I was chosen/ That b— talkin' s—, she get poked in/ Tell her drop her pin, we ain't bowlin'/ Make them b—hes sick, I got motion." And just a few songs later, she fully declares it with "BB Belt": "Everybody be knowin' my name (Like)/ Just want the money, I don't want the fame (Like)/ And I'm different, they ain't in my lane."

For Ice, "baddie" status goes beyond one's physical attributes; it's a mindset she sells with her sassy delivery and IDGAF attitude.

In album opener "Phat Butt," Ice boasts about rocking Dolce & Gabbana, popping champagne, and being a four-time GRAMMY nominee: "Never lucky, I been blessed/ Queen said I'm the princess/ Been gettin' them big checks in a big house/ Havin' rich sex," she asserts.

Further down the track list, Ice Spice firmly stands in her place as rap's newest queen. In "BB Belt," she raps, "I get money, b—, I am a millionaire/ Walk in the party, everybody gon' stare/ If I ain't the one, why the f— am I here, hm?"

Between trekking across the globe for her first headlining tour and lighting up the Empire State Building orange as part of her Y2K! album rollout, Ice Spice shows no signs of slowing down. And as "BB Belt" alludes, her deal with 10K Projects/Capitol Records (she owns her masters and publishing) is further proof that she's the one calling the shots in her career.

Whatever Ice decides to do next, Y2K! stands as a victory lap; it shows her prowess as drill's latest superstar, but also proves she has the confidence to tackle new sounds. As she rapped in 2023's "Bikini Bottom," "How can I lose if I'm already chose?" Judging by her debut album, Ice Spice is determined to keep living that mantra.

July has graced us with a diverse array of new music from all genres, lighting up dance floors and speakers everywhere.

The last weekend of the month brings exciting new collaborations, including another iconic track from Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, as well as a fierce team-up from Paris Hilton and Meghan Trainor. Halsey and Muni Long offered a taste of their forthcoming projects, while Jordan Davis and Miranda Lambert each delivered fun new country tunes. 

In addition to fresh collabs and singles, there's a treasure trove of new albums to uncover. Highlights include Ice Spice's Y2K!, Rakim's G.O.D., Sam Tompkins' hi, my name is insecure, Wild Rivers' Never Better, Tigirlily Gold's Blonde, and kenzie's biting my tongue.

As you check out all the new music that dropped today, be sure you don't miss these 10 tracks and albums.

Although fans anticipated Machine Gun Kelly's next release to mark his return to hip-hop, no one seems to be complaining about "KellyRoll." Embracing the trend of venturing into the country genre, mgk teams up with fellow GRAMMY-nominated artist Jelly Roll on their newest track, "Lonely Road."

The genre-blending track interpolates John Denver's classic "Take Me Home, Country Roads." However, unlike Denver's sentimental ode to the simplicity of rural life, mgk and Jelly Roll reinterpret the track through the lens of romantic relationships that have come to a, well, lonely end.

As mgk revealed in an Instagram post, "Lonely Road" was a labor of love for both him and Jelly Roll. "We worked on 'Lonely Road' for 2 years, 8 different studios, 4 different countries, changed the key 4 times," he wrote. "We finally got it right."

In another interpolation special, Halsey samples not one but two classics in their latest single, "Lucky." The song's production features elements of Monica's 1999 hit "Angel of Mine," while the chorus flips Britney Spears' fan-favorite "Lucky" into a first-person narrative.

While Halsey has always been a transparent star, their next project is seemingly going to be even more honest than their previous releases. After first revealing their journey with lupus with the super-personal "The End" in June, "Lucky" further details their struggles: "And I told everybody I was fine for a whole damn year/ And that's the biggest lie of my career."

Though they haven't revealed a release date for their next project, Halsey referred to her next era as a "monumental moment in my life" in an Instagram post about the "Lucky" music video — hinting that it may just be their most powerful project yet.

Read More: Everything We Know About Halsey's New Album

Ahead of Paris Hilton's forthcoming album, Infinite Icon — her first in nearly 20 years — the multihyphenate unveiled another female-powered collaboration, this time with Meghan Trainor. Co-produced by Sia, "Chasin'" is a lively pop anthem about discovering self-worth in romantic relationships and finding the strength to walk away from toxicity.

"She is the sister I always needed and when she calls me sis, I die of happiness inside," Trainor told Rolling Stone about her relationship with Hilton. Coincidentally, Trainor first wrote the track with her brother, Ryan, but the pop star was waiting for the right collaborator to hop on the track — and Hilton was just that.

"We made something truly iconic together," Trainor added. "It was a bucket list dream come true for me."

A highly awaited return to music after eight years, Australian electro-pop duo Empire Of The Sun are back with their fourth studio album, Ask That God.

"This body of work represents the greatest shift in consciousness our world has ever seen and that's reflected in the music," says member Lord Littlemore in a press statement.

Like their previous work that transports listeners to a different universe, this album continues that tradition with trancey tracks like lead single "Changes" and the thumping title track. Ask That God offers a chance to reflect on the blend of reality and imagination, while also evoking the radiant energy of their past songs.

Dance music's collaborative powerhouse, Calvin Harris and Ellie Goulding, are back with another summer hit. Their latest track, "Free," marks the fourth collaboration between the duo — and like their past trilogy of hits, the two have another banger on their hands.

The track debuted earlier this month at Harris' show in Ibiza, where Goulding made a surprise appearance to perform "Free" live. With Harris delivering an infectious uptempo house beat and Goulding's silky vocals elevating the track, "Free" proves that the pair still have plenty of musical chemistry left.

Post Malone's transition into country music has been anything but slow; in fact, the artist went full-throttle into the genre. The  New York-born, Texas-raised star embraced his new country era with collaborations alongside some of the genre's biggest superstars, like Morgan Wallen and Blake Shelton. Continuing this momentum as he gets closer to releasing F-1 Trillion, Post Malone teams up with Luke Combs for the new track "Guy For That."

The catchy collaboration tells the story of a relationship that has faded, where the protagonist knows someone who can fix almost anything, except for a broken heart. It's an upbeat breakup song that, like Post's previous F-1 Trillion releases, can get any party going — especially one in Nashville, as Malone and Combs did in the track's music video.

Just one month after Surfaces released their latest album, good morning, the duo's Forrest Frank unveiled his own project, CHILD OF GOD — his debut full-length Christian album. Among several features on the LP, one of the standouts is with GRAMMY-winning artist Tori Kelly on the track "Miracle Worker."

Over a plucky electric guitar and lo-fi beats, Frank and Kelly trade verses before joining for the second chorus. Their impassioned vocals elevate the song's hopeful prayer, "Miracle Worker make me new."

Their collaboration arrives just before both artists hit the road for their respective tours. Frank kicks his U.S. trek off in Charlotte, North Carolina on July 31, and Kelly starts her world tour in Taipei, Taiwan on Aug. 17.

Since their debut in 2022 with "Tippy Toes," Japanese girl group XG has been making waves and showing no signs of slowing down. With their first mini album released in 2023 and now their latest single, "SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT," the group continues to rise with their distinctive visuals and infectious hits.

The track features a nostalgic rhythm reminiscent of early 90s R&B, showcasing the unique personalities of each member. As an uptempo dance track, it's designed to resonate with listeners from all across the globe.

"SOMETHING AIN'T RIGHT" also serves as the lead single for XG's upcoming second mini album, set to release later this year.

For nearly 15 years, Mustard has been a go-to producer for some of rap's biggest names, from Gucci Mane to Travis Scott. On the heels of earning his first Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper as a producer with Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," he's back with his own collaboration-filled project.

Faith of a Mustard Seed features a robust 14-song track list with contributions from Vince Staples, Lil Yachty, Charlie Wilson, and more. The LP marks Mustard's fourth studio album, and first since 2019's Perfect Ten.

In an interview with Billboard, Mustard shared that the album's title is an ode to late rapper Nipsey Hussle, who suggested the title during one of their final conversations before his untimely death in 2019. And once "Not Like Us" hit No. 1, Mustard knew it was time to release the long-in-the-making album.