Jon Batiste leads artists including Bieber and Eilish for 2022 Grammy Awards
After winning an Oscar earlier this year, Jon Batiste now leads the nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards – with Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, H.E.R and Doja Cat also in the running for several prizes.
Batiste’s nominations span several genres, including R&B, jazz, American roots music, classical and music video-film, and he is up for 11 in total – including the big prizes of album of the year for We Are and record of the year for Freedom.
Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R follow with eight nods, while Eilish and Rodrigo have seven each.
Other big stars to be nominated included Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Kanye West and Lil Nas X – as well as The Weeknd, who previously called the Grammys “corrupt” after missing out on the shortlist for the 2021 ceremony, despite huge success the previous year.
Mercury Prize and Brit Awards winner Arlo Parks continues her stellar year, flying the flag for the UK with nominations for best new artist and best alternative album for her debut, Collapsed In Sunbeams.
After making their return earlier in 2021 with their first new music in almost 40 years, Swedish icons ABBA also received a nod, for record of the year with comeback single I Still Have Faith In You.
For the top prize of album of the year, Batiste – who won the Oscar for best original score for the Disney and Pixar film Soul – faces competition from Bieber, Eilish, Doja Cat, H.E.R, West, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Rodrigo and Swift.
The star, who was among the presenters announcing the nominees, tweeted a simple “11 !!!!!!!!!!!!” after the full list had been revealed.
“Oh my goodness! I’m still in a state of astonishment and shock,” he said moments after learning of the nominations.
“I’m just really happy that we were able to make something in complete artistic integrity and have it be recognised.”
Rising British star Arlo Parks has been nominated for best new artist and best alternative album. Pic: Ivors Academy
H.E.R, pictured at the Grammy Awards in 2020, is up for eight awards
In the record of the year category, this year’s nominees range from ages 18 to 95, with nonagenarian – and 18-time winner – Tony Bennett nominated alongside Lady Gaga for their version of I Get A Kick Out Of You, and Olivia Rodrigo, 18, in the running for her hit Drivers License.
Nominees for all the awards were chosen from nearly 22,000 eligible entries for music released between September 2020 and 2021.
Harvey Mason Jr, chief executive of the Recording Academy, which runs the awards, said: “This is an exciting day for music.
Olivia Rodrigo, pictured performing at the American Music Awards earlier in November, is in the running for seven Grammys. Pic: AP Photo/Chris Pizzell
Lady Gaga is nominated for her work with 95-year-old Tony Bennett. Pic: Christopher Polk/Invision for Westfield/AP Images
“These nominations beautifully reflect today’s broad and diverse musical landscape. I congratulate all of the nominees and everyone who submitted work. I’m also so proud of our voters. They voted in record numbers and brought their very best to evaluating the work of their peers, and I thank them on behalf of the entire music community.”
This year’s nominations come following the introduction of a new voting system, which allows the academy’s more than 11,000 members to vote for up to 10 categories in three genres; all voters can vote for the top four awards.
It replaces the anonymous nominations review committee – a group that determined the contenders for key awards.
Some had claimed committee members favoured projects based on personal relationships and promoted projects they favoured and worked on.
The Grammys, the biggest ceremony in the music industry calendar, will be awarded at a ceremony in Los Angeles on 31 January.
With 86 categories in total, there are a lot of awards to dish out. Here are the nominations in the some of the main categories.
Record Of The Year
I Still Have Faith In You – ABBA
Freedom – Jon Batiste
I Get A Kick Out Of You – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
Peaches – Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon
Right On Time – Brandi Carlile
Kiss Me More – Doja Cat featuring SZA
Happier Than Ever – Billie Eilish
Montero (Call Me By Your Name) – Lil Nas X
Drivers License – Olivia Rodrigo
Leave The Door Open – Silk Sonic
ABBA made their comeback earlier in 2021. Pic: Baillie Walsh
Song Of The Year
Bad Habits – Ed Sheeran
A Beautiful Noise – Alicia Keys and Brandi Carlile
Drivers License – Olivia Rodrigo
Fight For You – H.E.R.
Happier Than Ever – Billie Eilish
Kiss Me More – Doja Cat featuring SZA
Leave The Door Open – Silk Sonic
Montero (Call Me By Your Name) – Lil Nas X
Peaches – Justin Bieber featuring Daniel Caesar and Giveon
Right On Time – Brandi Carlile
Album Of The Year
We Are – Jon Batiste
Love For Sale – Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga
Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) – Justin Bieber
Planet Her (Deluxe) – Doja Cat
Happier Than Ever – Billie Eilish
Back Of My Mind – H.E.R.
Montero – Lil Nas X
Sour – Olivia Rodrigo
Evermore – Taylor Swift
Donda – Kanye West
Best New Artist
Arooj Aftab
Jimmie Allen
Baby Keem
FINNEAS
Glass Animals
Japanese Breakfast
The Kid Laroi
Arlo Parks
Olivia Rodrigo
Saweetie
Best Alternative Music Album
Shore – Fleet Foxes
If I Can’t Have Love, I Want Power – Halsey
Jubilee – Japanese Breakfast
Collapsed In Sunbeams – Arlo Parks
Daddy’s Home – St Vincent
Best Pop Vocal Album
Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) – Justin Bieber
Planet Her (Deluxe) – Doja Cat
Happier Than Ever – Billie Eilish
Positions – Ariana Grande
Sour – Olivia Rodrigo
Ariana Grande pictured at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles in 2020. Pic: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP
Best Progressive R&B Album
New Light – Eric Bellinger
Something To Say – Cory Henry
Mood Valiant – Hiatus Kaiyote
Table For Two – Lucky Daye
Dinner Party: Dessert – Terrace Martin, Robert Glasper, 9th Wonder & Kamasi Washington
Studying Abroad: Extended Stay – Masego
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Generations – The Baylor Project
SuperBlue – Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter
Time Traveler – Nnenna Freelon
Flor – Gretchen Parlato
Songwrights Apothecary Lab – Esperanza Spalding
Best Rap Album
The Off-Season – J Cole
Certified Lover Boy – Drake
King’s Disease II – Nas
Call Me If You Get Lost – Tyler, The Creator
Donda – Kanye West
Best Gospel Album
Changing Your Story – Jekalyn Carr
Royalty: Live At The Ryman – Tasha Cobbs Leonard
Jubilee: Juneteenth Edition – Maverick City Music
Jonny x Mali: Live In LA – Jonathan McReynolds & Mali Music
Believe For It – CeCe Winans
Best Latin Pop Album
Vértigo – Pablo Alborán
Mis Amores – Paula Arenas
Hecho A La Antigua – Ricardo Arjona
Mis Manos – Camilo
Mendó – Alex Cuba
Revelación – Selena Gomez
Best Música Urbana Album
Afrodisíaco – Rauw Alejandro
El Último Tour Del Mundo – Bad Bunny
Jose – J Balvin
KG0516 – KAROL G
Sin Miedo (Del Amor Y Otros Demonios) 8 – Kali Uchis
Thousands of members of actors’ trade union Equity are being asked whether they would support industrial action over artificial intelligence protections.
The organisation has launched an indicative ballot among about 7,000 members working in film and TV.
Performers are being asked whether they are prepared to refuse to be digitally scanned on set in order to secure adequate artificial intelligence protections.
It will be the first time the performing arts and entertainment trade union has asked this whole section of its membership to vote in a ballot.
The Hollywood strikes took place in 2023. File pic: AP
The announcement follows the Hollywood strikes in 2023, when members of Equity’s sister union in the US, SAG-AFTRA, and writers, went on strike over issues including AI.
Video game actors in the US also protested over the use of AI, ending almost a year of industrial action earlier in 2025.
Equity’s ballot opens on Thursday and runs for two weeks, and will show the level of support the union has for action short of a strike.
Another statutory ballot would have to be made before any industrial action is taken.
“While tech companies get away with stealing artists’ likeness or work, and the government and decision makers fret over whether to act, unions including Equity are at the forefront of the fight to ensure working people are protected from artificial intelligence misuse,” Equity general secretary Paul W Fleming said in a statement.
“If bosses can’t ensure someone’s likeness and work won’t be used without their consent, why should performers consent to be digitally scanned in the first place?”
Mr Fleming said the ballot would give members the opportunity to “send a clear message to the industry: that it is a basic right of performers to have autonomy over their own personhood and identity”.
The union has no choice but to recommend members support industrial action, he said.
“It’s time for the bosses to step away from the brink and offer us a package, including on AI protections, which respects our members,” added Mr Fleming.
The hotly anticipated Spotify Wrapped is revealing our top tracks, artists and albums for 2025.
But how does the streaming service calculate personalised summaries of users’ listening habits and rank the UK’s hottest artists?
Here’s a look at how your data is used.
The platform describes the annual statistics as “a chance to look back on your year in sound”.
It says data is captured between January and mid-November on every account, although it mostly excludes anything streamed in private mode. (Don’t worry, your passion for the Spice Girls can be kept secret.)
Wrapped presents personalised listening statistics, which Spotify calls the “real story of your year of listening”, alongside global figures for comparison.
The streaming service says Minutes Listened reflects the actual time spent listening to audio on the platform.
Once a user streams at least 30 tracks, Spotify generates a list of Your Top Songs. Similarly, Your Top Artists ranks artists based on total minutes listening to a particular performer.
Other metrics identify the top genres users have played, as well as podcasts and audiobooks ranked by total minutes listened. And if you’ve listened to at least 70% of tracks on a record, you’ll see top albums too.
Spotify also creates Your Listening Age, a guesstimate of your age based on the era of the music “you feel most connected to”.
The streaming service says the statistic is calculated using a five-year span of music which users engaged with more than other listeners of a similar age.
Spotify has been summing up 2025’s most listened to tracks. Pic: Spotify
Swift vs Bunny
Pop superstar Taylor Swift has been named the UK’s most-streamed artist on Spotify for the third year in a row.
But she dropped out of the top spot in the global rankings, coming second to Puerto Rican superstar Bad Bunny, who secured more than 19.8 billion streams. Third were The Weeknd, followed by Drake and Billie Eilish.
Bad Bunny’s LP Debi Tirar Mas Fotos was the most listened-to album worldwide.
Read more from Sky News:
Sabrina Carpenter fury at video
Drake’s lawsuit dismissed
Spotify hikes UK prices
Spotify revealed Drake was the UK’s second most-listened to artist, followed by Sabrina Carpenter in third, The Weeknd in fourth and Billie Eilish in fifth.
Despite being the most listened-to artist, Swift failed to break into the UK’s top five most listened-to songs and albums of the year.
Alex Warren’s Ordinary was the most-streamed song, and Short ‘N’ Sweet, released by Carpenter last year, the top album.
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