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Presented by Amazon Prime, Billboard sat down with Grammy nominees Ayra Starr, PinkPantheress, Cirkut, PlaqueBoyMax and more to find out how they feel about being nominated. Stay tuned for Billboard’s Grammy Preshow this Saturday, Jan. 31, at 12 p.m. ET/9 a.m. PT.
Tetris Kelly: It’s Grammy Week, and we have a special preshow breaking down everything you need to know about the big day presented by Amazon Prime.
Katie Atkinson: Everybody in this list, they’re on our charts. They have a huge fan base. And that isn’t always the case with the Grammys. A lot of times it’s critical acclaim, but maybe not the commercial success.
Tetris Kelly: We spoke to PinkPantheress as a first time nominee.
PinkPantheress: I guess this whole thing has been a bit of a pinch me moment to be honest.
Tetris Kelly: Cirkut broke down how he made his hits of the year and landed seven Grammy nominations.
Cirkut: Incredible. I get to make music for a living. I get to be in these rooms with these incredible artists and songwriters and that I’m you know, that people even want to work with me.
Tetris Kelly: Ayra Starr chatted with Chelley about her nomination for best African music performance.
Ayra Starr: So why this means so much to me because of, like, everybody knows I’m a huge Hannah Montana girl. Like, I grew up on Hannah Montana, like, I used to, like, swear to people that I’m gonna be the Black, like, Hannah Montana every time, like, I just love Hannah Montana. It made me understand, like, “OK, I want to be a pop star.” You know?
Tetris Kelly: Almost 20 years after their Grammy win, OK Go landed another nomination for best music video.
Damian Kulash: And for a band like us that’s been around for 25 years, making stuff that’s considerably weirder than what the mainstream normally goes for … to have like our community of peers honor the videos and the packaging and the music that we’re making is exceptional. Really feels great.
Tim Nordwind: Agreed, hooray for the underdog.
Damian Kulash: Hooray!
Tetris Kelly: And PlaqueBoyMax discussed becoming the first Twitch streamer to break through to the Grammy stage.
PlaqueBoyMax: When I accepted, I said, next time I hold a trophy, it’s gonna be a Grammy. It’s crazy. A year later, I got nominated.
Tetris Kelly: Tune in as we discuss the nominations and more this Saturday with Billboard News.