Kelly Clarkson
Photo: Brian Bowen Smith
The 66th annual Grammy Awards will descend upon the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Sunday, and, unlike in years past, there won’t be too many Texans on hand. The ceremony will be broadcast live, beginning at 7 p.m. Central, on CBS.
Just eight Texas-bred or -based artists were nominated across the entire field of categories, making this Grammys cycle a bit thinner on Lone Star representation this time around.
Stepping back from Texas for a moment, Sunday’s ceremony could be a glittering one for SZA, who leads the pack with nine total nominations, followed closely by Victoria Monet with seven.
Brandy Clark, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Miley Cyrus, and the all-female trio boygenius picked up six nominations apiece. (Jack Antonoff and Jon Batiste also have six nominations apiece.)
Here’s a closer look at four more Texas-bred talents who will be vying for Grammy gold this weekend.
Kelly Clarkson
Nominated for: Best pop vocal album
The pride of Burleson remains a Grammy favorite more than two decades into her career, having won three prizes out of a total of 17 nominations to date. It’s been a hot minute since the pop superstar’s last win — a 2013 trophy for best pop vocal album for Stronger — and arguably, Clarkson’s become an even higher-profile talent in the intervening decade. She’s the host of a widely watched daytime TV talk show (now in its fifth season), helps anchor the popular singing competition The Voice, and still finds time to knock out well-received albums like Chemistry, her 10th studio effort, released last year.
Black Pumas
Nominated for: Best rock performance
The Austin-based duo of Eric Burton and Adrian Quesada — better known as Black Pumas — conjures a singular blend of rock, soul and psychedelia in its songs, and the Grammys have responded accordingly, nominating the pair a total of seven times to date, including as best new artist in 2020. While the Pumas have yet put their paws on a golden gramophone, they might have a chance this year with “More Than a Love Song,” the lead single from the band’s sophomore LP, Chronicles of a Diamond.
Pentatonix
Nominated for: Best traditional pop vocal album
Arlington-formed acappella titans Pentatonix (Scott Hoying, Mitch Grassi, Kirstin Maldonado, Kevin Olusola and Matt Sallee) are also perennial Grammy favorites. The group’s been nominated five times, and won three trophies, including a 2017 prize for its cover of Dolly Parton’s eternal “Jolene.” The quintet is back in the running this year with its 2022 studio effort Holidays Around the World, which features an eclectic group of collaborators, including Meghan Trainor, Lang Lang and the King’s Singers.
Kirk Franklin
Nominated for: Best gospel performance/song
Speaking of Grammy favorites, Fort Worth force of nature and gospel superstar Kirk Franklin is as much a fixture at the annual ceremonies as the trophies themselves. Franklin has earned an incredible total of 31 nominations over the course of his career, with 19 wins to date, and will contend again on the strength of the 2023 single “All Things,” his first solo release in more than three years.
Preston Jones is a North Texas freelance writer and regular contributor to KXT. Email him at [email protected] or find him on X (@prestonjones). Our work is made possible by our generous, music-loving members. If you like how we lift up local music, consider becoming a KXT sustaining member right here.
