Justin Bieber Drags Grammy Awards Over Album Nomination Category
Justin Bieber is grateful for his 2021 Grammy nominations but the singer thinks he was nominated in the wrong category.
The Canadian singer, 26, received four Grammy nominations on Tuesday including Best Pop Solo Performance for “Yummy,” Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Intentions,” Best Pop Vocal Album for Changes, and Best Country Duo/Group Performance for his “10,000 Hours” collab with Dan+ Shay.
As soon as the nomination list was put out, Bieber took to Instagram to issue a statement, where he shared his thought that ‘Changes’ was an R&B album and should have been recognized as such and not in the ‘Pop category’
He wrote: “To the Grammys, I am flattered to be acknowledged and appreciated for my artistry,” the post began, “I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said I set out to make an R&B album. Changes was and is an R&B album. It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me.”
“I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to make a project that would embody that sound. For this not to be put in that category feels weird considering from the chords to the melodies to the vocal style all the way down to the hip hop drums that were chosen it is undeniably, unmistakably an R&B Album!”
“To be clear I absolutely love pop music it just wasn’t what I set out to make this time around. My gratitude for feeling respected for my work remains and I am honored to be nominated either way,” he added.
“Please don’t mistake this as me being ungrateful, these are just my thoughts take em or leave em,” Bieber captioned his statement. “Thank you to the people who fought for me to even have any noms.”
Bieber released Changes back in February. It’s his fifth studio album and his first full-length release since 2015’s Purpose.