{"id":390443,"date":"2026-01-05T22:28:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-05T22:28:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/390443\/"},"modified":"2026-01-05T22:28:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-05T22:28:10","slug":"album-covers-are-back-on-the-grammy-ballot","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/390443\/","title":{"rendered":"Album covers are back on the Grammy ballot"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 When it came time to decide the cover image for Wet Leg\u2019s sophomore album<\/a>, the British indie rock band packed items that might provide inspiration \u2014 velvet worms sewn by guitarist Hester Chambers, an oversized head of hair from a music video shoot, lizard-like gloves \u2014 and headed to an Airbnb.<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted it to be something that was both super girly and feminine, but then at the same time, just totally repulsive,\u201d said lead singer Rhian Teasdale, who art-directed the \u201cMoisturizer\u201d cover with Iris Luz and Lava La Rue. \u201cThat juxtaposition, I don\u2019t know, it just creates something that\u2019s evocative.\u201d<\/p>\n

The final image, inspired by a photo from that weekend, earned Teasdale, Luz and La Rue a Grammy nomination for best album cover \u2014 a category that will be awarded this year<\/a> for the first time in over 50 years. <\/p>\n

The other evocative covers nominated are Bad Bunny\u2019s \u201cDeb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos,\u201d<\/a> Tyler, the Creator\u2019s \u201cChromakopia,\u201d<\/a> Perfume Genius\u2019 \u201cGlory\u201d and Djo\u2019s \u201cThe Crux.\u201d The award goes to the project\u2019s art directors: This year, the recording artists are included as nominees in all cases except for \u201cGlory.\u201d <\/p>\n

In recent years, covers had been assessed as part of the best recording package category, which considers all physical materials and images. The package for \u201cBrat,\u201d<\/a> with its pop culture-infiltrating<\/a> green, earned Charli XCX, Brent David Freaney and Imogene Strauss a Grammy last year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason jr. told Grammy.com<\/a> the split is an effort to recognize the impact of cover art in the digital age. It also aligns with the academy\u2019s goal to recognize more of the artists that shape music, Mason said.<\/p>\n

For the creative teams, the revived award amplifies what goes into building the visual worlds of music. \u201cWhen a cover in a campaign hits right,\u201d said photographer Neil Krug, nominated for \u201cThe Crux,\u201d \u201cit\u2019s part of the language and the fabric of what makes a great record a great record.\u201d <\/p>\n

Capturing an energy <\/p>\n

The defining portrait of \u201cChromakopia\u201d \u2014 a monochrome close-up of Tyler, face concealed by a mask \u2014 was the last shot captured. Luis \u201cPanch\u201d Perez, the director of photography, said the expression in Tyler\u2019s eyes stood out. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This image released by Columbia Records shows \u201cCHROMAKOPIA\u201d by Tyler, The Creator. (Columbia Records via AP)<\/p>\n

This image released by Columbia Records shows \u201cCHROMAKOPIA\u201d by Tyler, The Creator. (Columbia Records via AP)<\/p>\n

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Getting there, he said, required tapping into a shared \u201cunspoken language,\u201d built by pulling references for the project\u2019s surrealist, old Hollywood aesthetic \u2014 and by years of collaboration. \u201cTyler knows exactly how to move his body, he\u2019s so well in control of that. I just have to be ready for whatever he\u2019s going to do in front of the lens,\u201d Perez said. <\/p>\n

Perfume Genius worked with art directors Cody Critcheloe and Andrew J.S. on the cover for \u201cGlory.\u201d He splays on a patchwork carpet inside a dark, homey interior, his stiletto boots extending toward a bright window. Colorful cords snake across the floor like microphone cords onstage. <\/p>\n

He said the image reflects the push and pull he found himself exploring while writing the album: the comfort and avoidance of an introverted, private life, versus the confidence required of his \u201cmaximal\u201d public-facing persona: \u201cHow do I have each of those things season my life?\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This image released by Matador Records shows album art for \u201cGlory\u201d by Perfume Genius. (Matador via AP)<\/p>\n

This image released by Matador Records shows album art for \u201cGlory\u201d by Perfume Genius. (Matador via AP)<\/p>\n

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The goal wasn\u2019t to capture a specific scene, or choreography. \u201cIt was mostly about an energy,\u201d said Critcheloe, who photographed the cover. <\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have said to both of us that they can\u2019t figure out what the aesthetic of the album cover is,\u201d he added. \u201cThat\u2019s the best thing to hear.\u201d <\/p>\n

The creature-like version of Teasdale that appears on Wet Leg\u2019s \u201cMoisturizer\u201d cover \u2014 squatting, hands outstretched, eerie grin trained toward the camera \u2014 is also meant to evoke friction. \u201cThe album explores themes of love and longing. But also, there are a couple moments on the album that are so, you know, just feral,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Crafting, casting and styling a world <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This image released by AWAL shows album art for \u201cThe Crux\u201d by Djo. (AWAL via AP)<\/p>\n

This image released by AWAL shows album art for \u201cThe Crux\u201d by Djo. (AWAL via AP)<\/p>\n

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The pivotal setting of \u201cThe Crux\u201d \u2014 the third album by Djo, the musical moniker for actor Joe Keery \u2014 was a fictional hotel on the Brooklyn-inspired section of the Paramount Studios backlot. <\/p>\n

Krug, Djo and collaborator Jake Hirshland looked at dense scenes, like Alfred Hitchcock\u2019s 1954 film \u201cRear Window\u201d (also shot on a Paramount Studios lot), for inspiration. They considered locations in (the real) New York and Atlanta, where the artist was filming \u201cStranger Things,\u201d<\/a> before locking the lot in. <\/p>\n

Next came casting the characters that make up the scene. \u201cAnything that we could come up with, we were just like throwing it at the canvas,\u201d Krug said. A couple kiss in a window. A man fights a parking ticket in the foreground. Djo is seen only from the back, dangling from a window in a white suit. <\/p>\n

Art director William Wesley II oversaw production details, including designing the neon sign that bears the album\u2019s name \u2014 an homage to iconic hotels like the Chateau Marmont. \u201cEverything is intentional,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s really a sum of its parts and it\u2019s the sum of many people\u2019s contributions.\u201d <\/p>\n

A pair of white plastic chairs are the only props on the cover of \u201cDeb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos,\u201d which translates to \u201cI should have taken more photos.\u201d Art directed by Bad Bunny himself, the image by Puerto Rican photographer Eric Rojas also features plantain trees \u2014 a symbol of the island, but also of the Caribbean and Latin America overall. There is a nostalgia to the simple combination \u2014 conjuring a day at the beach, or a backyard gathering \u2014 that also mirrors the album\u2019s diasporic, history-making, storytelling<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\u201cDeb\u00ed Tirar M\u00e1s Fotos\u201d and \u201cChromakopia\u201d are also nominated for album of the year. <\/p>\n

What makes a cover Grammy-eligible?<\/p>\n

Official Grammy rules say albums do not need to exist physically to be considered in this category \u2014 a key point in differentiating the award from its package counterpart. <\/p>\n

This year\u2019s nominees, however, are all available on vinyl or CD. Krug, who has worked on covers for Lana Del Rey and Tame Impala, said the vinyl presentation is often the first point discussed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you have the physical vinyls in your home or your apartment, that stuff lives with you. It\u2019s out in your space, whether you\u2019re having a good day or a bad day, you\u2019re getting married or breaking up with whomever,\u201d Krug said. \u201cThere\u2019s this rediscovery of the art form.\u201d <\/p>\n

Voters must consider the cover\u2019s creativity and design, alongside the illustration, photography or graphic elements. Trophies go to the winning art directors, and certificates to designers, illustrators or photographers, if applicable. <\/p>\n

In a sign of the growing pains of a new category, this year\u2019s list of nominees saw edits<\/a> ahead of the voting window\u2019s opening \u2014 a process not uncommon in other categories with multiple nominees. Djo, Krug, Hirshland and Taylor Vandergrift were added alongside Wesley for \u201cThe Crux\u201d; Perez and photographer Shaun Llewellyn were removed for \u201cChromakopia,\u201d replaced by just Tyler. Luz and La Rue joined Teasdale for \u201cMoisturizer,\u201d while several others \u2014 including the rest of the band \u2014 were removed.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was super surprised and really excited because I wasn\u2019t aware that it was a category,\u201d Critcheloe said of his nomination. \u201cI love the idea of making things that are strange and subversive and irreverent, and having an audience that is bigger than it\u2019s supposed to be.\u201d <\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

The 68th Grammy Awards will be held Feb. 1, 2026, at Crypto.com<\/a> Arena in Los Angeles. The show will air on CBS and stream on Paramount+. For more coverage, visit https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/grammy-awards<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 When it came time to decide the cover image for Wet Leg\u2019s sophomore album,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390444,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[22096,165623,49,48,9083,75,165620,50706,120474,165626,165625,165622,165617,341,165619,10000,165627,165624,165621,9592,165618],"class_list":{"0":"post-390443","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-alfred-hitchcock","9":"tag-andrew-j-s","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-charli-xcx","13":"tag-entertainment","14":"tag-eric-rojas","15":"tag-grammy-awards","16":"tag-harvey-mason-jr","17":"tag-hester-chambers","18":"tag-jake-hirshland","19":"tag-joe-keery","20":"tag-luis-perez","21":"tag-music","22":"tag-neil-krug","23":"tag-photography","24":"tag-rhian-teasdale","25":"tag-shaun-llewellyn","26":"tag-taylor-vandergrift","27":"tag-tyler-the-creator","28":"tag-william-wesley-ii"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390443","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390443"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390443\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390444"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390443"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390443"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390443"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}