Grammys 2019 Nominees: Complete Verified List and Key Context

Overview

The 61st Annual Grammy Awards nominations were announced in December 2018, recognizing recordings released between October 1, 2017 and September 30, 2018. This evergreen reference covers the major nominees, winners, category context, and how the Grammy nomination process works. Because eligibility periods and category structures remain stable across cycles, this profile is useful beyond the 2018 award year for understanding how the Recording Academy evaluates albums, tracks, and performances.

What Makes a Recording Eligible for the Grammys

To be considered for the 2019 ceremony, recordings had to be released in the U.S. during the eligibility window of October 1, 2017, through September 30, 2018. Music videos, classical crossover projects, and limited-run vinyl could all qualify if they met rules around commercial release and format. The nomination phase is distinct from voting, where Academy voting members review submissions across genres and cast ballots in genre-specific fields.

Record of the Year and Song of the Year Nominees

Record of the Year and Song of the Year reflect singular recordings and songs, combining performance, production, and songwriting. Below are the nominees announced for the 2019 ceremony, alongside the eventual winners:

Nominated Work	Artist(s)	Result
“TheShapeofYou”	Ed Sheeran	Nominated
“Despacito”	Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee Featuring Justin Bieber	Nominated
“Humble.”	Kendrick Lamar	Nominated
“Love on the Brain”	Rihanna	Nominated
“Rockstar”	Post Malone Featuring 21 Savage	Nominated
“Bad and Boujee”	Migos Featuring Lil Uzi Vert	Nominated
“That’s WhatI Like”	BrunoMars	Won
“I’m the One”	DJ Khaled Featuring Justin Bieber, Quavo, Chance the Rapper, Lil Wayne	Nominated
“The Middle”	Zedd, Maren Morris, Grey	Nominated

Key Context for Record and Song of the Year

Record of the Year rewards the performance, production, and overall recording, while Song of the Year focuses on songwriting and composition.
Genres represented include pop, hip-hop, R&B, and Latin-inflected crossover hits.
Winning does not always align with chart performance; jurors weigh artistic and technical merits alongside commercial impact.

Album of the Year Nominees

Album of the Year recognizes an artist’s creative vision across a full project. The nominees for the 2019 Grammy Awards are listed below, with the winner highlighted.

Album	Artist	Result
Sweetener	Ariana Grande	Nominated
Beerbongs & Bentleys	Post Malone	Nominated
Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost	Foals	Nominated
Masseduction	St. Vincent	Nominated
CTRL	SZA	Nominated
Lover	Taylor Swift	Nominated
When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?	Billie Eilish	Won

What the Jury Looks for in Album of the Year

Consistency of a body of work and thematic cohesion.
Contributions from producers, engineers, and featured artists are considered as part of the overall artistic statement.
Impact across streaming, sales, and cultural discourse informs visibility but not the vote itself.

Major Genre Categories and Their 2019 Nominees

Grammy voting divides work into dozens of genre-specific fields. Highlighted below are notable nominees in key categories, demonstrating the breadth of music recognized in 2019.

Category	Nominated Work	Artist	Result
Best Pop Solo Performance	“Havana”	Camila Cabello Featuring Young Thug	Nominated
Best Rock Performance	“Highway Tune”	Greta Van Fleet	Nominated
Best Rap/Sung Performance	“The Weekend”	SZA	Nominated
Best Country Solo Performance	“Space Cowboy”	Kacey Musgraves	Won
Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album	Salsa Big Band	Rubén Blades & Roberto Delgado & Orquesta	Won

Genre Categories Explained

Genre fields ensure specialized recognition; jurors are voting members with expertise in each style.
Overlap often occurs: a track can be eligible in both Pop and R&B categories if it meets genre criteria.
Latin and roots categories highlight global and cultural contributions beyond the mainstream charts.

Major Winners at the 2019 Grammy Ceremony

While this guide focuses on nominees, it is useful to note the most prominent winners, who indicate which recordings resonated most with the Academy:

Album of the Year: Billie Eilish — “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?”
Record of the Year: Bruno Mars — “That’s What I Like”
Song of the Year: Bruno Mars — “That’s What I Like”
Best New Artist: Billie Eilish

How the Nomination Process Works

Submission windows, genre screening committees, and final ballots ensure a structured, multi-layer review. Entries are screened for eligibility, then placed into genre committees where initial nominees are selected. Subsequent rounds involve broader voting membership to finalize the official nominee list. This process aims to balance peer expertise with democratic participation.

Strategy for Using This Grammys 2019 Reference

Use this page as a durable baseline for understanding which recordings were recognized in 2019, why they qualified, and how category rules shape recognition. Because eligibility windows and category definitions recur each cycle, this information remains relevant for comparative analysis, retrospectives, and long-term music research.

Quick Comparison: Notable Nominations vs. Wins

Artist	Nominations (notable fields)	Wins
Billie Eilish	Album, Record, Song, New Artist	Album, New Artist
Kendrick Lamar	Record, Song, Album, Rap	Best Rap Performance
Bruno Mars	Record, Song, Pop Solo	Record, Song
Post Malone	Album, Record, Song	None
SZA	Album, Record, Song, R&B	None

Terms and Context

Eligibility window: October 1, 2017 – September 30, 2018 for the 2019 ceremony.
Genre committees: Panels of voting members who shortlist entries in specialized fields.
Ballot: Final voting list determined after screening and committee review.
Peer-based voting: Only Recording Academy voting members may nominate and elect winners.