Taylor Swift’s evermore may be nominated for Album of the Year at the upcoming Grammy Awards, but her chances of winning a trophy just got cut in half.
Swift, along with Jack Antonoff and St. Vincent, were all nominated for Grammys last month for Olivia Rodrigo’s breakthrough debut Sour, despite not actively being involved in creating the record. But the Recording Academy has now decided to reverse its call on their recognition.
Swift, Antonoff, and St. Vincent (Annie Clark) are now no longer nominees for Sour, according to the Recording Academy’s website. In short, the trio didn’t actively create the album, so their contention is off the table.
“During the submission process, the Academy received credits from the label for the track ‘deja vu.’ Last week, we received the correct credits from the label that recognize Annie Clark, Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift as songwriters of an interpolation on the track, ‘deja vu,’” a Recording Academy statement, shared by Billboard, reads. “In keeping with current Grammy guidelines, as songwriters of an interpolated track, Clark, Antonoff and Swift are not nominees in the album of the year category for Sour. Antonoff and Swift are nominated in the category for Swift’s album, evermore.”
The trio wrote “Cruel Summer,” off of Swift’s Lover, which was credited Rodrigo as an interpolation on her hit song “Deja Vu.”
The decision comes the same year the Recording Academy has decided to up its recognition for songwriters, with all involved in the records nominated in the Album of the Year category getting nods—regardless of how much they contributed to the project. With the Sour move, the Grammys still isn’t recognizing folks whose work was interpolated to create other work.
The Recording Academy has also removed Marilyn Manson—who is under investigation for alleged sex crimes—from the Best Rap Song category, as his involvement in Kanye West’s “Jail” is only limited to the song’s second part. He’s still nominated for Album of the Year thanks to Donda’s recognition in the category.
