The 2025 Grammy Awards season is officially underway with the highly anticipated nomination ceremony taking place today, Friday, 8 November 2024.

As the Recording Academy gears up for another year of celebrating musical excellence, this year marks a turning point with significant changes to the awards structure.

In an effort to “enhance the integrity and inclusivity” of the GRAMMYs, the Academy has redefined several award categories, aiming to better reflect the diverse and evolving landscape of the music industry.

These updates were outlined in a recent statement from the Academy, and are designed to celebrate a wider variety of musical genres and styles.

Notable changes include the introduction of the new Best Dance Pop Recording category, which replaces the previous Best Pop Dance Recording category, as well as a reshuffling of the Best Remixed Recording category, now positioned within the Pop & Dance/Electronic Field.

These adjustments are in line with the Academy’s broader commitment to evolving with the industry’s shifts, ensuring a more inclusive awards process.

Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. shared that the changes are part of a broader effort to “empower creators” and better support the industry’s evolution.

In a message to voting members, Mason emphasized the GRAMMY Awards’ legacy, noting that the prestigious event has been a staple of the music industry for 67 years and that “every vote can shape the future of music.”

The Grammy nominations are the result of months of voting and deliberation, starting with the entry period in July and the initial voting rounds in October.

The official announcement today sets the stage for the grand finale—the 67th GRAMMY Awards ceremony on Sunday, 2 February, 2025, to be broadcast live from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.

In addition to the category updates, the Academy has made revisions to eligibility and submission guidelines, particularly in the Songwriter of the Year category. This year, songwriters will qualify with fewer songs, broadening the pool and allowing more voices to be heard.

One Direction star Liam Payne consumed cocaine, alcohol and a prescription antidepressant before falling to his death from a Buenos Aires hotel balcony last month, Argentine prosecutors said Thursday.

The prosecutor’s office added that three people were charged with supplying him with drugs and one of them was also charged with abandoning a person in a vulnerable state.

“The results of the toxicological studies, which have been communicated to his family, revealed that, in the moments prior to his death and over a period covering at least his last 72 hours, Payne had traces of polydrug use of alcohol, cocaine and a prescription antidepressant in his body,” the prosecutors said.

Payne was found dead on October 16 after plunging from the balcony of his third-floor room at the CasaSur Hotel in the Argentine capital.

An autopsy found he died after sustaining “multiple traumas” and “internal and external hemorrhaging” from the fall.

One of the highest-grossing live acts in the world in the 2010s, One Direction went on indefinite hiatus in 2016.

Payne went on to enjoy a degree of solo success but his career had languished recently.

His death at age 31 prompted a global outpouring of grief and condolences from family, former bandmates, fans and others.

– Three charged with drugs supply –

Prosecutors said one of the three people charged in the case had accompanied him on a daily basis during his stay in Buenos Aires and was charged with abandoning a person who later died as well as supplying him with narcotics.

The second suspect is a hotel employee accused of twice supplying Payne with cocaine while he was staying at the CasaSur. A third person is also accused of supplying him with the drug on October 14, two days before his death.

The prosecution ruled out self-harm and the “physical intervention of third parties” as the cause of Payne’s death, saying that the injuries he sustained were compatible with those caused by a fall.

“Payne was either not fully conscious or was in a state of markedly diminished or absent consciousness at the time of the fall,” the report said.

He was found dead after hotel staff called emergency services to report “a guest who is overwhelmed by drugs and alcohol, and destroying his room.”

The toxicological report was published a day after the singer’s father Geoff Payne repatriated his body to Britain aboard a flight from Buenos Aires to London.

Payne’s death has prompted a debate about whether the music industry has a duty of care for the mental health of stars who find fame at a young age.

The singer from Wolverhampton in central England had spoken publicly about struggles with substance abuse and the pressures of teenage stardom.

He first auditioned for the hugely popular television talent show “The X Factor” at the age of 14 but was unsuccessful.

Two years later he hit gold on the program, which teamed him up with Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Zayn Malik to form One Direction.

Over the next six years, the group enjoyed global fame and legions of screaming fans, selling more than 70 million copies of their five albums. They went on four world tours and won nearly 200 awards.

Iyabo Ojo, the Nigerian actress, has declared that she will continue to support Omowunmi, the wife of the late singer Mohbad.

Mohbad died on September 12. He was buried the following day. On September 21, the body of the 27-year-old music star was exhumed by the police for autopsy.

The circumstances surrounding his death have continued to stir up controversies, with many pointing accusing fingers at Omowunmi.

In a live session, Ojo emphasized that she will keep supporting Omowunmi until proven guilty with concrete evidence by authorities. She urged others to present evidence to the authorities instead of engaging in speculation.

The actress stressed the importance of awaiting legal judgment, stating that social media should not be used to judge others.

“A lot of people are angry that I’m supporting Wunmi. Until the law proves her guilty, there is concrete evidence that she is guilty I will continue to support her,” she said.

“Why would I want to be wicked to someone else’s child when the law has not found her guilty?

“If they like they should drag, curse me, I will not stop being nice to her. Until the judge says otherwise with evidence, proof beyond every reasonable doubt that she is guilty.

“So if I join to crucify someone’s child when I have mine and tomorrow you all find out that she is innocent. Do you think an apology will repair the damages caused, and take away the emotional trauma?

“It can’t, there are something that apology can’t repair. So we have to be mindful of how we want to destroy someone’s life. I do not make social media judgments, there are laws in the country.

“Also everyone who has said they have evidence, take it to the right authorities and let us see, not side talks.”