Guyana Signs Major Offshore Oil Deal With QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies and PETRONAS

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News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Weds. Nov. 12, 2025: The Government of Guyana has inked a new Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for shallow-water Block S4 offshore Guyana with a consortium led by global energy giants QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies, and PETRONAS.

The deal, signed through the Ministry of Natural Resources, marks another milestone in Guyana’s growing oil and gas industry. Under the agreement, TotalEnergies will serve as the operator with a 40% stake, while QatarEnergy and PETRONAS will hold 35% and 25% respectively.

The Government of Guyana has inked a new Production Sharing Agreement (PSA) for shallow-water Block S4 offshore Guyana with a consortium led by global energy giants QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies, and PETRONAS.

Awarded under Guyana’s first-ever licensing round in 2022, the PSA includes a US$15 million signing bonus and underscores continued investor confidence in the country’s hydrocarbon sector.

Minister of Natural Resources, Vickram Bharrat, hailed the signing as a signal of Guyana’s global appeal. “We are pleased to welcome QatarEnergy, TotalEnergies and PETRONAS as new partners in Guyana’s petroleum sector,” Bharrat said. “This investment demonstrates continued international confidence in Guyana’s transparent and robust licensing framework, and it reflects our government’s commitment to ensuring that the development of our natural resources is done sustainably and for the benefit of all Guyanese.”

Block S4 covers roughly 1,788 square kilometers, located between 50 and 100 kilometers off Guyana’s coast, in water depths ranging from 30 to 100 meters. The Ministry said exploration will adhere to both national regulatory standards and international best practices for environmental protection.

TotalEnergies’ Vice President of Exploration for the Americas, Daniel Larrañaga, expressed eagerness to begin operations, saying:

“We want to go fast. We want to explore this basin as soon as we can.”

The Ministry of Natural Resources reaffirmed the government’s commitment to environmental stewardship, transparency, and maximizing local participation in all petroleum activities.

With this latest agreement, Guyana continues to solidify its status as one of the world’s fastest-emerging energy producers—balancing rapid sector growth with a pledge to responsible development and national benefit.

Jamaican Artists Pitch In To Help Hurricane Melissa Victims

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By NAN ET EDITOR

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Tues. Nov. 11, 2025: In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impact across Jamaica – leaving at least 32 dead and an estimated US$7 billion in damages – some of the biggest Jamaican artists are stepping up to help.

From international hitmakers to reggae icons, members of Jamaica’s music fraternity have launched coordinated efforts to raise funds and deliver essential supplies to hard-hit communities.

Shaggy Leads Global Relief Effort

Grammy-winning entertainer Shaggy has activated his Make a Difference Foundation to collect and ship aid to Jamaica in partnership with Global Empowerment Mission (GEM) and 25 United Disaster Relief. Supplies can be dropped off or sent through GEM’s South Florida warehouses, where logistics teams are coordinating shipments directly to affected parishes.

Jamaican reggae star Shaggy on the scene in Blackriver, Jamaica, handing out supplies after Hurricane Melissa devasted the area. (Jamaica gleaner image)

“Now is the time for us all to pull together for Jamaica,” Shaggy said in a post. “Every item counts. Let’s rebuild stronger.”

Sean Paul Matches Donations for Recovery

Meanwhile, Sean Paul and his Sean Paul Foundation have joined forces with Food For The Poor Jamaica to raise US$100,000 toward recovery efforts. The initiative has already surpassed US$70,000, with Sean Paul pledging to match up to US$50,000 in donations personally.

Sean Paul packs supplies at Food for the Poor.

“Jamaica needs us right now,” the dancehall superstar said in a social media appeal. “Every dollar goes directly to families and communities trying to rebuild their lives.”

Buju Banton Supports Humanitarian Flights

Reggae legend Buju Banton has teamed up with the nonprofit Experience Aviation to back humanitarian flights piloted by Captain Barrington Irving. The airlift aims to deliver over 100,000 pounds of recovery supplies, including medical equipment, generators, food, and clean water to remote areas cut off by flooding and landslides.

“This is about action, not talk,” Buju said. “Captain Irving and his team are doing extraordinary work, and we’re proud to support that mission.”

Vybz Kartel Hurricane Relief

Dancehall star Vybz Kartel, through his Adidja Palmer Foundation, visited the Westhaven Children’s Home in Copse, Hanover, last week – continuing his foundation’s humanitarian work in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.

The powerful Category 5 storm left widespread devastation across western Jamaica, severely damaging the children’s home, which cares for physically and mentally disabled children.

“When we went to the children’s home, that was a sad occasion for me. Heart-wrenching to say the least,” Kartel told The Sunday Gleaner during an interview at the Montego Bay Convention Centre. “The roof was gone, and the kids were basically rammed into one room. A room for like 20 kids now holds like 40 or 50. That was very touching for me.” Kartel said the focus of his foundation’s outreach is children and the elderly — two of the most vulnerable groups in disaster recovery.

“It’s not just one institution we plan to adopt,” he explained. “We plan to also adopt a basic school. We chose this specific children’s home because the kids are disabled — physically, mentally, and in some cases both. Dem need extra help, extra attention, extra resources.”
Rebuilding Hope After Hurricane Melissa The Westhaven Children’s Home, perched on a hill overlooking Copse, still bears the visible scars of Hurricane Melissa – damaged roofs, uprooted trees, cracked walls, and limited supplies. Yet, amid the wreckage, there was laughter.
Children smiled widely as they met Kartel, some holding his hands and proudly showing off their artwork. One ward even performed a short dance to lift spirits during the visit.

Kartel emphasized that this was not a one-time gesture but part of a long-term relief and development plan under the Adidja Palmer Foundation.

“We’re in it for the long run. We nuh in it just for hurricane relief,” he said. “This recovery will take years — at least a decade — and it will need unity from all sections of society, not just entertainers but everybody.” The Adidja Palmer Foundation, launched by Kartel to support youth empowerment and community welfare, has been expanding its scope to include disaster response and education. The artist says his goal is to use his influence to mobilize sustained assistance for vulnerable communities across Jamaica.

As recovery efforts continue, the foundation plans to provide rebuilding materials, educational supplies, and long-term institutional support for the children’s home and other affected schools in the region.

“The work never stops,” Kartel said. “Mi just a start give back in a bigger way – cause di people dem need we right now.”

Local Musicians Take Action On The Ground

On the island, reggae crooner Beres Hammond has opened his Harmony House headquarters, located at 67 Dumbarton Avenue, Kingston 10, as a local donation drop-off point. The center is open Tuesday through Saturday, from 12 to 6 p.m., and is currently accepting non-perishable food, bottled water, hygiene products, and clothing.

Dancehall stars Spice and Christopher Martin have also mobilized through their respective charities – the Grace Hamilton Foundation and the Christopher Martin Foundation – both of which have completed rounds of care-package distribution to displaced families in St. Elizabeth and St. James.

“We cyah watch our people suffer and do nothing,” Spice said. “Every hand, every heart, every little bit counts.”

How To Help

Fans and diaspora supporters can contribute directly to these ongoing efforts through the official donation pages:

Shaggy’s Make A Difference Foundation (partnered with GEM and 25 United)

Sean Paul Foundation + Food For The Poor Jamaica

Experience Aviation Hurricane Missions

Local drop-offs at Beres Hammond’s Harmony House HQ, Kingston 10

As relief flights continue and artists mobilize resources, Jamaica’s creative community is once again proving that its rhythm of resilience extends far beyond the stage.

Jamaica: Damage From Hurricane Melissa Nears One-Third of GDP

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By NAN Business Writer

News Americas, KINGSTON, Jamaica, Tues. Nov. 11, 2025: Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness has revealed that the record-breaking storm caused damages equivalent to nearly one-third of Jamaica’s annual GDP.

Holness told Parliament recentkly that initial assessments show losses of between US$6 and $7 billion – or roughly 28% to 32% of Jamaica’s 2024 economic output -making Melissa the most destructive hurricane in the island’s history.

“This was not just another storm,” Holness declared. “Experts say Melissa pushed the physical limits of what’s possible in the Atlantic, fueled by record sea temperatures. Its force was so immense that seismographs hundreds of miles away registered its passage. Hurricane Melissa wasn’t only a tragedy – it was a warning.”

An aerial view shows damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, in Westmoreland, Jamaica, on October 31, 2025. At least 19 people in Jamaica have died as a result of Hurricane Melissa which devastated the island nation when it roared ashore this week, a government minister told news outlets late October 31. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

Fiscal Shock and Recovery Plan

The Prime Minister warned that reconstruction costs will temporarily push up Jamaica’s debt-to-GDP ratio, forcing the government to invoke emergency fiscal provisions. He said the administration will seek support from regional partners, multilateral agencies, and private-sector investors to stabilize the economy.

Preliminary data suggests short-term economic output could shrink by 8% to 13%, a major setback for an economy already strained by Hurricane Beryl last year.

Holness said new measures would focus on climate-resilient rebuilding, including plans to bury sections of the national power grid, upgrade coastal defenses, and waive import taxes on critical relief items such as solar panels and Starlink satellite kits.

“Every repaired bridge, re-roofed home, and rebuilt road must be designed for the storms of tomorrow, not the storms of yesterday,” Holness said.

Regional Impact and Rising Costs of Climate Change

While Jamaica bore the brunt of Melissa’s impact, heavy rains also pummeled Haiti, flooding rivers and destroying nearly 12,000 homes. Haitian officials confirmed 25 deaths, including 10 children.

In Cuba, authorities reported no fatalities after large-scale evacuations near Santiago de Cuba, though they cited massive agricultural and infrastructure losses.

Regionally, AccuWeather estimates total damages from Hurricane Melissa at US $48–52 billion, while Verisk Analytics pegs insured losses in Jamaica alone between US $2.2 billion and $4.2 billion.

Caribbean Leaders Renew Climate Call

The scale of devastation has renewed calls across CARICOM for climate reparations and debt relief from high-emission nations. “This is what climate injustice looks like,” said one regional diplomat. “The Caribbean is paying the price for carbon emissions we didn’t create.”

Holness echoed the sentiment, pledging to champion a regional resilience framework that ties reconstruction to green financing and renewable energy transitions.

“Jamaica will rebuild stronger,” he said. “But the world must listen. Our survival depends on global action, not sympathy.”

Jamaica is set to receive a full $150 million payout under its World Bank backed catastrophe bond following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa – marking one of the largest single sovereign insurance redemptions in the Caribbean’s history.

The World Bank, (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD AAA/Aaa) confirmed that the payout was automatically triggered after third-party analysis by AIR Worldwide Corporation determined that the hurricane met pre-agreed parametric thresholds based on the storm’s central pressure and path, as reported by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

And In the wake of Hurricane Melissa’s devastating impact, the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility, (CCRIF-SPC) has announced a record-breaking US$70.8 million payout to the Government of Jamaica — the largest single payout in the organization’s history.

The Cayman Islands-based Caribbean and Central America Parametric Insurance Facility said the funds will be disbursed within 14 days, pending final model verification, in line with CCRIF’s commitment to speed and transparency.

“This marks the largest single payout in CCRIF’s history and is a powerful demonstration of the organization’s parametric insurance model,” CCRIF said in a statement. This payout is Jamaica’s fourth from CCRIF, bringing the country’s total receipts to US$100.9 million since joining the facility in 2007. Previous payments included US$26.6 million following Hurricane Beryl in 2024 and earlier disbursements after Tropical Cyclones Zeta and Eta in 2020.

Tributes Pour In Following Passing Of Alsion Roach Wilson – Jamaica’s Consul General In New York

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By NAN Staff Writer

News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Nov. 10, 2025: Tributes are pouring in from across Jamaica and the global diaspora following the passing of Jamaica’s Consul General to New York, Alsion Roach Wilson, who died at her home on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, reportedly after a battle with cancer.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness led the tributes, describing Roach Wilson as “a devout Jamaican whose love for her country was as deep as it was enduring.”

FLASHBACK – Marlon Campbell, the late CG Alsion Roach Wilson, Prime Minister of Jamaica Andrew Holness, Clarence KD McNair, Dion Barnes-Robinson and Dr. Karren Dunkley attend St Catherine High School North East’s 25th Anniversary Alumni Celebration on October 21, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

“She dedicated her heart and soul to service, to lifting others, to strengthening the bonds between Jamaica and its diaspora,” Holness said. “Her passing leaves a void in our hearts, but also a legacy of devotion, patriotism, and excellence that will continue to inspire all who knew her.”

Deep Appreciation For Service

Jamaica’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Kamina Johnson Smith expressed deep sadness, noting that Roach Wilson “served Jamaica at the highest level of excellence during her tenure from July 2019 to present.”

“Her accomplishments defy the time during which she served,” Johnson Smith said. “On behalf of the Government and people of Jamaica, I extend condolences to her husband Omar, children Brian and Vanessa, and her entire family. May her generous and beautiful soul rest in eternal peace.”

Honorary Consul of Jamaica in Philadelphia, Christopher Chaplin, recalled a close friendship and professional bond formed since their joint appointments in 2019.

“She was a consummate professional who valued relationships as the foundation for trade and investment,” he said. “During the pandemic, she personally delivered laptops, tablets, and resources to Jamaica. Her leadership was strong, her advice sage, and her expectations of excellence unwavering.”

Jamaica’s Consul General to Miami, Olivier Mair, also paid tribute: “You did an exceptional job serving Jamaicans at home and abroad. You fought illness with bravery and determination. Walk good, CG – we will miss you.”

Remembered As “The People’s CG”

Business leader Sabrina HoSang Jordan of Caribbean Food Delights described Roach Wilson as “a beacon” of diaspora leadership.

“She was the people’s CG – consistently present, consistently hands-on, and consistently committed to serving Jamaica,” HoSang Jordan said. “Her compassion, energy, and leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic brought relief to so many. That is leadership. That is legacy.”

Community organizer Hope Blake-Wade shared a personal memory of meeting Roach Wilson at an alumnae event in 2019: “She came despite being ill, supported by her husband Omar. She was always gracious, dependable, and deeply dedicated to the diaspora. Even during her illness, she was recommending others for leadership roles. She thought of everyone but herself.”

Educator Karen Dunkley added: “She was a remarkable woman whose strength and love for Jamaica inspired many. Her steady leadership during the pandemic reminded us that service must always lead.”

A Journey Of Perseverance And Triumph

Born in Redwood, St. Catherine, Roach Wilson often spoke of her journey as one of perseverance. After migrating to Brooklyn in 1980, she endured a period of homelessness as a teen before rebuilding her life through education and determination.

She studied business and finance at the American Business Institute and began her career in the mailroom at Morgan Stanley, later advancing to roles at HSBC, Bear Stearns, and Moody’s. She co-founded the Alsion Road Group, advising global firms and regional governments, and pioneered the concept of a Jamaica Diaspora Bond.

In 2019, she was appointed Consul General of Jamaica to New York, overseeing 33 U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and Bermuda—the largest diplomatic jurisdiction in Jamaica’s network. Her tenure focused on investment, cultural exchange, and diaspora engagement.

In recognition of her contributions, Roach Wilson was recently conferred with the Order of Distinction (Commander Class) by the Government of Jamaica.

She is survived by her husband Omar Wilson, and children Brian, Vanessa and Patrick.

“Her legacy,” said one mourner, “is written in every life she touched – across Jamaica, the diaspora, and beyond.”

2026 GRAMMY Nominations: Reggae & Global Music -Caribbean, African, Latin & World Stars Lead The Charge

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News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Nov. 10, 2025: Music’s Biggest Night – the Grammys, returns Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. The Recording Academy unveiled this year’s nominees across 95 categories, including stacked fields for Reggae, Global Music, Latin and African Music – with Caribbean and Latin heavyweights and global icons sharing the spotlight.

Lila Ike at the au Paléo Festival Nyonin 2022. (Photo by Lionel FLUSIN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Best Reggae Album

(Albums with >75% new reggae recordings)

Lila Iké — Treasure Self Love. Ike is the lone female reggae singer among this year’s nominees.

Vybz Kartel — Heart & Soul

Keznamdi — BLXXD & FYAH

Mortimer — From Within

Jesse Royal — No Place Like Home

Why it matters: A fresh, roots-forward slate mixes veteran voices (Kartel, Jesse Royal) with ascendant torchbearers (Lila Iké, Mortimer, Keznamdi), signaling a year rich in songwriting and live-band energy.

Best Global Music Performance

(New vocal or instrumental recordings)

Bad Bunny — “EoO”

Ciro Hurtado — “Cantando en el Camino”

Angélique Kidjo — “JERUSALEMA”

Yeisy Rojas — “Inmigrante Y Que?”

Shakti — “Shrini’s Dream [Live]”

Anoushka Shankar feat. Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar — “Daybreak”

Best African Music Performance

Burna Boy — “Love”

Davido feat. Omah Lay — “With You”

Eddy Kenzo & Mehran Matin — “Hope & Love”

Ayra Starr feat. Wizkid — “Gimme Dat”

Tyla — “PUSH 2 START”

Best Global Music Album

(Albums with >75% new Global Music recordings)

Siddhant Bhatia — Sounds Of Kumbha

Burna Boy — No Sign of Weakness

Youssou N’Dour — Éclairer le monde (Light the World)

Shakti — Mind Explosion [50th Anniversary Tour Live]

Anoushka Shankar feat. Alam Khan & Sarathy Korwar — Chapter III: We Return To Light

Caetano Veloso & Maria Bethânia — Caetano e Bethânia Ao Vivo

Best Latin Jazz Album

For vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded material. The intent of this category is to recognize recordings that represent the blending of jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinian tango music.

La Fleur de Cayenne
Paquito D’Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band

The Original Influencers: Dizzy, Chano & Chico Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Featuring Pedrito Martinez, Daymé Arocena, Jon Faddis, Donald Harrison & Melvis Santa

Mundoagua – Celebrating Carla Bley
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro

Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard
Miguel Zenón Quartet

Best Latin Jazz Album

For vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded material. The intent of this category is to recognize recordings that represent the blending of jazz with Latin, Iberian-American, Brazilian, and Argentinian tango music.

La Fleur de Cayenne
Paquito D’Rivera & Madrid-New York Connection Band

The Original Influencers: Dizzy, Chano & Chico Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra
Featuring Pedrito Martinez, Daymé Arocena, Jon Faddis, Donald Harrison & Melvis Santa

Mundoagua – Celebrating Carla Bley
Arturo O’Farrill & The Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra

A Tribute to Benny Moré and Nat King Cole
Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Yainer Horta & Joey Calveiro

Vanguardia Subterránea: Live at The Village Vanguard
Miguel Zenón Quartet

Best Latin Pop Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Latin pop recordings.

Cosa Nuestra
Rauw Alejandro

BOGOTÁ DELUXE
Andrés Cepeda

Tropicoqueta
KAROL G

Cancionera
Natalia Lafourcade

**¿Y ahora qué?**
Alejandro Sanz

Best Música Urbana Album

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Música Urbana recordings.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Bad Bunny

Mixteip
J Balvin

FERXXO VOL X: Sagrado
Feid

NAIKI
Nicki Nicole

EUB DELUXE
Trueno

SINFÓNICO — En Vivo
Yandel

Category 60

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Latin rock or alternative recordings.

Genes Rebeldes
Aterciopelados

ASTROPICAL
Bomba Estéreo, Rawayana, ASTROPICAL

PAPOTA
CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso

ALGORHYTHM
Los Wizzards

Novela
Fito Paez

Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)

For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new regional Mexican (banda, norteño, corridos, gruperos, mariachi, ranchera and Tejano) recordings.

MALA MÍA
Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera

Y Lo Que Viene
Grupo Frontera

Sin Rodeos
Paola Jara

**Palabra De To’s [Seca]**
Carín León

**Bobby Pulido & Friends Una Tuya Y Una Mía – Por La Puerta Grande [En Vivo]**
Bobby Pulido

When & How To Watch

The 2026 GRAMMYs air Sunday, Feb. 1, 2026, live from Los Angeles on CBS, with streaming live and on demand on Paramount+.

New For 2026

The Academy added two categories – Best Traditional Country Album and Best Album Cover – continuing its push to recognize a broader spectrum of artistry and craft across music.

Music’s Biggest Night is set; now it’s over to Recording Academy voting members to decide who takes home the hardware in reggae, global, and African music’s most competitive year in recent memory.

ALL 2026 GRAMMY NOMINATIONS

Record Of The Year
Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.

DtMF
Bad Bunny
Scotty Dittrich, Hydra Hitz, La Paciencia, JULiA LEWiS, MAG & Tyler Spry, producers; Antonio Caraballo, Josh Gudwin, Roberto Rosado & Tyler Spry, engineers/mixers; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

Manchild
Sabrina Carpenter
Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, producers; Jack Antonoff, Bryce Bordone, Jozef Caldwell, Serban Ghenea, Sean Hutchinson, Oli Jacobs, Michael Riddleberger & Laura Sisk, engineers/mixers; Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineer

Anxiety
Doechii
Doechii, producer; Jayda Love, engineer/mixer; Nicolas De Porcel, mastering engineer

WILDFLOWER
Billie Eilish
FINNEAS, producer; Jon Castelli, FINNEAS & Aron Forbes, engineers/mixers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer

Abracadabra
Lady Gaga
Cirkut, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt, producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Paul LaMalfa, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

luther
Kendrick Lamar With SZA
Jack Antonoff, Bridgeway, M-Tech, roselilah, Sounwave & Kamasi Washington, producers; Jack Antonoff, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Hector Castro, Oli Jacobs, Jack Manning, Sean Matsukawa, Dani Perez, Tony Shepperd, Laura Sisk & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineer

The Subway
Chappell Roan
Daniel Nigro, producer; Chris Kaysch, Mitch McCarthy & Daniel Nigro, engineers/mixers; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

APT.
ROSÉ, Bruno Mars
Rogét Chahayed, Cirkut, Omer Fedi & Bruno Mars, producers; Serban Ghenea

Album Of The Year
Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s) credited with 20% or more playing time of the album.

DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS
Bad Bunny
Big Jay, La Paciencia, MAG & Tainy, producers; Antonio Caraballo, Josh Gudwin, Luis Amed Irizarry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, engineers/mixers; Benito Antonio Ocasio Martinez, Roberto José Rosado Torres, Marco Daniel Borrero, Jay Anthony Nuñez & Marcos Efrain Masis, songwriters; Colin Leonard, mastering engineer

SWAG
Justin Bieber
Eddie Benjamin, Justin Bieber, Daniel Chetrit, Dijon, Carter Lang & Dylan Wiggins, producers; Felix Byrne & Josh Gudwin, engineers/mixers; Eddie Benjamin, Justin Bieber, Daniel Chetrit, Dijon Duenas, Tobias Jesso Jr., Carter Lang, Jackson Lee Morgan & Dylan Wiggins, songwriters; Dale Becker, mastering engineer

Man’s Best Friend
Sabrina Carpenter
Jack Antonoff, Sabrina Carpenter & John Ryan, producers; Zem Adu, Jack Antonoff, Bryce Bordone, Jozef Caldwell, Serban Ghenea, Jeff Gunnell, David Hart, Mikey Freedom Hart, Sean Hutchinson, Oli Jacobs, Jack Manning, Joey Miller, Michael Riddleberger, John Ryan, Laura Sisk & Evan Smith, engineers/mixers; Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff, Sabrina Carpenter & John Ryan, songwriters; Nathan Dantzler & Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineers

Let God Sort Em Out
Clipse, Pusha T & Malice
Pharrell Williams, featured artist; Pharrell Williams, producer; Mike Larson, Manny Marroquin, Rob Ulsh & Pharrell Williams, engineers/mixers; Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., Terrence Thornton & Pharrell Williams, songwriters; Zach Pereyra, mastering engineer

MAYHEM
Lady Gaga
Cirkut, Gesaffelstein, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt, producers; Bryce Bordone, Serban Ghenea & Paul LaMalfa, engineers/mixers; Henry Walter, Mike Lévy, Lady Gaga, Michael Polansky & Andrew Watt, songwriters; Randy Merrill, mastering engineer

GNX
Kendrick Lamar
Jack Antonoff & Sounwave, producers; Jack Antonoff, Ray Charles Brown Jr., Jozef Caldwell, Oli Jacobs, Jack Manning, Dani Perez, Laura Sisk & Johnathan Turner, engineers/mixers; Jack Antonoff, Ink, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Kendrick Lamar, Matthew Bernard & Mark Anthony Spears, songwriters; Ruairi O’Flaherty, mastering engineer

MUTT
Leon Thomas
Freaky Rob, Peter Lee Johnson, D. Phelps & Leon Thomas, producers; Jean-Marie Horvat, engineer/mixer; Lazaro Andres Camejo, Freaky Rob, Peter Lee Johnson, D. Phelps & Leon Thomas, songwriters; Dave Kutch, mastering engineer

CHROMAKOPIA
Tyler, The Creator
Tyler, The Creator, producer; NealHPogue, Tyler Okonma & Vic Wainstein, engineers/mixers; Tyler Okonma, songwriter; Mike Bozzi, mastering engineer

Song Of The Year
A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Abracadabra
Lady Gaga, Henry Walter & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

Anxiety
Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)

**APT. **
Amy Allen, Christopher Brody Brown, Rogét Chahayed, Omer Fedi, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Chae Young Park, Theron Thomas & Henry Walter, songwriters (ROSÉ, Bruno Mars)

DtMF
Marco Daniel Borrero, Scott Dittrich, Benjamin Falik, Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio, Hugo René Sención Sanabria, Tyler Thomas Spry & Roberto José Rosado Torres, songwriters (Bad Bunny)

**Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”]**
EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X:EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)

luther
Jack Antonoff, Roshwita Larisha Bacha, Matthew Bernard, Scott Bridgeway, Sam Dew, Ink, Kendrick Lamar, Solána Rowe, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar With SZA)

Manchild
Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)

WILDFLOWER
Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

Best New Artist
This category recognizes an artist whose eligibility-year release(s) achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.

Olivia Dean
KATSEYE
The Marias
Addison Rae
sombr
Leon Thomas
Alex Warren
Lola Young

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
A Producer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

Dan Auerbach
Elegantly Wasted (Hermanos Gutiérrez Featuring Leon Bridges) (S)
Harsh & Exciting (Moonrisers) (A)
Holy Ghost Party (Robert Finley) (S)
Love Is Cruel (Miles Kane) (S)
Medium Raw (Early James) (A)
A Million Knives (The Velveteers) (A)
No Rain, No Flowers (The Black Keys) (A)
Our Time In The Sun (Jeremie Albino) (A)

Cirkut
Abracadabra (Lady Gaga) (S)
AEOMG (Coco Jones) (T)
APT. (ROSÉ & Bruno Mars) (S)
Big Sleep (The Weeknd Featuring Giorgio Moroder) (T)
Disease (Lady Gaga) (S)
IT girl (JADE) (S)
A Little More (Ed Sheeran) (S)
Mayhem (Lady Gaga) (A)
Red Terror (The Weeknd) (T)

Dijon
Baby (Dijon) (A)
DAISIES (Justin Bieber) (T)
DEVOTION (Justin Bieber & Dijon) (T)
THINGS YOU DO (Justin Bieber) (T)
YUKON (Justin Bieber) (T)

Blake Mills
For Melancholy Brunettes (& sad women) (Japanese Breakfast) (A)
Forever Is A Feeling (Lucy Dacus) (A)
Glory (Perfume Genius) (A)
That Wasn’t A Dream (Pino Palladino And Blake Mills)(A)

Sounwave
GNX (Kendrick Lamar) (A)

Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical
A Songwriter’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

Amy Allen
APT. (ROSÉ & Bruno Mars) (S)
Bad As The Rest (Jessie Murph) (S)
Hail Mary (Shaboozey, Sierra Ferrell) (T)
Handlebars (JENNIE Featuring Dua Lipa) (S)
Just Keep Watching (Tate McRae) (S)
Lost In Translation (Carín León & Kasey Musgraves) (S)
Manchild (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)
Tears (Sabrina Carpenter) (S)
WHY (Jon Bellion Featuring Luke Combs) (S)

Edgar Barrera
Birthday Behavior (BIA, Young Miko) (S)
Coleccionando Heridas (KAROL G, Marco Antonio Solís) (T)
Ese Vato No Te Queda (Carín León, Gabito Ballesteros) (S)
Me Jalo (Fuerza Regida, Grupo Frontera) (T)
Me Retiro (Santana, Grupo Frontera) (S)
Milagros (KAROL G) (S)
Sigueme Besando Asi (Manuel Turizo) (T)
Soltera (Shakira) (S)
Una Noche Contigo (Juanes) (S)

Jessie Jo Dillon
Bless Your Heart (Megan Moroney) (T)
Bottomland (HARDY) (S)
Dreams Don’t Die (Jelly Roll) (S)
First Rodeo (Kelsea Ballerini) (T)
Happen To Me (Russell Dickerson) (S)
Hello S—ty Day (Jake Worthington, Miranda Lambert)(S)
If You Were Mine (Morgan Wallen) (T)
Patterns (Kelsea Ballerini) (T)
To The Men That Love Women After Heartbreak (Kelsea Ballerini) (T)

**Tobias Jesso Jr.**
Another Baby! (Dijon) (T)
Baby! (Dijon) (T)
Daisies (Justin Bieber) (T)
From (Bon Iver) (T)
Go Baby (Justin Bieber) (T)
Golden Burning Sun (Miley Cyrus) (T)
Man I Need (Olivia Dean) (S)
Relationships (HAIM) (S)
Walking Away (Justin Bieber) (T)

Laura Veltz
About You (BigXthaPlug Featuring Tucker Wetmore) (T)
Blue Strips (Jessie Murph) (S)
Grand Bouquet (Maren Morris) (T)
Leave Me Too (Josh Ross) (S)
Parallel Universe (Lauren Spencer Smith) (T)
Someone In This Room (Jessie Murph Featuring Bailey Zimmerman) (T)
Touch Me Like A Gangster (Jessie Murph) (S)
What Tomorrow’s For (Blessing Offor) (T)
You’ll Be OK, Kid – From The Original Documentary “Child Star” (Demi Lovato) (S)

Pop & Dance/Electronic

Best Pop Solo Performance
For new vocal or instrumental pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

DAISIES
Justin Bieber

Manchild
Sabrina Carpenter

Disease
Lady Gaga

The Subway
Chappell Roan

Messy
Lola Young

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

Defying Gravity
Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande

**Golden [From “KPop Demon Hunters”]**
HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI

Gabriela
KATSEYE

**APT.**
ROSÉ, Bruno Mars

30 For 30
SZA Featuring Kendrick Lamar

Best Pop Vocal Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new pop vocal recordings.

SWAG
Justin Bieber

Man’s Best Friend
Sabrina Carpenter

Something Beautiful
Miley Cyrus

MAYHEM
Lady Gaga

**I’ve Tried Everything But Therapy (Part 2)**
Teddy Swims

Best Dance/Electronic Recording
For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.

No Cap
Disclosure & Anderson .Paak
Disclosure, producer; Guy Lawrence, mixer

Victory Lap
Fred again.., Skepta, & PlaqueBoyMax
Blake Cascoe, Berwyn Du Bois, Fred again.., Darcy Lewis, Dan Mayo & PlaqueBoyMax, producers; Tom Norris, mixer

SPACE INVADER
KAYTRANADA
KAYTRANADA, producer; KAYTRANADA, mixer

VOLTAGE
Skrillex
John Feldmann & Skrillex, producers; Luca Pretolesi, Skrillex & Virtual Riot, mixers

End Of Summer
Tame Impala
Kevin Parker, producer; Kevin Parker, mixer

Best Dance Pop Recording
For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances. Vocal or Instrumental. Singles or tracks only.

Bluest Flame
Selena Gomez & benny blanco
benny blanco, Dylan Brady & Cashmere Cat, producers;benny blanco & Cashmere Cat, mixers

Abracadabra
Lady Gaga
Cirkut, Lady Gaga & Andrew Watt, producers; Serban Ghenea, mixer

Midnight Sun
Zara Larsson
Margo XS & MNEK, producers; Tom Norris, mixer

Just Keep Watching (From F1® The Movie)
Tate McRae
Tyler Spry & Ryan Tedder, producers; Manny Marroquin, mixer

Illegal
PinkPantheress
Aksel Arvid & PinkPantheress, producers; Nickie Jon Pabon

Best Dance/Electronic Album
For vocal or instrumental albums. Albums only.

EUSEXUA
FKA twigs

Ten Days
Fred again..

Fancy That
PinkPantheress

Inhale / Exhale
RÜFÜS DU SOL

F— U SKRILLEX YOU THINK UR ANDY WARHOL BUT UR NOT!! <3
Skrillex

Best Remixed Recording
A Remixer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses for identification.) Singles or Tracks only.

Abracadabra – Gesaffelstein Remix
Gesaffelstein, remixer (Lady Gaga, Gesaffelstein)

Don’t Forget About Us
KAYTRANADA, remixer (Mariah Carey & KAYTRANADA)

A Dreams A Dream – Ron Trent Remix
Ron Trent, remixer (Soul II Soul)

Galvanize
Chris Lake, remixer (The Chemical Brothers & Chris Lake)

Golden – David Guetta REM/X
David Guetta, remixer (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)

Rock, Metal & Alternative Music

Best Rock Performance
For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative rock recordings.

U Should Not Be Doing That
Amyl and The Sniffers

The Emptiness Machine
Linkin Park

NEVER ENOUGH
Turnstile

Mirtazapine
Hayley Williams

Changes (Live From Villa Park) Back To The Beginning
YUNGBLUD Featuring Nuno Bettencourt, Frank Bello, Adam Wakeman, II

Best Metal Performance
For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative metal recordings.

Night Terror
Dream Theater

Lachryma
Ghost

Emergence
Sleep Token

Soft Spine
Spiritbox

BIRDS
Turnstile

Best Rock Song
A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

As Alive As You Need Me To Be
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)

Caramel
Vessel1 & Vessel2, songwriters (Sleep Token)

Glum
Daniel James & Hayley Williams, songwriters (Hayley Williams)

NEVER ENOUGH
Daniel Fang, Franz Lyons, Pat McCrory, Meg Mills & Brendan Yates, songwriters (Turnstile)

Zombie
Dominic Harrison & Matt Schwartz, songwriters (YUNGBLUD)

Best Rock Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new rock, hard rock or metal recordings.

private music
Deftones

I quit
HAIM

From Zero
Linkin Park

NEVER ENOUGH
Turnstile

Idols
YUNGBLUD

Best Alternative Music Performance
For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative Alternative music recordings.

Everything Is Peaceful Love
Bon Iver

Alone
The Cure

SEEIN’ STARS
Turnstile

mangetout
Wet Leg

Parachute
Hayley Williams

Best Alternative Music Album
Vocal or Instrumental.

SABLE, fABLE
Bon Iver

Songs Of A Lost World
The Cure

DON’T TAP THE GLASS
Tyler, The Creator

moisturizer
Wet Leg

Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party
Hayley Williams

R&B, Rap & Spoken Word Poetry

Best R&B Performance
For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

YUKON
Justin Bieber

It Depends
Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller

Folded
Kehlani

MUTT — Live From NPR’s Tiny Desk
Leon Thomas

Heart Of A Woman
Summer Walker

Best Traditional R&B Performance
For new vocal or instrumental traditional R&B recordings.

Here We Are
Durand Bernarr

UPTOWN
Lalah Hathaway

LOVE YOU TOO
Ledisi

Crybaby
SZA

VIBES DON’T LIE
Leon Thomas

Best R&B Song
A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Folded
Darius Dixson, Andre Harris, Donovan Knight, Don Mills, Kehlani Parrish, Khris Riddick-Tynes & Dawit Kamal Wilson, songwriters (Kehlani)

Heart Of A Woman
David Bishop & Summer Walker, songwriters (Summer Walker)

It Depends
Nico Baran, Chris Brown, Ant Clemons, Ephrem Lopez Jr., Ryan Press, Bryson Tiller, Elliott Trent & Dewain Whitmore Jr., songwriters (Chris Brown Featuring Bryson Tiller)

Overqualified
James John Abrahart Jr & Durand Bernarr, songwriters (Durand Bernarr)

YES IT IS
Jariuce Banks, Lazaro Andres Camejo, Mike Hector, Peter Lee Johnson, Rodney Jones Jr., Ali Prawl & Leon Thomas, songwriters (Leon Thomas)

Best Progressive R&B Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded progressive vocal tracks derivative of R&B.

BLOOM
Durand Bernarr

Adjust Brightness
Bilal

LOVE ON DIGITAL
Destin Conrad

Access All Areas
FLO

Come As You Are
Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon

Best R&B Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new R&B recordings.

BELOVED
GIVĒON

**Why Not More?**
Coco Jones

The Crown
Ledisi

Escape Room
Teyana Taylor

MUTT
Leon Thomas

Best Rap Performance
For a Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.

Outside
Cardi B

Chains & Whips
Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring Kendrick Lamar & Pharrell Williams

Anxiety
Doechii

tv off
Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay

Darling, I
Tyler, The Creator Featuring Teezo Touchdown

Best Melodic Rap Performance
For a solo or collaborative performance containing both elements of R&B melodies and Rap.

Proud Of Me
Fridayy Featuring Meek Mill

Wholeheartedly
JID Featuring Ty Dolla $ign & 6Lack

luther
Kendrick Lamar With SZA

WeMaj
Terrace Martin & Kenyon Dixon Featuring Rapsody

SOMEBODY LOVES ME
PARTYNEXTDOOR & Drake

Best Rap Song
A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Anxiety
Jaylah Hickmon, songwriter (Doechii)

The Birds Don’t Sing
Gene Elliott Thornton Jr., Terrence Thornton, Pharrell Williams & Stevie Wonder, songwriters (Clipse, Pusha T & Malice Featuring John Legend & Voices Of Fire)

Sticky
Aaron Bolton, Dwayne Carter, Jr., Dudley Alexander Duverne, Tyler Okonma, Janae Wherry, Gloria Woods & Rex Zamor, songwriters (Tyler, The Creator Featuring GloRilla, Sexyy Red & Lil Wayne)

TGIF
Lucas Alegria, Dillon Brophy, Yakki Davis, Jess Jackson, Ronnie Jackson, Mario Mims, Jorge M. Taveras & Gloria Woods, songwriters (GloRilla)

tv off
Jack Antonoff, Larry Jayy, Kendrick Lamar, Dijon McFarlane, Sean Momberger, Mark Anthony Spears & Kamasi Washington, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar Featuring Lefty Gunplay)

Best Rap Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new rap recordings.

Let God Sort Em Out
Clipse, Pusha T & Malice

GLORIOUS
GloRilla

God Does Like Ugly
JID

GNX
Kendrick Lamar

CHROMAKOPIA
Tyler, The Creator

Best Spoken Word Poetry Album
For albums containing greater than 50% playing time of new spoken word poetry recordings.

A Hurricane in Heels: healed people don’t act like that — partially recorded live @City Winery & other places
Queen Sheba

Black Shaman
Marc Marcel

Pages
Omari Hardwick & Anthony Hamilton

Saul Williams Meets Carlos Niño & Friends At Treepeople
Saul Williams, Carlos Niño & Friends

Words For Days Vol. 1
Mad Skillz

Jazz, Traditional Pop, Contemporary Instrumental & Musical Theater
Best Jazz Performance
For new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative jazz recordings.

Noble Rise
Lakecia Benjamin Featuring Immanuel Wilkins & Mark Whitfield

Windows – Live
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade

Peace Of Mind / Dreams Come True
Samara Joy

Four
Michael Mayo

All Stars Lead To You – Live
Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth

Best Jazz Vocal Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal jazz recordings.

Elemental
Dee Dee Bridgewater & Bill Charlap

**We Insist 2025!**
Terri Lyne Carrington & Christie Dashiell

Portrait
Samara Joy

Fly
Michael Mayo

Live at Vic’s Las Vegas
Nicole Zuraitis, Dan Pugach, Tom Scott, Idan Morim, Keyon Harrold & Rachel Eckroth

Best Jazz Instrumental Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new instrumental jazz recordings.

Trilogy 3 — Live
Chick Corea, Christian McBride & Brian Blade

Southern Nights
Sullivan Fortner Featuring Peter Washington & Marcus Gilmore

Belonging
Branford Marsalis Quartet

Spirit Fall
John Patitucci Featuring Chris Potter & Brian Blade

Fasten Up
Yellowjackets

Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new large ensemble jazz recordings.

Orchestrator Emulator
The 8-Bit Big Band

Without Further Ado, Vol 1
Christian McBride Big Band

Lumen
Danilo Pérez & Bohuslän Big Band

Basie Rocks
Deborah Silver & The Count Basie Orchestra

Lights on a Satellite
Sun Ra Arkestra

Some Days Are Better: The Lost Scores
Kenny Wheeler Legacy Featuring The Royal Academy of Music Jazz Orchestra & Frost Jazz Orchestra

Best Alternative Jazz Album
For vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new Alternative jazz recordings.

honey from a winter stone
Ambrose Akinmusire

Keys To The City Volume One
Robert Glasper

Ride into the Sun
Brad Mehldau

LIVE-ACTION
Nate Smith

Blues Blood
Immanuel Wilkins

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new traditional pop recordings.

Wintersongs
Laila Biali

The Gift Of Love
Jennifer Hudson

**Who Believes In Angels?**
Elton John & Brandi Carlile

Harlequin
Lady Gaga

A Matter Of Time
Laufey

The Secret Of Life: Partners, Volume 2
Barbra Streisan

Best Contemporary Instrumental Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new contemporary instrumental recordings.

Brightside
ARKAI

Ones & Twos
Gerald Clayton

BEATrio
Béla Fleck, Edmar Castañeda, Antonio Sánchez

Just Us
Bob James & Dave Koz

Shayan
Charu Suri

Best Musical Theater Album
For albums containing greater than 51% playing time of new recordings. Award to the principal vocalist(s), and the album producer(s) of 50% or more playing time of the album. The lyricist(s) and composer(s) of 50 % or more of a score of a new recording are eligible for an Award if any previous recording of said score has not been nominated in this category.

Buena Vista Social Club
Marco Paguia, Dean Sharenow & David Yazbek, producers (Original Broadway Cast)

Death Becomes Her
Taurean Everett, Megan Hilty, Josh Lamon, Christopher Sieber, Jennifer Simard & Michelle Williams, principal vocalists; Noel Carey, Sean Patrick Flahaven, Julia Mattison & Scott M. Riesett, producers; Noel Carey & Julia Mattison, composers/lyricists (Original Broadway Cast)

Gypsy
Danny Burstein, Kevin Csolak, Audra McDonald, Jordan Tyson & Joy Woods, principal vocalists; David Caddick, Andy Einhorn, David Lai & George C. Wolfe, producers (Jule Styne, composer; Stephen Sondheim, lyricist) (2024 Broadway Cast)

Just In Time
Emily Bergl, Jonathan Groff, Erika Henningsen, Gracie Lawrence & Michele Pawk, principal vocalists; Derik Lee, Andrew Resnick & Bill Sherman, producers (Bobby Darin, composer & lyricist) (Original Broadway Cast)

Maybe Happy Ending
Marcus Choi, Darren Criss, Dez Duron & Helen J Shen, principal vocalists; Deborah Abramson, Will Aronson, Ian Kagey & Hue Park, producers; Hue Park, lyricist; Will Aronson, composer & lyricist (Original Broadway Cast)

Best Country Solo Performance
For new vocal or instrumental solo country recordings.

Nose On The Grindstone
Tyler Childers

Good News
Shaboozey

Bad As I Used To Be [From “F1® The Movie”] Chris Stapleton

I Never Lie
Zach Top

Somewhere Over Laredo
Lainey Wilson

Best Country Duo/Group Performance
For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative country recordings.

A Song To Sing
Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton

Trailblazer
Reba McEntire, Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson

Love Me Like You Used To Do
Margo Price & Tyler Childers

Amen
Shaboozey & Jelly Roll

Honky Tonk Hall Of Fame
George Strait, Chris Stapleton

Best Country Song
A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Bitin’ List
Tyler Childers, songwriter (Tyler Childers)

Good News
Michael Ross Pollack, Sam Elliot Roman & Jacob Torrey, songwriters (Shaboozey)

I Never Lie
Carson Chamberlain, Tim Nichols & Zach Top, songwriters (Zach Top)

Somewhere Over Laredo
Andy Albert, Trannie Anderson, Dallas Wilson & Lainey Wilson, songwriters (Lainey Wilson)

A Song To Sing
Jenee Fleenor, Jesse Frasure, Miranda Lambert & Chris Stapleton, songwriters (Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton)

Best Traditional Country Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new traditional country recordings.

Dollar A Day
Charley Crockett

American Romance
Lukas Nelson

Oh What A Beautiful World
Willie Nelson

Hard Headed Woman
Margo Price

Ain’t In It For My Health
Zach Top

Best Contemporary Country Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new contemporary country recordings.

Patterns
Kelsea Ballerini

Snipe Hunter
Tyler Childers

Evangeline Vs. The Machine
Eric Church

Beautifully Broken
Jelly Roll

Postcards From Texas
Miranda Lambert

Best American Roots Performance
For new vocal or instrumental American Roots recordings. This is for performances in the style of any of the subgenres encompassed in the American Roots Music field including bluegrass, blues, folk or regional roots. Award to the artist(s).

LONELY AVENUE
Jon Batiste Featuring Randy Newman

Ancient Light
I’m With Her

Crimson And Clay
Jason Isbell

Richmond On The James
Alison Krauss & Union Station

Beautiful Strangers
Mavis Staples

Best Americana Performance
For new vocal or instrumental Americana performance. Award to the artist(s).

Boom
Sierra Hull

Poison In My Well
Maggie Rose & Grace Potter

Godspeed
Mavis Staples

That’s Gonna Leave A Mark
Molly Tuttle

Horses
Jesse Welles

Best American Roots Song
A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Americana, bluegrass, traditional blues, contemporary blues, folk or regional roots songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Ancient Light
Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan & Sara Watkins, songwriters (I’m With Her)

BIG MONEY
Jon Batiste, Mike Elizondo & Steve McEwan, songwriters (Jon Batiste)

Foxes In The Snow
Jason Isbell, songwriter (Jason Isbell)

Middle
Jesse Welles, songwriter (Jesse Welles)

Spitfire
Sierra Hull, songwriter (Sierra Hull)

Best Americana Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental Americana recordings.

BIG MONEY
Jon Batiste

Bloom
Larkin Poe

Last Leaf On The Tree
Willie Nelson

So Long Little Miss Sunshine
Molly Tuttle

Middle
Jesse Welles

Best Bluegrass Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental bluegrass recordings.

Carter & Cleveland
Michael Cleveland & Jason Carter

A Tip Toe High Wire
Sierra Hull

Arcadia
Alison Krauss & Union Station

Outrun
The Steeldrivers

Highway Prayers
Billy Strings

Best Traditional Blues Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental traditional blues recordings.

Ain’t Done With The Blues
Buddy Guy

Room On The Porch
Taj Mahal & Keb’ Mo’

One Hour Mama: The Blues Of Victoria Spivey
Maria Muldaur

Look Out Highway
Charlie Musselwhite

Young Fashioned Ways
Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Bobby Rush

Best Contemporary Blues Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental contemporary blues recordings.

Breakthrough
Joe Bonamassa

Paper Doll
Samantha Fish

A Tribute To LJK
Eric Gales

Preacher Kids
Robert Randolph

Family
Southern Avenue

Best Folk Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental folk recordings.

What Did The Blackbird Say To The Crow
Rhiannon Giddens & Justin Robinson

Crown Of Roses
Patty Griffin

Wild And Clear And Blue
I’m With Her

Foxes In The Snow
Jason Isbell

Under The Powerlines April 24 – September 24
Jesse Welles

Best Regional Roots Music Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental regional roots music recordings.

Live At Vaughan’s
Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet

For Fat Man
Preservation Brass & Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Church Of New Orleans
Kyle Roussel

Second Line Sunday
Trombone Shorty And New Breed Brass Band

A Tribute To The King Of Zydeco
(Various Artists)

Best Gospel Performance/Song
This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best traditional Christian, roots gospel or contemporary gospel single or track.

Do It Again
Kirk Franklin; Kirk Franklin, songwriter

Church
Tasha Cobbs Leonard, John Legend; Anthony S. Brown, Brunes Charles, Annatoria Chitapa, Kenneth Leonard, Jr., Tasha Cobbs Leonard & Jonas Myrin, songwriters

Still Live
Jonathan McReynolds & Jamal Roberts; Britney Delagraentiss, Jonathan McReynolds, David Lamar Outing III, Orlando Joel Palmer & Terrell Demetrius Wilson, songwriters

Amen
Pastor Mike Jr.; Adia Andrews, Michael McClure Jr., David Lamar Outing II & Terrell Anthony Pettus, songwriters

Come Jesus Come
Cece Winans Featuring Shirley Caesar

Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song
This award is given to the artist(s) and songwriter(s) (for new compositions) for the best contemporary Christian music single or track, (including pop, rap/hip-hop, Latin, or rock.)

I Know A Name
Elevation Worship, Chris Brown, Brandon Lake; Hank Bentley, Steven Furtick, Brandon Lake & Jacob Sooter, songwriters

YOUR WAY’S BETTER
Forrest Frank; Forrest Frank & Pera, songwriters

Hard Fought Hallelujah
Brandon Lake With Jelly Roll; Chris Brown, Jason Bradley Deford, Steven Furtick, Benjamin William Hastings & Brandon Lake, songwriters

Headphones
Lecrae, Killer Mike, T.I.; Bongo ByTheWay, Clifford Harris, William Roderick Miller, Lecrae Moore, Michael Render & Tyshane Thompson, songwriters

Amazing
Darrel Walls, PJ Morton; PJ Morton & Darrel Walls,songwriters

Category 55

Best Gospel Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional or contemporary/R&B gospel music recordings.

Sunny Days
Yolanda Adams

Tasha
Tasha Cobbs Leonard

Live Breathe Fight
Tamela Mann

Only On The Road Live
Tye Tribbett

Heart Of Mine
Darrel Walls, PJ Morton

Best Contemporary Christian Music Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, contemporary Christian music, including pop, rap/hip hop, Latin, or rock recordings.

CHILD OF GOD II
Forrest Frank

Coritos Vol. 1
Israel & New Breed

King Of Hearts
Brandon Lake

Reconstruction
Lecrae

Let The Church Sing
Tauren Wells

Best Roots Gospel Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of newly recorded, vocal, traditional/roots gospel music, including country, Southern gospel, bluegrass, and Americana recordings.

I Will Not Be Moved — Live
The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

Then Came The Morning
Gaither Vocal Band

Praise & Worship: More Than A Hollow Hallelujah
The Isaacs

Good Answers
Karen Peck & New River

Back To My Roots
Candi Staton

Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new vocal or instrumental new age recordings.

Kuruvinda
Kirsten Agresta-Copely

According To The Moon
Cheryl B. Engelhardt, GEM, Dallas String Quartet

Into The Forest
Jahnavi Harrison

NOMADICA
Carla Patullo Featuring The Scorchio Quartet & Tonality

The Colors In My Mind
Chris Redding

Field 8: Children’s, Comedy, Audio Books, Visual Media & Music Video/Film
Category 68

Best Children’s Music Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new musical or spoken word recordings that are created and intended specifically for children.

Ageless: 100 Years Young
Joanie Leeds & Joya

Buddy’s Magic Tree House
Mega Ran

Harmony
FYÜTCH & Aura V

Herstory
Flor Bromley

The Music Of Tori And The Muses
Tori Amos

Best Comedy Album
For albums containing greater than 75% playing time of new recordings.

Drop Dead Years
Bill Burr

PostMortem
Sarah Silverman

Single Lady
Ali Wong

What Had Happened Was…
Jamie Foxx

Your Friend, Nate Bargatze
Nate Bargatze

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording
Elvis, Rocky & Me: The Carol Connors Story
Kathy Garver

Into The Uncut Grass
Trevor Noah

Lovely One: A Memoir
Ketanji Brown Jackson

Meditations: The Reflections Of His Holiness The Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama

You Know It’s True: The Real Story Of Milli Vanilli
Fab Morvan

Best Compilation Soundtrack For Visual Media
Award to the principal artist(s) and/or ‘in studio’ producer(s) of a majority of the tracks on the album. In the absence of both, award to the one or two individuals proactively responsible for the concept and musical direction of the album and for the selection of artists, songs and producers, as applicable. Award also goes to appropriately credited music supervisor(s).

A Complete Unknown
Timothée Chalamet
Nick Baxter, Steven Gizicki & James Mangold, compilation producers; Steven Gizicki, music supervisor

F1® The Album
(Various Artists)
Brandon Davis, Joe Khoury, Kevin Weaver, compilation producers; David Taylor & Jake Voulgarides, music supervisors

KPop Demon Hunters
(Various Artists)
Spring Aspers & Dana Sano, compilation producers; Ian Eisendrath, music supervisor

Sinners
(Various Artists)
Ryan Coogler, Ludwig Göransson & Serena Göransson, compilation producers; Niki Sherrod, music supervisor

Wicked
Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, (& Wicked Movie Cast)
Stephen Oremus, Stephen Schwartz & Greg Wells, compilation producers; Maggie Rodford, music supervisor

Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media (Includes Film And Television)
Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, a current legitimate motion picture, television show or series, or other visual media.

How To Train Your Dragon
John Powell, composer

Severance: Season 2
Theodore Shapiro, composer

Sinners
Ludwig Göransson, composer

Wicked
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers

The Wild Robot
Kris Bowers, composer

Category 73

Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media
Award to Composer(s) for an original score created specifically for, or as a companion to, video games and other interactive media.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora – Secrets of the Spires
Pinar Toprak, composer

Helldivers 2
Wilbert Roget, II, composer

Indiana Jones And The Great Circle
Gordy Haab, composer

Star Wars Outlaws: Wild Card & A Pirate’s Fortune
Cody Matthew Johnson & Wilbert Roget, II, composers

Sword of the Sea
Austin Wintory, composer

Best Song Written For Visual Media
A Songwriter(s) award. For a song (melody & lyrics) written specifically for a motion picture, television, video games or other visual media, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

**As Alive As You Need Me To Be — From “TRON: Ares”**
Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross, songwriters (Nine Inch Nails)

**Golden — From “KPop Demon Hunters”**
EJAE & Mark Sonnenblick, songwriters (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REI AMI)

**I Lied to You — From “Sinners”**
Ludwig Göransson & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Miles Caton)

**Never Too Late — From “Elton John: Never Too Late”**
Brandi Carlile, Elton John, Bernie Taupin & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Elton John, Brandi Carlile)

**Pale, Pale Moon — From “Sinners”**
Ludwig Göransson & Brittany Howard, songwriters (Jayme Lawson)

**Sinners — From “Sinners”**
Leonard Denisenko, Rodarius Green, Travis Harrington, Tarkan Kozluklu, Kyris Mingo & Darius Povilinus, songwriters (Rod Wave)

Best Music Video
Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

Manchild
Sabrina Carpenter
Vania Heymann & Gal Muggia, video directors; Aiden Magarian, Nathan Scherrer & Natan Schottenfels, video producers

So Be It
Clipse
Hannan Hussain, video director; Daniel Order, video producer

Anxiety
Doechii
James Mackel, video director; Pablo Feldman, Jolene Mendes & Sophia Sabella, video producers

Love
OK Go
Aaron Duffy, Miguel Espada & Damian Kulash Jr., video directors; Petra Ahmann, video producer

Young Lion
Sade
Sophie Muller, video director; Aaron Taylor Dean & Sade, video producers

Category 76

Best Music Film
For concert/performance films or music documentaries. Award to the artist, video director, and video producer.

Devo
Devo
Chris Smith, video director; Danny Gabai, Anita Greenspan, Chris Holmes & Chris Smith, video producers

Live At The Royal Albert Hall
Raye
Paul Dugdale, video director; Stefan Demetriou & Amy James, video producers

Relentless
Diane Warren
Bess Kargman, video director; Peggy Drexler, Michele Farinola & Kat Nguyen, video producers

Music By John Williams
John Williams
Laurent Bouzereau, video director; Sara Bernstein, Laurent Bouzereau, Justin Falvey, Darryl Frank, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Meredith Kaulfers, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall, Steven Spielberg & Justin Wilkes, video producers

Piece By Piece
Pharrell Williams
Morgan Neville, video director; Morgan Neville, Caitrin Rogers, Mimi Valdes & Pharrell Williams, video producers

Package, Notes & Historical

Best Recording Package
And The Adjacent Possible
Hà Trinh Quoc Bao, Damian Kulash, Jr., Claudio Ripol, Wombi Rose & Yuri Suzuki, art directors (OK Go)

Balloonerism
Bráulio Amado & Alim Smith, art directors (Mac Miller)

Danse Macabre: De Luxe
Rory McCartney, art director (Duran Duran)

Loud Is As
Farbod Kokabi & Emily Sneddon, art directors (Tsunami)

Sequoia
Tim Breen & Ken Shipley, art directors (Various Artists)

The Spins — Picture Disc Vinyl
Miller McCormick, art director (Mac Miller)

Tracks II: The Lost Albums
Meghan Foley & Michelle Holme, art directors (Bruce Springsteen)

Best Album Cover
CHROMAKOPIA
Shaun Llewellyn & Luis “Panch” Perez, art directors (Tyler, The Creator)

The Crux
William Wesley II, art director (Djo)

Debí Tirar Más Fotos
Benito Antonio Martinez Ocasio, art director (Bad Bunny)

Glory
Cody Critcheloe & Andrew J.S., art directors (Perfume Genius)

moisturizer
Hester Chambers, Ellis Durand, Henry Holmes, Matt de Jong, Jamie-James Medina, Joshua Mobaraki & Rhian Teasdale, art directors (Wet Leg)

Best Album Notes
Adios, Farewell, Goodbye, Good Luck, So Long: On Stage 1964-1974
Scott B. Bomar, album notes writer (Buck Owens And His Buckaroos)

After The Last Sky
Adam Shatz, album notes writer (Anouar Brahem, Anja Lechner, Django Bates, Dave Holland)

Árabe
Amanda Ekery, album notes writer (Amanda Ekery)

The First Family: Live At Winchester Cathedral 1967
Alec Palao, album notes writer (Sly & The Family Stone)

A Ghost Is Born — 20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition
Bob Mehr, album notes writer (Wilco)

Miles ’55: The Prestige Recordings
Ashley Kahn, album notes writer (Miles Davis)

Best Historical Album
Joni Mitchell Archives – Volume 4: The Asylum Years — 1976-1980
Patrick Milligan & Joni Mitchell, compilation producers; Bernie Grundman, mastering engineer (Joni Mitchell)

The Making Of Five Leaves Left
Cally Callomon & Johnny Chandler, compilation producers; Simon Heyworth & John Wood, mastering engineers; John Wood, restoration engineer (Nick Drake)

Roots Rocking Zimbabwe – The Modern Sound Of Harare’ Townships 1975-1980 — Analog Africa No.41
Samy Ben Redjeb, compilation producer; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Michael Graves & Jordan McLeod, restoration engineers (Various Artists)

Super Disco Pirata – De Tepito Para El Mundo 1965-1980 — Analog Africa No. 39
Samy Ben Redjeb, compilation producer; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Jordan McLeod, restoration engineer (Various Artists)

You Can’t Hip A Square: The Doc Pomus Songwriting Demos
Will Bratton, Sharyn Felder & Cheryl Pawelski,compilation producers; Michael Graves, mastering engineer; Michael Graves & Jordan McLeod, restoration engineers (Doc Pomus)
Category 81

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical
An Engineer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

All Things Light
Jesse Brock, Jon Castelli, Tyler Johnson, Nick Lobel, Simon Maartensson, Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, Anders Mouridsen, Ryan Nasci, Ernesto Olivera-Lapier, Ethan Schneiderman & Owen Stoutt, engineers; Dale Becker, mastering engineer (Cam)

Arcadia
Neal Cappellino & Gary Paczosa, engineers; Brad Blackwood, mastering engineer (Alison Krauss & Union Station)

For Melancholy Brunettes & sad women
Joseph Lorge, Blake Mills & Sebastian Reunert, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Japanese Breakfast)

That Wasn’t A Dream
Joseph Lorge & Blake Mills, engineers; Patricia Sullivan, mastering engineer (Pino Palladino, Blake Mills)

Best Engineered Album, Classical
An Engineer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Cerrone: Don’t Look Down
Mike Tierney, engineer; Alan Silverman, mastering engineer (Sandbox Percussion)

Eastman: Symphony No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2
Gintas Norvila, engineer; Jennifer Nulsen, mastering engineer (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra)

Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth Of The Mtsensk District
Shawn Murphy & Nick Squire, engineers; Tim Martyn, mastering engineer (Andris Nelsons, Kristine Opolais, Günther Groissböck, Peter Hoare, Brenden Gunnell & Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Standard Stoppages
Sean Connors, Robert Dillon, Peter Martin, Bill Maylone, Judith Sherman & David Skidmore, engineers; Joe Lambert, mastering engineer (Third Coast Percussion)

Yule
Morten Lindberg, engineer; Morten Lindberg, mastering engineer (Trio Mediæval)

Producer Of The Year, Classical
A Producer’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.)

Blanton Alspaugh
All Is Miracle – The Choral Music Of Kyle Pederson (Timothy J. Campbell & Transept) (A)
Heggie: Intelligence (Kwame Ryan, Janai Brugger, Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges & Houston Grand Opera) (A)
Marsalis: Blues Symphony (Jader Bignamini & Detroit Symphony Orchestra) (A)
Massenet: Werther (Robert Spano, Matthew Polenzani, sabel Leonard & Houston Grand Opera) (A)
The Mirage Calls (Charles Bruffy & Kansas City Chorale) (A)
Sheehan: Ukrainian War Requiem (Michael Zaugg, Axios Men’s Ensemble & Pro Coro Canada) (A)
Sun, Moon, Stars, Rain (Christopher Gabbitas & Phoenix Chorale) (A)

Sergei Kvitko
Biedenbender: Enigma; River Of Time (Kevin L. Sedatole & Michigan State University Wind Symphony) (A)
Chiaroscuro (Vedrana Subotic) (A)
Dancing In A Still Life (Tasha Warren) (A)
Excursions (Vuorovesi Trio) (A)
Four Hands. Two Hearts. One Hope. Ukrainian And American Music For Piano Duo (Mykhailo Diordiiev & Anastasiia Larchikova) (A)
Here And Now – Trumpet Music By Virginia Composers (Jason Crafton, Richard Masters, Annie Stevens & Paul Langosch) (A)
Lansky: Touch And Go (Gwendolyn Dease) (A)
Orbiting Garden (William Hobbs) (A)
Would That Loving Were Enough (Haven Trio) (A)

Morten Lindberg
Fred Over Jorden (Peace To The World) (Elisabeth Holte, Kjetil Bjerkestrand & Uranienborg Vokalensemble) (A)
Stjernebru (Anne Karin Sundal-Ask & Det Norske Jentekor) (A)
Yule (Trio Mediæval) (A)

Dmitriy Lipay
Heggie: Before It All Goes Dark (Joseph Mechavich, Megan Marino, Ryan McKinny & Music Of Remembrance Ensemble) (A)
Odyssey (Jorge Glem, Gustavo Dudamel & Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela) (A)
Ortiz: Yanga (Gustavo Dudamel, Alisa Weilerstein & Los Angeles Philharmonic) (A)

Elaine Martone
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
Chopin & Rachmaninoff: Cello Sonatas (Brian Thornton & Spencer Myer) (A)
Dear Mrs. Kennedy (Ryan Townsend Strand) (A)
Eastman: Symphony No. 2; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 2 (Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestra) (A)
LeFrak: Romántico (Sharon Isbin, Lopez-Yañez & Orchestra Of St. Luke’s) (A)
Mozart: Piano Concerto No. 27 & Symphony No. 29 (Garrick Ohlsson, Franz Welser-Möst & The Cleveland Orchestrea) (A)
The Poet & The Prodigy (Debra Nagy & Mark Edwards) (A)
Shapes In Collective Space (Tallā Rouge) (A)
Songs Of Orpheus (Kelley O’Connor) (A)

Best Immersive Audio Album
For vocal or instrumental albums in any genre. Must be commercially released for physical sale or on an eligible streaming or download service and must provide a new immersive mix of four or more channels. Award to the immersive mix engineer, immersive producer (if any) and immersive mastering engineer (if any).

All American F—boy
Andrew Law, immersive mix engineer (Duckwrth)

Immersed
Justin Gray, immersive mix engineer; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; Justin Gray, Drew Jurecka & Morten Lindberg, immersive producers (Justin Gray)

An Immersive Tribute To Astor Piazzolla — Live
Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello, immersive mix engineers; Andrés Mayo & Martín Muscatello, immersive producers (Various Artists)

Tearjerkers
Hans-Martin Buff, immersive mix engineer; Hans-Martin Buff, immersive producer (Tearjerkers)

Yule
Morten Lindberg, immersive mix engineer; Morten Lindberg, immersive mastering engineer; Arve Henriksen & Morten Lindberg, immersive producers (Trio Mediæval)

Best Instrumental Composition
A Composer’s Award for an original composition (not an adaptation) first released during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only

First Snow
Remy Le Boeuf, composer (Nordkraft Big Band, Remy Le Boeuf & Danielle Wertz)

Live Life This Day: Movement I
Miho Hazama, composer (Miho Hazama, Danish Radio Big Band & Danish National Symphony Orchestra)

Lord, That’s A Long Way
Sierra Hull, composer (Sierra Hull)

Opening
Zain Effendi, composer (Zain Effendi)

Train To Emerald City
John Powell & Stephen Schwartz, composers (John Powell & Stephen Schwartz)

Why You Here / Before The Sun Went Down
Ludwig Göransson, composer (Ludwig Göransson Featuring Miles Caton)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella
An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Be Okay
Cynthia Erivo, arranger (Cynthia Erivo)

A Child Is Born
Remy Le Boeuf, arranger (Nordkraft Big Band & Remy Le Boeuf)

Fight On
Andy Clausen, Addison Maye-Saxon, Riley Mulherkar & Chloe Rowlands, arrangers (The Westerlies)

Super Mario Praise Break
Bryan Carter, Charlie Rosen & Matthew Whitaker, arrangers (The 8-Bit Big Band)

Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals
An Arranger’s Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

Big Fish
Erin Bentlage, Sara Gazarek, Johnaye Kendrick, Nate Smith & Amanda Taylor, arrangers (Nate Smith Featuring säje)

**How Did She Look?**
Nelson Riddle, arranger (Seth MacFarlane)

Keep An Eye On Summer
Jacob Collier, arranger (Jacob Collier)

Something In The Water — Acoustic-Ish
Clyde Lawrence, Gracie Lawrence & Linus Lawrence, arrangers (Lawrence)

What A Wonderful World
Cody Fry, arranger (Cody Fry)

Best Orchestral Performance
Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.

**Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L’Ouverture, Ballade Op. 4, Suites From ’24 Negro Melodies’**
Michael Repper, conductor (National Philharmonic)

Messiaen: Turangalîla-Symphonie
Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Ravel: Boléro, M. 81
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor (Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra Of Venezuela)

Still & Bonds
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor (The Philadelphia Orchestra)

Stravinsky: Symphony In Three Movements
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

Best Opera Recording
Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) of a world premiere Opera recording only.

Heggie: Intelligence
Kwamé Ryan, conductor; Jamie Barton, J’Nai Bridges & Janai Brugger; Blanton Alspaugh, producer (Houston Grand Opera; Gene Scheer)

Huang Ruo: An American Soldier
Carolyn Kuan, conductor; Hannah Cho, Alex DeSocio, Nina Yoshida Nelsen & Brian Vu; Adam Abeshouse, Silas Brown & Doron Schachter, producers (American Composers Orchestra; David Henry Hwang)

Kouyoumdjian: Adoration
Alan Pierson, conductor; Miriam Khalil, Marc Kudisch, David Adam Moore, Omar Najmi, Naomi Louisa O’Connell & Karim Sulayman; Mary Kouyoumdjian, producer (Silvana Quartet; The Choir Of Trinity Wall Street)

O’Halloran: Trade & Mary Motorhead
Elaine Kelly, conductor; Oisín Ó Dálaigh & John Molloy; Alex Dowling & Emma O’Halloran, producers (Irish National Opera Orchestra; Mark O’Halloran)

Tesori: Grounded
Yannick Nézet-Séguin, conductor; Ben Bliss, Emily D’Angelo, Greer Grimsley & Kyle Miller; David Frost, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus; George Brant)

Best Choral Performance
Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.

Advena – Liturgies For A Broken World
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Simon Barrad, Emily Yocum Black & Michael Hawes; Conspirare)

Childs: In The Arms Of The Beloved
Grant Gershon, conductor (Billy Childs, Dan Chmielinski, Christian Euman, Larry Koonse, Lyris Quartet, Anne Akiko Meyers, Carol Robbins & Luciana Souza; Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Lang: Poor Hymnal
Donald Nally, conductor (Steven Bradshaw, Michael Hawes, Lauren Kelly, Rebecca Siler & Elisa Sutherland; The Crossing)

Ortiz: Yanga
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Grant Gershon, chorus master (Los Angeles Philharmonic; Los Angeles Master Chorale)

Requiem Of Light
Steven Fox, conductor; Emily Drennan & Patti Drennan, chorus masters (Brian Giebler & Sangeeta Kaur; The Clarion Choir)

Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.

Dennehy: Land Of Winter
Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound

La Mer – French Piano Trios
Neave Trio

Lullabies For The Brokenhearted
Lili Haydn & Paul Cantelon

Slavic Sessions
Mak Grgić & Mateusz Kowalski

Standard Stoppages
Third Coast Percussion

Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.

**Coleridge-Taylor: 3 Selections From ’24 Negro Melodies’**
Curtis Stewart; Michael Repper, conductor (National Philharmonic)

Hope Orchestrated
Mary Dawood Catlin; Jesús David Medina & Raniero Palm, conductors (Venezuela Strings Recording Ensemble)

Inheritances
Adam Tendler

Price: Piano Concerto In One Movement In D Minor
Han Chen; John Jeter, conductor (Malmö Opera Orchestra)

Shostakovich: The Cello Concertos
Yo-Yo Ma; Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Shostakovich: The Piano Concertos; Solo Works
Yuja Wang; Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)

Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with greater than 50% playing time of new material.

Alike – My Mother’s Dream
Allison Charney, soloist; Benjamin Loeb, conductor (National Symphonia Orchestra)

Black Pierrot
Sidney Outlaw, soloist; Warren Jones, pianist

In This Short Life
Devony Smith, soloist; Danny Zelibor, pianist; Michael Nicolas, artist

Kurtág: Kafka Fragments
Susan Narucki, soloist; Curtis Macomber, artist

Schubert Beatles
Theo Hoffman, soloist; Steven Blier, pianist (Rupert Boyd, Julia Bullock, Alex Levine, Andrew Owens, Rubén Rengel & Sam Weber)

Telemann: Ino – Opera Arias For Soprano
Amanda Forsythe, soloist; Robert Mealy, Paul O’Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra)

Best Classical Compendium
Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 50% playing time of the album, and to the Composer and Librettist (if applicable) with over 50% playing time of a world premiere recording only.

Cerrone: Don’t Look Down
Sandbox Percussion; Jonathan Allen, Victor Caccese, Christopher Cerrone, Ian Rosenbaum, Terry Sweeney & Mike Tierney, producers

The Dunbar/Moore Sessions, Vol. II
Will Liverman; Jonathan Estabrooks, producer

Ortiz: Yanga
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor; Dmitriy Lipay, producer

Seven Seasons
Janai Brugger, Isolde Fair, MB Gordy & Starr Parodi; Nicholas Dodd, conductor; Jeff Fair, Starr Parodi & Kitt Wakeley, producers

Tombeaux
Christina Sandsengen; Shaun Drew & Christina Sandsengen, producers

Best Contemporary Classical Composition
A Composer’s Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.

Cerrone: Don’t Look Down
Christopher Cerrone, composer (Conor Hanick & Sandbox Percussion)

Dennehy: Land Of Winter
Donnacha Dennehy, composer (Alan Pierson & Alarm Will Sound)

León: Raíces — Origins
Tania León, composer (Edward Gardner & London Philharmonic Orchestra)

Okpebholo: Songs In Flight
Shawn E. Okpebholo, composer (Will Liverman, Paul Sánchez & Various Artists)

Ortiz: Dzonot
Gabriela Ortiz, composer (Alisa Weilerstein, Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)

Oliver Samuels New Play To Make U.S. Premiere And Support Hurricane Relief In Jamaica

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News Americas, New York, Mon. Nov. 10, 2025: Legendary Jamaican actor and comedian Oliver Samuels is returning to the U.S. stage this month — and he’s doing it for a cause. His newest comedy, Di Prodigal Pickney, will make its American premiere in the New York Tri-State area, with part proceeds going directly to hurricane relief efforts in Jamaica following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa.

The production, written, directed, and headlined by Samuels, will tour Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey across two weekends, with final performances in Maryland in early December.

Tesfa Edwards (left) and Oliver Samuels in Di Prodigal Pickney.

Performances are scheduled for:

Bridgeport, Connecticut – Central High School (Fri. Nov. 14)

Brooklyn, New York – Wingate High School (Sat. Nov. 15)

East Orange, New Jersey – Cicely Tyson School for the Performing Arts (Sun. Nov. 16)

Jamaica, Queens – Springfield Gardens High School (Fri. Nov. 21)

Hartford, Connecticut – Thomas Weaver High School (Sat. Nov. 22)

The Bronx – Harry S. Truman High School (Sun. Nov. 23)
The tour concludes Dec. 7 at High Point High School in Beltsville, Maryland.

A Stage Comedy With A Mission

Oliver Samuels and Karen Harriott in Di Prodigal Pickney.

New Jersey-based producer Patrick M. Reid said the decision to dedicate part of the show’s proceeds to hurricane recovery came swiftly after the Category 5 storm ravaged Jamaica’s western region on October 28.

“We had been eagerly anticipating Oliver’s return to the New York area,” Reid explained, “but once we saw the havoc wreaked by Hurricane Melissa, we knew we had to do something. Part proceeds from the U.S. premiere will now go to the Jamaica Organization of New Jersey, which is actively fundraising for relief. Oliver himself is deeply committed to the cause and will be promoting the effort across major media platforms.”

The Westwood High School for Girls Alumnae Chapter in New York will also receive proceeds. Their school in Trelawny suffered severe hurricane damage, including the destruction of its newly built medical clinic, auditorium, classrooms, and boarding facilities.

“They were already fundraising to finish their clinic,” Reid added. “Melissa set them back enormously. We hope audiences will turn out in large numbers to help rebuild Westwood and Jamaica, while enjoying a production that’s both hilarious and heartwarming.”

A Jamaican Tale With Universal Themes

Set in Jamaica, Di Prodigal Pickney reimagines the Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son through a distinctly Caribbean lens. Samuels stars alongside acclaimed actress Karen Harriott and rising talent Tesfa Edwards as a Jamaican family whose world unravels when their spoiled son demands his inheritance early. The play blends sharp wit and social commentary with laughter, exploring forgiveness, family bonds and modern parenting.

“Spare the rod and spoil the child at your peril!” Samuels quipped, noting that the play’s mix of comedy and conscience has resonated with international audiences from Canada to St. Kitts, St. Maarten, and the U.K., where it received rave reviews.

A Legendary Career of Laughter and Legacy

With over 60 stage productions to his name, Oliver Samuels – affectionately dubbed “Jamaica’s King of Comedy” – has spent more than five decades shaping Caribbean theatre. He first made his mark in the Jamaican National Pantomime “Music Boy” alongside cultural icon Louise Bennett-Coverley (Miss Lou), and later appeared in films such as The Mighty Quinn (with Denzel Washington) and Great Moments in Aviation (with Vanessa Redgrave).

Samuels’ accolades include the Jamaican Actor Boy Award, the Silver Musgrave Medal, an Honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of the West Indies, and national honors — the Order of Distinction (Officer and Commander classes) — for his contribution to the arts.

Presented by Sky’s The Limit Foundation and Jammins Events

The U.S. premiere of Di Prodigal Pickney is presented by Sky’s The Limit Foundation and Jammins Events in collaboration with STL Promotions.

Tickets and more information are available at STLVentures.org or by calling 973-801-1923 and 929-242-9156 (Westwood Alumnae line).

With laughter as its vehicle and compassion as its engine, Di Prodigal Pickney promises to bring joy to audiences while helping rebuild homes, schools, and hope in Jamaica.

Canadian Mining Giant Aris To Build New Airstrip In Guyana

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By News Americas Business Editor

News Americas, GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Mon. Nov. 10, 2025: Canadian mining powerhouse aris-mining-to-build-airstrip-for-14b-toroparu-gold-project-guyana is set to construct a 1,750-metre international-standard airstrip deep in Guyana’s Cuyuni-Mazaruni region, signaling a major step toward full-scale operations at its massive US$14.7 billion Toroparu Gold Project – one of South America’s largest undeveloped gold deposits.

The project, managed through Aris Mining’s local subsidiary, ETK Inc., is expected to deliver an average annual output of 235,000 ounces of gold over a 21-year mine life, along with an estimated 5 million ounces of gold, 4.9 million ounces of silver, and 260 million pounds of copper.

A Strategic Logistics Hub

According to Aris Mining’s Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) reported by Kaiteur News, the new airstrip will replace the existing one that sits within the footprint of the planned main Toroparu pit. The upgraded facility will be capable of handling larger aircraft, serving as a critical logistics and transport hub for personnel, equipment, and supplies.

The airstrip will span 60 metres in width, with a 70-metre safety boundary on both sides, designed in alignment with international aviation standards. It will run parallel to the prevailing southeast wind direction to ensure safe operations year-round.

Aris said the development will include two major security access points — one located along the main access road with truck parking, logistics and security offices, and a temporary aircraft hangar; and another at the processing plant, providing controlled entry between high-security mining zones and general access areas.

Government Partnership and Infrastructure Commitments

The Government of Guyana, through the Ministries of Natural Resources and Public Works, has finalized a road users’ agreement with Aris’ subsidiary, ensuring smooth access to the site. Under the arrangement, ETK will be responsible for maintaining and rehabilitating public roads leading to Toroparu.

The Toroparu project represents one of the largest foreign investments in Guyana’s mining sector and is expected to significantly boost local employment, logistics development, and regional infrastructure.

Billions in Economic Returns

The PEA projects that Guyana stands to earn an estimated US$3.4 billion in taxes and royalties throughout the project’s lifespan. This includes US$2.2 billion in income taxes and US$1.2 billion in royalty payments, based on a base gold price of US$3,000 per ounce.

Financially, the project is forecast to deliver an after-tax Net Present Value (NPV5%) of US$1.8 billion, an Internal Rate of Return (IRR) of 25.2%, and a three-year payback period — underscoring its strong profitability.

Under its Mineral Agreement with the government, Toroparu will pay 8% royalty on gold sales, 1.5% on silver, and 1.5% on copper, all deductible under Guyana’s 30% corporate tax rate.

From Exploration to Expansion

The Toroparu deposit was initially mined by Alfro Alphonso in 1997 and later explored by ETK Inc. under a joint venture with Alphonso starting in 1999. In 2020, ETK acquired full ownership of the property, paying US$20 million to exercise its option, while Alphonso retained rights to alluvial mining and site access.

ETK also holds an investment agreement with GO-Invest, granting tax exemptions on project-related imports — a measure aimed at accelerating development and improving cost efficiency.

A Boost for Guyana’s Gold Industry

Once operational, the Toroparu Gold Project is set to position Guyana as a leading gold producer in the Western Hemisphere, expanding its mining footprint beyond the traditional Omai and Aurora gold belts. The construction of the new airstrip underscores Aris Mining’s long-term commitment to developing Guyana’s resource potential under international environmental and safety standards, the company said.

ExxonMobil Beats Q3 Estimates On Guyana and Permian Output

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BY NAN BUSINESS EDITOR

News Americas, HOUSTON, Fri. Nov. 7, 2025: ExxonMobil, (NYSE: XOM), delivered stronger-than-expected third-quarter earnings, driven by record oil and gas production in Guyana and the Permian Basin that helped offset weaker global crude prices.

The U.S. energy giant reported adjusted earnings of $8.1 billion, or $1.88 per share, for the July–September quarter — surpassing analysts’ consensus estimate of $1.82 per share, according to data from LSEG.

Despite the earnings beat, free cash flow dropped to $6.3 billion, down sharply from $11.3 billion in the same period last year, as ExxonMobil increased capital spending to expand its acreage in the Permian Basin. Shares initially fell by nearly 2% in Friday trading before later recovering to end flat at $114.64.

“Higher expenditures counteracted what was otherwise positive earnings news that included a dividend increase,” noted TPH & Co analyst Jeoffrey Lambujon.

Production Surges in Key Growth Regions

ExxonMobil’s total production rose to 4.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day (boepd), up from 4.6 million boepd in the prior quarter, marking record output levels from both Guyana’s Stabroek Block and the Permian Basin in Texas and New Mexico.

These two regions remain critical to Exxon’s long-term growth strategy, as Guyana continues to emerge as one of the world’s most prolific new oil provinces. The company, along with its partners Hess Corporation and CNOOC, has made more than 30 discoveries offshore Guyana since 2015.

Global Oil Price Pressures

While operational performance was strong, ExxonMobil faced a challenging pricing environment. Brent crude averaged $68.17 per barrel during the third quarter – down about 13% from a year earlier — as OPEC+ output increases and a U.S.-led tariff dispute weighed on global demand and investor sentiment.

Energy analysts say ExxonMobil’s ability to post profit growth despite lower prices underscores its strategic pivot toward high-margin assets like Guyana, the Permian, and LNG operations.

The company’s results come amid broader industry turbulence, as global oil majors navigate volatile prices, geopolitical headwinds, and accelerating energy transitions.

US Strikes In The Caribbean And Pacific Kill At Least 70 As Region Raises Alarm

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By News Americas Staff Writer

News Americas, November 7, 2025: The US strikes in the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans has now killed at least 70 people, according to U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who confirmed another deadly strike Thursday that destroyed a small vessel and killed three people off the coast of Icacos Point, Trinidad and Tobago.

An infographic titled “Major US military deployments in the Caribbean” created in Ankara, Turkiye on November 7, 2025. (Photo by Murat Usubali/Anadolu via Getty Images)

The latest strike – the 18th since the campaign began in early September – reportedly targeted what the Pentagon described as a “vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization.” Aerial footage shared by Hegseth on X (formerly Twitter) showed the small boat traveling through calm waters before being hit and engulfed in flames.

While Washington insists the strikes are part of a campaign against drug trafficking networks linked to Venezuela, critics and international observers have condemned the actions as extrajudicial killings, noting that no conclusive evidence has been made public showing the destroyed boats were smuggling narcotics or posed any threat to U.S. interests.

Regional Fallout And Civilian Fear

Antonio Silver (L) and Kavash Dan unload their catch after a day of fishing in the Gulf of Paria, an inlet of the Caribbean Sea, on November 06, 2025, in Icacos Point, Trinidad and Tobago. As the United States military has killed numerous people allegedly running drugs in the Caribbean, local fishermen say they are nervous, and some have altered their fishing routes due to not wanting to be mistaken for a drug boat. Icacos Point is approximately 3 miles from the Venezuela shoreline. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Local fishermen in southern Trinidad say that they are now fearful to go to sea, with some altering their routes to avoid being mistaken for suspected “narco boats.” Icacos Point, the southernmost tip of Trinidad, lies just three miles from Venezuela’s coastline, an area known for both fishing and migrant crossings.

“The sea is our livelihood, but now it feels like a war zone,” said one fisherman who asked not to be named. “No one knows who’s next.”

Caribbean Leaders Call For Calm

Amid rising concern, Antigua and Barbuda Prime Minister Gaston Browne this week renewed his call for the Caribbean to remain a “zone of peace.” Speaking at the launch of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, (CHOGM), set for next year, Browne warned that escalating U.S. military operations in regional waters could destabilize the Caribbean.

“If this military buildup results in any form of conflict, the small island states of the OECS will suffer disproportionately,” Browne cautioned, emphasizing the region’s vulnerability and economic dependence.

U.S. Congress Divided Over Strikes

In Washington, Senate Democrats attempted to pass a war powers resolution that would have curbed President Donald Trump’s authority to conduct further strikes without congressional approval – but the measure was blocked by Senate Republicans in a largely party-line vote.

Sen. Tim Kaine, (D-Va.), backed by Adam Schiff, (D-Calif.) and Rand Paul, (R-Ky.), led the push, arguing that the administration’s actions amount to undeclared warfare. Only a few Republicans – including Sen. Lisa Murkowski, (R-Alaska) – broke ranks to support the measure.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth briefed select lawmakers earlier this week, defending the campaign as part of a broader effort to “combat terrorism and narcotics linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua cartel.”

Trump, in a recent television interview, acknowledged authorizing CIA operations in the region and claimed Venezuela had “emptied their prisons into the United States.”

“We have a lot of drugs coming in from Venezuela,” Trump said. “So, we’re going to stop them by land and by sea.”

International Condemnation Mounts

The United Nations has called on Washington to immediately halt the strikes. UN human rights chief Volker Türk said the killings “find no justification in international law,” urging restraint and independent investigations.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro accused the U.S. of attempting regime change under the guise of counter-narcotics operations. Maduro, who faces U.S. drug trafficking indictments and a $50 million bounty, denied that Venezuela cultivates or exports narcotics, saying his country is being “used as a route against its will.”

An Escalating Military Footprint

The Trump administration has reportedly deployed six Navy ships in the Caribbean, F-35 stealth jets to Puerto Rico, and the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to regional waters. U.S. bombers have also conducted several “shows of force” near Venezuela’s coast since mid-October.

With regional unease mounting and questions over legality growing louder, observers warn that Washington’s campaign risks militarizing the Caribbean – a region long regarded as a “zone of peace” and trade, not conflict.

World Bank To Payout One Of The Largest Single Sovereign Insurance Redemptions To Jamaica

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News Americas, WASHINGTON, Fri. Nov. 7, 2025: Jamaica is set to receive a full $150 million payout under its World Bank backed catastrophe bond following the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa – marking one of the largest single sovereign insurance redemptions in the Caribbean’s history.

The World Bank, (International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, IBRD AAA/Aaa) confirmed that the payout was automatically triggered after third-party analysis by AIR Worldwide Corporation determined that the hurricane met pre-agreed parametric thresholds based on the storm’s central pressure and path, as reported by the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

An aerial view shows destroyed buildings following the passage of Hurricane Melissa, in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica on October 29, 2025. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

The trigger activated the full redemption of Jamaica’s 2024 catastrophe bond, which provides the country with pre-arranged financial protection against major natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes.

Swift Financial Relief Through Innovative Risk Management

The $150 million disbursement underscores the strength of Jamaica’s disaster risk financing strategy, which has been recognized globally for its proactive approach. The country first partnered with the World Bank in 2021 to secure parametric insurance against storm events, later renewing and expanding coverage through a new 2024 catastrophe bond issuance.

“Jamaica’s comprehensive disaster risk management strategy and proactive approach serve as a model for countries facing similar threats,” said Jorge Familiar, World Bank Vice President and Treasurer. “This payout demonstrates how catastrophe bonds can efficiently transfer disaster risks to capital markets and ensure rapid liquidity when it’s needed most.”

Damage from Hurricane Melissa is seen at Sea Garden Beach resort, in Montego Bay, Jamaica on November 3,2025. Storm-ravaged communities in western Jamaica were facing dire straits November 2, 2025, days after record-setting Hurricane Melissa left towns demolished and at least 28 people dead across the island. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

A Model For Financial Resilience

As one of the most disaster-exposed nations in the world, Jamaica has long championed innovative financial tools to strengthen its resilience. Catastrophe bonds allow governments to shift disaster-related risks from public budgets to global investors, ensuring that funds are available within days rather than months.

The World Bank Group said it is also preparing a broad support package for Jamaica, including emergency financing, reallocation of existing project funds, and targeted private-sector assistance through the International Finance Corporation, (IFC).

“Jamaica’s strong commitment to preparedness is now paying off – enabling the country to move swiftly from recovery to reconstruction,” said Susana Cordeiro Guerra, World Bank Vice President for Latin America and the Caribbean. “This is not just about rebuilding what was lost, but about leapfrogging toward a more resilient future.”

Wider Caribbean Support Framework

An aerial view seen October 29, 2025 shows the destroyed Black River Market and surrounding buildings following the passage the previous day of Hurricane Melissa in Black River, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

The catastrophe bond payout adds to the recent record-breaking US$70.8 million disbursement made to Jamaica by the Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF-SPC), the largest in the facility’s history. Combined, the two mechanisms have now mobilized over US$220 million in disaster insurance support for Jamaica in less than a month.

The Government of Jamaica has estimated that Hurricane Melissa caused between US$6 billion and US$9 billion in total damages, devastating infrastructure, homes, and livelihoods while claiming 32 lives. More than 600 educational institutions sustained damage during the passage of category-five Hurricane Melissa.“In the affected parishes, we have a little bit over 450 schools that have been affected, and that’s across the board – infant schools, primary schools, secondary schools and also eight tertiary schools. So far, we’ve seen estimates of 616 institutions having some kind of damage,” said Minister of Education, Skills, Youth and Information, Senator Dana Morris Dixon.