In a livestreamed ceremony late this morning, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. and Tammy Hurt, chair of the organization’s board of trustees, led a slate of stars in announcing the nominees for the 64th annual Grammy awards. This year’s slate, determined for the first time without review committees, features an expanded number of nominees - ten - in each of the major categories.

Perhaps the biggest news for Minnesota music fans, and fans of adventurous music generally, came when Duluth heroes Low earned their first-ever Grammy nomination in a long and lauded career. Their acclaimed album HEY WHAT was nominated in the Best Engineered Album (Non-Classical) category, with producer BJ Burton, a fellow longtime Minnesotan, sharing credit.

Among the major categories, the biggest Minnesota presence once again came via Taylor Swift. After her album Folklore won Album of the Year last time around, its sequel-of-sorts Evermore earned a nomination in that category again this year. Like Folklore, Evermore was created with producer Aaron Dessner and his circle of Minnesotan or Minnesota-connected artists including Eau Claire’s Justin Vernon. Props are also due to Minneapolis guitarist Cory Wong, who played on Jon Batiste’s We Are: one of the year’s most-nominated projects.

The honors keep coming for the late great Prince - although now they’re historical honors, as the Super Deluxe reissue of Sign O’ the Times earned a nomination in the Best Historical Album category. Poignantly, Chris Cornell was also nominated, in the Best Rock Performance category, for his searing cover of the Prince-penned “Nothing Compares 2 U” - released on record this year as part of the posthumous collection No One Sings Like You Anymore.

Bob Dylan also earned a nomination - or at least, his songs did in the form of Girl From the North Country. The soundtrack to the Duluth-set stage musical was nominated for Best Musical Theater Album.

Multiple Grammy nominees the Okee Dokee Brothers were not nominated in the Best Children’s Music Album - but nonetheless they must have looked at this year’s nominations with pleasure. Last year, they were among a group of artists who refused their nominations in protest over the all-white slate. This year’s nominations, which include Latin group 123 Andrés, the Black group 1 Tribe Collective, and the India-born Falu, are far more diverse.

The 64th Grammys will be presented on Jan. 31 in a ceremony that’s sure to be highly anticipated. Though ratings plummeted compared to 2020, last year’s show won plaudits for the innovation and entertainment it brought to an era of pandemic-related restrictions.