If you want proof that genre is a fluid concept in 2016, look no further than Beyoncé’s nominations for the 2017 Grammy Awards. Besides getting nods in all of the top categories, Lemonade was also nominated for Best Urban Contemporary Album. (Let’s be honest, it is the top album of the year.) Where it really gets interesting, however, is in the individual performance categories.
Bey received noms for Best Pop Solo Performance for “Hold Up”, Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Freedom” with Kendrick Lamar, and — here’s the kicker — Best Rock Performance for “Don’t Hurt Yourself” featuring Jack White. Nothing shows the evolution of sound better than Beyoncé getting nominated in a rock category … but it gets better.
Also up for Best Rock Performance is Disturbed for their cover of Simon & Garfunkel’s classic “The Sound of Silence”. Take a second to drink that in. Beyoncé will compete with Disturbed’s cover of a 1960s folk song for Best Rock Performance at the 2017 Grammy Awards. I mean, so will Twenty One Pilot’s “Heathens” and David Bowie should probably win for “Blackstar”, but just to reiterate: Beyoncé, Disturbed, Simon & Garfunkel, 2017.
In case you haven’t heard Queen Bey’s competition, watch the Disturbed’s nominated performance below.
