Cult classic Dr. Strangelove gets a timely makeover at The Bord Gais Energy Theatre
Cult classic Dr. Strangelove gets a timely makeover at The Bord Gais Energy Theatre

Jennifer McShane

Sampla: The Irish footwear brand using apple skins to make sustainable shoes
Sampla: The Irish footwear brand using apple skins to make sustainable shoes

Sarah Finnan

Awards season fashion: black tie dressing inspired by the stars
Awards season fashion: black tie dressing inspired by the stars

Sarah Finnan

The Irish artists heading to the 2025 GRAMMY Awards

The Irish artists heading to the 2025 GRAMMY Awards


by Sarah Gill
30th Jan 2025

Three Irish artists are nominated across four different categories at this year’s GRAMMY Awards — here's everything you need to know.

Awards season is always a hell of a lot more exciting when you’ve got skin in the game, and thanks to the abundance of Irish talent across film, music and fashion, this little island of ours has become incredibly well-decorated with trophies and badges of honour. Sure, we may have been snubbed by the Oscars, but among the nominees heading to Downtown LA for the 67th GRAMMY Awards show are three of our finest musical exports.

The ceremony will once again be hosted by Trevor Noah, and it takes place on Sunday, February 2, on Paramount+. You can watch the show on Monday at 10pm on RTÉ2. For those interested in the fashion on the night, The Associated Press will be live streaming the red carpet over on YouTube.

There’ll be performances from Shakira, Charli XCX and Billie Eilish, as well as Benson Boone, Chappell Roan, Doechii, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter, and Teddy Swims. Given the site of this celebration of music, the telecast will be reimagined to raise funds to support wildfire relief efforts and to aid music professionals impacted by the devastating LA wildfires.

Of those nominated, Beyoncé has amassed a grand total of 11 nominations, bringing her grand total to 99 and making her the most nominated artist of all time. Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone have received seven nods each, followed by Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift with six nominations apiece. It really was quite the year for girl power on the charts.

Before we get into our three Irish nominees, we must first address the elephant in the room: Kabin Crew and Lisdoonvarna Crew’s iconic drum’n’bass track ‘The Spark’ narrowly missed out on a nomination, having made the longlist back in October. The group of young rappers from Cork and Clare’s viral hit was, for many, the song of the summer, amassing over 52 million listens on Spotify and garnering the group festival sets all summer long. The crew are still nominated for Irish Song of the Year 2024 at the RTÉ Choice Music Prize, so there’s still hope. Those kids are the absolute coolest.

Here are the Irish nominees…

Elaine Kelly

The first Irish conductor to be nominated for a GRAMMY Award, Elaine Kelly is vying for the win in the category of Best Choral Performance. Speaking to Sarah Finnan earlier this month about her nomination, Elaine said, “Being recognised by the Grammys, especially as an Irish artist in a field where there are only a handful of classical Grammy-nominated artists, is fantastic. It’s such a universal acknowledgement of music, and to be a part of that is a dream come true. I’ve watched the Grammys with my family in Cork for as long as I can remember. Now, to be in that room, representing the rich talent that Ireland has to offer is beyond exciting.”

“The accomplishment I’m most proud of is being nominated for a Grammy this year!” Elaine continues. “It was an incredible project to be part of—such a wonderful piece of music, brought to life by the most talented, inspiring and beautiful people. To have our collective efforts recognised on a global level is truly special. As an Irish conductor, being celebrated internationally in the world of classical music is a huge honour.”

Read the full interview with Elaine Kelly here.

Fontaines DC

Garnering not one but two nominations across two major categories, Fontaines DC are up for Best Rock Album, for their critically acclaimed record Romance, and Best Alternative Music Performance, for breakout single ‘Starburster’. Back in 2020, the band were shortlisted for Best Rock Album (for ‘A Hero’s Death’) and narrowly lost out to The Strokes.

This time around, they’ll be competing against The Black Crowe, Green Day, IDLES, Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones and Jack White in the album category, and Cage The Elephant, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, St. Vincent and Kim Gordon for the other.

Would it be too hasty to say I think they’ve got it in the bag? They already won The Album Award at Rolling Stone UK Awards 2024, with the publication calling the record an instant classic. They’ve also been nominated across a number of categories at this year’s RTÉ Choice Music Prize, so they’ll likely be laden down with trophies by the end of the year.

Jordan Adetunji

Nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance for his track ‘Kehlani (ft. Kehlani)’, Belfast rapper Jordan Adetunji is up against Beyoncé, Latto, Future & Metro Boomin’ and Erykah Badu for this one. When the shortlist was announced, he took to Instagram to write: “This is for anyone that believes they aren’t good enough or can’t. YOU CAN. No matter where you’re from. Did this from my bedroom in Belfast with a 100 pound interface.”

Treading a line between R&B and alternative rock while veering between genres with ease, Adetunji is a top-tier lyricist, and thanks to the track’s vitality on TikTok, it reached the UK Top 10 for a 20-week run, leading to the track’s muse herself reaching out and asking to do a remix. In interviews, he’s credited it to the power of manifestation, but it’s more likely to do with his shedloads of talent.

His ten track album, A Jaguar’s Dream, dropped last week — get listening.

Also Read