Lukas Nelson doesn’t want to become his hero—in this case, his father, Willie Nelson. And the “Ain’t Done” singer, 36, has done a fine job of forging his own path, from sharing a stage with Neil Young to producing the Grammy-winning A Star Is Born soundtrack with Lady Gaga. Now, he finds himself up for his second Grammy Award, scoring a nod in the Best Traditional Country category for his solo debut American Romance. However, he’ll have to get through his father to win this one.
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Both Willie Nelson and Lukas Nelson Are Up For Best Traditional Country
The Recording Academy has announced the nominations for the 68th Grammy Awards, which are set to take place on Sunday, Feb. 1, in Los Angeles. Kendrick Lamar leads the way with nine nominations.
Next year’s ceremony will feature a brand-new category: Best Traditional Country Album. The current Best Country Album category has been renamed as Best Contemporary Country Album. Among the nominees for the former are Willie Nelson’s Oh What a Beautiful World and Lukas Nelson’s American Romance.
Oh What a Beautiful World is the elder Nelson’s 77th studio album, with a tracklist entirely written (or co-written) by chart-topping singer-songwriter Rodney Crowell.
Surprisingly, this would mark only the second Best Country Album win of Willie’s nearly seven-decade career. The “On the Road Again” crooner didn’t find himself among the nominees until 2002 with Rainbow Connection. He has since earned five more nominations in the now-defunct category, taking home his first trophy in 2023 for A Beautiful Time.
American Romance is Lukas Nelson’s second nomination. His work on the 2018 film A Star Is Born landed him in the Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media category, which he won.
Additionally, this is Lukas Nelson’s first solo project after eight studio albums with his band Promise of the Real. The country-rock outfit announced an indefinite hiatus in 2024, as outlaw country’s prodigal son strikes out on his own.
Competition From Charley Crockett, Margo Price, and Zach Top
Willie Nelson and Lukas Nelson also face competition beyond their own bloodline. The father-son duo must also compete against Charley Crockett, Margo Price, and Zach Top.
Crockett earns his second Grammy nomination for A Dollar A Day, while Zach Top’s sophomore album Ain’t In It For My Health makes him a first-time nominee. Price is nominated for her fifth studio album, Hard Headed Woman, after landing a Best New Artist nod in 2019.
Featured image by Nicola Gell/WireImage
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