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LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Taylor Swift and Kanye West have been added to an expanded list of Grammy Award nominees in a surprise, last-minute move by the Record Academy, according to a New York Times report.
Abba and Lil Nas X were also last-minute additions to the Grammy Awards nominations list following a Recording Academy meeting 24 hours before the nominations were announced, the New York Times reported on Wednesday.
Swift and West were already nominated in other categories, and were added to the album of the year list of nominees, joining Justin Bieber, Olivia Rodrigo, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga, Doja Cat, H.E.R., Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X and Jon Batiste. Swift's ``Evermore'' and West's ``Donda'' were added to the nominees.
The New York Times also reported expansions in the record of the year category with Lil Nas X's ``Montero (Call Me by Your Name)'' and Abba's ``I Still Have Faith in You.'' Rodrigo, Bieber, Bennett and Lady Gaga, Batiste, Doja Cat, Eilish, Silk Sonic and Brandi Carlile have song of the year nominations, too.
The nominations for the songwriters' song of the year category and best new artist category were also expanded at the last minute. Doja Cat's ``Kiss Me More'' and ``Right on Time'' by Carlile were added to the song of the year category. Rapper Baby Keem and composer Arooj Aftab were added to the best new artist category, according to the report in the New York Times.
The Recording Academy announced it decided to expand the list of nominees in four general field categories during the nominations presentation for the 2022 Grammy Awards on Tuesday.
In an interview with the New York Times, the Recording Academy president and CEO Harvey Mason Jr. said the expansion of nominations has been in the works for years, and the Latin Grammy Awards expanded their lists to 12 last year.
Mason Jr. also told the New York Times the addition of Swift and West to the expanded list of nominations was not for commercial reasons or to improve television ratings.
The 2022 Grammy Awards are scheduled on Jan. 31 at 5 p.m. and will be televised on CBS and Paramount+.