2019 Grammy Watch: Best Dance/Electronic Album

CMN’s team of music writers is previewing the 2019 Grammy Awards. The 61st annual ceremony will take place Sunday, February 10 in Los Angeles. You can see all of our Grammy coverage here. 

Jon Hopkins: Singularity – This is the fifth album released by English musician Hopkins, formerly the keyboard player for Imogen Heap. The album includes the singles, “Emerald Rush”, “Everything Connected”, and “Singularity”. In their reviews of it, New Musical Express and The Skinny gave the album a perfect score . Hopkins has collaborated previously with Brian Eno, Coldplay, and David Holmes. His 2013 album Immunity was nominated for a Mercury Prize. He also composed the soundtrack for the 2010 film, Monsters. This is his first Grammy nomination.

Justice: Woman Worldwide – This is essentially a remix album, looking back at 10 years of the French electronic duo, Justice. They began work on this album as early as the summer of 2016. Debuting in 2003, The album reached number 22 on the American dance charts and number 6 on the UK dance charts. Justice includes Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay, who first gained critical acclaim for their Simian remix of “Never Be Alone”. The band’s remix of MGMT’s “Electric Feel” won a Grammy in 2009 for Best Remixed Recording, Non-classical. The album’s release was first announced following the group’s performance at the Google i/O Conference in Mountainview, California.

Sofi Tukker: Treehouse – Treehouse is the debut album from the electronic duo, Sofi Tukker. This New York based group consists of Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern. The band is most well known for their song “Best Friend”, which was featured in an Apple commercial in 2017, introducing the iPhone X. Hawley-Weld and Halpern first began performing together at Brown University in 2014. Their first release was the EP, Soft Animals, in 2016. Their music has also been featured on the Incredible Jessica James and EA Sports title, FIFA ‘17. Their song, “Drinkee”, was nominated for a Grammy in 2017.

Sophie: Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-insides – This is the debut album from Scottish DJ and producer, Sophie. The singles included in this work are “It’s Okay to Cry”, “Ponyboy”, and “Faceshopping”. The single “It’s Okay to Cry” includes Sophie’s vocals in a song for the very first time. Stereogum ranked it as the best electronic album of 2018, while Pitchfork ranked it as the 18th best album to be released in 2018. Sophie’s full name is Sophie Xeon, who first gained attention for the singles “Bipp” and “Lemonade”. She has produced tracks for such artists as Madonna, Charlie XCX, and Vince Staples. Her first compilation, Product, was released in 2015. This is her first Grammy nomination.

Tokimonsta: Lune Rouge – This is the third album released by American producer, Tokimonsta. The album consists of five singles released throughout 2017, including tracks “Don’t Call Me”, “We Love”, “Bibimbap”, “No Way”, and “I Wish I Could”. Tokimonsta is originally from Torrance, California. Her real name is Jennifer Lee, and was diagnosed with a rare brain disorder in 2015 that caused her to lose the ability to speak for a time. After a short break from music, she regained her ability to speak, and began work on Lune Rouge. Being of Korean descent, she took the name Tokimonsta, which means rabbit, from the children’s song, “San Toki”. She has previously collaborated with MDNR and Anderson Paak, while also producing tracks for Jodeci and Justin Timberlake. This is her first Grammy nomination.

Most Likely to Win:

Justice. Their EDM staple legacy over the past decade cements them as the favorites in this category. Additionally, the album is a remix of their previous efforts from that time. They have headlined festivals such as Lollapalooza, which points to the staying power of this group. As evidenced by their 2009 Grammy, voters have enjoyed their remixes as well.

Who Should Win:

Tokimonsta. The story of her struggle makes quite the feel-good story, pulling at the heart strings of any electronic music fan.