There were two winners in the Best Progressive R&B Album category at the 67th Grammy Awards on Sunday (Feb. 2).
Soul singer Avery*Sunshine‘s So Glad to Know You and NxWorries‘ (Anderson .Paak and Knxwledge) Why Lawd? both earned a trophy.
It marked the first time a tie in the Best Progressive R&B Album category since its introduction in 2020. Even under its previous title, Best Urban Contemporary Album, there was never a tie.
Although ties are rare at the Grammys, they have occurred in recent years in the R&B field. In 2019, Leon Bridges‘ “Bet Ain’t Worth the Hand” and PJ Morton‘s “How Deep Is Your Love” with Yebba both won Best Traditional R&B Performance.
In 2022, Jazmine Sullivan‘s “Pick Up You Feelings” and Silk Sonic‘s (Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak) “Leave the Door Open” won Best R&B Performance, respectively
Avery*Sunshine, a first-time Grammy nominee and winner, gave an emotional acceptance speech at the Premiere Ceremony.
She thanked those who contributed to the album, along with her family and her team before, concluding with: “This is a win for all the independent soul music artists. We’ve been working in the dark for a minute but the light is shining.”
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So Glad to Know You was released Aug. 23, 2024, via Avery*Sunshine’s BigShine Recordings. The album features the singles “Lifted Up,” “I Wonder,” “My Way” and “Blackity Black,” among others.
So Glad to Know You is the follow-up to Avery*Sunshine’s fourth album, Four Songs & a Bootleg, which dropped in 2022.
In a post-win interview with the Grammys, Avery*Sunshine, 49, shared the meaning behind her Grammy-winning album. “So Glad to Know You is a testament to getting to know myself more, getting to know my sisters and brothers more, and into that.”
She also spoke about what the trophy means to her. “I would do music with or without this. But it does mean that I’m seen and appreciated. Again, I would do it without it but this means something for my mother, for my father who transitioned. It is symbolic. I share this with the soul music community, the independent artists, the people who feel like they’re doing it in vain. This is all for us.”
She also shared a little tidbit about her connection with .Paak. “And I share this with Anderson. Paak. How dope is that? We played together a million years ago. He was Breezy Lovejoy at that time. He played drums for me at the Temple Bar. Of course, he’s been meteoric.”
Knxwledge is also a first-time Grammy winner. The producer previously earned an Album of the Year nomination for his work on Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp A Butterfly.
“Thank you, God. Thank all of y’all. This is beautiful. Amazing. Wow,” he said during the acceptance speech.
“This the best birthday gift ever,” .Paak said, whose birthday is on Feb. 8. “I want to thank Knxwledge for being such a stellar producer. This album was really tough for me to make and it’s because of you [that] I was able to take tough times and turn them into inspiration and therapy. So, thank you Knxwledge. Thank you to my beautiful team.”
This marks .Paak’s ninth Grammy award. Of his wins, four are in the R&B field. Here’s a breakdown of Anderson .Paak’s Grammys:
- Best Progressive R&B Album: Why Lawd? (2025)
- Best R&B Performance: “Leave The Door Open” (2022)
- Record of the Year: “Leave The Door Open” (2022)
- Best Melodic Rap Performance: “Lockdown” (2021)
- Best R&B Album: Ventura (2020)
- Best R&B Performance: “Come Home” (2020)
- Best Rap Performance: “Bubblin” (2019)
Why Lawd? is NxWorries’ second album following their 2016 project, Yes Lawd! Their latest album includes the singles “Where I Go” featuring H.E.R., “Daydreaming” and “86Sentra.”
The album features additional collaborations with Charlie Wilson, Snoop Dogg, October London, Thundercat, and more. (It’s worth noting Thundercat won the first Best Progressive R&B Album award for It Is What It Is at the 61st Grammys in 2021.)
