The Grammys don’t seem to understand genre borders. This is a wonderful thing.

Back in 1989, Grammy voters ignored Metallica to hand a heavy metal award to Jethro Tull. The move seemed to embarrass everyone. But looking at the 2024 field, the bleeding of one category into the next reflects the failure of genres to define many modern artists.

On Sunday on CBS, the 66th annual Grammys will feature some marque showdowns of artists who defy categorization — Janelle Monáe, Jon Batiste, boygenius, Olivia Rodrigo and SZA all made diverse LPs up for Album of Year. But it’s the undercard that really digs into the welcome mess of overlapping styles.

Here are three key acts up for awards they have no business being up for and totally deserve to dominate.

Brandy Clark

Best Americana Album, Best Country Song, and four more awards

Country used to be Americana and Americana used to be country (see The Carter Family, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, Lucinda Williams…). It should make sense that people can’t hear a difference between the two. But for a long time, during the years when bros like Big & Rich turned country into bad hair metal with a fiddle, you couldn’t find the sonic overlap. Clark spent 2023 reminding the world that roots music — country, Americana, folk — depends on tough, honest, raw songwriting and delivery. And she had some help with the mission on her self-titled record from Derek Trucks, Lucius, and Brandi Carlile (who produced the LP).

The War and the Treaty

Best New Artist and Best American Roots Song

So much wrong and right with this one. The duo deserve the Best New Artist Award and should have won it after their 2018 or 2020 LPs. American roots captures the pair and doesn’t come close — The War and the Treaty can fit all of Clark’s sonic diversity in a couple tracks. Husband and wife Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter do roots rock, and Southern rock, and gospel, soul, r&b, subtle singer-songwriter harmonies, and barn-burning bluesy romps.

Arctic Monkeys

Best Rock Performance, Best Alternative Music Performance & Best Alternative Music Album

Rock remains the biggest musical tent ever invented. Yet somehow many modern pop stars have tried their best to push rock out. Thankfully, the rising generation adores rock and pop together (see Olivia Rodrigo). And thankfully, rock champs Arctic Monkeys love pop, well, pop from the last century. Their 2023 album “The Car” hits like a cocktail of David Bowie ballads, French film noir music, disco as heard through a fog of Cognac and codeine, and string-heavy, minor-key yacht rock. Praise be to the Grammy voters who saw fit to nominate Arctic Monkeys alongside Foo Fighters and Metallica. Praise be to voters who don’t seem to understand genre borders.

Brandy Clark (Photo Victoria Stevens)