How Duckwrth's imaginary Grammy button led to a real Grammy nomination

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Duckwrth manifested a 2026 Grammy nomination for his album while in the recording studio. He just didn't know it.

The singer, songwriter and producer would pretend to press an imaginary Grammy button whenever he and his friends finished a new track.

“It would be certain moments when we’ll be done with the song, and we’ll come up with this thing called ‘Grammy button.’ It’s an invisible Grammy button — we’ll be like, ‘Grammy, Grammy.’ And we said that over and over again ... it was an interesting, beautiful manifestation,” the artist told The Associated Press.

The 37-year-old musician first started turning heads with his genre-fluid debut mixtape “I'm Uugly” in 2016. Soon his eclectic sound could be heard across films and television shows like “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” and HBO's “Insecure.” Since then, Duckwrth's music has gone against the grain, seamlessly blending elements of hip-hop, funk, rock and soul throughout his projects.

Immersive sound for a unique project

Duckwrth's latest album, “All American F—Boy,” is nominated at the 68th annual Grammy Awards on Feb. 1 for best immersive audio album, a category that honors the technical work of albums mixed using multichannel audio recordings.

If they win, the trophy will be awarded to immersive mix engineer Andrew Law, who formatted the album's previously mixed stereo recording for Dolby Atmos surround sound, a three-dimensional experience that allows listeners to feel as if they are at the center of the songs' layered instruments and melodies.

“The difficult part is you have to keep the essence of the actual song so that when people listen to it on headphones or on other mediums, and not like in the (Dolby Atmos) studio, that it still sounds like the song without making it too crazy,” said Law. “I try to take the approach of keeping the song how it was meant to be heard. And then turn it into a big soundscape and something really, really fun when you’re sitting in an Atmos studio.”

Crafting a new character

The project is immersive in more ways than one. While brainstorming his next project, Duckwrth knew he wanted to center it on a character who was a bit more “brash and more a Sid Vicious type.”

“So, I feel I had to find a way to blend what they already knew me for,” he said. “I told my friend I gotta trick people, I gotta secretly drop a rock album, but people not know it’s a rock album.”

At the time, he was listening to audiobooks, like George Orwell's “1984,” and wanted the album to feel like the layered soundscapes in a film or audiobook. So, he sat down and, over the course of 2 ½ years, created his own audio drama within the album, starring himself and featuring narration from actor LaKeith Stanfield. The album was produced alongside BLK ODYSSY and 2Fresh, featuring artists like Tanerélle, Sherwyn, Tommy Newport and IDK.

The album follows the titular “All American F—Boy” as he navigates the ups and downs of dating while grappling with a fear of commitment. His character ultimately is forced to confront his toxic playboy tendencies and break the patterns that have kept him in a constant loop of failed relationships. The loosely autobiographical project weaves into its coming-of-age story the invitation to explore the ways generational trauma, patriarchy and toxic masculinity affect romantic relationships.

“I was highly uncomfortable dropping this album, but I think when the wind pushes you so hard, it’s like when you’re like a child throwing a tantrum, and you’re just like, ‘No, I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna go to school,' but then your mom is like pushing you out the door, like ‘Boy, if you don’t get in that car,’” said Duckwrth. “So I think making this album, it was a strong wind against my back, pushing me forward to go as deep as possible and be as vulnerable as possible.”

Next up, the Grammys

When looking back at the album's journey, both Law and Duckwrth knew they had something great on their hands. For Law, it was an instant win from the narration to the music.

“I was like, this is the one,” he said.

Duckwrth says the album and Law's immersive engineering work receiving a Grammy nomination is rewarding and a reminder to trust himself, his creative intuition and to be just as vulnerable with future projects.

“Yeah, to get a Grammy nomination for just being all out rebellious is pretty cool,” he said with a smile on his face. “And I’m excited for the kids who come after me to see that, whether we win or not, just having a nomination, especially for my album.”

___