André 3000 Surprised by Album of the Year Grammy Nod, Originally Hoped for Jazz Category Recognition

André 3000 says he was stunned to see “New Blue Sun,” known across social media as his “flute album,”  nominated for Album of the Year at the upcoming Grammys.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by André Lauren Benjamin (@andre3000)

In an interview with Variety, he shared his astonishment, revealing that his team had actually aimed for alternative jazz or ambient categories.

“So this morning, when the album of the year category popped up, I was really, really surprised because I didn’t think that that many people even knew about it,” he explained. “I’m just happy that the votes came in that way and that people were paying attention more than anything.”

André, a nine-time Grammy Award winner, received some backlash when he revealed that “New Blue Sun” was an instrumentation album. Most of his day-one fans hoped to hear new rhymes from him or even a collaboration with Outkast groupmate Big Boi. Despite the disappointment among some supporters, André knows his work is good, thanks to the many people who approach him in person praising the project.

“People as humans, we want validation for our time of being here. These awards kind of do that in a way,” he expressed. “Even on the street when someone tells you, ‘Man, I love this album, me and my kids listen to this album every morning,’ that’s validation.” It’s proof, he said, “of people enjoying that. I can dig that.”

The nomination places “New Blue Sun” alongside some powerhouse competition, including Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” and Taylor Swift’s “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.” It’s a competitive field, but the nod alone speaks volumes.