Are Nicki Minaj, Ice Spice and Aqua eligible for Grammys for ‘Barbie World’?
Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice’s “Barbie World” is a big hit this year as part of the already-iconic “Barbie” soundtrack. It prominently samples and interpolates Aqua’s classic “Barbie Girl.” As such, Aqua is credited on the new song alongside Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice. But the Danish band’s contributions are just the sample, not any new vocal or instrumental contribution. So would they be eligible for Grammy consideration, and would the song be eligible in songwriting categories despite the prominent sample?
Regarding Aqua’s eligibility, let’s review two important Grammy rules. First, “to be recognized as a Grammy nominee, a featured artist must be credited as a featured artist; and make a significant and artistic contribution beyond accompaniment.” While Aqua fits the “credited as a featured artist” criterion, one might argue that they didn’t really make any artist contribution themselves, but rather that their musical ideas from the past were used as inspiration.
The other rule we have to look at regards samples: “Recordings that feature samples and/or any interpolations of previously released material are eligible in all performance categories only if the performance up for Grammy consideration is newly recorded per the academy definition.” The Grammys’ definition of a new recording is “recorded within five years of the release date and not previously released,” which would mean that only the performances of Nicki Minaj and Ice Spice would qualify for Grammy consideration. Unless Aqua can establish a new contribution to the track (new vocals, new instrumentation, new production), the band would have to be absent from the song’s credits when Grammy time comes, assuming the recording academy follows its own rules.
As for whether the song is eligible in songwriting categories, the answer is yes: “Recordings featuring samples are eligible in songwriting categories; however, the writers of the sampled or interpolated material are not considered to be nominees or Grammy recipients.” This would mean that, while the composers of the original “Barbie Girl” would not be eligible for songwriting consideration, everyone else who isn’t just a writer on the sample would be eligible.
The band members from Aqua are officially credited as writers on “Barbie World” due to that heavy use of their sample. However, sampled material is removed from credits once the Grammys come around. For example, you might remember in 2021 that Taylor Swift lost her Album of the Year nomination as a writer on Olivia Rodrigo’s “Sour” when the Grammys checked credits to see which writers were credited due to samples and which had actually-new contributions to the songs. So, while initially Aqua may be credited, and “Barbie World” may ultimately be nominated for awards, the original artists should, eventually, be uncredited by the academy.
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