Maine native Amy Allen was nominated for four Grammy Awards Friday, including songwriter of the year.
Allen, who has become one of pop music’s most in-demand songwriters over the past few years, could also win Grammys for song of the year, album of the year and best song for visual media.
The Grammy nominations were announced Friday morning. The Grammy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on Feb. 2 and will be seen live on CBS and the Paramount+ streaming service.
Allen’s songwriter of the year nomination lists songs she worked on for Leon Bridges, Sabrina Carpenter, Tate McRae, Oliva Rodrigo, Justin Timberlake, and others. She was a co-writer on all the songs on Carpenter’s smash album “Short n’ Sweet,” which is nominated for album of the year. She co-wrote Carpenter’s hit “Please, Please, Please,” which was nominated for song of the year. Allen’s fourth Grammy nomination Friday, for best song for visual media, came from her work on the song “Better Place,” from the movie “Trolls Band Together.”
Allen already has one Grammy award, for Harry Styles’ “Harry’s House,” which won Album of the Year in 2023. That same year, she was nominated for the songwriter of the year Grammy, for songs she co-wrote that were recorded by Lizzo, Carpenter, Styles and several others.
Allen is a 2010 graduate of Waynflete School in Portland who grew up in South Portland and Windham. She performed music on her own and in a band before moving to Los Angeles around 2017 to work as a songwriter and, within a year and a half, had co-written radio hits for Selena Gomez and Halsey.
Since the release of “Short n’ Sweet” in late August, Allen has been lauded as one of the most in-demand songwriters in the industry and someone who is helping to shape the current sound of pop music. She’s been written about and interviewed by NPR, the Los Angeles Times and Billboard, among others.
In September, Allen made it to No. 1 on Billboard’s songwriters chart, thanks largely to the 12 songwriting credits she had on Carpenter’s album, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 album chart. Each song was written by Carpenter, Allen and at least one other writer. The song “Please, Please, Please” made it to No. 1 on the singles chart, while “Espresso” and “Taste” were in the top 5.
Allen’s competitors for the songwriter Grammy include Jessi Alexander, Edgar Barrera, Jessie Jo Dillon and Raye. Alexander has written songs for Luke Combs, Cody Johnson and Megan Moroney. Dillon has written for Post Malone, Moroney and others. Barrera has written songs for Bridges and Shakira, while Raye has written for Rita Ora, Jennifer Lopez and Beyonce.
The other album of the year nominees were “New Blue Sun” by Andre 3000, “Cowboy Carter” by Beyonce, “Brat” by Charli XCX, “Djesse Vol. 4” by Jacob Collier, “Hit Me Hard and Soft,” by Billie Eilish, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan and “The Tortured Poets Department” by Taylor Swift.
The other song of the year nominees include “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish, “Die with a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars, “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone, “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, and “Texas Hold ‘Em” by Beyonce.
After years of writing hits for other singers, Allen released her debut solo album as a performer in early September, the same week she hit No. 1 on the songwriters chart. Her self-titled “Amy Allen” features 12 songs she wrote and performed. It was produced over the last few years, while she continued to write hits for others.
Allen wrote on Instagram at the time that she’d “been wanting to write this collection of songs” since she started playing guitar at the age of 9. And she hoped listeners might connect emotionally with it.
“To anyone who’s listened to my songs in the past or is maybe listening now – I hope these songs make u feel seen/happy/devastated or really just any kind of emotion, and thank u for giving me a stream lol xx,” she wrote in September.
Allen’s publicist said she was in writing sessions Friday and not available to talk about her nominations.
Mainers who might want to go support Allen at the Grammys could be in luck. The Maine Academy of Modern Music announced Friday that it will be giving away a trip for two to the Grammy Awards as part of a fundraiser for youth music education in Maine. MAMM is raffling off two tickets to the ceremony in Los Angeles, along with overnight accommodations and airfare, said Jeff Shaw, the organization’s director. The raffle and prize package is being done in partnership with Shamrock Sports and Entertainment and Carnaval ME.
Raffle tickets can be bought at all Bull Moose stores in Maine and at MAMM events. To enter, people must be Maine residents over the age of 18 and must purchase tickets in person with valid identification. Tickets are $50 each or three for $100, and sales are limited to 1,000 tickets. Winners will be announced on Dec. 23. For more information, go to mamm.rocks/raffle.
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