Steve Lacy Receives “Best Urban Contemporary” Grammy Nomination For Debut Album ‘Apollo XXI’

STEVE LACY
RECEIVES “BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY” GRAMMY NOMINATION FOR DEBUT ALBUM
APOLLO XXI

“On his debut solo album, Apollo XXI, Lacy wrestles with questions about sexuality and selfhood in thoroughly modern, Tumblr-candid fashion over thumping, mutable space-soul jams that sound like 2075’s idea of deep-shag ’74.” – GQ Style, Fall 2019
Steve Lacy has capped off an incredible 2019 by receiving a Grammy nomination in the category of Best Urban Contemporary for his debut album Apollo XXI, out now on 3qtr via AWAL.
One of the most eagerly awaited debuts of the last couple years, Apollo XXI, written and produced by Lacy, has been streamed over 45 million times since its release less than six months ago, and won acclaim from critics with The Fader calling it “one of the most anticipated releases of this year” and The Guardian describing it as “a casually confident kaleidoscope”.  Since then, Steve Lacy — best known as the guitarist of space-soul band THE INTERNET — become one of the year’s most talked-about artists; even Rihanna posted an Instagram story last month doing her makeup to Lacy’s “N Side.”
At the ripe age of 21, the Compton native — nominated once before in the same category with THE INTERNET for the album Ego Death in 2016 — already has a veteran’s resume: he was Wired Magazine’s Tech Visionary, Time Magazine’s Most Influential Teen, has produced-written-featured with Solange, J Cole, Vampire Weekend, Blood Orange, and produced some of Kendrick Lamar’s DAMN on his iPhone. He’s also toured the world 3x with his bandmates THE INTERNET, given a TED Talk, worked extensively with Gucci and Louis Vuitton on behalf of Virgil Abloh (including walking at the LV Paris Fashion Week show) and has now eschewed all major label offers to release his first album on his terms.
Praise for Steve Lacy and Apollo XXI:
“One of the most anticipated debut albums of the year is also one of the best. ” – Los Angeles Times
“With his unique brand of sun-drenched funk and lively love songs, which move from joyous to melancholic at a blistering pace, 21-year-old Steve Lacy has appeared destined for big things…His debut album Apollo XXI solidifies this potential, suggesting an artist that…has a glowing career in front of him.” – High Snobiety
“The 21-year-old polymath’s debut is as much a chance for him to make a statement as demonstrate his most compelling strengths: a commanding falsetto and sublime musicianship” – The Ringer
“The young genius of fractured funk and reverberant R&B emerges boldly his debut full-length.” – Vice
“This hard-to-resist jam is built around the Paisley Park hero’s guitar-funk style and features Lacy in high-strung falsetto mode — a bold move, and one he shows no signs of struggling to pull off.
It’s brutally hot.” – Vulture on the song “Playground”
Click HERE to watch the “Playground” video
Click HERE to watch the “Outro Freestyle” video
Click HERE to listen to Apollo XXI