KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian singer Lyia Meta has made history by singing on a studio album that has earned a nomination for the 2025 Grammy Awards.
A collaboration with Latin-American musician Antonio Vergara, she sings on Delta Shine, a track on The Fury which is in the running for Best Contemporary Blues Album.
For Meta, the nomination represents more than personal success as it signifies the potential of Malaysian artistes to shine on the global stage.
"For an independent artiste, being part of a Grammy-nominated album carries a significance beyond the honour itself.
"Without the backing of a major label, it's a validation of one's dedication to creating something meaningful, like spinning gold from hay amidst the noise," she told FMT.
Vergara's 14-track album faces competition from Joe Bonamassa, Shemekia Copeland, Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour and Ruthie Foster.
The 2025 Grammy nominations were announced last Friday and the results will be revealed during the 67th edition of the popular music awards ceremony on Feb 2 in Los Angeles, USA.
Though Meta is the first Malaysian singer to be part of a Grammy nomination, Malaysia-born composer Zuraini Khalid Zonneveld earned a Grammy for a blues album.
US-based Zonneveld co-wrote the song, One Friend, in American blues musician Keb' Mo's effort, Keep It Simple, which won the Grammy for Best Contemporary Blues Album in 2005.
Another Malaysian-American to have made a mark is Phil Tan, a three-time Grammy-winning and 14-time Grammy-nominated audio engineer and mixer.