Jersey Grammys: Linda Chorney's strange trip to her 2nd nomination

Linda Chorney said she was robbed — and she proved it.

The musician, formerly of Sea Bright, is now a two-time Grammy nominee, even though her song “Bored” was mysteriously removed from this year's Best American Roots song category before being reinstated.

The 2022 Grammy Awards will be broadcast at 8 p.m. Sunday, April 3, from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on CBS and Paramount Plus. Alas, Jon Batiste's "Cry" won the Best American Roots song category, awarded before the broadcast on Sunday.

That doesn't take away Chorney's nomination.

“People say they were robbed but they don’t have the proof in all the history of all those award shows,” Chorney said. “I had the black and white proof.”

A member of the Recording Academy apparently flagged her name for an audit due to Chorney's past history with the Grammys. Chorney was accused with gaming the Grammy voting system for her 2011 nom “Emotional Jukebox.” At the time, she hit the Recording Academy's former Grammy365.com site, lobbied voters, and was criticized for it.

Chorney wrote a book and made an award-winning movie, “When I Sing,” about the experience. Ten years later, Chorney entered her song “Bored” into the competition. The nominees were announced and she thought that was that: no nomination. But then she started getting Google alerts from European news outlets that her song was included.

A direct message on Twitter to Ben Sisario of The New York Times confirmed to Chorney that indeed she was on an earlier list of nominees, but her name had been deleted. She then emailed Harvey Mason Jr., the CEO of the Recording Academy.

“He did do the right thing,” said Chorney, a Tucson resident, of Mason's actions restoring her nomination. “They said I was flagged for writing a book and making a movie and telling the truth about my (2011) nomination.

“In the book and movie (the Grammys are) are not the bad guys – the only thing I say about the Grammys ... that could be negative is that I revealed that they changed the rules without telling anybody when they put the committees in.”

Mason, an Arizona native, confirmed to the Arizona Daily Star that “before the nominations list was certified, the song was removed while” the academy’s accounting firm conducted an audit.

As for the Grammy selection committees, they were eliminated last year.

“With this change, the results of Grammy nominations and winners are placed back in the hands of the entire voting membership body, giving further validation to the to the peer-recognized process,” said the Recording Academy in a statement.

Chorney's stance was that the “secret” Grammy committees hindered the chances of independent artists getting Grammy nominations.

“This is dedicated to the real indies,” Chorney said. “When I say indies, I don't mean somebody who’s a subsidiary of Sony or some other label. I mean the people who lug their own (blank), book their own gigs, sell their own merch, record their own songs and then eat with the profits.”

“Bored,” a COVID lockdown serenade, was debuted at the 2021 virtual Light of Day Winterfest.

“It’s the guilt of ‘Oh my God, I feel so bad for myself — I’m bored,’ " Chorney said. “But then I snap out of it and (feel) guilty about that because people are dying. In the chorus I just send out feeling vibes to people. I believe the message resonated with the Recording Academy members who chose the song.”

Dave Mattacks, Ej Ouellette, Trevor Sewell, Becca Byram, Jeff Oster and Shinya Hasegawa played on the track.

“Avalon” by Rhiannon Giddens; “Call Me A Fool” by Valerie June; “Cry” by Jon Batiste; “Diamond Studded Shoes” by Yola; “Nightflyer” by Allison Russell; and winner "Cry" by Batiste were the other songs in the category, which recognizes songwriting.

The Grammys were postponed from January due to the COVID surge. Other Jersey talent up for awards this year include Jack Antonoff, the New Milford and Hillsdale native who fronts Bleachers, who was nominated for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical. His producer nomination cited albums for Lana Del Rey, St. Vincent, Taylor Swift, Clairo, and Bleachers' “Sadness.”

Halsey, born in Edison, scored a nom for her fourth album, “If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power” in the Best Alternative Music Album category.

SZA, aka Solana Rowe of Maplewood, had her “Good Days” nominated for Best R&B Song, and her collab with Doja Cat’s on “Kiss Me More” is up for Record of the Year, Song of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance.

Tony Bennett, a long-time Englewood resident, scored five nominations thanks to his collaboration with Lady Gaga on “Love for Sale,” an album of Cole Porter standards. It's nominated for Album of the Year; the single “I Get A Kick Out Of You” is up for Record of the Year.

More: Light of Day: Rock 'n' roll is loud without a Springsteen surprise at Bob's Birthday Bash

More: Bon Jovi song inspires Ukrainians defending Odessa: 'For the ones who stood their ground'

Dae Bennett, Tony's son, is the producer of the album. Tony Bennett won his first Grammy in 1963 for “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Overall, Jon Batiste, the band leader for "The Late Show with Stephen Colbert," leads the pack with 11 nominations. Doja Cat and H.E.R. have eight noms each, and Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo have seven.

Trevor Noah is the host. BTS, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X with Jack Harlow, Brandi Carlile and Brothers Osborne are the scheduled performers. Chorney and husband Scott Fadynich will be there.

“Even if it jeopardizes my future with the Recording Academy, I will continue to tell the truth — I hope they will respect the truth,” Chorney said. “That being said, I wrote another book. It’s done, I’m just waiting for the ending. I’m waiting for the happy ending on April 3 when they say the winner is hopefully me. That’s the last page of the book — spoiler alert!”

For more information on Chorney, visit lindachorney.com.

The pre-awards Premiere Ceremony will stream live on grammy.com and the Recording Academy's YouTube channel.

Subscribe to app.com for the latest on the New Jersey music scene.

Chris Jordan, a Jersey Shore native, covers entertainment and features for the USA Today Network New Jersey. Contact him at @chrisfhjordan; cjordan@app.com

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Linda Chorney of NJ nominated for Grammy for second time