'Persona 5' Soundtrack Earns Historic Grammy Nod

The 8-Bit Big Band's jazz rendition of Persona 5's iconic "Last Surprise" has received a Grammy nomination! This exciting news highlights the growing recognition of video game music within the mainstream music industry.

Persona 5's "Last Surprise" Earns Grammy Nod for 8-Bit Big Band's Jazz Arrangement

8-Bit Big Band's Second Grammy Nomination for a Video Game Cover

The 8-Bit Big Band's masterful jazz arrangement of "Last Surprise" is nominated for "Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals" at the 2025 Grammy Awards. The performance features Grammy winner Jake Silverman (Button Masher) on synth and Jonah Nilsson (Dirty Loops) on vocals. This marks the band's second Grammy nomination, following their 2022 win for their "Meta Knight's Revenge" cover.

"Another Grammy nomination! This is my fourth in a row!," exclaimed Charlie Rosen, leader of The 8-Bit Big Band, on X (formerly Twitter). "Video game music is alive and well!" While Rosen also celebrated his theatrical achievements, this nomination underscores the band's continued success in the music world.

The 8-Bit Big Band's "Last Surprise" cover will compete against notable artists like Willow Smith and John Legend for the prestigious award, presented at the 2025 Grammy Awards ceremony on February 2nd.

The 8-Bit Big Band's arrangement honors the original while adding its own unique flair. The jazz fusion style, a hallmark of Dirty Loops, elevates the song's energy. As noted in the music video description, the collaboration with Button Masher further enhanced the harmonic complexity, drawing on Dirty Loops' signature sound.

2025 Grammy Nominations for Best Video Game Score Unveiled

The Grammy Awards also announced nominees for "Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media." This year's contenders include:

⚫︎ Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Pinar Toprak)
⚫︎ God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla (Bear McCreary)
⚫︎ Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (John Paesano)
⚫︎ Star Wars Outlaws (Wilbert Roget, II)
⚫︎ Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord (Winifred Phillips)

Bear McCreary continues to make Grammy history with his nomination, marking his presence in this category every year since its inception.

The "Best Video Game Score" award, first presented to Stephanie Economou for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök, saw Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab win last year for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

The enduring popularity of video game music is undeniable. Covers like The 8-Bit Big Band's "Last Surprise" demonstrate the lasting impact of these compositions and their potential to inspire fresh interpretations for new generations of listeners.