'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 broader music industry.

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

A Second Grammy Nomination for The 8-Bit Big Band

The 8-Bit Big Band's masterful jazz arrangement of Persona 5's "Last Surprise" is nominated for "Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals" at the 2025 Grammy Awards. This impressive achievement features Grammy-winner Jake Silverman (Button Masher) on synth and the powerful vocals of Jonah Nilsson (Dirty Loops).

"Another Grammy nomination! Four in a row!!!" exclaimed Charlie Rosen, leader of The 8-Bit Big Band, on Twitter (X). "Game music is alive and thriving!" This isn't their first Grammy; they previously won in 2022 for their cover of "Meta Knight's Revenge."

The 8-Bit Big Band's "Last Surprise" will compete against notable artists like Willow Smith and John Legend in the same category at the February 2nd, 2025 ceremony.

The 8-Bit Big Band's cover honors the original while adding a unique jazz fusion twist, a hallmark of Jonah Nilsson's band, Dirty Loops. As the music video description notes, they collaborated with Button Masher to enhance the harmonic complexity.

2025 Grammy Nominations for Best Video Game Score Revealed

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

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

Bear McCreary continues to make Grammy history, achieving a nomination every year since the category's inception.

The award, first won by Stephanie Economou for Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Dawn of Ragnarök, was most recently claimed by Stephen Barton and Gordy Haab for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

Video game music holds a special place in the hearts of many gamers. The 8-Bit Big Band's cover demonstrates the enduring power of classic game soundtracks, inspiring new interpretations that reach wider audiences.