Kirby the First Video Game Character to Get a Grammy (Sorta)
Kirby and the Forgotten Land has been out only for a little while. But surprisingly, Kirby is already getting attention for something else.
In a positive way!
At the 64th Annual Grammy Awards, which took place in Las Vegas, Kirby, and video games, in general, got a win. The 8-Bit Big Band, a YouTube channel known for playing Arrangements for various video games, won the Best Arrangement, Instrumental, Or A Capella category. Specifically, the 8-Bit Big Band won the Grammy for their take on Meta Knight’s Revenge from Kirby Super Star.
The piece was arranged by Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman and was played as part of a 30-to 65-member orchestra. The Big Band is known for recreating video game tracks into jazzed-up versions of themselves. They’ve done arrangements from games such as Metal Gear Solid 3, Super Mario Land, and even a Frank Sinatra type version of Portal 2’s ‘Want You Gone’.
Still, this is a historical win for video game soundtracks. This is only the second time a video game song has won at the Grammies, with Civilization IV’s Baba Yetu. That song won back in 2011, in a different category. And that category was the best instrumental arrangement accompanying vocalist.
This Kirby win might have been different, had Journey won its nomination for best score soundtrack for visual media. But sadly, Journey lost to Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
For those that want to listen to this now Grammy-winning arrangement of the Meta Knight’s Revenge, check out the video clip below. Or if you want something a little more recent when it comes to the Kirby franchise, maybe check out the Kirby and the Forgotten Land review– we were very excited to get a chance to play!