Emerson Mancini Is Having A Masterful Life

metroweekly.com:

Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers and Lizzo’s Special. It’s uncommon to see one person rack up all of those nods at once, but as an in-demand mastering engineer, Mancini has an edge over many others.In a surprise win, Mancini took home Record of the Year alongside Lizzo, as “About Damn Time” beat out popular singles from the likes of Harry Styles, Adele, and Beyoncé.

It was the second year in a row that Mancini ended up as something of an unexpected champion — in 2022, he earned Album of the Year for his work on Jon Batiste’s We Are, which few predicted would come out on top.What people aren’t discussing is the fact that Mancini is a transgender man, one who only came out to the world about a year ago.While Petras is the first trans artist to win her category, Mancini is likely the first openly trans person to snag either of the two most prestigious trophies at the Grammys — let alone both of them.He has been a sought-after mastering engineer for years.

It’s a lesser-understood but incredibly important job in the music industry that involves taking what artists create in the studio and making sure it sounds as perfect as possible before it reaches the consumer.Mancini has worked on albums and singles from stars like Charlie Puth, Halsey, Camila Cabello, The Chainsmokers, Machine Gun Kelly, and countless others.

But only recently has Mancini become a chart-topping, award-winning professional, and that’s not the only major change that’s happened in his life.Following his slew of nominations, the Recording Academy actually had to change the name on the nods, as the organization had not learned of his transition.