Who the Hell Is Al Walser and How Did He Get an EDM Grammy Nomination?
After the 2013 Grammy nominations were announced last night, one question began echoing through dance-music circles: "Who the hell is Al Walser?"
Left-field picks don't get much further out than Walser, a Liechtensteinian producer and self-described "entertainment mogul" who received a Best Dance Recording nomination for his song "I Can't Live Without You," landing himself in the elite company of Avicii ("Levels"), Calvin Harris ("Let's Go," featuring Ne-Yo), Skrillex ("Bangarang"), and the Swedish House Mafia ("Don't You Worry Child," featuring John Martin). But where those artists' songs represent some of the year's biggest electronic dance music hits, Walser and his single both appear to be virtual unknowns.
Walser's Facebook page currently boasts only 1,437 "likes," compared to millions apiece for his competitors. As of 6 a.m. this morning, the two official versions of his video on YouTube (uploaded two and four weeks ago, respectively) had fewer than 7,000 views combined. The top comment on the more recent video: "GRAMMY NOMINATED ?! WTF ?!"
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