The song's cover by The 8-bit Big Band has been nominated for Best Arrangement.
The Persona 5 battle theme, Last Surprise, has been nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Arrangement, Instruments, and Vocals, thanks to a cover by jazz orchestra The 8-Bit Big Band. This nomination marks the band’s second Grammy nod, following their previous win for Meta Knight’s Revenge from Kirby Super Star.
Arranged by Charlie Rosen and Jake Silverman, Last Surprise will compete against other high-profile nominees, including John Legend's Always Come Back, Willow Smith’s Big Feelings, Cody Fry Featuring Sleeping at Last for The Sound of Silence, and Säje Featuring Regina Carter with Alma. The Grammy winners will be announced on 2 February.
On social media, Rosen celebrated the achievement, tweeting, “Just nominated for my fourth Grammy in a row. So thrilled to be nominated alongside Jake Silverman for our co-arrangement of Last Surprise from Persona 5 for The 8-Bit Big Band. Long live video game music.”
The 8-Bit Big Band also expressed their excitement in a tweet writing, “So thrilled to be nominated alongside my harmonic bro in crime @Button__Masher for our co-arrangement of Last Surprise from Persona 5, composed by the incredible Shoji Meguro!” Persona 5, released in 2016, is well-known for its stylish jazz-inspired soundtrack, with Last Surprise as its main battle theme—a tune players encounter often during the game’s lengthy playthrough.
The song’s popularity extends to other titles in the series, including Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight and Persona 5 Strikers. This cover by The 8-Bit Big Band amplifies the original’s jazzy vibe, adding 8-bit sound effects and game-inspired visuals, further highlighting its unique appeal.
The Persona series has been celebrated for its innovative music before, but this Grammy nomination underscores the growing recognition of video game soundtracks in the music industry. As Rosen noted, “Long live video game music,” reflecting an emerging trend where game music is increasingly celebrated on a global stage.
This year’s Grammys will also spotlight original game soundtracks in the category of best video game music. Nominees include Bear McCreary for God of War Ragnarök: Valhalla, John Paesano for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, Pinar Toprak for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, Wilbert Roget II with Star Wars Outlaws, and Winifred Phillips for Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord.
For Persona fans interested in exploring more of the series’ music, the Persona 5 Royal and Persona 5 Strikers soundtracks are available on Spotify. To see the full list of Grammy nominations, check out the Grammy website.