The Grammy Nominations Are Out
All the sweeps and snubs.
Every year, the entire music industry collectively holds its breath as Grammy nominations are released. Today, the nominees for the 63rd annual show were announced on a livestream featuring guest appearances from stars like Megan Thee Stallion and Dua Lipa. The actual award show isn’t until Jan. 31, when it will be broadcast on CBS at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT.
But on to the nominees! BeyoncĂ© led the pack, of course, with nine nominations. Two of those nine were in the same category: Record of The Year for “Black Parade” and her feature on Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage.” Trailing behind Mrs. Carter were Taylor Swift, Roddy Ricch, and Dua Lipa, who all walked away with a total of six nominations. Billie Eilish, the big winner at last year’s ceremony, showed up again with four noms, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year, both for her track “Everything I Wanted.”
The Best New Artist category features a number of high profile singers, including Megan Thee Stallion, Doja Cat, and Phoebe Bridgers. Immediately following the release of the noms, a few fan favorites, Harry Styles and BTS, began trending on Twitter as their fans celebrated the artists’ various noms in the Pop category.
One noticeable artist left off the list was The Weeknd, who had a big year with the release of his album “After Hours.” Despite its widespread success, he didn’t receive a single nomination. Another upset, Justin Bieber’s “Yummy” was nominated for Best Pop Solo Performace, despite being widely panned upon its release.
It’s worth noting that as much cultural significance as the Grammy’s may hold, they are nowhere near a subjective measure of quality. The actual process for selecting nominees and handing out awards is quite muddled. On top of that, it’s clearly more of an industry event than a public service.
Just this year, the Recording Academy decided to make a big change in response to public criticism of their “urban” categories. Many felt that the “urban” label was more of a measure of race and politics than actual musical prowess. “Best Urban Contemporary Album” has been renamed “Best Progressive R&B Album,” while “Best Latin Rock, Urban or Alternative Album,” nominations will be split between a few different categories.
Check out the full list of nominees here, and decide for yourself whether you think the best artists got their fair share.