Whereas the Grammys are well-known for out-of-nowhere selections for high prizes, this yr’s nominations are largely down-the-middle consensus picks. Aside from one former talk-show bandleader, all of the contenders for the highest three Grammy Awards — album, tune and file of the yr — come bearing Billboard Sizzling 100 mega-hits and/or critically acclaimed LPs that had a broad affect.
There’s little or no to argue with within the precise nominations for the 66th Grammy Awards, scheduled for Feb. 4 at Crypto.com Area; you assume Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo and SZA weren’t going to be locks? However a number of evident absences counsel some blind spots, or at the least a scarcity of enthusiasm for sure taste-making sounds this yr.
Listed here are the notable snubs and surprises.
SURPRISE: All these Jon Batiste nominations
Two years in the past, Batiste left his gig on “The Late Present With Stephen Colbert” and dove head-first into the Grammy highlight, main the sector in nominations (11) and wins (5), together with a head-turning victory for album of the yr. This yr, he’s again with a vengeance, amassing an album of the yr nomination for the expansive “World Music Radio” and nods for each file of the yr (“Worship”) and tune of the yr (“Butterfly”), neither of which had any business affect. In whole, Batiste sits close to the highest of the leaderboard with six nominations, lifeless even with the likes of Swift, Rodrigo and Billie Eilish.
SNUB: Nation music
The Grammys had many paths to acknowledge nation music’s excellent yr. Luke Combs had a large crossover hit with a canopy of Tracy Chapman’s beloved “Quick Automotive.” Zach Bryan topped the streaming and Billboard charts with a considerate, ferocious album that featured successful duet with Grammy fave Kacey Musgraves. Lainey Wilson simply cleaned up on the CMA Awards, a victory lap after a decade within the Nashville trenches. And Morgan Wallen bought out stadiums and simply outstreamed Swift and SZA, to call two powerhouses.
And but nation got here up virtually completely empty. Jelly Roll and the Battle and Treaty obtained nods for finest new artist, however in any other case, the style was shut out within the 4 basic subject classes. General, Combs has one nomination, Wilson has two, Bryan has three and Brandy Clark has six — virtually all in nation and adjoining style classes. Voters may nonetheless be ignoring Wallen for his N-word indiscretion, nevertheless it’s now clear they don’t appear to care a lot for nation as a complete, even in a banner yr.
Jelly Roll is nominated for finest new artist.
(David Brendan Corridor / For The Instances)
SURPRISE: Victoria Monét and Janelle Monáe
Monét not too long ago instructed The Instances she desires to win 16 Grammys in her profession; with seven nominations this yr, together with for finest new artist, she’s on her approach to that lofty aim. It’s a welcome shock to see her tune of the yr nomination for “On My Mama,” a slick ode to stepping out and looking out proper that peaked at No. 58 on the Sizzling 100. Previously a songwriter for Ariana Grande, Fifth Concord, et al., Monét has seized the highlight together with her solo debut, aided by her achieved producer D’Mile, who helped energy Silk Sonic’s “Go away the Door Open” to wins in 2022. And, kudos to the equally surnamed Janelle Monáe, who earned her second straight album of the yr nomination for “The Age of Pleasure.”
SNUB: Regional Mexican
One heartening pattern this yr was the rise of regional Mexican music as a TikTok and streaming sensation. Acts like Peso Pluma, Natanael Cano, Eslabon Armado and Fuerza Regida rocketed to area stardom with a tradition-steeped but insouciantly trendy sound that resonates with the success of Anglo county music this yr. Voters not immersed in modern Mexican music would have at the least heard Pluma and Eslabon Armado on the No. 4 Sizzling 100 hit “Ella Baila Sola,” or seen Dangerous Bunny and Kendall Jenner singing Cano, Pluma and Gabito Ballesteros‘ “AMG” on Instagram.
But the 24-year-old Pluma obtained only one nod, for Música Mexicana album. Like the topic of his massive hit, Pluma will likely be dancing kind of alone on Grammy evening.
Boygenius are nominated for six Grammys, together with file and album of the yr.
(Emily Monforte / For The Instances)
SURPRISE: Phoebe Bridgers
Phoebe Bridgers is the brand new Dave Grohl: that’s, the one rocker everybody can agree on. With seven nominations this yr, largely together with her supergroup Boygenius, she provides to her lifetime whole of 11. Nods within the file and album classes affirm what the cool youngsters already knew: She and her bandmates Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus made an era-defining guitar LP. Bridgers additionally was acknowledged in pop duo/group efficiency, for a characteristic on SZA’s “Ghost within the Machine.”
SNUB: Rap
It’s an annual custom to level fingers on the Grammys for dropping the ball in terms of hip-hop. Ice Spice is a deserved finest new artist nominee after a breakthrough yr that included three Prime 10 hits and a Taylor Swift collaboration, however the Brooklyn rapper is the style’s solely illustration within the massive 4 classes. In the meantime, would-be contenders similar to Lil Durk’s “All My Life,” Lil Uzi Vert’s “Simply Wanna Rock” and Killer Mike’s “Scientists & Engineers” (which options André 3000, Future and Eryn Allen Kane) had been relegated to the rap-specific classes.
SURPRISE/SNUB: Males
Enjoyable reality: There are extra members of Boygenius than there are dudes nominated for album and file of the yr (only one, Batiste). This yr, ladies artists or teams make up an awesome majority of the highest nominees, together with SZA, who leads all artists with 9 nods.
Talking of ladies surpassing males: Ought to Taylor Swift take dwelling album of the yr on Feb. 4 for “Midnights,” she’d surpass Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Marvel and grow to be the primary four-time winner of the Grammys’ most prestigious award.
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