Grammy nominations: Snubs, surprises and twists
NEW YORK: It wouldn’t be the Grammys without a healthy dose of surprises, snubs and head-scratchers, and the slate of nominees for the February 2023 gala did not disappoint.
Will Beyonce finally triumph?
Beyonce is no stranger to the Grammys: the 41-year-old is the Recording Academy’s winningest woman with 88 nominations.
But even as she rules over the Grammy record books, Queen Bey is also among the show’s most snubbed artists.
Over her storied career, she’s only triumphed in the top categories once: in 2010, she won Song of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)”.
The pop deity had not one but two chances in 2021 to capture Record of the Year but it instead went to Billie Eilish.
It was hard not to see a parallel with 2017’s slights against Bey, who notoriously lost Album of the Year to Adele. In both cases, Adele and Eilish said their awards should’ve gone to Beyonce.
The 2023 gala will see Adele and Beyonce square off once more – and the Beyhive is waiting with bated breath to see if it’s finally their Queen’s year.
‘Cancelled’?
The last few years have seen swirling debate over how to separate art from the artist -- or whether to do so – and concerns over “cancelling” entertainers accused of harmful behavior offstage.
But one year after comedian Louis C.K. – who admitted to sexual misconduct – took home a Grammy, he’s nominated in the Best Comedy Album category once again.
And his competition includes Dave Chappelle, who has come under fire for doubling down on his sets deemed by some to be transphobic.
Chris Brown – who pleaded guilty to felony assault of his former girlfriend, the megastar Rihanna,received a nod for Best R&B Album for the deluxe version of his work “Breezy.”
And Canadian band Arcade Fire won a nomination for “WE” in the Best Alternative Music Album category, as lead singer Win Butler faces multiple accusations of sexual misconduct.
Polarizing country singer Morgan Wallen – who came under fire after a video surfaced that captured him using a racial slur – was however shut out of the Grammy nominations.