Grammy Nomination Snubs, Surprises and New Categories
This year’s list of potential winners omits some big current stars while tapping a few who have been around for decades
The Recording Academy announced on November 15 the nominees for the 65th Grammy Awards, to be held on February 5, 2023, with stars like Beyoncé (leading the field with a total of nine nominations), Taylor Swift, Adele and Kendrick Lamar all netting nods in top categories.
The list also contained some surprises, particularly when it came to throwback icons. ABBA received multiple nominations, including record of the year for “Don’t Shut Me Down.” Mary J. Blige was also included in that category, with “Good Morning Gorgeous.” But other examples stand out in this year’s Grammy nods.
Biggest Surprises 1 _ Beyoncé and Bad Bunny Make History
While it’s not really a surprise that the singer and her new Renaissance album turned up in several categories, it’s still noteworthy that she made history. Beyoncé is not only the top nominee, she also increased her career nomination total to 88. That ties her with her husband, Jay-z, for the most Grammy nominations received by any artist.
Meanwhile, Bad Bunny earned the distinction of having the first Spanish-language release named in the Album of the Year category. The nomination goes to his record-breaking 2022 album, Un Verano Sin Ti.
BTS also made history with three nominations making them the most nominated K-pop act in Grammy history. This is the third consecutive year BTS has been nominated. They also garnered their first Album of the Year nomination due to their appearance as a featured artist on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres.
2 _ ABBA on a Comeback
Nearly 40 years after their last studio album, ABBA released Voyage in late 2021 to critical acclaim. Now the Swedish supergroup has nominations including Album of the Year and Record of the Year. ABBA has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but so far no Grammys.
3 _ Bonnie Raitt Named for Song of the Year
Few oddsmakers likely had Raitt picked for a Song of the Year nomination, but the singer/guitarist’s track “Just Like That” made the cut. Now 73, she’s had a total of 28 nominations, with 10 wins, including Album of the Year in 1990. Her last competitive-category win was in 2013. Last year she received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Biggest Snubs 1 _ Megan Thee Stallion
Though she won Best New Artist in 2021, Megan Thee Stallion was overlooked last year for her fulllength debut, Good News. The Houston rapper was again left out in the cold this year, as her sophomore release, Traumazine, was absent from the list of nominees. Besides being beloved by critics, the album featured popular singles like “Plan B” and “Sweetest Pie.”
2 _ Ye
Ye, who changed his name from Kanye West in 2021, got zero nominations for Donda 2, his 2022 album. The news is not a total shocker given his controversial year, which has been marked by antisemitic rants. He had been a Grammy darling for years. Even his Jesus Is King, which was maligned by many critics, won for Best Contemporary Christian Music Album at the 2021 Grammys. 3 _ Nicki Minaj
The rapper recently voiced her displeasure about the Recording Academy’s decision to list her hit “Super Freaky Girl” as pop rather than rap. However, it appears the argument was much ado about nothing, as Minaj wasn’t nominated for anything this year.
Hip-hop was not the only genre snubbed this year. Elton John’s duet with Britney Spears, “Hold Me Closer,” one of the year’s favorite comeback stories, it didn’t make the cut in any song categories. Carrie Underwood, Zach Bryan, Blackpink and Demi Lovato were other artists who enjoyed acclaim and commercial success with new releases but no nominations.
Even Taylor Swift fans may be upset. The singer’s Red (Taylor’s Version) wasn’t named in the Record of the Year category, even though she was nominated for Song of the Year and Best Music Video.
Swift celebrated the nominations she did receive. On Instagram, she called the Song of the Year nod “momentous and surreal” and said she would “go scream for ten minutes straight” in reference to the extended length of the honored song “All Too Well.”
The Song of the Year nomination is the sixth for Swift, which gives her the distinction of being tied with Paul Mccartney and Lionel Richie for most times being selected in the category.
New Categories
The Grammys also added five new categories this year. One of the awards will be a Songwriter of the Year honor to be given to a nonperforming composer. Another is Best Spoken Word Poetry album; the nominees include Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet to read at a U.S. presidential inauguration and the first National Youth Poet Laureate.
The other new categories are Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Americana Performance and Best Score Soundtrack for Video Games and Other Interactive Media. There is also a new “special merit award” for Best Song for Social Change. Also noteworthy, according to the Academy: Nearly half of this year’s nominees are women and more than half are people of color.
The Grammys website has the full list of the nominations. Final voting takes place from December 14 to January 5. The February 5 ceremony will air live on CBS and stream live on demand on Paramount+.
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Jon Jackson is a newsweek deputy culture editor. Twitter @Jvjackson5
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