Ah, Grammys nomination season. The time of the year where fandoms join together to see whether or not their favorite artists will be awarded nominations for their contributions to the world of music. Throughout the years, the Grammys have had countless scandals, and each year it somehow gets worse. In 2019, Ariana Grande spoke up about producers not giving her creative control and treating her unfairly, which seems to be a pattern for women working with the Recording Academy. Last year, the Recording Academy’s first female president and CEO, Deborah Dugan, was hired after the former president and CEO was fired for sexist comments. 10 days before the Grammys, she was placed on administrative leave. Dugan spoke up afterward about corruption within the Grammys voting process, heavy discrimination, sexual harassment and sexual assault.
So, it’s clear that the Grammys have a reputation for being a hot mess. This year, the Grammys had people talking again, but this time, it was about the snubs. Music fans and critics alike agreed that there were more snubs this year than ever before. One artist who has since spoken up and demanded transparency from the Recording Academy was The Weeknd. He’s had an incredible year as an artist, and the influence and impact his music has had is clear. Numbers show that he should’ve led nominations in a variety of genres, from rap to pop to R&B, but he was left with zero nominations.
Another group that fans were disappointed about was the K-pop group BTS. The group produced four number one albums consecutively and has just received their first Grammy nomination this year for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for their chart-topping hit, “Dynamite.” It was incredible to see them receive their first Grammy nomination, but with the impact they’ve had on music this year, it would’ve made sense for them to have more nominations. There is no group bigger than BTS in modern-day music. They’ve been breaking records left and right and taking over the world with their music. This year’s eligible album, Map of The Soul: 7, was the best-selling album of the year, selling more copies than all of the albums nominated for Album of the Year. Not to mention, BTS topped the Billboard Hot 100 for weeks with “Dynamite,” and it wasn’t nominated for Song of the Year. (By the way, “Dynamite” also holds the record for being the most-watched music video in 24 hours, with 101.1 million views. Best Music Video?) Although it’s a major accomplishment that the Grammys is finally recognizing K-pop’s massive presence in mainstream music, it was expected that BTS would receive more nominations, considering the magnitude of their impact on music this year.
Other snubs included the Jonas Brothers, who didn’t receive any nominations for their comeback album, Happiness Begins, Rina Sawayama, a rising artist who received universal praise on her debut album SAWAYAMA but did not receive any nominations, and Taylor Swift, who made a huge impact with her video projects for her album folklore but failed to receive the nomination for Best Music Video.
Since the nominations were released, many fans and artists alike voiced their opinions on social media, including Halsey, who revealed what she knows about the Grammys nomination processes. In her statement, she basically said that nominees are selected based on private performances, knowing the right people, bribes and committing to advertising. Basically, just doing anything to make the Grammys as much money as possible. This isn’t surprising at all, given that money is the root behind most problems (especially in the music industry), but it’s disappointing, since winning a Grammy is a dream that many artists spend their entire lives striving towards. The Grammys should be about bringing people together, celebrating the art of music, and acknowledging artists who’ve had huge impacts on the lives of their fans, not on the wallets of huge corporations.
Overall, I felt very disappointed in the Grammy nominations this year, and I know many other music lovers did as well. Even though it’s no secret that the Grammys are rigged, the nominations and awards from The Recording Academy are titles that artists hold with them, and they’re considered such an important signifier of impact on the world of music. With that being said, I hope the Grammys are able to change for the better and make “Music’s Biggest Night” actually about the music again.