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Beyonce at the 2021 Grammy Awards
Beyonce at the 2021 Grammy Awards
Photo by Cliff Lipson / CBS
Culture

Surprise Snubs And Notable Nominees: A Reaction To This Year’s Grammy Nominations

Lara Martin
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at UVA chapter.

Recently, the Grammy nominations for 2025 were released, and as a music lover I have a lot to say about them. Just to preface, I think that music is so subjective, but I am discussing what an organization like the Grammys has nominated to be the runners up for these amazing categories. 

First, The Grammy Awards, or Grammys, are an annual celebration that recognizes the achievements in the music industry. The Grammys are organized by the Recording Academy and celebrate all aspects of music from singers, producers, engineers, and a multitude of genres. Some of the biggest, and most talked about, awards given by the Grammys are Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. These are not the only awards given out, but they are definitely some of my favorites every single year. The Grammys gave an iconic golden gramophone trophy to each winner and they also invited music icons to perform to make for a great live show. Okay, now we are going to get into all of my opinions surrounding my favorite categories.

Album of the Year 

For this category, the Grammys look at the entire body of work on an album, meaning the artists, producers, engineers, and basically everyone involved in the production of the album. This year’s nominees are: 

  1. “New Blue Sun”
    André 3000
  2. “Hit Me Hard and Soft”
    Billie Eilish
  3. “Short n’ Sweet”
    Sabrina Carpenter
  4. “Brat”
    Charli XCX
  5. “Djesse Vol. 4”
    Jacob Collier
  6. “Cowboy Carter”
    Beyoncé
  7. “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”
    Chappell Roan
  8. “The Tortured Poets Department”
    Taylor Swift

Okay, I am going to start by talking about how with the 2025 Grammys BeyoncĂ© has reached 99 nominations making her the most nominated artist in Grammys history. Her Album “Cowboy Carter” has been a fan favorite as she experimented with a fun country album. I think it would be really interesting to see in which categories her work on this album receives an award. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of her country music, but I can applaud the fun and artistic release of the album. 

Some albums that stick out for Album of the year are “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter and “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan. Both of these awesome artists are nominated in the Best New Artist category making it especially impressive to also have a nomination in this category. Of course, if I had to choose my favorite I would say Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department because that album was the only thing I would listen to for months. This is not to discount how powerful Billie Eilish, Jacob Collier, Charli XCX, and AndrĂ© 3000’s albums were. This category definitely has some really harsh and challenging competition. 

In terms of who was snubbed I think a general consensus online has been that Gracie Abrams new album “The Secret of Us” was a notable mention as the album has blown up and has resonated with a lot of listeners. Her narrative style and accessible lyrics made it a fan favorite. I think people also were thinking that the Grammys has not acknowledged rock in an appropriate manner so maybe Green Day’s album “Saviors” would have been a good pick for those fans. Despite all of these good albums that did not receive awards, the ones that did are still extremely influential and brilliant. I am really excited to see who ends up taking home this award. 

Record of the Year 

For this category the Grammys nominates a song, rewarding the performance and production. This award is focused on the recording of the song itself. 

Here are the nominations: 

  1. “Now and Then”
    The Beatles
  2. “Birds of a Feather”
    Billie Eilish
  3. “Espresso”
    Sabrina Carpenter
  4. “360”
    Charli XCX
  5. “Texas Hold ‘Em”
    Beyoncé
  6. “Fortnight”
    Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone
  7. “Good Luck, Babe!”
    Chappell Roan
  8. “Not Like Us”
    Kendrick Lamar

This category is filled with amazing hits this year. From records like “Good Luck, Babe!” and “Birds of a Feather”, this category really is filled with the songs that you just could not get out of your head this year. I can truly say that every song on this list has had an incredible influence on society this year. I think some fun parts of this category include the Beatles having a spot as well as all of our favorite TikTok tracks. “Good Luck, Babe!” has been one epeat in my dorm and in all of my friend’s cars, so I am inclined to think that it could very possibly go to Chappell Roan. However, I think there definitely is a lot of really good competition in this category which makes the award even more exciting to watch.

In my opinion the main song that was snubbed of a nomination is Ariana Grande’s “we can’t be friends (wait for your love)” from her album Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. I think that this song has had a large impact on culture and deserved a nomination. Regardless, I think that this will be a really competitive category this year and am thrilled to see who takes it.

Best New Artist 

This category has been a confusing one for me for a while because the artists that get nominated are not actually technically new artists. In fact, artists like Sabrina Carpenter have already released over 5 albums. In this category the Grammys look at when an artist has achieved large status of fame in order to coin them as “new artists”. 

The nominations are:

  1. Shaboozey
  2. Sabrina Carpenter
  3. Doechii
  4. Khruangbin
  5. Raye
  6. Chappell Roan
  7. Benson Boone
  8. Teddy Swims

When looking at the list of nominees from the perspective of what they deem to be “new artists” I think they have a good list of singers. Personally, I think Sabrina Carpenter or Chappell Roan are leaders in this area, but again that just could be because they are the artists I listen to more personally. I am definitely really excited to see that Raye and Benson Boone also appeared on the list. I think that this is such a cool category because it is a clear demonstration of all the amazing things to come in the music industry. I am so excited to see how this category plays out. 

Final grammy Thoughts 

Of course, everything above is my feelings about the music and the nominations. This year has clearly been a brilliant and full one for music. I am excited to see the result on Sunday, February 2nd and can not wait to hear all the discourse about everything from the outfits to the winners.

Taylor Swift wearing floral dress at 2021 Grammy Awards Red Carpet
Photo by Francis Specker / CBS
Lara Martin is a second year on the writing and social media team at the Her Campus at University of Virginia. Beyond Her Campus, Lara Martin is a pre-law student in the College of Arts and Sciences. She is from Warren, New Jersey. She loves giving back to the community and has searched for ways to do so here in Charlottesville. Lara absolutely adores being a Cavalier! In her free time, Lara enjoys spending time with her family in friends. She also is a movie and tv show aficionado and has a soft spot for romance novels. She loves her dog Cider and can tell you the name of any Taylor Swift song within the first five seconds.