In 2021, singer GAYLE released the viral song “abcdefu,” which we all screamed at the top of our lungs to the exes who did us wrong. The song reached great heights, topping the Billboard Global 200 and Billboard Global Excl. U.S. charts, and hitting No. 8 on Billboard’s Hot 100 in the U.S. The song is very catchy with a chorus that is hard to not sing along to. GAYLE is even going on the “Eras Tour” with Taylor Swift as an opening act, alongside other heavy hitters like Paramore. And as it became clear during the Grammy nominations on Nov. 15, apparently even the Grammys have noticed the popularity of the song.
Twitter woke up to a bit of a surprise when the Grammys announced the nominations for their 2023 awards show, and guess what song just so happened to be nominated for Song of the Year? Front and center (because the list is alphabetical — ironic, huh?) was “abcdefu” by GAYLE. This nomination has since caused Twitter to have some mixed reactions: Some are happy for the 18-year-old artist, while others are questioning the Grammys’ decision. GAYLE is a newer artist, and came onto the scene when “abcdefu” went viral on TikTok, so some people find it hard to believe she is already being nominated for a Grammy. She’s even been accused of being an “industry plant”: The singer made a response video to someone who left a comment on her video asking to make a breakup song using the alphabet. A TikTok user @danielswall did some digging and found out that the video could’ve possibly been staged. Her Campus reached out to GAYLE for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
Many award shows, specifically the Grammys have been questioned in recent years with artists like The Weekend, Frank Ocean, Nicki Minaj, and many more having shared their disappointment with the Recording Academy saying they feel as though the Grammys are not giving credit where credit is due, mentioning the “dated screening system” and “failure to properly award black artists.” No matter which way you feel, GAYLE and the many other artists nominated for the Grammys are still winners — but for now, here’s what people are saying about this shocking Song of the Year nominee.