Official nominations for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards were announced on Nov. 15, and there were a few surprises among the well-deserved nods to popular artists in every genre.
As always, there were some stars who were ignored by the Recording Academy. Here’s a list of artists whose names were noticeably absent from nominations.
Nicki Minaj
In October, Minaj didn’t hide her discontent when rumors spread claiming that her song “Super Freaky Girl” would be moved from the rap to the pop category. As it turns out, Minaj received zero nominations across the board.
I was genuinely shocked at Minaj’s absence because, despite personal feuds plaguing her image this year, she has done well with singles such as “Do We Have a Problem?” with Lil Baby and the pop-adjacent “Super Freaky Girl.”
Morgan Wallen
Although he’s become one of the best-selling recording artists of the past few years, Wallen has yet to receive a single Grammy nomination. He was entered and eligible for nominations in core categories like Record and Song of the Year as well as Best Country Performance and Best Country Song.
However, I’m not at all disheartened by this snub. Wallen was videotaped using a racial slur in early 2021, and surprisingly, his career hasn’t been derailed in the least bit. His fans may have forgiven him, but I haven’t.
Taylor Swift
While she is nominated in four categories, including Song of the Year and Best Country Song for tracks from “Red (Taylor’s Version),” Swift wasn’t nominated for any top awards.
Her fans may consider this an upset, but I think Swift very well may come out on top next time around as her recently released “Midnights” continues to top the charts.
John Legend
Although the singer-songwriter may not be as widely received as other artists on this list, I would’ve liked to see the Grammys show him some love. Released in September, his double album “Legend” is a soulful project that offers dynamic sides of him as an artist. In two parts, he manages to deliver fun, uptempo music followed by smooth grooves.
I can’t say that I’m entirely surprised that “Legend” didn’t get any nominations since it didn’t have as much time as other entries to gain attention. In a perfect world, though, I’d like to think that it would’ve been nominated for Best R&B Album.
Each year appears to be a tossup as to whether Recording Academy voters get it right or not, but there will ultimately be artists who don’t always get the recognition they deserve.
