Grammy Nominations 2021: The Snubs

Grammy nomination night is one of the biggest nights of the year in the music industry. Considered to be the most prestigious music award show in the world, being nominated alone is a huge accomplishment. However, despite the acclaim, the Grammy’s have developed a reputation for snubbing albums, songs and artists that people believed were more deserving than others. There is even a common nickname used to degrade the award show; The Scammy’s. Some artists that have been famously snubbed by the Grammys are Nicki Minaj (0 Grammys), Katy Perry (0 Grammys), Kendrick Lamar (0 Album of the Year wins) and Beyonce (while she has won 21 Grammys, most critics and fans agree that Lemonade should have won album of the year over Adele’s 25).

Every year, the internet and critics are divided by the results and this year is no different. Here are the biggest snubs of the 2021 Grammy nominations, artist by artist along with categories the general population feels they should have been nominated for:

Fiona Apple:

Fiona Apple’s Fetch the Bolt Cutters was the most critically acclaimed album of this year, getting a 10/10 on pitchfork. Widely believed that it would be a shot in the dark to win album of the year, essentially securing a nomination. Nevertheless, when the album of the year nominations came up, it was nowhere to be seen. While it received 3 nominations in the alternative and rock categories, people felt that it should have been recognised in the general field. 

Rina Sawayama:

Sawayama was an album that fused rock with culture, which correlated together to create a bombastic debut album. Described by many as a fresh take on a genre with a multitude of the same, the album was predicted to show up in the rock categories. However, not a single nomination was awarded to the British/Japanese singer, for the album or even its lead single XS. 

Chloe x Halle 

Most years, the Grammys will nominate an album for each genre of music in the general fields. This year was no different, yet many people were rubbed the wrong way by the RnB choice. While Jhene Aiko’s Chilombo is not a bad album, it’s 6.3 rating on pitchfork and mixed reviews by the population leaves most people convinced that it was the lesser of choices for album of the year out of the RnB albums this year. The obvious replacement is After Hours by The Weeknd (don’t worry we are getting there), yet there are so many other choices that people believe should have been taken into account for the RnB pick this year. There was Kehlani’s It Was Good Until It Wasn’t, Victoria Monet’s Jaguar and JoJo’s Good to Know. All would have been better picks, but widely considered as the best contender; 

Chloe x Halle’s Ungodly Hour was a masterpiece in terms of production and vocal arrangements. 

The Weeknd:

Lastly, we have one of the biggest snubs of the past decade. Not only was The Weeknd’s best album to date After Hours predicted to win album of the year, never mind getting nominated, but his single Blinding Lights was best selling and topped the charts for a record breaking number of weeks. The theory as to why he was snubbed (it was confirmed that he submitted) is that he is performing at the Super Bowl and as it is within two weeks of the Grammys, he cannot perform at both. He also received 0 nominations in any category outside of the general awards. 

Those were the biggest snubs of this year's Grammys. Not everyone’s favourite album or song can be nominated every year, yet these were probably the biggest surprises based on public response and predictions put out in articles.

Written by: Catherine Noorlandt