On November 7, music lovers sat anxiously waiting for the 68th annual GRAMMY nominations. The release came with both excitement and disappointment. Although the awards ceremony will not take place until February 1, it is never too early to start preparing. Minutes after the nominations hit, polarized opinions flooded the internet.
The GRAMMY nominations continue to amaze the public every year. The competition is fierce with a multitude of artists – ranging from Timothée Chalamet to Tyler Childers. One of the most competitive categories is Best New Artist. The nominees included Olivia Dean, KATSEYE, The Marías, Addison Rae, Sombr, Leon Thomas, Alex Warren and Lola Young. Each artist had great success this past year, and the diversity between their genres will divide voters.
My personal favorite goes to Olivia Dean; her soulful voice mixed with distinctive style makes her music incredibly calming and easy to listen to. Possibly the most public emergence is given to KATSEYE. Premiering on Netflix, “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE” is a docuseries that follows a group of young women from around the world as they train to become a global girl group. Just like other reality TV shows, “Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE” quickly grabs viewers’ attention. It’s safe to say that they deserve to be in this category. The competition, however, is not safe from controversy. Everyone knows Lola Young’s hit “Messy” and Alex Warren’s “Ordinary” yet the singers seem to fly under the radar with their other releases; some viewers believe they are unworthy of their spots in such a popular category as talented artists were not included on the roster.
On a larger scale, each category has their own fair share of disputes. Bad Bunny — who was nominated for Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Global Music Performance and Best Album Cover — is already in the spotlight with his upcoming appearance at the Super Bowl LX. The controversy surrounding the Latino artist rests in his pushback against the Trump Administration and recent ICE raids around the United States. As well, he was spotted sitting during “God Bless America” at a Yankee’s game earlier this year. This caught the attention of FOX news, with host Tomi Lahren claiming that Bad Bunny is “not an American artist” and “hates” America. However, these are crude assumptions since Bad Bunny is Puerto Rican (a territory of the U.S.A.) and has never vocally claimed to hate the country.
Another artist’s name that is catching attention while not being included in GRAMMY nominations is Taylor Swift. Swift has been nominated for the past 17 years consecutively, beginning in 2008. This year’s nominations broke her streak with her newest album “The Life of A Showgirl,” released outside the period eligible for nomination. Whether this was a purposeful decision, ‘swifties’ are sitting this one out.
Finally, the most surprising inclusion was Addison Rae in the Best New Artist category. Bursting onto the scene in 2020 in the midst of Covid-19, Rae utilized TikTok for her livelihood. Immediately, she gained millions of fans. Her career then pivoted and she decided to pursue singing. Evie Ro ’28 shared that when hearing Rae’s name for the first time in years, she said “isn’t [she] an influencer?” Exactly. Her presence is unpredictable and I’m unsure about how long she will stay in the spotlight. Ro then goes on to say that Tate McRae was robbed from her potential Grammy nomination and instead artists like Rae were chosen. Ro claims, “Tate McRae is famous as a person and a songwriter, however Addison Rae has seemed to have already peaked.”
Although I cannot promise Benson Boone will be featured doing flips in a sequin blue jumpsuit, rest assured that the 68th annual GRAMMYs are bound to be eventful. Place your bets now, as February is only a short time away. While the stakes have never been higher for this award show, one thing is for certain: the Grammys have always given us something to talk about — loudly.