by Meleena Mohammed
This year’s Grammy nominations have just been released, and they are…quite something. Most people are still dealing with the shock they experienced upon seeing who got snubbed, including Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and not surprisingly, Beyonce.
There are a whopping 84 categories, and it seems like they just keep adding more every year. The major awards, the Big 4: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist. Instead of the traditional 5 nominees for each of these Big 4 categories, there are now eight this year.
But there are some surprising nominations including Cardi B receiving 5 and enjoying the notification while coming out of court. On a better note, one significant nomination was a first in history–BTS is the first Korean group to be nominated, their album’s artist is up for best artwork, aptly named ‘Art Director’ for their last album Love Yourself: TEAR.
Another delight is that Jorja Smith is nominated for Best New Artist, along with Janelle Monae who’s up for Album of the Year, HER, SZA, and Brandi Carlile is the most-nominated woman of the year, with 6 nods. Despite the snubs, it seems to be a great year for women.
Personally, despite the great, new nominations made for lesser-known but talented artists, it seems like this is the Grammy’s way of being more inclusive and open. My feelings toward this is that it feels forced, but what else would you expect when every year they snub Beyonce and Ariana Grande has yet to win one despite being one of the biggest pop names in music? The nominations also show that the academy is avoiding getting involved with politics. Many artists like Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, Camila Cabello, and Kesha make music about and discuss topics with black power, immigration and the #MeToo movement, respectively.
With Cardi B’s five nominations, diverse artists’ recognition and the many snubs, RIP Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande–this year’s Grammy’s are sure to be hot news in Entertainment for a while to come. But the actual ceremony does not happen until February 10th. Until then keep listening to music, but maybe reconsider the integrity of the Grammy’s–if they have any left.