The Nov. 23 announcement of the 2022 Grammy nominations left few surprises, despite stunning snubs.
Music fans around the world greatly anticipated this year’s nomination ceremony, with many expecting Olivia Rodrigo, the massive breakout musician of 2021, to bag multiple nominations. Rodrigo met expectations with seven nominations, including Best New Artist, Album, Song and Record of the Year.
Doja Cat, whose monumental album Planet Her broke Billboard 200 records with its prolonged stay on the chart, received eight nominations. Although previous Grammy winners such as Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga and H.E.R. earned multiple nominations in the general categories, the most nominations went to Jon Batiste. Batiste, whose work on the Disney film Soul has already earned him an Oscar, snagged 11 nominations, including Album and Record of the Year.
Besides these, there were also surprises. One shocking nomination was for The Weeknd: his song, a collaboration with Kanye West off of his own Album of The Year-nominated work Donda, was nominated in the melodic rap performance category. The Weeknd, who previously called the Grammy Awards “corrupt” during their public fallout last year, promised he would never submit his work again. It is unclear to fans whether the three-time Grammy winner went back on his claims, or if the song was submitted without his consent.
Iconic band Abba was also included in the nominations for general categories with their new single “I Still Have Faith In You.” The 70s Swedish group, whose disco-inspired music continues to be listened to by new generations, has never been nominated in the production as a group. This makes for a well-deserved first and a rightful recognition of one of the most beloved musical acts of all time.
Although expected Grammy favorites such as Billie Ellish, Ariana Grande and Ed Sheeran received multiple nominations, there were many noticeable snubs. Miley Cyrus released her first rock project Plastic Hearts this year with critical acclaim and wide success. Cyrus, who has had only one previous nomination in the past despite her large body of work, was a favorite this year, nominated in the rock categories. However, she failed to earn any nominations. The rock categories’ winners for Best Album and Song consisted only of male artists.
Chart-topping international acts such as BTS and Maneskin were also overlooked in the general, rock and pop categories. Critics attacked the award show for its continuous exclusion of non-English speaking musicians from major nominations. Additionally, Drake, a four-time Grammy winner, was snubbed for album of the year with Certified Lover Boy, while Normani, a favorite for Best Music Video with her hit “Wild Side,” was excluded from the category.
The Grammy Awards continue to be a massive annual event for music fans worldwide, but it is clear that it is growing irrelevant to the public’s standards for quality music. As fans call out snubs, they have also brought up legendary artists such as Queen and Diana Ross who have never won, proving that the award ultimately has no say over an artist’s legacy.
Written by Sofia Appolonio of Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School
Photo by Charles Wang of Walter Johnson High School