All the snubs and surprises of the 2025 Grammy nominations

NEW YORK – Looks like Grammy Awards 2025 There may be another type of award. Beyoncé leads with 11 nominations, bringing her career total to a record 99. There’s an incredible variety of genres represented across major categories, and women continue to excel. So… who didn’t make the cut? What were the best surprises of all? Let’s see.

The country is cool again… and it looks a little different.

Country music has infiltrated other prominent genres, and the Recording Academy has taken note. Country of hybridists — like Beyoncé, Post Malone and first-time nominee Shabouzie — are leading the way in multiple nominations at home and abroad.

But this means traditionalists may not see the rewards: CMA Awards Favorites Cody Johnson’s “Skin” and Luke Combs’ “Fathers and Sons” were not nominated. The latter shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: Combe’s blockbuster cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” was also not nominated for Record of the Year at the 2024 Grammy Awards, although it did win the award for Best Country Solo Performance. .

This year marked the first time Malone and Beyoncé were nominated in the country categories.

The Beatles are back

Who foresaw this coming? The latest new Beatles song with the help of AI “Now and Then” will be the record of the year. Released in 2023, The song uses artificial intelligence extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo. It’s the same technology that was used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, The Beatles: The Return.

Last summer, the Recording Academy announced a number of changes to Grammy Awardsincluding new protocols incorporating technological advances in machine learning. This prompted the headlines: “Only human creators” could win the music industry’s highest honor for its solution to the use of artificial intelligence in popular music. It’s clear that these changes will take effect at the 2025 Grammy Awards.

Album of the year has been updated

Last year’s Album of the Year category was dominated by pop women – and it continues with Taylor Swift, Chappelle Roane, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX. rave approach to the genre receiving no. The latter was a pleasant surprise (more on that below), but the two men nominated are creative standouts. OutKast frontman Andre 3000’s experimental jazz flute album “New Blue Sun” is a contender, as is “Djesse Vol. 4”, although this could fill the space left by Jon Batiste.

BRET summer forever

Charli XCX, who has never been nominated for a Grammy as a solo artist, is up for seven awards at the 2025 ceremony. These include Record and Album of the Year, as well as Pop Solo and Pop Duo/Group Performance, Pop Dance Recording, Dance/Electronic Album and Music Video. It’s clear that she culture-changing album “BRAT” – And summer of memes it inspired and continued to have a real impact.

Exciting and undoubtedly surprising first-time nominees

This year there is no shortage of nominees for the first time. Some were expected – such as Roan, Carpenter and Chabouzie – others less so. Willow Smith received her first nomination in the category of arrangement, instruments and vocals for her arrangement of the song “bigfeeling s”. Linda Martell, the country’s first commercially successful black female musician, features with Shaboosie on Beyoncé’s “SPAGHETTII,” which competes in the melodic rap category. It earned Grandmother her first Grammy nomination at age 83.

And finally, Morgan Wallen is undoubtedly one of the most popular musicians in the country and one replete with contradictions — received his first two Grammy nominations for his role in Malone’s “I Had Some Help.” Last year his song “Last Night” was nominated for best country song, but that’s a songwriter’s award and Wallen didn’t receive any praise.

The country singer has not previously been nominated. In 2021, after his video surfaced using racial slurshe was disqualified or restricted from participating in several awards ceremonies and did not receive a single Grammy nomination for his best-selling Dangerous: The Double Album.

Latin music is missing from the top categories… again

As was the case last year, Latin music missed out on the top categories at the 2025 Grammy Awards, despite a glut of worthy talent: Peso Pluma’s “Éxodo,” Shakira’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” Residente, “Las Letras Ya No Importan” Karin Leon “Boca Chueca, Vol. 1″ and Bad Bunny’s “Nadi Sabe Lo Ke Wa a Pasar Manyana” among them.

No K-pop?

Same as above: K-pop seems to be missing too. No nominations for BTS members who released solo material this year: RM “Right place, wrong person” J-Hope’s Hope on the Street Vol. 1″ and “Muse” by Jimin. As a boy band, BTS has received five nominations throughout their career.

Only one nomination for iconic artists

Despite being one of the world’s greatest modern superstars, regularly cited as one of the… most listened to artists on the planet – Bad Bunny’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” received only one nomination – for an urban music album.

And Usher, who had a blockbuster year, including superbowl halftime show — also received only one nomination for an R&B album.

…And nothing for others

In pop music “Eternal Optimism” by Dua Lipa nowhere to be seen. In the country Best New Artist, Up-and-coming Megan Moroney received no nominations. In R&B, Normani’s long-awaited debut album “Dopamine” did not make a splash among voters, and in rap – “Pink Friday 2” by Nicki Minaj and Megan Thee Stallion “Megan” are missing.

The end of Jack Antonoff’s reign?

Last year Jack Antonoff took home producer of the year, non-classical for the third year in a row, making Babyface the only producer to do so in a row. This year he did not win an award in this category, in which he has been ranked since 2019. Who will take up the mantle?

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The 2025 Grammy Awards will air live on February 2 on CBS and Paramount+ from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.