The nominations are in for the 2022 Grammy Awards!
The upcoming year’s ceremony will be a little different from the past. Notably, the Recording Academy decided to up the amount of contestants in the running for the night’s Big Four categories (Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year and Best New Artist) from eight to 10, according to Billboard. That means that there are even more talented artists in the running for recognition during the Biggest Night in Music.
Who got love from the Academy this year? Jon Batiste leads the field of nominees; The musician has an impressive 11 nods to his name. Following close behind are Justin Bieber, Doja Cat and H.E.R., each with eight nominations a piece. Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo snagged seven.
You can peruse the full list of nominees here.
Per usual, the Recording Academy got some things very right when it came time to highlight some of the past year’s best musical releases. For instance, Selena Gomez and ABBA both became first-time Grammy nominees. However, there will always be some unfortunate snubs. This year was no exception.
From well-deserved nominations to seriously overlooked offerings from a crew of talented artists, these are 10 exciting nominations and disappointing snubs for the 2022 Grammy Award nominations.
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1
Olivia Rodrigo Snags Nods in All of the Big 4
There’s no denying that Olivia Rodrigo dominated the music scene in 2021. “Driver’s License” reached the pinnacle position on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there. She also had plenty of luck with follow-up singles including “Good 4 U” and her debut album Sour.
Her awe-inspiring year is being rewarded in a big way by the Recording Academy. She goes into the 2022 Grammy Awards with 7 nods to her name. Four of those are within the Big Four categories. If she gets lucky, she could follow in the footsteps of Billie Eilish and sweep the night’s highest honors.
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2
BTS’s “Butter” Missed Out On Record or Song of the Year
BTS made history ahead of this year’s Grammys. According to BBC, the legendary septet became the first K-Pop group to be nominated in the show’s history when their smash “Dynamite” snagged a Best Pop Duo/Group Performance nod. They didn’t take home the win in 2021, but they’ll get another shot at it next year.
Their smooth anthem “Butter” is in the running for the same category for the 2022 ceremony. While that’s an exciting win, the hit-makers should be up for even loftier awards. Surely “Butter,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks, deserved attention in the Song or Record of the Year categories.
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3
FINNEAS is Up For Best New Artist
FINNEAS is no stranger to the Recording Academy. He’s been nominated for his behind the scenes work as a producer for the likes of his sister Billie Eilish in both 2020 and 2021. He’s even snagged a couple of wins including Producer of the Year, Non-classical.
This year, FINNEAS is credited alongside Eilish for several major awards. That’s exciting, but even more so is the fact that his solo music is getting some recognition. The hit-maker snagged a nod in the Best New Artist category, where he faces off with the likes of Olivia Rodrigo and Saweetie.
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4
Kacey Musgraves Missed Out On Album of the Year
Kacey Musgraves earned her status as a Grammy Darling when she snagged an Album of the Year win for 2019’s Golden Hour. Expectations were high that she’d have every bit as much luck when she returned with star-crossed this year. Sadly the stars did not align.
Going into the nominations, we already knew that the Recording Academy already decided that the album would not be eligible for the Best Country Album category. That left her divorce album in the running for pop categories or the Big Four. She was not able to earn nominations in either.
Thankfully, Musgraves wasn’t totally shut out. Her song “camera roll” snagged nods in the Best Country Solo Performance and Best Country Song categories. It’s something, but she certainly deserved more.
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5
“Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” Got Its Roses
Lil Nas X proved himself to be anything but a one-hit wonder this year. He snagged the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 twice with “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” and “Industry Baby,” dropped a well-received album and shook things up every step of the way.
His status as one of the music’s biggest stars is being well and truly recognized by the Recording Academy this year. He previously lost out on the title of Best New Artist to Billie Eilish in 2020, but Lil Nas X is in the running for several of the biggest honors of the night at the 2022 Grammy Awards.
Notably, “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” is up for both Song and Record of the Year. His album Montero is also in the running for Album of the Year. All things considered it is fantastic to see the budding hit-maker get his roses.
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6
Where Is Miley Cyrus?
Did the music industry forget Miley Cyrus dropped an incredible album last year? Plastic Hearts was a rock-infused opus, yet it has gotten no love at awards shows this year. Sadly, the project’s record does not improve with the Grammys.
Cyrus and her album were totally overlooked by the Recording Academy this year. While it’s disappointing, it’s not totally surprising. The hit-maker has had something of an interesting relationship with the Grammys. After all, this year we learned more about how her timeless ballad ”The Climb” was nominated and then un-nominated for the 2010 awards show. Hopefully her next project gets the love and respect she very clearly deserves.
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7
Selena Gomez Lands Her First Grammy Nomination
Selena Gomez has an impressive and hit-filled music career. But the Recording Academy seemed to miss the message for whatever reason (we’re trying not to judge them for a clear lack of taste). Prior to this year, the Revival star had not been nominated for a single Grammy.
That changes now. Gomez got some love from the Grammys for her Spanish-language EP Revelación. The project is in the running for Best Latin Pop Album, and fans are rightfully celebrating, according to Elle. Hopefully the “Lose You To Love Me” singer is also riding high on finally getting recognition for her work!
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8
Ariana Grande Missed the Big 4 Entirely
Ariana Grande is no stranger to the Recording Academy. She’s been in the running in several major categories over the years and has taken home a couple wins. For instance, she shared a Grammy with Lady Gaga at the 2021 Grammy Awards for their anthem “Rain On Me.”
This year Grande’s facing off against her pop peers in the Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album categories for her album and single “Positions.” However, it seems like an oversight to leave the chart-topping album and single out of the running for bigger awards such as Song or Album of the Year.
If it’s any consolation, her “Rain On Me” collaborator got shown some love in the Album of the Year category. Gaga’s nominated for her Tony Bennett-assisted Love For Sale.
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9
ABBA Danced Their Way to Their First Grammy Nomination
Swedish pop collective ABBA is in possession of one of the most iconic discographies in the history of recorded music. Everyone knows “Dancing Queen,” for instance, and Madonna famously sampled their anthem “Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight)” on her smash “Hung Up.” Surely the group is a Grammy Darling?
Shockingly, the answer to that question is no. Up until this year, ABBA had not received a single nomination from the Recording Academy. Thankfully, history has been corrected; the group snagged a Record of the Year nod for their song “I Still Have Faith In You.” We love to see it!
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10
Drake’s ‘Certified Lover Boy’ Missed Album of the Year
Drake’s latest album Certified Lover Boy nabbed a Grammy nomination in the Best Rap Album category. Album track “Way 2 Sexy” also got some love in the Best Rap Performance category, where it faces off against the likes of Cardi B’s “Up” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Thot S–t.” Those are exciting wins for the Canadian rapper.
However, it seems like a glaring omission to exclude Drake from the Big Four. After all, Certified Lover Boy scored the biggest opening week of the year when it dropped in September, according to Billboard. Of course, it’s record has since been toppled by Adele’s 30, according to early reporting by Variety. The album likely should have gotten a bit more love. After all, Lil Nas X’s Montero (which bowed in at number 2 on the Billboard 200 behind Certified Lover Boy) snagged an Album of the Year nod.