The Excitement and Controversies of the 2021 Grammy Nominations
February 9, 2021
This year, music has provided millions of people with a sense of comfort and escape amidst the most uncertain of times. On November 24, the Recording Academy announced the nominations for the 63rd annual Grammy Awards that will honor the artists whose music got us through 2020. The show, which was previously scheduled for January 31, has been postponed to March 14, 2021 due to an increase in Coronavirus cases in the Los Angeles area. The nominations generated great praise and excitement, however some fans couldn’t help but feel as though their favorite artists were overlooked.
The Academy rewarded Beyoncé with the most nominations, voting her in as a contender for a total of nine awards. Her song, “Black Parade” gained nods in two of the most famous categories: Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Following close behind wereDua Lipa, Roddy Rich, and Taylor Swift, each with six nominations [1].
To many fans’ delight, Taylor Swift made Grammy history by becoming the first female songwriter to garner five nominations for Song of the Year. She achieved this milestone with her hit single, “Cardigan” [1]. In addition, Swift’s six nominations included Album of the Year for her critically acclaimed album, folklore.
Besides Swift’s folklore, Jhené Aiko’s Chilombo, Black Pumas’ Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition), Coldplay’s Everyday Life, Jacob Collier’s Djessie Vol. 3, Haim’s Women in Music Pt. III, Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia, and Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding [2] are also in the race for Album of the Year. Remarkably, Post Malone’s Hollywood’s Bleeding was also nominated for Record of the Year, making Post Malone the first artist to be nominated for Record of the Year for three consecutive years [1].
Despite many fan favorites being nominated, thousands of fans were shocked to learn that artists such as The Weeknd and Halsey received zero nominations. Following the lack of nominations for his highly praised album, After Hours, The Weeknd released a statement claiming that “the Grammys remain[s] corrupt” [3]. Halsey followed suit, stating that the Grammys “can often be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, [and] campaigning through the grapevine, with the right handshakes and ‘bribes…’” [4].
Controversies aside, the 63rd Annual Grammys is bound to be a night full of excitement and electric performances- which will remind us of the incredible music we relied on this year.
[2]-https://www.grammy.com/grammys/news/2021-grammys-complete-nominees-list
[4]-https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/halsey-criticizes-grammys-snub-bribes-1096063/
Yuying Wang • Mar 8, 2021 at 8:38 am
Great article! I know that this year, I have definitely relied on music a lot!!! I really like how you explained the topic clearly, and then gave insight into the controversies. Your article is very well-written, and it was also extremely informative. Thank you for such a wonderful article!
Varsha Bhargava • Feb 24, 2021 at 10:35 am
I love how you evaluated and gave voice to both sides of the event: the controversy and the elation surrounding the Grammy’s. You clearly and concisely explained the buzz surrounding the event and it made for an informative and entertaining article! Great job, Viv!
Benjamin White • Feb 10, 2021 at 8:43 am
I really liked how the introduction paragraph set everything up! The paragraph started out with a general statement about music, became more specific in a description of the Grammys, and then introduced the topic of the article of nominations. The article remained factual and unbiased, stating the nominations as well as the statements made by artists detailing the corruption of the Grammys. When dealing with quotes that label something as corrupt, it is difficult to remain neutral as a writer, yet the article remained unbiased. Overall, this was a great article to read, and was very informative when detailing the controversies and excitement regarding the Grammys!