The nominations for the Grammys were announced on Tuesday, November 24th. Many well known artists such as Taylor Swift, Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion and Billie Eilish got well deserved nominations from the Recording Academy. Despite this, many fans still feel like there are artists who definitely got snubbed by the Recording Academy who did extremely well this year. Some of these artists include powerhouse k-pop boy group BTS, former One Direction member turned soloist Harry Styles and The Weeknd, all who had an amazing 2020 filled with success.
Many people in general, not only fans of BTS all have come to the agreement that the internationally known boy group definitely got snubbed this year at the Grammys. The group turned in 7 Grammy Submissions in total. They submitted their first all-english song “Dynamite”. The song had the highest 24 hour debut for any music video and topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for three consecutive weeks. In addition to “Dynamite”, the group also submitted their album Map of the Soul: 7 which was one of the top selling albums of 2020 beating out artists like Billie Eilish and Halsey. “Dynamite” was submitted for Song of the Year, Best Music Video and Best Pop Duo/Group performance while Map of the Soul: 7 was submitted for the categories Album of the Year, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical album and Best Pop Vocal Album. The Recording Academy agreed only to nominating “Dynamite” for the category of Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance which many people believe should have also at least been nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year since the all-English single got consistent radio play and became extremely well-known. Though what seems to be most surprising for both fans of BTS and non-fans alike, is that the group’s album Map of the Soul: 7 didn’t get any nominations despite it being one of the best selling albums of 2020 with over 500,000 physical copies of the album being sold in the United States. Many people who weren’t fans of the group along with fans of the group agreed that the internationally acclaimed boy group definitely deserved to get more nominations for the Grammys for their album Map of the Soul: 7 and their song “Dynamite”.
One more person who many people agree got snubbed by the Recording Academy is former One Direction member and now well-known soloist Harry Styles. Many fans of Harry as well as people who weren’t fans of him were shocked to learn that he wasn’t nominated for any of the major categories at the Grammys such as song, record, or album of the year. This came as a shock since his album Fine Line was one that almost everyone knew and listened to constantly throughout the year. In addition, his song “Watermelon Sugar” was heavily played by radio stations and was a global hit.
Finally, the last person who many people believe got snubbed by the Recording Academy is The Weeknd, whose real name is Abel Makkonen Tesfaye. Fans were most shocked to learn that The Weeknd wasn’t nominated for a single grammy let alone a nomination in one of the major Grammy categories. This was a shock to many people since his album After Hours was also one of the best selling albums of 2020 – similarly to how Harry Styles’ Fine Line and BTS’ Album Map of the Soul: 7 were. In addition to this, many were surprised that his single “Blinding Lights” wasn’t nominated for at least Record of the Year or Song of the Year seen as the song was one of the most popular songs of 2020—even a viral TikTok challenge was made for the tune.
The Grammys this year definitely have some amazing, well-deserved nominees but many people throughout the U.S. can agree that there were definitely a few artists who deserved more from the Recording Academy. What are some other artists you believe got snubbed this year?
Preethika Rao
staff writer
Graphic: Preethika Rao