The 10 biggest snubs of the 2023 Grammys nominations
- Nominations for the 2023 Grammy Awards were announced on Tuesday.
- Artists like Taylor Swift, Florence + The Machine, and Rosalía were snubbed in major categories.
- Some of the year’s best albums from Maggie Rogers, Mitski, and Charli XCX were completely ignored.
Taylor Swift’s “Red (Taylor’s Version)” should have been nominated for album of the year.
Although Taylor Swift’s original “Red” was nominated for several Grammys in 2014, including album of the year (which it lost to “Random Access Memories” by Daft Punk), the Recording Academy deemed “Red (Taylor’s Version)” eligible for its own submission because the entire 30-song tracklist consists of new recordings.
Swift will compete in four categories this year, including song of the year for “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” and best country song for “I Bet You Think About Me.” While both are well deserved, the album itself failed to receive any recognition.
It’s possible that Grammy voters didn’t consider “Red (Taylor’s Version)” new enough to compete for top awards, but given the robust extended tracklist, it definitely deserved a nod for the best country album, at least.
Rosalía’s “Motomami” would’ve also been a worthy album of the year contender.
Bad Bunny’s “Un Verano Sin Ti” made history this year as the first all-Spanish album to receive an album of the year nomination, but it should have been joined by Rosalía’s “Motomami,” one of the most inventive and arresting releases of 2022.
Instead, “Motomami” was relegated to the best Latin rock or alternative album. Rosalía received only one additional nomination for the best music film.
Florence + The Machine’s alt-pop triumph “Dance Fever” hardly received any love.
Florence + The Machine received just one nomination this year — best alternative music performance for “King” — which is clearly insufficient after releasing her best album in years.
“Dance Fever” certainly deserved to compete for the best alternative music album, if not the album of the year.
Maggie Rogers was completely shut out, despite releasing one of the year’s best albums.
Maggie Rogers only has one Grammy nomination to her name: best new artist, which she lost to Billie Eilish in 2020.
Hopes were high that she would add to that total on the heels of her sophomore effort “Surrender,” a near-perfect rock-pop thrill ride that would have been a worthy contender for album of the year.
Bafflingly, its brilliant lead single “That’s Where I Am” also came up empty-handed.
Mitski was similarly ignored.
Mitski’s “Laurel Hell” was one of this year’s earliest triumphs, released to widespread critical acclaim back in February. It could have fit comfortably in several categories — best alternative music album, namely, or even album of the year — but Mitski was wholly ignored instead.
This snub is even worse considering Mitski has never been nominated for a Grammy, and she’s coming off a banner year for her career, during which she opened for Harry Styles’ blockbuster tour. A nod for the best new artist shouldn’t have been out of the question.
So was Charli XCX.
Charli XCX’s “Crash” is a modern pop classic, combining elements of queer house music with glossy, top-40-caliber hooks.
Many fans had hoped the longtime pop provocateur would net her first-ever Grammy nods as a lead artist this year (seven years after she was nominated twice for her feature and writing credit on Iggy Azalea’s “Fancy”).
Instead, Charli XCX was completely passed over for Grammy darlings like Lizzo, Post Malone, and Coldplay.
Demi Lovato was snubbed in rock categories.
Demi Lovato went back to her roots with “Holy Fvck,” a rousing collection of pop-rock and emo-flavored bangers.
Lovato should be competing for best rock song (“Skin of My Teeth”), best rock performance (“29”), and best rock album, but they didn’t receive a single nomination this year.
Noah Kahan’s “Stick Season” is one of the year’s best songs, but wasn’t even nominated in American roots categories.
Noah Kahan broke onto mainstream radars this year with “Stick Season,” a striking folk ballad about love lost and misplaced blame.
The single was submitted for the record of the year, song of the year, best American roots performance, and best American roots song. It deserved to be nominated for all four.
Dove Cameron deserved a nod for the best new artist.
Dove Cameron seemed like a shoo-in for the best new artist this year after the success of her queer anthem “Boyfriend,” followed by the sharp political pop of “Breakfast.” (Remember: Nominees in the category don’t need to be brand new, since the award is meant to celebrate an artist’s “breakthrough” year.)
Lizzy McAlpine should have also been recognized in the best new artist category.
Lizzy McAlpine may have seemed like a longshot for the best new artist, but her expertly crafted, tenderly written sophomore album “Five Seconds Flat” was a resounding success in indie circles and should have been the perfect introduction to Grammy voters.
Thankfully, McAlpine did secure one nomination this year: best arrangement, instruments, and vocals for “Never Gonna Be Alone,” a collaboration with Jacob Collier and John Mayer.