BY: Alexis Eichelberger

The nominations for the 63rd Grammy Awards are out. It’s a banner year for women, and there are plenty of first-time nominees in various categories. But as always, there were a few surprise omissions.

Here are some deserving nominees and a few snubs of the 2021 Grammy nominations:

 

THE NOMINEES

Taylor Swift

Taylor Swift’s surprise album folklore shocked and delighted us in all the best ways. She received six nominations for her phenomenal folksy work, including nods for Album of the Year and Song of the year.

 

Dua Lipa

2020 belonged to Dua Lipa. Every song and video she released was dazzling, and Future Nostalgia is undoubtedly one of the best albums of the year. She has six nominations total, with nods in three of the four major categories.

 

Harry Styles

Harry Styles is one of the many first-time Grammy nominees to be recognized this year. His brilliant sophomore album Fine Line is up for Best Pop Vocal Album, and the single “Watermelon Sugar” got a nod for Best Pop Vocal Performance. The music video for “Adore You” was also nominated for Best Music Video.

 

Beyoncé

Beyoncé grabbed nine, the most nominations this year. Her song “Black Parade” got plenty of love, as did “Savage,” her collaborative track with Megan Thee Stallion. Black Is King, a movie set to the reinterpreted Lion King soundtrack curated by Queen B herself, has a nomination for Best Music Film.

 

Post Malone

This marks the third year that Post Malone has been nominated for Grammys. Hopefully, he will win one. His album Hollywood’s Bleeding received an Album of the Year nod, and the single “Circles” is up for Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

 

Megan Thee Stallion

Megan Thee Stallion took over the rap world in 2019 and 2020. Now, she’s nominated for the coveted Best New Artist award. She also received three more nominations for her sensational single “Savage (feat. Beyonce).”

 

Phoebe Bridgers

Newcomer Phoebe Bridgers stole our hearts with her sophomore album Punisher. She also caught the Recording Academy’s attention. She now has a Best New Artist nod; her song “Kyoto” has nominations for Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance, and Punisher for Best Alternative Music Album.

 

HAIM

Sister act HAIM dropped a brilliant album this year and earned an Album of the Year nomination. Women In Music Pt. III has been an essential listen this year, full of charming indie rock hits. This will only be HAIM’s second appearance at the Grammys –– the group got a Best New Artist nomination in 2015.

 

THE SNUBS

 

The Weeknd

We were shocked to learn that The Weeknd missed out on a nomination this year. We concede that his album After Hours was decent but didn’t stand out among the other impressive releases. But the single “Blinding Lights” was one of the biggest pop songs of the year. We think the funky 80s-inspired track deserved at least one nod in a pop category.

 

Harry Styles

Yes, we included Styles in our former list of nominees. But we believe Fine Line deserved better. Styles’ sophomore album was full of genre-bending innovation, emotionally resonant lyricism, and killer instrumentation. We think it should have earned an Album of the Year nomination.

 

Lady Gaga

Lady Gaga also got two nominations in pop categories. But her album Chromatica missed  in all the major categories. Gaga returned to peak electro-pop form and built us a whole fantastical world to escape to through music. But there was no Album of the Year nod for it.

 

BTS and BLACKPINK

K-pop already lost at the 2021 Grammys. BTS received its first-ever nomination for its single “Dynamite,” but the impact BTS and BLACKPINK had on American music in the past year deserves more recognition. We’re expecting better from the Academy next year.