To an extent, yes. There’s a large segment of the public that looks down on pop stars, especially women, (with rare exceptions like Adele) as “not real musicians,” manufactured, etc., and that likely extends into the music industry as well.

Quality is subjective, but it’s worth noting that what Ariana DOES have is a higher Metacritic score than most AOTY winners.

I agree that she’s most likely not winning AOTY unless they stack the category for her to do so, but quality or lack thereof isn’t the reason. It will be due to factors such as her fan base skewing young while Grammy…[Read more]

Emotion had enough buzz/acclaim at the time of release that it could have gotten in Pop Album, especially considering it was a fairly weak year in terms of nominees. And she’s only continued to drop off in terms of popularity since that album.

She’s definitely not a “sure bet,” not when past general field winners like Lorde and Sam Smith have…[Read more]

The Jonas Brothers should be safe for a Pop Duo/Group nomination but ROTY seems extremely doubtful. It’s not a particularly good song (not to say it’s bad), not a particularly original song, and it’s debatable if it will be remembered in a few years’ time.

Ariana had been nominated for four Grammys prior to winning last year; Halsey has only been nominated twice, once as a technicality that wouldn’t count under today’s rules, and never for her own music. Flawed comparison.

And Reputation was an underperformance for Taylor’s standards, while Thank U, Next is not only bigger than Sweetener which won…[Read more]

Explain to me how that’s supposed to work when last year’s Pop Album winner is back in the mix with an even more popular album, and when she was also nominated for Pop Solo while Halsey was not.

And the fact that Halsey has not previously been nominated for a Grammy for her own work.

Ariana is not only having a bigger year and bigger hits than…[Read more]

DJ Khaled, John Legend, and Nipsey Hussle’s “Higher” is a likely nominee for Best Rap/Sung Performance and possibly a GF contender.

She’s not popular enough. It won’t happen. They’ve been shutting out successful and/or acclaimed albums by previous major-category Grammy winners like Lorde and Sam Smith the last few years, no way an album by a niche artist is getting in.

What is the logic here lol

Gangnam Style was considerably more popular and didn’t get nominated.

Even if it gets slotted in pop (rap seems more likely), I don’t see it getting the nomination. I don’t think enough voters will actually take it seriously enough to recognize it as one of the best songs of the year.

I’m really not sold on it getting a nomination in any category, let alone Record of the Year. The committee is in place in part to prevent decisions that will look embarrassing in a few years’ time, hence them not nominating things like the Macarena, Gangnam Style, or Harlem Shake.

Old Town Road is not going to stand the test of time. It’s a hit…[Read more]

It actually might be eligible as a track from her album, as long as they didn’t enter the song two years ago.

Americana Honors & Awards nominations:

ALBUM OF THE YEAR
To the Sunset, Amanda Shires, Produced by Dave Cobb
The Tree, Lori McKenna, Produced by Dave Cobb
The Tree of Forgiveness, John Prine, Produced by Dave Cobb
Walk Through Fire, Yola, Produced by Dan Auerbach

ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Brandi Carlile
Rhiannon Giddens
Kacey Musgraves
Mavis…[Read more]

Probably moreso Tony Bennett specifically winning when hip-hop, R&B, and alt-rock were more culturally dominant than the fact that it was a live record.

They’re not going to do it, though. Y’all didn’t learn anything from Everything Is Love last year. They don’t nominate Beyoncé at every opportunity, and the committee has never put a live album in AOTY.

He needs a second hit to be in the BNA conversation. One-hit wonders almost always get shut out nowadays.

IIRC the president is involved in the committee discussions, but they don’t get the final say on the overall nominations.

For Recording Academy president/CEO Neil Portnow, receiving the Grammy Awards nominations list from the Academy’s accountants at Deloitte Touche can be just as nerve-wracking as it is for prospective nominees.

“I’ve had…

[Read more]

I almost think it’s ludicrous to think that Thank U, Next wouldn’t get in – it’s by a recently awarded artist at the top of her game critically and commercially, who has yet to be recognized in the general field, and has spawned multiple hits – but yeah, I agree. These discussions circle back to the same few artists way too frequently.

By what metric?

The album was #20 on last week’s Billboard 200 in its 30th week; Black Panther at the same point was #66 and got an AOTY nomination.

It’s also moved more units than any other eligible album this cycle.

It may or may not get the nomination but it’s not forgotten. Underestimate it at your own risk because it will definitely be…[Read more]

I’m not seeing Vampire Weekend as an AOTY contender. I think Tame Impala will be the alternative representative this year.