Anyone who didn’t make it onto the 2025 nomination list should have

by Junna Base November 8, 2024

The Grammy Awards are a fickle bunch.

One year you need a truck to haul away your gold hoard of gramophones, and the next year you’re persona non grata.

Just ask Dolly Parton. Or Ed Sheeran. Or Justin Timberlake.

The list of nominees for the 67th^Th The Grammy Awards’ 94 categories can be praised for their undeniable diversity, with pop, country and hip-hop artists crisscrossing the categories, cementing the idea that genre boundaries can be pushed. Just look at this year’s frontrunner Beyoncé, who earned an impressive 11 nods in connection with her “Cowboy Carter” album. And women dominate the Record and Album of the Year categories, with Taylor Swift, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli xcx, Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan receiving nominations in both main categories.

Still, there are always a few artists who were expected to find favor with Recording Academy voters but were instead either left out or barely recognized for the upcoming Feb. 2 ceremony.

Even Swift, despite her six nominations, including for the prestigious Record, Song and Album of the Year triumvirate tied to “The Tortured Poets Department,” apparently should have picked up a few additional awards, particularly for her record-breaking Eras Tour film ( Best Music Film ) and “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart” (Best Pop Solo Performance), one of the most melodically flawless and lyrically haunting contributions in her extensive oeuvre.

And actress Michelle Williams, widely praised for making Britney Spears’ memoir digestible with her audiobook narration “The Woman in Me,” would have, along with her nominations for Oscars, Tonys and Emmys (which she won in 2019 ) could receive a rare Grammy award for her captivating performance in “Fosse/Verdon”).

Unfortunately, the narrative category will be left to Barbra Streisand, Dolly Parton and former President Jimmy Carter.

Here are some other notable layoffs:

Dua Lipa

The three-time Grammy winner released the dance-loving song “Houdini” in November 2023. Given the Grammy submission deadline is September 16, 2023 to August 30, 2024, it feels like it’s been ages since the release of the Tame Impala-produced song Mirror Ball Twirler, the teaser for their third studio album, Radical Optimism. which appeared in May. While “Houdini” almost cracked the top 10 in the US, follow-up singles “Training Season” and “Illusion” disappointed and the album, a decent if not spectacular follow-up to 2020’s breakthrough “Future Nostalgia”, faded away public consciousness and, apparently, in the minds of Grammy voters who completely ignored her performance.

Megan Thee Stallion

The cachet of a three-time Grammy winner — including best new artist in 2021 — didn’t equate to any love for the rapper’s third album, “Megan.” Neither does the success of singles “Cobra,” “Boa,” “Mamushi” and her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Hiss,” which is probably what Megan wants to do with the Recording Academy.

K-pop

Back in 2021, BTS became the first K-pop group to receive a Grammy nomination. In the years that followed, the genre flourished in the US, spawning stadium-filling acts including Tomorrow X Together, Blackpink (and solo breakout Lisa) and Seventeen. Yet the Grammys still haven’t found a place for Korean music stars, as evidenced by another year without nominations for some of K-pop’s biggest names. BTS members Jung Kook and RM dropped their solo offerings (“Golden” in November and “Right Place, Wrong Person” in May, respectively), while Lisa (aka Lalisa Manobal) preceded her solo album debut with global hit “Rockstar.” and “New Woman.” The Grammys have expanded their category offerings admirably in recent years. How about another one for the K-Pop fans?

Dolly Parton

We’re guessing Grammy voters weren’t sure where or how to categorize Parton’s well-meaning, star-studded “Rockstar” album, causing it to go unnoticed. Although cover songs cannot be specifically nominated in songwriting categories – and of the 30 songs, 21 are previously released rock anthems – there is no rule against accepting the album or any of its nine originals, including the title track with Richie Sambora, the Single “ “World on Fire” or “What Has Rock and Roll Ever Done for You” with Stevie Nicks, which received recognition. And these duets with Steven Tyler, Pink, John Fogerty, Sting and other luminaries could have been recognized in performance categories. That was Parton’s 49th^Th Album. Maybe the big 5-0 will do better.

Nicki Minaj

Since 2011, the sultry rapper has earned a dozen Grammy nominations but no wins. Her debut, “Pink Friday,” earned a nod at the 2012 awards show, so conventional wisdom put “Pink Friday 2,” which topped the Billboard 200 album chart upon its release in December, at least up for a Grammy . Or maybe one of the hits from the album? “The last time I saw you”? “FTCU”? “All”? NO? Nothing? Well, it’s a sad day in Gag City.

Justin Timberlake

Although Timberlake wasn’t completely ignored – he got a co-writing role on “Better Place” from the film Trolls Band Together for best song written for visual media – Timberlake made waves with his sixth studio album, Everything I Thought it Was. no attention at all.” In another era, the moderate hit “Selfish” – which is part of co-writer Amy Allen’s nomination for non-classical songwriter of the year – would immediately be in any Pop category included. But that era is over.

Lenny Kravitz

The fiery “Blue Electric Light,” on which Kravitz composed nearly every song solo and played nearly every instrument, is funky, fun and as muscular as the man’s oft-flaunted pecs. Thanks to zero nominations, it won’t win any Grammy Awards either.

Luke Combs

At the 2024 Grammy Awards, the country singer embraced everyone with his heartfelt performance of “Fast Car” alongside the song’s original writer, the elusive Tracy Chapman. But he didn’t win in the Best Country Solo Performance category, and the album that spawned the successful remake “Gettin’ Old” wasn’t nominated. It’s déjà vu for Combs, whose “Fathers & Sons,” released in June, was also rejected. But one bright spot: His “Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” from the “Twisters” soundtrack will compete for best song written for visual media.

(This story has been updated to correct a typo.)

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