Some of the biggest names in music will go head-to-head at next year's awards.
The 2023 GRAMMY nominations were announced on Tuesday morning, and while there was plenty of recognition for some of the year's biggest artists -- like Beyoncé, Adele, Kendrick Lamar and more -- we have to discuss some of the more surprising inclusions (Taylor Swift is country again!) and shocking exclusions (no love for Megan Thee Stallion?!).
Among this year's top nominees are Beyoncé with nine, Kendrick Lamar with eight, and Adele and Brandi Carlile with seven, while Mary J. Blige, DJ Khaled, Future, The-Dream, Randy Merrill and Harry Styles all followed closely behind with six each. So, after you've finished perusing the complete list of nominees, read on for a rundown of the biggest snubs and surprises.
SNUB - Megan Thee Stallion's Hot Girl Year Gets Iced
After a majorly successful two-year run and last year's Best New Artist win, Megan Thee Stallion was shut out of this year's GRAMMYs, failing to secure a nomination in any category. The rap superstar released her sophomore album, Traumatize, this year, with successful lead singles, "Her" and "Plan B."
SURPRISE - Taylor Swift Is Country Again
Getting back to her roots, Swift picked up a nomination in the Best Country Song category for "Bet You Think About Me (Taylor’s Version)." The re-recording of the song from her Red album was a duet with country superstar Chris Stapleton.
Also a surprise, on the day her Eras Tour sent Ticketmaster into shambles, Swift was only able to secure a nomination in one of the GRAMMYs' Big 4 categories -- Song of the Year. "All Too Well (The 10 Minute Version)" is nominated as the sole contender from Red (Taylor’s Version) in the General Fields categories. Swift’s latest and record-breaking album, Midnights, wasn’t up for consideration for this year’s ceremony.
SNUB - Bad Bunny Makes History With His Album, But Is Shut Out of Song Categories
After having one of the highest-grossing international tours of the year, Bad Bunny only appeared in the Album of the Year category for his record-breaking album, Un Verano Sin Ti, which became the first-ever Spanish album to earn the major nomination. The announcement comes on the heels of the Puerto Rican superstar landing 10 nominations for the Latin GRAMMYS. Bad Bunny also earned a nom in the Best Música Urbana Album category.
SURPRISE - Christina Aguilera Returns to Her Roots
Aguilera is having a major moment in Latin music. This year, the GRAMMY-winning singer snagged a nomination in the Best Latin Pop Album for Aguilera. The pop songstress is joined in the category by Camilo, Rubén Blades & Boca Livre, Fonseca and Sebastián Yatra.
SNUB - The Big 4 Categories Don't Talk About Bruno
The Encanto original song, "We Don't Talk About Bruno," may be one of Disney's biggest hits in modern history, but it wasn't enough to earn the standout record any love in the major categories at the GRAMMYs. While it did score three nominations, for Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media, Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media and Best Song Written for Visual Media, it failed to land among the nominees up for Record or Song of the Year, making us wonder what the Recording Academy has against Bruno.
SURPRISE - Viola Davis Takes a Big Step Towards Her EGOT
Viola Davis could soon be an EGOT winner thanks to her surprise nomination in the Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording category for her memoir, Finding Me. After previously winning an Emmy for How to Get Away With Murder, an Oscar for Fences and two Tonys for Fences and King Hedley II, she's now officially on track for her first GRAMMY Award. If she were to win, she would follow recent EGOT winners John Legend and Jennifer Hudson.
SURPRISE - The-Dream is Back in a Big Way
The singer/songwriter is one of the most nominated artists in this year’s ceremony. The musician, whose real name is Terius Gesteelde-Diamant, is up for trophies in six categories. Not only does he make history as one of the first artists in the inaugural Songwriter of the Year category, he is up for awards for his work on both Beyoncé and Mary J. Blidge's albums – two more of this year’s big contenders.
SNUB (BUT NOT REALLY) - Silk Sonic’s Wish Was Granted
Bruno Mars and Anderson Paak’s successfully sexy music ensemble was predicted to snag numerous nominations for their debut album during this year’s ceremony, following last year's big wins for lead single "Leave the Door Open." However, earlier this year, the duo released a statement sharing that they were going to "gracefully and sexually" decline to submit themselves for consideration for this year’s ceremony.
The internet secretly hoped that the duo would be able to make their way into the nominations through some sort of loophole. However, it wasn’t the case. Maybe they will still bring the sexy to the stage?
The 65th Annual GRAMMY Awards will take place on Sunday, Feb. 5, 2023, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT and will broadcast and stream live on CBS and Paramount+. Follow along at ETonline.com for everything you need to get ready for music's biggest night, including how to watch, GRAMMY performers and more.
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