FILE – The Beatles, from left, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney seem in Liverpool, England on July 10, 1964, for the premiere of their film “A Laborious Day’s Evening.” (AP Picture, File)
NEW YORK — It seems to be just like the 2025 Grammy Awards could also be a unique type of award present. Beyoncé leads the nods with 11, bringing her profession complete to a record-breaking 99 nominations. There’s an unimaginable variety of genres represented throughout the main classes, and girls proceed to succeed. So… who didn’t make the minimize? What have been the most effective surprises of all? Let’s have a look.
Nation’s cool once more… and it seems to be a bit completely different.
Nation music has bled into different distinguished genres and the Recording Academy has taken notice. Nation hybridists — like Beyoncé, Submit Malone and first-time nominee Shaboozey — lead many nominations, in nation and past.
However meaning the traditionalists may not see rewards: CMA Awards favorites Cody Johnson’s “Leather-based” and Luke Combs’ “Fathers & Sons” didn’t see any nominations. The latter shouldn’t come as a lot of a shock: Comb’s blockbuster cowl of Tracy Chapman’s “Quick Automotive” wasn’t nominated for report of the yr on the Grammys in 2024, both – although it did land a nod in greatest nation solo efficiency.
This yr additionally marks Malone and Beyoncé’s first-ever nominations within the nation classes.
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The Beatles are again
Who noticed this one coming? The Beatles final new music, the AI-assisted “Now and Then,” is up for report of the yr. Launched in 2023, the music utilized synthetic intelligence to extract John Lennon’s voice from an outdated demo. It’s the identical know-how used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds throughout the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary sequence, “The Beatles: Get Again.”
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Final summer time, the Recording Academy introduced a sequence of modifications to the Grammy Awards, together with new protocols involving technological developments in machine studying. It sparked headlines: “Solely human creators” might win the music trade’s highest honor in a call geared toward the usage of synthetic intelligence in in style music. On the 2025 Grammys, clearly, these modifications are in motion.
Album of the yr will get a facelift
Final yr’s album of the yr class was dominated by pop girls — and that continues, with Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX’s rave-ready strategy to the style receiving noms. The latter is a pleasant shock (extra on that beneath), however the two males nominated are artistic outliers. OutKast frontman André 3000’s experimental jazz-flute album “New Blue Solar” is a contender, in addition to Jacob Collier’s “Djesse Vol. 4,” although that one might fulfill an area left vacant by Jon Batiste.
BRAT summer time is eternally
Charli XCX, having by no means obtained a solo artist nomination on the Grammys, is up for seven awards on the 2025 ceremony. These embrace report and album of the yr, in addition to pop solo and pop duo/group efficiency, pop dance recording, dance/digital album and music video. Clearly, her culture-shifting “BRAT” album — and the summer time of memes it impressed — has continued to carry actual affect.
Thrilling, shocking first time nominees
There is no such thing as a scarcity of first-time nominees this yr. Some have been anticipated — like Roan, Carpenter and Shaboozey — others much less so. Willow Smith has obtained her first nomination within the association, devices and vocals class for arranging her music “b i g f e e l i n g s.” Linda Martell, the primary commercially profitable Black girl musician in nation, is featured alongside Shaboozey on Beyoncé’s “SPAGHETTII,” which is up for the melodic rap efficiency class. That delivers the progenitor her first-ever Grammy nomination at age 83.
And lastly, Morgan Wallen — undoubtedly one of the crucial in style musicians within the nation, and one rife with controversy — has obtained his first two Grammy nominations for his function on Malone’s “I Had Some Assist.” Final yr, his music “Final Evening” was nominated for greatest nation music, however that could be a songwriter’s award, and Wallen didn’t obtain a nod.
Prior to now, the nation singer has been absent from nominations. In 2021, after video surfaced of him utilizing a racial slur, he was disqualified or restricted from a number of award reveals and obtained no Grammy nominations for his bestselling “Harmful: The Double Album.”
Latin music is lacking from the highest classes… once more
Identical to final yr, Latin music is lacking from the highest classes on the 2025 Grammys, regardless of a surplus of eligible expertise: Peso Pluma’s “Éxodo,” Shakira’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” Residente, “Las Letras Ya No Importan,” Carín León’s “Boca Chueca, Vol. 1” and Unhealthy Bunny’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” amongst them.
No Ok-pop?
Identical as above: Ok-pop, too, appears to be absent. There are not any nominations for the BTS members who’ve launched solo materials this yr: RM’s “Proper Place, Flawed Particular person,” J-Hope’s “Hope on the Road, Vol. 1,” and Jimin’s “Muse.” As a boy band, BTS has obtained 5 nominations throughout its profession.
Just one nomination for landmark artists
Regardless of being one of many nice world superstars of the present second — often celebrated as one of the crucial streamed artists on the planet — Unhealthy Bunny’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” obtained just one nomination, for música urbana album.
And Usher, who had a blockbuster yr — together with a star-studded Tremendous Bowl halftime present — additionally obtained just one nomination, for R&B album.
…And none for others
In pop, Dua Lipa’s “Radical Optimism” is nowhere to be seen. In nation, greatest new artist hopeful Megan Moroney obtained no nominations. In R&B, Normani’s long-awaited debut album, “Dopamine,” didn’t make waves with voters, and in rap, Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Megan” are absent.
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The top of Jack Antonoff’s reign?
Final yr, Jack Antonoff took residence producer of the yr, non-classical for a 3rd yr in a row, tying Babyface as the one different producer to take action consecutively. This yr, he didn’t obtain a nod in that class — one he has held a spot in since 2019. Who will take the mantle?
