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 Night time.” (AP Photograph, File)
NEW YORK — It appears to be like just like the 2025 Grammy Awards could also be a special sort of award present. Beyoncé leads the nods with 11, bringing her profession whole to a record-breaking 99 nominations. There’s an unbelievable variety of genres represented throughout the foremost classes, and girls proceed to succeed. So… who didn’t make the minimize? What had been the very best surprises of all? Let’s have a look.
Nation’s cool once more… and it appears to be like a bit completely different.
Nation music has bled into different outstanding genres and the Recording Academy has taken notice. Nation hybridists — like Beyoncé, Put up Malone and first-time nominee Shaboozey — lead many nominations, in nation and past.
However meaning the traditionalists won’t 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 Automobile” wasn’t nominated for document of the 12 months on the Grammys in 2024, both – although it did land a nod in finest nation solo efficiency.
This 12 months 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 track, the AI-assisted “Now and Then,” is up for document of the 12 months. Launched in 2023, the track utilized synthetic intelligence to extract John Lennon’s voice from an previous 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 collection, “The Beatles: Get Again.”
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Final summer time, the Recording Academy introduced a collection of modifications to the Grammy Awards, together with new protocols involving technological developments in machine studying. It sparked headlines: “Solely human creators” may win the music business’s highest honor in a call aimed toward using synthetic intelligence in common music. On the 2025 Grammys, clearly, these modifications are in motion.
Album of the 12 months will get a facelift
Final 12 months’s album of the 12 months 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 under), however the two males nominated are inventive 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 could fulfill an area left vacant by Jon Batiste.
BRAT summer time is ceaselessly
Charli XCX, having by no means acquired a solo artist nomination on the Grammys, is up for seven awards on the 2025 ceremony. These embody document and album of the 12 months, 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 isn’t any scarcity of first-time nominees this 12 months. Some had been anticipated — like Roan, Carpenter and Shaboozey — others much less so. Willow Smith has acquired her first nomination within the association, devices and vocals class for arranging her track “b i g f e e l i n g s.” Linda Martell, the primary commercially profitable Black lady 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 common musicians within the nation, and one rife with controversy — has acquired his first two Grammy nominations for his function on Malone’s “I Had Some Assist.” Final 12 months, his track “Final Night time” was nominated for finest nation track, however that may 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 exhibits and acquired no Grammy nominations for his bestselling “Harmful: The Double Album.”
Latin music is lacking from the highest classes… once more
Similar to final 12 months, 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?
Similar as above: Ok-pop, too, appears to be absent. There are not any nominations for the BTS members who’ve launched solo materials this 12 months: RM’s “Proper Place, Mistaken Particular person,” J-Hope’s “Hope on the Road, Vol. 1,” and Jimin’s “Muse.” As a boy band, BTS has acquired 5 nominations throughout its profession.
Just one nomination for landmark artists
Regardless of being one of many nice international superstars of the present second — commonly celebrated as one of the streamed artists on the planet — Unhealthy Bunny’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” acquired just one nomination, for música urbana album.
And Usher, who had a blockbuster 12 months — together with a star-studded Tremendous Bowl halftime present — additionally acquired 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, finest new artist hopeful Megan Moroney acquired 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.
The tip of Jack Antonoff’s reign?
Final 12 months, Jack Antonoff took residence producer of the 12 months, non-classical for a 3rd 12 months in a row, tying Babyface as the one different producer to take action consecutively. This 12 months, he didn’t obtain a nod in that class — one he has held a spot in since 2019. Who will take the mantle?
