Snubs and Surprises in the 2024 Grammy Nominations

Morgan Wallen is one of America’s top recording artists, but he has yet to receive a Grammy nomination in any category. His third studio album, One Thing at a Time, which has topped Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart for 28 weeks, didn’t even rate a best country album nod. Wallen’s smash “Last Night” is up for best country song, but that award goes to the songwriters (and Wallen isn’t among them).

Batiste was a surprise winner of album of the year two years ago for We Are. He was also nominated for record of the year that year for “Freedom.” Few expected Batiste to be nominated again in both categories so soon — and to also land a song of the year nod for the first time. But he did just that, proving that his album of the year win wasn’t a fluke.

Batiste’s “Butterfly” (which he co-wrote with Dan Wilson) was nominated for song of the year, even though it was passed over for a nod in its home genre category, best American roots song. Go figure.

Combs’ smash version of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” won the CMA Award for single of the year on Nov. 8. I was certain it would be Grammy-nominated for record of the year, but it fell short. (It is nominated for best country solo performance.) Combs was nominated for best new artist five years ago (he lost to Dua Lipa), but that is his only nod in a Big Four category. The Grammys need to do much better outreach to the country community.

Monét is nominated in two of the Big Four categories – record of the year for “On My Mama” and best new artist. She’s this year’s only best new artist nominee who is also nominated in another Big Four category. The 34-year-old artist is probably the least broadly known artist in the top categories, which means two things: There will be a lot of Internet searches on her today, and she probably stands to gain the most from these nominations.

Karol G’s Mañana Será Bonito is nominated for best música urbana album, but it was passed over for an album of the year nod. Peso Pluma’s Génesis is nominated for best música Mexicana album (including Tejano), but the 24-year-old Mexican star was passed over for a nod for best new artist.

There was reason to think both artists might crack the marquee categories. Last year, Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti became the first Spanish-language album to receive an album of the year nod. And in the last five years, both Rosalía and Anitta have been nominated for best new artist. The Academy is starting to recognize Latin music in the top categories, but (as with country) there is much work to be done in stepping up voter outreach in that area.

Cyrus was nominated for record, album and song of the year, something that very few people would have thought possible back when she was portraying Hannah Montana. She started changing minds with Bangerz, which brought her a best pop vocal album nod nine years ago, but these are her first Big Three nods as a lead artist. The key was a single, “Flowers,” that was a perfect vehicle for her talents. It topped the Hot 100 for eight weeks.

With “Flowers” nominated for record of the year, Cyrus and her dad, Billy Ray Cyrus, become just the third parent and child to each receive record of the year nods, following the Sinatras (Frank and Nancy) and the Coles (Nat King and Natalie). Billy Ray Cyrus has received two record of the year nods – for “Achy Breaky Heart” and “Old Town Road,” his collab with Lil Nas X.

The country star, who has amassed seven CMA Awards in the last two years, was passed over for a Grammy best new artist nod. (She was entered and eligible.) Bell Bottom Country, which won a CMA award for album of the year Nov. 8, was passed over for a Grammy nod for album of the year – though it is nominated for best country album.

In a surprise twist, Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night” from Barbie was nominated for song of the year, but not record of the year. Many would have predicted the opposite outcome, on the grounds that “Dance the Night” is a fun record, but perhaps not all that much of a song. “Don’t Start Now” was nominated in both categories three years ago.

Two songs from Barbie are up for song of the year — Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?” and Dua Lipa’s “Dance the Night.” Barbie is the third film soundtrack to generate two song of the year nominees, following The Lion King (both in the same year, 1994) and the most recent iteration of A Star Is Born (in successive years, 2018 and 2019).

In addition, four of the five nominees for best song written for visual media were from Barbie. (The only non-Barbie song in the running is Rihanna’s “Lift Me Up” from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.) For all that, Barbie: The Album was passed over for an album of the year nod. In the 30 years since Whitney Houston’s The Bodyguard soundtrack won album of the year, only a few more film soundtracks have been nominated in that category – Waiting to Exhale, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (which also won) and Black Panther.

There were zero nominations for solo BTS members. Two of the members were eligible for record of the year – Jimin with “Like Crazy” and Jung Kook with “Seven” (featuring Latto). As a band, BTS has received five nods, including back-to-back nominations for best pop duo/group performance in 2020-21 with “Dynamite” and “Butter.”

The pop star’s No. 1 Hot 100 hit “Paint the Town Red” was passed over for a record of the year nod. Doja had been nominated in that category the last three years running, with “Say So,” “Kiss Me More” (featuring SZA) and “Woman.”

“Paint the Town Red” may have been docked for leaning so heavily on its sample of Dionne Warwick’s 1964 classic “Walk on By.”

Springsteen’s Only the Strong Survive and Jones’ Pieces of Treasure are both nominated for best traditional pop vocal album. That’s surprising only if you haven’t really been paying attention to the category, which has broadened its focus in recent years. Winners since 2000 have included Joni Mitchell’s Both Sides Now, Elvis Costello & the Imposters’ Look Now and James Taylor’s American Standard. This category is no longer just the home for Michael Bublé albums (though he’s welcome there too).