Many of the awards at the 67th annual Grammys went exactly as predicted. Of the six General Field categories I handicapped on Jan. 6 (the Monday after final voting closed), five went as I foresaw. But there were still plenty of snubs and surprises across the (gulp) 94 categories that were presented on Sunday (Feb. 2).
Fully 85 of those categories were presented in the afternoon at the Grammy Premiere Ceremony, which was hosted by songwriter Justin Tranter for the second year. Just nine awards were presented on the telecast, which was hosted by comedian Trevor Noah for the fifth straight year. (Both of these hosts were nominees on the night. Tranter was nominated for song of the year for co-writing the Chappell Roan smash “Good Luck, Babe!” Noah was nominated for best comedy album for Where Was I. They lost to Kendrick Lamar and Dave Chappelle, respectively.)
I’ll fess up to the one General Field category I missed, but first, a brief mention of the five General Field categories I got right. Beyoncé’s country project Cowboy Carter indeed won album of the year; Kendrick Lamar’s diss track “Not Like Us” took record of the year; Chappell Roan took best new artist; her producer, Dan Nigro, won producer of the year, non-classical; and Amy Allen won songwriter of the year, non-classical.
And Allen made a little bit of Grammy history in the process, becoming the first woman to win songwriter of the year, non-classical.
But you came here for Snubs & Surprises, and we’ve got a dozen to share with you.
Swift went 0-6 this year, marking the first time she has ever been blanked when she had six or more nominations. Still, it’s hard to think of it as a snub. Every single voter knew that Swift has amassed more album of the year wins than anyone else in Grammy history. They may have simply decided to share the wealth this year.
Ferrell is a rising star in the Americana world, but you probably didn’t think she was headed for a four-Grammy sweep. Her fourth full-length studio album, Trail of Flowers, won best Americana album. The album’s opening track, “American Dreaming,” won both best Americana performance and best American roots song. Another track on the album, “Lighthouse,” won best American roots performance.
Eilish went 0-7 this year. Eilish and her brother FINNEAS lost song of the year, which I expected them to win for their silky ballad “Birds of a Feather.” Eilish also went 0-7 at the show in 2022. Eilish has won record of the year twice, song of the year twice (with FINNEAS) and album of the year once, not to mention two Oscars (again with FINNEAS). Again, voters may have just wanted to share the wealth this year.
Residente’s Las Letras Ya No Importan won best música urbana album, beating Bad Bunny’s Billboard 200-topping album Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana. It’s Bunny’s first loss in the category, which he won with El Último Tour Del Mundo in 2022 and Un Verano Sin Ti in 2023.
Antonoff went 0-6 on the night. The 11-time Grammy winner was denied a nomination in the category that he seemed destined to win for the fourth year in a row – producer of the year, non-classical.
André 3000’s New Blue Sun was nominated for album of the year and best alternative jazz album. Few expected it to win album of the year, but most figured it would take the alternative jazz prize. It wasn’t to be. Instead, the award went to Meshell Ndegeocello’s No More Water: The Gospel of James Baldwin. Ndegeocello accepted her award wearing a sweatshirt emblazoned “Andre 3000 Live in Person.” André 3000 announced on Saturday that he wouldn’t attend the show. He didn’t state a reason: “Unfortunately, I’m not able to attend the GRAMMYs tomorrow but some of the New Blue Sun musicians, friends and supporters will be in attendance,” he wrote in an Instagram post on Saturday (Feb. 1).
Rapsody featuring Erykah Badu’s “3:AM” won best melodic rap performance, a category most figured would go to “Spaghettii” by Beyoncé featuring Linda Martell and Shaboozey. Many learned of Martell’s compelling story through Cowboy Carter – a talented Black country singer who was thwarted in her career in the late 1960s because of the less open attitudes of that era.
The band has won best metal performance seven times and many expected them to win again with “Screaming Suicide.” But the award went instead to Gojira, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Masne for “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ca ira!). It’s only the second time that Metallica has lost in this category. In 1996, their “For Whom the Bell Tolls” lost to Nine Inch Nails’ “Happiness in Slavery.” Gojira has had a very good year. Last July, the band performed at the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony in Paris.
When John Legend’s My Favorite Dream was nominated for best children’s music album, it was easy to think it was game over. How do you compete with an EGOT? But Lucky Diaz and the Family Jam Band won for Brillo, Brillo! This was the latest proof that voters aren’t always swayed by the biggest name in the race. (Legend won a Grammy for best arrangement, instrumental or a cappella for his role in arranging Jacob Collier’s “Bridge Over Troubled Water,” on which he and Tori Kelly were featured.)
Diamonds and Pearls: Super Deluxe Edition, a reissue of the group’s 1991 album, was nominated for best historical album. Many figured it might win, given that Prince was chosen to receive a lifetime achievement award, which was presented on Saturday (Feb. 1). But no. The album lost to Centennial by King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band and Various Artists. Diamonds and Pearls received two nominations when it was a current album – “Get Off” was nominated for best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals. “Diamonds and Pearls” was nominated in the equivalent pop category.
Eigsti’s Plot Armour won best contemporary instrumental album, beating the latest album (Rhapsody in Blue) by genre star Béla Fleck, who was part of a collaboration which won in the category last year. Fleck performed the Gershwin classic on the Premiere Ceremony, another hint that it might win.
Jon Batiste’s American Symphony won best music film, beating The Greatest Night in Pop, a Netflix film about the making of “We Are the World.” That humanitarian anthem swept four Grammys, including record and song of the year, 39 years ago. Lionel Richie, who won song of the year for that anthemic hit (alongside Michael Jackson), was nominated here as one of the video producers.
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