Although the Grammy Awards have been postponed until March 14, the nominations are still out, and with last year being a hit-or-miss for most musicians, the Grammy Board members did not hold back in making controversial choices. Many fans were upset about the nominees for specific categories. 

   With that said, some artists were seriously snubbed this year while others earned nominations rightfully.

   The Weeknd, also called Abel, broke the record with his song “Blinding Lights” for the most weeks ever in the Billboard charts top 10, having the most-streamed song of 2020 on Spotify. His album After Hours could arguably be the best and most played album of 2020. However, The Weeknd was not nominated in any categories at the Grammys. This was one of the most shocking robs of the year. With over 1.6 billion streams and countless weeks on the charts, it was expected that he would at least be nominated in the Song of The Year category, which he was not. This snub has lots of fans, including me, upset by the actions of the Grammys. The Weeknd was also equally upset as he went on Twitter to voice his concerns about this appalling snub: 

   “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans, and the industry transparency.”

   In another Tweet he stated:

   “Collaboratively planning a performance for weeks to not being invited?  In my opinion zero nominations = you’re not invited!”

   The Weeknd was not the only artist who was passed by: the group BTS was also overlooked. Though being nominated in the category of Best Pop Duo/Group for their song “Dynamite,” the group released their album Map of the Soul:7 on February 21, having the biggest first-week album sale of 2020. The album sold 400,000 copies in America and 3 million copies in South Korea, making BTS the only artist in South Korea to sell 3 million albums in one week. The album was also the only pop album to go platinum in 2020, which was deemed by the Recording Industry Association of American (RIAA). Some say this could be subjective because Hasley’s album Manic, Taylor Swift’s album Folklore, and Justin Bieber’s album Changes could all be considered pop, but the RIAA did not see them as fit. So, Justin’s album was put into the R&B/Hip-Hop section while Taylor and Hasely are in the Alternative section.

   Although BTS themselves have not pressed on the matter of not being nominated for Best Album of the Year, their fans have taken it into their hands to speak on the rob the boys received. 

   “I still think mots:7(Map of The Soul:7) was snubbed,” said one Twitter user. “Best selling album of the year, the first pop album this year to be certified platinum, and ONLY album to get #1 in 8 of the major music markets. The songs were exceptionally good.”

(The chart shows the rank of albums in various countries and BTS’s MOTS:7 was number 1 in all 8)

   Though there were other major snubs this year, one artist that got the recognition they deserve was Megan Thee Stallion. With a Grammy nomination in Best Rap Performance, Best Rap Song, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist, Megan really showed how big of an impact she made through 2020. Especially with her song “Savage (Remix) ft. Beyonce,” which had over 41 million streams and was one of the first songs on the app Tik Tok that got people moving and having fun again at the beginning of the quarantine. With this being her first time as a Grammy nominee, being put up for four awards is one the best things that could happen for her. It goes to show that Megan’s career has just reached new heights and it will ultimately continue to grow. 

   The Grammy Awards will need a redemption year to make up for the significant snubs to The Weeknd, BTS, Harry Styles, Halsey, and many other talented artists. But we can still enjoy this year’s nominees and only hope our favorite artist wins within their categories.