Chappell Roan’s speech asking record labels to look out for smaller artists at the Grammy’s has certainly ruffled some feathers, and we’d expect nothing less from a pop star who’s proven time and time again that she’s not like her contemporaries. That being said, the backlash has also resulted in some positive action already.

Chappell’s speech was heavily criticized by music executive Jeff Rabhan in a guest column featured in The Hollywood Reporter. Rabhan called Roan “misinformed” for believing that record labels should be providing healthcare for artists as, according to him, it would only be bad news for both parties involved.

“There is no moral or ethical obligation by any standard that hold labels responsible for the allocation of additional funds beyond advances and royalties.”

Chappell Roan rises to Rabhan’s challenge

Rabhan also challenged Roan to put her money where her mouth is, calling her speech “performative” while accusing her of not really doing anything about the issue herself. In response to this, the pop star donated $25,000 to Backline, a charity that s artists’ mental health. 

The gesture proved that the “Pink Pony Club” singer was more than willing to put her words into action, and it subsequently inspired other artists to match her donation. Musicians including Charli XCX and Noah Kahan all chipped in with $25,000 of their own money, resulting in Backline’s “single biggest fundraising day,” according to charity director Hilary Gleason. Her words and subsequent actions led to even more following suit, including global touring companies and promoters. 

Chappell Roan wants more protection for smaller artists

Roan’s message is one that should really shouldn’t be that controversial. Taking to the stage to accept her award for Best New Artist, the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer called out record labels for failing to provide things like healthcare to smaller artists. She recounts her own experience being signed as a minor and struggling to get by when the COVID pandemic hit due to a lack of work experience.

Despite what her detractors are saying, it seems like the proof is in the pudding, Chappell successfully rallied enough people to not only start this conversation, but actually make a difference. Gleason thanked the singer for using her moment to draw attention to an issue few outside the industry were even aware of.

“We really appreciate her using that moment to call for action to change the music industry.”

Roan’s response to Rabhan also included a message to the music exec in which she asked him to match her donation, but it seems he has yet to accept the challenge, although he has responded to Roan’s power move on X.

From a short two minute speech, Roan managed to inspire her peers and those in the industry to take action, and we’ve already seen a tangible positive result. Only time will tell what more she’s capable of, but we can only hope she carries on the way she’s going and never conforms to the system.

Chappell Roan’s past criticisms of Kamala Harris have resurfaced, following a Grammys speech in which she demanded health care for new music artists.In case you missed it, Roan collected the Grammy Award for Best New Artist at the 67th edition of the annual awards show yesterday. She took home the gong within a competitive list of fellow nominees that included Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, and Raye, among others.

During her acceptance speech, the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer called on record labels to offer their signed artists “a livable wage and health care,” placing particular emphasis on “developing artists.” Within the plea, Roan more broadly called out the industry for “profiting millions of dollars off of artists,” and recalled her own experience being dropped by a label with no work experience under her belt. 

“It was devastating to feel so committed to my art and feel so betrayed by the system and dehumanized,” Roan said. “If my label had prioritized [health care], I could have been provided care for a company I was giving everything to.” The pop star concluded the speech by demanding that labels “treat their artists as valuable employees with a livable wage and health insurance.” Roan’s plea was met with rapturous applause from the audience of the Grammys, but some appear surprised by her thoughts given her previous political commentary. 

Before the presidential election last year, Roan made headlines for refusing to endorse either Harris or Donald Trump for president, saying “there’s problems on both sides”, but underlining that she would be voting for Harris. The comments, which came from an interview with The Guardian, received backlash as Roan revealed she had declined an invitation to perform at the White House during Joe Biden’s presidency. The singer cited LGBTQ+ rights and the Israel-Palestine war as key issues of concern, and said that neither party had convinced her these issues would be properly addressed. 

Now, those comments are being reappraised in light of Roan’s call for health care for musicians, with some onlookers reminding her that Harris was “a Presidential candidate who had an entire plan to expand healthcare access,” as one X wrote. In agreement, others said Roan “couldn’t even fully endorse a candidate that would’ve at least protected some of [the] rights” she mentioned in her speech, or otherwise declared that they “don’t want to hear from the ‘there are problems on both sides’ woman.”

In an attempt to tamp down the controversy Roan underlined that she would be voting for Harris but didn’t “feel pressured” to officially endorse her, expressing frustration with the two-party system. She also encouraged people to “vote small” and on the issues of their own towns. The singer — who performed her track “Pink Pony Club” during the Grammys ceremony — wasn’t the only artist to address the political climate in her Grammys acceptance speech. 

Host of the ceremony, Trevor Noah, made multiple quips about Trump’s controversial immigration policies, while best Latin pop album winner Shakira dedicated her speech to “my immigrant brothers and sisters in this country.” Meanwhile, in response to Trump’s curtailing of transgender rights, Lady Gaga reminded us that “trans people are not invisible” and that “the queer community deserves to be lifted up.”

The 2025 Grammy Awards will carry on as scheduled this year, but with a “renewed sense of purpose,” said Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr.

The Recording Academy announced in January that the awards will still be held on Sunday, February 2, at the Crypto.com Arena despite the devastating fires experienced last month by many in Los Angeles.

The Academy also confirmed the MusiCares Persons of The Year Charity Gala honoring the Grateful Dead will still happen on January 31, and both the Special Merit Awards Ceremony & Grammys Nominees Reception and Clive Davis’ and the Recording Academy’s Pre-Grammy Fundraising Event will take place on February 1.

“Our hearts go out to everyone affected by the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles. This city is our home, and we mourn the loss of life and destruction that have come to it in recent days,” Mason explained in a statement.

“In close coordination with local authorities to ensure public safety and responsible use of area resources, the 67th Grammy Awards telecast on CBS on Feb. 2 will proceed as planned. This year’s show, however, will carry a renewed sense of purpose: raising additional funds to wildfire relief efforts and honoring the bravery and dedication of first responders who risk their lives to protect ours,” the statement continued.

“In challenging times, music has the power to heal, comfort, and unite like nothing else. The Grammys will not only honor the artistry and achievements of our music community but also serve as a platform to amplify the spirit of resilience that defines this great city of Los Angeles.”

The news comes despite the fact that several organizations and companies canceled their Grammys-related events.

When do the Grammy Awards come on?

The 2025 Grammys will take place on Feb. 2, 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET. The Grammys will air live on CBS and can be streamed on Paramount+ with Showtime.

Performers at the Grammys include Benson Boone, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, Charli xcx, Doechii, RAYE, Sabrina Carpenter, Shakira, and Teddy Swims.

The awards show will also include an appearance from Taylor Swift, who will as a presenter for the first time.

The 67th Annual Grammy Awards is shaping up to be a truly special occasion, because not only is Taylor Swift attending for her numerous Tortured Poets Department nominations, but she’ll also be doing something she hasn’t done in the show for a decade.

Now that the Eras Tour is finally over, having become the highest-grossing concert in history, you mostly glimpse Taylor’s name these days in the context of her beau Travis Kelce’s football matches, where she plays the role of dazzling spectator and team sweetheart. But even disregarding all those gatekeepers who say Taylor’s presence steals the spotlight away from the actual sport (only to be shut by the real experts, who see the value of the Chiefs games being turned into star-studded events), it’s been a while since we saw Taylor in her element last. That is, it’s been a while by Swift’s own standards, who doesn’t seem to be able to go a few months without absolutely dominating the charts and reminding everyone why her fans jokingly refer to her as the music industry.

Unfortunately for Swifties, a new album is nowhere in sight, but that will hardly stop them from singing Taylor’s praises in two days when the 67th Grammys is held in Los Angeles. The record-breaking singer has just been announced as the first presenter for the main awards ceremony, a feat she previously performed a decade ago in 2015.

As you might have expected, the fandom is already calling this the main event, and I can’t quite blame them.

Some wonder if Taylor will finally unveil reputation (Taylor’s Version) at the event. Swifties have patiently awaited it for months, even if Taylor is content to let the anticipation simmer. Whenever there’s the tiniest hint that the remastered version of reputation will see the light of day, the fandom goes into overdrive, only to be disappointed, a cycle they amusingly refer to as “clowning.”

Swift has been known to drop bombshells at award ceremonies (e.g. the Midnights announcement at the 2022 VMAs or The Tortured Poets Department during the 2024 Grammys), so it’s not entirely unreasonable to assume that the same could happen at the 67th Grammys on Sunday, though you should probably expect it if she ends up winning any trophies. Who are we kidding? When she wins a trophy.

Taylor has been nominated in six categories this year: Best Music Video, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year (all for “Fortnight” ft. Post Malone) as well as Best Pop Vocal Album and Album of the Year (for The Tortured Poets Department) and lastly, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “Us” in collaboration with Gracie Adams.

Swift broke a record by becoming the first female artist to earn seven nominations for Album of the Year. Throughout her career, she has been nominated a total of 58 times for a Grammy, winning 14 and becoming one of the most celebrated singers in history, a number that’s bound to only increase in a few days when she bags even more trophies for the acclaimed Tortured Poets Department.

Dua Lipa, one of the world’s leading pop stars, was left out of 2025’s incredibly tight Grammy race when the nominations dropped in November, but she’s happy to see others get the attention — especially one of her best friends and ers in the industry, Charli XCX.

With nods lined up for Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter, and the year’s internet queen XCX, this year’s Grammy Awards are gearing up to be a certified diva-off. Lipa would have liked to have been included with Radical Optimism, but she’s not overly bothered, considering she’s just had “the best year of [her] life”

“Overall I’m really happy with where I am,” she told Billboard UK for its Global No. 1s series regarding the lack of Academy love for her third studio album. “I don’t think it really matters in the grand scheme of things — where I am, where I want to be and where I’m going. It doesn’t change the way I feel about the record at all.”

The 29-year-old says the album helped her realize some of her biggest dreams, including working with Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, concerts all over Asia, a special Royal Albert Hall performance, and headlining Glastonbury’s mythical Pyramid Stage. “There came a point in the year where I was thinking, ‘I’ve got to sit down and write some new dreams and new plans and other things I wanted to do.'”

Nominated or not, Radical Optimism contributed to a year that was just overwhelmingly ruled by female voices. Most of 2024’s biggest, most talked about albums belonged to women, and the Grammys already reflect that. Beyoncé received a whopping 11 nods for her country turn in Cowboy Carter, officially becoming the most nominated artist in the awards’ history, followed by Eilish and XCX with seven (including a shared best pop duo/group performance nod for their collaboration in “Guess”), and Swift, Carpenter and Roan with six each. Kendrick Lamar and Post Malone were the only male artists to crash the ladies’ party, both with seven nominations.

While Lipa would have been a surefire addition to that list a couple of years ago, this year she’s just happy to see so many of her peers dominate.

Although it would have been nice to be recognized by your industry, especially as a woman, I’m so proud seeing so many incredible female artists nominated at the Grammys this year.”

Album of the Year winner predictions have varied, but the zeitgeist-seizing Brat is comfortably leading the race when it comes to end-of-year “Best Album” lists. Picked by the likes of The New York Times, Billboard, Rolling Stone, and NME as 2024’s best, XCX’s career-defining record also seems to be Lipa’s top pick.

“[Charli] has worked her arse off, and it’s so beautiful to see her get the recognition she deserves,” the British-Albanian singer said, adding “She’s really stuck to her guns and allowed herself to be creative in her own way, and it’s paid off. That’s the best thing that can ever happen to an artist. She’s so deserving of every moment.”

Lipa, of course, is featured in the deluxe version of Brat in the track “Talk Talk” alongside Troye Sivan and has been good friends with XCX since at least 2016, coming up in the same Brit pop scene. In an early 2024 Rolling Stone interview, she named the “360” musician as one of two friends that she really values in the industry, alongside Tove Lo. “Those are just two solid, core girls who are really girls’ girls … Both of them are just so real.”

Recently, a resurfaced clip of XCX doing back-up vocals for her friend on a 2018 BBC Live Lounge appearance went viral. “She was so wrong for having all the girls just do backup vocals omg like not even a single line,” said one fan — a wild sight considering the trajectories both of their careers have taken since.

Months before, in 2017, the Essex musician had promoted Lipa’s debut album on her profile. “Love you, Dua, congratulations,” XCX wrote.

Indeed, the “Houdini” singer isn’t exaggerating when she says XCX has “been so ive from day one.” “I love her so much … She’s always been a really good friend of mine … She deserves all the flowers,” Lipa gushed.

In 2024, Brat replicated a lot of the same viral success Lipa’s own Future Nostalgia achieved four years ago. And though it would have been fun to see the two London besties make the award rounds together this year, their respective global success is a testament to their hard work and longevity. That Lipa, who was one of the few main pop girls to be overlooked by the Grammys this year, will be channeling her energy towards ing her friend instead is a lesson in sisterhood that should be celebrated.

Professionally, it’s been an incredible year for Chappell Roan. Her star is on the rise, and the success of her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess (released in 2023) and The Midwest Princess Tour have made her one of the hottest talents in the music industry. There’s only one problem: she’s been incredibly outspoken about her fame and how uncomfortable with it she is.

Roan has infamously claimed that she doesn’t want recognition at award ceremonies, particularly the Grammys — but she has since contradicted herself.

There is already a lot of excitement surrounding the Grammy Awards, which will be held on Feb. 2, 2025. Among the nominees was Roan, who is up for six awards including New Artist, Pop Vocal Album, and Record of the Year. This makes her one of the top nominees (alongside other industry greats like Sabrina Carpenter, Taylor Swift, ​​Charli XCX, and Beyoncé). The recognition is undoubtedly something to celebrate, and the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer recently made a post on Instagram to spotlight her moment.

She shared two photos on the social media platform, where she has an impressive 5.6 million fans. The first shows her holding a balloon in the shape of the number six, and in the second she is holding a glass of champagne while her musical collaborator Dan Nigro cuts a cake. In the caption, Roan shared her excitement, writing, “I’m hungies 6 Grammy nom nom nom nom nom noms.”

Chappell Roan’s fans react to her Grammy nomination celebration

Fans have reacted to the post with congratulatory messages. “Beyond deserved,” a comment reads. “Thank u for giving us a safespace,” another shared. Other reactions include, “So so so proud, you deserve all of this girl,” “6 grammy nom nom nom noms… yeah you ate,” and “IM SO PROUD OF YOU. YOU HAVE COME SO FAR.” But not everyone is in a celebratory mood as some fans have highlighted her hypocrisy. “Thought you didn’t want it…..bye,” a comment reads, with a number of similar comments expressing their obvious disdain openly.

So, what exactly did Roan say about the Grammys and were her comments taken out of context? In an interview with British magazine, The Face, she discussed the award show. “My mom would love to go to the Grammys or the Brits,” she said. ​“I’m kind of hoping I don’t win, because then everyone will get off my a**: ​‘See guys, we did it and we didn’t win, bye’! I won’t have to do this again!”

Instead, she stressed the importance of becoming an artist who has a long and successful career — and she’s ready to put in the work it will take to make this happen! “I feel ambitious about making this sustainable,” she said. ​“That’s my biggest goal right now. My brain is like: quit right now, take next year off. This industry and artistry f***ing thrive on mental illness, burnout, overworking yourself, overextending yourself, not sleeping. You get bigger the more unhealthy you are. Isn’t that so f***ed up?”

Apart from the fact that Roan is already working on her second studio album despite expressing the desire to take some time off, she also highlighted the “hope” to not win a Grammy. But even if we take her words at face value, they appear to be misinterpreted as what the singer means is how the expectation of winning a Grammy would hog her career if she is even nominated once. She is not necessarily dissing the prestigious honor or outright disrespecting its value as a singer, and seeing that the negative comments are widely outmatched by compliments and congratulations, it is safe to say that the majority of her fans opted to truly understand her sentiments.

The list of nominees for the 2025 Grammy Awards was released on Nov. 8, and among those included was former President Jimmy Carter. Being recognized for one’s hard work is always an honor, and this marks the 10th nomination for the centenarian.

Carter was nominated in the Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording category for his spoken-work album Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. He’s going up against Barbra Streisand (My Name is Barbra), Dolly Parton (Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones), George Clinton (…And Your A** Will Follow: Words + Music), and Guy Oldfield (All You Need is Love: The Beatles in Their Own Words).

Carter’s latest spoken-word album was released a few months ahead of his 100th birthday, and it includes recordings of the Sunday School lessons he delivered at the Maranatha Baptist Church in his hometown of Plains, Georgia. The album also features music from LeAnn Rimes, Jon Batiste, Darius Rucker, Nicole Zuraitis, and Keb’ Mo’. Producer Kabir Sehgal described it as “a final culmination of President Carter’s Sunday school lessons for years, for decades.”

On Oct. 1, 2024, Carter celebrated his 100th birthday in Plains surrounded by his family and closest friends. The group indulged in cupcakes outdoors as World War II planes flew across the sky to honor the birthday celebrant. Carter was placed in hospice care in Feb. 2023, and at that time, some family were concerned that he didn’t have long to live. In any case, Carter has stayed resilient after beating brain cancer and having a broken hip. When his son, Chip, asked whether he was trying to live to be 100, he answered, “No, I’m trying to live to vote for Kamala Harris.”

Carter fulfilled his wish and voted early. As his grandson Jason said, “he sat down and told everybody what he wanted to do, and was excited about it.” A family member then submitted his ballot at an absentee dropbox.

Jimmy Carter is breaking records

Living to be 100 years old is something to celebrate, and as one of Carter’s grandsons, Josh, said, “It’s a gift I didn’t know we were going to get.” There’s little news about his health, and his last public appearance was at the funeral of his wife Rosalynn who died in Nov. 2023, at 96 years old, just a few months after they celebrated their 77th wedding anniversary. At that time, Carter’s grandson, Jason, told the New York Times that his grandfather was “coming to the end, and he’s very, very physically diminished.”

Now, he is the longest-living U.S. president in history and the first to reach the triple digits. He’s also the oldest Grammy nominee ever with his recent nomination, and if he wins, he’ll be holding the title of the oldest Grammy winner. Blues musician Pinetop Perkins — who won a Grammy for Best Traditional Blues Album in 2011 at 97 years old — currently holds the record.

Carter has won three Grammys, all for the Best Spoken Word Album category: Our Endangered Values: America’s Moral Crisis (2006), A Full Life: Reflections at 90 (2015), and Faith — A Journey for All (2018). To date, Carter is the oldest-living Grammy winner. The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will be held on Feb. 2, 2025. 

Dua Lipa has canceled her weekend concert in Jakarta, Indonesia, around the same time the Grammys decided she’s not worthy of any nomination this year. So much for Radical Optimism, what do you think?

The 29-year-old Albanian singer-songwriter, who is arguably one of the biggest pop stars today, announced the cancellation of her show a day before the scheduled event on her social media s.  In her message, she explained that safety issues prohibit her from performing at the Indonesia Arena on Saturday. 

“I am heartbroken to share that I won’t be able to perform in Jakarta this Saturday, November 9. I am here in your amazing country and ready to perform, but I am gutted to share that it has been determined that it is not safe for the performance to carry on due to safety issues with the staging.”

Local newspaper Jakarta Globe reported that the organizers of Dua’s concert, TEM Presents and PK Entertainment, made the difficult decision to cancel it at the last minute because it was not safe for both the singer and crowd to carry on with the arena show given the logistical issues and production challenges. 

“Despite Dua Lipa’s readiness to perform and the whole team’s diligent efforts to resolve critical production issues related to the stage structure provided by Mata Elang Productions, it is not safe for the performance to carry on. This very difficult decision to cancel was made with the utmost care and consideration for the safety of both the audiences and artist,” the organizers explained in a statement. 

Both Dua and the organizers confirmed that full refunds will be provided to ticket holders following the abrupt cancellation. Refund request forms will be sent via email and processing will commence on Monday, Nov. 11. 

Fans of the “Don’t Start Now” hitmaker expressed pain, disbelief, and sorrow over the late notice via X, with one writing, “WTF I’m literally on the flight to Jakarta right now. I’m crying so hard.”

Another lamented, “We have travelled from China to Jakarta to see you, been planning this for months because tomorrow is my bday. We landed 2 hours ago and just saw this… this is heartbreaking.”
 
Meanwhile, the cancellation of Dua Lipa’s concert happened around the same time the Grammys released the full list of nominations for 2025, and sadly, the “New Rules” songstress did not manage to secure a single nom for her latest album Radical Optimism. 

Dua has undeniably become a Grammy darling since her music got big in the U.S. Her previous album, Future Nostalgia, achieved massive success and received six nods, including Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Album, which she won. The record’s title track, “Don’t Start Now,” snagged three of those nominations, namely Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Solo Performance. 

Her self-titled album, which came out in 2017, was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2018. She won that award for “Electricity” with Silk City. The following year, Dua bagged the Best New Artist recognition from the Academy. 

Considering her track record, it now comes as a shock that the triple-Grammy winner has failed to secure a nomination for Radical Optimism even though the album gave birth to “Houdini,” “Training Season,” and “Illusion.” Having said that, it appears the Grammy voters ignored her output this time, giving Dua another heartbreak on the same day she had to cancel a show. 

Ariana Grande, once a Grammy darling, did not receive much love from the Recoding Academy this year. Though she had one of 2024’s biggest albums in Eternal Sunshine, she was nominated only thrice, and none came in the top three categories.

We may be witnessing one of the most crowded years in music of the past decade, which means artists like Grande, Dua Lipa, and Megan Thee Stallion, previously favored by the Academy and with massive album releases in the last 12 months, just could not hold a candle to the viral success of the 2024 “it girl” trio — Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX — or the longevity and acumen of the music industry’s heavyweight champions — Beyoncé and Taylor Swift.

The Eternal Sunshine singer was nominated for Best Pop Vocal Album, as well as Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Dance Pop Recording for “the boy is mine (Remix)” and “yes, and">campaigned.

The list of celebrities who have spoken out against the Grammys grows longer every year, to the point where boycotting the award show seems to have become a trend — albeit an understandable one, if we may say so.

Most recently, the Queen of Christmas herself, Mariah Carey, has ed this ever-growing list of critics. Although her feud with the Grammys is making news now, the roots of this grudge stretch back 28 years right to the peak of her career. It all began when Carey was nominated in six categories back in 1996, but walked away empty-handed, understandably severing her ties with North America’s biggest music awards show.

“One year — a huge year for me, career-wise — I had like six nominations with the Daydream album, including ‘One Sweet Day,’ ‘Always Be My Baby,’ and ‘Fantasy,’” she told the LA Times, referring to her fifth studio album, which featured several chart-topping singles — the ones she aforementioned. NPR has even since ranked this album as one of the best created and helmed by a female artist.

Naturally, with such high praise from music critics, many assumed Carey would take home at least one award. In fact, Carey herself believed so as well, but she couldn’t have been more mistaken. “Then I sat there the whole time and didn’t get anything. I was like, ‘This is not fun. But what can I do? Be a sore loser and say, ‘F the Grammys’? Whatever. If they give me more Grammys, I’ll like them more,” she said.

Now, nearly three decades later, fans on X have voiced their for Carey’s decision to distance herself from the Grammys, accusing the show of using her name for publicity. “No one cares about the scammies, the whole world knows Mariah. Her legacy will live on forever,” one fan posted. Another wrote, “She spent six months at number one on the Hot 100 chart that year. She definitely deserved to win.”

Carey’s case is just one example of the Grammys leveraging celebrity names to glue viewers to the screen. Despite being the biggest music award show in America, countless celebrities have turned their backs on the production. In 2019, Drake became one of the many artists to publicly criticize the Grammys — all while attending the award show.

“All you incredible artists, this show isn’t the facts, it’s just the opinion of a group of people [whose] names are kept a secret.”

The list is far longer than you might imagine. Musicians like The Weeknd, Charli XCX, Zayn Malik, Halsey, Tyler, the Creator, Jay-Z, Ariana Grande, and Eminem have all voiced their criticisms of the award show — for various reasons. One of the most frequent complaints is the Grammys’ tendency to invite artists to the event without nominating them or giving them obvious indication that they will actually win — only for the opposite to happen.

The idea that the Grammys selectively offer nominations and awards has been a major point of criticism for artists like Zayn and Eminem, who have openly discussed the show’s biases. “They’re always pitching this hint that you might win Album of the Year, which used to be a big deal. I don’t think it’s a big deal now,” Eminem told Billboard in 2020.

But it isn’t just the celebrities themselves who actively choose to criticize the award show. In 2022, fans of South Korean group BTS began boycotting the Grammys after the production repeatedly nominated the group over the years and invited them to perform — only to schedule their appearances at the end of the show without awarding them.

This year in music has been one of the busiest we’ve seen in the past decade.

The biggest names in the industry have, are, or will be putting out new albums, setting the Grammys up to be an absolute bloodbath. Yet still, there should be space among the nominees for an underdog, a wild card.

RM‘s Right Place, Wrong Person album is easily one of the best productions to come out of 2024. It’s an experimental, boundary-pushing, fresh, conceptual hip-hop project with something to say. Across 11 incredibly distinct tracks (including three interludes), the 29-year-old rapper — who’s currently completing his military service in South Korea — lets loose on topics ranging from romantic heartbreak to the pressures of his status as the leader of the world’s biggest band.

The disheveled nature of the album’s production reflects RM’s marked refusal to conform to the neat and proper confines that the country’s media, cultural, and political forces have long attempted to force him into. Sonically, Right Place, Wrong Person keeps the listener on their toes with constant twists and irreverent instrumentation, while never losing the groove and coolness that has come to define the rapper’s solo music.

In short, it’s an album that is very clearly deserving of critical and institutional attention but frustratingly is most likely to not get much of either. It received positive reviews from magazines like NME and Rolling Stone and turned the heads of a few online critics like theneedledrop’s Anthony Fantano, but did not make as much noise as a similar release from a Western artist could have. As with any release from a BTS member, powered by its tireless fanbase, it was fairly successful on the Billboard charts, debuting at number 5 on Billboard 200 and at number 1 on its Top Rap Albums chart.

Frankly, Right Place Wrong Person has everything working against it. Rap albums and artists of color (especially those not from the U.S.) aren’t the Recording Academy’s preferred genre or demographic as it is, but to make matters worse, RM comes from a prolific pop boy band, a category the Grammys typically and traditionally like to ignore.

That is why it was an achievement in and of itself when BTS were nominated — three times for their music, and an extra two times for their feature on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres album — especially considering the animosity the American music industry usually reserves for anything that is non-Western. Even then, the band was pushed towards the same category every time, one that’s far from being among the Grammys’ most important — Best Pop Duo/Group Performance — and still didn’t win it once, despite meritorious chart performance and cultural impact. Oh, and only their English-language singles were ever considered, despite their Korean-language music being far superior in quality, and actually written and produced by the band .

The difference was that the band’s fan collective, known as the Army, was simply too large and loud to be ignored, making it impossible for the Grammys to quietly shun BTS like what happened with the likes of One Direction in the past. With RM, however, it is far trickier, even if Right Place, Wrong Person is arguably bolder, more mature, and more interesting than BTS’s radio-friendly repertoire. The name brand is simply not as resonant as BTS’s and the appeal of the music, especially after this more alternative attempt, is narrower.

An artist and an album need to build and keep momentum to even cross the hairs of the Recording Academy come Grammys nominations time. With RM unable to campaign for the album in person and the fandom dispersed, it’s hard to imagine a future where Right Place, Wrong Person is featured among the list of nominees, even if it’s just as deserving as the albums that will be.

Right Place, Wrong Person is Album of The Year material, but it might not even pick up Rap, Pop, or R&B nominations. Still, if RM ever comes to receive the acclaim and prestige he is owed, this article may serve as an artifact of a time when he was unjustly overlooked.

With a stunning nine nominations at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Queen Beyoncé became tied with two other incredibly prominent and prolific musical artists for the all-time nomination record. The first is former Beatles front man Paul McCartney and the latter is a household name as well, especially in Queen Bey’s house: her husband, Jay-Z. Each of the three artists accumulated a full 88 Grammy nominations throughout their respective careers so far, and in 2023 Bey became a record breaker when she took home four of those gilded gramophones, making her the most-awarded Grammy winner of all time.

Beyoncé’s 2023 Grammy nominations

In 2023, Beyoncé released her seventh studio album: The highly-acclaimed Renaissance, which collected Grammy nominations for:

• Record of the Year: “Break My Soul”
• Album of the Year: Renaissance
• Song of the Year: “Break My Soul”
• Best Dance-Electronic Music Album: Renaissance
• Best Dance/Electronic Recording (Song): “Break My Soul”
• Best R&B Song: “Cuff It”
• Best R&B Performance: “Virgo’s Groove”
• Traditional R&B Performance: “Plastic Off the Sofa”
• Song Writing for Visual Media: “Be Alive” (from the movie King Richard)

She took home the awards for Best Dance-Electronic Music Album: Renaissance, Best R&B Song: “Cuff It,” Traditional R&B Performance: “Plastic Off the Sofa,” and Best Dance/Electronic Recording: “Break My Soul.”

Grammys won by Beyoncé

Even before her historic 2023, Beyoncé held the record for nominations earned by a female artist. Her previous 79 nominations were granted to her both as a solo artist and member of Destiny’s Child, winning the Houston native quite a lot of hardware.

Now, on top of that prestigious record, she’s also holds the record for most Grammy wins ever by a single artist. She’s secured a full 32 Grammy wins over the course of her career, just barely beating out late conductor Georg Solti, who managed to win 31 times over his life. That number won’t be changing anytime soon, due to Solti’s 1997 death, which leaves Quincy Jones as the closest competition, with 28 wins.