SURPRISE: Beyoncé
The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer is having a real life boogie and a real life hoedown with her 11 nominations for Cowboy Carter. After being shut out of the 2024 Country Music Awards, she led the pack with her nods.
Although it shouldn’t be a surprise since it the album did break several streaming records and debuted at No. 1 on Billboard Top 200 in March.
SNUB: Ariana Grande
Eternal Sunshine might’ve been a wickedly good album, but the "7 Rings" singer was left out of the Big Four categories, which includes Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year. However, she did earn nominations in Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance and Best Dance Pop Recording.
SNUB: Jack Antonoff
While Taylor Swift’s frequent collaborator was recognized by the Grammys this year, he was left out of the coveted Producer of the Year category.
SNUB: Dua Lipa
The pop singer, who has three wins and 10 nominations under her belt, didn’t receive any nominations despite releasing her album Radical Optimism early this year, which included the earworm tune “Houdini.” The album also debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and No. 1 on the UK Albums Chart.
SURPRISE: André 3000
With fully instrumental albums rarely nominated in the Album of the Year category and with a stacked list including Beyoncé, Taylor, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX and Chappell Roan, his New Blue Sun came as a happy surprise.
SURPRISE: Jimmy Carter
The former president, who has been in hospice care since February 2023, received his ninth Grammy nomination in the Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording category for Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration. The 100-year-old, the longest-living President in U.S. history, has won three overall, including in 2019 for Best Spoken Word Album for Faith - A Journey For All.
SNUB: Hozier
Although “Too Sweet” was the singer’s first No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 and thus, became the first Irish artist to top the chart since Sinéad O’Connor, it didn’t earn a spot on either Song of the Year or Record of the Year.
SURPRISE: The Beatles
It was a blast from the past when the beloved band was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance for their song “Now and Then.” Although first written as a solo demo by John Lennon in 1977, it wasn’t released until nearly 50 years later by his bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr (and George Harrison posthumously with guitar tracks).