The music industry and its enthusiasts are still buzzing as Tuesday (November 15) brought with it the highly anticipated unveiling of the 2023 GRAMMY nominations.
Ahead of honoring the year’s best and brightest in the music realm on February 5, 2023, the coveted tally expectedly listed the likes of chart-toppers Beyonce, Adele, Harry Styles, Bad Bunny, and Lizzo as competitors for the ceremony’s top honors.
While jaws dropped to see some of the categories they were mentioned in and omitted from, fan groups of other major hitmakers are steam-pressed their favorites were placed in unexpected categories or totally shut out.
Look inside to see who made That Grape Juice‘s list of ‘2023 GRAMMY Snubs and Surprises.’
Surprise: Mary J. Blige is among the year’s most-nominated acts for work found aboard her 2022 album ‘Good Morning Gorgeous.’ The Queen of Hip-Hop/Soul nabbed noms in major categories such as Record of the Year and Album of the Year.
Snub: Nicki Minaj, despite having one of the year’s best-selling singles with chart-topper ‘Super Freaky Girl,’ was completely shut out.
Surprise: Newcomer GloRilla wasn’t on most prediction lists, but has gone on to score a Best Rap Performance nomination for ‘FNF.’ The nod serves as her first GRAMMY nomination.
Snub: Megan Thee Stallion earned a top 10 album with her official sophomore album ‘Traumazine,’ yet did not land a nomination for any of its content. It’s worth noting, however, that Nija Charles, songwriter of Stallion and Dua Lipa’s ‘Sweetest Pie’ was nominated for Songwriter of the Year for that hit and others she’s written over the past year.
Surprise: Muni Long (under the moniker Priscilla Renea) has been in the music industry for over 15 years. But she didn’t break through as a performer until 2021’s mega-hit ‘Hrs & Hrs.’ As such, she was nominated for Best New Artist.
Snub: Summer Walker topped the charts in late 2021 with her official sophomore album ‘Still Over It,’ but none of its content was recognized by the Recording Academy. She is, however, nominated, as a contributor to Album of the Year nominee Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers.’
Surprise: The 2023 nominations serve as Future‘s most nominated year after nabbing six nods across Best Rap Performance, Best Melodic Performance, among others.
Snub: GRAMMY darling John Legend may have 12 awards to his name. But he won’t be adding any new ones in 2023 after his latest album ‘Legend’ (and the content within) didn’t yield any nominations.
Surprise: 30 years after her last GRAMMY nomination, ‘The Boss’ Diana Ross clocks into the Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album category with 2022’s ‘Thank You.’ Despite the fact she’s yet to win a GRAMMY in a competitive category, the salute comes 10 years after the legend received the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award.
Snub: 15-time GRAMMY winner Alicia Keys has a rich history with the ceremony – as a winner, performer, and host. However, 2023 will see no new pages added after her latest project ‘Keys’ was omitted from the list of nominations.
What were some of YOUR biggest surprises on this year’s nominations tally? Tell us…