In this, the year of our lord Beyonce 2018, I’ve really just stopped giving a crap about music awards shows and music nominations. They mean less than nothing. You could make an argument that the Grammys still mean something, although I would argue that the Grammys as a brand have been devalued over the years, to the point where everyone just acknowledges that the biggest Grammy awards will go to the least worthy artists. This is the issue with the VMAs too: while MTV puts a lot of time and money to hype the VMAs as the best or most fun music awards show, it does feel like… people only care about the performances and not the actual awards.
Now, all that being said, the VMA nominations came out on Monday and the list for the big awards is fascinating because of who was LEFT OFF the list. Yes to Ari Grande and Beyonce and Childish. No major nominations for Taylor Swift. Is that a sign of anything? Or do the VMAs not actually matter from an awards perspective? You can see the full list here. The big nominations:
VIDEO OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Republic Records
Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Atlantic Records
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic Records
The Carters – “APES**T” – Roc Nation/Parkwood Entertainment
Childish Gambino – “This Is America” – mcDJ / RCA Records
Drake – “God’s Plan” – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic RecordsARTIST OF THE YEAR
Ariana Grande – Republic Records
Bruno Mars – Atlantic Records
Camila Cabello – Syco Music/Epic Records
Cardi B – Atlantic Records
Drake – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic Records
Post Malone – Republic Records
SONG OF THE YEAR
Bruno Mars ft. Cardi B – “Finesse (Remix)” – Atlantic Records
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic Records
Drake – “God’s Plan” – YMCMB/Cash Money/Republic Records
Dua Lipa – “New Rules” – Warner Bros. Records
Ed Sheeran – “Perfect” – Atlantic Records
Post Malone ft. 21 Savage – “rockstar” – Republic RecordsBEST POP
Ariana Grande – “No Tears Left to Cry” – Republic Records
Camila Cabello ft. Young Thug – “Havana” – Syco Music/Epic Records
Demi Lovato – “Sorry Not Sorry” – Island Records
Ed Sheeran – “Perfect” – Atlantic Records
P!nk – “What About Us” – RCA Records
Shawn Mendes – “In My Blood” – Island Records
What do these nominations say to you? They say to me that MTV really wants Beyonce and Jay-Z to come to the VMAs this year. MTV wants Ariana Grande to perform. They really want Childish Gambino to bring down the house. And they really don’t give a sh-t about Taylor Swift anymore, right? Is the spell broken? Or was Taylor’s Reputation just that bad? I understand why “Look What You Made Me Do” was so snubbed, because that song is a trainwreck. But she had other singles! “…Ready For It” was a dumb video but an okay song. “End Game” seemed tailor-made for the VMAs. Hm. I wonder if she’ll even come out to perform? Probably not.
Also, today is the two-year anniversary of Kim Kardashian dropping the Receipts on Taylor and exposing her as a snake.
LWYMMD not being nominated for video of the year deadass seems like a joke like it was talked about all over from every part of the internet it broke records for its views within the first 24 hours of its release it legit has pop culture relevance did they forget I can’t breathe
— liz misses harry (@iwishyouwoulds) July 16, 2018
Taylor Swift wasn’t nominee for ‘Video Of The Year’ or ‘Artist Of The Year’ but we already knew that. LWYMMD proved that Taylor doesn’t need any VMA to be one of the greatest artists of the decade. STAY PRESSED, MEDIA! #VMAs pic.twitter.com/8rrCaL6OS2
— Taylor Charts (@tswiftchart13) July 16, 2018
Photos courtesy of WENN, Big Machine.
I think this woman has peaked out. She was every mom’s sweetheart in the beginning of her career. Could do no wrong. Big bad Kanye stole her thunder (and gave her relevance at the VMA’s). Then the slide began, exes and former bff’s were calling her out. Her music was mediocre at best. She had the audacity to want to portray my hero, Joni Mitchell, one of the best songwriters who ever breathed air…….and Joni was f no, not in this lifetime! Not remotely surprised of her “snub.” Everyone is on to her.
What happen with Joni Mitchell? Sorry i don’t follow.
I don’t know if it was Swift specifically that Mitchell objected to, but she was pretty open about not liking how she would be portrayed in the film. “All you’ve got is a girl with high cheekbones.”
https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-news/joni-mitchell-reveals-why-she-nixed-taylor-swift-starring-biopic-58131/
Joni explicitly said she would not permit Taylor Swift to portray her in a biopic in 2014. Taylor has likened herself to Joni which is a joke.
I’m glad that a legend took Tay-Tay down a notch. Tay-Tay was getting way too egotistical and exhausting for my taste.
The level of TS promotion did not match her talent. Her music sucked, peeps, always just trite dirge we all were pummeled with. Seriously. Try listening to one of her old songs and it’s painful.
yes. oh taylor, zoom out honey. enough navel gazing. stop talking about your “reputation” and making boy crazy music for little girls. it’s cringe.
Looove “A Case of You “by Joni Mitchell ….Going to have it in my head for days now
Joni Mitchell has so many great songs. Her songwriting was hers alone and is still considered a higher form of this skill. Tay’s songs will be forgotten in a decade.
The sheer ego on Swifty is staggering sometimes.
If “This Is America” doesn’t win Video of the Year, I’m going to Kanye the hell out of the winner myself.
Oh yes. That video is historic.
I mean… I am by no means a Swift fan, and I think “reputation” is her worst album. But c’mon, the LWYMMD video was perfection and amazingly entertaining.
The video for LWYMMD was definitely a big pop culture moment in the year — as big as Gambino’s video or “God’s Plan” so I think that was a definite snub. The other awards? Eh. She didn’t really deserve nominations for those IMO. Her album was a mess and poorly executed. A few good songs but not cohesive. The other artists were better for sure.
You’re joking, right?
I was thinking it was a joke too MI6.
Hmmn. I can’t remember the video.
I think the public is over her. She still has a crazy huge fan base though, one that will stick with her for the majority of her career. I think this shows in that her songs aren’t charting like they used to, but her stadium tour is doing well.
The Grammys do not mean anything. I remember one of the Grammy voters saying that they respected Kendrick Lamar’s album, but appreciated that Taylor did little mini events for the award show, and that’s why she won AOFY. After I finished rolling my eyes, I lost all respect for them.
I think her fans will eventually grow up and out of it. Expiration date reached or damn close to it. Vegas? lol
About to say the same. Her base were teen girls. They are not 12 and 14 year old’s now. Not pining over teen boyfriends. They are older in college or working. their interest are more vast. I just don’t think her music has matured with her audience. The artist has to grow with their fans and take them along. Let them hear the growth in the music. I think Taylor music doesn’t show any diversity.
Exactly. Her audience has grown and living real lives. She’s still self absorbed stuck in petty drama, sipping on expensive cocktails whining about victimhood while polluting our atmosphere with her private jets. She really does live in a golden gilded cage, a point she tried to make ironic in her video (and misses the point completely). Her idea of making fun of those who “hurt” her is so laughable. There are families being separated, Parkland survivors being harassed by gun nuts, our country is now owned by Russia, but sure, her problems are the worst 🙄 Tay, you forgot to send flowers to the MTV producers and kiss their asses for your awards. That’s how you got your Grammys no?
I agree. And for me the final straw with the Grammys is when Adele won album of the year over Beyonce’s Lemonade. Even Adele didn’t agree with that! They seem to like black artists to perform because they bring in viewership but don’t actually like to recognize their work.
All of this!
Pink Lemonade Pink Champagne Punch. Memories of the weekend that I couldn’t partake in. But am I ever in about five months. hmm
Totally agree. Kendrick and Beyonce keep getting passed over.
For once, white mediocrity is NOT rewarded. What is happening?!
I thought the exact same thing!
Dragging race into this, once again
But it has everything to do with race.
Taylor’s vocal abilities are lacklustre to say the least, her dancing skills embarassing and her much-lauded songwriting laughable and childish on her best day. She is mediocrity personified and yet very successful. Because she is white and her primary audience lives is white people living in one of the most racist country on earth, you know the ones who elected a traitor because y’all hate black and brown folks so goddamn much.
I said what I said.
Mic drop!
So much in that comment..
and yes to it all.
👏👏👏
OMG. I love this response SO MUCH.
“one of the most racist country on earth”
Holy shit. Y’all have jumped the shark here. That, or none of you has ever lived outside the States.
I look forward to your rude awakening when you do finally haul your ass abroad.
I cackled so hard when I read she wasn’t nominated. That album was trash and frankly I’m glad her mediocrity didn’t get recognized. It would have taken up the spot of a more deserving album and artist.
The best part was that her two opening acts were nominated in multiple categories – including Artist of the Year. That’s going to make for some awkward moments backstage. I wonder if they’ll get flowers from Tay this time?
That poodle hair!
This was a pretty mediocre and I hope this signals that hey, we’re not that interested in continuous “revenge” music. her audience has grown up and moved on.
This!! I am really tired of revenge music. It’s tired. Her next reincarnation should be of a peaceful, mellow, ‘healed’ person. Anger is exhausting, especially when you really don’t have anything to be angry about.
The nominated songs for pop of the year and song of the year are at worst awful and at best unmemorable. 2017 really sucked in every way if this is the best they could come up with.
I have heard that Reputation a was a ‘rushed end of album’. Ie: It was her last album with her record company as her contract was coming to an end. So she released a rush album , just to get out of her contract with her record company. Apparently they didn’t want a pop singer but a country one.
Something Mariah did with her Rainbow album – when she trying to get out of her Sony contact back in the 90s. She released a rushed album.
Hmm, I don’t know that I buy that.
1. This was the longest break she has ever taken between album cycles, so she arguably had the most time rather than being rushed.
2. Her current record company doesn’t care what type of singer they have as long as they make money and generate interest. They might have been skeptical when she first wanted to take on pop, but Taylor Swift is one of the biggest names in music. They aren’t worried about her not being a country singer anymore because they make so much money off her.
I think people are starting to realize that Taylor is just kind of … basic? She can’t sing like Ariana, she can’t dance like Beyonce, I guess she’s a marginally good songwriter…
She still has a huge fan base and will continue to, but I think in this period of more serious matters and political upheaval, the general public just isn’t interested in her teenager antics anymore. She is incapable about writing about other than herself. Which is unfortunate, because she’s a good writer.
Is she a good writer. It is easier to write about you. She never even try t write about anything besides her “poor victim life”. She is a poster child of mediocre rich white girl, whose parents was telling that she is a genius and better that other kids. She can’t sing, dance, isn’t great entertainer (Bey isn’t great singer, but she can entertain people). She can write catchy songs, but thats all. People always sayd that she is such great songwriter, but what she wrote? Bunch of poor victim/boys are mean/I hate my Ex songs for teens? Call me when she pull head up form her own as* and wrote about something important (not that Kanye was mean to her). Her great songwriting skills you can see, when she give her songs to others – this songs are nothing special and aren’t hits.
She’s tone deaf. 1989 was a huge hit but we lived in different times under Obama. Post-Trump, her antics aren’t cute anymore. She’s become quite “unrelatable” and the only thing sustaining her career is her fan base. After so many PR blunders (especially the legal bullying towards that tiny blogger questioning her stance on white supremacy and her fake feminism), people see through her schtick.
To her, the world revolves around her. But reality is, people are too busy fighting for their rights to be distracted by an over privileged pop star with too much time on her hands worrying over nothing but her public image and brand.
EXACTLY. The fact that this album is called “reputation” and the songs are all about how broken she was when the public got tired of her nonsense and how her new BF is the only person who understands her is just so selfish and childish. I mean, I don’t fault her for being sensitive of what people think of her — many people are like that. But the criticisms she receives are often problems of her own creation. She basically creates problems for herself, turns herself into the victim, and then writes about it. She dreams up relationships and friendships that are specifically controlled for media consumption (not necessarily fake but…not completely organic either) and then writes about them. I don’t think many things she writes about are genuine, which makes the fact that it’s all so self-centered even more exhausting. I’ve never heard of an artist comment on their image so frequently. I want to shake her. The world is falling apart and she’s singing about kittens and crushes.
Golden comments from both. I think the same things. We live in very serious times and a by product of that is that we no longer have the patience for superficial mediocrity. Our culture has shifted.
She should take a long break from recording or performing. I mean several years. And she should just live life during that time, do something else, and then see if she still has songs to write.
I want to make next album before 30, so in 2 years. She is making now pap walks day after day, like in old days. See, old Tay Tay isn’t dead. She is still here, immature famew*ore.
She is apparently today all over Tumblr and liked tons of post about Kim K, how he bullied poor Tay Tay, how Kanye is mean and Tay is innocent victim etc. Even a rather bunch of her fans are fed up with her and that she can’t let it go after 2 years (or more in case of Kanye and incident). They call her immature. See, bunch of teens is calling grown 28 yo woman an immature child. Even they see it – she will end up as 50 yo “always teen”, with ton of cats and Kanye pick on the walls. Her emotional development end owhen she was 12.
I saw her stadium tour more than once. Worked several major concerts this year. Great stage effects fireworks. Awesome opening acts….taylor sucked lypsynced and just strutted around stage with the fan blowing her hair posing with her boney hip out. This tour was not selling out…they were giving away tickets to all kinds of organizations in my city. No one wants overpriced white bread. im not a taylor hater but….ok maybe i am. Her early stuff was ok.
Someone I went to high school with won tickets for Tay’s concert near DC. I’d rather have my eyes poked out then go to a Taylor Swift concert. She posted on Facebook it was lame. 😂
She lost part of her fanbase because of the wannabe “bad ass” she’s trying to portray with reputation. She’s too bland and mediocre to play that role and people see right through her. Madonna had the attitude to back up her many looks and styles over the years, Taylor does not. I bet Taylor will go back to pop country to try to win people back.
Karma, baby.
Welp, I liked the song Ready For It quite a bit, and (being a science fiction nerd) I loved the video.
But my reaction to most of the songs on Reputation mirrors my reaction to Katy Perry’s Witness — those just weren’t good pop songs. They might not be bad music, but they didn’t scratch the market’s itch, so no, they were never going to be huge hits.