One of the things I love/hate about the Grammys is how absolutely nothing changes and they’re always a complete sh-tshow. After every Grammy telecast, people are screaming, crying, throwing up about who was snubbed and who won. The Recording Academy is made up of misogynistic old farts who are also very racist, and they don’t feel the need to change. Well, we’re in another cycle and this year’s cycle reminds me so much of 2017, when Adele’s album swept the big Grammy awards and Beyonce’s Lemonade was snubbed. That year, Adele made a point of giving Beyonce credit for having the real album of the year and talking about Beyonce a lot in the press, even saying that she voted for Beyonce.
Well, another year, another Beyonce shutout in the top categories. Beyonce’s Renaissance was her first solo full-length studio album since Lemonade and the album got nominated for all of the big awards. Once again, it got shut out from Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Song of the Year. Lizzo won Record of the Year. Bonnie Raitt won Song of the Year. And… Harry Styles’s Harry’s House won AOTY.
Let me be clear: I understand why Styles won AOTY. I have no idea if you guys even listen to terrestrial radio anymore, but his album got TONS of radio play. He was selling out stadiums across the country and the world. Like, I get it. That being said, Renaissance is an amazing album and Beyonce has never won AOTY for any of her “masterpiece” albums. It was egregious for Lemonade and it’s egregious here, with Renaissance.
Beyonce did win other Grammys though, and she’s now the most decorated Grammy-winning artist of all time. She picked up Grammys for Best Dance/Electronic Dance Recording (“Break My Soul”), Best Dance Album, Best Traditional R&B Performance (“Plastic Off the Sofa”) and Best R&B Song. She now has 32 Grammys… and none of them for Album of the Year.
I did enjoy the fact that Beyonce turned up late, claiming to be stuck in traffic. Please – Beyonce knew. She knew that those old farts would snub her again. I’m actually surprised she turned up at all. I would have just sent my producers and a note. But I suspect Bey came out specifically because she wanted to hang out with her friends in the industry. She was seen chatting with Lizzo, Adele and many others.
Fashion notes: the silver dress was Gucci.
Photos courtesy of Getty, Instagram.
Being the most decorated artist in terms of Grammy wins is obviously nothing to sneeze at, but it kind of feels like they are okay with her winning all these other awards, just not the Big Ones. Has she ever won for record or song of the year?
She won Song of the Year once, in 2010, for Single Ladies….
What is the difference between record and song of the year anyways? Or is that just a clever way for another category that means the same.
Song of the year is an award for the song itself (writing, composition, etc…). Record of the Year is for the performance of the song (vocals, etc..).
Bey is very strategic about making sure that her music is submitted into R&B and dance categories. There is essentially no competition so it allows her to sweep the awards. The only time she might lose those categories is if Rihanna is also up for awards as she does the same thing. Both have made R&B music but there are also plenty of times when Beys music as well as Rihannas would be better suited in the pop categories but she’ll never do that because she is less likely to win those. Beyonce is incredible but she’s also very calculated, she knows exactly what she’s doing here. Imo if she submitted her music into pop categories, she wouldn’t have a fraction of the accolades.
What is the difference between albumn and record of the year??
Record of the Year is for a specific song (so this year Lizzo won for About Damn Time, while Harry Styles won AOTY). as noted above, Song of the Year is for the songwriter, Record of the Year is for the performance (so Lizzo won ROTY regardless of who wrote the song, but I think she does write a lot of her stuff, right?)
There was a brief period that Beyonce and Jay Z appeared to be snubbing the Grammys even though they were still submitting their works.Someone clearly begged or convinced them to come back at least until she breaks a few more records to the point where we will not see it again in our lifetime. Then they won’t submit,show up,perform and convince their industry buddies to do the same until things change.
As long as they can keep getting her there with the idea that she may win album of the year they will do so. I hope she never returns. CBS just confirmed that ratings spiked 70% after she arrived. They are using her for clout and views because they know no one was going to watch a 4-hour show just like no one wants to watch any of the award shows anymore. And it is definite bias that vanity Fair article is ridiculous. She wins too much? It’s portentous when she releases things? You don’t have to think that she walks on water, but let’s be honest that this is one of the few ways they feel like they can humble her still and thus they will.
Applause Dee (2).
I just wish some people would be honest why they don’t like her, she’s too successful and they want to knock her down a peg. The fact that we see these same justification for why a black woman doesn’t deserve something ( Zendaya, Meghan, Michelle,RIh,Kamala etc.). all the time yet people still out here with their she’s overrated or this one human thing she does means she deserves nothing is silly. A lot of this is rooted in anti blackness and it’s wild people think being a POC or hell black woman themselves means they aren’t susceptible is wild
It’s a complete sham. If the standard is the most airplay then there were previous years that Beyonce should have won but she lost then as well. I don’t hate Harry but he’s not as talented as Beyonce (or Adele or Lizzo).. He might be selling out stadiums but he couldn’t even turn in a decent performance of his own hit song, while Bey has been consistently killing it for decades. And I couldn’t believe that he said that stuff like this doesn’t happen to “people like” him very often?! It happens to people like him every year! Anyway, I hope that Bey never graces the Grammys with her presence again. They don’t deserve her. Rant over…
Yeah. He’s a white dude from an English speaking country.
Grammy’s predominantly reward English speakers and English music, so I don’t really see it as an award show about the whole world, but one that is mostly focused on English speakers, and then with a bias towards white and male.
He’s more likely to win one than probably 99% of the rest of the world, even if all of them were of equal talent.
I’ll defend Harry’s performance by saying that he is always phenomenal live, last night was an outlier. I don’t really care much for him but he’s genuinely one of the best performers and vocalists I’ve seen live.
Yeah that people like him comment was completely odd. You are a White dude! White dudes have been rewarded more than any other group in history!
I think it was a travesty that she didn’t win for lemonade but I don’t think Renaissance is very good…
I don’t think Harry should have won either though.
You didn’t think Renaissance was very good huh? I’m guessing you’re neither Black nor queer right!
Do all queer black persons enjoy the same music? Was there a meeting?
People are allowed to not like things.
I’m black and I don’t think Renaissance is very good either. My identity as a black woman is not centered on liking or being a Beyonce fan. There’s more to us, you know.
surprise, I am Black actually, but thanks for playing. being Black doesn’t mean I have to think every single thing she does is amazing.
The thing with the Grammys, though, is that artists often don’t win on their best album–they win for the next album. It should have been Beyonce’s turn. And I have nothing against Harry. He did experience massive commercial success, but the album’s lyrics are so weak that they severely undercut the sonics. White men specifically get graded on a huge curve. I’m not a huge Beyonce fan, but it’s pretty easy to see that commercial success is the only way that Harry’s album was better than hers.
Please. That record is 100 percent fire. See how fast she sells out her tour. Yall just don’t like Beyonce. Say that.
Are we not allowed to not enjoy all of Beyoncé’s music? Did I miss a memo where a new law was passed and we must all worship her and think everything she does is perfection and brilliant?
I don’t like Harry Styles either- is that ok?
Honestly, I wasn’t too impressed with most of the albums nominated this year, but among them, Renaissance probably had the most mainstream discussion, even if it wasn’t my cup of tea. Harry’s win definitely surprises me because there’s only one song off of it that I can really think of, but I would’ve expected Lizzo’s vocals to have maybe edged her out instead. (Or maybe Bad Bunny. His is the one I’m completely unfamiliar with, but I know he had a huge year.)
“Lemonade” absolutely should have won for its year, though, and I unfortunately suspect that one is going to be the unrecognized magnum opus of her career.
Love renaissance but I think I still love lemonade more.
I did not listen to all the albums out there but I listened to her’s and to me, she should’ve won for other albums maybe but definitely not for this one. You can’t make someone win for previous albums, it’s just not the way it works. I like the destiny’s child era and her solo in the beginning, but all the new reinvented music is not my cup of tea.
See, this is possibly my favourite album of hers ever. So many of the songs are KILLER. And genuinely interesting too. The one I liked the least was Break My Soul because it sounded like several late 90s and early 00s song and was nothing new; but the rest was great.
I like her older stuff too, and after she first split from Destiny, but not the new stuff. To be fair I did not listen to Renaissance, but I tried some off Lemonade and did not care for it. Personally I don’t get the hype, the whole “Beyoncé’s internet” or the year of our Lord Beyoncé and all that. She is beautiful, and she can sing for sure though!
Totally. Im not feeling no hype after exactly that period. I cant sing any of her songs after maybe 🤔 Halo? And the collab with Usher / Dancing in the club maybe? Every song on lemonade, I dont even recognize the titles… So i’m not sure where the bee hive is now, but Beyonce to me, falls into another category now. She can’t really compete with new blood. Girl is in her 40’s with kids and stuff, no way she could get inspired by the same things as the young generation like lizzo & cie to write new songs that will appeal to teens and music listeners that are the same age range as her fans when she first started. Her fans are not 15-25. They’re like 35+ and nostalgic of old school music of the 90’s,early 2000’s.
Well, I don’t think that her songs are aimed for the teen audience and that’s not a bad thing. Pretty sure Bonnie Rait’s music isn’t aimed for the youngs either but she just won SOY.
Same. I know people don’t like it when they feel like something they like is being criticized, but we all have to consider that everyone doesn’t like the same thing and maybe your thing isn’t as popular as you think. I haven’t liked anything Beyoncé had done since 2007. It makes sense to me that she keeps losing- but she’s only “losing” that one specific award because she has the most Grammys EVER- but to her superfans it feels like a travesty. As to the worship stuff- she’s a human being who burps and farts like everybody else [shrug].
It’s not about your opinion though.
They are all objectively good albums and they are critically acclaimed.
Fantastic production, lyrics, beats, guest stars, interpolations, vocals – everything.
The cohesion of Renaissance is spectacular. The way she makes her fans feel through her music is just phenomenal.
She is the greatest of the modern artists right now – the way she performs and everything.
This is just fact. And the fact that she gets nominated so much does mean something according to her peers but anti Blackness means her and some other Black artists miss out. It’s not that Black artists should always win but that they lose to mediocre middle of the road white artists who don’t have anything really meaningful to say.
@Pointillist what you are saying is literally your opinion, though. Not fact.
@pointillist Everything you just said is your opinion, not fact, and “critically acclaimed” is just the opinion of some other people. The only thing Beyonce has made me feel through her music in the last 15 years is “awww she used to be so good,” and it has absolutely nothing to do with her race. We don’t have to like the same music and you do not need me to like it for you to like it.
Yeah technically you can’t win for previous work but I think like the Oscars if someone has-been snubbed a few times they eventually just give them and that’s what fans are demanding . Like Leonardo DiCaprio, the Oscar he finally got was for an OK performance, I can think of at least 4 others that were more worthy.
Honestly this is why I thought she was going to win AOTY – that they realized they messed up with Lemonade and this would kind of make up for that.
I don’t know any song that Harry Styles has sung except Watermelon sugar which is a mediocre song.
To skip over Beyonce and Bad Bunny (who’s had a HUGE year, himself— wasn’t he the top streamed artist of the year??) and give it to Mr. “This doesn’t happen to people like me”????
Oh, the daughter of one of the Grammy producers on appeared on his album. They bragged about it on social media.
Pretty sure he was the top streamed artist globally on Spotify, at least. In some countries people use other streaming apps way more, so a lot of what people listen to outside of countries that predominantly use Spotify is often not taken into account.
Except Beyonce’s album broke Spotify records. I mean world wide her stream records are on par.
My point was that Spotify isn’t everything when you look worldwide. A lot more people listen to local music than Spotify would suggest, but they often listen to it on other streaming services. In some countries Spotify numbers are only (sometimes just a small) part of total streaming numbers.
But if you want to talk Spotify in 2022, this is the top 5 worldwide:
1. Bad Bunny
2. Taylor Swift
3. Drake
4. The Weeknd
5. BTS
Source:
https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/23215539.streamed-songs-artists-spotify-2022/
I was sad Beyonce didn’t win- I think Renaissance is maybe her best album to date in terms of cohesion, the way the songs transition to one another, the way lyrically she is probably the most organic she has ever been, and the way it brilliantly and throughly honours disco, house, dance, and afro throughout. I mean, this album is Black as hell and queer as hell. It pushed boundaries and was so ambitious.
This is not to say the category wasn’t stacked this year, Bad Bunny had an amazing year and broke so many boundaries(plus that album is so so catchy). And most of the albums nominated were strong. But Harry’s album while good(I really did like it) was a water down version of what other artists had done before(particularly Bowie).
His win with a good album over several artists who put out great ones is insane. And I thought Harry’s comments came off as a bit messy- “things like that don’t happen to people like him?” a fairly talented white man being lauded over a brilliantly talented Black women, artists of colour, and female artists??? Um, ok.
The academy rarely recognizes Black artists with AOTY. Again wild when you consider how many American genre’s of music are rooted in Blackness. I wish Black artists would step back from the Grammys.
What Sunny said. Bad Bunny was better than Harry Styles. Come on. I can’t even stand Drake but even he’s over the Grammys, tons of Black artists are. And Beyonce showed up late cause she dang well knew. I would have showed up late to only talk to my friends and been out too. They will never give it to her. They will do some BS lifetime one when she’s like 80.
No no no. Harry did not have a better album than renaissance. Not saying it wasn’t good or great. But better? Nope.
I’ll add a few more no’s.
I was so annoyed last night. … And woke up annoyed.
I think Beyonce should have won (and definitely should have won for Lemonade and Self Titled), but I sort…of get why this is the one she lost (even if Renaissance has a higher MC score than Lemonade and Self Titled).
Sampling is a valid art form, but Renaissance does it heavily and far more than most. The average listener might not pick up on it, but 90% of the tracks had significant sampling to the point it’s even mentioned in the wiki page. I’m Hive, but the first time I listened to it I could pick out the songs that were used….and this is different from Kendrick’s album, Lizzo, Harry, or even Bey’s previous albums (Lemonade sampled, too).
And I think that is a factor. I read those anonymous ballots, and a couple of the voters praised/said they were voting for Kendrick and Lizzo so no, I don’t think it was just a race thing even though there is clearly systematic racism at the Grammys, but those same voters who were praising/saying they were going to vote for Kendrick and Lizzo made some subtle digs about the amount of writers on ‘some albums’. And Kendrick samples too, but nowhere near to the extent that Bey does…you can even look at the credit list…and Benito was the solo writer for most of his album.
TLDR: Systematic racism is serious issue and Bey should have won, but I think Bey having ten writers on some songs/sampling so heavily on Renaissance hurt her chances.
What I appreciate about this album is that she demonstrates how sampling can be used as an art to recreate and build a new song completely. The fragments together all flow and have a purpose, and she re-purposes the samples while using them as a reference point. That’s an art. The fact that it’s heavily applied in Black music means it will never be appreciated for the art form within sound, therefore, circling back to systematic racism.
@Imara, you’re 100% correct on this.
I love Renaissance. I listen to it when working out. It’s fun, upbeat, sounds great, etc. It’s so sexy if you listen to the lyrics you’ll need to fan yourself, lol. Lemonade was a masterpiece and should have won album of the year full stop. Renaissance is a fantastic album and I thought they’d give it to her (like when a white person wins an Oscar for not their best performance because they’re “due.”) I can’t believe she still graces this shitshow with her presence.
Agree. I think what Beyoncé is doing with the album as a whole is a form of art and a love letter and a referencing of musical history. Feels like there is an overall story and purpose to every song within the album and the transitions bw the songs. What is that if not AOTY?
Exactly this. If in fact the sampling is what hurt her chances, then it just shows (again, for the millionth time) that Grammy voters are old fogies who don’t keep up with the times. There are a ton of examples of this.
Beyoncé will only win if she releases an extremely safe album with very few writers. Those secret ballots posted clearly showed voters are biased against tons of writers and samples (which is absolutely ridiculous). I’m still surprised Harry won, I thought he would never overcome the vote split of all those pop albums nominated. I thought it would go to Brandi tbh.
I thought Bad Bunny had it in the bag.
But is all radio play fair?
Why would Billboard count radio play for their charts anyway? I can understand counting streams and sales, which is people deciding to listen to a song. Seems that a select group of people with power over radio can then choose what is branded ‘hot’, instead of through demand from real people listening and consuming.
Lemonade was an AOTY, ROTY and maybe SOTY.
Renaissance was not any of the above.
Now, Harry’s wins is a mystery.
I don’t know a single track by this dude from his latest album. If it wasn’t for this blog I wouldn’t even know that he had an album out. Beyonce was mentioned all throughout pop culture (legit news sources, blogs, TikTok, FB, Insta, etc. ) with the release of her album. She had dissertations (think pieces presented in the major newspapers about her song topics and critical essays about her music) all the way down to the blogosphere articles, even one speculating that Berkins is dead because of a single line from one of her songs on the album. I only ever hear about Harry Styles on this blog. I don’t see his name popping up anywhere else en masse in the zeitgeist. My Marvel groups talk about his Marvel character and he’s a part of that discussion at times. When that movie came out I saw things surrounding him, but for his album. It’s just astounding to me. Also, love her or hate her, that album from track 1 to track whatever is well developed and put together; her vocals and transitions were beautiful.
yeah, but our algorithm is tied to what we like. I saw a ton of both Harry and Beyonce on TikTok and Twitter, etc. if you’re a big Beyonce fan and don’t like Harry, you’re gonna see a lot more Beyonce than Harry. like how I saw way more Taylor Swift than either of them. 😂
I mean, if Bad Bunny or Taylor had received the honor, I would have gotten it, and I personally do not listen to either. I know how algorithms work, but not even checking for Beyonce her work comes up in casual regard in a way that, seriously, I haven’t seen Harry Styles. I know she broke multiple records with her album and singles. I wasn’t checking for Taylor Swift this year, but I am aware of her album, her sound, and a key song from her release. I’m saying I haven’t seen HS mentioned in the same breadth as Beyonce even down to intellectual think pieces dissecting his work. I’ve seen articles that mention if he’s cosplaying a Queer identity but that was the discussion back in September, but not anything about his actual album of work, and that to me is a huge indicator that yeah he probably had a perfectly good album, especially for his fan base but it wasn’t a great album that extended across the popular zeitgeist as far or as deep as Beyonce or a Taylor Swift, etc. .
This is a little like the Rachel Zegler Oscar drama where one person’s snub is going to detract from historical, groundbreaking moments.
Viola Davis achieved an EGOT with her grammy win last night.
Sam Smith and Kim Petras, a non-binary artist and a trans artist, won for best group or duo performance.
Bad Bunny had the first ever Spanish album to be nominated for album of the year.
Beyonce herself now has the most Grammy wins of any artist, and is tied for the most nominations ever.
A black female artist, Samara Joy, won best new artist.
Just because St. Bey did not win best album, let’s not burn everything down.
Thank you for this!!! A lot of Beyoncé’s career is demonstrative, and it doesn’t seem to have content. Not like some of her peers, like Mary J. Blige or Mariah. However, that being said, I still think that if she would put out an album similar to Adele’s stuff, some power ballads, she would win the best album for sure.
Please. This is similar to a white woman who popped up the other day on LinkedIn complaining about Black History month because things are better now and some Black people still get wins, so why do we complain about negative things.
@ChillinginDC I agree; yeah, this comment rubs me the wrong way. We are celebrating Viola Davis and all of the other wins. Still, we are also discussing how racist the Grammys are because the top prize is not given to Black artists, which is a systematic problem we need to address. If a Black artist on top of their game like Beyonce still has issues with getting it, that highlights larger societal issues. How many Black women are sitting in positions where their work is being ignored, even though they are the most educated and knowledgeable? This is a celebrity representation of what we see day in and day out every day.
Thank you Imara219. Same mess with the Oscars. Well they nominated so and so so racism is now fixed!
How in the world is this like complaining about black history month or saying that racism is not a thing?
Just like Rachel Zegler’s publicity over her snub significantly overshadowed the win of Ariana DeBose, people being outraged because Beyonce didn’t win Best Album is overshadowing conversations about Sam, about Petra, about Bad Bunny, about Samara Joy and about Viola. They deserve to have their moments and enjoy them, and to be recognized for *their* wins, without someone saying, “But Beyonce!”
“This is a little like the Rachel Zegler Oscar drama where one person’s snub is going to detract from historical, groundbreaking moments.”
Hi. Black people can do two things at once. Be happy for X person but still disgusted by how little we have come.
It isn’t just black people who are upset or have an opinion.
I always thought Beyoncé should have won for Lemonade but honestly, those awards shows are rigged. After the Weeknd’s snub for After Hours, I was done taking those awards show that seriously.
Eh I would have given Beyonce the album of the year for Lemonade but not this one. Adele and Harry’s albums were also mediocre IMO. I’d give it to Taylor or Brandi myself but I’m old and out of touch.
I am getting sick of the Beyonce thing as snubbed narrative though.
Taylor wasn’t even nominated.
Beyoncé IS continuously snubbed in the big categories and I’m curious why some people don’t want to talk about it.
@ Ref, yes, Beyoncé is continuously snubbed and it’s the same issue with the Academy. There is blatant racism throughout every industry, whether it be music or the medical field.
Until we expose the racists powers to be, nothing will change. It’s long past overdue for the ongoing racism that plagues the US. Hell, there were people that refused to vote for Hillary simply because she was a woman. ( I used Hilary as a case in point as there were exit polls that supported these facts.)
As for WOC, the impact that they face is exponentially greater on all levels of society whether it be a job, involvement with LE officers or a lack of proper health care. WOC are exponentially dismissed by HC workers as racism is rampant and they usually pay the ultimate price with their lives. (A research last year exposed the inequality that WOC experience in the HC industry as well as the mortality regarding pregnancy/birth.)
@Fancyhat me too. Beyonce’s fans seem to think she is objectively a goddess and act really entitled about it in a way that you don’t see with other fandoms. It was really terrible, there were literally people at the Grammy’s in the audience yelling loudly that Beyonce was robbed while Harry was giving his speech, and I’m pretty sure he could hear them. T Swift was standing the whole time for him, probably because she was having flashbacks.
I didn’t hear Beyonce’s music on the radio at all this year, I did hear Harry’s song everywhere (I didn’t like either artist’s songs). Is there racism in the industry? Absolutely. But at a certain level of artistry, music is subjective, not objective, and Beyonce’s fans act like it is their god given right to declare that she is the GOAT. Personally, I’ve never liked any of her music and don’t get why she’s a big deal (musically, I get that she has different important cultural impacts). That is my subjective opinion, and I’m sure it is shared by many and vehemently opposed by many. She clearly should have more big awards than she does, but take that up with the Grammy’s, not the incredibly nervous person on stage having the highlight of his career who looks like he is about to wee himself.
She clearly should have more big awards, but also I feel like she should clearly have less total awards?? The whole thing is weird. Maybe it balances out, who knows.
@ hmpy, you apparently are not aware of Taylor Swift fans which include many unhinged fans. They have been known to verbally abuse and call out her past beaus for their behaviour to a point that she has to call out her fans. Swifties are much more vocal than I have seen or heard of Bey’s fans.
@BothSidesNow I disagree. Beyonce is the only person I can think of where at awards shows people shout that she should have won at the winner. Swifties are protective of Swift in weird and aggressive ways that are not ok, but there isn’t the same shade (I think) of feeling entitled to her winning everything, or feeling entitled to everyone thinking she is the greatest of all time. Swift fans are pretty used to people sh@tting on Swift.
Perhaps not hearing “Beyoncé’s music on the radio at all this year” is a function of the radio stations that you listen to? I didn’t hear Taylor Swift, or Harry Styles. But then, I wouldn’t expect to — given the format and targeted audiences of the stations that I typically seek out.
I don’t listen to Beyonce but it does seem she’s always being snubbed for the big awards. But I do want to say about the fashion: her hair and dress were awful. She’s tied for worst dress with JLo. I though Adele and Lizzo looked fabulous.
Agreed! Lizzo & Adele were beautiful! They were in their element and seemed to radiate joy!
Can we really talk about music that people really didn’t seem to recognize & were surprised by? Bonnie Raitt winning SOTY. Who saw that coming?
Apparently ABBA put out a whole ass album and I didn’t even know about it until I read through the nominations. I feel uniformed.
My 15yo told me about ABBA’s album. I had no idea up until last week. I definitely had no idea about Bonnie. Her shocked reaction was definitely equal to my own 😅
I think Bonnie winning was a classic case of the others splitting the vote which allowed her to win
The Daily Mail didn’t, apparently. Their 1st headline about it was like, Unknown Blues Singer Beats Beyonce. Then they amended to Who Is Bonnie Raitt? (Some morning DJs were discussing this this morning.)
Such utter disrespect all over the place last night.
Weird. I was trying to respond to CATC’s comment about Bonnie Raitt.
I guess you could say she really …….
gave em something to talk about.
Thank you, I’ll see myself out now.
@ Frippery, I love it!!!! F’ing brilliant…..
The real snub was for Beyonce. I think what happened that year was that there were several pop albums that would appeal to the same sort of voters and then there was one album – Beck’s, for the white rock, hipster guys. Like it or not, there are a lot of them in the music industry. Not a surprise at all that he won, just completely unearned.
I am not following music closely enough at this point to try to figure out the voting base of the Grammys and who each of the nominated albums would appeal to. On the other hand, those of us who cringed while Natalie Cole and Tony Bennett won Album of the Year in the 90s are just not expecting the “best” album to win. Back in the day, the best albums didn’t even get nominated.
The over the top fawning of Beyoncé from Trevor was a bit much. I know she draws an audience but calm down. I hated that she was late..I hate being late myself and others being late because it communicates lack of value in others time.
Maybe that’s what she wanted but I didn’t think it was cute. Gives off arrogance and honestly that might play into her not getting votes. Yes it shouldn’t be about that but it is.
I hate the narrative of her constantly being snubbed because it does take away from other artists wins and also her own.
It also felt like there were only 6 celebs at the Grammys. Why not highlight other artists besides Taylor, Adele, Lizzo, Harry JLO and Beyoncé? If these guys stop showing up it’s over for the Grammys.
Unpopular Opinion Alert:
Beyonce is overrated and her latest album is/was mediocre at best.
You’re allowed to not like her or think her music isn’t good. But calling her overrated is pretty offensive for what she’s done for the black community and what she means to LGBTQ+. There’s always this underlining current when the biggest black female artist gets continuously called overrated, in a sea full of mediocre white talent.
Ref the biggest artists always get called overrated by many people. I also think she’s overrated musically. The only song I’ve ever found nice to listen to is “I was here”. I also think Adele is overrated. Generally when people say a musician is overrated, I think first and foremost they referring to their music?
@Ref completely agree, and I think it’s because people don’t know how to provide constructive critiques. For example, THE Lion King: Black is King album was not in my wheelhouse. I liked a lot of the songs, but it’s not in my rotation and never was; however, I could still give that album props for the artistry and creativity in sound. I could still look at how Beyonce musically pushed herself and her aesthetic. So not being a fan of something doesn’t mean we should belittle the talent.
What Ref said.
I said what I said and stand by it.
She has done amazing work for the LGBTQ2S+ community and that is outstanding. She deserves to be commended for her activism and artistry, you’re right.
She also recently sold out to get a +$20M paycheque for a 1 night show in a country with some of the WORST human rights violations on the planet. Riddle me this, batman…?!? We can’t have it both ways without some level of hypocrisy.
Note that I did not mention anything EXCEPT her music; her latest album was mediocre, at best.
Please don’t try to shame my words with whataboutism because you may not like what I’m saying: she’s over rated.
This is coming from a woman of minority status, FYI.
Have a lovely day.
Nope. And I love how all of you claim to be minorities and some of the same comments pop up and talk all out of their butts about Black women. WOC and Black women are not the same thing and should not be discussed as similar. Latino women still have more power than Black women. Asian women still have more power than Black women.
And I was all up in the Beyonce thread calling her out for performing at Dubai. Keep that same energy for your faves who have done worst and continue to do so.
DC, this is something you are clearly very passionate about. I understand your frustration. But Stef and anyone else is allowed to find Beyonce overrated or not enjoy her music at all. She didn’t say Beyonce was a bad person or that she had contributed nothing, just that she thinks her music isn’t that great. That’s a matter of personal taste and it’s subjective.
@ChillinginDC
Nope right back at ya. I’m First Nations Canadian and your comment was out of line. Stop the projection please. You’re trying to put words in my mouth and I won’t tolerate it.
Thanks,
-Stef
I thought her last album was terrible, IMO it got way more nominations than it deserved. She should have gotten AOTY for Lemonade that was a brilliant album this one nope.
She definitely got robbed for Lemonade, which, IMHO, was her best work to date.
@ Stef – people are definitely allowed not to like Beyonce and of course you’re entitled to your opinion. The problem I see (and it’s why comments on Bey posts on this site often have to be turned off) is that SO MANY people (generally non-Black women) feel the need to express, all the time, with some weird dog-whistle-y stuff behind it, how overrated she is, how much they don’t like her, how “uppity” she is, how she faked a pregnancy, and all that bullsh*t. I remember a post from a few years ago where she (and she wasn’t the only one) didn’t stand up while clapping for someone at some ceremony and the comments were a mess of “how dare she.” It was among some of the wildest stuff I’ve read on here.
If you’re not a Black woman and you’re out there feeling like you need to always express your negative opinion about Beyonce, maybe think about why you feel the need to do it.
@Stef none of this is directed specifically at you, and I hope the nuances of what I’m trying to say get through.
@Kaiser thanks for always trying to cover Beyonce despite all the mess that can happen in the comments! I’m a Hive member and i appreciate it.
@ Green Desert 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽 Beyonce posts bring out the people who always seem to have something negative to say as a character trait because usually, not always, but usually, they can’t tell you why they dislike Beyonce, just a dog whistle term/phrase for their issue with her. And it always shocks me because commenters come out and stan for other women like the Duchess of Sussex for any perceived slight, but not Bey– like it’s the same community of people. I don’t know why Beyonce is a lightning rod.
Thanks for your comment, Green Desert, I hear what you’re trying to say.
Calling Bey a lightening rod describes it well. Seems she evokes a lot of different feelings from people across the entire spectrum of emotions – isn’t that what an artist is supposed to do?
While she may not be my cup of tea these days, no can can truly say she isn’t a legend. Thanks for not insulting me, my heritage, or projecting hateful words on me that I’ve never said. 😎
Sorry but Renaissance is one of her weakest albums to date. Also, I wasn’t feeling any of the other albums in that category except for Bad Bunny’s Un Verano Sin Ti, which actually was fire, and one of the best whole albums I have heard in years.
I knew he wouldn’t get a win because it’s an album for Spanish speakers and adjacent (here in NYC he gets play on predominately English station that play urban music, but also pop stations like Z-100). But I know middle America and the south (expect Miami/Orlando and Ft Lauderdale) ain’t checking for him.
Hahahaahahaa stuck in traffic. PLEASE. They’re so full of themselves. She’s only walking up the stairs for the big awards. Maybe she wanted to let Niall Rodgers accept to pay him some due, so good for Niall. Despite the designer gowns she still looks like she’s wearing her mom’s costumes. Enough with the crazy adulation. She went to perform in Dubai which is gross. She doesn’t need the money nor the attention. If she’s so choosy about when and where she appears and speaks, why would she choose to go there?
Once lemonade was snubbed the Grammy’s were obsolete to me.
I love that Lizzo won Record of the year, but Album of the Year is the most prestigious Grammy award and Harry should not have won it. He already won for Best Pop Album of the Year (or some similar title). He didn’t need to win twice. Beyonce should have won Album of the Year, obviously. I like Harry, but he is not iconic and his music is nice, but NEVER over-the-top wonderful. Just no.
I am not super into music or the awards for this but can someone please explain the difference between ROTY and AOTY?
Like i truly don’t get it isn’t record and album just two words with the same meaning. Yes I know this might be a dumb question.
Album is for the ENTIRE album. Record is for a single track.
@Rachel – I just asked the same thing below in my comment! I swear I will NEVER learn to READ the previous comments first, THEN write my own. 99% of the time, any question I had was already answered. Esp because I’m on Pacific time so I usually don’t get to the site til later than alot of us.
Anyway…..so if record is for a single track, shouldn’t it be calling RECORDING of the year?? And can I assume that there’s no Song Of the Year/Pop SOTY/Rap/Hip Hop SOTY?/Dance SOTY etc etc etc?
What IS this madness??
@TeamAwesome Thank you for the reply. Ok so then that raises another question how is Record of the year different from SOTY?
Anyway thank you again for the polite answer and explaining it.
It is just an award show.
Beyonce has a body of work and record of performances that speak to her obvious talent.
I love her some of her collaborators on this album.
Some people are sooo desperate for Beyonce to be cancelled for something, even if it’s by association. 🙄
As of 2022 Eminem, Taylor Swift, and BTS are the top selling artists, in physical album sales, worldwide in that order. BTS doesn’t have a grammy yet. I wonder why. It looks like Beyonce’s sales peaked, by a lot, with Sasha Fierce. I found that interesting because I feel like I hear more about her now than I did back then.
aang says,
So Eminem, Taylor S, and BTS outsold The Beatles?
Goodness, I am officially old. Wow.
I do love BTS, their dancing is perfect.
She ripped off way too much stuff to deserve album of the year this go round and ableist to boot – she was an absolute mess so much so I refuse to listen. Artists who makes fun of disabled people I could care less if they win these fake awards anyway lol.
Hopefully she doesn’t feel she needs the Grammy validation. She already achieved legend status.
@chillingdc how dare you claim “Latinas” have more power when Latina isn’t even a thing. Most who are educated have refused that racist term for decades. It’s a name white and black people made up to hide indigenous erasure. We were indigenous people colonized amd mixed by white black and Spanish people to enrich their lives . I don’t see any black children in cages at our borders. I don’t see any Black people picking the field anymore that’s left to the indigenous workers and they’re not being paid a living wage so get off your high horse and get with 2023 or be gone. All POC are victimized by white supremacy. Until you band together with all people of color against the specter of white supremacy, you are a pawn of said white supremacy. Doing exactly what the people who you claim despise want you to do wake up.
I concur. Thanks for saying this.
@Sascha76 Im from Chicago. Latinas is a term Latinas use. They call themselves that. Hopefully you not suggesting, i as a black women, tell someone that the term they use to identify with is racist and they should identify as something else.. please these women would snap on me.. Latinas and Hispanic did NOT come from black people. We aint have no power to create a term for a while culture. You tripping. I call folks whatever they request
E2@chillingindc : you said Asian women have so much power yet I don’t remember any Asians winning any major awards at any music or movie awards.
Bey has done well for herself and I don’t see anyone complaining about the awards she won even though I am sure some are disappointed they lost. Some people win and some lose. It’s life.
Meh Renaissance was a good album, Lemonade IMO was much better and that was the year she really should have won. I was really hoping for Lizzo to win, but I’m really glad that she got record of the year. I didn’t find it shocking that Harry won. They are all great performers.
All of my social medias exploded when lemonade was released and I didn’t even know renaissance was already released the hype was so low. I wonder if it was a marketing fail, depending on her reputation to carry it? I remember seeing people speculate a new album when her IG went blank and then a few things about a tour but literally nothing about the actual album or any of its music. Strange.
What are you talking about the released Of her Album was everywhere. All over social media, entertainment media, news on CB and other blogs.
You’re one of THOSE🤣🙄completely delusional fanatics who can’t think rationally.
The Grammys don’t carry a lot of weight with me.
I’m thinking these days most award shows are either a popularity contest or the fix is in on who wins what.
Van Halen has only 1 or 2 Grammy awards. Still my fav band ever.
And the head banging, heavy metal music, along with punk should not even be on a awards list.
The fact that most of us didn’t know the difference between AOTY and SOTY kinda says it all.
Q: So Beyonce now has more Grammy awards than the likes of The Beatles, Paul Simon, Billy Joel, Diana Ross, Neil Diamond, Streisand, Springsteen, Pink Fllyod?
I’m 61, I keep thinking that a lot of the stars of the ’60’s-’80’s had careers that have lasted decades and sold out arenas worldwide and are still touring.
I know Beyonce has had a huge career for years, I’m just way outta touch I guess.
My issue with Harry’s House is that it is, like his past two albums, overproduced. It was enjoyable, but he always sounds so much better live. I’d like to see him put out an album where he uses his deeper voice. It’s like they’re still trying to make him sound boy-band friendly, and he’s well past that in terms of age and ability.
I was watching on actual network TV, but there was such a delay, I honestly didn’t hear much of his speech, so I didn’t catch what he was saying about this being a phenomenon. :\
What’s the difference between record of the year, and album of the year??? Aren’t those the same thing?