The 7 biggest snubs, surprises, and missteps of the 2025 Grammy nominations

Reneé Rapp seemed like a natural fit for best new artist last year, following the release of her acclaimed debut album "Snow Angel." But she was absent from the slate of nominees.

This year, Rapp has only continued to cement herself as a fresh, distinctive voice among Gen Z artists. In January, she starred in the big-screen adaptation of Broadway's "Mean Girls," reprising her role as Regina George. While the movie got mixed reviews, Rapp's performance was so compelling that she reshaped the cinematic event into her own star vehicle.

Beyond her roots in musical theater, Rapp's name recognition has risen across the board — culminating in her first headline slot at a music festival, All Things Go, in September.

Variety previously reported that Rapp was a leading contender for best new artist in the first round of Grammy submissions, alongside worthy peers like Carpenter and Roan. Alas, Rapp was passed over for the likes of Benson Boone and Teddy Swims — talented artists, to be sure, but more so giving flash-in-the-pan vibes.

Widely considered to be one of the best rappers of all time and, in recent years, a spotlight-shunning recluse, André 3000 surprised fans with a new album in late 2023. But it wasn't his return to music that was most surprising — it was that he wasn't interested in being a rapper anymore. Instead, "New Blue Sun" is an 87-minute ode to the flute.

Meanwhile, Jacob Collier surprised no one by continuing down a predetermined path. The 30-year-old British singer and producer released "Djesse Vol. 4" in February, the fourth installment in his ongoing album series.

These two will be the only men competing for album of the year come February, going toe-to-toe with six women whose names were synonymous with stardom this year: Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan, and Taylor Swift. To put it kindly, they stick out.

On the other hand, for those of us who pay attention to music-industry politics, neither of these men's nominations came out of left field.

André 3000 is a previous album of the year victor, having won with Outkast for "Speakerboxxx/The Love Below" in 2004, while Collier was nominated in 2021 for "Djesse Vol. 3." I attribute both of Collier's surprise nods to his mentor, the legendary producer Quincy Jones, who died earlier this week. Jones is one of the most-awarded artists in Grammy history, likely giving Collier an in with the Recording Academy.

Before the Swifties get it twisted, let me first say: I'm all for "The Tortured Poets Department," 2024's most successful release by far, being nominated for album of the year. (I don't think Swift should win the award again, but that's a debate for another time.)

I'm even down with the album's lead single, "Fortnight," competing for song of the year, given that Swift is the most-nominated person ever in that category and she's long overdue for a win. ("I love you, it's ruining my life" is such a classic Swiftian lyric that I'm surprised it took her this long to write it.)

That being said, song of the year is a songwriter's award; the category is specifically intended to celebrate structure, storytelling, and lyricism, aka Swift's bread and butter.

Conversely, record of the year is more holistic, awarded to the song's performer(s), producer(s), engineer(s), and mixer(s). It's all about how a song sounds, how it feels, and how that combination resonates with people. In other words, the song that wins record of the year is usually a hit.

While "Fortnight" did chart at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, it's difficult to argue that it had a meaningful impact on the year's pop landscape. At best, it's a catchy duet with Post Malone. At worst, it's an uninspired retreat to the sonic landscape of "Midnights," Swift's worst album to date.

In its place, I would've gone for Shaboozey's "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" or Tinashe's "Nasty."

Tyla won her first Grammy last year thanks to her global smash "Water," taking home the inaugural award for best African music performance. This seemed to signal a new era for the genre-bending singer, whose debut album "Tyla" would arrive the following month to near-universal praise and go on to amass over 1 billion streams.

Instead, as the official Grammys website bluntly put it: "This year, Tyla will not defend her prize."

Tyla should've been a shoo-in to defend her prize, of course, but singles like "Truth or Dare" and "Art" would've also been worthy contenders in R&B or pop categories. Even song of the year for "Jump" shouldn't have been out of the question. They're all better than "Water."

Tyla has said she's on a mission to prove that an African girl can be "the biggest pop star of my time." ("The global impact that 'Water' has had on the world just proves that African music can be pop music too," she said at the VMAs in September.) Regrettably, her I-told-you-so moment will have to wait.

Ariana Grande may be more focused on winning an Oscar these days, but just eight months ago, she released what many critics described as her most mature album to date. "Eternal Sunshine," named after the 2004 film "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," was a mix of catchy pop songs and tender meditations on family, regret, and hope.

Evidently, the Recording Academy preferred the bops. While many of Grande's fans expected her to receive her second album of the year nomination, following "Thank U, Next" in 2020, she was relegated to genre-specific categories: best pop vocal album, best pop duo/group performance for "The Boy Is Mine," and best dance pop recording for "Yes, And?"

To my ears, it's not surprising that "Eternal Sunshine" wasn't nominated for album of the year; this year's race is absolutely stacked, and Grande's uneven collection of pop songs doesn't hold up next to masterworks like "Cowboy Carter," "Brat," and "Hit Me Hard and Soft."

What does surprise me is the Recording Academy's failure to nominate "We Can't Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)," which Grande's team reportedly submitted for both record and song of the year. Those categories are pretty stacked, too, but as previously discussed, I would've chosen Grande's soaring anthem over Swift's lackluster "Fortnight."

Tyla didn't get nominated for best African music performance, but do you know who did? None other than Chris Brown, an admitted abuser who peaked with "Kiss Kiss" in 2007.

Despite years of making mediocre music and accumulating allegations of violence, Brown has repeatedly been recognized by the Grammys. This time around, he'll also compete for best R&B performance, best R&B album, and best contemporary Christian music performance/song.

The Grammy Awards will air live from Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 2, 2025.