Music
8 Major Snubs & Surprises From The 2025 Grammy Nominations
The past year was full of great new music, but not everyone was recognized.
Music’s biggest night is almost here — no, not the closing night of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. The 2025 Grammy nominations were unveiled on Nov. 8, with the help of Kylie Minogue, Victoria Monét, Ben Platt, and Mark Ronson.
The award show’s 2025 roster is stacked with culture-defining albums and songs from Grammy darlings like Beyoncé, who leads the pack with 11 nominations, and Billie Eilish, who follows with seven nods. Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar, and Post Malone all tied with Eilish as the second-most nominated artists, while Taylor Swift trails behind them with six nods.
Given the strong competition, fans expected many snubs and surprises on the morning of nominations, and sadly, Ariana Grande and Dua Lipa were affected.
Only recordings released between Sept. 16, 2023 and Aug. 30, 2024 are eligible to be nominated at the 2025 ceremony, meaning some of your favorite new songs, like Lady Gaga’s “Disease,” will be in contention next year.
The 2025 Grammy Awards will take place on Feb. 2 at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena and air live on CBS and Paramount+. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises from the nominations.
Dua Lipa Misses Out
Dua Lipa missed out on nominations in the general and pop categories for her album Radical Optimism, including Best Pop Vocal Album, which she previously won in 2021 for Future Nostalgia.
*NSYNC Surprises
*NSYNC’s comeback song for the movie Trolls: All Together, “Better Place,” landed a nomination in Best Song Written for Visual Media. However, since the category is a songwriter’s award, only Justin Timberlake will receive the award if they win, as he’s the only member who co-wrote the track.
Ariana Is Snubbed — Kind Of
Ariana Grande landed three nominations in Best Pop Vocal Album for Eternal Sunshine, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance for “The Boy Is Mine” with Brandy and Monica, and Best Pop Dance Recording for “Yes, And?” However, she was disappointingly snubbed from Album of the Year, and her hit “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” wasn’t recognized in any category.
Nicki Minaj Gets No Love
Nicki Minaj’s latest album, Pink Friday 2, and its singles were snubbed in all categories, including the rap field.
Dolly Parton Lands An Unexpected Nom
Dolly Parton released an epic rock album last November, but instead, she landed a surprise nod in Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording for her fashion coffee table book, Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones.
Megan Thee Stallion Gets Snubbed
Despite releasing some genre-defining smashes on her latest album, MEGAN, like “Hiss” and “Mamushi,” Megan Thee Stallion was snubbed on nominations morning, even in the rap categories.
Charli XCX Dominates
Given how Brat dominated pop culture in 2024, Charli XCX earned some long overdue recognition at the 2025 Grammys. However, she received more love than even her biggest fans expected, tying with Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Post Malone as the second-most nominated artist with seven nods, including Album of the Year for Brat and Record of the Year for “360.” It’s now a Brat Winter.
Breakout Artists Shine
The Grammys often leave breakout artists in the Best New Artist category without giving them bigger awards, but not this year. Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan both received nominations in all four general field categories, while fellow Best New Artist nominee Shaboozey also got recognized in Song of the Year for his hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy).”
