Beyoncé leads the pack for the 2021 Grammy nominees
View(s):Beyoncé leads the contenders for the 2021 Grammy Awards with nine — an unexpectedly high profile, given that the superstar didn’t even release a new album during the eligibility period. Her wealth of nods is followed by six apiece for Taylor Swift, Roddy Ricch and Dua Lipa.
Brittany Howard, of Alabama Shakes fame, was close behind that grouping with five nominations for her solo debut. Earning four each were returning Grammy queen Billie Eilish, Megan Thee Stallion, DaBaby, Phoebe Bridgers, Justin Bieber, jazz pianist John Beasley and classical producer David Frost.
Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Dua Lipa
Anyone looking for The Weeknd’s name amid that pack, or lesser rewarded runners-up, need look no further. Despite being widely predicted to dominate the nominations for the 63rd annual Grammys, the pop-R&B superstar’s “Blinding Lights” single and “After Hours” album racked up zero mentions, in what is sure to go down as one of the most shocking complete shutouts in modern Grammy history.
Beyoncé will be competing against herself in the marquee record of the year category. She’s nominated there both for “Black Parade,” a one-off single that was the one piece of new music she released as a solo artist this past year, and “Savage,” the Megan Thee Stallion track on which she made a featured appearance. While the bulk of her nine nominations came for those two songs, she’s also up for two video spinoffs from her work on the “Lion King” movie remake (the companion album for which was nominated last year): her original film “Black Is King” and the music video for the ‘Lion King: The Gift’ track ‘Brown Skin Girl’.
Swift’s six nominations include five for her “Folklore” album or its “Cardigan” single and one for her collaboration with Andrew Lloyd Webber on an original song for the film version of “Cats.” Her haul marks a return to Grammy favour after what was seen as snubs on some other post-“1989” efforts, like the mere one nomination she got for the “Reputation” album two years ago. Last year, “Lover” got three, but the highly coveted album of the year category was not among them. “Folklore” does return her to that top album category. If she wins — and with The Weeknd out of the way —her path is much clearer), she will become the first woman ever to win album of the year three times, having previously accomplished it for “1989” and “Fearless.”