FILE – The Beatles, from left, John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney appear in Liverpool, England on July 10, 1964, for the premiere of their movie “A Hard Day’s Night.” (AP Photo, File)
NEW YORK — It looks like the 2025 Grammy Awards may be a different kind of award show. Beyoncé leads the nods with 11, bringing her career total to a record-breaking 99 nominations. There’s an incredible diversity of genres represented across the major categories, and women continue to succeed. So… who didn’t make the cut? What were the best surprises of all? Let’s take a look.
Country’s cool again… and it looks a little different.
Country music has bled into other prominent genres and the Recording Academy has taken note. Country hybridists — like Beyoncé, Post Malone and first-time nominee Shaboozey — lead many nominations, in country and beyond.
But that means the traditionalists might not see rewards: CMA Awards favorites Cody Johnson’s “Leather” and Luke Combs’ “Fathers & Sons” didn’t see any nominations. The latter shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: Comb’s blockbuster cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car” wasn’t nominated for record of the year at the Grammys in 2024, either – though it did land a nod in best country solo performance.
This year also marks Malone and Beyoncé’s first-ever nominations in the country categories.
The Beatles are back
Who saw this one coming? The Beatles last new song, the AI-assisted “Now and Then,” is up for record of the year. Released in 2023, the song utilized artificial intelligence to extract John Lennon’s voice from an old demo. It’s the same technology used to separate the Beatles’ voices from background sounds during the making of director Peter Jackson’s 2021 documentary series, “The Beatles: Get Back.”
Last summer, the Recording Academy announced a series of changes to the Grammy Awards, including new protocols involving technological advancements in machine learning. It sparked headlines: “Only human creators” could win the music industry’s highest honor in a decision aimed at the use of artificial intelligence in popular music. At the 2025 Grammys, clearly, those changes are in action.
Album of the year gets a facelift
Last year’s album of the year category was dominated by pop women — and that continues, with Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX’s rave-ready approach to the genre receiving noms. The latter is a nice surprise (more on that below), but the two men nominated are creative outliers. OutKast frontman André 3000’s experimental jazz-flute album “New Blue Sun” is a contender, as well as Jacob Collier’s “Djesse Vol. 4,” though that one may fulfill a space left vacant by Jon Batiste.
BRAT summer is forever
Charli XCX, having never received a solo artist nomination at the Grammys, is up for seven awards at the 2025 ceremony. Those include record and album of the year, as well as pop solo and pop duo/group performance, pop dance recording, dance/electronic album and music video. Clearly, her culture-shifting “BRAT” album — and the summer of memes it inspired — has continued to hold real influence.
Exciting, surprising first time nominees
There is no shortage of first-time nominees this year. Some were expected — like Roan, Carpenter and Shaboozey — others less so. Willow Smith has received her first nomination in the arrangement, instruments and vocals category for arranging her song “b i g f e e l i n g s.” Linda Martell, the first commercially successful Black woman musician in country, is featured alongside Shaboozey on Beyoncé’s “SPAGHETTII,” which is up for the melodic rap performance category. That delivers the progenitor her first-ever Grammy nomination at age 83.
And lastly, Morgan Wallen — undoubtedly one of the most popular musicians in the country, and one rife with controversy — has received his first two Grammy nominations for his feature on Malone’s “I Had Some Help.” Last year, his song “Last Night” was nominated for best country song, but that is a songwriter’s award, and Wallen did not receive a nod.
In the past, the country singer has been absent from nominations. In 2021, after video surfaced of him using a racial slur, he was disqualified or limited from several award shows and received no Grammy nominations for his bestselling “Dangerous: The Double Album.”
Latin music is missing from the top categories… again
Just like last year, Latin music is missing from the top categories at the 2025 Grammys, despite a surplus of eligible talent: Peso Pluma’s “Éxodo,” Shakira’s “Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran,” Residente, “Las Letras Ya No Importan,” Carín León’s “Boca Chueca, Vol. 1” and Bad Bunny’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” among them.
No K-pop?
Same as above: K-pop, too, seems to be absent. There are no nominations for the BTS members who’ve released solo material this year: RM’s “Right Place, Wrong Person,” J-Hope’s “Hope on the Street, Vol. 1,” and Jimin’s “Muse.” As a boy band, BTS has received five nominations across its career.
Only one nomination for landmark artists
Despite being one of the great global superstars of the current moment — regularly celebrated as one of the most streamed artists on the planet — Bad Bunny’s “Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana” received only one nomination, for música urbana album.
And Usher, who had a blockbuster year — including a star-studded Super Bowl halftime show — also received only one nomination, for R&B album.
…And none for others
In pop, Dua Lipa’s “Radical Optimism” is nowhere to be seen. In country, best new artist hopeful Megan Moroney received no nominations. In R&B, Normani’s long-awaited debut album, “Dopamine,” failed to make waves with voters, and in rap, Nicki Minaj’s “Pink Friday 2” and Megan Thee Stallion’s “Megan” are absent.
The end of Jack Antonoff’s reign?
Last year, Jack Antonoff took home producer of the year, non-classical for a third year in a row, tying Babyface as the only other producer to do so consecutively. This year, he didn’t receive a nod in that category — one he has held a place in since 2019. Who will take the mantle?