I'll Say It: These Artists Should've Been Recognized With 2024 Grammy Nominations

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If you were to ask any musician about their career goals, most would glimmer at the hope of earning a Grammy nomination from the Recording Academy. Having your artistry recognized with accolades by pro-industry vets, producers, and executives is not only *incredibly* validating, but some might argue that it elevates your level of stardom.

Trailblazers like Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Taylor Swift, Elton John, and Bad Bunny have made Grammys history and continue to carve out a path for industry newcomers. When you look at the records these artists have broken, most came after being recognized by the prestigious Recording Academy.

Though the Recording Academy has previously been in hot water due to a lack of diversity and inclusion, its structure is evolving to reflect the reality of modern music. There are AI protocols in this year’s Grammys rule book—aka only human artists are eligible for nomination. There are also 94 categories (which is nearly three times the 23 categories at the Oscars), including new additions like Best Pop Dance Recording and Best Alternative Jazz Album. Fans have long advocated for a K-Pop category at the coveted awards show, and according to Billboard, the Recording Academy’s CEO isn’t opposed to introducing it down the line.

While this year’s nominees were rightfully recognized by the Academy (boygenius, Victoria Monét, and Miley Cyrus, to name a few), there are other vets and rising stars who deserved a nod in major categories like Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. These snubbed artists not only took over TikTok For You Pages and broke records, but they have been impacting pop culture, whether they are vets or rising stars. So let’s talk about these 2024 Grammys snubs, shall we?

Best New Artist

Peso Pluma

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Peso Pluma had one hell of a year. The breakthrough artist's album, Génesis, fuses trap, reggaeton, and corrido influences and landed at No. 3 on Billboard's 200 albums chart. His tracks "Ella Baila Sola" and "Lady Gaga" quickly became fan-favorites and shot into the mainstream when he earned VMA nods last summer. Of course, fans can't forget his incredibly viral BZRP Music Session #55 with Bizarrap. There's no denying Peso's cultural impact—especially within the Latin community—as he quickly became the poster child for Mexico's corridos tumbados genre.

Reneé Rapp

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Reneé Rapp is the queen of creating viral moments (see: her relatable outro on "Poison Poison" and shameless dig at a tour bus company owner). Not only has the soulful singer-songwriter infiltrated TikTok algorithms, but her debut album Snow Angel earned the biggest U.S. sales debut for a female pop artist when it dropped in August 2023. Reneé embarked on her first headlining tour, broke the SNL curse, and reprised her role as Broadway's Regina George in Mean Girls: The Movie: The Musical. Perhaps if Mean Girls (and its delightfully chaotic press tour) happened a bit earlier, she would have earned a Grammy nod this year. Lucky for Miss Rapp, though—she's still that bitch. So I'm personally placing bets that she'll receive her flowers at next year's ceremony.

NewJeans

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NewJeans is the newest K-Pop phenomenon on the block, and their earworm singles "ETA" and "Super Shy" are more than enough proof of their star power. The Recording Academy has historically snubbed the group's predecessor, BLACKPINK, despite their massive reach and virality throughout the 2020s. However, anyone between the ages of 10 to 30 was listening to NewJeans by the time they dropped their second EP Get Up. With eight singles under their belt, the group checked plenty of boxes for a Best New Artist nod—but did they make waves in the mainstream?

Record of the Year

"Fast Car" by Luke Combs

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This track by Luke Combs is a prime example of a reimagined song that took the cultural landscape by storm. The country crooner is up for Best Country Solo Performance this year, but he didn't receive nods in any major categories. "Fast Car" is actually a cover of Tracy Chapman's '80s hit, and while there are technicalities surrounding "old" recordings in the Grammys rule book for Song of the Year, Luke's version was recorded within the eligibility period. All that to say: It still would have been eligible for Record of the Year at this year's Grammys. The track peaked at No. 2 (admittedly, I don't listen to much country music, and this song still made its way into my day-to-day life!), so I can only imagine avid country fans ate it up.

"Paint the Town Red" by Doja Cat

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Doja has received love from the Recording Academy over the years and even earned a golden gramophone for Best Pop Duo/Group Performance with SZA in 2022. Her Scarlet megahit "Paint the Town Red"—which cleverly samples Dionne Warwick's "Walk On By"—broke rap's drought on the Billboard Hot 100 chart as it rightfully rose to No. 1. It even earned a nod in this year's Best Pop Solo Performance category. The track's radio play brought it to a wider audience (translation: even my mom knows this song), and it inevitably landed on social feeds throughout 2023. Perhaps the Academy wanted to move other artists into Record of the Year as Doja's track "Attention" was also recognized in rap-centered categories.

Song of the Year

"Seven" by Jung Kook feat. Latto

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Although BTS is one of the best-selling K-Pop groups of all time, the band has yet to snag a golden gramophone. The group has been nominated five times and has infamously lost in every category. Since their hiatus in 2021, a few BTS members have kept busy with solo projects. This sounds like a perfect awards redemption arc for the K-Pop stars—if the Academy acknowledged them, that is. Jung Kook released multiple singles during this year's Grammys eligibility period, but "Seven" with Latto is a standout (though it must be said that "3D"'s rollout had me hooked). Not only did the track hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, but made an impact on radio and set two Guinness World Records.

"Boy's a Liar Pt. 2" by PinkPantheress feat. Ice Spice

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PinkPantheress' already infectious pop hit was re-upped with the help of the people's princess, Ice Spice, in February 2023. The instant virality of the track took the duo's star power to new heights, and it was also featured on British singer PinkPantheress' debut album, Heaven Knows. While Ice earned four Grammy nods this year (including Best New Artist), the Academy missed a mark by skipping "Boy's a Liar Pt. 2," which climbed up to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was pretty much stuck in everyone's heads during Q1 of 2023.

Album of the Year

Mañana Será Bonito by Karol G

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Karol G poured her heart into Mañana Será Bonito after she broke off her highly publicized engagement with Puerto Rican rapper Anuel AA—and the bichota had incredibly good karma once it dropped. In March 2023, Karol made history when it became the first No. 1 all-Spanish-language album by a female artist on Billboard's 200 albums chart. Not to mention, it's the highest-selling Latin album of 2023 with stamps of approval from Latin music legends Shakira and Romeo Santos. Those stats alone (along with her sold out U.S. stadium tour) should be enough proof that Mañana Será Bonito is Album of the Year material. At least she wasn't overlooked entirely—the Academy gave Karol her flowers in the Best Música Urbana Album category.

Let's Start Here. by Lil Yachty

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I'll say it since the Recording Academy won't: Lil Yachty casually dropped one of the best albums of 2023. The rapper is most known for his clever bars and hyped-up experimental production on tracks like "Broccoli" and "T.D" with Tierra Whack, A$AP Rocky, and Tyler, The Creator. At the top of the year, Yachty pivoted to psychedelic rock with Let's Start Here. after being influenced by live recordings of Pink Floyd from the '70s. Genre-bending is one thing, but shifting genres entirely is a risk he was willing to take. It worked for Taylor Swift when she made the switch from country to pop and won Album of the Year for 1989—but Yachty's efforts were unfortunately overlooked this time.

The 2024 Grammys will take place at LA's Crypto.com Arena on Sunday, February 4, and air on CBS at 8 p.m. EST/5 p.m. No cable? No problem. Streaming will also be available on Paramount+.

WATCH THE 2024 GRAMMYS

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