The Biggest Snubs and Surprises of the 2024 Grammy Nominations

The 2024 Grammy nominations were announced Friday morning and SZA took the lead, with nine nods for the singer, followed closely by Victoria Monét and Phoebe Bridgers, who each took home seven. Eight musicians are tied in third with six nominations each, including Jack Antonoff, Taylor Swift, Boygenius, Jon Batiste, Miley Cyrus, Olivia Rodrigo, Billie Eilish, and Brandy Clark.

Several artists joined the Recording Academy on Friday to announce the 2024 nominees, including Kim Petras, St. Vincent, Jon Bon Jovi, Muni Long, and more. SZA and Swift were expected to be the most nominated artists, for their 2022 albums Midnights and SOS. With six nominations this year, Swift broke the record for the most times being nominated in the Song of the Year category, accumulating seven, although she has never won in this category.

The Grammy Awards will take place at the Crypto.com arena in Los Angeles on Feb. 4. Here are the biggest snubs and surprises from the nominations. 

Surprise: Victoria Monét triumphs

Earlier this year, Victoria Monét did not get to perform at the MTV Video Music Awards, taking to X to explain that her team said it was “too early in [her] story’ for that opportunity.” They are most likely regretting those words because the singer was nominated for her first Grammy today and six other nominations, including one for Record of the Year. The other categories she grabbed nods in include Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Album.

Surprise: Pop Dance Category is an Australian wonderland

Two Aussies have means for celebration today and their songs will provide the perfect soundtrack. Kylie Minogue’s “Padam Padam” was an inescapable earworm that found its legs in the thumping walls of queer spaces across the country and online. The critically acclaimed song received a nomination today, and it was a welcome surprise. This marks Minogue’s sixth nomination and if she wins, her second Grammy. And speaking of queer anthems, Troye Sivan got his first ever nod for the single, “Rush,” a beloved internet phenomenon. The 28-year-old has been making music for over a decade, and the Recording Academy is finally recognizing his artistry.

Snub: Peso Pluma overlooked in a Best New Artist category

Peso Pluma had a big year with his feature on the breakout hit, “Ella Baila Sola,” and a quick ascent to fame working with the likes of KAROL G, Becky G, El Alfa, and more. The 24-year-old released his album, GÉNESIS, in April, and it spawned the hit “LADY GAGA.” He has become a marker for pushing the boundaries of corridos tumbados, and should not have been overlooked in this category. 

Surprise: Barbie racks up four nods in one category

Barbie was the moment—the closest we got in 2023 to the days of monoculture. The soundtrack was a moment in and of itself, featuring all of the most popular artists of the time. It may not be a huge surprise that it received so much attention from the Recording Academy, but it did dominate one category, receiving four nominations for the Best Song Written for Visual Media. The Ice Spice and Nicki Minaj collab, “Barbie World,” Dua Lipa’s “Dance The Night,” What Was I Made For” by Billie Eilish, and the Ryan Gosling rock-ballad “I’m Just Ken” all received a nomination.

Surprise: Rihanna’s Black Panther song gets Grammy love

When the song “Lift Me Up” was released, the public heralded it as Rihanna’s return to music because she hadn’t released an album in seven years. It’s still unclear when she plans to make a full-length project again. But if this Grammy nomination for her song on Black Panther: Wakanda Forever soundtrack says anything, it’s that the Recording Academy and her fans are waiting with bated breath.

Snub: Foo Fighters do not receive an Album of the Year nod

The Foo Fighters’ longtime drummer Taylor Hawkins died in 2022, prompting the band to step away from the spotlight. At the end of last year, the Foo Fighters announced their return to music with a new album but stated they would be “a different band going forward.” Publications like Rolling Stone predicted that the Foo Fighters would nab another nomination for their new album, But Here We Are which “turned such a terrible tragedy into an artistic triumph.” But the album did not end up getting nominated.

Surprise: The first-ever African Music Performance category picks strong contenders

The Recording Academy introduced the first ever Best African Music Performance category following the success of afrobeats and African music in the United States. Four of the five nominees in the category received their first-ever nominations: Asake, Davido, Ayra Starr, and Tyla. Burna Boy won his first Grammy for his album “Twice As Tall” in the Global Music Album category back in 2021 and has six nominations under his belt. One of the most exciting nominations is Tyla’s song, “Water.” When Tyla spoke with TIME last month, her song was at its peak in popularity. The catchy song found an audience across social media because of its intricate blend of amapiano, afrobeats, pop, and R&B. The song’s popularity seems to have made its way in front of Grammy voters who granted her a nomination in the Best African Music Performance category—making it Tyla’s first Grammy nomination ever.