By Lucy Caulkett-
Beyoncé has topped the nominees for the 2021 Grammy awards, heading up a year that celebrated female artistry right across pop genres – but there were stark snubs of the Weekend and Bob Dylan.
The U.S star earned two nominations in the record of the year category, for her solo track Black Parade and her remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s Savage, and received seven more across a further seven categories, demonstrating her versatility across R&B, rap and film-making. She now has 79 in total, extending her record as the most-nominated female artist of all time.
Taylor Swift received six nominations, mostly for her album Folklore, including song and album of the year. She was also nominated for Beautiful Ghosts, her contribution to the movie adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Cats – reviled on release but becoming a camp cult classic.
British successes include pop star Dua Lipa, who earned nominations in the three top categories of album, record and song of the year. Coldplay were nominated for album of the year, for Everyday Life, as was esoteric British pop producer-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, who scored three nominations overall. Harry Styles also received three nominations, though not in top categories, while UK dance duo Disclosure earned two.
There are multiple nominations too for Billie Eilish’s ‘Everything I Wanted’ (Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance) and Beyoncé’s ‘Black Parade‘ (Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best R&B Performance).
Rapper Post Malone appeared in the three top categories, while soul band Black Pumas, who appeared in the best new artist field last year, step up further with nominations for record and album of the year.
Another rapper, Roddy Ricch, received six nominations across various categories for two songs: the atmospheric solo hit The Box, and Rockstar, his collaboration with lead artist DaBaby, who received four nominations of his own.
Brittany Howard received five nominations for her captivating solo album Jaime that meanders between blues, gospel and more, following a successful number of years with her band Alabama Shakes – she adds to the four wins from 11 nominations she has had previously, both solo and with her band.
Billie Eilish, who dominated the 2020 awards with material from her debut album, received another four nominations this year, for her spellbinding ballad Everything I Wanted and her James Bond theme No Time To Die. Justin Bieber also earned four, across pop and country categories.
Fiona Apple, Big Thief, Phoebe Bridgers, Haim, Brittany Howard and Grace Potter. Bridgers received four nominations, including in the best new artist category, while Apple and Big Thief received three each. Potter earned two, as did Haim, though the latter are in the top category of album of the year.
Women also dominated the best country album category. It is the first time it has had five albums helmed in whole or in part by women: Little Big Town, Ingrid Andress, Brandy Clark, Miranda Lambert and Ashley McBryde. Six out of eight of the best new artist nominees are also women, including the charismatic yet divisive pop singer Doja Cat, who picked up three nominations overall. R&B singer Jhené Aiko also scored three nominations, including for album of the year.
Snubbed artists include the Weeknd, who dominated charts on both sides of the Atlantic all year with his hit Blinding Lights and album After Hours, but who received no nominations at all. Neither did Bob Dylan, whose return to original songwriting after eight years away, with the album Rough and Rowdy Ways, was hugely acclaimed this year. K-pop band BTS, the world’s biggest pop group, only received one nomination, for Dynamite, their first fully English-language single.