Snubs and Surprises at the 2014 Grammy Nominations

Courtesy of Neil Krug/Flickr

Lana Del Rey’s “Ultraviolence” was one of many works snubbed at this year’s Grammy nominations.

Evan Candelmo, Online Arts and Entertainment Co-Editor
Dec 10, 2014

After an exciting year of new music, the nominations for the 57th Grammy Awards were announced on Dec 5.  Many fans and critics were happy with the results, taking to social media to celebrate with the nominated artists.  However, with so many talented artists emerging this year, some of the nominations left me questioning if these nominations really represent 2014 as a year in music.  Here are the biggest snubs and surprises from the list of nominees:

Snub: Lana Del Rey

Rey had the biggest year of her music career to date and yet she is nowhere to be found on this extensive list. The only mention of any work from “Ultraviolence,” her second studio album, is a nomination for the producer of “Money Power Glory,” one of the tracks.

Surprise: Haim

The 70’s-esque girl group nabbed a Best New Artist nomination after a phenomenal year of touring and promotion on their 2013 album, “Days Are Gone.” Since they released on the deadline last year for the Grammys, the trio was overlooked and its great to see them being recognized for their work.

Snub: “Frozen”and Idina Menzel

The “Frozen” soundtrack has been the top selling album of 2014 so far, even outselling Taylor Swift’s massive quarter four release, “1989”, but the album failed to gain any recognition in the biggest four categories. Most surprisingly, “Let It Go,” the biggest track from the soundtrack, sung by Idina Menzel, was not nominated in any category except for Best Song Written For Visual Media category.

Surprise: Ed Sheeran’s multiple nominations

 Last year, the Brit made an appearance at the ceremony due to his long overdue nomination for Best New Artist. He is now coming back with three nominations including Album Of The Year, which is a big feat for the singer/songwriter.


Snub: Hozier

While Hozier is having his breakout year, his chart-topper, “Take Me To Church,” failed to gain him any recognition in the nominations except for Song Of The Year. Many blogs predicted his success in the Best New Artist category but unfortunately, he seemed to be pushed out by country artist Brandy Clark and British band Bastille, who have both had an arguably bigger year than Hozier.