The world’s pop stars were hopefully clearing their mantelpieces when the 2014 Grammy nominees were announced. Taylor Swift, Bruno Mars, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Daft Punk and even Sara Bareilles were all given nods in various categories. But along with the fanfare, confusion reigned as a number of high-profile acts were conspicuously absent. Puzzling omissions happen all the time — the Grammy Committee can’t nominate everyone — but the MIA status of these five acts is particuarly perplexing.
Justin Timberlake
Despite releasing two parts of “The 20/20 Experience” and one of the finest songs of the year in the shape of “Mirrors,” Timberlake was by far the most noticeable absentee in the biggest categories. Perhaps the Grammy judges just didn’t know he had two albums out? It’s not like he promoted them heavily. Except for the two giant US tours. And the 15-minute MTV VMAs performance. And the week-long residency on “Late Night With Jimmy Fallon.”
Lorde
The New Zealander did get plenty of recognition overall with nods in the Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Solo Performance and Best Pop Vocal Album. And yet somehow, all this was still not good enough to warrant a Best New Artist nomination. Logic is something the Grammy Committee sometimes struggles with.
Miley Cyrus
The 21-year-old’s new album “Bangerz” was released too late for Grammy consideration, but despite hitting No. 1 on the Billboard Chart, inspiring countless parodies and being a genuinely great song, “Wrecking Ball” was not on the list for either Record of the Year or Song of the Year.
Kanye West
He claims he’s a god, but this cuts no ice with the Grammys, where even deities are put in their place. “Yeezus” was nowhere to be seen in the top categories, and instead, West was only given consideration in the genre specific awards of Best Rap Album and Rap Song. At the very least, this snub should make for another highly entertaining Kanye rant in the next couple of months.
J. Cole
The North Carolina rapper made a massive impact critically and commercially with this year’s “Born Sinner,” but the Grammys neglected to give it any dues in the Best Rap Album category, instead choosing to reward Jay Z’s snooze-worthy “Magna Carta. Holy Grail.” Stop giving Hova a free pass all the time!