11 biggest snubs of the 2022 Grammys nominations

Lorde's "Solar Power" is an earnest, expertly crafted, no-skips album from one of pop's most intelligent lyricists, and easily one of 2021's best releases.

Its brilliant title track (cowritten by Lorde and Jack Antonoff, who's nominated for non-classical producer of the year) should have been a frontrunner for song of the year, a category that celebrates songwriting.

And yet, in a truly baffling move, Lorde received zero recognition from the Recording Academy.

Halsey's fourth studio album, "If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power," earned the singer their first-ever Grammy nomination as a lead artist for best alternative music album.

But while Halsey's long-awaited recognition is very welcome, the most poetic and powerful album of her career should've earned far more.

"If I Can't Have Love, I Want Power," produced by Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, deserved to compete for the night's top prize — especially in an expanded category that includes the likes of Kanye West's "Donda" and Justin Bieber's "Justice."

Moreover, the album's accompanying folk-horror movie, written by Halsey and directed by Colin Tilley, would've made perfect sense for best music film.

Tyler, the Creator has been outspoken about the Recording Academy's habit of putting Black artists in rap categories, notwithstanding their innovation.

"On the one side, I am very grateful that what I made can be acknowledged in a world like this," he said at the Grammys in January 2020 after winning best rap album for "Igor."

"But it sucks that whenever we, and I mean guys that look like me, do anything that's genre-bending or anything, they always put it in a rap or urban category."

Indeed, Tyler's sixth album "Call Me If You Get Lost" transcends traditional visions of genre. Though it certainly draws from rap and hip-hop, the eclectic tracklist contains some of the artist's most vivid arrangements and sharpest lyrics to date.

Still, Tyler received just two nominations: best rap album and best melodic rap performance for "Wusyaname."

"Butter" should've been a shoo-in for record of the year, especially considering the category's expansion from eight nominations to 10.

The addictive hit single has the same delightful pop energy as several record of the year nominees, like "Kiss Me More" and "Montero (Call Me by Your Name)," yet significantly more commercial success. "Butter" dominated the Billboard Hot 100 for 10 weeks and broke all kinds of streaming records.

However, just like last year, BTS was relegated to one minor category. "Butter" was only nominated for best pop duo/group performance.

It's unclear when the Recording Academy will come to appreciate the immense cultural significance of K-pop — and BTS in particular — but it's already long overdue.

Much like K-pop, it's beyond time for the Grammys to recognize Spanish-language music as a massively influential piece of today's music landscape.

Bad Bunny is the prime example of its power — and its plight. He was the most-streamed artist of 2020 and his brilliant third album, "El Ultimo Tour Del Mundo," became the first Spanish-language album in history to hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200.

But for the second year in a row, Bad Bunny has been relegated to the "Latin" field instead of taking his rightful place in the prestigious general categories. He received just one nomination for best música urbana album.

In fact, there's no Spanish-language music at all in the big four this year. Global superstars like J Balvin and viral sensations like Kali Uchis were similarly snubbed.

This year's nominees for best rap album are all men: J Cole, Drake, Nas, Tyler, the Creator, and Kanye West.

This feels particularly egregious when Megan Thee Stallion, who won three Grammys last year, released her debut studio album "Good News" within the eligibility period.

Megan received just one measly nod this year: best rap performance for "Thot Shit," a standalone single.

Lucy Dacus' third album "Home Video" received near-universal acclaim from critics, who described it as "a musical representation of the intricate jigsaw of life" and "a Southern short-story collection with an indie-rock soundtrack."

Dacus wasn't nominated for any Grammys this year, even though she would've been a natural contender for best rock album, at the very least.

This year's nominees for best rock album are also all men: AC/DC, Black Pumas, Chris Cornell, Foo Fighters, and Paul McCartney.

In fact, all three rock-specific categories are completely devoid of women.

The British alt-rock band Wolf Alice, led by powerhouse singer Ellie Rowsell, is nowhere to be found on the nominations list — despite releasing the most acclaimed album of their career, "Blue Weekend," which currently has an impressive score of 91 on Metacritic.

Believe it or not, Miley Cyrus has never won a Grammy Award. She has been nominated just once in her long career: best pop vocal album in 2015 for "Bangerz."

Fans thought this might finally change after the late-2020 release of her raw and well-received rock album "Plastic Hearts," which includes hits like "Midnight Sky" and "Prisoner."

Alas, Cyrus' drought continues, as she received zero nominations this year. She reacted to her snub on Twitter, sharing an article about celebrated musicians who have never won a Grammy.

"In good company," she wrote.

Taylor Swift, the most talented lyricist of her generation, has never won song of the year. She is the most-nominated female songwriter in the history of the award with five nods total.

"Willow" should've been her sixth. The lead single from her ninth album "Evermore," which is nominated for album of the year, is a richly painted portrait of a woman falling in love — a subject Swift has covered many times, yet consistently manages to find insightful ways to describe.

Bo Burnham's "Inside (The Songs)," the soundtrack for his newest Netflix special, isn't just one of the best comedy albums in recent memory. It's one of the catchiest, most thoughtful, and expertly produced pop albums released all year.

With a tracklist packed with earworms like "Sexting" and "30," as well as existential dread-inducing masterpieces like "That Funny Feeling" and "All Eyes on Me," Burnham deserved to compete in major categories at the Grammys, even album of the year.

Instead, he was relegated to visual categories: best music film and best song written for visual media.