The Grammys may have came and went, and the BeyHive may still have their tits in a twist over Harry Styles snagging the Artist of the Year Grammy over their queen.
However we may have some insight into the politics behind the Grammy voting strategy, and in my opinion it's kind of shady.
via HotNewHipHop:
The group of industry professionals who voted for this year’s Grammys was grilled by Variety, and their comments about their choices set off the internet. Several of the anonymous voters openly admitted they steered clear of voting for artists like Beyoncé or Adele because, well, they’ve won so much already.
The conversations with the voters surrounded the Top 4 categories of the night: Best New Artist, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Album of the Year. A person described as “a Grammy-winning producer-engineer who has been a voter for almost 20 years” explained their choices. They claimed they voted for Lizzo for Record of the Year because of her impact. They also seemed tired of Bey always being on top.
“I felt very strongly that Lizzo has changed this culture a lot,” they told Variety. “‘About Damn Time’ was a great track that everyone responded to. I also look at who’s been there and go, ‘OK, Adele, Beyoncé — they always win; it’s the same people over and over again.’ So I went for Lizzo.” This person further admitted that they are “out of touch with where the Academy is right now.”
Another voter described as “a music business veteran in his 70s” was accused of shading Beyoncé and the response her projects have received. “With Beyoncé, the fact that every time she does something new, it’s a big event and everyone’s supposed to quake in their shoes — it’s a little too portentous.” They also criticized Harry Styles, admitting to holding his “boy band” days against him.
Additionally, a “thirtysomething female singer voting for the second time” believed Adele and Beyoncé’s award-winning reputations were a hindrance. “I didn’t vote for either Adele or Beyoncé in any of the top categories. I love Beyoncé’s album and have been a fan of Adele, but I feel that they have already won a lot of Grammys.”
A music manager who has been a Grammy voter for 15-plus years had this to say about the Album of the year category: “Kendrick Lamar. He’s so big, but that record doesn’t sound like he was looking at anybody else’s record. Bad Bunny was by far the most commercially successful album of the year, but I think a lot of people have no idea who Bad Bunny is, just like when ‘Despacito’ was the biggest song of the year and didn’t win. The Coldplay record is an atrocity. I don’t know who that record is for — I don’t think 12-year-olds want to hear Chris Martin, and I definitely don’t think Coldplay fans want to hear BTS and Selena Gomez.”
The Recording Academy’s nomination and voting process has long been criticized. However, social media has brought more of these complaints to the forefront. We’re seeing more artists choosing to boycott the ceremony or not submit their music at all—a la The Weekend and Drake. Yet, we’re still seeing those artists take home the gold regardless of their submissions or attendance.
Check out a few reactions below and let us know if you think the Academy should be revamped.
In my opinion, people voting with their biases instead of doing the work and actually voting on the quality of the music is just plain pathetic.
If you can do your due diligence, and vote on the nominated musicians along with their body of work, then it's time for the Grammys to start changing their policies, and get people in there that will do what needs to be done.
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