2020 was a year filled with phenomenal music releases, many of which have rightfully earned a Grammy nomination. While there are many nominations that I am applauding, I can’t help but think about countless artists that should have been nominated for a Grammy.
The Weeknd
It came as a surprise to me when I failed to see The Weeknd under any of the category nominations. Although I’m not a fan of his music, it’s easy to recognize that 2020 was a very successful year for The Weeknd. His fourth studio album, After Hours, was released on March 20, 2020, but his hit single Blinding Lights was released on November 29, 2019. Not only did the song peak at number one on various music charts in twenty different countries, but it also broke countless records and went viral on Tik Tok. Both Rolling Stone and Billboard have acknowledged After Hours as being one of the best albums of 2020. The Weeknd’s performance at the 2021 Super Bowl Halftime show was highly anticipated; the mayor of Toronto, John Tory, officially named February 7th "The Weeknd Day" to honour the fact that The Weeknd was the first Canadian artist to headline a solo halftime show. Considering the amount of success The Weeknd achieved this past year, it’s easy to understand the anger and frustration The Weeknd and his fans felt from the lack of nomination and recognition he received.
Rina Sawayama
Rina Sawayama is redefining pop music in the Western industry by blending together a wide variety of genres in the music she writes. She has explored genres ranging from early 2000’s pop and r&b all the way to nu metal. Sawayama’s commentary on society and oppressive institutions are a common theme within her songwriting and music videos. The 2020 release of her self-titled debut album, Sawayama, is a perfect example of her political artistry with many of her songs challenging the patriarchy, sexist stereotypes, anti-Asian racism, and capitalism. The album was critically acclaimed and placed on “Best Albums of 2020” lists by many publications such as, Billboard, BBC, and Pitchfork. In June 2020, Elton John said her album was “the strongest album of the year so far.” With all the praise and recognition Sawayama received, the album should have been nominated for Album of The Year.
Ashnikko
Ashnikko has been steadily building a strong music career over the past few years. Her rise to fame started with the success of her 2019 single Stupid which went viral on Tik Tok and eventually became certified gold in the United States. Originally released on July 9, 2020, Ashnikko’s next hit to go viral was Daisy, the second single of her debut mixtape Demidevil. Daisy has managed to land at number twenty four on the UK Singles Chart, number three on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 Chart and number seventy four on the Canadian Hot 100 Chart. The song also received positive reviews from many music critics. A notable review being from Salvatore Maicki at The Fader, a New York-based magazine, saying “[Daisy] is as defiant as it is deranged, and we’ll gladly lap up every second of it.” The Line of Best Fit, an independent magazine based in London, called the song “cold and empowering.” Many of Ashnikko's songs center themes of feminism and empowerment, making her work powerful and impactful within the music industry and making Ashnikko even more deserving of a Best New Artist nomination.
Benee
Benee is one of my favourite artists that I discovered in 2020. Despite not hearing about her music until last year, she has an established career in her home country of New Zealand. In 2019 and 2020 Benee won Single of The Year, Best Solo Artist and Best Pop Artist at the New Zealand Music Awards. Her single Supalonely gained international popularity after it went viral on Tik Tok. In June 2020, Supalonely received a staggering two hundred and fifty million streams, which prompted her debut television performance for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. A month later she performed the song for The Ellen DeGeneres Show. In July, Benee was named as Apple Music’s Up Next artist, making her the first New Zealand artist to receive the title. In October 2020, Benee travelled across New Zealand on a tour and started her own record label called Olive. Taking into consideration the fact that she received so much success and recognition during 2020, it’s hard to believe that she didn’t at least receive a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.
Darnie Tran (they/them) is a non-binary, First Generation, Cambodian-Chinese-Canadian performing artist. Tran has accepted various roles in many theatre productions, as an actor, musician, stage manager and director.
In addition to theatre, Tran plays a variety of instruments and creates music under the name sunniesounds. Currently, they are a student at Randolph College for the Performing Arts and was accepted as an interviewer for The Peahce Project. They are also an editor at Kiwi Collective Magazine.