The Grammy awards are known to be the most prestigious awards in music. However, over recent years, they’ve become known for another topic–their undeniable snubs. Like any other year, the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards Show held on March 14, left many fans of music upset as they believed some highly successful and deserving artists of the year did not leave the show with the title. The following is a breakdown of the top five who were ignored.

1. BTS
One of the biggest snubs was BTS, the South Korean septet that has broken barriers in the Western music scene the past few years. Their 2020 first full-English single “Dynamite” broke multiple records this year, earning them their first-ever Billboard No. 1 spot, high radio play, multiple American show wins (such as the AMAs, BBMAs, and VMAs), and a first-time Grammy nomination (Best Pop Duo/Group Performance). Their music video also broke the YouTube record for the most views in the first 24 hours, reaching a monumental total of 101 million. Given the song’s high success, hopes for a BTS win were high and expected. However, fans were shocked to see the title go to “Rain On Me,” a duet by female music legends Arianna Grande and Lady Gaga. Compared to “Dynamite,” “Rain On Me” did not reach near its success. BTS fans quickly pointed out that “Dynamite” earned over 184 million more streams on Spotify than “Rain On Me,” had nearly four times the views on YouTube, and sold over one million more U.S. units. As for the performance, no music lover can deny BTS’s complex and precise choreography–it is one of their key appeals in the West. All of this left their fans extremely confused as if there were other factors playing a role in the Grammy selection process, such as business deals and racism, a rumor that has been discussed by artists in the industry for years, such as Nicki Manaj, Eminem, and, recently, Zayn Malik.

2. Roddy Rich
Roddy Rich, the most nominated male artist of the year, was nominated for six Grammys, but also did not come home with any. This year, he was nominated for Record of the Year and Song of the Year. His two hits “The Box” and “Rockstar” were also nominated for Best Melodic Rap Performance and Best Rap Song for each category. Both songs peaked at number eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed on the chart for 27 weeks, showcasing the extreme popularity of these songs. Earlier, he also won the Album of the Year awards at both BETs and AMAs, leaving us all expecting a Grammy win for the rapper. However, he left the show with zero, marking another “person of color” (POC) loss.

3. The Weeknd
Although the Weeknd didn’t technically “lose” any awards this year, it is obvious that he should be included on this list. The Weeknd dominated many award shows, earning huge titles such as Song of the Year, Album of the Year, and Artist of the Year at the AMAs, BBMAs, and VMAs. However, the hit artist was surprisingly not nominated for any Grammys this year. The Weeknd’s hit song “Blinding Lights” that dominated 2020 alone won seven awards in various award shows. The artist also received recognition for other songs on its home album “After Hours” as well. “Blinding Lights” was named Billboard’s Song of the Year, leaving many to wonder why The Weeknd was not nominated for any Grammy awards. The Weeknd has opted to boycott all future Grammy awards, meaning he will no longer submit any of his music to nominators. This is because he claims the Grammy’s “secret committees” are the real ones that choose the nominations and winners, which is what Zayn Malik spoke out about on social media.

4. Phoebe Bridgers

Elton John stated he would “hit someone” if Phoebe Bridgers didn’t win a Grammy. Now, we are left wondering, who did he hit? Bridgers, “Kyoto” singer, was nominated for four Grammys (Best New Artist, Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, and Best Alternative Music Album), however, she did not receive any, crowning her as another big snub of the year. Her album, “Punisher,” nominated for Best Alternative Music Album, coined Bridgers to a No. 1 on Billboard’s Emerging Artist chart, where she remained for five weeks. This album gave Bridgers a breakthrough in the industry. Given this, it was a surprise when she lost to Fiona Apple (winner of Best Alternative Music Album and Best Rock Performance) and others.

5. Doja Cat
New vocalist, rapper, and producer Doja Cat, nominated for Record of the Year, Best New Artist, and Best Pop Solo Performance, also makes the list as one of the biggest snubs of the Grammys. Her hit song “Say So” serged on the popular app TikTok and dominated the charts. “Say So” peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and stayed in the chart for 38 weeks, gaining massive attention and radio play. With her newfound success, she won the Best New Artist category at the AMAs, MTV music awards, and the People’s Choice Awards. Given this trend, we all thought “How can she not get a Grammy?” However, the annual show left fans disappointed, as yet another “POC” (person of color) was snubbed from (all three) deserving titles. Given Doja’s high success in the industry this year, this outcome just didn’t feel right.

In the end, the Grammys did give out many much-deserved awards, however, these are some undeniable snubs, especially for the POC community.