Deserving & Disappointing Nominations in 2025 Country Grammys

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The Grammy Awards are supposed to be the one place where the critically-acclaimed, criminally-overlooked, and lifers of a respective genre get the recognition they deserve from a non-profit that puts the art first. With many of the performers receiving nominations this year in the “American Roots” categories for Americana, folk, bluegrass, and blues music, this is definitely the case. When it comes to the country music categories, it’s not so much.

A deserved Grammy nomination was finally earned by the hardest working man in music, Charley Crockett. He picks up a Best Americana Album nomination for $10 Cowboy. Sierra Ferrell gets the same for her Trail of Flowers, while also picking up nominations for American Roots Song and Americana Performance for her track “American Dreaming,” along with American Roots Performance for “Lighthouse.”

Sarah Jarosz also picks up a couple of nominations, as does Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, and Aoife O’Donovan. Billy Strings, The Del McCoury Band, and Bronwyn Keith-Hynes appear in the Best Bluegrass Album category. And overall, it’s a diverse and interesting list of artists that feels deserving in the American Roots categories (see all nominees below). Even if you might second guess some of the nominees themselves, you feel like something close to a meritocracy is happening.

But that variety of performers is strongly counterbalanced by one of the most unimaginative, uniform, top-heavy, and commercially-oriented crop of country interlopers ever assembled in the Grammy’s country music field. They basically took the same five names and nominated them for all the different categories, while overlooking the bigger trends in the overall country genre, and many deserving names.

Beyoncé, Shaboozey, Post Malone, Jelly Roll, and Kacey Musgraves pretty much tell the tale. And then it’s wash, rinse, and repeat. Granted, 2024 will go down as the year of the superstar crossing over into country. But that doesn’t mean it’s what the Grammy Awards should myopically obsess over. All five of these performers already have their flowers and a level of stardom most actual country performers can only dream of.

Add annual default nominee Chris Stapleton to the mix, and that’s pretty much your Best Country Song, Best Country Album, and Best Country Solo Performance nominees in a nutshell.

We all knew that Beyoncé would be massively awarded at this year’s Grammys, and it achingly predictable that she dominates these country categories, despite saying herself in no uncertain terms, “This ain’t a country album.” It’s not even really a successful one. As the canard continues to be forwarded that Cowboy Carter is country, so is the falsehood that it’s a success. The album dropped off the Billboard 200 weeks ago, and enacted arguably the biggest cratering from a superstar release in modern history.

Meanwhile, for an album they claim is country, Cowboy Carter also received song nominations in two pop categories, the melodic rap category, and even a Best Americana Performance nomination for “Ya Ya.” That means Beyoncé is even is helping to overshadow non-commercial performers deep in the roots categories.

Also, with Beyoncé and Shaboozey appearing in the Grammy’s all-genre categories (Album of the Year, Song of the Year, etc.), this locks out native country artists from these categories in 2025 as well.

Last year the country Grammys featured Tyler Childers, Brandy Clark, Zach Bryan (who recused himself this year), along with the big mainstream names like Luke Combs, Kelsea Ballerini, and Lainey Wilson. This year the nominations go to artist who have no intention to build their career in country from this recognition. They will taken the nominations and wins, and move on.

Some of the names you might have also hoped to see in the Americana/American roots categories include the surging Red Clay Strays, viral folk songwriter Jesse Welles, or perhaps The Wonder Women of Country. Kaitlin Butts released a career effort in Roadrunner!. Zach Top is one of the hottest acts in country music behind Cold Beer & Country Music. Luke Combs arguably released the best album in his career with Fathers & Sons, but even he couldn’t break through the wall of outside artists.

Was Sturgill Simpson’s Passage Du Desir snubbed? As someone who usually receives ample Grammy praise, it might be more of a case on not knowing exactly where to put the Johnny Blue Skies project. It has some straight country songs on it, but it’s not really a country album. There are some straight rock songs too, but it’s not rock either. Passage Du Desir might make a strong case for itself, but a weak case of where it belongs.

The 2025 Grammy Awards will happen on February 2nd, 2025.

Country Categories:


Country Album:
Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
F-1 Trillion – Post Malone
Deeper Well – Kacey Musgraves
Higher – Chris Stapleton
Whirlwind – Lainey Wilson

Country Solo Performance:
“16 Carriages” — Beyoncé
“I Am Not Okay” —Jelly Roll
“The Architect” — Kacey Musgraves
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Shaboozey
“It Takes A Woman” — Chris Stapleton

Country Song:
“The Architect” — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)
“I Am Not Okay” — Casey Brown, Jason DeFord, Ashley Gorley & Taylor Phillips, songwriters (Jelly Roll)
“I Had Some Help” — Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Smith, Ryan Vojtesak, Morgan Wallen & Chandler Paul Walters, songwriters (Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen)
“Texas Hold ‘Em” — Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

Country Duo/Group Performance:
“Cowboys Cry Too” — Kelsea Ballerini With Noah Kahan
“II MOST WANTED” — Beyoncé Featuring Miley Cyrus
“Break Mine” — Brothers Osborne
“Bigger Houses” — Dan + Shay
“I Had Some Help” — Post Malone Featuring Morgan Wallen

American Roots Categories:


Americana Album:
The Other Side – T Bone Burnett
$10 Cowboy – Charley Crockett
Trail Of Flowers – Sierra Ferrell
Polaroid Lovers – Sarah Jarosz
No One Gets Out Alive – Maggie Rose
Tigers Blood – Waxahatchee

American Roots Performance:
“Blame It On Eve” — Shemekia Copeland
“Nothing In Rambling” — The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood
“Lighthouse” — Sierra Ferrell
“The Ballad Of Sally Anne” — Rhiannon Giddens

Americana Performance:
“YA YA” — Beyoncé
“Subtitles” — Madison Cunningham
“Don’t Do Me Good” — Madi Diaz Featuring Kacey Musgraves
“American Dreaming” — Sierra Ferrell
“Runaway Train” — Sarah Jarosz
“Empty Trainload Of Sky” — Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

American Roots Song:
“Ahead Of The Game” — Mark Knopfler, songwriter (Mark Knopfler)
“All In Good Time” — Sam Beam, songwriter (Iron & Wine Featuring Fiona Apple)
“All My Friends” — Aoife O’Donovan, songwriter (Aoife O’Donovan)
“American Dreaming” — Sierra Ferrell & Melody Walker, songwriters (Sierra Ferrell)
“Blame It On Eve” — John Hahn & Will Kimbrough, songwriters (Shemekia Copeland)

Best Bluegrass Album:
I Built a World, Bronwyn Keith-Hynes
Songs of Love and Life, The Del McCoury Band
No Fear, Sister Sadie
Live Vol. 1, Billy Strings
Earl Jam, Tony Trischka
Dan Tyminski: Live From The Ryman, Dan Tyminski

Best Folk Album:
American Patchwork Quartet, American Patchwork Quartet
Weird Faith, Madi Diaz
Bright Future, Adrianne Lenker
All My Friends, Aoife O’Donovan
Woodland, Gillian Welch & David Rawlings

Best Traditional Blues Album:
Hill Country Love, Cedric Burnside
Struck Down, The Fabulous Thunderbirds
One Guitar Woman, Sue Foley
Sam’s Place, Little Feat
Swingin’ Live at the Church in Tulsa, The Taj Mahal Sextet

Best Contemporary Blues Album:
Blues Deluxe Vol. 2, Joe Bonamassa
Blame It on Eve, Shemekia Copeland
Friendlytown, Steve Cropper & The Midnight Hour
Mileage, Ruthie Foster
The Fury, Antonio Vergara

All-Genre Categories:


Album of the Year:
New Blue Sun – André 3000
Cowboy Carter – Beyoncé
Short n’ Sweet – Sabrina Carpenter
Brat – Charli XCX
Djesse Vol. 4 – Jacob Collier
Hit Me Hard and Soft – Billie Eilish

Record of the Year:
“Now And Then” – The Beatles
“Texas Hold ‘Em” – Beyoncé
“Espresso” – Sabrina Carpenter
“360” – Charli xcx
“Birds of a Feather” – Billie Eilish
“Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar
“Good Luck, Babe!” – Chappell Roan
“Fortnight” – Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

Song Of The Year:
“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Sean Cook, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Chibueze Collins Obinna, Nevin Sastry & Mark Williams, songwriters (Shaboozey)
“Birds of a Feather” – Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)
“Die With a Smile” – Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II, James Fauntleroy, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars)
“Fortnight” – Jack Antonoff, Austin Post & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone)
“Good Luck, Babe!” – Kayleigh Rose Amstutz, Daniel Nigro & Justin Tranter, songwriters (Chappell Roan)
“Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)
“Please Please Please” – Amy Allen, Jack Antonoff & Sabrina Carpenter, songwriters (Sabrina Carpenter)
“Texas Hold ‘Em” – Brian Bates, Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro & Raphael Saadiq, songwriters (Beyoncé)

Best New Artist:
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Khruangbin
Raye
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims

Other Categories with Country/Roots Artists:


Songwriter of the Year, Non-Classical:
*Jessi Alexander
Amy Allen
Edgar Barrera
*Jessie Jo Dillon
Raye

Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media:
The Color Purple (Various Artists)
Deadpool & Wolverine (Various Artists)
Maestro: Music by Leonard Bernstein, London Symphony Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Bradley Cooper
Saltburn (Various Artists)
*Twisters: The Album (Various Artists)

Best Song Written for Visual Media:
*“Ain’t No Love in Oklahoma” (From Twisters: The Album)
Jessi Alexander, Luke Combs & Jonathan Singleton, songwriters (Luke Combs)
“Better Place” (From TROLLS Band Together)
Amy Allen, Shellback & Justin Timberlake, songwriters (*NSYNC & Justin Timberlake)
“Can’t Catch Me Now” (From The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes)
Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
“It Never Went Away” (From American Symphony)
Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)
“Love Will Survive” (From The Tattooist of Auschwitz)
Walter Afanasieff, Charlie Midnight, Kara Talve & Hans Zimmer, songwriters (Barbra Streisand)

Best Music Film:
American Symphony, Jon Batiste
*June (June Carter Cash)
Kings From Queens, Run-DMC
Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple, Steven Van Zandt
The Greatest Night in Pop (Various Artists)

Best Recording Package:
*The Avett Brothers, Jonny Black & Giorgia Sage, art directors (The Avett Brothers)
*Baker Hotel, Sarah Dodds & Shauna Dodds, art directors (William Clark Green)
BRAT, Brent David Freaney & Imogene Strauss, art directors (Charli xcx)
*F-1 Trillion, Archie Lee Coates IV, Jeffrey Franklin, Blossom Liu, Kylie McMahon & Ana Cecilia Thompson Motta, art directors (Post Malone)
Hounds of Love The Baskerville Edition, Kate Bush & Albert McIntosh, art directors (Kate Bush)
Jug Band Millionaire, Andrew Wong & Julie Yeh, art directors (The Muddy Basin Ramblers)
Pregnancy, Breakdown, and Disease, Lee Pei-Tzu, art director (iWhoiWhoo)

© 2024 Saving Country Music

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