65th Grammy Awards: Why Taylor Swift’s hit ‘Midnights’ is not nominated for Album of the Year

Taylor Swift was not nominated at the Grammys this year for 'Midnights'

UPDATED FEB 3, 2023

Taylor Swift's 'Midnights' did not get Album of the Year nod at the 65th Grammy Awards (Amy Sussman/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The 65th Grammy Awards will be held on February 5, 2023, at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. This year, Beyonce leads the race with a total of nine nominations, followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight nominations. Both projects, 'Renaissance' and 'Mr Morale & the Big Steppers," were recognized by audiences and critics alike. Another project that attracted a lot of attention was 'Midnights' by Taylor Swift, which broke several records. However, the album did not receive any nominations.

The 33-year-old R&B singer broke several records with her tenth studio album, 'Midnights.' Songs from her critically acclaimed album occupied all the top 10 spots on the Billboard Hot 100, making her the first artist to do so. Swift dethroned several artists such as Drake, Rihanna, 21 Savage and others to claim the top position on the charts. However, her album was not nominated at the Grammys this year because she released 'Midnights' after the selection criteria had expired. Although it did not receive any nominations this year, the album is already qualified for the 2024 Grammy Awards. So far, the record holder has already won 11 Grammys.

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NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Decade honoree, Taylor Swift performs onstage during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 20, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. — NSAI Songwriter-Artist of the Decade honoree, Taylor Swift performs onstage during NSAI 2022 Nashville Songwriter Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 20, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee (Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)

Why no nods for Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights’?

The Recording Academy's submission guidelines state that works eligible for this year's awards must have been released between Friday, October 1, 2021, and Friday, September 30, 2022. Taylor Swift's 'Midnights' was released on October 21, 2022, just one month over the submission period. Despite the lack of nominations, the album established itself as the best album. The No 1 hit 'Anti-Hero' topped the charts and held the top spot for eight weeks. It also caused a stir with the announcement of the Eras Tour in 2023.

Singer Taylor Swift, winner of the awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for — Taylor Swift, winner of the awards for Album of the Year and Best Pop Album for '1989' and Best Music Video for 'Bad Blood,' poses in the press room during The 58th GRAMMY Awards at Staples Center on February 15, 2016 in Los Angeles, California (Frederick M Brown/Getty Images)

Is Taylor Swift getting any nominations at all?

Taylor Swift is actually still in the running, and she could go home with several awards. Among the nominations are her projects like 'Red (Taylor's Version)' for the categories of Album of the Year and Best Country Album. Overall, she received four nominations for Song of the Year [All Too Well (1o Minute Version) (The Short Film)], Best Song Written for Visual Media ('Carolina" from Where the Crawdads Sing), Best Country Song ['I Bet You Think About Me (Taylor's Version) (From the Vault)] and Best Music Video (All Too Well: The Short Film). Swift is competing against several successful artists including Beyonce, Lizzo, Harry Styles, Kendrick Lamar and others.