Overlooked artists at the Grammys

Design by Lola Rodriguez

It has been nine months since the last Grammys and, as we look to another award season, I can’t help but think about two artists who are not receiving the recognition they deserve: Lana Del Ray and The Weeknd. 

Lana Del Rey

Lana Del Rey has been releasing music since 2011 with her first single “Video Games” going viral on Youtube. Since then, she has had 11 Grammy nominations but has yet to win. Some claim that her music is simply too niche and not mainstream enough for Grammy voters, who seem to pick artists that are more radio friendly over those who are impactful and different. To add, a unique artist like Lana Del Ray sings a combination of indie and pop that often doesn’t fit into one genre. When it comes to Lana Del Ray and her fans, she has a large following among indie listeners but, unlike artists such as Taylor Swift,  she isn’t popular with a wider audience.

The Weeknd

The Weeknd is arguably one of the most popular artists right now. His After Hours Til Dawn tour sold over 5.1 million tickets and made $635 million dollars on these sales alone. However, his hit single in 2020, “Blinding Lights,” which received over five billion views on Spotify and broke chart records, had zero Grammy nominations. Shortly after, the Weeknd announced that he was going to stop submitting music to be voted on. However, he performed in the 2025 Grammy awards, which may mark the reopening of submitting his music for voting. 

These artists’ undeniable talent show that we should be questioning the outdated voting system that determines who is the “best” instead of the artists’ creativity worthiness. Voters should be people who enjoy many different kinds of music so that the system won’t be biased when deciding a winner. I hope when Lana Del Ray releases her new album, she will receive more recognition from the academy for her contributions to the indie music industry and that when the Weeknd releases new music, he is recognized for making hits and breaking music chart records. All artists who have made significant contributions to music across various genres should be taken into consideration for a Grammy award even over artists who might be more mainstream.