Last week, I decided to take a break from contemplating the outcome of this year’s exciting film award season and tuned into the 66th Annual Grammy Awards. While the night was full of pleasant surprises (a win for Phoebe Bridgers and SZA’s perfectly infused “Ghost in the Machine”) and expected snubs (Lana Del Rey), I noticed one artist in particular had not received any recognition.
Janelle Monáe, Kansas City’s soulful alternative icon, went home with zero Grammys that Sunday night after racking up 10 nominations since 2009. The night continued her status as another artist without a Grammy win, and I find it unfortunate that she still does not have one.
I first heard about Monáe a few years after the release of her 2013 single “Q.U.E.E.N.” from “The Electric Lady,” her second album. My cousin had introduced me to the song, praising Monáe’s use of afrofuturistic aesthetics, and I immediately fell in love with her message.
Unfortunately, I did not dive deeper into her catalog of work at the time, apart from unknowingly listening to her feature in “We Are Young” by Fun. Instead, it took me until 2019 to fully experience Monáe’s artistry with her third album, “Dirty Computer.”
Earlier in 2019, I had watched the 61st Annual Grammys live, primarily for Dua Lipa and Ariana Grande’s “Sweetener” album, but knew the competition for Album of the Year (AOTY) was between Kacey Musgraves’ “Golden Hour” and “Dirty Computer.” The award ended up going to Musgraves, and I saw a ton of backlash online about how the Grammys snubbed Monáe. I had not listened to either album before the show, so I decided to give both a listen and was shocked by the lack of wins for Monáe’s work.
While Musgraves created my favorite country album with “Golden Hour,” Monáe blew me away with “Dirty Computer.” In “Dirty Computer,” she fuses R&B, pop, funk and hip-hop to create an album promoting self-love and independence while challenging societal norms.
Songs like “Americans” and the Zoe Kravitz-featured “Screwed” are strong in their messaging, but still manage to be groovy and engaging tunes. The more rhythmic sounds of “Crazy, Classic, Life” and the softer “Pynk,” the single featuring Grimes, may read as catchy songs but are also full of metaphorical (and literal) interpretations of society.
“Dirty Computer” was critically acclaimed upon release, ending up on numerous year-end and decade lists featuring the best albums of the period. So, it is odd how Monáe’s most acclaimed piece of work only secured two nominations at the 61st Grammys and did not win either one.
Like many award shows, Grammy nominations are decided from submitted works from artists or record companies in respective categories. While official sources for which works are submitted are scarce, I cannot imagine Monáe and her label only submitting “Dirty Computer” for Album of the Year and Best Music Video for “Pynk.” The album as a whole could have easily been a strong contender in the Best Progressive R&B Album category, known then as Best Urban Contemporary Album, against The Carters’ “Everything is Love.” Her R&B ballad “I Like That” could have slotted into Best R&B Song or R&B Performance while the Prince-inspired “Make Me Feel,” sensational “Take a Byte” or even “Pynk” could have been nominated in another Grammy category.
This was not the only time Monáe’s work has been nominated in only two categories. This year, her queer liberation album “The Age of Pleasure” was only nominated in the Progressive R&B and AOTY categories. Although only 37 minutes long, the album has been on constant repeat and is my second favorite album of 2023. I just wish a song like “Lipstick Lover,” “The Rush,” self-loving “Haute” or, my personal favorite, the soothing “Water Slide” could have landed another nomination for the album.
I hope the next era for Monáe ends with her finally earning a Grammy trophy. But if my track record for predicted and hopeful wins is any indication of her success, she might go home empty-handed again.
Trey Barrett is a graduate student studying film at Ohio University. Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. Want to talk more about it? Let Trey know by emailing him at tb222023@ohio.edu.
