Thank U, Next: Grammy snubs and other interesting facts

The Canadian Press

Published

6 years ago

12 minute read

NEW YORK — Fourteen things worth noting about Friday’s nominations for the 2019 Grammy Awards, from snubs to first-time nominees:

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THANK U, NEXT

It’s another year at the Grammys, and another snub for Ed Sheeran.

Though this singer won two pop honours at this year’s show, he was cut out of the top three categories. This time, he’s nowhere to be found.

Sheeran had one of the year’s biggest hits with “Perfect” — both the solo version and duet version with Beyonce. But the song didn’t earn any Grammy nods.

Carrie Underwood is in a similar position: She launched the first album where she co-wrote and co-produced each song this year, but the seven-time Grammy winner didn’t pick up a single nomination for the project. Kane Brown, one of the most successful new artists of the year and a dominator on the country charts, was also snubbed.

Young rappers who heavily dominated on streaming services this year were also left out, including the late XXXTentacion, Juice WRLD, Tekashi 6ix9ine, Lil Pump, Lil Baby, Gunna and others.

Seasoned acts who have won Grammys or scored multiple nominations in the past were also dissed, including Lil Wayne, Sam Smith, Nicki Minaj, Migos and Chris Brown.

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NOMINATED BUT STILL SNUBBED

Billboard reported this week that Taylor Swift’s “reputation” was the year’s biggest album, but the Grammys don’t agree.

The album surprisingly only earned Swift one single nomination — for best pop vocal album — and was snubbed in the album of the year category. Her hit song, “Delicate,” was shut out of record and song of the year, and even best pop solo performance. At the Grammys earlier this year, her song “Look What You Made Me Do” qualified for awards but didn’t garner any nominations.

Could it be Taylor fatigue?

Kanye West, whose years focused more on politics than music, has a similar problem: He only received one nomination, too. He’s up for producer of the year, despite releasing an album and producing a number of projects.

Ariana Grande received nominations for best pop solo performance and best pop vocal album, but many felt she should have earn nods for album, song or record of the year.

Maroon 5 had one of the year’s biggest hits with “Girls Like You,” featuring Cardi B, but only earned a nod for best pop duo/group performance.

Luke Combs had the year’s most streamed country album, but he didn’t get any country nods. He’s up for best new artist though.

And Eminem released two albums but only earned one nomination — for best rap song.

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J. COLD

With hip-hop dominating the pop charts and streaming services this year, many wondered who would earn Grammy nominations in the rap categories because of all the competition.

J. Cole seemed like a shoo-in.

He earned two nominations for his collaborations with others, but his impressive and acclaimed “KOD” album was left out of best rap album and album of the year. The album’s songs also didn’t earn nods like best rap song or best rap performance.

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TOTAL REQUEST LIVE

The best pop/duo group performance is looking like MTV’s “TRL” in the late 90’s and early 2000s.

Christina Aguilera, Backstreet Boys and Justin Timberlake are nominated in the category, which has seven nominees.

Aguilera is up for “Fall In Line,” her duet with Demi Lovato; Timberlake and Chris Stapleton are nominated for “Say Something”; and Backstreets Boys’ latest single, “Don’t Go Breaking My Heart,” earned them nomination, their first since the 2002 Grammys.

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LONG LIVE THE DEAD

Mac Miller died in September, a month after releasing the album “Swimming.” Now, it’s competing for best rap album, where he will compete with Cardi B, Travis Scott, Pusha T and Nipsey Hussle.

Chris Cornell died last year and was a posthumous at the 2018 Grammys in best rock performance. He’s nominated in the category again with “When Bad Does Good.”

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BEYONCE VS. HER MENTEES

Has the student become the master? The soulful duo Chloe x Halle, mentored by Beyonce, will compete with Queen Bey at the Grammys.

Chloe x Halle’s full-length debut, “The Kids are Alright,” is nominated for best urban contemporary album, where Beyonce and Jay-Z’s “Everything Is Love” is also a nominee.

The sister duo, co-stars of the “black-ish” spinoff series “grown-ish,” also picked up a nomination for best new artist.

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HOLLLYWOOD’S HOTTEST

While Bradley Cooper earned Golden Globe nominations and is a likely Oscar contender, the Grammys are also part of his awards season.

The actor scored two nominations for his duet with Lady Gaga, “Shallow,” including record of the year and best pop duo/group performance.

Tiffany Haddish, a recent Emmy winner, has a reason to wear the famous white dress she’s sported everywhere one more time: She’s nominated for best spoken word album.

Famous faces also make up the nominees for best comedy album, including Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock, Fred Armisen, Jim Gaffigan and Patton Oswalt.

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WHAT THE…?

The Grammys just gave Pusha T major bragging rights.

His rival, Drake, may be up for album of the year, but he’s not nominated for best rap album, where Pusha T is nominated.

Janelle Monae also earned an album of the year nomination, but she’s not competing in any R&B categories.

Even the “Black Panther” soundtrack, an album of the year contender, does not appear in the best compilation soundtrack for visual media category, where nominees include “The Greatest Showman” and “Deadpool 2.”

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FINALLY!!!

Florida Georgia Line have launched multiple hits since they released their debut album in 2012, but they never received Grammy love.

Until now.

The country duo earned their first nomination ever this year, for best country duo/group performance for “Meant to Be,” which features Bebe Rexha and is the longest-running No. 1 song on Billboard’s country songs chart.

Shawn Mendes has been a star since he emerged on the music scene, but he’s finally competing for Grammy gold with his third album. He’s nominated for song of the year with “In My Blood” and best pop vocal album for his self-titled third album.

Camila Cabello didn’t earn any nominations when she was in the group Fifth Harmony, but her solo debut earned her two nominations this year.

The country duo Dan + Shay and DJ Mustard, who co-wrote Ella Mai’s hit “Boo’d Up,” are also first-time nominees.

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CHARLIE PUTH, THE ENGINEER, SHINES

Charlie Puth didn’t earn nods like song of the year or best pop vocal album, but his work as an engineer has given him a chance at winning a Grammy.

Puth is nominated for best engineered album (non-classical) for “Voicenotes,” his sophomore album. He’s listed as an engineer on the project and shares the nomination with Manny Marroquin and Dave Kutch.

Puth was previously nominated for three Grammys at the 2016 show for his hit, “See You Again.”

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LADIES’ NIGHT

Almost a year after Neil Portnow told women to “step up” — which he later corrected — female performers are dominating in the major categories at the Grammys.

Five of the eight album of the year nominees are women, including Janelle Monae, Kacey Musgraves, H.E.R., Brandi Carlile and Cardi B.

Six of the eight best new artist nominees are women, including H.E.R., Jorja Smith, Margo Price, Chloe x Halle, Bebe Rexha and Dua Lipa.

Women are also strongly represented in song and record of the year, too, where nominees include Lady Gaga, SZA, Cardi B, Maren Morris, Ella Mai and Carlile.

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WOMEN IN COUNTRY MUSIC

For years women have struggled on the country music charts and country radio, but at the Grammys, they shine brightly.

The country categories, like usual, includes more women nominees than men. Three of the five best country album nominees are women, including Kacey Musgraves, Kelsea Ballerini and Ashley McBryde.

Three of the five best country solo performance nominees are also women, including Musgraves, Loretta Lynn and Maren Morris.

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A SOLDIER’S SONG

Folk singer Mary Gauthier released an album this year exclusively featuring songs co-written with veterans and their family members from sessions with the non-profit organization, SongwritingWith:Soldiers.

Now the album, “Rifles & Rosary Beads,” is nominated for best folk album at the Grammys.

The critically acclaimed 11-song project earned a nomination earlier this year for album of the year at the Americana Music Honors & Awards, but lost to Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit’s “The Nashville Sound.”

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MOVING GENRES

Tori Kelly, who burst on the music scene as a pop singer, released a gospel album this year and picked up two nods in the gospel category.

Sting, who released a collaborative album with Shaggy this year, earned a best reggae album nomination for the project.

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Online: https://www.grammy.com

Mesfin Fekadu, The Associated Press

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Taxpayers Federation calling on BC Government to scrap failed Carbon Tax

Published on January 16, 2025

Todayville

From the Canadian Taxpayers Federation

By Carson Binda

BC Government promised carbon tax would reduce CO2 by 33%. It has done nothing.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation is calling on the British Columbia government to scrap the carbon tax as new data shows the province’s carbon emissions have continued to rise, despite the oldest carbon tax in the country.

“The carbon tax isn’t reducing carbon emissions like the politicians promised,” said Carson Binda, B.C. Director for the Canadian Taxpayers Federation. “Premier David Eby needs to axe the tax now to save British Columbians money.”

Emissions data from the provincial government shows that British Columbia’s emissions have risen since the introduction of a carbon tax.

Total emissions in 2007, the last year without a provincial carbon tax, stood at 65.5 MtCO2e, while 2022 emissions data shows an increase to 65.6 MtCO2e.

When the carbon tax was introduced, the B.C. government pledged that it would reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 33 per cent.

The Eby government plans to increase the B.C. carbon tax again on April 1, 2025. After that increase, the carbon tax will add 21 cents to the cost of a litre of natural gas, 25 cents per litre of diesel and 18 cents per cubic meter of natural gas.

“The carbon tax has cost British Columbians a lot of money, but it hasn’t helped the environment as promised,” Binda said. “Eby has a simple choice: scrap the carbon tax before April 1, or force British Columbians to pay even more to heat our homes and drive to work.”

If a family fills up the minivan once per week for a year, the carbon tax will cost them $728. The carbon tax on natural gas will add $435 to the average family’s home heating bills in the 12 months after the April 1 carbon tax hike.

Other provinces, like Saskatchewan, have unilaterally stopped collecting the carbon tax on essentials like home heating and have not faced consequences from Ottawa.

“British Columbians need real relief from the costs of the provincial carbon tax,” Binda said. “Eby needs to stop waiting for permission from the leaderless federal government and scrap the tax on British Columbians.”

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The problem with deficits and debt

Published on January 13, 2025

Todayville

From the Fraser Institute

By Tegan Hill and Jake Fuss

This fiscal year (2024/25), the federal government and eight out of 10 provinces project a budget deficit, meaning they’re spending more than collecting in revenues. Unfortunately, this trend isn’t new. Many Canadian governments—including the federal government—have routinely ran deficits over the last decade.

But why should Canadians care? If you listen to some politicians (and even some economists), they say deficits—and the debt they produce—are no big deal. But in reality, the consequences of government debt are real and land squarely on everyday Canadians.

Budget deficits, which occur when the government spends more than it collects in revenue over the fiscal year, fuel debt accumulation. For example, since 2015, the federal government’s large and persistent deficits have more than doubled total federal debt, which will reach a projected $2.2 trillion this fiscal year. That has real world consequences. Here are a few of them:

Diverted Program Spending: Just as Canadians must pay interest on their own mortgages or car loans, taxpayers must pay interest on government debt. Each dollar spent paying interest is a dollar diverted from public programs such as health care and education, or potential tax relief. This fiscal year, federal debt interest costs will reach $53.7 billion or $1,301 per Canadian. And that number doesn’t include provincial government debt interest, which varies by province. In Ontario, for example, debt interest costs are projected to be $12.7 billion or $789 per Ontarian.

Higher Taxes in the Future: When governments run deficits, they’re borrowing to pay for today’s spending. But eventually someone (i.e. future generations of Canadians) must pay for this borrowing in the form of higher taxes. For example, if you’re a 16-year-old Canadian in 2025, you’ll pay an estimated $29,663 over your lifetime in additional personal income taxes (that you would otherwise not pay) due to Canada’s ballooning federal debt. By comparison, a 65-year-old will pay an estimated $2,433. Younger Canadians clearly bear a disproportionately large share of the government debt being accumulated currently.

Risks of rising interest rates: When governments run deficits, they increase demand for borrowing. In other words, governments compete with individuals, families and businesses for the savings available for borrowing. In response, interest rates rise, and subsequently, so does the cost of servicing government debt. Of course, the private sector also must pay these higher interest rates, which can reduce the level of private investment in the economy. In other words, private investment that would have occurred no longer does because of higher interest rates, which reduces overall economic growth—the foundation for job-creation and prosperity. Not surprisingly, as government debt has increased, business investment has declined—specifically, business investment per worker fell from $18,363 in 2014 to $14,687 in 2021 (inflation-adjusted).

Risk of Inflation: When governments increase spending, particularly with borrowed money, they add more money to the economy, which can fuel inflation. According to a 2023 report from Scotiabank, government spending contributed significantly to higher interest rates in Canada, accounting for an estimated 42 per cent of the increase in the Bank of Canada’s rate since the first quarter of 2022. As a result, many Canadians have seen the costs of their borrowing—mortgages, car loans, lines of credit—soar in recent years.

Recession Risks: The accumulation of deficits and debt, which do not enhance productivity in the economy, weaken the government’s ability to deal with future challenges including economic downturns because the government has less fiscal capacity available to take on more debt. That’s because during a recession, government spending automatically increases and government revenues decrease, even before policymakers react with any specific measures. For example, as unemployment rises, employment insurance (EI) payments automatically increase, while revenues for EI decrease. Therefore, when a downturn or recession hits, and the government wants to spend even more money beyond these automatic programs, it must go further into debt.

Government debt comes with major consequences for Canadians. To alleviate the pain of government debt on Canadians, our policymakers should work to balance their budgets in 2025.