Taylor Swift became the first artist to win album of the year four times, while musician Lana Del Rey has never received a single Grammy for her work.
The 66th annual Grammys took place on Sunday, Feb. 4.
According to the Recording Academy’s website, their mission is to, “recognize excellence in the recording arts and sciences, cultivate the well-being of the music community, and ensure that music remains an indelible part of our culture.”
In my opinion, Del Rey has been a pioneer in culture throughout her discography. Del Rey’s 2019 album, “Norman Fucking Rockwell!” lost album of the year despite touching upon many pop culture issues with deep poetic lyrics.
Now, her ninth studio album lost the same award, again.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Swift and her music. However, I think Del Rey is long overdue for a Grammy.
As far as artistic excellence goes, she hits the nail on the head every time. “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” was no different.
Influencer Zachary Hourihane, who refers to himself as a “Swiftologist,” made an argument for Del Rey to win album of the year in a YouTube video.
“It’s complexity and quirkiness actually makes it very intuitive to understand,” he said. “This feeling of being misunderstood is represented so beautifully in the analogy of the tunnel under Ocean Boulevard.”
Other songs on the album describe the death of loved ones, toxic relationship cycles, falling in love, depression and more. It really is a multi-faceted album with nods to culture and an artistic production to match the vocals.
Some people on social media have called the Grammys rigged or unfair. Considering it is voted on by only select people and not the public, this assumption could be accurate.
Many theories state the Recording Academy generally awards musicians who are most loyal to them. A perfect example of this would be Swift. She consistently talks highly of the Recording Academy and prides herself on getting awards.
However, Del Rey routinely has a nonchalant attitude when it comes to awards and accolades.
“In fact, I only learned this year that you have to submit your own album if you want to be nominated,” Del Rey said in an Instagram video. “So, even that was out of my wheelhouse.”
