Grammy Awards 2021: How Stars Reacted to Their Nominations

The 2021 Grammy Award nominations were announced on Tuesday, November 24, and while most of music’s biggest stars were over the moon to be included, others weren’t too happy.

Justin Bieber, for example, took to social media and slammed the awards show for his “strange” nominations across four categories, three of which were related to pop music. The Canadian crooner, who released his album Changes in February 2020, said it “felt weird” that his comeback record — after taking a five-year break from music — was up for Best Pop Vocal Album since “it was and is an R&B album.”

The “Yummy” singer added that he did not want fans to think he was being “ungrateful” with his confusion. “These are just my thoughts take ’em or leave ’em. Thank you to the people who fought for me to even have any noms,” Justin captioned his Instagram post.

Similarly, The Weeknd and Nicki Minaj also slammed the Grammy Awards via social media. The After Hours singer, for his part, received no nominations while the “Super Bass” rapper resurfaced old Grammys wounds. She reflected on the 2012 awards show where she was nominated against Bon Iver for Best New Artist and ultimately lost.

Meanwhile, celebs like Noah Cyrus, Julia Michaels, Chloe x Halle, Billie Eilish and more shared their excitement (and tears) over their Grammys nominations. Scroll through our gallery to see all the stars’ reactions.

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Harry Styles

“It’s always nice to know that people like what you’re doing, but ultimately, and especially working in a subjective field, I don’t put too much weight on that stuff,” he told Variety. “I think it’s important when making any kind of art to remove the ego from it. It’s about the work that you do when you’re not expecting any applause.”

Halsey

“I’ve been thinking and wanted to choose my words carefully because a lot of people have extended sympathy and apology to me since the Grammy nominations,” the singer wrote via Instagram Stories. “The Grammys are an elusive process.”

She continued, “While I am THRILLED for my talented friends who were recognized this year, I am hoping for more transparency or reform. But I’m sure this post will blacklist me anyway.”

Justin Bieber

“I am very meticulous and intentional about my music. With that being said I set out to make an R&B album. Changes was and is an R&B album,” he wrote via Instagram. “It is not being acknowledged as an R&B album which is very strange to me. I grew up admiring R&B music and wished to make a project that would embody that sound. For this not to be put into that category feels weird considering from the chords to the melodies to the vocal style all the way down to the hip hop drums that were chosen it is undeniably, unmistakably an R&B album!”

Noah Cyrus

“I’m in a puddle of tears in bed after being woken up and told I’M NOMINATED AS BEST NEW ARTIST,” she captioned a video of her crying. “This is such an honor and I am in utter shock. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart I truly can’t believe it my mind is going a thousand miles a minute and I am beyond grateful and full of love and gratitude. I know my grandma is looking down on me and this is from her.”

Julia Michaels

“Spent the morning finding this incredible news out that @jpsaxe and I have been nominated for song of the year!” the artist wrote on Instagram. “Such a special situation as not only are we nominated for one of my favorite songs I’ve ever been apart of, but I also got to write it with the most special human I’ve ever met.”