2013 Grammy nominations: 5 surprising snubs

Tween-friendly pop acts and viral video favorites got very little love from Grammy voters

Justin Bieber
(Image credit: Christopher Polk/Getty Images for Clear Channel)

On Wednesday night, the 2013 Grammy nominations were announced, with nods going to many of the year's most popular artists, including Taylor Swift, the Black Keys, and Frank Ocean. (Read the full list of nominees at the official Grammy website.) But there's only so much room in each category, which means that a few surprising snubs are all but inevitable each year — and this time was no different. Here, five of the most surprising snubs in the 2013 Grammy nominations:

1. Justin Bieber

Time to stop Beliebing: Justin Bieber's third album, Believe, failed to earn a single nomination. "I just plain DISAGREE [with the snub]," tweeted Bieber's manager, Scooter Braun. "The kid deserved it. Grammy board u blew it on this one."

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2. One Direction

While we're on the subject of tween-friendly pop snubs: One Direction, who most had predicted "were a lock for at least a Best New Artist nomination," were disappointed as well, says Chris Willman at The Hollywood Reporter; though the pop group's debut Up All Night is the year's third biggest-selling album, they failed to garner a single nomination.

3. Psy

"Okay, who forgot to nominate Psy for a Grammy?" asks Adam Clark Estes at The Atlantic Wire. The Korean singer's "Gangnam Style" is the most-viewed YouTube video of all time — which may actually have been the problem, since Psy "is getting more credit for the video than the song."

4. Carly Rae Jepsen

The "Call Me Maybe" singer wasn't totally shut out, as she earned an expected Song of the Year nomination for her breakout summer hit. But as Jepsen attempts to prove she's more than a one-hit wonder, her failure to earn a nod for Best New Artist has to sting.

5. Nicki Minaj

The Pink Friday singer managed to earn a single nomination, but it wasn't even for one of her own songs — it was for assisting Alicia Keys on "Girl on Fire." "On top of the very underwhelming sales for Minaj's expanded reissue of her sophomore album, this is not her month," says The Hollywood Reporter.

Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.