She may not be the biggest Grammy-winner of her generation, but Taylor Swift is still a strong contender whenever she runs. With a total of 11 awards so far, including three for Album of the Year — Fearless (2008), 1989 (2014), and folklore (2020) — it is natural to wonder if that number is growing in 2023 with Midnights. And the answer is no.
In short, the reason why Midnights is not scoring any Grammy awards in 2023 is that it’s not eligible for consideration. According to the Recording Academy, only works released from Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022 were allowed to be submitted for next year’s award ceremony. And even those that are allowed must be submitted by a certain date, which was Aug. 31 this year, for the nomination to be considered.
Because Midnights only came out on Oct. 21, 2022, she missed the deadline by exactly three weeks this time. But that is not to say she can’t run or doesn’t have a chance to win in 2024. In fact, anyone who’s been following Taylor for a while will not be too shocked by this information: only two of her 10 studio albums — namely Lover and folklore — came out before Sept. 30 of any year.
When she won Album of the Year for Fearless, released in 2008, for example, it was already January 2010; and when she won the same award for 1989 — released in 2014 — it was February 2016.
And the absence of Midnights also doesn’t mean Taylor’s fans won’t have anything to root for in the 2023 Grammys. Red (Taylor’s Version), released in November 2021 and was submitted for a few categories, along with its singles “All Too Well (10-minute Version)” and “I Bet You Think About Me.” Leaving the new album submissions for 2024 might even be a strategy to let that re-recording have its chance to shine after being snubbed the first time around. Could the redemption of Red be on the way during her Midnights era?