Posted by Andrew Unterberger on 12/06/2012 at 9:38 AM News

The Popdust Files: alex clare, david guetta, grammys, justin bieber, nicki minaj, nominees, one direction, the wanted

With the Grammy nominations released last night, the likes of Fun., Frank Ocean, the Black Keys and Mumford & Sons are probably still out drinking and celebrating and doing drugs off one another (“Hey Mumford, any room left on your forearm?”) But other less-nominated artists are probably similarly busy firing their agents and throwing makeup kits at their vanity mirrors for not hearing their names called out during the Nominations concert, or even finding their name among the obscure categories in the fine print of the complete list.

Here are five notable artists who will be seething their way through the awards this year, and are likely crafting passive-aggressive tweets about how the Grammys don’t care about “real music” as we speak.

1. Nicki Minaj. You’d think that appearing on 18 Hot 100 hits this year—including smashes like “Starships,” “Beez in the Trap” and “Turn Me On”—would be enough to garner Nicki Minaj at least one Grammy nod, by sheer probability of volume. But no, Roman will not be revisiting the Grammys this year, as Nicki scored not a single nomination, in either the hip-hop, pop or dance-related categories. Perhaps the hybrid nature of Nicki’s recent singles hurt her success in any one category? Whatever, “Starships” should have made it over “Wide Awake” for Best Pop Solo Performance.

2. David Guetta. Speaking of Minaj, her “Turn Me On” collaborator David Guetta—arguably the guy most responsible for the embracing of EDM in the American mainstream over the last year or two–also posted a bagel in the nominations. Guetta’s Nothing But the Beat was already nominated for Best Dance/Electronica Album last year, but several Guetta smashes, including “Turn Me On” and “Titanium,” should have been eligible for consideration this year. Also: “Let’s Go” over “Feel So Close” for Calvin Harris in Best Dance Song? Get your house in order, Grammys.

3. Alex Clare. In another year, Clare’s unexpected crossover hit “Too Close” could probably have snuck him into a Best New Artist or maybe even a Record of the Year nomination. (See also: Imagine Dragons, “It’s Time”) But in a year full of such unlikely hits—fun., Gotye, The Lumineers, etc.—Clare was the odd man out. Genre concerns might not have helped either—was it an alternative rock song? An R&B song? Does Diplo get his own category these days? Tough one.

4. Justin Bieber. Yeah, so Bieber’s not your traditional Grammy-winning type of artist to begin with—but he has been nominated before, getting a pair of nods in 2011 with the release of his My World 2.0 album for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best New Artist. You’d think with the big-selling Believe, an album that was supposed to be the first extended transmission from Adult Bieber, he might have had a chance to add to that total, but The Bieb was denied last night. Bieber’s protege Carly Rae Jepsen did get a couple nominations, for Best Pop Solo and Song of the Year, so the 18-year-old can take solace in being an elder statesman this year.

5. One Direction / The Wanted. Again, not super-surprising considering that there aren’t a ton of 11-year-old girls on the Grammy voting committee, but there was some talk that 1D, as easily the biggest new act to emerge in 2012, could score a Best New Artist nomination. No such luck, however, and it appears that the Year of the Boy Band (Part III) will go commemorated at the Grammys this year. We’re confident Take Me Home will sweep in next year’s competition, however.