Why Did Taylor Swift Skip the Grammys? An Analysis

When Taylor Swift (one of the biggest artists in music) didn't attend the 2018 Grammy Awards (opens in new tab) (the biggest night in music), fans began to speculate whether the 28-year-old singer would ever return to an award show again...or perhaps an event outside of her own concerts (okay, and SNL (opens in new tab)).

On Sunday night, Swift (opens in new tab) was nominated for three Grammy awards in the "Best Country Song" and "Best Country Duo/Group Performance" category for the song "Better Man" that she wrote for country group Little Big Town as well as "Song Written for Visual Media" for her and Zayn's song, "I Don't Wanna Live Forever." Despite the nominations (and a win for "Better Man" in the Best Country Duo category), Swift still didn't attend the show—perhaps because her newest album, Reputation, didn't receive a single nomination.

Before you're all like, WHAT?! Taylor didn't get nominated? There's a reason behind the album's absence on the Grammy nominations list (opens in new tab). According to the Grammys (opens in new tab), in order to be eligible for a nomination this year, albums "must be released between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017. Recordings must also be available for sale from any date within the eligibility period through at least the date of the current year’s voting deadline (final ballot)."

Swift's first single for her album, "Look What You Made Me Do," was released on August 24, 2017 followed by her second single, "...Ready for It?" on September 3, 2017, which means they were *technically* eligible for a nomination. However, the album itself, Reputation, was not released until November 10, 2017—making it ineligible for any Grammy nominations.

Though we likely won't ever know the real reason behind Swift's absence, it looks like we'll have to wait another 365 days to see if Swift will add more trophies to her 10-winning collection.