Every year, on the first Sunday of February, I sit down in front of the TV with my family and watch music’s biggest night: The Grammys. This year, the 67th Annual Grammy Awards air on February 2nd. While year after year, I am left disappointed that my favorites didn’t win, I always find it fun to predict the winners, even though it is nearly impossible. Because we are about a week away from the award ceremony, I am going to attempt, once again, to predict the outcome of the big winners in the major categories. I will state who I want to win in the category and then who I think the academy will choose to win.
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(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
NOMINEES: “New Blue Sun” by André 3000, “COWBOY CARTER” by Beyoncé, “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter, “BRAT” by Charli xcx, “Djesse Vol. 4” by Jacob Collier, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” by Taylor Swift
THOUGHTS: While this list of nominees is far from perfect, I have to give the Grammy’s credit because the majority of the albums nominated here are good, some even great. There is a clear winner: “BRAT.” In terms of quality, depth, and cultural impact, there isn’t an album in this list that surpasses BRAT. Everything Charli xcx did with this album was everything an artist should do. Unfortunately, I think it is somewhat unlikely that “BRAT” will take home this award. I am glad to see both Chappell Roan and André 3000 in this batch of nominations. Roan had a breakout year with her incredible debut album which offered a plethora of hits, and rap legend, André 3000, created an ambient record that was a respectable switch-up from previous works. But, I don’t see Roan or André 3000 taking home this award. Jacob Collier is a Grammy favorite in terms of being nominated for big awards, but I think he is possibly the least likely to take home this award. Sabrina Carpernter’s “Short n’ Sweet” was a cute and fun pop record that contained a solid amount of fun songs but I don’t think as a whole it has enough to take home the award. To me, in terms of who I think the Grammy’s will choose to win is down to Beyoncé, Billie Eilish, and Taylor Swift. We all know Billie Eilish has been a Grammy darling ever since she swept all three major categories with her debut album “WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP WHERE DO WE GO?” If the Grammy’s do give the award to Eilish’s latest record, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” I would not be disappointed. That album was one of my favorite releases of last year and my favorite overall record from Billie Eilish. Of course, one could never count out Taylor Swift who just seems to keep reaching new peaks in popularity with every album release. I have been a long-time fan of Swift and she certainly has a solid discography, however, her latest album, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT,” contained some of the dullest production and songwriting in quite some time. But, Swift took home this award last year for her album “Midnights” so it is certainly not out of the question. Finally, we have Beyoncé’s “COWBOY CARTER” which is what I believe will take home the award, and I would not be upset one bit. Even though I might prefer “BRAT” or “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” what Beyoncé accomplished on “COWBOY CARTER” is astonishing. The attention to detail as well as the blending of genres are all done so well on “COWBOY CARTER.” Despite being the most Grammy award-winning artist in history, Beyoncé is yet to take home the award for Album of the Year, which is quite shocking, but I think this year will be the year.
WHO I WANT TO WIN: “BRAT” by Charli xcx
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: “COWBOY CARTER” by Beyoncé
RECORD OF THE YEAR
NOMINEES: “Now And Then” by The Beatles, “TEXAS HOLD EM’” by Beyoncé, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter, “360” by Charli xcx, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “Good Luck, Babe!” By Chappell Roan, “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift (Ft. Post Malone)
THOUGHTS: There are two major categories for singles, Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Record of the Year favors the production side of the track while Song of the Year favors songwriting. Again, I think the Grammy did a solid job with the nominees in this category. I don’t strongly dislike any of these songs however, I can knock out some. Starting with “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift (Ft. Post Malone) which from a production standpoint is pretty boring. The production doesn’t really go anywhere for its four-minute runtime. Next, “Now And Then” is a pretty mediocre comeback single from the legendary Beatles. The track was finished using AI technologies so I don’t see this track taking home the award. The rest of the tracks all have a very good chance of taking home the award. “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter was a massive hit over the summer which took Carpenter to new career heights. However, I do think there are tracks in this category with more interesting production. I really wouldn’t have any issue whatsoever with this award going to “Not Like Us”, “360”, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” or “Good Luck, Babe!” If I were forced to choose, I think I am going to go “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan. Like “Espresso,” “Good Luck, Babe!” skyrocketed Chappell Roan into the main pop girl atmosphere. I think the track is absolute pop perfection. The production is amazing and Roan’s vocals absolutely pop off. However, I don’t think I can count out Billie Eilish twice, so I think the Grammy’s will give this one to “BIRDS OF A FEATHER.”
WHO I WANT TO WIN: “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
SONG OF THE YEAR
NOMINEES: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish, “Die With A Smile” by Lada Gaga & Bruno Mars, “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift (Ft. Post Malone), “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan, “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar, “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” by Beyoncé
THOUGHTS: There is quite a bit of overlap between this category and Record of the Year. However, this category specifically favors songwriting. While there are a handful of well-written songs in this category, one stands out to me as being the best-written: “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar. Arguably the best diss track of all time, then again you could say that about any of the diss tracks Lamar released during the beef with Drake over the summertime. At this point, nobody comes close to Kendrick in terms of pure skill and rapping ability. “Not Like Us” offers incredible disses and downright hilarious bars. I think it would be a very fitting end to the beef saga if Lamar took home this award and I have to say, I think the Grammy’s are going to give this one to Lamar.
WHO I WANT TO WIN: “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
BEST NEW ARTIST
NOMINEES: Benson Boone, Sabrina Carpenter, Doechii, Khruangbin, RAYE, Chappell Roan, Shaboozey, Teddy Swims
THOUGHTS: The nominees for Best New Artist definitely contain a lot of talent but also some duds. Benson Boone and Teddy Swims are to me the same singer. Neither of them makes interesting music nor has interesting voices. However, Boone had a huge hit within “Beautiful Things,” a hit I can not stand. The same goes for “Lose Control” by Teddy Swims which was a massive hit but I really don’t know how. Both tracks are painfully mediocre and annoying at times. I don’t mean to come off as a hater, hopeful both of these artists will prove me wrong in the future, but I don’t think either of them should take home this award. It is cool to see Khruangbin get a nomination, I wish the Grammy’s spotlight more of the underground indie pop scene, but I don’t see her coming out on top here. It is also cool to see Shaboozey on the list of nominees. I think his future is very bright but despite the overwhelmingly successful “A Bar Song (Tipsy)", I don’t know if Shaboozey has enough to come out on top. RAYE could be the sleeper pick in the group, however, to me this category is down to Doechii, Sabrina Carpenter, and Chappell Roan. Doechii is quickly becoming one of my upcoming artists. I think her style, flow, and creativity are top notch and she has everything going to be a star right now. I would love to see this award go to her. Sabrina Carpenter is interesting to me because she is “new” in terms of popularity, but she has six albums. She has been making music for quite some time, however, that does not matter in terms of getting the nomination. While I wouldn’t mind it going to her, I think the award is more deserving in the hands of Doechii or Chappell Roan. This leads me to believe that Chappell Roan deserves this award the most. Her authenticity and power are inspiring, she should be the standard for “Best New Artist.”
WHO I WANT TO WIN: Chappell Roan OR Doechii
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: Chappell Roan
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
(Rolling Stone)
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
NOMINEES: “us.” by Gracie Abrams (Ft. Taylor Swift), “LEVII’S JEANS” by Beyoncé (Ft. Post Malone), “Guess featuring Billie Eilish” by Charli xcx & Billie Eilish, “the boy is mine” By Ariana Grande & Brandy & Monica, “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
THOUGHTS: The nominees for best pop duo/group performance are somewhat weak but expected. The clear winner here for me and what I believe is far and away the best track here is “Guess” by Charli xcx and Billie Eilish. The original song, just sung by Charli xcx was fantastic as is, but when she brought in Billie Eilish, it elevated the track to new heights. I don’t think it’s impossible, but I don’t see this track coming away with the award. I really hope the award does not go to “us.” by Gracie Abrams (Ft. Taylor Swift.) In terms of pop ballad standards, this track is below that. Vocally, both Abrams and Swift sound bored. The instrumental is weak and the chorus is breathy and annoying. Next, while it was cool to see Ariana Grande team up with Brandy & Monica for the remix of “the boy is mine” I believe the original version of the track sung just by Grande is stronger. “LEVVI’S JEANS” is a very accessible and fun country-pop crossover. It is not one of my favorites of “COWBOY CARTER,” but it is quite cheeky. Lastly, we have “Die With A Smile,” which was a huge hit for both Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars. The second I saw the announcement for this track I immediately thought, “Well this is Grammy bait if I have ever seen one,” and I was right! I don’t dislike this song by any means, but it isn’t anything groundbreaking. Not that everything has to be groundbreaking but I would expect something a little more interesting from two of the biggest pop stars of the 2010s. I do think the award will go to them.
WHO I WANT TO WIN: “Guess featuring Billie Eilish” by Charli xcx & Billie Eilish
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
NOMINEES: “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter, “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish, “eternal sunshine” by Ariana Grande, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan, “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” by Taylor Swift
THOUGHTS: Best pop vocal album focuses on…well…vocals. So with that, I’m going to go ahead and eliminate “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT.” I don’t think of Taylor Swift as a vocalist, I think of her more as a songwriter, and unfortunately, on her last record, neither stood out. All of the rest of the albums in this batch include solid vocals, however, in terms of pure vocals, I believe Ariana Grande is in a league of her own and has been for quite some time. However, I think the Grammys are going to give this one to Billie Eilish.
WHO I WANT TO WIN: “eternal sunshine” by Ariana Grande
WHO I THINK WILL WIN: “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish
I think this will be the year my predctions are right! Tune into The Grammys this sunday to find out.
By: Harrison Mullin
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