So the Grammys nominations have dropped and I’m both excited and freaking out. In such a stacked year for the music girlies I am glad to see that most of the projects this year have been recognised in some way or another. Unfortunately there have been some inevitable snubs (seriously NOTHING!? for Dua Lipa’s Radical Optimism), but for the most part those who deserve a shot have been given it. As an unqualified zilennial on the internet, here’s my two cents on who I think will win and who should actually win. Because I don’t follow all music equally there are some categories I have skipped over, but hey if you think I’ve left anything important out let us know your thoughts!
Right off the bat let’s talk about general feelings before we dive from category to category. I think that this time it’s going to be a fairly spread out year when it comes to wins. Beyoncé has the biggest chance of walking away with the most awards but I don’t think that she will be successful in all of her nominations. We also predict it may be a bit of a disappointing year for the swifties, given that The Tortured Poets Department is an excellent project but one that feels more insular and more for hardcore fans than the general public.
As mentioned earlier, I do feel Dua Lipa was the biggest snub of the nominations, Radical Optimism didn’t hit home with people like other albums this year but I feel in a less stacked year it would have had more legs as a project. I also, in my totally unbiased opinion, feel Shakira’s Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran was snubbed from an Album of the Year nomination, but the Grammys have a track record of overlooking non-English bodies of work for general field nominations.
General Field
Album of the Year:
Will win: Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé
Should win: Brat by Charli XCX or Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé
Best New Artist:
Will win: Chappell Roan
Should win: Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter or Doechii
*note: Chappell and Sabrina MIGHT end up splitting votes and hand the win to Doechii, who would be a deserving winner.
Song of the Year:
Will win: Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar
Should win: Please Please Please by Sabrina Carpenter or Not Like Us
Record of the Year:
Will win: Texas Hold ‘Em by Beyoncé or Birds of a Feather by Billie Eilish
Should win: Espresso
Pop/Dance Field
Best Solo Pop Performance:
Will win: Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter
Should win: Apple by Charli XCX
Best Duo/Group Performance:
Will win: Die With a Smile by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
Should win: Guess by Charli XCX and Billie Eilish
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Will win: Hit Me Hard and Soft by Billie Eilish or The Tortured Poets Department by Taylor Swift
Should win: Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter or The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan
Best Pop Dance Recording:
Will win: L’amor De Ma Vie by Billie Eilish or Yes, and? by Ariana Grande
Should win: Von Dutch by Charli XCX
Best Dance Album:
Will win: Brat by Charli XCX
Should win: Brat by Charli XCX
Rock, Metal, and Alternative Field
For this field we have less specific predictions but anticipate a good night for St Vincent, The Beatles (yes they made a song with AI this year…) and Green Day.
R&B, Rap and Spoken Word Field
Best R&B performance:
Will win: Here We Go (Uh Oh) by Coco Jones
Should win: Here We Go (Uh Oh) by Coco Jones
Best R&B Song:
Will win: Saturn by SZA
Should win: Saturn by SZA
Best Rap Performance:
Will win: Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar
Should win: Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar or NISSAN ALTIMA by Doechii
Best Rap Song:
Will win: Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar
Should win: Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar or Yeah Glo! by GloRilla
Best Rap Album:
Will win: Might Delete Later by J Cole
Should win: Alligator Bites Never Heal by Doechii
Country Field
Best Country Solo Performance:
Will win: A Bar Song (Tispy) by Shaboozey or 16 Carriages by Beyoncé
Should win: The Architect by Kacey Musgraves or A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey
Best Country Duo/Group Performance:
Will win: I Had Some Help by Post Malone & Morgan Wallen
Should win: II Most Wanted by Beyoncé and Miley Cyrus
Best Country Song:
Will win: Texas Hold Em’ by Beyoncé
Should win: Texas Hold Em’ by Beyoncé
Best Country Album:
Will win: Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé
Should win: Cowboy Carter by Beyoncé or Deeper Well by Kacey Musgraves
We also predict Beyoncé has a good chance of winning Best Americana Song for YA YA, but acknowledge this is a category we are not very well informed on.
Latin, Global and Reggae Field
Best Latin Pop Album:
Will win: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran by Shakira
Should win: Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran by Shakira
Best Música Urbana Album:
Will win: nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana by Bad Bunny
Should win: Las Letras Ya No Importan by Residente
Latin Rock or Alternative Album:
Will win: Autopoiética by Mon Laferte
Should win: Autopoiética by Mon Laferte
We are less knowledgable about other genres represented in this field, but know that Best African Music Performance is a tight category, which we are rooting for Tems to win for her song Love Me JeJe.
Further fields
We anticipate that in the remaining fields that Taylor Swift is likely to win Best Music Video for Fortnight. We also anticipate Olivia Rodrigo is likely to win Best Song Written for Visual Media for Can’t Catch Me Now. Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet has a fairly good chance of taking home Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical.
