The present will go on for music’s greatest evening on the 67th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday — regardless of the fires which have raged by means of Los Angeles.
And the highest contenders embrace Beyoncé, who leads the nominees with 11 nods for her “Cowboy Carter” opus. Two years after changing into the most important winner in Grammy historical past, Mrs. Carter is now additionally the most-nominated artist ever together with her 99 whole breaking the tie she beforehand held with husband Jay-Z.
The “Texas Hold ’Em” diva is adopted by Billie Eilish, Charli XCX, Kendrick Lamar and Submit Malone with seven nominations apiece — simply forward of Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift with six.
Whereas there are 94 classes up for grabs on Sunday, we break down the Large 4 that can have the very best stakes when Trevor Noah hosts the festivities at LA’s Crypto.com Area.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
André 3000 — “New Blue Sun” – André 3000
Beyoncé — “Cowboy Carter”
Sabrina Carpenter — “Short n’ Sweet”
Charli XCX — “Brat”
Jacob Collier — “Djesse Vol. 4”
Billie Eilish — “Hit Me Hard and Soft”
Chappell Roan — “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess”
Taylor Swift — “The Tortured Poets Department”
Beyoncé, Beyoncé, Beyoncé. The largest story of this 12 months’s Grammys is that if Queen Bey will lastly win the large prize after earlier losses for “I Am … Sasha Fierce” in 2010, her shock self-titled set in 2015, “Lemonade” in 2017 and “Renaissance” in 2023. And after “Cowboy Carter” — her groundbreaking, genre-bucking nation assortment — was launched final March, it appeared as if she was lastly destined to lasso an Album of the Yr Grammy.
However “Cowboy Carter,” as soon as the clear frontrunner, misplaced its early momentum as new-school divas Roan, Charli XCX and Carpenter picked up steam. The 43-year-old celebrity most likely has extra to fret about from buzzy Brit Charli XCX than 2020 AOTY winner Eilish and Swift, who can’t probably snag a record-extending fifth gramophone on this class after final 12 months’s historic victory for “Midnights.” (Though by no means underestimate the facility of Tay-Tay…) And André 3000’s flute alt-jazz joint is simply the type of left-field selection that might shock.
However late within the fourth quarter, her Netflix halftime-show extravaganza on Christmas simply earlier than voting closed — as her hometown Houston Texans had been trounced by the Baltimore Ravens — feels just like the hail Mary that can lastly get Beyoncé over the purpose line this time.
SHOULD/WILL WIN: Beyoncé
RECORD OF THE YEAR
The Beatles — “Now and Then”
Beyoncé — “Texas Hold ’Em”
Sabrina Carpenter — “Espresso”
Charli XCX — “360”
Billie Eilish — “Birds of a Feather”
Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
Chappell Roan — “Good Luck, Babe!”
Taylor Swift that includes Submit Malone — “Fortnight”
As with Album of the Yr, this class is dominated by feminine artists, which ought to cut up the pop-diva vote between Carpenter, Roan, Eilish and Swift, who has shockingly by no means gained right here. Neither has
Beyoncé, but it surely feels extra like Album of the Yr would be the breakthrough over ROTY.
Eilish, although, has already gained twice, for “Bad Guy” in 2020 and “Everything I Wanted” in 2021. As nice as “Birds of a Feather” is, it’s laborious to see her successful a 3rd simply but. And whereas “Espresso” has the sting over “Good Luck, Babe!” right here, it could nonetheless have an excessive amount of lady energy to beat in a stacked area.
So it might very properly come all the way down to the fellas: Whereas we wouldn’t rely out The Beatles with their AI-assisted “last song,” this looks like Lamar’s second — only a week earlier than he headlines the Tremendous Bowl halftime present. It will be solely the second time {that a} rap observe gained ROTY — after Infantile Gambino’s “This Is America” in 2019 — and it’s a hip-hop anthem for the ages.
SHOULD/WILL WIN: Kendrick Lamar
SONG OF THE YEAR
Shaboozey — “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Billie Eilish — “Birds of a Feather”
Woman Gaga & Bruno Mars — “Die With A Smile”
Taylor Swift that includes Submit Maline — “Fortnight”
Chappell Roan — “Good Luck, Babe!”
Kendrick Lamar — “Not Like Us”
Sabrina Carpenter — “Please Please Please”
Beyoncé — “Texas Hold ‘Em”
Let’s begin with how Shaboozey’s smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” — which spent a record-tying 19 weeks at No. 1 — was nominated right here however not for File of the Yr, the place it deserves to be. And it will have had a greater shot there. However as normal, there’s an honest quantity of overlap with ROTY for this songwriter’s award, and the winner will possible come from one of many songs that’s nominated in each classes.
That works in opposition to “Die With a Smile,” the present No. 1 hit that was peaking simply as voting closed, however regardless of the facility pairing of Woman Gaga and Bruno Mars, it may need been too late within the sport. And Carpenter most likely would’ve had a greater likelihood with “Espresso” than “Please Please Me.”
Though Swift has surprisingly by no means gained Music of the Yr both, “Fortnight” doesn’t really feel just like the music that can lastly break that streak. And assuming Beyoncé and Lamar win AOTY and ROTY, respectively, they most likely wouldn’t repeat right here. Which implies it comes all the way down to Eilish and Roan. Whereas “Birds of a Feather” is worthy of nabbing Eilish’s third SOTY gramophone, I’ve a sneaking suspicion they gained’t wish to reward her right here for the second 12 months in a row after “What Was I Made For?” triumphed in 2024. So I’m giving a slight edge to “Good Luck, Babe!” as a result of voters will really feel cool voting for the queer anthem.
SHOULD WIN: Billie Eilish
WILL WIN: Chappell Roan
BEST NEW ARTIST
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Khruangbin
Raye
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
It is a sturdy, eclectic bunch with every part from soulful troubadours (Boone, Swims) to feminine rappers (Doechii) to country-hip-hoppers (Shaboozey). British breakout Raye — who dominated the UK equal of the Grammys on the 2024 Brit Awards — clearly has broad assist by additionally selecting up a nomination for Songwriter of the Yr.
However this actually boils all the way down to a two-way race between Carpenter and Roan. If the “Espresso” songbird actually was a new artist, she’d have a greater shot. However “Short n’ Sweet” was the sixth studio album by the Disney Channel alum, who launched her debut LP means again in 2015. In what universe does that qualify her as a brand new artist?
Carpenter and Roan each have six nominations, so it’s a detailed name between the 2 rising pop stars. However my hunch is there will likely be simply sufficient voters who, like me, don’t assume Carpenter actually belongs on this class to make the distinction for Roan. Though the “Good Luck, Babe!” singer isn’t as “new” as you would possibly assume both — she dropped her debut EP, “School Nights,” in 2017 — she nonetheless feels far brisker than Carpenter.
SHOULD/WILL WIN: Chappell Roan
