The Los Angeles wildfires may have muted the music business’ usual weeklong celebration leading to the 67th annual Grammy Awards, but maybe that’s served to shine a brighter spotlight on music’s biggest night and its nominated artists? In any case, this year’s competition is (Sasha) fierce! When Beyoncé struts into the Crypto.com Arena on Feb. 2, she does so with the most nominations, 11, including three in the top general categories — album, record and song of the year — a feat shared by Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Chappell Roan and Sabrina Carpenter (the last two are also up for best new artist). Will Beyoncé finally win album and/or record, two trophies she doesn’t yet have in her case, despite being the winningest artist in Grammy history? Will Swift add a back-to-back AOTY to her collection (this would be her fifth!)? Or will Charli XCX have everyone seeing lime green? Our predictions for who’ll take the gold home …
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
You didn’t think Beyoncé premiered eight Cowboy Carter songs live on Netflix, thumbing her nose at the Super Bowl with an NFL Christmas Gameday spectacle that literally had her singing from the rafters, because she’s a Texans fan, did you? More likely: Nine months after dropping the album that made her the first Black woman to top Billboard’s country album chart, introduced the world to Shaboozey and rewrote “Jolene” as a warning shot for the titular adulteress, Bey knew the Recording Academy could use reminding — during voting season, ‘natch — that she doesn’t just make music, she makes history. They wouldn’t dare deny her again … would they?
WINNER 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 featuring Post Malone
Ringo Starr said he’d “love to win a Grammy” for “the last track ever by the boys” — one that took decades to complete. But if The Beatles couldn’t land record of the year for “I Wanna Hold Your Hand,” “Hey Jude” (!) or “Let It Be” (!!), Starr and Paul McCartney — the only band members nominated for “Now and Then” — won’t get one for resurrecting John Lennon with AI. Plus, the Recording Academy likes its ROTYs to be smash hits (think: Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” or Miley Cyrus’ “Flowers”), which is why Eilish and her brother, Finneas (ROTY recognizes the artist, producer and engineer), will prevail. Grammy darlings, they’ve won this twice in the past five years (in 2020 for “Bad Guy” and ’21 for “Everything I Wanted” — presented by Starr!), and “Birds of a Feather” is their best, most ubiquitous record yet.
WINNER Billie Eilish
SONG OF THE YEAR
Nominees: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey; “Birds of a Feather” by Billie Eilish; “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars; “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone; “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan; “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar; “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter
Eilish (with Finneas) has also won song of the year twice — in 2020 for “Bad Guy,” and just last year for the Oscar winner from Barbie, “What Was I Made For?” Can she score a SOTY hat trick? No other artist in history has, but here’s why she will: Song of the year acknowledges the songwriter for a work’s composition, lyrics and melody. “Birds of a Feather” is a cross-generational gem because of the uplifting melody juxtaposed with Eilish’s vulnerable, non-clichéd lyrics that express a deep love and a desire for it to last “‘Til I rot away, dead and buried / ‘Til I’m in the casket you carry.”
WINNER Billie Eilish
BEST NEW ARTIST
Nominees: Benson Boone; Sabrina Carpenter; Doechii; Khruangbin; Raye; Chappell Roan; Shaboozey; Teddy Swims
Best new artist nominees don’t have to be, well, new. As Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. recently told THR, “For me, what it comes down to is when an artist rises to national or international prominence. It could be their first record; it could be their sixth.” None of these nominees are here on the strength of their debut, but Disney star Carpenter is a half-dozen albums in, having had modest success before her latest, the AOTY-nominated smash Short n’ Sweet and its ROTY hopeful, “Espresso” (i.e., Spotify’s second-most-streamed song of 2024). But good luck, babe — Carpenter will need it to beat Roan. In mere months, the latter morphed from virtual unknown into a “Femininomenon,” with memorable performances at Governors Ball, Lollapalooza and on Saturday Night Live. Plus, she’s an artist’s artist, having already jammed with Joni Mitchell, Elton John and Brandi Carlile — Grammys‘ kind of company.
WINNER Chappell Roan
This story appeared in the Jan. 29 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. Click here to subscribe.
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