The 66th Annual Grammy Awards premiere Feb. 4, 2024 on CBS. Let’s delve into this year’s nominees, announced on Nov. 10.
SZA leads the female-dominated pack with nine nominations. The “Barbie” soundtrack scores a whopping eleven nods, occupying all but one spot in the Grammy Award for Best Song Written for Visual Media category. Grammy darlings Taylor Swift and Jon Batiste stand strong with six apiece. The full list of nominees can be found on grammy.com; I will be dissecting the general field.
Grammy Award for Album of the Year
Nominees: “World Music Radio” | Batiste; “the record” | boygenius; “Endless Summer Vacation” | Miley Cyrus; “Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” | Lana Del Rey; “The Age of Pleasure” | Janelle Monáe; “GUTS” | Olivia Rodrigo; “Midnights” | Swift; “SOS” | SZA
Will win: “Midnights”
Should win: “SOS”
Snubbed: Sorry “Barbie,” Hannah Montana stole your mic.
Remember when Harry Styles took home this award for “Harry’s House” (2022)? Well, I cannot name a song on that album richer than Adele’s “I Drink Wine” (2022) or a production detail as fresh and tantalizing as the entirety of Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” (2022). However, Styles and his boisterous “Love On Tour” owned 2022. Awarding “Harry’s House” was The Recording Academy acknowledging Styles’ commercial success and also saying, “Thanks for the ’80s synth-pop, we needed a refill.”
As much as SZA deserves to win for her cutting “SOS” in my opinion, Swift is pacing to receive the same treatment Styles did last year. Though this would be her least innovative win in the category — she has won thrice for genre-shifting projects “Fearless” (2008), “1989” (2014) and “folklore” (2020) — Swift is at the pinnacle of her career. “Midnights” has broken every record in its path, and “The Eras Tour” is an untamable beast. Swift is a safe bet.
“Did you know that there’s a tunnel under Ocean Blvd” and “the record” will likely split the Alternative committee’s vote. Watch out for them for the Grammy Award for Best Alternative Music Album too. “GUTS” could surprise, but Rodrigo is not the obvious frontrunner anywhere. I foresee her walking away empty-handed as Billie Eilish did with “Happier Than Ever” (2021).
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
Nominees: “Worship” | Batiste; “Not Strong Enough” | boygenius; “Flowers” | Cyrus; “What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”]” | Eilish; “On My Mama” | Victoria Monét; “vampire” | Rodrigo; “Anti-Hero” | Swift; “Kill Bill” | SZA
Will win: “Flowers”
Should win: “Kill Bill”
Snubbed: “Paint The Town Red,” Doja Cat
Cyrus may not have to buy herself flowers this time around. The singer quadrupled her career nominations thanks to her self-love anthem. “Endless Summer Vacation” is a mere backdrop to the saltwater beauty of “Flowers.” A win for SZA would also be great, but be on the lookout for Eilish’s tender “What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”]” both here and everywhere else it is nominated. Batiste and boygenius, though laudable contenders, are unlikely to snag the gold.
Grammy Award for Song of the Year
Nominees: “A&W” | Del Rey; “Anti-Hero” | Swift; “Butterfly” | Batiste; “Dance The Night - From Barbie The Album” | Dua Lipa; “Flowers” | Cyrus; “Kill Bill” | SZA; “vampire” | Rodrigo; “What Was I Made For? [From The Motion Picture “Barbie”]” | Eilish
Will win: “Anti-Hero”
Should win: “A&W”
Snubbed: Country, but do we care that much?
Since the release of “Born To Die” (2012), Del Rey has deserved a gramophone. Fans and critics alike even believe her masterpiece “Norman F****** Rockwell!” (2019) was robbed of the Grammy Award for Album of the Year. “A&W” skates above seven minutes and is a psychedelic adventure through every iteration of Del Rey’s discography. I might cry with joy if her name is called. Nonetheless, this is Swift’s award to lose. “Anti-Hero” marks her seventh nomination in this category, the most for any artist in history. Not only is the song lyrically smart, but it serves as the vulnerable heartbeat of “Midnights.”
If “drivers license” (2021) did not win a couple of years ago, I doubt that Rodrigo’s fangs will bite with “vampire” either. She has a better shot in the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance and Grammy Award for Best Pop Vocal Album. Once again, keep Eilish on your radar.
Grammy Award for Best New Artist
Nominees: Gracie Abrams; Fred, again..; Ice Spice; Jelly Roll; Coco Jones; Noah Kahan; Monét; The War And Treaty
Will win: Ice Spice
Should win: Monét
Snubbed: Peso Pluma
The “In Ha Mood” rapper took 2023 by storm. Well, by more of a light drizzle. Ice Spice’s chill, feel-good music quickly found its way into countless Spotify “get ready” playlists. Ice Spice’s impact on pop culture this year is undeniable — her collaborations with heavy hitters Swift and Nicki Minaj are nominated as well. Still, Kahan’s and Monét’s artistry should not be overlooked, especially that of the latter. Abrams is a dark horse.
Buckle up, every minute is a minute closer to music’s biggest night.
