Record of the Year
Prediction: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Should win: “Good Luck, Babe!”
From Sabrina Carpenter’s short n’ sweet “Espresso” to Kendrick Lamar’s scathing “Not Like Us,” this year’s nominations for ROTY demonstrate 2024’s musical diversity and ingenious artistry. Although, there is one clear outlier—“Fortnight” is not on the same wavelength as Charli xcx’s bumpin’ “360.” While the Recording Academy would be remiss not to award the productional genius that is BRAT (2024) or Lamar’s disparaging attempts at bringing down Drake, there are only two clear contenders for ROTY.
Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” broke the media. Roan’s crescendoing vocals had millions screaming to the dance-pop ballad about comp-het frustrations. Its goosebump-inducing bridge alone demonstrates its musical prowess, encouraging the listener to belt the layered yet raw “You know I hate to say, but, I told you so.” The song as a whole is brilliant, with a unique and explorative flair that makes it stand out. However, this award will most likely, albeit deservingly, go to Grammy darling Billie Eilish. “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” dominated the radio and the internet with a fluttering soundscape that invokes the warmth of shared love and lasting connection. It exemplifies the matured production style the Academy loves.
— Rhea Banerjee
Album of the Year
Prediction: THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT or BRAT
Should win: COWBOY CARTER
After a particularly nasty streak of snubs in the Big Four categories over the last few years, the Academy has backed itself into a corner. This year’s line-up for best album, however, is impossibly stacked; there are very few objectively wrong choices the Academy could make.
With the history of the Grammys in mind, Taylor Swift or Charli xcx seem most likely to walk away with the win. Swift has teed herself up to make history again, as she would be the first five-time winner of this coveted award. While THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT (2024) was no doubt a commercial, albeit controversial, success, it was far from Swift’s best technical work. Meanwhile, BRAT was the unequivocal album of the summer, leaving a lasting cultural impression following its release. It impacted all facets of life, from everyday slang to … politics?
Although these two albums are most likely to be crowned, COWBOY CARTER (2024) has the potential to break Beyoncé’s streak of snubs in this category. While the genre-bending country album made smaller commercial waves than its nominated counterparts, it more than makes up for it with innovation, artistry, and cultural impact. COWBOY CARTER truly cemented Beyoncé as peerless in her craft.
Whatever the outcome, we may once again be left to wonder if the Grammys will ever “get it right?”
— Ajani Jones
Song of the Year
Prediction: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
Should win: “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”
The iconic Eilish sibling duo is gearing up to put yet another gold-plated gramophone on the family shelf. Billie and Finneas stand among powerful contenders with the likes of Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” and Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us.” Still, their brainchild, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER,” might just boast the winning blend of sentimentality and commercial success that the Academy cannot help but salivate over. Artists must, to some extent, curry the Academy’s favor for a Big Four category, and nine-time Grammy winner Billie Eilish undeniably has that favor on lock.
However, this is not to say that “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” is undeserving—it’s quite the opposite. The artistry of the duo’s songwriting is manifest. The melody never dwells—featherlight, it skips from line to line against a sparkling keyboard riff as earnest and, at times, intense lyrics fill the space. Self-described by Billie Eilish to be almost “love-bomby,” the song speaks to longing for a profound connection to transcend life and death. An intricately woven love song with a tasteful tinge of darkness, the track possesses a universal and timeless quality that makes it deservedly Song of the Year.
— Kristy Li
Best New Artist
Prediction: Chappell Roan
Should win: Chappell Roan (or Doechii)
There is quite a competitive fight for Best New Artist this year. Doechii makes a strong case with her mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal (2024), presenting a fresh, yet nostalgic take on rap. She was also featured on Tyler, The Creator’s “Balloon” and was praised by Kendrick Lamar as the “hardest out.”
Sabrina Carpenter’s nomination, on the other hand, is more contentious. The Grammys define this category as an artist who has achieved a “breakthrough into the public consciousness.” Carpenter’s career has been well-established for some time, though. It’s difficult to ignore the impact of “that me espresso,” but her Disney-girl history and five other full-length albums make it hard to argue that she’s deserving of the “new artist” title.
Chappell Roan, however, absolutely fits the bill of “breakthrough.” Roan experienced an astronomical ascent into pop stardom in the past year, going from a small artist on a tiny Midwest tour to drawing in Lollapalooza’s largest crowd ever. This was no small feat, and neither was the explosive impact of “Good Luck, Babe!” and “HOT TO GO!” which dominated everything from Billboard charts to the TikTok For You Page. Despite the tough competition, there’s one clear answer: give the Midwest Princess her crown.
— Lucy Montalti
Best Pop Vocal Album
Prediction: Short n’ Sweet
Should win: Eternal Sunshine
The Best Pop Vocal Album may be the most consequential award given at this year’s show; throngs of pop star stans await the outcome of this award with their Twitter fingers at the ready. Clearly, the category does not merely reward vocal ability, considering Taylor Swift’s nomination. However, if these were the parameters, Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine (2024) is the clear winner. The album itself is a masterpiece, telling an excruciating story of finding beauty among the chaos of public scrutiny. Grande’s impressive production alone undoubtedly earns her the award, let alone the vocal gymnastics she achieves on the record.
While a perfect electorate would recognize this, the award will likely be given to Sabrina Carpenter’s Short n’ Sweet (2024), the album marking Carpenter’s big break after ten whole years in the industry. The songs from this album were inescapable for any member of the general public in 2024—something that works to Carpenter’s benefit as recently, the Grammy electorate noticeably favors projects with impressive sales over ones that hold artistic meaning. Although the album pairs great with a drunken karaoke night, it’s more deserving of a Kids Choice Award than it is a Grammy. Regardless, given that Short ‘n’ Sweet has the magic and radio presence they’re looking for, Carpenter is the clear front-runner for this category.
— Karcin Hagi
Best Rock Album
Prediction: Hackney Diamonds
Should win: Romance
With Pearl Jam, Green Day, the Rolling Stones, and even the Beatles up for major awards, this year’s list of rock nominees is a true blast from the past. Hackney Diamonds (2023), the Rolling Stones’ first original album in 18 years, brims with energy, classicism, and soul, exemplifying the time-honored adage: “Rock and roll will never die.” With an album full of catchy guitar riffs, driving percussion, and Mick Jagger’s iconic vocals, the Grammy Hall of Famers seem primed to collect their fourth win on Feb. 2 with the album. Yet, Fontaines D.C.’s recent project, Romance (2024), may give the Stones a run for their money. While Hackney Diamonds captures the essence of the highly honored classic rock of the past, Romance ventures into the uncharted territory of the future with new and innovative sounds. From the album’s brutally earnest vocals to the passionate, chaos-driven instrumentals and the pig-nosed heart on the album cover, Romance is bursting with avant-garde flair. It’s the classic struggle between tradition and experimentalism. Who will win?
— Elizabeth Adler
Best Pop Solo Performance
Prediction: “Espresso”
Should win: “Good Luck, Babe!”
2024 saw the reign of pop princesses, evident by this category’s all-female lineup. The Pop Solo Performance category puts the onus on the delivery more than the message, and all of these ladies certainly delivered in their own unique way. In fact, each nominee quite literally generated a separate cultural shift, making it nearly impossible to choose a winner.
BRAT defined the summer, and Charli xcx’s “Apple” was an addictively fresh highlight. However, the solo performance does not hold up on its own when taken out of the “BRAT package.” Similarly, Beyoncé’s “Bodyguard” croons an irresistible tune, but only when blended within the world of COWBOY CARTER.
In terms of stellar performances, there’s no denying that Sabrina Carpenter had us all in a caffeinated chokehold with “Espresso.” It is the definition of an earworm, embracing pop for what it is: easy, breezy, short n’ sweet. However, Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” ventures the extra mile, using the effortless conduit of pop to deliver something worth singing about (not to say “that’s that me espresso” doesn’t not mean…something?). “Good Luck, Babe!” tells a story that people can scream in bars or cars, fueling a delicious emotional cocktail of heartbreak, spite, and bliss. Each performance, from her Joan of Arc-esque VMA’s stage to her fantastical SNL bird costume, brings unforgettable theatrics to a song whose message is uniquely transparent. With a bridge that digs into its subject with red-painted nails, Roan’s anthem cements herself as a profoundly honest and one-of-a-kind performer.
— Alex Lalli
