It seems that our predictions for Grammy nominations weren’t too far off the mark. Overnight sensation Lizzo lead with 8 nominations, followed by 17 year old Billie Eilish and Rap-Country artist Lil Nas X who both had 6.
Last week, FIB reported that on the 20th of November (the day before nominations were released), it seemed that the Grammy’s website had leaked the number of nominations each artist would receive. When they were officially released, our suspicions about the leak were proved correct.
The nominations for the major categories are as follows:
Record of the Year:
Bon Iver: Hey, Ma
Billie Eilish: Bad Guy
Ariana Grande: 7 Rings
H.E.R: Hard Place
Khalid: Talk
Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus: Old Town Road
Lizzo: Truth Hurts
Post Malone and Swae Lee: Sunflower
This year’s nominations for Record of the Year seemed to be widely predicted by the internet. The record breaking Old Town Road, which spent 19 weeks at the top of the charts rightfully deserves its place in the nominations. Khalid’s Talk, Eilish’s Bad Guy and Grande’s 7 Rings also topped charts this year, and Lizzo’s Truth Hurts was the longest charting female rap song, alongside Iggy Azalea’s 2014 hit Fancy.
Album of the Year:
Bon Iver: I,I
Lana Del Rey: Norman F***ing Rockwell
Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande: thank u, next
H.E.R: I Used To Know Her
Lil Nas X: 7
Lizzo: Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)
Vampire Weekend: Father Of The Bride
It seems that Swifties are revolting everywhere, with Taylor not being nominated for Album of the Year two years in a row, which has been a first for the 10 time Grammy winner. Whilst Lover has outsold all the albums listed combined, sales seems to no longer impact the nominations. Perhaps the sheer volume of songs on the album (18 tracks in total) which had some tracks that could have been left on the cutting room floor, and lead single Me! heavily impacted this snub.
The dark horse of the category could be Vampire Weekend, whose fourth album Father Of The Bride is the latest release in their 20 years of congregation. FIB predicted the nominations for Lana Del Rey, Lizzo, Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande, whose vast amount of chart topping singles, mesmerising lyrics and powerful voices rightfully place their albums in the category. If Billie Eilish wins this category, she will beat out Taylor Swift as the youngest artist to receive the honour.
Song of the Year:
Lady Gaga: Always Remember Us This Way
Billie Eilish: Bad Guy
H.E.R: Hard Place
Taylor Swift: Lover
Lana Del Rey: Norman F***ing Rockwell
Lewis Capaldi: Someone You Loved
Lizzo: Truth Hurts
The award for Song of the Year is given to the masterminds behind the track who wrote the lyrics. Lewis Capaldi’s Someone You Loved is believed to be the possible dark horse of the list, whilst Lizzo’s Truth Hurts and Eilish’s Bad Guy have reigned at the top of the charts for weeks on end. Taylor Swift’s Lover is the only track in the category to have a sole songwriter, which is Swift herself.
Best New Artist:
Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalía
Tank and the Bangas
Yola
As predicted by FIB, Billie Eilish, Lil Nas X and Lizzo were rightfully nominated for the category. Whilst it is fairly clear that one of the three will win the category, with their albums nominated for Album of the Year, Maggie Rogers also deserves to be on that list, whose album Heard it in a Past Life was well received by critics.
Best Pop Solo Performance:
Beyoncé: Spirit
Ariana Grande: 7 Rings
Lizzo: Truth Hurts
Taylor Swift: You Need To Calm Down
The four nominations for this category are all women and their songs all deserving to be there. Grande’s 7 Rings and Lizzo’s Truth Hurts seem to be the front runners for the award, but Taylor Swift and Beyoncé could easily win it too.
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:
Ariana Grande and Social House: Boyfriend
Jonas Brothers: Sucker
Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus: Old Town Road
Post Malone and Swae Lee: Sunflower
Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello: Señorita
This week, Camila Cabello and Shawn Mendes’s collaboration Señorita won the category for Best Collaboration of the Year at the AMAs, so this could win the category, but Old Town Road could easily beat them out too.
Best Pop Vocal Album:
Beyoncé: The Lion King: The Gift
Billie Eilish: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Ariana Grande: thank u, next
Ed Sheeran: No.6. Collaborations
Taylor Swift: Lover
By nature of the Grammys, the top contenders are Grande’s thank u, next, who won the category last year for Sweetener and Eilish’s When We Fall Asleep, Where Do We All Go? with both nominated for album of the year. Swift, Sheeran and Beyoncé are less likely to take the award home, but if they won, they would be just as deserving, if not more.
These nominations seem carefully curated, with more diversity and women in the selections. However, the elephant in the room is the absence of K-Pop bands Black Pink and BTS, despite having chart topping success in the UK, US and Australia.
Do you agree with the nominations? Who do you think was snubbed? Let us know in the comments below.
