GRAMMYS 2018 PREDICTIONS
We're only a few days away from the 60th Annual Grammy Awards! This year's ceremony is making its return to New York City, where it'll be held at Madison Square Garden. As Sunday draws nearer, I'll be sharing my predictions for who will be the night's big winners.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
"Awaken, My Love!", Childish Gambino
4:44, JAY-Z
DAMN., Kendrick Lamar
Melodrama, Lorde
24K Magic, Bruno Mars
The most coveted award of the night is, in my opinion, a toss-up between only two. Lorde and Kendrick Lamar had two of the most critically-acclaimed albums this past year, and deservedly so. Lorde's Melodrama was a shimmering take on the trials of early adulthood: full of liberating anthems, questions of purpose, and a multitude of sonic influences, heartache has never sounded better. No other pop album this year came even close. Lamar's DAMN., on the other hand, might in this sense be Melodrama's counterpart in rap. Critics and audiences alike loved it, and Lamar managed to provide a sharp and untired social commentary that wasn't too hard on the ears, either. But I have to side with Lorde for this one. I could be wrong--after all, Lorde was (bizarrely) not nominated in any other categories besides this one, and this is Lamar's third nomination in the category. But the other albums in the category all fall under the rap/R&B umbrella, splitting the vote of that genre four ways. Lorde is the pop standout, and that might be just enough to give her the edge she needs. And despite a lack of other nominations, she made it in this category for a reason--the greatness of her album is simply hard to deny.
RECORD OF THE YEAR
"Redbone," Childish Gambino
"Despacito," Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
"The Story of O.J.," JAY-Z
"HUMBLE.," Kendrick Lamar
"24K Magic," Bruno Mars
This category I'm not as sure about. It might belong to "Despacito," since it was the song of the summer, after all, and that's something usually made possible by a song's production and performance. There's also "24K Magic," which has elaborate production and was another radio hit itself. But I think this one is gonna go to Kendrick Lamar for "HUMBLE." He's a pretty heavy Album of the Year contender, holds a ton of other nominations, and it's not like he didn't get his fair share of airplay, either. My vote's on Lamar for this one.
SONG OF THE YEAR
"Despacito," Ramón Ayala Rodriguez, Justin Bieber, Jason Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi & Marty James Garton Jr., songwriters (Luis Fonsi & Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber)
"4:44," Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z)
"Issues," Benjamin Levin, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels & Justin Drew Tranter, songwriters (Julia Michaels)
"1-800-273-8255," Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury, Khalid Robinson & Andrew Taggart, songwriters (Logic featuring Alessia Cara & Khalid)
"That's What I Like," Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
This is the category where I think "Despacito" will receive its long-awaited glory. There aren't as many strong contenders in the songwriting category, and "Despacito" is the clear standout here-I mean, it isn't the most streamed song of all time for no reason.
BEST NEW ARTIST
Alessia Cara
Khalid
Lil Uzi Vert
Julia Michaels
SZA
In a perfect world, this would be SZA's award. Her debut album was a critical success and she's even the most nominated woman at this year's Grammys. And it's not as if she doesn't have a chance--she's one of the stronger contenders here. But I think she'll get beat out by Alessia Cara for this one, who has managed to be a constant presence in mainstream media for the past year or so and even appears on some other Grammy-nominated tracks this year. A lot of Grammy voters will probably flock towards Cara's classic pop sound and more conservative image. And hey, go Canada!
BEST POP VOCAL ALBUM
Kaleidoscope EP, Coldplay
Lust for Life, Lana Del Rey
Evolve, Imagine Dragons
Rainbow, Kesha
Joanne, Lady Gaga
÷, Ed Sheeran
There's a lot of good albums in this category. It's odd that Melodrama isn't here, because if it was, it would be a definite winner. So why isn't it? It's a question we'll probably never have the answer to. Nonetheless, I don't even think this award will go to one of the stronger albums in the category. I mean, we have Lana, Kesha, Gaga. But I wouldn't be surprised if Ed Sheeran's ÷ bested them all. It was a fairly mediocre album and showed a lack of creative development, but Sheeran is a critical presence in mainstream pop, and will likely be rewarded nonetheless.
BEST POP SOLO PERFORMANCE
"Love So Soft," Kelly Clarkson
"Praying," Kesha
"Million Reasons," Lady Gaga
"What About Us," Pink
"Shape of You," Ed Sheeran
I think that "Praying" has a pretty strong edge over a lot of these other tracks. It's hard to not be moved by its profound sincerity, and it's Kesha's true emotional confessional after coming out about being sexually assaulted by her producer, Dr. Luke. As a performance, it's a powerful one. And even though politics shouldn't be involved, they always are, and Grammy voters are not likely to pass up this opportunity to have a stake in the TIME'S UP movement.
BEST POP DUO/GROUP PERFORMANCE
"Something Just like This," The Chainsmokers and Coldplay
"Despacito," Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
"Thunder," Imagine Dragons
"Feel It Still," Portugal. The Man
"Stay," Zedd and Alessia Cara
"Despacito" was also nominated for both Song and Record of the Year. Need I say more?
BEST R&B PERFORMANCE
"Get You," Daniel Caesar featuring Kali Uchis
"Distraction," Kehlani
"High," Ledisi
"That's What I Like," Bruno Mars
"The Weekend," SZA
It's hard to deny that "The Weekend" by SZA was one of the year's most honest and vulnerable songs, and the production and performance heavily supports that. Bruno Mars' "That's What I Like" has a chance to claim this one, but I think the authenticity that comes through in "The Weekend" will be enough to grant it a win.
BEST R&B SONG
"First Began," PJ Morton, songwriter (PJ Morton)
"Location," Alfredo Gonzalez, Olatunji Ige, Samuel David Jiminez, Christopher McClenney, Khalid Robinson & Joshua Scruggs, songwriters (Khalid)
"Redbone," Donald Glover & Ludwig Goransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)
"Supermodel," Tyran Donaldson, Terrence Henderson, Greg Landfair Jr., Carter Lang & Solana Rowe, songwriters (SZA)
"That's What I Like," Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus & Jonathan Yip, songwriters (Bruno Mars)
I would love for "Supermodel" to win. It's one of favourites by SZA and lyrically? It's so deserving of this win. "Location" was also a breakout hit for Khalid, who has a few other nominations this year, and I definitely wouldn't complain if he won. But the Song of the Year nom for "That's What I Like" indicates its heavy support, so I'm guessing that Mars will be the winner.
BEST URBAN CONTEMPORARY ALBUM
Free 6LACK, 6LACK
"Awaken, My Love!", Childish Gambino
American Teen, Khalid
Ctrl, SZA
Starboy, The Weeknd
Okay, so I know Childish Gambino's "Awaken, My Love!" is also nominated for Album of the Year, which kind of makes him a shoo-in as a general rule. But I can't help but hold out hope for SZA: Ctrl was beloved by critics this year, arguably more so than the other albums in this category. In addition, three separate songs off the album have nominations in various categories, a pretty good indicator that the album is extremely strong as an entire entity--it's not like there's one track that stands out as superior among the rest, the whole thing is just great. And this doesn't really happen all the time, so I think this could give SZA a really good chance.
BEST R&B ALBUM
Freudian, Daniel Caesar
Let Love Rule, Ledisi
24K Magic, Bruno Mars
Gumbo, PJ Morton
Feel the Real, Musiq Soulchild
24K Magic is the clear frontrunner here, also being nominated for Album of the Year. Enough said.
BEST RAP PERFORMANCE
"Bounce Back," Big Sean
"Bodak Yellow," Cardi B
"4:44," JAY-Z
"HUMBLE.," Kendrick Lamar
"Bad And Boujee," Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert
It would be great to see "Bodak Yellow" win, and I feel like I'm kind of starting to sound like a broken record, but: "HUMBLE." is nominated for Record of the Year and, in my opinion, is set up to win. This makes it the obvious choice for Best Rap Performance.
BEST RAP/SUNG PERFORMANCE
"PRBLMS," 6LACK
"Crew," Goldlink Featuring Brent Faiyaz & Shy Glizzy
"Family Feud," JAY-Z featuring Beyoncé
"LOYALTY.," Kendrick Lamar featuring Rihanna
"Love Galore," SZA featuring Travis Scott
"LOYALTY." is a fun Kendrick and Rihanna collaboration, but SZA and Travis Scott's "Love Galore" has been pretty consistently praised as a standalone track. It deserves to be the winner here, and I think even Lamar would agree.
BEST RAP SONG
"Bodak Yellow," Belcalis Almanzar, Dieuson Octave, Klenord Raphael, Shaftizm, Jordan Thorpe & J White, songwriters (Cardi B)
"Chase Me," Brian Burton, Hector Delgado, Jaime Meline, Antwan Patton & Michael Render, songwriters (Danger Mouse Featuring Run The Jewels & Big Boi)
"HUMBLE.," K. Duckworth, Asheton Hogan & M. Williams II, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar)
"Sassy," Marlanna Evans, E. Gabouer, Jason Martin & Wyann Vaughn, songwriters (Rapsody)
"The Story Of O.J.," Shawn Carter & Dion Wilson, songwriters (JAY-Z)
"Bodak Yellow" made an impact on us all, and the hook has been stuck in everyone's heads since the song's release. Cardi B deserves a win tonight, and while Kendrick Lamar poses some stiff competition, I think "Bodak Yellow" has what it takes to win this one.
BEST RAP ALBUM
4:44, JAY-Z
DAMN., Kendrick Lamar
Culture, Migos
Laila's Wisdom, Rapsody
Flower Boy, Tyler, The Creator
I truly love Flower Boy, and I wish Tyler, the Creator had been nominated for more--he deserved it! But we all know that DAMN. set the bar for rap in 2017, and this award is Kendrick's.
I guess come Sunday night we'll see how well my predictions fare. I feel pretty confident about them, but awards shows always throw a few major twists in there, so I probably (definitely) shouldn't be.
Until then!