Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and SZA are poised to win big at the Grammys. But will they?
Say this for the 66th annual Grammy Awards – they definitely went eclectic.
With SZA, Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo and Miley Cyrus landing in the three biggest categories, it's unlikely we'll see a sweep.
And considering the album of the year category features an unprecedented number of female artists, it is likely we'll see one of them win. Unless Jon Batiste – the lone male in the lineup – surprises as he did two years ago with a major album win.
We’ll learn who triumphs Sunday when the Grammys, hosted for the fourth time by Trevor Noah, air live on CBS and Paramount+ (8 p.m. EST/5 PST) from the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Here are our predictions in the top categories:
Who will win record of the year?
◾ “Worship” Jon Batiste
◾ “Not Strong Enough” boygenius
◾ “Flowers” Miley Cyrus
◾ “What Was I Made For?" (From The Motion Picture "Barbie") Billie Eilish
◾ “On My Mama” Victoria Monét
◾ “Vampire” Olivia Rodrigo
◾ “Anti-Hero” Taylor Swift
◾ “Kill Bill” SZA
Who will win: “Flowers” Miley Cyrus
Who could win: “Kill Bill” SZA
It’s really about time for Cyrus to be given her flowers – see what we did there? – considering she’s never won a Grammy despite her popularity and regularity on the charts. “Flowers” was the second longest-running No. 1 single of 2023 according to Billboard (Morgan Wallen, not nominated in any categories, claimed the biggest hit with “Last Night”) and resuscitated Cyrus’ career after a couple of meh-selling (albeit solid) albums. But more importantly, the uncluttered production of the song showcases Cyrus’ soaring voice, a pulsing melody and lyrics that champion self-reliance sans snark.
It’s possible that SZA’s singsong revenge fantasy that so deftly melds hip-hop and R&B with a cinematic swoosh may outmuscle “Flowers,” but prepare for a gleefully unfiltered Cyrus speech.
Who will win album of the year?
◾ “World Music Radio” Jon 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
◾ “SOS” SZA
◾ “Midnights” Taylor Swift
Who will win: “SOS” SZA
Who could win: “Midnights” Taylor Swift
With a leading nine nominations, SZA should be celebrated in the most prestigious category for a sophomore release that seesaws between pop/rock (“Nobody Gets Me”) and R&B (“I Hate U,” “Snooze”) with some soulful samples and dashes of gospel. It’s a genre-busting, 23-song journey filled with brash, unvarnished lyrics.
That said, even though “Midnights,” with its vertiginous swings from swirling romance (“Lavender Haze,” “Snow on the Beach”) to soul-stirring ruminations (“Anti-Hero,” “You’re On Your Own, Kid”) isn’t Swift’s most consistently dazzling work, it’s unquestionably worthy. Besides, if Swift is crowned, she will break her three-times-an-AOTY-winner tie with Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder and be the first artist to score the award four times. She might get some press for that.
Who will win song of the year (goes to songwriter)?
◾ “A&W” Jack Antonoff, Lana Del Rey & Sam Dew, songwriters performed by Lana Del Rey.
◾ “Anti-Hero” Jack Antonoff & Taylor Swift, songwriters performed by Taylor Swift.
◾ “Butterfly” Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters performed by Jon Batiste.
◾ “Dance The Night" (From Barbie The Album) Caroline Ailin, Dua Lipa, Mark Ronson & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters performed by Dua Lipa.
◾ “Flowers” Miley Cyrus, Gregory Aldae Hein & Michael Pollack, songwriters performed by Miley Cyrus.
◾ “Kill Bill” Rob Bisel, Carter Lang & Solána Rowe, songwriters performed by SZA.
◾ “Vampire” Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters performed by Olivia Rodrigo.
◾ “What Was I Made For?" (From The Motion Picture "Barbie") Billie Eilish O'Connell & Finneas O'Connell, songwriters performed by Billie Eilish.
Who will win: “What Was I Made For?” (From The Motion Picture “Barbie”)
Who could win: “Anti-Hero” Taylor Swift
True, the delicate, introspective ballad written for “Barbie” (and one of its most touching scenes) is the front-runner to win an Oscar next month for best original song. But that shouldn’t nix its deservedness here. It’s tough to captivate the mainstream with a whispery sad song about feelings, but Eilish excels at authenticity.
However, Swift’s tart, catchphrase-filled “Anti-Hero” also enthralled as a delightfully off-kilter mesmerizing song. She’s also the most nominated artist to never have won song of the year and the Grammys might want to rectify that.
Who will win best new artist?
◾ Ice Spice
◾ Gracie Abrams
◾ Fred again.
◾ Jelly Roll
◾ Coco Jones
◾ Noah Kahan
◾ Victoria Monét
◾ The War And Treaty
Who will win: Jelly Roll
Who could win: Noah Kahan, Victoria Monét
In an always-tough-to-gauge category that usually makes us wonder about the definition of “new artist” (yes, we know, major impact, released their first recording that established their public identity, etc.), the eight nominees this year are especially robust.
Jelly Roll zigzags among country, rock and hip-hop, making him the most versatile of the octet. But songwriter-turned-R&B-solo-star Monét (nominated in seven categories) also enjoyed the proverbial breakout year, while the understated folk-pop from Kahan has led to collaborations with high-profile artists including Post Malone and Kacey Musgraves.
Still, this feels like the year to salute Mr. Roll, whose rough backstory makes his current success an even bigger triumph.
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