2024 Grammy Predictions

Tonight, "music's biggest night" returns in the form of the 66th Grammys ceremony! This year, the awards show will bring back Trevor Noah as host for the fourth straight year, and will also be in the Lakers' Staples Center (I refuse to call it by its new name, as it usually is. Yes, after two straight years of pandemic-affected shows-- the 2021 ceremony took place delayed, with no fans, mostly outside the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the 2022 ceremony also delayed and moved to Las Vegas to skirt California's COVID precautions --- we finally returned to normalcy last year. And by normalcy, I of course mean a ceremony in a packed arena in Los Angeles, with Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar inexplicably shut out of any major awards. Good to be back!!

Though these particular awards have often been besotted by criticisms of valuing commercial success over critically acclaimed music, (criticisms I find wholly valid, for what it’s worth), the show remains the premier music awards out there. And, though they often evade glory, many wonderful and deserving artists and bands are typically nominees, and that is no different this year.

If you’re curious about the nominees for all the awards, not just the 15 I'm highlighting in this article, you can find them listed nicely here . But this is devoted to my best guess as to what will win. I’m not guaranteeing a high success rate because, let’s be honest, who knows what will win? Sometimes they give all the major awards to the big stars, like Bruno Mars and Billie Eilish. Sometimes they distribute the wealth all over, like in the last three awards shows. Other times, the big winners are total wildcards like Jon Batiste or Beck. In short: I have some idea, but really no idea, who and what will win. All I can do is try! Here goes:

GENRE

Best Music Video

"Count Me Out" - Kendrick Lamar (Dave Free and Kendrick Lamar, co-directors)
"I'm Only Sleeping" - The Beatles (Em Cooper, director)
“In Your Love” - Tyler Childers (Bryan Schlam, director)
“Rush" - Troye Sivan (Gordon Von Steiner, director)
“What Was I Made For?” - Billie Eilish (Billie Eilish, director)

Will Win: "What Was I Made For?"

Could Win: “Count Me Out"

Should Win: “In Your Love"

Anything BUT: “I'm Only Sleeping”

Snubbed: "Gorilla" - Little Simz (Dave Meyers, director)

This is never an award that makes it to live air, but is one whose winner I always am curious to learn, and whose field I make sure to study. This is a strong crop! Especially in comparison to the last two years, which marked a noticeable and strange shift, from a collection of more underground songs with impressive videos (nominations for Tierra Whack and Jamie Xx come to mind), to a nominee field filled with big stars that more closely resemble the Record of the Year field. I expect the 'buzzability' of Barbie and its hit single to win the night, and that's perfectly fine; it's a meaningful video, a gorgeous song, and it would be cool to see the award go the artist-as-director route. But count me in the camp that would like to see an upset, either from Kendrick Lamar's and Helen Mirren's (!!!) terrific acting in "Count Me Out," or the heartbreaking love story told in "In Your Love." And can I just say, I love The Beatles (obviously), and the animated videos for "I'm Only Sleeping" is cool, but what are we doing making music videos for 50+ year old songs and submitting them for Grammys?

Best Song Written for Visual Media

"Barbie World" - Nicki Minaj & Ice Spice (from Barbie)
"Dance the Night" - Dua Lipa (from Barbie)
"I'm Just Ken" - Ryan Gosling (from Barbie)
"Lift Me Up" - Rihanna (from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever)
"What Was I Made For?" - Billie Eilish (from Barbie)

Will Win: "What Was I Made For?"

Could Win: "Dance the Night"

Should Win: "Lift Me Up"

Anything BUT: "Barbie World"

Snubbed: "Can't Catch Me Now" - Olivia Rodrigo (from The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes)

This is not a category I tend to pay attention to, but it's not every year it features two nominees for Song of the Year, and three nominees (past and present) for an Oscar! Unsurprisingly, Barbie's soundtrack dominates the category this year, and chances are the award will go to one of the lead singles that are also shortlisted for Song of the Year, although don't count out the appeal of Oscar nominee Ryan Gosling! "Barbie World" being included is laughable though, and could easily have been swapped out for one of the many other original songs from the world of TV and movies, not least of all "Can't Catch Me Now," a beautiful song from a popular movie by a wildly popular artist. And of the nominees, I actually think I would like the one non-Barbie song to pull the surprise, considering Rihanna's beautiful, emotional song for the last Black Panther movie lost out on the Oscar last year.

Billie Eilish only released one song last year yet still could be headed for a big night, as the favorite not only in the visual media categories, but some major awards as well

Best Alternative Music Performance

"A&W" - Lana del Rey
"Belinda Says" - Alvvays
"Body Paint" - Arctic Monkeys
"Cool About It" - boygenius
"This Is Why" - Paramore

Will Win: "A&W"

Could Win: "Cool About It"

Should Win: "Cool About It"

Anything BUT: "Body Paint"

Snubbed: "the BLACK seminole." - Lil Yachty

The alternative categories often tend to hold some of my favorite music from the preceding year, and this year is no different. In this category, for an award that is only 2 years old, Song of the Year nominee "A&W" is the presumed frontrunner, and it would be a deserving winner on the basis of its songwriting quality. But I find myself ever-so-slightly preferring boygenius in this one. "Cool About It" is a gorgeous little song, my favorite off their recent album, and an instant addition to my "Songs That Make Me Cry" playlist. Another one of my favorite songs of the last year? The opening track from Lil Yachty's unexpected psychedelic rock turn, which would have been a delightful and original Grammy nominee, had it garnered that status.

Best Alternative Album

The Car – Arctic Monkeys
Cracker Island – Gorillaz
Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd – Lana Del Rey
I Inside The Old Year Dying – PJ Harvey
the record – boygenius

Will Win: the record

Could Win: Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Should Win: Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Anything BUT: The Car

Snubbed: And in the Darkness, Hearts Aglow - Weyes Blood

Best Alternative Album, which tends to be one of the sneaky-good categories that doesn't make the televised broadcast, is back with a vengeance this year after a rare weak field last year. Three of the nominees crashed my recent Best Albums of 2023, and were Weyes Blood's gorgeous sophomore album were to have gotten the respect it deserved, one of my top albums of 2022 would have made it as well. If I could be guaranteed that boygenius and Lana Del Rey, both nominated for the biggest awards of the night, were each primed for at least one major Grammy win elsewhere, I would actually cheer for Gorillaz' delightfully funky album to pull the upset here. But given that I cannot be convinced of success elsewhere, I have to just support what I think is best, and in this case, that is Lana's masterpiece (by a slim margin over Gorillaz and boygenius). The only outcome that would be disappointing, both for this and for Alternative Performance, would be for Arctic Monkeys' wholly forgettable record and album to earn awards. Fortunately, and I say fortunately with a heavy heart as I've loved most of the lads from Sheffield's previous work, I don't expect that to come to pass.

Best Rap Performance

"The Hillbillies" - Baby Keem feat. Kendrick Lamar
"Love Letter" - Black Thought
"Players" - Coi Leray
"Rich Flex" - Drake & 21 Savage
"Scientists & Engineers" – Killer Mike feat. André 3000, Eryn Allen Kane and Future

Will Win: "The Hillbillies"

Could Win: "Rich Flex"

Should Win: "Love Letter"

Anything BUT: "Rich Flex"

Snubbed: "No Merci" - Little Simz

You know, I sort of felt this was a weak year in Rap, and looking at the Rap categories at the Grammys this year...woof. Yeah, I feel even more confident in that- I'm not sure any of these songs make the cut if they were released in the year 2022, for example. As it stands, by default I expect Drake & 21 Savage are primed for a big night, as the biggest and most successful names in most categories. This is one field that might pass them up, though, in favor of another collaboration between two recent Grammy winners. Between the catchy flow of "The Hillbillies" and "Players," and the hard-hitting punch from the wily vets Black Thought and Killer Mike, any of the other four would be more deserving.

Best Rap Album

Her Loss – Drake & 21 Savage
Heroes & Villains - Metro Boomin
King's Disease III – Nas
Michael – Killer Mike
UTOPIA – Travis Scott

Will Win: Her Loss

Could Win: King's Disease III

Should Win: UTOPIA

Anything BUT: Her Loss

Snubbed: No Thank You - Little Simz

Again, in the absence of a major and critically-acclaimed rap release this last year, I have to imagine the biggest names will win the day. But fuck Drake. This is an anti-Drake space. So instead I will hope all things Drake lose, and think about how absurd it is that Little Simz is nowhere to be seen in the Rap categories, despite late 2022's No Thank You being head and neck above anything that came after it. Of the ones that did make the shortlist? I'll admit the only ones I listened to were Metro Boomin's and Travis Scott's, but, divisive as the latter's album was, UTOPIA grew on me immensely and was vastly more original in its concept than most anything else we saw from the hip-hop world this year.

Best R&B Song

"Angel" – Halle Bailey
"Back To Love" – Robert Glasper feat. SiR & Alex Isley
"ICU" - Coco Jones
"On My Mama" – Victoria Monét
"Snooze" – SZA

Will Win: "On My Mama"

Could Win: "Snooze"

Should Win: "On My Mama"

Anything BUT: "Back To Love"

Snubbed: "This Year" - Emily King

It's a big year for R&B at the Grammys, with multiple nominees in the Best New Artist, Record of the Year and Album of the Year fields. That makes this year's R&B genre awards worth watching, not only for who will win out amongst a crowded race, but also for potential indicators of later results! Halle Bailey and Coco Jones are both young stars of tomorrow-- the latter a nominee for Best New Artist tonight, and the former a nominee for that award a couple years ago --and their songs are smooth as can be, perfect vehicles for their powerful vocals. But I think the runaway favorites in this category are the songs by SZA, 9-time nominee on the night, and Victoria Monét. It's hard to imagine anyone other than SZA being a favorite in the R&B categories, as was the case with Beyoncé last year, but Monét might just pull off the small upset here, given this very song is also up for "Record of the Year." She also is a favorite for Best New Artist, and the Grammys love rewarding Best New Artists elsewhere when they can. And, as much as I love all things SZA, including "Snooze," you won't catch me saying anything bad about "On My Mama," an absolute bop.

SZA is this year's most-nominated artist at the Grammys, but faces still competition for the General awards. Might the R&B categories be where she makes bank on the night?

Best Progressive R&B Album

The Age of Pleasure – Janelle Monáe
The Love Album: Off The Grid - Diddy
Nova – Terrace Martin and James Fauntleroy
Since I Have A Lover – 6lack
SOS – SZA

Will Win: SOS

Could Win: The Age of Pleasure

Should Win: SOS

Anything BUT: The Love Album: Off The Grid

Snubbed: Red Moon In Venus - Kali Uchis

Best New Artist nominees Coco Jones and Victoria Monét find themselves shepherded to the more traditional R&B Album category, so it's the "Progressive R&B" (mercifully rebranded from its previous iteration "Urban Contemporary Album") race that sees frontrunner SZA, and fellow Album of the Year nominee Janelle Monáe, among some other heavy hitters in the genre. Either of those two queens winning would be a delightful result, but this one category where SZA is far and away the favorite, and she should be; the distance between SOS and all other albums here is not insignificant. And by all means, can we not award serial abuser Diddy, please? Better yet, can we yeet him from the nominees and replace with him somebody more deserving, like Kali Uchis?

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

"Candy Necklace" - Lana Del Rey feat. Jon Batiste
"Ghost In The Machine" - SZA feat. Phoebe Bridgers
"Karma" – Taylor Swift feat. Ice Spice
"Never Felt So Alone" – Labrinth feat. Billie Eilish
"Thousand Miles" – Miley Cyrus feat. Brandi Carlile

Will Win: "Karma"

Could Win: "Ghost In The Machine"

Should Win: "Ghost In The Machine"

Anything BUT: "Karma"

Snubbed: "Walls" - Jonas Brothers

In the increasing trend of 'solo artists over bands,' this category, usually filled with hits from established pop bands, boy/girl groups, etc., this year instead employs five major solo pop stars with a feature from a heavy hitter. The beautiful "Ghost In The Machine" has a fighter's chance, considering it features two of the night's biggest nominees in SZA and Phoebe Bridgers (who comprises one third of boygenius), as does "Candy Necklace," for the same reason. But alas, the favorite and likely winner is "Karma," and I don't say alas out of any hatred for the original version. The "Karma" of the Midnights tracklist is undeniably a bop, one of the clear standouts from the album. But this remixed collaboration with Ice Spice was a naked attempt both at capitalizing off the rising star's buzz but also placating the backlash to racist and offensive comments made towards spice by Swift's then-romantic fling, Matty Healy. And more than that, it's just...not good.

Best Pop Solo Performance

"Anti-Hero" - Taylor Swift
"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus
"Paint The Town Red" – Doja Cat
"vampire" – Olivia Rodrigo
"What Was I Made For?" – Billie Eilish

Will Win: "Flowers"

Could Win: "Anti-Hero"

Should Win: "Flowers"

Anything BUT: "Anti-Hero"

Snubbed: "Snow Angel" - Reneé Rapp

If the Pop Duo/Group field was filled with nominees that elicit a reaction of "Oh yeah, that song!", the Pop Solo field is chock full of the year's biggest hits, and not one, not two, not three, but FOUR double nominees for Record and Song of the Year. There's a chance this category gives some major insight into who might scoop up some of the general awards later in the night, but there's just as good a chance it will be an opportunity to spread the wealth around. The latter has been the more common trend in recent years: Adele won in this category last year, while Lizzo took home Record of the Year. Three years ago, it was Dua Lipa who snagged Pop awards for Future Nostalgia, while Taylor Swift in turn beat her out for Album of the Year. In that vein, I sort of think this is where whoever between Swift, Miley Cyrus, and Olivia Rodrigo isn't going to be a Record/Song/Album winner (assuming the answer isn't all of them) might pop up to get the win here instead. Because "Flowers" was one of the bigger songs of 2023, is a total banger, and I feel the least confident in Miley's ability to win a major Grammy, I'll pick that as the winner here, but would not be surprised in the least by anybody not named Doja Cat winning. Also, can I just say? This is one of several categories that could have been made even better by including rising star Reneé Rapp.

Best Pop Vocal Album

Chemistry – Kelly Clarkson
Endless Summer Vacation – Miley Cyrus
GUTS – Olivia Rodrigo
Midnights – Taylor Swift
- – Ed Sheeran

Will Win: Midnights

Could Win: GUTS

Should Win: GUTS

Anything BUT: -

Snubbed: Desire, I Want To Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek

Given the Grammys' tendency to favor commercial appeal above all else, the Pop Album category is almost always the Genre award that most closely mirrors the Album of the year shortlist, and guess what? 2024 is no different in that regard. 60% of the field here are also nominated for the biggest Grammy of the night, and even the two that aren't, Clarkson and Sheeran, are two of the biggest names in pop music. I understand the inclination to see "Pop Grammys" as the outlet to throw all the biggest stars together, but man, what I would give for the Academy to recognize some really good, really different alt-pop here...such as, for example, e.g., i.e., aka, the best album of 2023. Anyways, in terms of what will win here, on the one hand, my logic from above holds for this award, too: I don't really expect the winner of this one to win Album of the Year. On the other hand, despite both women's strong standing as contenders for the big one, I can't really see this going to anyone other than Olivia or Taylor, and in the absence of knowing who will win Album of the Year, I have to imagine that Pop voters will be itching to reward T-Swift with this one again, as she somewhat shockingly has only won this trophy once (1989, eight years ago), and Rodrigo actually won more recently (SOUR, two years ago).

Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus find themselves locked in several battles throughout Grammy night, including for the 3 biggest awards. Which pop princess will come out on top in Pop categories specifically?

GENERAL

Best New Artist

Coco Jones
Fred again..
Gracie Abrams
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

Will Win: Noah Kahan

Could Win: Ice Spice OR Victoria Monét

Should Win: Ice Spice OR Victoria Monét

Anyone BUT: Noah Kahan OR Jelly Roll

Snubbed: Reneé Rapp AND Zach Bryan

If you've kept up with The Couch, you will know that a couple weeks ago, I previewed this very award! This is an abnormally wide open race for one of the biggest awards of the night, given that for the second year in a row, there's no clear-cut established mainstream Pop favorite. Were this award being given out in, say, July of last year, rap starlet Ice Spice would be the runaway favorite. And as it is, there's still a very good chance she takes it, especially if the Grammys are interested in substituting the subjective "Best" qualifier for an objective "Biggest," which is often the route they go. But, let alone how rare it is for the Academy to recognize female rappers, it also feels like Spice's buzz, which was unstoppable from late 2022 through the release of Barbie last summer, has fallen off considerably. She's far from a shoo-in fan favorite, even, and I think that fact opens the door for a more respected songwriter with a lot of admiration within the music business. Given the artist's young age, the cultural cache of a predominantly white woman fanbase, and the millennial/Gen X urge to crave more Mumford-adjacent music, I have a sinking feeling this might go to Kahan. It'd be a whole lot cooler if it didn't, though. And it would be coolest if this field looked wildly different; amongst an unimpressive year for music, these Grammys were surprisingly low on bad snubs, but boy, was this award a wild one. You could make a whole other field of nominees that got snubbed and it would likely be better than this one, though for my money, the most egregious snubs were Rapp, an absolute star in the making, and Zach Bryan, the new voice of 'good, unproblematic, thoughtful Country.'

Song Of The Year

"A&W" - Lana Del Rey
"Anti-Hero" - Taylor Swift
"Butterfly" - Jon Batiste
"Dance The Night" - Dua Lipa
"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus
"Kill Bill" - SZA
"vampire" - Olivia Rodrigo
"What Was I Made For?" - Billie Eilish

Will Win: “What Was I Made For?"

Could Win: “Butterfly” OR "vampire"

Should Win: “What Was I Made For?" OR "A&W"

Anything BUT: “Butterfly" OR "Anti-Hero"

Snubbed: “Cool About It" - boygenius AND "Blood And Butter" - Caroline Polachek

Again, if you've kept up with The Couch, you know I also previewed this one! Apart from a mediocre single from Taylor Swift, and a non-noteworthy and not-impactful offering from Jon Batiste, this is a really good set of nominees! And, in keeping with the theme of the night, there's no clear favorite. Over half of the songs on this list are also nominees for Record of the Year, and most of them were among the biggest songs of the year, as well. Given that this is defined as the "songwriters' award," when this isn't just going to a Pop hit that also wins Record of the Year (unquestionably a possibility in this case), it very often can be the category where a quieter, more lyrics-driven track pulls off the upset. See: Bonnie Raitt just last year, or H.E.R. in 2021. In that vein, don't be shocked to see 2022's surprise big winner Batiste to crash the stage for this award this year, or Lana Del Rey to get her first Grammy (which at least in her case, would absolutely be deserved). But, given the adoration Billie Eilish has earned from the Academy in her short but remarkable career, and the fact that her beautiful, vulnerable song was ALSO one of the biggest of the year, and the fulcrum for the year's cinema sensation, it's hard for me to see anyone topping her in this field.

Record Of The Year

"Anti-Hero" - Taylor Swift
"Dance The Night" - Dua Lipa
"Flowers" - Miley Cyrus
"Kill Bill" - SZA
"Not Strong Enough" - boygenius
"vampire" - Olivia Rodrigo
"What Was I Made For?" - Billie Eilish
"Worship" - Jon Batiste

Will Win: “What Was I Made For?"

Could Win: “Anti-Hero” OR "Flowers"

Should Win: “Flowers” OR "vampire"

Anything BUT: “Anti-Hero” OR "Worship"

Snubbed: “Rush" - Troye Sivan AND "Planet of the Bass" - DJ Crazy Times and Ms. Biljana Electronica

Guess what? I also previewed this one! Perhaps unsurprisingly, given the high amount of overlap between the nominees for both awards, I consider this an equal, if not even stronger, race for Record of the Year, which recognizes the producer(s) rather than the songwriter(s). Jon Batiste is once again bizarrely and needlessly included-- I promise I really like the guy! I just...don't think this album is particularly imrpessive, and don't know why he keeps getting absurd amounts of Grammy love --and the aggressively mid "Anti-Hero" is back. For this field at least though, the latter is not a surprise, considering Taylor's hit was one of the biggest of the year, and should this track win, her beloved producer Jack Antonoff would take home yet another Grammy. And the remainder of the field is comprised of some absolute belters, including the welcome surprise of "Not Strong Enough" by boygenius! Of all the major awards, this is the one that I genuinely have no insight into which direction it will go. Jon Batiste and boygenius are likely esteemed enough by the Academy voters to pull off an upset, and the other 6 are all massively successful songs from huge stars. Though my preference-- at least in this category --would be for SZA (always), Miley or Olivia, with this much parity, I'm going to assume they do what they often like to do, and just give the same track top honors for Song and Record. Billie and her brother/producer Finneas have won this award twice already, and it's not hard to envision win #3 coming tonight.

Album Of The Year

The Age of Pleasure – Janelle Monáe
Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd – Lana Del Rey
Endless Summer Vacation – Miley Cyrus
GUTS – Olivia Rodrigo
Midnights – Taylor Swift
the record – boygenius
SOS – SZA
World Music Radio – Jon Batiste

Will Win: Midnights

Could Win: the record OR GUTS

Should Win: SOS OR Did you know there's a tunnel under Ocean Blvd

Anything BUT: Midnights OR World Music Radio

Snubbed: Desire, I Want To Turn Into You - Caroline Polachek AND Let's Start Here. - Lil Yachty

As I touched on in my preview of this award (yeah, this one too!), this also appears to be a far more competitive race than in years past, which has typically spat out two-horse races (Billie Eilish vs. Olivia Rodrigo-- neither of whom won, in a shock twist -- in 2022, Dua Lipa vs. Taylor Swift in 2021, Billie vs. Lizzo in 2020, etc.).

No, this one genuinely feels wide open, in large part because of how many big names are up for the big awards. But it's not just the quantity of star power; it's the fact that there isn't a traditional frontrunner. By far the biggest mainstream pop stars nominated here are Taylor Swift-- who always wins Grammys and who made a monstrous impact this year, but whose most recent album was nowhere near the 'cultural reset' her previously nominated works were --Olivia Rodrigo, whose album was both successful and very well-received but didn't have a single song with the staying power that "drivers license" and "good 4 u" did from her first record, and Miley Cyrus, whose hit songs were everywhere this past year, but never wins Grammys.

Conventional Grammy wisdom states that that very dynamic might open the door for a beloved veteran like Jon Batiste, or long-admired-but-winless-at-Grammys artists such as Janelle Monáe or Lana Del Rey to benefit from vote-splitting, and emerge as a surprise winner due to being just widley liked and respected. And indeed, I think it's possible that happens; after all, that's likely the most logical explanation for how we got Jon Batiste winning top honors two years ago. On the other hand, the Batiste upset a couple years ago notwithstanding, it's hard for me to picture an album winning from someone that didn't have a big year, as the other 5 nominees all did, and that's part of why I've had a gut feeling for a while now that boygenius may end up top dogs. The indie supergroup sort of find themselves in a sweet spot of having cross-generational appeal and industry respect as star songwriters, but also being one of the most talked-about and beloved acts of the last year. And should it come to pass, it would be both an exciting and deserved coronation for Julien Baker, Phoebe Bridgers, and Lucy Dacus, all tremendous artists in their own right.

But look, both because I've talked myself into getting optimistic for the artists/groups I would love to win, only to get crushed with disappointment too many times, and because I literally have never gotten this award prediction correct* in my 8 years of Grammy forecasting, I have to ultimately pull the trigger on the safest bet of all: Taylor Swift. Midnights is nowhere near her best work, and unlike each of her previous winning albums, didn't bring anything stylistically or thematically new to the table-- Fearless was the announcement of a teenage country star with writing chops that already exceeded her peers in that genre, 1989 her successful foray into arena pop, folklore a pivot to contemplative folk storytelling. But it was well-received, and it was huge, as is she; I said above that it's hard for me to envision a winner that didn't have a big year, and other than maybe Beyoncé, who isn't involved tonight, nobody was bigger in 2023 than Tay-Tay. Until I see someone actually beat her out for top honors at the Grammys, I'm not going to believe it, especially after the year she had.

*If you're curious, my incorrect picks through the years: Beyoncé's Lemonade (2017), Lorde's Melodrama (2018), Drake's Scorpion (2019), Lizzo's Cuz I Love You (2020), Dua Lipa's Future Nostalgia (2021), Olivia Rodrigo's SOUR (2022), Adele's 30 (2023)

My only other comment on this final award is to say that, as often as I gripe about Grammy nominations, I feel like I should be fair and say, for the second straight year, I.. actually have very few complaints about this Album of the Year field? Caroline Polachek was definitely robbed and it would have been awesome to see a wildly original body of work from Lil Yachty or Gorillaz crash the party, but given how little movement those albums made on the mainstream register, I'm not exactly surprised they didn't make the cut. And all in all, if I were drafting nominees for Album of the Year and trying to account for objective quality, relevant popularity, and diversity in genre, I don't know that I could have done a much better job, and that's about the highest compliment I can pay the Recording Academy.

Indie-rock supergroup boygenius had an enormous moment in 2023...might they get the perfect cherry on top by taking top honors at the Grammys?