The Nominees: Song Of The Year
- Daniel Woodiwiss
- 3 days ago
- 9 min read
Can Kendrick Lamar and SZA cap off a huge year for them with a major Grammy for their collaboration "luther"?
We're now just 10 days away from the 2026 Grammys, which means it's high time to preview another general category at the ceremony. In case you missed it, here is my breakdown of the Best New Artist field. Next award up in our pre-Grammys bonanza: Song of the Year!
Song of the Year is one of two awards to serve as a prize for a song in a general capacity, rather than a genre field (like Best Pop Performance, or Best Rap Song, etc.). The other, of course, is Record Of The Year. Annually, the inevitable question from reasonable people-- myself included --is, what is the difference between the two? To be honest, I've never really known a good answer, so, from the horse's mouth: "The Record Of The Year category recognizes the artist’s performance as well as the overall contributions of the producer(s), recording engineer(s) and/or mixer(s) if other than the artist. The Song Of The Year category recognizes the songwriter(s)." Essentially, I think what this is saying is that Record Of The Year is more a trophy for the general production of a song, while Song Of The Year is more about the bare-bones music and lyrics.
Of course, it isn't necessarily that simple, because very often, including just last year with Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us," the same single will win both awards. There's a good chance that phenomenon could happen again, as this year, half of the field are also nominees for Record of the Year.
All that being said, here are the nominees for SOTY, in order from least to most likely to win, according to odds from GoldDerby.com.
"APT." - ROSÉ & Bruno Mars
Odds: 0.45%
Peak Chart Position (General): 3rd
Daniel's Music Rating: 3/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 1/10
One year after being a nominee for this category (and Record of the Year) for his collaboration on "Die With A Smile" with Lady Gaga, two-time winner of this award Bruno Mars capped off his year of random side quests with a return to the category, alongside breakout K-Pop star ROSÉ. I realized 2025 was the year I was starting to get a little old, because I saw this listed as one of the biggest songs of the year, and genuinely had never heard of it. Its longshot odds at winning suggest I'm not alone in that sentiment! The combined appeal of a Grammys favorite and an exciting new star might give it a fighter's chance, but it's up against a lot of big names and frankly, better songs. This employs extremely corny and basic lyrics as seems to be the standard for a lot of K-Po (although I do like that the spoken intro is apparently a Korean drinking game). Musically it's very basic, with a cadence that hearkens back to “Hey Mickey, you’re so fine!” I do like the way Bruno and ROSÉ play off each other in the bridge near the end, but otherwise this feels like an odd pairing and a forgettable tune.
"Anxiety" - Doechii
Odds: 1.23%
Peak Chart Position (General): 9th
Daniel's Music Rating: 2/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 7/10
After her nomination for Best New Artist, electric performance and groundbreaking win for Best Rap Album at last year's Grammys, it's a bit of a surprise to see Doechii back among the nominees for major categories this year. After all, she did only release one new song last year, and it was one that seemed to have as many detractors as fans. "Anxiety" started as a feature on another rapper's 2023 track, but when the snippet of Doechii's verse went TikTok viral early last year, she polled her fans on whether she should release the song in full, and when she did, it lived its own life of viral fame. This proved to be a bit of a double-edged sword as its ubiquitousness led to a loud online base of haters. I will admit, as a Doechii fan, there is something musically grating here that's hard to define; it could simply be the fact that the sample is tied to one of the most adored indie hits from the 2010s, and it just doesn’t sound right with the repeated singing of a different tune over it? Lyrically it is pretty good, though! Doechii is capable of deeper flows and harder bars, sure, but does a good job getting into the various pressures on being a black queer woman in a public space. Regardless of how it lands to the everyday listener, it's a double nominee for this and Record of the Year, and it's clear Doechii has her admirers in this voting body. It'd be foolish to count her out.
"WILDFLOWER" - Billie Eilish
Odds: 3.13%
Peak Chart Position (General): 17th
Daniel's Music Rating: 7/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 8/10
Even at her young age, Billie Eilish has well established herself as a Grammy favorite any time she makes music. That said, this was a little bit of a surprising nomination, perhaps as big a surprise as a Billie Eilish Grammy nom can be. After all, this was a track on an album released in May 2024; and not only that, on an album that-- while well-received and heavily-nominated --went winless at last year's show. Eligible only because it was released as a standalone single nearly a year after the release of Hit Me Hard and Soft, "WILDFLOWER" is surely the deepest Billie cut to land a major nomination, but that doesn't make it undeserving. In typical Billie fashion, it’s a beautiful, heartwrenching tune; not as musically experimental as most of her stuff, but a track that fits her airy vocals well, and the lyrics, centering around a relationship with the ex of a close friend, are equal parts vulnerable and evocative. I've spelled out the various reasons why this would be a surprise winner, but the truth is, you would never want to be in a Grammys race against Billie and Finneas; their quality and Grammy pedigree speaks for itself.
"DtMF" - Bad Bunny
Odds: 4.92%
Peak Chart Position (General): 2nd
Daniel's Music Rating: 8/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 9/10
Few in the music world had a bigger year than Bad Bunny did, and so it comes as little surprise that he's a nominee in each of the big 3 categories at these Grammys. "DtMF" is both the de facto title track and the biggest single from Bad Bunny's DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS, topping the charts in all Latin/Dance/Rhythm categories, and nearly doing the same on the overall radio charts. Musically, it’s a soft reggaeton with one of the more memorable choruses from his latest album. Lyrically, it’s almost one part Bruno Mars’ “When I was Your Man,” but more profound; a truly bittersweet snapshot of a past life in Puerto Rico, an homage to his home that he’s often had to leave behind. "DtMF" likely faces more of an uphill battle in this category than Benito does in the Record of the Year or Album of the Year, but given his and its popularity, and the potential appeal of a rare Latin reggaeton win in this category, it has a real shot.
"luther" - Kendrick Lamar & SZA
Odds: 13.18%
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Daniel's Music Rating: 9/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 8/10
I’m not sure anyone, even Kendrick Lamar himself, expected “Luther” to be the biggest hit from his latest album GNX. Yet it was by some margin, spending 13 consecutive weeks atop the Billboard charts, and landing the rapper a second consecutive “double nom” for this award and Record of the Year. It’s fitting that one of the biggest songs of 2025 was a collab between Kendrick and SZA, as the longtime label mates and frequent collaborators spent the year on a hugely successful arena tour together. The magic of this one is the chemistry between the two artists; sure, it’s easy to sound good on a gorgeous Luther Vandross sample, but the way they play off each other elevates it. Lyrically, the gems are mainly found in the chorus. The verses are mostly cute, flirty and funny, but the chorus shows off the two artists’ genius with lines like “In this world, concrete flowers grow”, and “I wouldn’t give these nobodies no sympathy/I’d take away the pain, I’d give you everything/I just wanna see you win.” Can Kendrick, double winner last year for “Not Like Us,” repeat as Song of the Year winner? Consecutive Song of the Year wins have only happened once before, but if anyone can buck the trend, it’s the most-celebrated rapper in Grammy history and the most-nominated artist of the night.
"Abracadabra" - Lady Gaga
Odds: 14.86%
Peak Chart Position (General): 13th
Daniel's Music Rating: 9/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 8/10
Another major storyline from the year in music was Lady Gaga’s return to pop royalty, and it all began this time last year. Yes, the single (and music video) that debuted at last year’s Grammy ceremony is the joint single-most nominated track of the night, and was one of the biggest Pop hits of 2025 too, spending 6 weeks in the Top 20. Musically, lyrically, and visually, it’s very much a return to ‘early Gaga’… a pulsating beat with dramatic vocals and an addictive call to the dance floor. Her lyrics mostly conjure images of magic, wizardry, and religion and while I don’t find them particularly profound, I love the images they evoke (also love the chorus breaking up “amor” (love) and “mata” (death), and then tying them together “death or love tonight.” Another double nominee for both this award and Record of the Year, any track as successful as this one was AND attached to a beloved figure in the music history that is yet to take home a ‘major’ Grammy has a great chance at taking home the trophy.
"Manchild" - Sabrina Carpenter
Odds: 14.86%
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Daniel's Music Rating: 6/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 5/10
But “Abracadabra” is not the only Pop smash nominated in this category! No, the other joint most-nominated on the night is its competitor for both Song and Record of the year, too: “Manchild,” the lead single from Sabrina Carpenter’s sophomore album Man’s Best Friend. The reigning Best Pop Album and Best Pop Solo winner didn’t wait long to give her fans and critics new music, surprising just about everyone with a quick follow-up to last year’s acclaimed Short n’ Sweet. “Manchild” gave her a second # 1 single in as many years, matching the high bar set by mega smash “Espresso.” The chorus for this one is very catchy, mostly because “Manchiiiild” is such a fun word to yell-sing, but musically the track doesn’t have the sauce that either of her big 2024 singles did, and the overproduction and underwhelming bridge sort of kill the momentum. The lyrics, in classic Sabrina fashion, are hilarious, but given that the theme of the song is how silly and stupid men are, aren’t particularly profound or original. Given that neither “Espresso” nor “Please Please Please” were able to win in these big categories last year, it would be a little surprising if the more missable “Manchild” brought home the trophy for Sabrina, but admittedly it faces weaker competition than it did last year, and serves as a reminder of the staying power of this next-gen pop star.
"Golden (from KPop Demon Hunters)" - Huntrix
Odds: 44.92%
Peak Chart Position (General): 1st
Daniel's Music Rating: 8/10
Daniel's Lyrics Rating: 5/10
Amidst all the big names in this category, and the wide variety of artists and musical styles represented, it's a Korean cartoon trio that are the betting odd favorites heading into Grammy week. Both the movie KPop Demon Hunters and its hit song were an unexpected sensation this year, with "Golden" reaching the top of the charts in the United States and a whopping 30 other countries this year. It's not hard to see the appeal; while there’s a lot about K-Pop obsession that doesn't make sense to me, even grumpy old me really liked the movie and found this an undeniable banger. It's got immense replay value, helped by the soaring vocals of Ejae and the hyper drum beat. The lyrics are, unsurprisingly, fairly cheesy but perfectly suit the theme of the movie, so it’s hard to know how to assess; regardless of how I feel, they clearly struck a chord with their intended audience. It might seem a foreign (no pun intended) concept for a song for a movie to win such a significant Grammy, but it's no such thing: nominations and even wins for songs from films have been commonplace throughout Grammy history. Just six years ago, this very award had two in their field ("All The Stars" and "Shallow"), and just two years ago, one such nominee won: Billie Eilish's "What Was I Made For?", from Barbie. Given that KPop Demon Hunters and this very song just won at the Golden Globes and are continuing to pick up awards circuit wins, it seems the hype machine will be hard to stop.
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