With the Golden Globes in the rearview mirror, award season is about to hit a new gear with the 63rd GRAMMY Awards airing this Sunday night. Award shows just have not been the same since the pandemic hit this time last year. Gone are the raucous crowds and dancing celebs (I’m looking at you Taylor Swift) and in their place are Zoom calls and prerecorded musical numbers. Luckily for fans this year, the show will have over a dozen live performances from some of music’s top stars.
Cardi B, Doja Cat, Black Pumas, Bad Bunny, Dua Lipa, Miranda Lambert, Harry Styles and Taylor Swift are just some of the stars set to perform on music’s biggest night. Honestly, the coolest thing about this year’s telecast will be the focus put on some of the independent music venues throughout the country. Staff members from the Troubadour and the Hotel Café in Los Angeles, the Apollo Theater in Harlem and Nashville’s Station Inn will act as presenters throughout the night.
The degenerate gambler in me loves to predict the winners of award shows and this year’s list of nominees has me doing some deep thinking in the lead up to the ceremony. There are some tough categories this year with no clear favorite and a lot of newcomers clogging the field.
Let’s take a lot at my predictions for some of the top awards to be handed out Sunday.
Song of the Year
- “Black Parade” By Beyonce
- “The Box” By Roddy Ricch
- “Cardigan” By Taylor Swift
- “Circles” By Post Malone (My Pick)
- “Don’t Start Now” By Dua Lipa
- “Everything I Wanted” By Billie Eilish
- “I Can’t Breathe” By H.E.R.
- “If the World Was Ending” By JP Saxe ft. Julia Michaels
Record of the Year
- “Black Parade” By Beyonce
- “Colors” By Black Pumas
- “Rock Star” By Da Baby ft Roddy Ricch (My Pick)
- “Say So” By Doja Cat
- “Everything I Wanted” By Billie Eilish
- “Don’t Start Now” By Dua Lipa
- “Circles” By Post Malone
- “Savage” By Megan Thee Stallion ft. Beyonce
Album of the Year
- Chilombo By Jhene Aiko
- Black Pumas By Black Pumas
- Everyday Life By Coldplay
- Djesse Vol. 3 By Jacob Collier
- Women in Music, Pt. III By HAIM
- Future Nostalgia By Dua Lipa
- Hollywood’s Bleeding By Post Malone
- Folklore By Taylor Swift
New Artist
- Ingrid Andress
- Phoebe Bridgers
- Chika
- Noah Cyrus
- D Smoke
- Doja Cat
- Kaytranada
- Megan Thee Stallion
Pop Solo Performance
- “Yummy” By Justin Bieber
- “Say So” By Doja Cat
- “Everything I Wanted” By Billie Eilish
- “Don’t Start Now” By Dua Lipa
- “Watermelon Sugar” By Harry Styles
- “Cardigan” By Taylor Swift
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
- “Un Dia” Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Dua Lipa & Tainy
- ”Intentions” Justin Bieber ft Quavo
- ”Dynamite” BTS
- “Rain On Me” Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande
- “Exile” Taylor Swift ft Bon Iver
Pop Vocal Album
- Changes By Justin Bieber
- Chromatica By Lady Gaga
- Future Nostalgia By Dua Lipa
- Fine Line By Harry Styles
- Folklore By Taylor Swift
Rock Album
- A Hero’s Death By Fontaines D.C.
- Kiwanuka By Michael Kiwanuka
- Daylight By Grace Potter
- Sound & Fury By Sturgill Simpson
- The New Abnormal By The Strokes
Rap Album
- Black Habits By D Smoke
- Alfredo By Freddie Gibbs & The Alchemist
- A Written Testimony By Jay Electronica
- King’s Disease By Nas
- The Allegory By Royce Da 5’9”
Rap Song
- “The Bigger Picture” By Lil Baby
- “The Box” By Roddy Ricch
- “Laugh Now Cry Later” By Drake ft Lil Durk
- “Rockstar” By Da Baby ft Roddy Ricch
- “Savage” By Megan Thee Stallion
R&B Album
- Happy 2 Be Here By D Smoke
- Take Time By Giveon
- To Feel Love/d By Luke James
- Bigger Love By John Legend
- All Rise By Gregory Porter
Country Album
- Lady Like By Ingrid Andress
- Your Life Is a Record By Brandy Clark
- Wildcard By Miranda Lambert
- Nightfall By Little Big Town
- Never Will By Ashley McBride
Country Song
- “Bluebird” By Miranda Lambert
- “The Bones” By Maren Morris
- “Crowded Table” By The Highwomen
- “More Hearts Than Mine” By Ingrid Andress
- “Some People Do” By Old Dominion
Steven McCash is the Music Columnist for SoBros Network, and host of the ‘Drinking With…’ podcast. He is the pioneer of New Music Friday, highlighting each week’s new releases in the world of music, in addition to the occasional live show review. Follow on Twitter: @MC_Cash75
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