By: Anthony Danilov
This year’s Grammy Awards are coming to you live this Sunday, February, 4 premiering on the CBS network and Paramount. The nominations this year have given us a lot of the same names as they do every year but also a lot of present surprises! SZA leads the pack with a whopping 9 nominations and we also have Victoria Monet who finally gets her flowers as a new Grammy nominee making her way into some of the major categories of this year. Rumors say that the academy is hoping to push diversity for the wins this year due to previous controversies from past years with just last year Harry Styles saying, “This just doesn’t happen to people like me…” during his acceptance speech for album of the year. Although tonight will probably be predictable and disappointing, here are my Grammy Awards predictions as well as The Torch’s thoughts on who the winners should be tonight.
Record of the Year
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For? [From the Motion Picture “Barbie”]
Boygenius – Not Strong Enough
Jon Batiste – Worship
Miley Cyrus – Flowers
Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire
SZA – Kill Bill
Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
Victoria Monét – On My Mama
Who Will Win: Barbie completely took the year by storm, and Billie Eilish manages to do that every year as well. Her sappy piano ballad struck everyone’s hearts with its relatable themes and airy vocals, even being memefied on TikTok. Eilish and her brother Finneas have perfected their craft and know exactly how to hit all the right notes, no pun intended. Plus, she’s a Grammy darling! She manages to win every year even if she’s only put out one song.
Who Should Win: Olivia Rodrigo kicked off her album rollout to “GUTS” with an absolute emotional exhaustion known as “Vampire”. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve put on the song and sung my heart out to it. Eilish’s “What Was I Made For?”, though relatable and touching, feels a bit too commercialized for me and takes me out of the experience at times. Rodrigo delivers a stellar vocal performance over a hard-hitting slow-to-fast-paced ballad that even managed to catch the attention of my mother’s ear. Truly an amazing start to what I consider her year in pop and one of her best moments yet.
The Torch’s Pick: “What Was I Made For?” by Billie Eilish
Album of the Year
Boygenius – The Record
Janelle Monáe – The Age of Pleasure
Jon Batiste – World Music Radio
Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd
Miley Cyrus – Endless Summer Vacation
Olivia Rodrigo – Guts
SZA – SOS
Taylor Swift – Midnights
Who Should Win: Boygenius’ “The Record” was an immediate hit with the public. I’ve seen it land in every news publication’s Top 10 albums of 2023 and there’s a reason for that. There are simply no bad moments on this album and it felt like one of the most concise well thought out projects of last year. There’s been a general feeling that Boygenius will win big this year and I am confident they will be leaving with this award tonight.
Who Will Win: On the flip side, many news outlets have reported that SZA has been eyed to win the big awards this year, especially with the Grammy’s hope to push diversity. I love SZA just as much as the next guy, but her recent music has felt very polished and lacked any real kind of substance versus the very much snubbed “CTRL”. The artist does deserve her recognition in some capacity so if this is the year to do it so be it.
The Torch’s Pick: Ironically, it’s a tie! “The Record” by Boygenius and “SOS” by SZA
Song of the Year
Billie Eilish – What Was I Made For? [From the Motion Picture “Barbie”]
Dua Lipa – Dance the Night (From Barbie the Album)
Jon Batiste – Butterfly
Lana Del Rey – A&W
Miley Cyrus – Flowers
Olivia Rodrigo – Vampire
SZA – Kill Bill
Taylor Swift – Anti-Hero
Who Will Win: I’m not sure about everyone else but isn’t “Kill Bill” like the biggest song ever of recent releases? That song or that album would not escape the charts at all. “Kill Bill” was SZA’s truly first commercial hit and was played on every radio and once again, even hummed by my mother on a daily basis. When I first listened to “SOS ” that was my immediate favorite as well and I definitely see it being the Grammy Awards too. It’s to the point, well-produced, and has an inescapable hook. Definitely one of my favorite SZA songs.
Who Should Win: Once again, I will be advocating for Olivia Rodrigo through and through. I truly think she stepped up this year with “GUTS” and showed that she’s not a one-and-done girl. I was losing faith but she came back even harder than she did before diversifying her sound and expanding upon the themes she delivered before. While I know she probably won’t win in the big categories (hoping she’ll sweep the pop fields), “Vampire” should truly be recognized as the song of the year. It is clear how much time and effort she put into the lead single and its reception reflects just that.
The Torch’s Pick: “Kill Bill” by SZA
Best New Artist
Coco Jones
Gracie Abrams
Fred Again..
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty
Who Will Win: Ice Spice. That’s it. Ice Spice.
Who Should Win: No, but in all seriousness despite the MASSIVE year that Ice Spice had in 2023 I think we all know that her music isn’t quite, quality? It’s fun and definitely very popular with the masses and though it seems quite obvious she’s the main recipient of this nomination it does feel like a waste of an award at the same time. She has enough recognition and doesn’t need the award to prove it. I’m not saying Victoria Monet doesn’t have recognition but getting this award would solidify her place in the spotlight. It’s been a long time coming for her, from working with Ariana Grande in her previous projects to branching off on her own in her solo career and gaining some traction with her “JAGUAR” installments. She takes a lot of inspiration from many of the superstars of the past and I definitely see that for her in her near future. The girl knows how to sing, put on a performance, and delivers story in her writing. What more could you want!
The Torch’s Pick: Ice Spice