Well, it’s that time again: Grammy season. I think most people would agree with me that the yearly awards shows have lost the public’s respect. People still tune in for the Grammys and Oscars, but I think we usually know what those committees will choose to highlight.
For awards, the big winners often overshadow much better works of art, especially when it comes to the Grammy Awards. Look no further than 2012, when Macklemore’s “The Heist” won over Kendrick Lamar’s “good kid, m.A.A.d city” for Best Rap Album. In retrospect, public opinion touts that Kendrick obviously should have won.
That said, I’m always still curious to see what gets nominated. Perhaps some part of me hopes that an artist who actually deserves it gets the recognition. And this year, we might just have that — some great music got nominated for some pretty prestigious awards! I have some thoughts on the nominations in the big categories (and one less-recognized category that means a lot to me), so read on, and let’s unpack the nominees for the 2025 Grammy Awards.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
- “New Blue Sun” by André 3000
- “COWBOY CARTER” by Beyoncé
- “Short n’ Sweet” by Sabrina Carpenter
- “BRAT” by Charli xcx
- “Djesse Vol. 4” by Jacob Collier
- “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” by Billie Eilish
- “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” by Chappell Roan
- “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” by Taylor Swift
As always, this is the most looked-at category for most music fans. I have a pretty clear favorite and least favorite here. Regardless of whether you personally enjoy it or not, it’s pretty hard to deny the cultural smash hit of “BRAT.”
If we’re choosing the album that is truly emblematic of the 2024 music scene, this is the clear winner for me (and, of course, I also think it’s the best album of the bunch). It’s going to win, simply due to its monopolization of the zeitgeist as shown through the popular phrase of “Brat summer” and the album’s multiple viral TikTok sounds, if nothing else.
If Billie, Chappell, Sabrina, André, or Beyoncé win, I wouldn’t mind that — all of their albums ranged from really good or great. Initially, my least favorite was “THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT” (readers may remember my beloved review in which I was not as enthusiastic about the record as some might have wished), but that was before I heard the Jacob Collier album.
While I think Taylor’s record is super dull and bland, I think the “Djesse Vol. 4” is genuinely terrible musically. I get that Collier is talented as a composer and has a phenomenal grasp of music theory, but in my opinion his actual music is pretty garish and hard to listen to. Hopefully once the Grammy committee “Talk talk” it out (subtle “BRAT” reference), they will land on Charli’s record, because if Collier or Swift wins, I will lose it.
BEST NEW ARTIST NOMINEES:
- Benson Boone
- Sabrina Carpenter
- Doechii
- Khruangbin
- RAYE
- Chappell Roan
- Shaboozey
- Teddy Swims
This category is always a bit strange. It’s not really accurately titled; it’s more about what previously-less-known artist blew up recently. Sabrina Carpenter has six albums at this point, and several of the other artists here have been making music for almost 10 years.
Naming convention aside, I think the clear winner here is Chappell Roan. While she’s my favorite artist on the list, Roan has also proved herself as a formidable cultural force this year, with numerous songs of hers spreading like wildfire across the radio. Yes, we’ve all heard a couple of Benson Boone tracks, that Shaboozey song, and probably some of the others (no shade to Doechii or Sabrina though, they’re both good artists), but Chappell Roan is second only to Charli xcx in terms of her hold on pop music this year. My least favorite on the list is Teddy Swims; I’m tired of these soulful white guys appearing every few years to dominate the airwaves with their blandness. Except for Hozier. That’s MY soulful white guy. Hozier is the exception.
SONG OF THE YEAR NOMINEES:
- “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey
- “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” by Billie Eilish
- “Die With a Smile” by Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars
- “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift (featuring Post Malone)
- “Good Luck, Babe!” by Chappell Roan
- “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar
- “Please Please Please” by Sabrina Carpenter
- “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” by Beyoncé
For the most part, there’s a good crop of songs for this year’s nominees. “Fortnight” is really the only song here I think is truly bad; sorry, Swifties. While I think it would be cool for “Not Like Us” to win, for the spectacle that song produced, I think the actual best song here is pretty easily “Good Luck, Babe!” I think this is Chappell’s best song — not just a perfect pop song in terms of vocal performance and instrumental, but also it’s just so cool to see a song so explicitly about queer love (or compulsive heterosexuality, in this case) get so much recognition. It’s a generational track from an artist with an undoubtedly illustrious career ahead. Again, I’d be fine with most of these songs getting the award, as they’re a decent bunch, but “Good Luck, Babe!” is the one.
BEST METAL PERFORMANCE NOMINEES:
- “Mea Culpa (Ah! Ça ira!)” by Gojira, Marina Viotti & Victor Le Masne
- “Crown of Horns” by Judas Priest
- “Suffocate” by Knocked Loose (featuring Poppy)
- “Screaming Suicide” by Metallica
- “Cellar Door” by Spiritbox
If it wasn’t clear by most of the music I cover in standalone reviews, metal is my favorite genre of music. Normally, this category never picks any interesting bands, and I just sigh and move on. This year, however, the nominees are looking a bit more interesting.
Metal always goes overlooked at the Grammys, and usually, the nominees are legacy bands pumping out forgettable material.
This is clearly still the case, with the Judas Priest and Metallica songs being some of their least interesting tracks (not to diss the bands as a whole, they’re obviously legends). The Spiritbox track is pretty cool, and Gojira’s Olympics performance was a great moment for the metal community, but “Suffocate” is just elite.
Of course, as a huge Knocked Loose fan, I’m quite biased (go read my review if you want to hear me praise the band some more), but I genuinely think “Suffocate” is a perfect metal song — savage vocals, killer riffs, pummeling energy.
It’s rare nowadays for genuinely heavy bands to get the recognition that Knocked Loose has been able to achieve. It would just be so cool for a pure metalcore band to win a Grammy!
Out of the bunch, I’ll say I like the Metallica track the least; it’s not bad, but modern Metallica just isn’t in the same shape as their 80s output.
Thanks for reading! Feel free to disagree; I’d love to hear other perspectives. If anyone wants to cover other categories I didn’t focus on, go ahead!
