The 2024 Grammys ceremony is an event watched by many, with many stating it to be controversial and rigged. Viewers span from casual TV viewers to those heavily involved in the pop culture scene. Observing red carpet gowns and rooting for your favorite musical artist is what makes the Grammys a popular event for many. There are a plethora of categories to win awards from, however most are interested in the general and pop categories.
For Best Pop Album, the lineup for this category was underwhelming–to say the least. The most obvious winner for this category would be GUTS by Olivia Rodrigo. Although I believe Midnights by Taylor Swift had more impact on charts and in pop culture, Rodrigo’s GUTS is a sonically cohesive album which introduces new musical styles to Olivia Rodrigo’s discography. The album includes diaristic confessions that resonate with many teenagers and young adults coping with heartbreak or the hardships of growing older.
The Album of the Year category should rightfully be given to SZA for her SOS album. The SOS album was released in December of 2022 however it still had a major impact on the charts in the following year. The album was SZA’s sophomore album, and includes some of her most successful and catchy songs that are adored and listened to by many. Tracks like, “Snooze,” and, “Kill Bill,” dominated radio stations as well as many online trends, skyrocketing the album into pop culture. The impression this album left as well as the personal elements of the songwriting and unique production components makes this album Grammy worthy.
SZA also deserves Song of the Year with, “Kill Bill.” Coming from a massively successful album, this single was dominating radio stations and many playlists from listeners around the world. The confessional and yearning songwriting from SZA matches perfectly with the smooth R&B production. The iconic lyrics, “I might kill my ex,” were serenaded by many fans and trending on social media platforms for a great amount of time in 2023. While I think the other nominees for this award were promising, I don’t believe their impact was as strong as SZA’s.
My predictions for the Best New Artist award is Ice Spice. Ice Spice was a cultural phenomenon for 2023, present in many pop culture events. Her success and charisma landed her a feature on “Karma,” with Taylor Swift as well as a place on the Barbie movie soundtrack alongside Nicki Minaj. The year of 2023 was a highly victorious year for the upcoming artist, and only time will tell whether her success will manage to grow even more.
The award for Best Pop Solo Performance should go to, “Anti-Hero,” by Taylor Swift. The song was included on the record-breaking album Midnights, starting Swift’s reign of last year’s pop culture scene. The confessional songwriting demonstrates Swift’s deep insecurities that draws many due to the relatability of the song. However, despite the deep lyricism, the song includes an upbeat pop instrumental that is immediately catchy to the listener. This song made a crash into the music industry, topping all the charts and being a fan-favorite among Swift’s loyal swifties.
While the Grammy’s has many more categories that can be discussed and predicted, the general and pop categories are what primarily pulls in audience members and makes the award show enjoyable. While my predictions may be awfully far from the truth, 2023 was truly a special year for the music industry and we can only ponder about what the new year will bring for pop culture and music.
