The 67th Annual Grammys Awards are upon us, celebrating another year of groundbreaking music and pop culture moments. From films like “The Substance” and “Challengers” dominating social media to Charli XCX’s “Brat” igniting the global phenomenon of “Brat Summer,” 2024 was a year filled with cultural significance. With such a competitive landscape, this year’s Grammy nominations are stacked with talented and influential artists, including Taylor Swift and Beyoncé. However in the end, there can only be one winner. As we approach one of Hollywood’s biggest nights, here are my predictions for the 2025 Grammys.
Best Pop Vocal Album
After being completely snubbed by the Grammys despite releasing one of the most beautiful and coherent albums of her career, Ariana Grande’s album “eternal sunshine” was only nominated for “Best Pop Vocal Album.” If you couldn’t tell from my previous sentence, I was a very big fan of “eternal sunshine”. The album’s whimsical production qualities and the angelic harmonies and vocals Grande provides on this album truly make it a standout in her career. After a four-year music hiatus to focus on her acting career and filming of the groundbreaking movie/musical, “Wicked,” Grande’s long awaited album did not disappoint. This album perfectly encapsulates the feeling of a failing relationship while also emphasizing the growth and rebirth that comes along with it. The album’s standout hits for me include, “the boy is mine,” and “supernatural.”
Best Pop Solo Performance
While the contenders for “Best Pop Solo Performance,” included songs such as “Birds of a Feather,” and “Good Luck, Babe!” I think the award should go to Sabrina Carpenter for “Espresso.” The previous year was a breakout year for Carpenter. From her performance at the VMA’s to the release of her certified Platinum album “Short n’ Sweet”, Carpenter has undoubtedly made her mark in the music industry. Her release of “Espresso,” was an immediate hit for me, it’s fun and could be defined as “pop-perfection.” The retro instrumental and punny lyrics make this an incredibly catchy song. This song was everywhere for the majority of 2024, you couldn’t escape it, which is probably why it has garnered over 1 billion streams on Spotify (and deserves a Grammy).
Best New Artist
Despite being in the music industry for seven years, this “new” artist is finally getting the recognition she deserves. Sabrina Carpenter has truly outdone herself in terms of her pop-stardom career. With record-breaking singles such as “Espresso,” and “Please Please Please,” an arena tour, and the “Short n’ Sweet” album, Sabrina Carpenter is becoming a pop-icon for a new generation of musical artists. Her highly successful year deserves some recognition, preferably in the form of a Grammy, and I’m excited to see what she’ll do next in her career.
Song of the Year
I was surprised to see myself repeatedly coming back to Chappel Roan’s music. Her album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” had many hits for me such as “Naked in Manhattan,” and “Red Wine Supernova.” The pop production of the album blended with her strong, powerful vocal range makes it an album I can easily have on repeat. However her single “Good Luck, Babe!” found massive success, and rightfully so. I had “Good Luck, Babe!” at the top of my “On Repeat” playlist for a good while, and I was utterly addicted to the song. The melodramatic lyrics accompanied with the 80’s synth-pop production make this a fun, catchy song. However, Chappel’s vocals are what make this song a stand out for me. The use of her high register as well as the belting in the outro completely elevate the song. Like Sabrina Carpenter, I’m looking forward to seeing how Chappel Roan’s music and career will evolve.
Album of the Year
After being snubbed by the CMA Awards in 2016 for her country track “Daddy Lessons,” on the renowned Lemonade album, Beyoncé released “Cowboy Carter”, a full-fledged country album with covers of well-known country songs such as “Jolene” by Dolly Parton and “Blackbird” by The Beatles. Beyoncé is one of the most decorated artists, however she has not won a Grammy from one of their main categories. Despite her deserving album, “Renaissance”, losing at the 2023 Grammys, “Cowboy Carter”, is a standout and obvious winner for me for “Album of the Year.” I was an avid country fan hater, but Beyoncé’s take on the genre made country music a more enjoyable experience. Her take on how the country genre can be diverse and articulated in different ways made this album an immediate winner for me. Her album isn’t just music, it’s a statement, showing that country music doesn’t have to be within strict guidelines. The album has many standouts for me, with my favorites being “YA YA,” and “II Hands II Heaven.” Because of the message this album conveys, and the outstanding music that accompanies it, I think “Cowboy Carter” undoubtedly deserves a Grammy win.
