Will this year’s 65th Grammy Awards spotlight Adele vs. Beyoncé, Part 2?
Will Harry Styles take the plunge and grab some ‘Harry’s House’ love?
Will Kendrick Lamar benefit from a series of split votes?
And, more importantly, will ABBA win their first Grammy, 40 years after their disco heyday?
The latter is a confident no, given the competition the Swedes face in the coveted Album of the Year category. (Also, really, Grammys, you wait till now to name them? We’d say ‘Dancing Queen’ and ‘Waterloo’ should have won all Grammys in the 70s.)
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But as ridiculous as a handful of nominees for the ceremony are – DJ Khaled hardly belongs on radio, let alone in high-profile programming for a trophy – there remains a refreshing scope of diversity, with Bad Bunny, Lizzo and Steve Lacy in line for possible congratulations as well.
We’ll know the winners on Sunday when the Grammys, hosted for the third time by Trevor Noah, air live on CBS and Paramount+ (8 p.m. ET/5 PT) from the Crypto.com Arena, formerly the Staples Center, in Los Angeles. .
Here are our predictions in the best categories.
Who will win album of the year?
- “Journey”, ABBA.
- “30”, Adele.
- “A Verano Sin Ti”, Bad Bunny.
- “Rebirth”, Beyoncé.
- “Hello Gorgeous” (Deluxe), Mary J. Blige.
- “In these silent days”, Brandi Carlile.
- “Music of the Spheres”, Coldplay.
- “Mr. Morale and the Great Steppers”, Kendrick Lamar.
- “Special”, Lizzo.
- “Harry’s House”, Harry Styles.
Who will win: Beyoncé, “Rebirth”.
Who should win: Beyoncé, “Rebirth”.
While history would be made if Bad Bunny snuck in with a win for the top category nominated first all-Spanish-language album, this one is a three-way tussle between Beyoncé, Adele and Styles.
“Harry’s House” dazzled with its exploratory musical zigzags and heartfelt lyrics, while Adele’s “30,” released too late in 2021 to compete for last year’s awards, bled from its emotional wounds. But Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” is rightly hailed as the benchmark of a career already studded with greatness. It’s a musical stew of hip-hop, soul and dancehall (and a well-placed nod to Donna Summer) that unapologetically celebrates hedonism, sex and self-esteem.
Grammys voters will also see this as an opportunity to repent for awarding album of the year to Adele’s “25” instead of Bey’s “Lemonade” five years ago. Not that Adele didn’t deserve it, but even the British songbird herself proclaimed “Lemonade” album of the year.
Who will win the record of the year?
- “Don’t shut me down”, ABBA.
- “Indulge me”, Adele.
- “Break My Soul”, Beyoncé.
- “Hello Gorgeous”, Mary J. Blige.
- “You and Me on the Rock”, Brandi Carlile with Lucius.
- “Woman”, Doja Cat.
- “Bad Habit”, Steve Lacy.
- “The Heart, Part 5”, Kendrick Lamar.
- “About fucking time,” Lizzo.
- “As it was”, Harry Styles.
Who will win: Harry Styles, “As it was.”
Who should win: Harry Styles, “As it was.”
Much of his ‘Harry’s House’ album is award-worthy – from the quirky pop and funky horns of ‘Music for a Sushi Restaurant’ to the romantic, soulful leg of ‘Late Night Talking’.
But “As It Was” is a career-defining song, a blast of synthesizers that dampens Styles’ reflection before a glorious change of key and a pinch of tubular bells that shift the mood from contemplation to bliss.
Who will win Song of the Year (goes to the songwriter)?
- “abcdefu” (Sara Davis, Gayle and Dave Pittenger, performed by Gayle).
- “About Damn Time” (Melissa “Lizzo” Jefferson, Eric Frederic, Blake Slatkin and Theron Makiel Thomas, performed by Lizzo).
- “All Too Well (10 Minute Version)” (Liz Rose and Taylor Swift, performed by Swift).
- “As It Was” (Tyler Johnson, Kid Harpoon and Harry Styles, performed by Styles).
- “Bad Habit” (Matthew Castellanos, Brittany Fousheé, Diana Gordon, John Carroll Kirby and Steve Lacy, performed by Lacy).
- “Break My Soul” (Beyoncé, S. Carter, Terius “The-Dream” Gesteelde-Diamant and Christopher A. Stewart, performed by Beyoncé).
- “Easy on Me” (Adele Adkins and Greg Kurstin, performed by Adele).
- “God Did” (Tarik Azzouz, E. Blackmon, Khaled Khaled, F. LeBlanc, Shawn Carter, John Stephens, Dwayne Carter, William Roberts and Nicholas Warwar, performed by DJ Khaled with Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John legend and friday).
- “The Heart Part 5” (Jake Kosich, Johnny Kosich, Kendrick Lamar and Matt Schaeffer, performed by Lamar).
- “Just Like That” (Bonnie Raitt, performed by Raitt).
Who will win: Adele, “Easy with me.”
Who should win: Taylor Swift, “Too Good (10 Minute Version).”
That Swift, one of the preeminent songwriters of his generation, never counted a song of the year among his 11 Grammys, is shameful. Even though this “All Too Well” is technically an extended version of the five-minute version from his 2012 album “Red” (re-recorded and re-released in 2021), the additions only add to his lyrical mastery.
But Adele’s “Easy on Me,” irritating as it may be as she avoids blaming herself and begs for mercy, has a sublime piano opening and an undeniably beautiful melody. The simplicity of the song makes it a champion.
Who will win the Best New Artist award?
- Anita.
- Omar Apollo.
- DOMi & JD Beck.
- Muni Long.
- Samara Joy.
- Latte.
- Maneskin.
- Tobe Nwigwe.
- Molly Tuttle.
- Wet leg.
Who will win: Maneskin.
Who should win: Maneskin.
Unlike most years, when at least one nominee is the clear breakout (hi, Olivia Rodrigo), this year’s mega-list of hopefuls is stylistically varied with hip-hop (Latto), jazz (Samara Joy), indie Britpop (Wet Leg) and bluegrass (Molly Tuttle) all represented.
But of the 10 nominees, only Italy’s Måneskin stormed into 2022 with unquantifiable verve, swag and yes, talent. They resurrected rock into the mainstream with summertime guitar cruncher “Supermodel”, headlining Rome’s Circus Maximus to 70,000 fans and converting more listeners with jaw-dropping sets at Coachella and multiple Lollapaloozas. . During the second half of the year, the band embarked on a sold-out tour of major clubs and theaters, unleashing their happy rock riffs on any reluctant converts.
Get ready for the Grammys:
