On February 10, 2019 we will get to witness one of the biggest nights in music, the 2019 Grammys. With categories much fuller than usual, which stars will take home the most coveted prizes in music?

Record of the year

•  “I Like It” – Cardi B, Bad Bunny and J Balvin
• “The Joke” – Brandi Carlile
• “This Is America” – Childish Gambino
• “God’s Plan” – Drake
• “Shallow” – Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper
• “All the Stars” – Kendrick Lamar & SZA
• “Rockstar” – Post Malone featuring 21 Savage
• “The Middle” – Zedd, Maren Morris and Grey

While other songs like “God’s Plan”, “I Like It”, and “The Middle” have dominated the radio waves over the last year, none have received the widespread critical acclaim like that of Childish Gambino’s song, “This Is America”. Offering insightful commentary into modern day race relations, Gambino delivered a track that made waves and left a lasting impact on popular culture.

Snubs: “This Is Me”- The Greatest Showman: Soundtrack and “Perfect Duet” – Ed Sheeran and Beyoncé

Album of the Year

• Invasion of Privacy – Cardi B
• By the Way, I Forgive You – Brandi Carlile
• Scorpion – Drake
• H.E.R. – H.E.R.
• Beerbongs & Bentleys – Post Malone
• Dirty Computer – Janelle Monáe
• Golden Hour – Kacey Musgraves
• Black Panther: The Album, Music From and Inspired By – Various Artists

The Album of the Year category this year has a lengthy list of nominees featuring some of the biggest names in music right now. A clear frontrunner for this award is Cardi B. Arguably the biggest female rapper at the moment, releasing hit after hit since her debut single “Bodak Yellow,” Cardi also topped the charts with her debut Invasion of Privacy, breaking multiple streaming records and receiving critical acclaim.

 Snubs: Reputation – Taylor Swift, Ye – Kanye West, and Astroworld – Travis Scott

Song of the Year

• “All the Stars“
  • Kendrick Duckworth, Solána Rowe, Al Shuckburgh, Mark Spears & Anthony Tiffith, songwriters (Kendrick Lamar & SZA)
• “Boo’d Up“
  • Larrance Dopson, Joelle James, Ella Mai & Dijon McFarlane, songwriters (Ella Mai)
• “God’s Plan“
  • Aubrey Graham, Daveon Jackson, Brock Korsan, Ron LaTour, Matthew Samuels & Noah Shebib, songwriters (Drake)
• “In My Blood“
  • Teddy Geiger, Scott Harris, Shawn Mendes & Geoffrey Warburton, songwriters (Shawn Mendes)
• “The Joke“
  • Brandi Carlile, Dave Cobb, Phil Hanseroth & Tim Hanseroth, songwriters (Brandi Carlile)
• “The Middle“
  • Sarah Aarons, Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Marcus Lomax, Kyle Trewartha, Michael Trewartha & Anton Zaslavski, songwriters (Zedd, Maren Morris & Grey)
• “Shallow“
  • Lady Gaga, Mark Ronson, Anthony Rossomando & Andrew Wyatt, songwriters (Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper)
• “This Is America”
  • Donald Glover & Ludwig Göransson, songwriters (Childish Gambino)

Yet again, “This Is America” will likely take home the prize due to its cultural impact and success among critics and fans.

Snubs: “No Tears Left to Cry” – Ariana Grande,  Max Martin; Ilya Salmanzadeh; Savan Kotecha, songwriters (Ariana Grande,  Max Martin; Ilya Salmanzadeh; Savan Kotecha)

“Rockstar” – Austin Post, Shayaa Abraham-Joseph, Louis Bell, Carl Austin Rosen, Jo Vaughn Virginie, Olufunmibi Awoshiley, Tank God, Louis Bell songwriters (Austin Post, Shayaa Abraham-Joseph, Louis Bell, Carl Austin Rosen, Jo Vaughn Virginie, Olufunmibi Awoshiley)

Best New Artist

• Chloe x Halle
• Luke Combs
• Greta Van Fleet
• H.E.R.
• Dua Lipa
• Margo Price
• Bebe Rexha
• Jorja Smith

No clear frontrunner appears in this category. The award could easily go to Beyoncé proteges, Chloe x Halle, Led Zeppelin nostalgia act Greta Van Fleet, breakout R&B star H.E.R., or one of the most successful recent pop acts, Dua Lipa. If I had to take a guess, the Grammy may go to H.E.R. since she is nominated in the AOTY category, but it could really go any way.

Snubs: Ella Mai, Juice WRLD, and Sheck Wes

Best Pop Solo Performance

• “Colors” – Beck
• “Havana (Live)” – Camila Cabello
• “God Is a Woman” – Ariana Grande
• “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Goin’?)” – Lady Gaga
• “Better Now” – Post Malone

While the winner of this pool of nominees could easily be Post Malone’s radio hit “Better Now”, I believe the person with best chance to win is Ariana Grande for her stellar performance on “God Is a Woman”. Easily the most well received single of her also nominated album Sweetener, this track turned heads for its evocative lyrics and title, as well as the visually stunning music video.

Snubs: “Delicate” – Taylor Swift,  “No Tears Left to Cry” and “Thank U, Next” – Ariana Grande.

Best Pop Vocal Album

• Camila – Camila Cabello
• Meaning of Life – Kelly Clarkson
• Sweetener – Ariana Grande
• Shawn Mendes – Shawn Mendes
• Beautiful Trauma – P!nk
• Reputation – Taylor Swift

Two of pop’s biggest divas are the clear top contenders for Best Pop Vocal Album. While Grande had more love from critics but less from her fans, Swift’s Reputation had a mixed reception with critics yet was loved by fans and broke several records, as well as being the highest selling album of 2018 despite being released in November of 2017. This category will be one to watch to see which pop star comes out on top.

Snubs: The Pains of Growing – Alessia Cara, Bloom – Troye Sivan, and Caution – Mariah Carey

Best Urban Contemporary Album

• Everything Is Love – The Carters
• The Kids Are Alright – Chloe x Halle
• Chris Dave and the Drumhedz – Chris Dave and the Drumhedz
• War & Leisure – Miguel
• Ventriloquism – Meshell Ndegeocello

Beyoncé decided to be Beyoncé and dropped a surprise collaboration album with her husband, rapper and frequent Grammy nominee, Jay Z. One of the most shocking releases of the year, the album was also met with rave reviews from critics, love from fans, and an extremely successful tour. However, the Grammy’s have a long history of nominating Jay Z but never actually letting him take him the prize. Maybe under the pair’s new name, The Carters, Jay will find success.

Snubs: Dirty Computer – Janelle Monáe, My Dear Melancholy – The Weeknd, and Hive Mind – The Internet

Best Rap Album

• Invasion of Privacy – Cardi B
• Swimming – Mac Miller
• Victory Lap – Nipsey Hussle
• Daytona – Pusha T
• Astroworld – Travis Scott

Last, but certainly not least, we have the nominees for Best Rap Album. Due to her nomination in AOTY, it’s safe to say Cardi B will take home the Grammy for this category. Unless the Grammys decide to give a posthumous award to Mac Miller in his honor, it is unlikely that anyone other than the charismatic New York Rapper, Cardi B, will win.

Snubs: Queen – Nicki Minaj, Ye – Kanye West, Ephorize – Cupcakke

Despite the clear frontrunners in each category, The Grammys sometimes decide to stir the pot and go for more obscure nominees. With a night bound to be full of stellar performances and possible surprises, this is an event you don’t want to miss.