The last year has been full of great music. From Charli xcx’s electric pop album, BRAT, to Clairo’s mellow studio album, Charm, each release brought unique energy and stories that resonated deeply with fans worldwide. Each year, artists submit their music to the Recording Academy to be considered for the esteemed “Grammy” award. On November 8th, the Academy released the official nominations for the 67th Annual Grammy Awards and much had to be said about the choices made this year.

Album of the Year 

Album of the Year is one of the most envied awards at the Grammys. Commonly known as “The Big Award,” this honor recognizes the entire LP and everything about the production of the album’s sound. The nominations for AOTY at this year’s Grammys are as follows:

• 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
• Chappell Roan The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan
• THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT by Taylor Swift
  All nominees appear to be quite deserving of the nominations, but many predict Eilish, Swift, or Beyoncé to take the cake. Senior Chloe Trowman believes wholeheartedly that TTPD by Taylor Swift will win, which would come to no surprise as Swift is the only artist to have won Album of the Year four times. On the contrary, senior Isla Todd believes that BRAT is more deserving of the win due to its massive impact on pop culture in the last year. After being completely robbed of any nominations yet again this year, fans are extremely disappointed with the lack of appreciation for Ariana Grande’s Eternal Sunshine. Sousa Waggoner (12) speaks on this saying, “I consider myself an Arianator- bring back Blackiana and Arigato, they were my cookie and my juice. Eternal Sunshine was absolutely life changing and it came at the perfect time in my life.” She adds, “It also had iconic features like Mariah Carey and Troye Sivan. The harsh truth is it’s no surprise that Ariana was robbed of another Grammy, but this one feels extra personal.”

Song of the Year

Another extremely prestigious award, SOTY focuses on the composition of a song and also recognizes the songwriters who wrote the song. The nominations for song of the year are as follows:

• A Bar Song (Tipsy) by Shaboozey
• BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Billie Eilish
• Die With A Smile by Lady Gaga & 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

Magnet students had strong opinions about these nominations:

“I haven’t met one person who voluntarily listens to A Bar Song (Tispy) so I’m a little surprised to see it in such a selective category.”

Aiden ball

Sousa Waggoner believes a different track on COWBOY CARTER should have been nominated saying, “this is literally what The Academy does because why is TEXAS HOLD ‘EM on there and not VIRGO’S GROOVE….”  Not Like Us being a nominated diss track is both impressive and deserving. Ms. Orr says that she believes it is the best track on the list but doesn’t think it will actually win. Overall it seems like SOTY will be a toss up, having some very deserving songs up there.

Record of the Year

Similar to Song of the Year, ROTY recognizes the specific recording of a song and acknowledges the artists, producers and engineers who contribute to that recording. Here are the nominations:

• Now And Then by The Beatles
• TEXAS HOLD ‘EM by Beyoncé
• Espresso by Sabrina Carpenter
• 360 by Charli xcx
• BIRDS OF A FEATHER by Billie Eilish
• Not Like Us by Kendrick Lamar
• Good Luck, Babe! by Chappell Roan
• Fortnight by Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone

Isla Todd (12) believes that Now and Then has a good chance of winning due to it being by The Beatles and other students agree. She also thinks that Good Luck, Babe! has a good chance of winning as well. However, the Academy has seemed to favor Billie Eilish in past years, who already has nine Grammys at the age of 22, so it seems probable that BIRDS OF A FEATHER will win ROTY, SOTY, or both. Similarly, Taylor Swift has 14 Grammys, so she has also been very skilled at achieving these awards.

Best New Artist

The last of the “big four” categories, Best New Artist, is a great honor for those who have risen to fame in the last year.

Although some of these artists have been in the industry for quite some time, the Recording Academy’s rule book states that those eligible for BNA had, “achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.” Here are your nominees:

• Benson Boone
• Sabrina Carpenter
• Doechii
• Khruangbin
• RAYE
• Chappell Roan
• Shaboozey
• Teddy Swims

When asked about who she thinks will come out on top in this category, Isabelle O’Leary (12) said, “I think Sabrina Carpenter has the best chance of winning Best New Artist because of her success across all categories. A couple of the artists on the list became popular from one hit song but I don’t know much about them otherwise.” Lily Thompson (12) adds, “I think besides Sabrina, Chappell Roan has a pretty good chance of winning. Pretty much her entire album is super popular now and she’s a really great performer. I think it’d be cool if a gay girl won.” The public seems to agree that these two are the top contenders, especially being, besides Shaboozey, the only other artists nominated in any of the other “big four” categories.

Curious to see which artists actually win? Unfortunately for you the Grammys will not air until 2025. Tune in on February 4th, 2025 to cheer on your top picks!