Amid post-election blues and chaos on the internet, you might have missed that the 2025 Grammy Awards nominations were announced last Friday afternoon, Nov. 8. Even those who did hear about the nominations did not discuss them as much as in previous years, and the media has also given it little attention as their focus was on President-elect Donald Trump’s recent electoral win. However, there is a lot that can be talked about regarding this upcoming year’s music awards.
Instituted by the Recording Academy in 1959, the Grammy Awards are “a celebration of excellence, the music community's highest honor, and its only peer-based award.” Those who want to be considered for an award must either be a member of the Recording Academy and personally submit their work or be nominated by another member. After a nominating process, the list of nominees is announced; winners are awarded the following year, usually in February, when they get the famous golden gramophone award and the fame and prestige that comes with it.
“Who has the potential to win?” you might ask. As someone who usually hears the nominated songs on Instagram Reels and YouTube, my predictions might be less than 100% accurate, but anything can happen with the Grammys.
Album of the Year:
André 3000’s “New Blue Sun”
Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter”
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet”
Charli XCX’s “Brat”
Jacob Collier’s “Djesse Vol. 4”
Billie Eilish’s “Hit Me Hard and Soft”
Chappel Roan’s “The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess”
Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department”
For the Album of the Year, the most probable winner will be Beyoncé, Taylor Swift or Sabrina Carpenter, based on internet trends. With the 11 nominations that Beyonce received this year, she has surpassed Jay-Z and has established a new record of Grammy nominations, with 99 in total. It is still surprising to see her impact on the music industry, especially now that she has even entered into nominations for country music for her latest album. However, if members of the Recording Academy are really interested in musical composition and mastering, I believe they should vote for Collier’s album.
Record of the Year:
The Beatles’ “Now and Then”
Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold 'em”
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso”
Charli XCX’s “360”
Billie Eilish’s “Bird of a Feather”
Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us”
Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone
No, you are not suffering from the Mandela Effect. The Beatles did release a new song that got nominated for Record of the Year, even though the band is no longer active. The living members, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, reunited to finish a song that John Lennon wrote during his lifetime and recorded as a demo. Artificial intelligence was used to help isolate Lennon’s voice from the hiss and other sounds of the demo to include it in the final track. If it wins, it might encourage more discussion about the role of AI in the music industry in upcoming years.
Song of the Year:
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song”
Billie Eilish’s “Birds of a Feather”
Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga’s “Die With A Smile”
Taylor Swift’s “Fortnight” featuring Post Malone
Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!”
Sabrina Carpenter’s “Please Please Please”
Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘em”
For Song of the Year, Sabrina Carpenter might take the win: Her song, “Espresso,” gives vibes of Ariana Grande’s older music, resonates with many listeners and references one of the most popular drinks worldwide. My bet for Song of the Year is on Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga: Those vocals are unmatchable and the instrumentation is different.
Best New Artist:
Benson Boone
Sabrina Carpenter
Doechii
Khruangbin
RAYE
Chappell Roan
Shaboozey
Teddy Swims
Out of this list, Sabrina Carpenter or Chappell Roan will most likely take home the Grammy for Best New Artist, given their impact and popularity with younger audiences. Still, Shaboozey might have a chance, as other artists are not as nominated as him in other categories, which means that he may have some extra support from the voters.
From Beyoncé’s record-breaking nominations, the Beatles making a comeback, a rough fight for the Best New Artist category and more, the 2025 Grammys might be worth watching on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025. Who are you betting on?
The Student Movement is the official student newspaper of Andrews University. Opinions expressed in the Student Movement are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, Andrews University or the Seventh-day Adventist church.