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The Grammys are a bit of a unicorn.
(The Weeknds across-the-board snubswere a perfect storm of all three.)
Still, if all goes according to the new plan, the Grammys shouldnt be a boring night.
But can either of them stand up to the Academysnewly anointedfavorite pop star, Dua Lipa?
Weve waited long enough for thesedamnawards, so lets get to some predictions.
3, Jacob CollierWomen in Music Pt.
Givenfolklores wide acclaimfor its intimate sound and Swifts top-of-her-game songwriting, its the clear favorite.
Lipa is a rare Best New Artist winner to break into all three top categories on her follow-up.
The last to do that?
And speaking of last year, its still hard to ignore the Academys snubforLover,a widely perceived favorite.
and Colliers more impressive list of industry champions, Quincy Jones and Herbie Hancock among them.
The best surprise in this category, though, isHaims crispWomen in Music Pt.
III, a classic collection of impeccably crafted pop-rock.
Should win:Women in Music Pt.
The real wild card here is Beyonce, on her sixth ROTY nomination with no wins yet.
If were finally giving the Queen a trophy, it should be for that.
And even when it doesnt, a ROTY nomination still tends to be key for a SOTY win.
She could have it especially forsuch a writing-focused project asfolklore.
But theres more to it.
Assuming Dont Start Now wins ROTY, though, it will also have a SOTY nomination.
(It wouldve.)
So Lipa is still the one to beat here for a ridiculously refined pop song, Dont Start Now.
And if anyone were going to surprise?
But Megans 2020 was on a different level than anyone else here, and its impossible to ignore that.
Coupled with his previous nomination, that gives him the edge.
But expect the pop contingent to side with hitmaker Lipa for a song that had more legs than cardigan.
Im less sure of that this year, givenfolklores appeal outside pop.
But Lipa still has the better odds here.
Expect the Academy to catch disco fever and give this one to Lipa too.
While Im all forFiona Applebringing home hardware forthe masterpieceFetch the Bolt Cutters(and smashing an award!
), Shameika isnt even that albums best cut.
But Bridgers,Brittany Howard, and Haim all have momentum here, too, with key nominations elsewhere.
Song to song, The Steps rules harder than anything else here.
Not this year, where all of the nominees are first- or second-timers.
Equally exciting is a first nomination for Power Trip, afterleader Riley Gales deathlast year.
Bridgers could slip in here too, but Kyoto is missing the heartbreaking lyricism that so many fans love.
Dont count out Michael Kiwanuka either, after he nabbed the U.K.s Mercury Prize.
But mostly its just exciting to see the rock category pick up Sturgill Simpson for his scorcherSound & Fury.
(And no,I dont mean Justin Bieber.)
Instead, this is the only category where Pop Smoke landed, for hisMeet the Wooflex Dior.
So, this is Meg and Beys award to lose.
That wont be the case for Roddy Ricch, who leads among rappers with six Grammy nominations.
But Lil Baby will have an uphill battle against three songs that broke through in the general categories.
I dont even think two Roddy Ricch entries can stand a chance when pitted against Meg and Bey.
If country prizes honesty,songs dont get more barethan this, both in lyrics and Guytons poised vocals.
It should have no problem picking up another trophy here.
So its great to see her as the front-runner here especially forWildcard, her loosest album yet.
Should win:Never WillWill win:Wildcard
