With the nominations for the 67th annual GRAMMY Awards now out, announcing a winner for the major categories will be challenging. 

Many people don’t know the difference between Record of the Year and Song of the Year. Record of the Year recognizes the artists themselves, the producers, engineers, and mixers when it comes to the recording of the song. Song of the Year recognizes the song itself. The composition and songwriting of the song. This is why I believe Record of the Year will go to “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter and Song of the Year will go to “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone. 

Best New Artist can go anyway this year. Sabrina Carpenter or Chappell Roan are most likely to take the award home. In this category, the Recording Academy take into consideration the breakthrough into the public consciousness and the impact the artist made on the musical landscape. Although both artists have been in the music industry for a while, it is important to note that Sabrina Carpenter has six albums, while Chappell Roan only has one. Carpenter has been famous since her Emails I Can’t Send album, released in 2022. Chappell Roan had the biggest breakthrough this year and her album skyrocketed, which is why I believe she deserves to win the category. 

The Best Pop Solo Performance category has amazing songs with all the nominees being mainstream artists. Out of all of the songs, though, “Espresso” by Sabrina Carpenter and “Apple” by Charli xcx are most likely to win. “Espresso” was the pop song of the summer and is still thriving on the charts. “Apple” by Charli xcx blew up all over TikTok and was the epitome of BRAT summer, which celebrated the party girl aesthetic.  The content and production of the song have everything a pop song should contain. It is difficult to predict this category, though, since Beyonce, Billie Eilish, and Chappell Roan are also nominees. Nonetheless, “Espresso” should be the one winning. 

For Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, there is only one song that sticks out as the strongest. “Die With A Smile” by Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars is the best song overall in this category. The vocals, the lyrics, and the composition overall surpass every other song in this category. Being the strongest song might not be enough, though, as the songs, “us.” by Gracie Abrams featuring Taylor Swift, “Guess” by Charli xcx & Billie Eilish, and “the boy is mine” by Ariana Grande, Brandy & Monica blew up. “Die With A Smile” sounds like a true duet rather than just two people singing at different times. 

Best Pop Vocal Album might be the most difficult category to choose a winner for. All five nominated albums did incredibly well on the charts. Yet, there are only three out of the five albums I truly consider to be pop albums. Those would be Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter, eternal sunshine by Ariana Grande, and The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan. HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT by Taylor Swift don’t offer authentic pop music in my opinion. Both are really good albums, but not for this category. I think Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter will be the winner. 

For Best R&B Song, it’s a no-brainer that “Saturn” by SZA will win. The song features a mix of pop, blues, and a bit of jazz. The overall composition, vocals, and recording of the song are so beautifully done that it’d be a shame if it didn’t win. There is a possibility, though, that “After Hours” by Kehlani will win. The song does feature soul and true R&B, but I feel strongly that “Saturn” will win. 

There are only two songs that have the possibility of winning Best Rap Song. “Carnival” by Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign featuring Rich The Kid & Playboy Carti and “Not Like Us” by Kendrick Lamar have the highest chance. “Carnival” has the nicer beat, but “Not Like Us” has the better lyrics. The award is technically categorized as a songwriter’s award, and Kendrick Lamar is the only writer on his song, while there are more than five writers for “Carnival.” It’s more impressive that Kendrick Lamar wrote it himself, but the decision really could go in either direction for this award. 

For Best Country Song, the strongest song is “I Am Not Okay” by Jelly Roll. The lyrics, the message, and the vocals are great. Unfortunately, I think the award is most likely to go to “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey or “TEXAS HOLD EM’” by Beyonce. Beyonce’s song is on the cusp of country and pop. Since it’s so close, I don’t think it should be the winner. “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has been number one on the Billboard charts for a long time. Although the lyrics aren’t strong, there’s a possibility that it will win. 

There are only two videos that I believe have a chance at winning Best Music Video. “360” by Charli xcx and “Fortnight” by Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone shine above the rest. “360” is a fun video and features many celebrities. The production is good and it’s entertaining to watch. “Fortnight” is such a beautifully done video. The artistic ideas behind it are phenomenal. Both videos are well done, but I think “Fortnight” deserves it.

Album of the Year is the most talked about and highly desired category. This year has some of the best albums ever nominated. The albums Short n’ Sweet by Sabrina Carpenter, BRAT by Charli xcx, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT by Billie Eilish, The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess by Chappell Roan, and THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT by Taylor Swift are the only ones in the category that has the possibility of winning. They all have incredible lyrics, beats, vocals, and production. I think “The Rise And Fall Of A Midwest Princess” is the album that deserves to win the most. It’s an album that you can listen to front and back, and every song is good. The GRAMMYs, however, love Taylor Swift. THE TORTURED POETS DEPARTMENT is an incredible album and has Album of the Year quality. Any winner in this category is a deserved win. 

The 2025 GRAMMY Awards will be televised on CBS on Sunday, February 2.