Grammy Nominations 2020: Predictions and Favourites
Album of the Year
Bon Iver - i,i
Lana Del Rey - Norman F*cking Rockwell!
Billie Eilish - When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
H.E.R. - I Used To Know Her
Ariana Grande - thank u, next
Lil Nas X - 7
Lizzo - Cuz I Love You
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Ok so, I was pleasantly surprised by the casual quality of these albums and it might be the best selection of the past few years. That said, none of these albums are in any way surprising as picks for this category - for the most part they are critically acclaimed, safe selections that most people will agree with to some extent... and then there's the arbitrary Internet selection of Billie Ei- oh wait! Something amazing happened this year; people started taking Billie Eilish as the serious and talented musician she is and decided to put her on a pedestal no one dares touch (she's definitely overrated). No, the arbitrary Internet pick came from Lil Naz X with his EP entitled 7. It's mediocre but it's an admirable release nevertheless. It's also much more fun and enjoyable than Bon Iver's snooze-fest, but it doesn't come close to rivalling some of the genuinely great alternatives here. Lana, Lizzo, Ariana and Billie all have fantastic releases that impress me lots more.
My prediction to win: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
My favourite to win: When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?
Record of the Year:
Bon Iver - Hey, Ma
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Ariana Grande - 7 rings
H.E.R. - Hard Place
Khalid - Talk
Lil Nas X - Old Town Road
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
Post Malone - Sunflower
And immediately the Grammy's show their true face. They like mediocre, successful or acceptable acclaimed songs that are easy to shine more light on despite the attention that they obviously already have. They're significant and the ones that charted have been hugely successful smash hits. And then there's the respectable indie picks with Bon Iver and H.E.R. and they really aren't the best offerings from the more "underground" scenes. No, the best selections have to go to the final three and incidentally the most commercially successful songs and of those I couldn't give it to anyone but Lil Nas X. All the other tracks are less than the best offerings from each artist, and "7 rings" is straight up Ariana at her worst.
My prediction: Bad Guy
My favourite: Old Town Road
Song of the Year
Lady Gaga - Always Remember Us This Way
Billie Eilish - Bad Guy
Tanya Tucker - Bring My Flowers Now
H.E.R. - Hard Place
Taylor Swift - Lover
Lana Del Rey - Norman F*cking Rockwell
Lewis Capaldi - Someone You Loved
Lizzo - Truth Hurts
First of, this category is the most pointless thing and there's no real distinction between it and the Record of the Year section. Thank goodness the selections are better here. Except Lewis Capaldi, that song can be forgotten now please, Yesterday-style. On a positive note, we get some of the best songs from Lana and Taylor's respective last albums, and aside from the aforementioned "Someone You Loved" these are all at the very least decent picks from the artists in question. NEXT...
My prediction: Truth Hurts (but only because I doubt they'd give Billie both Grammys)
My favourite: Norman F*cking Rockwell
Best New Artist:
Black Pumas
Billie Eilish
Lil Nas X
Lizzo
Maggie Rogers
Rosalía
Tank and the Bangas
Yola
I was thrilled as soon as I saw Rosalía had a nomination and then immediately realised that she has no chance of winning. Yola and Maggie Rogers are pretty boring and Lil Nas X doesn't have enough quantity to back him up past his two hits, as great as those hits are. Lizzo and Eilish are essentially polar opposites that will forever be grouped together as the two breakout female acts of this year and they definitely have equal rights to attaining the Grammy. I am honestly not familiar enough with the other two artists to weigh them into the equation.
My prediction: Billie Eilish
My favourite: Rosalía
Best Rap Album:
Dreamville - Revenge of the Dreamers III
Meek Mill - Championships
21 Savage - I Am > I Was
Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy
Yes I skipped the pop selections, as they were predominantly the same selections as with the General Field categories and it seemed pointless. From here on out however there are definitely less repeats, but that doesn't mean there isn't altogether too much of the same for the remaining categories. For the best rap album of the year I think it's a real shame that there's no Little Simz, no Denzel Curry or even Dave here. The best album is by far Tyler, the Creator's breakup epic IGOR and given his increasing recognition I'd say he has a pretty good chance of getting it. That said, 21 Savage might be the more mainstream and easy choice.
My prediction: I Am > I Was
My favourite: IGOR
Best Rap Album:
Dreamville - Revenge of the Dreamers III
Meek Mill - Championships
21 Savage - I Am > I Was
Tyler, the Creator - IGOR
YBN Cordae - The Lost Boy
Yes I skipped the pop selections, as they were predominantly the same selections as with the General Field categories and it seemed pointless. From here on out however there are definitely less repeats, but that doesn't mean there isn't altogether too much of the same for the remaining categories. For the best rap album of the year I think it's a real shame that there's no Little Simz, no Denzel Curry or even Dave here. The best album is by far Tyler, the Creator's breakup epic IGOR and given his increasing recognition I'd say he has a pretty good chance of getting it. That said, 21 Savage might be the more mainstream and easy choice.
My prediction: I Am > I Was
My favourite: IGOR
Best Rap Song:
YBN Cordae - Bad Idea
Rick Ross - Gold Roses
21 Savage - A Lot
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle
DaBaby - Suge
So both YBN and 21 Savage make it into both Best Rap Song and Album but Tyler doesn't? Yeah I'm disappointed but not surprised whatsoever. Nevertheless, Savage's "A Lot" is my favourite of the bunch but in terms of impact and relevance then DaBaby should probably win (2019 has basically belonged to him). "Bad Idea" has a sweet, retro kind of beat but the content is pretty overdone and the blandest it could possibly be. Also, despite Drake's part on "Gold Roses" being pretty decent and tha song boasting a pretty good beat it goes on for almost 6 minutes. That's too much Rick Ross.
My prediction: Suge
My favourite: A Lot
Best Rap Performance:
J. Cole - Middle Child
DaBaby - Suge
Dreamville - Down Bad
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle
Offset - Clout
Again, the lack of variation between selections makes the Grammys, a supposedly huge and important awards ceremony, seem very small in scope because it just doesn't go for anything adventurous or outside their familiar bubble. I get that it's American so it's going to focus on US rappers, but they gave Ed Sheeran a nomination for his clumsy collaborations album and yet they haven't put Stormzy in this category for any of his singles? At least we "Middle Child" and J. Cole's brand of very egocentric wokeness... I do genuinely love that track and it is good to hear him writing deeply and not just proclaiming how deep his lyrics are (cough cough KOD).
YBN Cordae - Bad Idea
Rick Ross - Gold Roses
21 Savage - A Lot
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle
DaBaby - Suge
So both YBN and 21 Savage make it into both Best Rap Song and Album but Tyler doesn't? Yeah I'm disappointed but not surprised whatsoever. Nevertheless, Savage's "A Lot" is my favourite of the bunch but in terms of impact and relevance then DaBaby should probably win (2019 has basically belonged to him). "Bad Idea" has a sweet, retro kind of beat but the content is pretty overdone and the blandest it could possibly be. Also, despite Drake's part on "Gold Roses" being pretty decent and tha song boasting a pretty good beat it goes on for almost 6 minutes. That's too much Rick Ross.
My prediction: Suge
My favourite: A Lot
Best Rap Performance:
J. Cole - Middle Child
DaBaby - Suge
Dreamville - Down Bad
Nipsey Hussle - Racks in the Middle
Offset - Clout
Again, the lack of variation between selections makes the Grammys, a supposedly huge and important awards ceremony, seem very small in scope because it just doesn't go for anything adventurous or outside their familiar bubble. I get that it's American so it's going to focus on US rappers, but they gave Ed Sheeran a nomination for his clumsy collaborations album and yet they haven't put Stormzy in this category for any of his singles? At least we "Middle Child" and J. Cole's brand of very egocentric wokeness... I do genuinely love that track and it is good to hear him writing deeply and not just proclaiming how deep his lyrics are (cough cough KOD).
My prediction: Middle Child
My favourite: Middle Child
Best Rock Performance:
Bones UK - Pretty Waste
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Karen O & Danger Mouse - Woman
Rival Sons - Too Bad
Here's a theory - the Grammys 100% believe that rock is dead, so they've chosen the nominations for this category to help prove they can be clever because they're showing us just how dead rock is. Well done Grammys, let's just hope your next rock based selections show some actual promise, because these are just dire. Except for Bones UK, that track of theirs is a total banger. To be fair to Gary, that song's content is very relevant but it isn't close to interesting enough to be worth the win.
My prediction: Woman
My favourite: Pretty Waste
Best Rock Song:
Tool - Fear Inoculum
The 1975 - Give Yourself A Try
Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
Why they couldn't have picked a better 1975 track, I don't know. I would expect "Love It If We Made It" but apparently that would be too much of one thing (that thing being important messages) and we've already got Gary Clark... again. On the positive side it's great to see one of Vampire Weekend's standout tracks from their album make it onto hear, much more deserving than the record as a whole, it's definitely some of their best work. The piano solos are incredible and the textures are rich and beautiful, making for an exquisite listen. Tool's song is good too, but it's not really my thing and I can't get into their latest album.
My prediction: Harmony Hall
My favourite: Harmony Hall
Best Rock Album:
Bring Me The Horizon - amo
Cage the Elephant - Social Cues
The Cranberries - In The End
I Prevail - Trauma
Rival Sons - Feral Roots
And primarily more mediocrity strikes again... If you want to know my more in depth thoughts on Bring Me The Horizon or Cage the Elephant album then you can find them elsewhere on my blog, but honestly I am happy to see these both here. They're not favourites of mine, but they both display moments of truly great experimentation in completely different directions to each other and in my personal opinion are the most interesting albums here.
My prediction: Social Cues
My favourite: amo
Best Alternative Music Album
Big Thief - U.F.O.F.
James Blake - Assume Form
Bon Iver - i,i
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Thom Yorke - ANIMA
The Grammys' love for Bon Iver is starting to get frustrating now. If he was confined to this category it'd be expected, respectable and altogether fine but he appears 4 times! I have to hope he doesn't win, and I expect Thom Yorke to for this category anyway.
My prediction: ANIMA
My favourite: Assume Form
Best R&B Performance
Daniel Caesar - Love Again
H.E.R. - Could’ve Been
Lizzo - Exactly How I Feel
Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo
Anderson .Paak - Come Home
Some pretty good selections here, surprising not to see Ariana in some capacity but they've sensibly restricted her to the pop section it seems. I think that although Lizzo could end up winning pretty big overall this is a lesser known although still fun track from her and the win is more likely to go to H.E.R. with "Could've Been". The Daniel Caesar track is a rather groovy, sensual slow jam and Lucky Daye's track is one I'm glad I checked out as a result of this, as I've found myself rather engaged by the gorgeous instrumental, in particular the excellent bass and sweeping violins. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to support the underdog, Anderson .Paak's collaboration with André 3000 is the better pick.
My prediction: Could've Been
My favourite: Come Home
Best R&B Album
BJ the Chicago Kid - 1123
Lucy Daye - Painted
Ella Mai - Ella Mai
PJ Morton - Paul
Anderson .Paak - Ventura
Listen to Ventura.
Also, Ella Mai is a decent pop star, but the amount of love for her single "Boo'd Up" was way overrated in my opinion and I'd be disappointed if her album made the win here as a result of the seemingly universal love and acclaim for that track.
My prediction: Ella Mai
My favourite: Ventura
Best Latin Album (Rock, Urban or Alternative)
Bad Bunny - X 100Pre
J Balvin & Bad Bunny - Oasis
Flor De Toloache - Indestructible
iLe - Almadura
Rosalía - El Mal Querer
I don't want Bad Bunny to win. I don't like his music, and I despise the fact that he's on here twice. My knowledge of Latin music is very limited, but there must have been another album worthy of mentioning that wasn't Bad Bunny, right? Regardless, my favourite is by far Rosalía's flamenco pop experiment that is "El Mal Querer" and that is final.
My prediction: Oasis
My favourite: El Mal Querer
Best Dance Recording
Bonobo - Linked
The Chemical Brothers - Got to Keep On
Meduza - Piece of Your Heart
RÜFÜS DU SOL - Underwater
Skrillex and Boys Noize - Midnight Hour
This is an interesting variety of songs that I care for quite a lot in the most part. Bonobo's "Linked" is genuinely of his best singles to date, and a fantastic instrumental piece. The Chemical Brothers' comeback album is represented just as LCD Soundsystem were 2 years ago. This track is what I expect to win, and honestly it would be a deserving win even if it isn't my favourite. I'm not at all surprised to see Meduza's "Piece of Your Heart" on here, it was one of the biggest hits over here in the UK and is surprisingly intelligent and well-written for such a successful deep house track. "Underwater" is yet another example of an extremely solid song, I am a sucker for those bass moments, as well as the overall beat and I really wouldn't mind this winning. Finally we get the obligatory heavier dance song from none other than Skrillex which is I suppose okay, although I'm less than impressed with Ty Dolla $ign's feature on this, although the flow is pretty decent. Overall, I don't mind it but the other selections are more of what I want to see win. Honestly this is my favourite category this year, and for the most part I don't mind who wins.
My prediction: Got to Keep On
My favourite: Linked
Best Producer (Non-Classical)
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed
I suppose it's no real surprise that Jack Antonoff would be nominated for producer of the year, and if it were 2017 I would have jumped at the chance to put him as my favourite after his work with Lorde, St. Vincent and Bleachers but this year, despite achieving similar accomplishments with Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey he's up against some stiff competition in both John Hill and Ricky Reed, but most of all from Billie Eilish's brother Finneas. Perhaps he's only worked on the one album this year, but his production style is already so distinctive and fresh and, no offence to Jack, he's not been making the same sound for years. Actually, in all fairness to Jack Antonoff he did work heavily on Lana's album of trip-hop and desert rock which was quite a stylistic shift for him. All this said, I would be happy with him winning and I think he will.
My prediction: Jack Antonoff
My favourite: Finneas
That's the last category I was interested in enough to break down, you can check out the full list of nominations here: 2020 Grammy Awards
Thanks for reading, I'm looking forward to posting some year end content soon so look out for that...
My favourite: Middle Child
Best Rock Performance:
Bones UK - Pretty Waste
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Karen O & Danger Mouse - Woman
Rival Sons - Too Bad
Here's a theory - the Grammys 100% believe that rock is dead, so they've chosen the nominations for this category to help prove they can be clever because they're showing us just how dead rock is. Well done Grammys, let's just hope your next rock based selections show some actual promise, because these are just dire. Except for Bones UK, that track of theirs is a total banger. To be fair to Gary, that song's content is very relevant but it isn't close to interesting enough to be worth the win.
My prediction: Woman
My favourite: Pretty Waste
Best Rock Song:
Tool - Fear Inoculum
The 1975 - Give Yourself A Try
Vampire Weekend - Harmony Hall
Brittany Howard - History Repeats
Gary Clark Jr. - This Land
Why they couldn't have picked a better 1975 track, I don't know. I would expect "Love It If We Made It" but apparently that would be too much of one thing (that thing being important messages) and we've already got Gary Clark... again. On the positive side it's great to see one of Vampire Weekend's standout tracks from their album make it onto hear, much more deserving than the record as a whole, it's definitely some of their best work. The piano solos are incredible and the textures are rich and beautiful, making for an exquisite listen. Tool's song is good too, but it's not really my thing and I can't get into their latest album.
My prediction: Harmony Hall
My favourite: Harmony Hall
Best Rock Album:
Bring Me The Horizon - amo
Cage the Elephant - Social Cues
The Cranberries - In The End
I Prevail - Trauma
Rival Sons - Feral Roots
And primarily more mediocrity strikes again... If you want to know my more in depth thoughts on Bring Me The Horizon or Cage the Elephant album then you can find them elsewhere on my blog, but honestly I am happy to see these both here. They're not favourites of mine, but they both display moments of truly great experimentation in completely different directions to each other and in my personal opinion are the most interesting albums here.
My prediction: Social Cues
My favourite: amo
Best Alternative Music Album
Big Thief - U.F.O.F.
James Blake - Assume Form
Bon Iver - i,i
Vampire Weekend - Father of the Bride
Thom Yorke - ANIMA
The Grammys' love for Bon Iver is starting to get frustrating now. If he was confined to this category it'd be expected, respectable and altogether fine but he appears 4 times! I have to hope he doesn't win, and I expect Thom Yorke to for this category anyway.
My prediction: ANIMA
My favourite: Assume Form
Best R&B Performance
Daniel Caesar - Love Again
H.E.R. - Could’ve Been
Lizzo - Exactly How I Feel
Lucky Daye - Roll Some Mo
Anderson .Paak - Come Home
Some pretty good selections here, surprising not to see Ariana in some capacity but they've sensibly restricted her to the pop section it seems. I think that although Lizzo could end up winning pretty big overall this is a lesser known although still fun track from her and the win is more likely to go to H.E.R. with "Could've Been". The Daniel Caesar track is a rather groovy, sensual slow jam and Lucky Daye's track is one I'm glad I checked out as a result of this, as I've found myself rather engaged by the gorgeous instrumental, in particular the excellent bass and sweeping violins. Unfortunately, as much as I'd like to support the underdog, Anderson .Paak's collaboration with André 3000 is the better pick.
My prediction: Could've Been
My favourite: Come Home
Best R&B Album
BJ the Chicago Kid - 1123
Lucy Daye - Painted
Ella Mai - Ella Mai
PJ Morton - Paul
Anderson .Paak - Ventura
Listen to Ventura.
Also, Ella Mai is a decent pop star, but the amount of love for her single "Boo'd Up" was way overrated in my opinion and I'd be disappointed if her album made the win here as a result of the seemingly universal love and acclaim for that track.
My prediction: Ella Mai
My favourite: Ventura
Best Latin Album (Rock, Urban or Alternative)
Bad Bunny - X 100Pre
J Balvin & Bad Bunny - Oasis
Flor De Toloache - Indestructible
iLe - Almadura
Rosalía - El Mal Querer
I don't want Bad Bunny to win. I don't like his music, and I despise the fact that he's on here twice. My knowledge of Latin music is very limited, but there must have been another album worthy of mentioning that wasn't Bad Bunny, right? Regardless, my favourite is by far Rosalía's flamenco pop experiment that is "El Mal Querer" and that is final.
My prediction: Oasis
My favourite: El Mal Querer
Best Dance Recording
Bonobo - Linked
The Chemical Brothers - Got to Keep On
Meduza - Piece of Your Heart
RÜFÜS DU SOL - Underwater
Skrillex and Boys Noize - Midnight Hour
This is an interesting variety of songs that I care for quite a lot in the most part. Bonobo's "Linked" is genuinely of his best singles to date, and a fantastic instrumental piece. The Chemical Brothers' comeback album is represented just as LCD Soundsystem were 2 years ago. This track is what I expect to win, and honestly it would be a deserving win even if it isn't my favourite. I'm not at all surprised to see Meduza's "Piece of Your Heart" on here, it was one of the biggest hits over here in the UK and is surprisingly intelligent and well-written for such a successful deep house track. "Underwater" is yet another example of an extremely solid song, I am a sucker for those bass moments, as well as the overall beat and I really wouldn't mind this winning. Finally we get the obligatory heavier dance song from none other than Skrillex which is I suppose okay, although I'm less than impressed with Ty Dolla $ign's feature on this, although the flow is pretty decent. Overall, I don't mind it but the other selections are more of what I want to see win. Honestly this is my favourite category this year, and for the most part I don't mind who wins.
My prediction: Got to Keep On
My favourite: Linked
Best Producer (Non-Classical)
Jack Antonoff
Dan Auerbach
John Hill
Finneas
Ricky Reed
I suppose it's no real surprise that Jack Antonoff would be nominated for producer of the year, and if it were 2017 I would have jumped at the chance to put him as my favourite after his work with Lorde, St. Vincent and Bleachers but this year, despite achieving similar accomplishments with Taylor Swift and Lana Del Rey he's up against some stiff competition in both John Hill and Ricky Reed, but most of all from Billie Eilish's brother Finneas. Perhaps he's only worked on the one album this year, but his production style is already so distinctive and fresh and, no offence to Jack, he's not been making the same sound for years. Actually, in all fairness to Jack Antonoff he did work heavily on Lana's album of trip-hop and desert rock which was quite a stylistic shift for him. All this said, I would be happy with him winning and I think he will.
My prediction: Jack Antonoff
My favourite: Finneas
That's the last category I was interested in enough to break down, you can check out the full list of nominations here: 2020 Grammy Awards
Thanks for reading, I'm looking forward to posting some year end content soon so look out for that...
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