2025 Grammys Predictions

This past year was a competitive and plentiful year for music. Many popular artists dropped music, and we got some really good (and not good) listening out of it. However, now we have to ask the question: who will take home the accolades and who will take home the acclaim at this year's Grammys? We’re talking about the four biggest categories of the night: Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best New Artist and Record of the Year. 

Album of the Year nominees:

André 3000 - New Blue Sun 

Beyoncé - Cowboy Carter

Billie Eilish - Hit Me Hard and Soft

Chappell Roan - The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess 

Charli XCX - Brat 

Jacob Collier - Djesse Vol. 4 

Sabrina Carpenter - Short n’ Sweet

Taylor Swift - The Tortured Poets Department 

This is a tough one. A lot of great albums came out this year and a lot have been nominated. I think it will come down to three: Brat, Hit Me Hard and Soft and Cowboy Carter. I think that those three made a huge cultural impact in this last year and demonstrated incredible artistic ability from each of those artists. I think that it would be incredible if Beyonce won Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter, especially since that album is so genre-bending and really broke down barriers in country music but I doubt that the Recording Academy will award Cowboy Carter Album of the Year after snubbing Beyonce for that award so many times. Brat by Charli XCX absolutely has the potential to win (but may be set back as it was at its peak popularity during the summer and not the whole year) as it was such an artistic masterpiece with Charli’s honest songwriting and seamless genre-bending. The way that she was able to talk about her own experiences with fame, female friendship, generational trauma, etc. was so powerful and resonated with many people. Brat summer was also such a cultural phenomenon. The album was inserted into fashion, politics and really wasn’t just an album, but an experience, a lifestyle and a universe. Hit Me Hard and Soft seems to be a big contender as well for AOTY. It absolutely had a huge cultural impact, and is one of Billie’s most celebrated projects (which doesn’t say much because everything that Billie has done is pretty popular). The whole album is very vulnerable and incredible from the lyricism to the production, so it absolutely has a shot at winning.  

Song of the Year nominees:

Beyoncé - Texas Hold ’Em 

Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather

Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe! 

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us 

Lady Gaga & Bruno Mars - Die With a Smile 

Sabrina Carpenter - Please Please Please

Shaboozey - A Bar Song (Tipsy) 

Taylor Swift featuring Post Malone - Fortnight

Song of the Year is also a tough one. All of these have the potential to win, but I predict that it’ll come down to either “Not Like Us” or “Birds of a Feather”. “Not Like Us” was huge, and not just as a Drake diss (even though that’s what makes it the most satisfying to listen to), but also as a song in general. It was a huge part in the public consciousness during 2024, and really brought back the type of back and forth rap beef we’ve been missing. The lyricism and flow is so clever, and it could take that award easily. “Birds of a Feather” has also been a huge song this year, and the lyricism and vocal prowess displayed by Billie on the song is also worthy of winning this award. As long as “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” doesn’t win.

Best New Artist nominees:

Benson Boone

Doechii

Chappell Roan

Khruangbin

Raye

Sabrina Carpenter 

Shaboozey

Teddy Swims

As a big Doechii fan, I want Doechii to win really badly. Her cadence, her sound, her flow, her lyricism and her overall marketing is top tier and her authenticity within her brand is just so refreshing. However, she hasn’t yet reached the peak of her stardom, so I doubt that she will win against some of the other names on this list. RAYE is also an artist that I would really want to win (My 21st Century Blues has permanently altered my brain chemistry) but she’s had a kind of quiet year despite her new EP, Genesis, and the sleeper hit, “Oscar Winning Tears” going viral on TikTok. It’ll most likely come down between Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan, but I think that Sabrina will win. This isn’t a hit on Chappell as it could go either way, but my own theory is that Sabrina will win. She’s had a huge year with “Espresso”, “Please Please Please”, the Short n’ Sweet album release and tour. She’s really emerged as a pop star and I think that she embodies what this award is about. She’s not a “new” artist, but this award doesn’t evaluate the length of someone’s career, it evaluates when they make a breakthrough in the mainstream. And Sabrina has made a big splash. 

Record of the Year:

The Beatles - Now and Then

Beyoncé - Texas Hold ’Em

Billie Eilish - Birds of a Feather

Chappell Roan - Good Luck, Babe!

Charli XCX - 360

Kendrick Lamar - Not Like Us

Sabrina Carpenter - Espresso

Taylor Swift Featuring Post Malone - Fortnight

“Good Luck, Babe!” is the song that I think will win Record of the Year. “Espresso” could also be a very big contender, but I think that “Good Luck, Babe!” will take the category. After all, Record of the Year celebrates “the performance and production of a song” and the vocal prowess demonstrated by Chappell, paired with the amazing production makes this song a strong contender.