The Grammys are one of the biggest award shows in history. For the past 67 years, the nominations for these awards have had people on edge, hoping their favorite artist had a chance.
Last year, the nominations sparked a mountain of predictions about who would win. The competition was intense, as it featured competitors including Billie Eilish, Taylor Swift, Charli XCX, Sabrina Carpenter, Beyoncé and Chappell Roan. People called 2024 “Brat Summer” for Charli XCX or “The Summer of the Pop Girlies.” For male artists that year, they had Benson Boone, Kendrick Lamar, Bruno Mars and Teddy Swims.
This year, some of the artists nominated were Lady Gaga; Bad Bunny; Justin Bieber; Leon Thomas III; KATSEYE; Kendrick Lamar; Cardi B; Tyler, the Creator and even fictional girl group HUNTR/X.
Some of the most anticipated awards of the year are Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Best New Artist, Song of the Year and “Best Pop Solo and Best Pop Vocal Album.
Nominations for Record of the Year are Bad Bunny for “DTMF,” Billie Eilish for her song “Wildflower” that was on her most recent album and Chappell Roan’s “The Subway,” her latest single. Others include “Anxiety” by Doechii, “Luther” by Kendrick Lamar and SZA, “Abracadabra” by Lady Gaga, Rose and Bruno Mars’ song “APT.” and lastly “Manchild” by Sabrina Carpenter.
Next up there’s Best Pop Solo featuring artists like Lady Gaga, Sabrina Carpenter and Chappell Roan. Justin Bieber also got nominated with his song “Daisies” along with Lola Young for “Messy.”
One of the categories that always has fans’ support is the Best New Artist nominees. This year’s include Sombr, a newer celebrity, Addison Rae, Alex Warren and global girl group KATSEYE. Along with them comes former Nickelodeon star Leon Thomas III, Lola Young, The Marias and finally Olivia Dean, the artist behind “Man I Need.”
Most recently, fictional girl group HUNTR/X from the 2025 summer hit “KPop Demon Hunters” has been nominated for “Best Pop/Duo Performance,” along with two other nominations.“Defying Gravity” from the musical turned movie “Wicked,” “APT.” by Rose featuring Bruno Mars, “Gabriela” by KATSEYE and Kendrick Lamar’s song “30 for 30’” with SZA were all nominated.
Best Rap Performance nominees include Cardi B for “Outside” on her newest studio album “Am I The Drama?;” Doechi for “Anxiety;” Tyler, the Creator for “Darling I” and Kendrick Lamar twice for “TV Off” and “Chains and Whips,” both featuring multiple artists.
Another anticipated award was Best Pop Vocal. Justin Bieber’s “SWAG,” the first album he’s produced since 2021, is up for the award. In addition to Bieber, other artists include Sabrina Carpenter, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus and Teddy Swims as nominees.
The last two lingering nominees are for Song and Album of the Year, two of the most highly foreseen awards.
Song of the Year may be gifted to Bad Bunny’s “DMTF,” to Billie Eilish for her song “Wildflower” from her latest album, to Doechii, HUNTR/X, Kendrick Lamar and SZA, Lady Gaga with the song she announced last year at the Grammys, “Abracadabra,” or finally to Rose and Bruno Mars with “APT.”
Unlike last year’s ceremony, Album of the Year nominations are dominated by male artists. This includes Bad Bunny; Clipse with Pusha T and Malice; Kendrick Lamar; Justin Bieber; Leon Thomas III and Tyler, the creator. “Man’s Best Friend” and “Mayhem” by Sabrina Carpenter and Lady Gaga are the only female contenders. Even still, it has some strong competitors, with albums that topped multiple charts and records.
Freshman Ava Costakos had some thoughts on the nominations, specifically on Chappell Roan’s. “She is so talented, and I just saw her in concert in Pasadena, and seeing her perform ‘The Subway’ changed my life.” Costakos expresses how amazed she was by Roan’s performing skills. “Her music is amazing, and I hope that she will win record of the year.”
“I’m rooting for Lady Gaga personally. ‘Mayhem’ as Album of the Year and ‘Abracadabra’ as Record of the Year,” Freshman Eliot Dashe states. Of all the nominees, Dashe had this to say.
“I think that it was very balanced because even the albums that were nominated that I hadn’t heard of, I trust that it’s a good addition to the list.” He knows that the Voting Members of the Recording Academy understand their assignment to precisely present the rightful artists for each award.
With contenders of all kinds of unique music, the Grammys have always been a competition for the ages. Fans around the world eagerly wait for February so they can hopefully see their favorite artists win.
