As awards season rolls in, the night that typically comes to mind is the Oscars. However, two weeks before Hollywood’s biggest night is the music world equivalent: The Grammy Awards! Hosted in Los Angeles on February 12 at 8 pm PST (February 13 at 12 pm in Shanghai), the 59th Grammys will celebrate the best of American music from the past year across all genres. The awards will be hosted by British comedian James Corden, best known for his popular Carpool Karaoke videos filmed for The Late Late Show.
The Grammy Awards are presented by the Recording Academy, who selects the candidates from a pool of submissions. Then, the Academy’s voting members select the nominees and eventually decide the winner. According to the organization’s website, these selections are made not based on sales or popularity, but rather artistic and technical achievement (source). This claim has not been without controversy—over the years, the basis of the Academy’s decisions has often been questioned. Nevertheless, the Grammy remains a prestigious honor in the music world.
So, who are this year’s candidates, and who is likely to win a Grammy? Below is more on some of this year’s most noteworthy categories.
Category: Record of the Year
Past winners: “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson (2016),
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” – Sam Smith (2015)
Nominees:
“Hello” – Adele
“Formation” – Beyoncé
“7 Years” – Lukas Graham
“Work” – Rhianna feat. Drake
“Stressed Out” – Twenty One Pilots
My pick:
One thing that’s certain is that no song on this list is anything like the others. From the pop strums of 7 Years to the upbeat R&B of Formation, there is something here for everybody. How the voting members come to a consensus is beyond me. No clear winner stands out to me—Twenty One Pilots have really stepped it up and Beyoncé has had a spectacular comeback—but I’m going to have to give it to Adele. She’s no stranger to the Grammy department, and “Hello” is a beautiful song. If history has anything to teach us, it’s that radio plays do count for this one.
Category: Album of the Year
Past winners: 1989 – Taylor Swift (2016),
Morning Phase - Beck (2015)
Nominees:
25 – Adele
Lemonade – Beyoncé
Purpose – Justin Bieber
Views – Drake
A Sailor’s Guide To Earth – Sturgill Simpson
My pick:
Another competitive category. A lot of comeback albums in this one, after hiatuses from the likes of Adele and Justin Bieber. The British vocal powerhouse has demonstrated a lot of musical growth with the release of 25, producing multiple successful singles like “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).” Likewise, the Canadian pop star displays a newfound maturity with the record that produced “Sorry.” Despite the potential of each candidate, I think Lemonade takes the cake. Even if, like me, you weren’t an avid Beyoncé fan before its release, this album is bound to have struck a chord. It's musical, conceptual, and visual mélange is truly a masterpiece.
Category: Best Music Video
Past winners: “Bad Blood” – Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar (2016), “Happy” – Pharrell Williams (2015)
Nominees:
“Formation” – Beyoncé, directed by Melina Matsoukas
“River” – Leon Bridges, directed by Miles Jay
“Up&Up” – Coldplay, directed by Vania Heymann
“Gosh” – Jamie xx, directed by Romain Gavras
“Upside Down & Inside Out” – OK Go, directed by Damian Kulash Jr. & Trish Sie
My pick:
Here’s one category at the Grammys that’s not just about the music. When a director is able to visualize a song in a manner that emphasizes its message and feeling without taking away or distracting from the music, but rather accompanying it to make that message more profound, a new art form is created. Watch the videos above to understand what I mean.
The creative variety is endless. The videos for “River” and “Formation” both speak out against police brutality toward black communities in America, but with disparate approaches. The highly conceptual “Gosh” video was filmed in the Chinese city of Tianducheng, known for its attempted imitation of Paris. “Up&Up” depicts a series of surreal perspective-altering scenes, from an eagle flying underwater to a soccer match on a kitchen sponge. And finally, OK Go’s “Upside Down & Inside Out” was filmed in a single take in a plane flying at zero gravity.
Even after results come out, how could there ever be a definitive winner in this category? Besides the message and creative direction, there is such contrast in each video’s production—from the abundant computer-generated imagery in the Coldplay video and the half a dozen costume changes in Beyoncé’s to the unedited rawness of “River” and “Gosh.” [I have yet to make my pick for this one].
For the full list of nominees (including genre-specific categories), check out the Grammy website! Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments.
Ana Ghiban
The Grammy Awards are presented by the Recording Academy, who selects the candidates from a pool of submissions. Then, the Academy’s voting members select the nominees and eventually decide the winner. According to the organization’s website, these selections are made not based on sales or popularity, but rather artistic and technical achievement (source). This claim has not been without controversy—over the years, the basis of the Academy’s decisions has often been questioned. Nevertheless, the Grammy remains a prestigious honor in the music world.
 |
| Click for a visual infographic explaining the Grammy process. |
 |
| http://s1.ibtimes.com/sites/www.ibtimes.com/files/2014/01/22/rtr2xrms.jpg |
Category: Record of the Year
Past winners: “Uptown Funk” – Mark Ronson (2016),
“Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” – Sam Smith (2015)
Nominees:
“Hello” – Adele
“Formation” – Beyoncé
“7 Years” – Lukas Graham
“Work” – Rhianna feat. Drake
“Stressed Out” – Twenty One Pilots
My pick:
One thing that’s certain is that no song on this list is anything like the others. From the pop strums of 7 Years to the upbeat R&B of Formation, there is something here for everybody. How the voting members come to a consensus is beyond me. No clear winner stands out to me—Twenty One Pilots have really stepped it up and Beyoncé has had a spectacular comeback—but I’m going to have to give it to Adele. She’s no stranger to the Grammy department, and “Hello” is a beautiful song. If history has anything to teach us, it’s that radio plays do count for this one.
 |
| http://top10great.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/ Beyonc%C3%A9-57th-grammy-awards-2.jpg |
Category: Album of the Year
Past winners: 1989 – Taylor Swift (2016),
Morning Phase - Beck (2015)
Nominees:
25 – Adele
Lemonade – Beyoncé
Purpose – Justin Bieber
Views – Drake
A Sailor’s Guide To Earth – Sturgill Simpson
My pick:
Another competitive category. A lot of comeback albums in this one, after hiatuses from the likes of Adele and Justin Bieber. The British vocal powerhouse has demonstrated a lot of musical growth with the release of 25, producing multiple successful singles like “Send My Love (To Your New Lover).” Likewise, the Canadian pop star displays a newfound maturity with the record that produced “Sorry.” Despite the potential of each candidate, I think Lemonade takes the cake. Even if, like me, you weren’t an avid Beyoncé fan before its release, this album is bound to have struck a chord. It's musical, conceptual, and visual mélange is truly a masterpiece.
 |
| https://cdn.thinglink.me/api/image/876635453506191361/ 1024/10/scaletowidth#tl-876635453506191361;1043138249' |
Category: Best Music Video
Past winners: “Bad Blood” – Taylor Swift feat. Kendrick Lamar (2016), “Happy” – Pharrell Williams (2015)
Nominees:
“Formation” – Beyoncé, directed by Melina Matsoukas
“River” – Leon Bridges, directed by Miles Jay
“Up&Up” – Coldplay, directed by Vania Heymann
“Gosh” – Jamie xx, directed by Romain Gavras
“Upside Down & Inside Out” – OK Go, directed by Damian Kulash Jr. & Trish Sie
My pick:
Here’s one category at the Grammys that’s not just about the music. When a director is able to visualize a song in a manner that emphasizes its message and feeling without taking away or distracting from the music, but rather accompanying it to make that message more profound, a new art form is created. Watch the videos above to understand what I mean.
The creative variety is endless. The videos for “River” and “Formation” both speak out against police brutality toward black communities in America, but with disparate approaches. The highly conceptual “Gosh” video was filmed in the Chinese city of Tianducheng, known for its attempted imitation of Paris. “Up&Up” depicts a series of surreal perspective-altering scenes, from an eagle flying underwater to a soccer match on a kitchen sponge. And finally, OK Go’s “Upside Down & Inside Out” was filmed in a single take in a plane flying at zero gravity.
Even after results come out, how could there ever be a definitive winner in this category? Besides the message and creative direction, there is such contrast in each video’s production—from the abundant computer-generated imagery in the Coldplay video and the half a dozen costume changes in Beyoncé’s to the unedited rawness of “River” and “Gosh.” [I have yet to make my pick for this one].
For the full list of nominees (including genre-specific categories), check out the Grammy website! Who do you think will win? Let us know in the comments.
Ana Ghiban
