2022 Grammy nomination predictions
As the Grammy eligibility year has now come to a close, we are given the opportunity to look back upon a wonderful year in music and award the biggest, best, and most critically acclaimed albums, songs, and artists of the past year a Grammy. On Nov. 23, the Recording Academy will release the nominations for the 2022 Grammy Awards, but how accurate are they really? At the 2021 Grammys, the Weeknd was snubbed of nominations in every category regardless of his historic success in the year prior, and Phoebe Bridgers lost in all of her nominated categories (a crime on its own). I’ve since decided that I know enough to place projects in categories by my own merits, so that is what I will be doing today.
This past year, Olivia Rodrigo has taken the world by storm. Her debut singles and album shattered records, making her the youngest artist to complete a series of accomplishments, titles previously held by Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish. Much like Taylor and Billie did in past years, I firmly believe that Olivia is going to sweep the Grammys. No song has matched the success of “drivers license” or even come close to doing so, and as far as albums go, I think only Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish even has a shot at rivaling SOUR for any major categories. At this point, Olivia needs to thank Joshua Bassett for the heartaches he has caused her because, without him, there would be no “drivers license” to shoot her to stardom. Olivia has the same effect that Miss Swift had seven years ago because it’s those same girls that sang “cause darling I’m a nightmare dressed like a daydream” that now take pride in screaming the line “like a damn sociopath” every time they hear “good 4 u.”
The singles “Montero” by Lil Nas X and “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic are both huge contenders for top categories with their success on both the charts and in terms of streams. The next few nominations are a toss-up between radio hits from “Kiss Me More” to “Peaches.” Originally I would have placed “Levitating” by Dua Lipa & DaBaby as my top contender for the win; however, because Dua pulled his version from future promotions, I doubt that it will get anything now, and the original missed the eligibility period. I feel confident that Billie Eilish will receive the nomination for either “Happier Than Ever” or “Therefore I Am.” The Grammys adore Billie and would not let her get through a Grammy cycle empty-handed. Album of the Year is my personal favorite category, and I think this year’s nominees will be some of the best in years, being those that most of the record/song of the year nominees come from. I think that evermore will receive the nomination purely because its sister album, folklore, did last year but will not win like the prior. There were so many great albums from the past year that are just as deserving; however, I think that SOUR and Happier Than Ever will lead the nominees and win.
The category of ‘Best New Artist’ is always so confusing to me. They nominate eight artists that recently have found commercial success, regardless of how long they have been working in the industry. Olivia Rodrigo and Kid Laroi are my two top contenders for this category, as they also went head to head for the same category at the VMAs. Clairo’s second studio album, Sling, received lots of critical acclaim, which I think puts her in a good position for the nomination. Eurovision winners Maneskin, British band Glass Animals, and solo artists Saweetie (who had her own McDonald’s meal!!), Victoria Monet, and Arlo Parks have also taken the world by storm in the past year, making them all contenders for the nomination.
Feel free to refer back to this list when nominations are released to see what I got right (or wrong)! Who knows, maybe I even predicted some of the ultimate winners for January already! Only time will tell, but in the meantime, I left my final predictions below.
Record of the Year:
“drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo, “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic (PREDICTED WINNER), “Good Days” by SZA, “Peaches” by Justin Bieber, Daniel Caesar, and Giveon, “willow” by Taylor Swift, “Happier Than Ever”by Billie Eilish,
Song of the Year:
“drivers license” by Olivia Rodrigo (PREDICTED WINNER), “Montero” by Lil Nas X, “Leave the Door Open” by Silk Sonic, “Kiss Me More” by Doja Cat and SZA, “willow” by Taylor Swift, “Therefore I Am” by Billie Eilish
Best New Artist
Olivia Rodrigo (PREDICTED WINNER), The Kid Laroi, Clairo, Arlo Parks, Maneskin, Glass Animals, Saweetie, Victoria Monet
Album of the Year:
SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo, Positions by Ariana Grande, Good News by Megan Thee Stallion, Back of My Mind by H.E.R., Planet Her by Doja Cat, evermore by Taylor Swift, Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish (PREDICTED WINNER), Montero by Lil Nas X
Best Pop Vocal Album:
SOUR by Olivia Rodrigo (PREDICTED WINNER), Positions by Ariana Grande, evermore by Taylor Swift, Happier Than Ever by Billie Eilish, Montero by Lil Nas X
Best Alternative Music Album:
Scaled and Icy by Twenty One Pilots, Little Oblivions by Julien Baker, How Long Do You Think It’s Going to Last by Big Red Machine, Daddy’s Home by St. Vincent (PREDICTED WINNER), Sling by Clairo
Best Rap Album
Call Me If You Get Lost by Tyler the Creator (PREDICTED WINNER), The Off Season by J. Cole, Good News by Megan Thee Stallion, Certified Lover Boy by Drake, Donda by Kanye West
