Predicting the winners (and losers) at the 2017 Grammy Awards
Now that the field has been set, it's time for the prognostication to begin. Who will win the most Grammy awards this year? Who will be snubbed? Which artist will win an award that should have gone to Beyoncé? (Spoiler alert, it's Adele)? Why did Leonard Cohen get snubbed so hard?
Well, allow us to join the fun. We've predicted the winners of 20 major Grammy award categories, so that you can own your office Grammy awards pool.
Album of the Year
Nominees
"A Sailor's Guide To Earth" - Sturgill Simpson
"Purpose" - Justin Bieber
"Lemonade" - Beyoncé
"25" - Adele
"Views" - Drake
Winner: "Lemonade"
It's Beyoncé's world, and we're all just living in it. "Lemonade" might go down as the best album she ever recorded, and it stands head and shoulders above the rest of the albums on this list.
Record of the Year
Nominees
"Formation" - Beyoncé
"Hello" - Adele
"Stressed Out" - Twenty One Pilots
"Work" - Rihanna feat. Drake
"7 Years" - Lukas Graham
Winner: "Hello"
Adele and Beyoncé are likely to split these first two categories, and though "Formation" was, by all accounts, the song of 2016, Adele is and has always been a Grammy magnet, so she stands a good chance at stealing this one from Beyoncé.
Song of the Year
Nominees
"Love Yourself" - Justin Bieber
"I Took A Pill In Ibiza" - Mike Posner
"7 Years" - Lukas Graham
"Hello" - Adele
"Formation" - Beyoncé
Winner: "Hello"
Again, by all accounts, Beyoncé should take the award here, but if previous history is anything to go by, Adele will sweep both the Record and Song of the Year categories.
Best New Artist
Nominees
The Chainsmokers
Chance the Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
Kelsea Ballerini
Winner: Chance the Rapper
It's an open secret that the Grammy for Best New Artist usually goes to an artist that is decidedly not new. There would be rioting in Chicago if Chance the Rapper didn't take home the award.
Best Solo Pop Performance
Nominees
"Hello" - Adele
"Hold Up" - Beyoncé
"Dangerous Woman" - Ariana Grande
"Piece By Piece (Idol Version)" - Kelly Clarkson
"Love Yourself" - Justin Bieber
Winner: "Hello"
Adele will need a wheelbarrow to carry home all the Grammys she'll win this year. If "Hello" wins either Record or Song of the year, she's almost guaranteed to take home this award as well.
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Nominees
"7 Years" - Lukas Graham
"Work" - Rihanna feat. Drake
"Stressed Out" - Twenty One Pilots
"Closer" - The Chainsmokers feat. Halsey
"Cheap Thrills" - Sia feat. Sean Paul
Winner: "7 Years"
Lukas Graham racked up plenty of nominations for "7 Years" in categories he never really had a chance at winning. To make up for that, look for him to upset the field here.
Best Pop/Vocal Album
Nominations
"Cinema" - Andrea Bocelli
"Stages Live" - Josh Groban
"Fallen Angels" - Bob Dylan
"Summertime: Willie Nelson Sings Gershwin" - Willie Nelson
"Encore: Movie Partners Sing Broadway" - Barbra Streisand
Winner: "Fallen Angels"
You never, ever, ever want to bet against Bob Dylan at the Grammys, especially when he releases an album that is very, very strong.
Best Dance Recording
Nominees
"Tearing Me Up" - Bob Moses
"Don't Let Me Down" - The Chainsmokers feat. Daya
"Never Be Like You" - Flume feat. Kai
"Drinkee" - Sofi Tukker
"Rinse & Repeat" - Riton feat. Kah-Lo
Winner: "Don't Let Me Down"
Sure, it's the safe choice -- it's the most popular song on the list. But if there's one thing we know about the Grammy Awards, it's that they absolutely love to play it safe. Plus, this is one of the few categories that The Chainsmokers have any chance at winning this year.
Best Rock Song
Nominees
"Blackstar" - David Bowie
"Burn the Witch" - Radiohead
"Heathens" - Twenty One Pilots
"My Name Is Human" - Highly Suspect
"Hardwired" - Metallica
Winner: "Blackstar"
Earlier, we predicted that "Lazarus" would win this category, but since it wasn't nominated (and since Bowie seems to be incredibly under-appreciated this year), "Blackstar" is the only choice.
Best Rock Album
Nominees
"Death of a Bachelor" - Panic! At The Disco
"California" - Blink-182
"Magma" - Gojira
"Weezer" - Weezer
"Tell Me I'm Pretty" - Cage The Elephant
Winner: "Death of a Bachelor"
A comeback story is always Grammy fodder, and Panic! At The Disco's new album gives the committee a chance to reward the band for getting back together.
Best Rock Performance
Nominees
"Joe (Live from ACL)" - Alabama Shakes
"Blackstar" - David Bowie
"Don't Hurt Yourself" - Beyoncé feat. Jack White
"Heathens" - Twenty One Pilots
"The Sound Of Silence" - Disturbed
Winner: "Blackstar"
Again, here, it's pretty safe to assume that if "Blackstar" wins for Best Rock Song, he'll probably take home the award for Best Rock Performance as well.
Best R&B Performance
Nominees
"I Do" - Musiq Soulchild
"Permission" - Ro James
"Turnin Me Up" - BJ The Chicago Kid
"Cranes in the Sky" - Solange
"Needed Me" - Rihanna
Winner - "Cranes in the Sky"
Hopefully, this is the start of bigger things for Solange. She deserves it on the strength of "Cranes in the Sky."
Best Urban Contemporary Album
Nominees
"Ology" - Gallant
"We Are King" - KING
"Lemonade" - Beyoncé
"Anti" - Rihanna
"Malibu" - Anderson .Paak
Winner: "Lemonade"
It's a pretty strong field here, actually. That said, despite the strength of challengers (most notably Rihanna and Best New Artist nominee Anderson .Paak), Beyoncé will win this award.
Best Rap Song
Nominees
"No Problem" - Chance the Rapper feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
"Ultralight Beam" - Kanye West feat. Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream
"Famous" - Kanye West feat. Rihanna
"Hotline Bling" - Drake
"All The Way Up" - Fat Joe & Remy Ma feat. French Montana & Infrared
"Donnie Trumpet" - Kanye West feat. Chance the Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream
Winner: "Hotline Bling"
This pains me. Especially because "Hotline Bling" had one of the year's most iconic music videos and wasn't even nominated in that category. "Hotline Bling" doesn't deserve to be nominated in this category, however. There are much better Drake songs that should have been in its place. But The Grammy Awards are mysterious, and many times, especially in the rap categories, the best song doesn't go home with the award. I wonder why that is?
Best Rap Album
Nominees
"Coloring Book" - Chance the Rapper
"The Life of Pablo" - Kanye West
"Blank Face LP" - ScHoolboy Q
"Major Key" - DJ Khaled
"Views" - Drake
"And the Anonymous Nobody" - De La Soul
Winner: "Views"
We predicted that Drake would take home the award back when we made our Grammy nomination predictions, and not much has changed now that the nominations have been finalized.
Best Rap Performance
Nominees
"No Problem" - Chance the Rapper feat. Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
"That Part" - ScHoolboy Q feat. Kanye West
"All The Way Up" - Fat Joe & Remy Ma feat. French Montana & Infrared
"Panda" - Desiigner
"Pop Style" - Drake feat. The Throne
Winner: "No Problem"
Chance the Rapper won't just go home with one Grammy, so look for him to pull a minor upset here and beat out Drake, Desiigner, and the rest.
Best Country Song
Nominees
"Vice" - Miranda Lambert
"Die A Happy Man" - Thomas Rhett
"Blue Ain't Your Color" - Keith Urban
"My Church" - Maren Morris
"Humble and Kind" - Tim McGraw
Winner: "Vice"
Again, this is something we predicted earlier, and we're not changing our tune. "Vice" was the best country song this year by far, and it would be very, very surprising if it didn't win this Grammy.
Best Country Album
Nominees
"Ripcord" - Keith Urban
"Hero" - Maren Morris
"Big Day in a Small Town" - Brandy Clark
"Full Circle" - Loretta Lynn
"A Sailor's Guide To Earth" - Sturgill Simpson
Winner: "A Sailor's Guide To Earth"
Sturgill Simpson and his psychedelic country album come into this category (and the category of Album of the Year) as the ultimate dark horse. But in this field, his album is also the strongest. Look for an upset here.
Best Musical Theater Album
Nominees
"Bright Star"
"Waitress"
"The Color Purple"
"Fiddler on the Roof"
"Kinky Boots"
Winner: "Fiddler on the Roof"
The 2016 production of "Fiddler on the Roof" was incredibly strong, as was the official cast recording. And though "Waitress," "Kinky Boots," "The Color Purple," and "Bright Star" are all worthy challengers, look for the committee to go with a classic here.
Best Music Video
Nominees
"Upside Down & Inside Out" - OK Go
"Up & Up" - Coldplay
"River" - Leon Bridges
"Gosh" - Jamie XX
"Formation" - Beyoncé
Winner - "Formation"
The committee really did Beyoncé a favor here. "Hotline Bling" wasn't nominated, nor were "Angels," "Famous," or any of the year's other iconic and groundbreaking music videos. She should waltz away with this award easy-peasy.
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