Who might and should win at the 2023 Grammys

CEBU, Philippines —  The 2021-2022 season of music comes to a close when the 65th Annual Grammy Awards broadcasts its ceremony live from Los Angeles on the morning of February 6 in the Philippines.

Grammy results can be quite predictable at times, which often lead to controversy about whether a certain artist deserves their win or not. Regardless of how fans feel, we can’t help but root for our favorites, especially in the four main categories, ranked in order of importance: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.

Best New Artist

This award is a bit misleading as many nominees are usually not new, but rather artists whose rise to fame is notable in the past year during the eligibility period. The category should be retitled as Best Rising Artist. It’s also well-known to be “cursed” as some of the winners end up not having further success in their careers.

It is nonetheless a huge honor for any up-and-coming artist. Recent winners such as Olivia Rodrigo, Megan Thee Stallion, Billie Eilish, and Dua Lipa have enjoyed success in the music industry, weakening the “curse” as more of an unfortunate myth.

Nominees: Anitta, Omar Apollo, Domi and JD Beck, Samara Joy, Latto, Måneskin, Muni Long, Tobe Nwigwe, Molly Tuttle, Wet Leg

Might & Should Win: Anyone’s game, but preferably Anitta, Omar Apollo, Latto or Måneskin

This year’s hard to determine who the clear winner is. Anitta, Omar Apollo, Latto, and Måneskin have varying levels of success, but these are not as strong as those of previous nominees.

Song of the Year

Recipients of this award are songwriters. While it may not be as high as the Record of the Year category, winning a Grammy for one’s songwriting is a huge achievement.

Nominees: Gayle - ABCDEFU, Lizzo - About Damn Time, Taylor Swift - All Too Well (10-Minute Version), Harry Styles - As It Was, Steve Lacy - Bad Habit, Beyoncé - Break My Soul, Adele - Easy on Me, DJ Khaled - God Did, Kendrick Lamar - The Heart Part 5, Bonnie Raitt - Just Like That

Might Win: Adele - Easy on Me or Steve Lacy - Bad Habit

Most would associate Adele with her powerhouse singing prowess, which leads to her songwriting being overlooked at times. But her nominated song “Easy on Me” feels like a safe, predictable pick. Alternatively, the relatable factor of Lacy’s lyricism in “Bad Habit” might have a shot over the British songstress’ hit.

Should Win: Taylor Swift - All Too Well (10-Minute Version), Steve Lacy - Bad Habit or Lizzo - About Damn Time

While Swift may not be nominated in many categories this year, it feels right to have her magnum opus “All Too Well” win for its 10-minute version. With the lyrics written by Swift and her former songwriting partner Liz Rose wrote in 2011/2012 combined with the retrospective Folklore-ish and Evermore-ish lyricism from Swift in 2020/2021, it only feels right for Swift to finally win in this category.

Lacy’s “Bad Habit” would also be a welcome winner with its relatable, catchy lyrics that sound refreshing to the ears. The feel-good lyrics of “About Damn Time”, which is a staple of Lizzo’s music, makes it likewise deserving, especially for its infectious, quirky second verse that is viral on TikTok.

Album of the Year

Most viewers may be surprised to find that this category is not the top prize. Still, it’s a major deal to win this award in this era where singles are more prioritized over complete bodies of work in the age of streaming and TikTok.

Nominees: ABBA - Voyage, Adele - 30, Bad Bunny - Un verano sin ti, Beyoncé - Renaissance, Mary J. Blige - Good Morning Gorgeous, Brandi Carlile - In These Silent Days, Coldplay - Music of the Spheres, Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers, Lizzo - Special, Harry Styles - Harry’s House

Might Win: ABBA - Voyage, Adele - 30, or Harry Styles - Harry’s House

It’s not every day we see ABBA being nominated for the Grammys, as their reunion album “Voyage” serves as the only reunion project that they will ever do. Thus, Grammy voting members will probably give Album of the Year to the Swedish pop group.

Adele might somehow challenge that though as her past two albums, “21” and “25”, have won Album of the Year and it won’t be surprising if voters give her a third for with her album “30”.

“Harry’s House” also presented different shades of Styles that remained popular to both his fans and non-fans, and it would be refreshing for someone like him to win a top Grammy for once as opposed to clear favorites.

Should Win: Beyoncé - Renaissance, Bad Bunny - Un verano sin ti or Kendrick Lamar - Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Beyoncé’s past two studio albums, “BEYONCÉ” and “Lemonade”, have been overlooked by voters despite being the most nominated artist in the awarding giving body’s history. To have her finally win Album of the Year for “Renaissance” would somehow serve as poetic justice to her two successful albums being snubbed by the Grammys. Not to mention that the album’s house music sound will set trends for pop music in the coming years so giving it to her will further cement that prophecy.

Similarly, Lamar’s previous two albums, “To Pimp a Butterfly” and “DAMN.” were ignored in this category. While the reception towards Lamar’s latest project “Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers” have been warm at best, it would feel satisfying for the hip-hop artist to finally get a Grammy trophy outside the rap categories.

Bad Bunny’s win in this category for “Un verano sin ti” would be historic as it is the first Spanish album to be nominated. Should he prevail, he might open doors for Latin artists to have a chance to compete in the main Grammys, and not just in the Latin Grammys where the recent edition saw Spanish artist Rosalía’s Motomami win in the category over Bad Bunny.

Record of the Year

This is the biggest prize as it looks over all aspects of the song, including the recorded vocal performance and the production style.

Nominees: ABBA - Don’t Shut Me Down, Adele - Easy on Me, Beyoncé - Break My Soul, Mary J. Blige - Good Morning Gorgeous, Brandi Carlile feat. Ludacris - You and Me on the Rock, Doja Cat - Woman, Steve Lacy - Bad Habit, Kendrick Lamar - The Heart Part 5, Lizzo - About Damn Time, Harry Styles - As It Was

Might Win: ABBA - Don’t Shut Me Down, Adele - Easy on Me or Harry Styles - As It Was

It shouldn’t be surprising that ABBA would be nominated for the top prize considering the group’s cross-generational appeal. “Don’t Shut Me Down” brings a familiar nostalgia of ABBA’s previous discography and this might be why it might win.

On the other hand, Adele has always been a favorite among Grammy-voting members. “Easy on Me” is an appropriate, albeit safe, comeback that also brings in a similar sense of comfort for listeners.

Styles’ “As It Was” was played everywhere in 2022 and we won’t scratch our heads if the song wins due to its commercial appeal and the positive reactions it got upon release.

Should Win: Beyoncé - Break My Soul or Lizzo - About Damn Time

Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” and Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” feel like perfect anthems for our post-COVID-19 world, with the songs’ production emphasizing the message that the worst times have already passed and it’s time to celebrate. With that, it would somehow feel heartbreaking if Beyoncé or Lizzo didn’t snatch the top prize despite being perfect bops to describe our post-pandemic society.