Beyoncé tops nominations but faces tough competition at 2023 Grammys

I make no secret about it. I am rooting for Harry Styles at the 2023 Grammy Awards. I think my favorite ex 1-D is most deserving. His single, As It Was, and album, Harry’s House, are excellent productions that took his music to a higher level. Both are also No. 1 sellers and are still in the top slots in the hit lists after several months.

To Styles’ credit, he did get nominations in the major categories: Record of the Year, Album of the Year, Song of the Year, even Pop Solo Performance. So, I do hope that Styles gets to bring home a little gramophone or two come Feb. 5 after the Grammy Awards, which will be held at the Crypto.Com Arena in Los Angeles.

Take note of what I wrote though, hope. Not I am sure. This is because after getting a look at the list of nominees, all formidable, I have a feeling that Styles’ chance will have to rely on how more likeable he is to the voters. This is because if the qualifications for winning will be based on artistic and technical merits, then the nominees are all equal.

Just take a look at who Styles is up against for Record of the Year. Don’t Shut Me Down, ABBA; Easy on Me, Adele; Break My Soul, Beyoncé; Good Morning Gorgeous, Mary J. Blige; You and Me on the Rock, Brandi Carlile; Woman, Doja Cat; Bad Habit, Steve Lacy; The Heart Part 5, Kendrick Lamar; and About Damn Time, Lizzo.

Even if I say that Styles is on the same footing as Lizzo or Carlile, how can he be beside Adele, Beyoncé, ABBA, Lamar and that iconic Blige. That he made it to such an illustrious list should be award enough. But still his fans are hopeful.

Styles aside, the Grammy nominees show what a great year 2022 had been for recorded music.  It was varied, innovative, affecting, just plain wonderful to listen to. And to think that most of those nominated were recorded when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its worst. Artistry, if it exists picks no time to reveal itself. It just is.

By the way, just in case you are wondering why Taylor Swift’s Midnights is not in the running. Grammy nominations cover the last quarter of the previous year up to September of the next. Midnights will get its chance at the 2024 Grammys. Anyway, Swiftie is up for a few for All Too Well, the Taylor version.

Top nominee this year is Beyoncé, who might do a sweep but will find it difficult because there is Adele with seven, Brandi also with seven, Blige, DJ Khaled, Future, The-Dream and Styles with six each.

Here are some of the other nominees:

Album of the Year: Voyage, ABBA; 30, Adele; Un Verano Sin Ti, Bad Bunny; Renaissance, Beyoncé; Good Morning Gorgeous, Mary J. Blige; In These Silent Days, Brandi Carlile; Music of the Spheres, Coldplay; Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar; Special, Lizzo; Harry’s House, Harry Styles.

Song of The Year: abcdefu, GAYLE; About Damn Time, Lizzo; All Too Well (10 Minute Version) (The Short Film), Taylor Swift; As It Was, Harry Styles; Bad Habit, Steve Lacy; Break My Soul, Beyoncé; Easy on Me, Adele; GOD DID, DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay Z, John Legend & Fridayy; The Heart Part 5, Kendrick Lamar; Just Like That, Bonnie Raitt

Best New Artist: Anitta; Omar Apollo; DOMi & JD Beck; Muni Long; Samara Joy; Latto; Maneskin; Tobe Nwigwe; Molly Tuttle; Wet Leg.

Pop Solo Performance: Easy on Me, Adele; Moscow Mule, Bad Bunny; Woman, Doja Cat; Bad Habit, Steve Lacy; About Damn Time, Lizzo; As It Was, Harry Styles.

Pop Duo/Group Performance: Don’t Shut Me Down, ABBA; Bam Bam, Camila Cabello ft. Ed Sheeran; My Universe, Coldplay & BTS; I Like You (A Happier Song), Post Malone & Doja Cat; Unholy, Sam Smith and Kim Petras.

Traditional Pop Album: Higher, Michael Bublé; When Christmas Comes Around, Kelly Clarkson; I Dream of Christmas, Norah Jones; Evergreen, Pentatonix; Thank You, Diana Ross.

Pop Vocal Album: Voyage, ABBA; 30, Adele; Music of the Spheres, Coldplay; Special, Lizzo; Harry’s House, Harry Styles.

Dance/Electronic Recording: Break My Soul, Beyoncé; Rosewood, Bonobo; Don’t Forget My Love, Diplo and Miguel; I’m Good (Blue), David Guetta and Bebe Rexha; Intimidated, KAYTRANADA ft. H.E.R.; On My Knees, RUFUS DU SOL.

Dance/Electronic Album: Renaissance, Beyoncé; Fragments, Bonobo; Diplo, Diplo; The Last Goodbye, ODESZA; Surrender, RUFUS DU SOL.

Rock Performance: So Happy it Hurts, Bryan Adams; Old Man, Beck; Wild Child, The Black Keys; Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile; Crawl, Idles; Patient Number 9, Ozzy Osbourne ft. Beck; Holiday, Turnstile.

Rock Song: Black Summer, Red Hot Chili Peppers; Blackout, Turnstile; Broken Horses, Brandi Carlile; Harmonia’s Dream, The War on Drugs; Patient Number 9, Ozzy Osbourne ft. Beck.

Rock Album: Dropout Boogie, The Black Keys; The Boy Named If, Elvis Costello and The Imposters; Crawler, Idles; Mainstream Sellout, Machine Gun Kelly; Patient Number 9, Ozzy Osbourne; Lucifer On the Sofa, Spoon.

R&B Performance: VIRGO’S GROOVE, Beyoncé; Here with Me, Mary J. Blige ft. Anderson .Paak; Hrs & Hrs, Muni Long; Over, Lucky Daye; Hurt Me So Good, Jazmine Sullivan.

R&B Song: CUFF IT, Beyoncé; Good Morning Gorgeous, Mary J. Blige; Hrs & Hrs, Muni Long; Hurt Me So Good, Jazmine Sullivan; Please Don’t Walk Away, PJ Morton.

R&B Album: Good Morning Gorgeous, Mary J. Blige; Breezy, Chris Brown; Black Radio III, Robert Glasper; Candydrip, Lucky Daye; Watch the Sun, PJ Morton.

Rap Performance: GOD DID, DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy; Vegas, Doja Cat; pushin P, Gunna and Future ft. Young Thug; F.N. F. (Let’s Go), Hitkidd & GloRilla; The Heart Part 5, Kendrick Lamar.

Melodic Rap Performance: BEAUTIFUL, DJ Khaled ft. Future and SZA; WAIT FOR U, Future ft. Drake and Tems; First Class, Jack Harlow; Die Hard, Kendrick Lamar ft. Bixst and Amanda Reifer; Big Energy, Latto.

Rap Song: Churchill Downs, Jack Harlow ft. Drake; GOD DID, DJ Khaled ft. Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend and Fridayy; The Heart, Part 5, Kendrick Lamar; pushin’ P, Gunna and Future ft. Young Thug; WAIT FOR U, Future ft. Drake & Tems.

Rap Album: GOD DID, DJ Khaled; I Never Liked You, Future; Come Home The Kids Miss You, Jack Harlow; Mr. Morale & The Big Steppers, Kendrick Lamar; It’s Almost Dry, Pusha T.

Best Music Video: Easy on Me, Adele; Yet to Come, BTS; Woman, Doja Cat; The Heart Part 5, Kendrick Lamar; As It Was, Harry Styles; All Too Well: The Short Film, Taylor Swift.

Do check out the Grammy website for the rest of the nominations.