This Sunday, February 5th, is the 65th annual Grammys—the most coveted award in the music industry that has lost a lot of its respect in recent years with its disliked decisions. This year’s list of nominations is full of the biggest names in music in addition to some lesser-known artists. Personally, I will be praying for a full Beyoncé sweep.

Record of the Year

ABBA – Don’t Shut Me Down

Adele – Easy on Me

Beyoncé – Break My Soul

Brandi Carlile Featuring Lucius – You and Me on the Rock

Doja Cat – Woman

Harry Styles – As It Was

Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5

Lizzo – About Damn Time

Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous

Steve Lacy – Bad Habit

Who I want to win: Break My Soul

Who will win: As It Was

From staple members of the music industry like ABBA and Mary J. Blige to newcomers like Steve Lacy and Doja Cat, this category is a total mixed bag. I have nothing against ABBA—in fact, I love Mamma Mia, but did anyone actually listen to this song or album? I get it…it’s a career nomination, and the fact that they don’t have any Grammys already is crazy. However, I feel the Grammys overcompensated by giving them 5 nominations this year for an album that does not compete with their past works.

While it does feel a bit weird to see Doja Cat in this category given that the nominated song Woman (from her album Planet Her) came out in June of 2021, I do think this song is deserving. Similar can be said about Adele’s Easy On Me, which feels like it came out ages ago. But, I am pretty confident that As It Was by Harry Styles will win. It dominated the music charts this year and it has not left the zeitgeist since it was released. 

One song that I feel is starkly missing from this list is Super Freaky Girl by Nicki Minaj. This song achieved everything it needed to in order to receive a nomination. It was a number-one hit, it had its Tik Tok moment, and it was good. Not to mention it was by a seasoned rap icon. Once again, we see Minaj being blackballed by the Recording Academy. Despite her major impact on rap and pop music, Minaj has never won a Grammy.

Album of the Year

ABBA – Voyage

Adele – 30

Bad Bunny – Un Verano Sin Ti

Beyoncé – Renaissance

Brandi Carlile – In These Silent Days

Coldplay – Music of the Spheres

Harry Styles – Harry’s House

Kendrick Lamar – Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers

Lizzo – Special

Mary J. Blige – Good Morning Gorgeous (Deluxe)

Who I want to win: Renaissance

Who will win: Renaissance

I will die on the hill that Renaissance deserves to and will win the Grammy for album of the year this year. I know, we’ve seen Beyoncé win countless awards already. If she wins at least four this year she will become the most Grammy-awarded artist ever. That does not mean she is any less deserving of this award. She has been snubbed every previous time she has been nominated for AOTY. Most notably in 2017 when she lost the award to Adele. Possible rematch this year?

Many may disagree with me, but I am super happy to see Lizzo in the conversation for a lot of the awards this year. Her album, Special, while not as good as 2019’s Cuz I Love You, is still a collection of bops and ballads. Not to mention, the timely release of her documentary and concert special during Grammy voting season will certainly not hurt her chances of winning an award this year.

The biggest question I have, perhaps of all these nominations, is where is Motomami? Rosalía’s experimental pop album was perhaps the most innovative mainstream album of this year. It was fun, moving, and very creative. Another album I believe was snubbed is Charli XCX’s Crash. This album did not get the radio success it deserved, but it was a good album from an artist greatly underrecognized by the music industry. 

Song of the Year

Adele – Easy on Me

Beyoncé – Break My Soul

Bonnie Raitt – Just Like That

DJ Khaled Featuring Rick Ross, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, John Legend & Fridayy – God Did

Gayle – ABCDEFU

Harry Styles – As It Was

Kendrick Lamar – The Heart Part 5

Lizzo – About Damn Time

Steve Lacy – Bad Habit

Taylor Swift – All Too Well (10 Minute Version)

Who I want to win: All Too Well

Who will win: Easy on Me

You may be thinking, “Did I just see this exact list at the beginning of this article?” And yes, you kinda did. Song of the year is different from record of the year in that SOTY is more focused on the songwriting and not on the production. I’m just going to come out and say it: I don’t like these nominations! 

First off, who let ABCDEFU be nominated? I am genuinely curious who in The Recording Academy decided that was the song that deserved to make it into this list. No hate to Gayle, I’m sure she is talented, but this is a perfect example of why many believe TikTok is ruining music. Additionally, I think the inclusion of DJ Khaled’s song God Did is strange. I don’t think it’s worthy of this nomination.

I’m happy to see Taylor Swift’s All Too Well (Ten Minute Version) included because it exemplifies what this category means. It’s a songwriting award and All Too Well is some of the best songwriting of this generation. Despite that, Taylor Swift didn’t make it into any of the other major categories this year, leading me to think that she won’t win this category. Meanwhile, Adele is very present in the awards this year and is a past Grammys favorite.

Best New Artist

Anitta

Domi & JD Beck

Latto

Måneskin

Molly Tuttle

Muni Long

Omar Apollo

Samara Joy

Tobe Nwigwe

Wet Leg

Who I want to win: Omar Apollo

Who will win: Latto

This is…a pretty solid list. That being said, no one meets that breakthrough level like past winners Olivia Rodrigo or Dua Lipa. Latto, who had a pretty big year with her hit single Big Energy, made this list in addition to the Eurovision-winning Italian band Måneskin. Other notable contenders include Brazilian singer Anitta and the indie band Wet Leg. 

You can’t help but see the impact Tik Tok has had on this (and other) Grammy categories this year. Måneskin gained popularity after their 2017 song Beggin’ went viral. Other artists here have been working to get themselves a viral hit, most notably Omar Apollo’s promotion of his song Evergreen.

But let’s be real, some people are missing and I have to talk about them. Sabrina Carpenter, the former Disney Channel star (and friend of Taylor Swift) is currently having her pop star moment with her 2022 album emails i can’t send. Other artists I feel deserved a nom here are Rina Sawayama, whose album Hold the Girl came out this past fall, and Flo Milli, whose long-awaited (for me at least) debut album You Still Here, Ho? came out this year as well.

This year’s awards are looking up to be an exciting night. Records may be broken. Artists will likely be snubbed. But one thing is certain— the Grammys will surely receive mountains of hate from angry fans on Twitter.