Pre-Grammys Spotlight: what the artists had to say and our predicted winners

Kopal Mathur brings you our predictions for the 2021 Grammys plus all the goss leading up to the big event!

The 63rd Annual Grammys Awards will be airing tomorrow and we're already on the edge of our seats amid announcements of well-deserved nominations as well as an all-stars performance line-up, including an opening act by the one and only Harry Styles and many other artists like Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Post Malone and HAIM. There’s no doubt all eyes are set on the four major categories. Swift seems to be a shoo-in for Album of the Year, and Beyonce’s several nominations put her in a strong position to take a Grammy home.

The show hasn’t kicked off yet but it has already hit headlines after many were shocked big artists like The Weeknd were snubbed from nominations. The Weeknd’s album After Hours with it’s No. 1 hit single ‘Blinding Lights’ were deprived of a nomination despite its massive success worldwide. The artist expressed reproach on the Recording Academy’s negligence, commenting on the opaque nature of the nomination process in his tweet, ‘You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…’. This, coupled with his recent decision to boycott the Grammys entirely has become the highlight of Grammys-centric controversies. 

Halsey also voiced her disapproval for the nomination process taking to Twitter to say, “It can be about behind the scenes private performances, knowing the right people, campaigning through the grapevine — with just enough handshakes and 'bribes' that can be just ambiguous enough to pass as 'not-bribes.” 

On a similar note, Zayn Malik tweeted, “Unless you shake hands and send gifts, there’s no nomination considerations.” He was ineligible for the Grammys and later explained that the tweet “was not personal” and that he was trying to advocate for musicians that were subject to “favouritism, racism, and networking politics”. 

Amidst bold and conflicting artist opinions, the winners-to-be are more unpredictable than ever before, but after some close analysis by Pulp’s very own music reporters, we present to you some of our predictions.

RECORD OF THE YEAR

  • Savage (feat. Beyoncé) – Megan Thee Stallion (WINNER)

  • Black Parade – Beyoncé 

  • Colors – Black Pumas 

  • Rockstar (feat. Roddy Ricch) – DaBaby 

  • Say So – Doja Cat 

  • Everything I Wanted – Billie Eilish 

  • Don't Start Now – Dua Lipa 

  • Circles – Post Malone 

Despite ‘Black Parade’ only peaking at No. 37, it’s a promising nominee. It was heavily acclaimed for its allusions to the Black Lives Matters movement, not to mention Beyoncé’s impeccable vocals. But we cannot overlook the fame held by Megan Thee Stallion’s ‘Savage’. If our prediction is correct and it does take the win, it would be the first all-female collaboration to win in this category. 

ALBUM OF THE YEAR

  • Folklore – Taylor Swift (WINNER)

  • Chilombo – Jhené Aiko

  • Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) – Black Pumas

  • Everyday Life – Coldplay

  • Djesse Vol.3 – Jacob Collier

  • Women In Music Pt. III – HAIM

  • Future Nostalgia – Dua Lipa

  • Hollywood's Bleeding - Post Malone

It’s highly probable that Taylor Swift receives a win with Folklore, an extraordinary product of pandemic boredom. Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia along with Haim’s Women in Music Pt. III are strong contenders. However, Folklore ticked all the right boxes with tracks like ‘Epiphany’, inspired by the first responders and their selfless actions during the COVID-19 pandemic. With every song from the album appearing on Billboard’s Hot 100, it’s a front runner and would make Swift the fourth artist and the first female artist in Grammy history with three wins in this category. 

SONG OF THE YEAR

  • Black Parade – Beyoncé (WINNER)

  • The Box – Roddy Ricch

  • Cardigan – Taylor Swift 

  • Circles – Post Malone

  • Don't Start Now – Dua Lipa

  • Everything I Wanted – Billie Eilish

  • I Can't Breathe – H.E.R.

  • If The World Was Ending (feat. Julia Michaels) – JP Saxe 

The strongest contenders are seemingly ‘Black Parade’, ‘Cardigan’ and ‘Everything I Wanted’. ‘Cardigan’ has a good chance of winning with its poetic song writing and incredible performance on the charts but it’s ‘Black Parade’ who we think will take the win after it resonated with listeners in the wake of the Black Lives Matter protests.

BEST NEW ARTIST

  • Megan Thee Stallion (WINNER)

  • Ingrid Andress

  • Phoebe Bridgers

  • Chika

  • Noah Cyrus

  • D Smoke

  • Doja Cat

  • Kaytranada

With two No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100, Megan Thee Stallion is the front runner for Best New Artist. She featured on Cardi B’s ‘WAP’, which was No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100. ‘Savage’ featuring Beyoncé also topped the charts, and these hits have dominated on streaming platforms and TikTok, inspiring several popular trends and challenges. Megan Thee Stallion, relative to others nominated in this category, has the highest number of Grammy nominations at a total of 4, and her collaboration with household names like Beyoncé and Cardi B adds the cherry on top, defining her as the best new artist of 2020. 

Pulp Editors