60 Years of Grammys
On January 28, 2018, the 60th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony will be broadcasted live from Madison Square Garden in New York City! Six decades of music is definitely something to celebrate and I’m glad that James Corden will host again. While I have to admit that there were some nominees I had never heard of, I’m glad that favorites like the Foo Fighters, Chris Stapleton, Kelly Clarkson, Jay-Z, and Bruno Mars are well-represented this year.
That being said, because the eligibility dates are October 1, 2016 through September 30, 2017, a few major releases missed the cutoff. For example: Taylor Swift’s Reputation will have to wait until next year because of its November 2017 release date but her song “Better Man” (sung by Little Big Town) is still eligible. (Either way, I’m clearly rooting for Stapleton’s “Broken Halos” to win for Best Country song). On a similar note, I find it interesting that even though Pink’s Beautiful Trauma was released in October 2017, her single “What About Us” was released in July so it’s both eligible and nominated for Best Pop Solo Performance. Same goes for Kelly Clarkson’s single “Love So Soft” (released on September 7, 2017) versus her album Meaning of Life (released in October 2017).
Anyway – here is the list of nominees and my picks for the ten categories that interest me the most. The category names are in bold and my choices for the best in each category are in italics. In some cases, I couldn’t decide so I italicized my two favorites. #sorrynotsorry
Record of the Year
“Redbone” — Childish Gambino
“Despacito” — Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber
“The Story of O.J.” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar
“24K Magic” — Bruno Mars
Album of the Year
“Awaken, My Love!” — Childish Gambino
“4:44” — Jay-Z
“DAMN.” — Kendrick Lamar
“Melodrama” — Lorde
“24K Magic” — Bruno Mars
Song of the Year
“Despacito” — Ramón Ayala, Justin Bieber, Jason “Poo Bear” Boyd, Erika Ender, Luis Fonsi and Marty James Garton (Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee featuring Justin Bieber)
“4:44” — Shawn Carter and Dion Wilson (Jay-Z)
“Issues” — Benny Blanco, Mikkel Storleer Eriksen, Tor Erik Hermansen, Julia Michaels and Justin Drew Tranter (Julia Michaels)
“1-800-273-8255” — Alessia Caracciolo, Sir Robert Bryson Hall II, Arjun Ivatury and Khalid Robinson (Logic featuring Alessia Cara and Khalid)
“That’s What I Like” — Christopher Brody Brown, James Fauntleroy, Philip Lawrence, Bruno Mars, Ray Charles McCullough II, Jeremy Reeves, Ray Romulus and Jonathan Yip
Best Pop Solo Performance
“Love So Soft” — Kelly Clarkson
“Praying” — Kesha
“Million Reasons” — Lady Gaga
“What About Us” — Pink
“Shape of You” — Ed Sheeran
Best Pop Vocal Album
“Kaleidoscope EP” — Coldplay
“Lust for Life” — Lana Del Rey
“Evolve” — Imagine Dragons
“Rainbow” — Kesha
“Joanne” — Lady Gaga
“÷” — Ed Sheeran
Best Rock Performance
“You Want It Darker” — Leonard Cohen
“The Promise” — Chris Cornell
“Run” — Foo Fighters
“No Good” — Kaleo
“Go to War” — Nothing More
Best Rap Performance
“Bounce Back” — Big Sean
“Bodak Yellow” — Cardi B
“4:44” — Jay-Z
“HUMBLE.” — Kendrick Lamar
“Bad and Boujee” — Migos featuring Lil Uzi Vert
Best Rap Album
“4:44” — Jay-Z
“DAMN.” — Kendrick Lamar
“Culture” — Migos
“Laila’s Wisdom” — Rapsody
“Flower Boy” — Tyler, the Creator
Best Country Solo Performance
“Body Like a Back Road” — Sam Hunt
“Losing You” — Alison Krauss
“Tin Man” — Miranda Lambert
“I Could Use a Love Song” — Maren Morris
“Either Way” — Chris Stapleton
Best Country Song
“Better Man” — Taylor Swift (Little Big Town)
“Body Like a Back Road” — Zach Crowell, Sam Hunt, Shane McAnally and Josh Osborne (Sam Hunt)
“Broken Halos” — Mike Henderson and Chris Stapleton (Chris Stapleton)
“Drinkin’ Problem” — Jess Carson, Cameron Duddy, Shane McAnally, Josh Osborne and Mark Wystrach (Midland)
“Tin Man” — Jack Ingram, Miranda Lambert and Jon Randall (Miranda Lambert)
Tune in next month to check out the awards, performances, and outfits. See ya in NYC!