Tags
A Great Big World, Ariana Grande, beyonce, Charli XCX, Christina Aguilera, Coldplay, Disclosure, Ed Sheeran, Frozen, Grammy Nomination Predictions, Grammy Nominations, Grammy Predictions, Hozier, Idina Menzel, Iggy Azalea, Jack White, Jay-Z, Jessie J, Magic!, Nicki Minaj, Pharrell Williams, Sam Smith, Sia, St. Vincent, The Black Keys, tUnE-yArDs
Wouldn’t it be funny if Beyoncé came in with only two Grammy nods this year? I can’t really see it happening, but it would be funny because so many people are expecting her to be the front runner when the nominations for the 2015 Grammy’s are announced tomorrow morning. King Bey does seem like a sure bet to lead the pack though, for a few reasons. Her album “BEYONCE” was more than an album, it was an EVENT. The surprise release back in December was a big move in the industry, a game changer, and lots of her peers respect her for doing something so risky yet successful. And let’s not forget that the Grammy’s LOVE Beyonce, she opened up the show last year with just one nomination, a definite sign that the committee is still on her team. I expect at least 6 nominations for Mrs. Carter including Album of the Year, Record or Song of the Year for “Drunk in Love”, a few Pop nominations and a few R&B nominations, and a Long Form Video nomination for the Visual accompaniment to her album.
Beyonce performing at last years Grammys
But enough about Beyoncé, who else has a good shot of taking home multiple nods in a year that was very lackluster sales and quality wise? Normally you can look at billboard charts and RIAA to determine who will be nominated, but since sales were so low this year it’s hard to think of who are the favorites. The Grammy’s could go in lots of different directions this year, they could go very young and the likes of Iggy Azalea and Ariana Grande could come out with a bunch of nods. Or the Grammy’s could go very Indie and shine a light on acts like Hozier and St. Vincent. It’s really all up in the air at this point, making predictions difficult but not impossible.
I would say the artist next in line to score a lot of noms would be Sam Smith. He had a huge hit single with “Stay with Me”, and he’s the kind of act the Grammy’s love to shower with nominations. He’s British with that whole Singer/Songwriter angle, although his music is mostly contemporary, and he’s all about the singing and not about the smoke and mirrors that have become a necessity in today’s industry. Expect “Stay with Me” to be up for Record and Song of the Year, and I wouldn’t doubt his album “In the Lonely Hour” will grab a few nods.
unless Ariana Grande snatches the trophy from him.
Ariana Grande is another very popular act of 2014 that is sure to score multiple nominations. She wasn’t up for New Artist last year, so I would put money on her being a favorite in that category this year. She also had two big singles this year in “Problem” and “Break Free”, so either one of those could end up contributing to her list of nominations this year. I do think that her fanbase is incredibly young, and this might mess up her final total of nominations, but she was so successful this year that she will definitely be named in a few categories. I also can’t help but think her collaboration with Jessie J and Nicki Minaj could result in a nom, probably Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Pharrell will be HAPPY when his multiple nominations are announced
Other shoe-ins should be Pharrell Williams, Sia, Jack White, The Black Keys and Iggy Azalea. Williams came off a big year last year, he picked up four Grammys and an Oscar nomination. This year should continue that streak of renewed popularity, and his worldwide smash “Happy” will definitely be up for Record and Song of the Year. Same with Sia and “Chandelier”, and hopefully her superior album “1000 Forms of Fear” will grab an Album of the Year nod. Jack White and The Black Keys should see themselves up for various Rock categories, and it seems likely they’ll both be up for Album of the Year with “Lazaretto” and “Turn Blue” respectively. As far as Iggy, I can see “Fancy” up for Record of the Year at the very least, along with a best New Artist nomination and a few mentions in a few Hip Hop categories.
Other very likely nominees include Ed Sheeran and Coldplay. These two acts are popular and have become Grammy darlings, I’m just not sure how far the love will go. Sheeran’s “X” will probably be nominated for Album of the Year, but with not many big hit singles coming from that outing it’s not clear if Grammy voters will even remember that he’s eligible. Same with Coldplay whose latest album “Ghost Stories” was released earlier this year and generated two Top 20 singles, but their impact wasn’t as prevalent as years prior. I can’t see them NOT getting ANY nominations, but they might have to settle for just a few.
Charli XCXs Boom Clap is a contender
There are a few artists that I can see getting nods in BIG categories, but not much else. For example A Great Big World had a big hit with “Say Something” featuring Christina Aguilera, Magic! did the same with “Rude”, and thanks to “The Fault in Our Stars” Charli XCX‘s had a big hit with “Boom Clap”. Those three will most likely be up for either Record of the Year or Song of the Year, or both. I also have this feeling that the song nobody could get away from this year will end up scoring big in those two categories. That song!? “Let It Go” from the ubiquitous Disney film “Frozen”.
Hozier, the “wild card” act that will probably score a few nods
So that leaves the Wildcard artists, because no Grammy year passes without people saying “who is that!?”. I think the more underground Independent artists that will shine this year include Hozier, who gained lots of buzz after his recent “Saturday Night Live” appearance and his single “Take Me to Church” is picking up radio steam. He, like Sam Smith, is the type of act the Grammy voters love. The nominee crowd is tight though, so I’m not sure where he would fit in other than the New Artist category. Speaking of, we all know that nearly every year the Grammy’s get the meaning of “NEW” wrong, so I have this feeling that both Tune-Yards and St. Vincent might be able to get into this category with their more recent efforts, which thanks to “Saturday Night Live” and the FX network have gotten them more exposure than before. Disclosure also has a good shot at grabbing some surprise nominations, and this is mostly due to Sam Smith and their collaboration “Latch”.
So yeah, that’s all I have right now.
Check out how well I did tomorrow morning, and watch the Grammy Holiday Special tomorrow night! Here is my Prediction run-down for the Big 4 categories.
ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Beyonce “BEYONCE”
Hozier “Hozier”
Ed Sheeran “X”
Sam Smith “In the Lonely Hour”
Jack White “Lazaretto”
SONG OF THE YEAR
Beyonce featuring Jay-Z “Drunk in Love”
A Great Big World “Say Something”
Idina Menzel “Let It Go”
Sam Smith “Stay with Me”
Pharrell Williams “Happy”
RECORD OF THE YEAR
Iggy Azaelea featuring Charli XCX “Fancy”
Beyonce featuring Jay-Z “Drunk in Love”
Charli XCX “Boom Clap”
Sia “Chandelier”
Sam Smith “Stay with Me”
NEW ARTIST
Iggy Azalea
Ariana Grande
Hozier
Sia
Sam Smith
St. Vincent
(and just to show off, I did the picture below randomly today during work using Photoshop. What do you think?)
