Grammys 2023 predictions: the big four roundup

With awards season just around the corner, it’s time once again to place your bets on which artists will get their hands on music’s most sought-after trophies. It would be bold of me to attempt to predict every category as I have neither the time nor knowledge (emphasis on the latter), so we’ll have to settle for The Big 4: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist.

Album of the Year

Who Will Win: Renaissance, Beyoncé

Who Should Win: Renaissance, Beyoncé

Outside Chance: Un Verano Sin Tí, Bad Bunny

The Grammys on the whole looks to be a showdown between two global powerhouses: Adele and Beyoncé. Beyoncé has the most nominations this year with nine, while Adele has seven. Adele is undoubtedly the Grammys’ darling, having won 13 out of her 15 nominations, and she could very well land her third album of the year award here. But Beyoncé is yet to win Album of the Year despite being nominated in the category five times and having a whopping 88 Grammy nominations to her name. There would also be something poetic in Beyoncé taking the trophy against Adele, as Adele famously dedicated her 2017 Album of the Year win to Beyoncé, calling her the ‘artist of [her] life’. The only thing that could upset Beyoncé’s night is Bad Bunny. Un Verano Sin Tí has broken almost every record possible, scoring the largest selling album of the year, and being the first ever Spanish language album nominated in this category. Whilst it would be a surprising win for Bad Bunny, it would be by no means undeserving.

Record of the Year

Who Will Win: ‘As It Was’, Harry Styles

Who Should Win: ‘About Damn Time’, Lizzo

Outside Chance: ‘Bad Habit’, Steve Lacy

Of all The Big 4 categories, this one is probably the most open. Note that the di erence between Record of the Year and Song of the Year is the former awards the song as a whole, including its production, whilst the latter is just based on the songwriting. Harry Styles has won just one Grammy, and never one in The Big 4. ‘As It Was’ seems like the perfect opportunity for him to score his first big win: a smash hit with very distinct production value from his previous singles. Lizzo’s e ervescent disco banger ‘About Damn Time’ could spoil Styles’ fun, but I think the enduring popularity of ‘As It Was’ will ultimately win out. A notable mention goes to my personal favourite, ‘You and Me on the Rock’ (Feat. Lucius) by Brandi Carlile, who is nominated for seven awards this year and already has six Grammys and 25 nominations under her belt. Her alternative country-folk style has garnered a great deal of admiration from other artists and the Recording do think it’s pretty unlikely, so I’ll settle for Steve Lacey’s ‘Bad Habit’.

Song of the Year

Best New Artist

Who Will Win: Anitta

Who Should Win: Anitta

Academy themselves, though she has never quite made it to the mainstream. I wish I could argue she has an outside chance, but I

Will Win: ‘Easy on Me’, Adele

Who

Outside Chance: Wet Leg

Who

Should Win: ‘All Too Well (Ten Minute Version)’, Taylor Swift

Outside Chance: ‘The Heart Part 5’, Kendrick Lamar

It’s hard to see Adele not taking home at least one of the main awards, and if it were to be any, it will be this one. Her moving and introspective reflection on the breakdown of her marriage is a stunning example of one of this generation’s greatest songwriters at their very best. Kendrick Lamar gets a special mention here as he’s been popular with the Grammys in the past and is nominated in 8 categories this year. However, as a hardcore Taylor Swift fan it’s very hard to overlook ‘All Too Well, (Ten Minute Version)’, which is generally considered the piece de resistance of her shimmering career. Becoming the longest song to reach the top of the Billboard charts, it’s impossible to deny its popularity. It would also be Swift’s first win in the Song of the Year category, which would seem fitting for and known most significantly for her confessional and striking songwriting. That being said, it would be somewhat astonishing for a rerecorded song from 2012 to win 11 years later, and Adele would be more than a worthy winner of this prestigious accolade.

This is another category that feels fairly open. Although Anitta already has five studio albums and is a household name in Latin America, ‘Envolver’ was her first song to make an impact in the US. It would be a thoroughly deserved win for Anitta and indeed, the reggaeton genre as a whole. Italian rock band Måneskin also have a very decent shot at winning this award, and their post-Eurovision popularity could point to them ultimately coming out on top here. The marmite British indie rock duo Wet Leg should not be dismissed in this category, and, with winners in recent year tending toward the pop genre, a switch up by the Grammys here wouldn’t be totally surprising. This category is anyone’s game, but a win for Anitta would do well to reflect the growing and global popularity film@palatinate.org.uk

It would be impossible to speak on the Grammys without addressing the fact that in recent years, the very name has become almost synonymous with controversy. This year has been no di erent, with Drake and Silk Sonic refusing to submit their work for consideration, accusing the Academy of corruption. With that in mind, take all the eventual results with a pinch of salt and, more importantly, don’t blame me if my predictions are way o !