The 63rd GRAMMY Awards are set to take place on Jan. 31, 2021. Whether there will be a live audience or a red carpet is undecided since the award show is a few months away. The 63rd GRAMMY Awards will be honoring music releases from late 2019 and from 2020. While it’s fantastic just to be nominated or win in any category, the most coveted categories to receive a golden gramophone in are Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, and Best New Artist. While Grammy nominations have not been announced yet, these are my opinions of, if nominated, who could potentially win an award.
Late 2019 through 2020 had some of the best album releases that I’ve seen in awhile. The Weekend’s “After Hours,” if nominated, is the highest contender on my list and probably other’s lists as well. “After Hours” hit number 1 on the US Billboard 200 and the US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard). The album also reached number 1 in 20 other countries. Taylor Swift’s “Folklore” is next on the list. Although her album “Lover” was released in late 2019, it seems as though “Folklore” will go further in the committee’s votes for nominations. I haven’t heard much of either of her albums because I am personally not a fan of her music, but Taylor Swift seems like she could be a contender. Lastly, I’m going to give my last prediction for Record of the Year to Harry Styles’ “Fine Line”. “Fine Line” was released in December of 2019 and I still cannot stop listening to it. I am an avid fan of Harry Styles and when I thought his next album couldn’t be better than his first, self-titled solo album, released in 2017, I was pleasantly surprised with how wrong I was. To me “Fine Line” is simply a masterpiece.
There are so many contenders for Song and Record of the Year: The Weekend’s “Blinding Lights”, Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture”, Roddy Rich’s “The Box”, Megan Thee Stallion and Beyonce’s “Savage”, Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me”, Harry Styles’ “Watermelon Sugar” or “Adore You”, and BTS’s “Dynamite”. The Weekend’s “Blinding Lights” was phenomenal and won Video of the Year at the 2020 VMAs, so this wouldn’t be its first award. Lady Gaga and Ariana Grande’s “Rain on Me” won Song of the Year at the VMAs, along with several other awards so it is definitely a contender for Song of the Year at the GRAMMYs. I think it really comes down to The Weekend’s “Blinding Lights” which is amazing and Lil Baby’s “The Bigger Picture” which is also amazing and addresses the prejudice and the importance of the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020.
The last category is Best New Artist. I think the top 2 contenders for the Best New Artist category will be Megan Thee Stallion and Doja Cat. Both have become well-known. Although these artists seem like the top 2 contenders, I wouldn’t be surprised if an unexpected artist took home the golden gramophone in this category.