The Grammys have taken place annually since 1959, honoring the year’s highest quality of music, and will again recognize today’s artists on Sunday, Jan. 26. 

     The Grammys award to 81 categories, focusing on specific aspects of music such as pop, rock, classical, and even producing. 

     With many distinct categories, the most coveted prizes lie within the “Big Four.” These categories expanse over all genres of music, allowing country stars to compete against pop stars. 

     Because of this, it is traditionally seen as a high honor to be awarded within these four categories: “Best New Artist,” “Song of the Year,” “Record of the Year” and the most coveted, “Album of the Year.”

     Since the 61st Grammys in early 2019, the nominees in the “Big Four” categories have been expanded from five to eight. 

     The “Song of the Year” category awards the quality of a song’s lyrics and its melodies. The nominees are  “Always Remember Us This Way” by Lady Gaga, “Bad guy” by Billie Eilish, “Bring My Flowers Now” by Tanya Tucker, “Hard Place” by H.E.R., “Lover” by Taylor Swift, “NfR” by Lana Del Rey, “Someone You Loved” by Lewis Capaldi and “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo. 

    The song that should take home this award is “Lover” by Taylor Swift because it wonderfully demonstrates an ode to love. The lyrics are simple, yet they portray a true desire for love and want to feel a connection. Because of this, listeners are immersed into Swift’s message. The accompanying melody is soft; however, it is what makes the song. Listeners can actually hear the staccato when Swift sings “My.” The melody allows itself to be elegant, which allows a classical feel to be created.

    “Record of the Year” awards to a single song, not an album. For this category, songs are looked at the quality of the performance and the production of the album. The song not only must have well-sung vocals, it must also have a good sound with the production.

     The nominees are “Bad guy” by Eilish; “Hard Place” by H.E.R.; “Hey, Ma” by Bon Iver; “Old Town Road” by Lil Nas X, featuring Billy Ray Cyrus; “7 rings” by Ariana Grande; “Sunflower (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse)” by Post Malone and Swae Lee; “Talk” by Khalid; and “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo.

      The song that will take this award home is “Truth Hurts” by Lizzo. “Truth Hurts” has great vocals, and this song is substantially different than its competition through its unique style. Lizzo’s song is an overall powerhouse. 

   “Best New Artist” awards to “a new artist who releases, during the Eligibility Year, the first recording which establishes the public identity of that artist.” The nominees for this category are Black Pumas; Eilish; Lil Nas X; Lizzo; Maggie Rogers; Rosalía; Tank and the Bangas; Yola.               

    When the nominees were announced, many people were confused as they have not heard of half of the nominated artists at all. With that respect, Black Pumas, Rosalía, Tank and the Bangas and Yola are likely to not win the award. Their music is not necessarily “groundbreaking,” either. Because of this, Eilish, Lil Nas X, Lizzo and Rogers are all strong contenders for this award. Although many people are mesmerized by Eilish and Lizzo, the nominee that is likely to take this award home is Rogers. Rogers’ music is brand new to the music industry, and she appears as a promising artist. Rogers also has the best discography and breakthrough album of all the nominees. 

   “Album of the Year” is seen as the most coveted prize at the Grammys because it honors the entire album, from the vocals of the singers to the production. The whole album must be cohesive and show excellence in all of these aspects. 

    The nominees for “Album of the Year” are “NFR!” by Del Rey; “Thank U, Next” by Grande; “I, I” by Bon Iver; “7” by Lil Nas X; “Father of the Bride” by Vampire Weekend; “When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?” by Eilish, “I Used to Know Her” by H.E.R.; and “Cuz I Love You (Deluxe)” by Lizzo.

     Without a doubt, Del Rey should win this award. “NFR!” is on a different caliber than the other albums. Del Rey’s vocals, as well as Jack Antonoff’s production, are divine. “NFR!” has also been one of the highest acclaimed albums of the year. Each track is mesmerizing and causes listeners to want to return to the album.

      Swift, Lizzo, Rogers, and Del Rey can expect to take home Grammy gold on January 26, 2020.

Mark Harris, Staff Writer