Saturday, September 17, 2016

Grammy 2017 Predictions - Part 1


After my success in predicting the 2016's Grammy nominations last year, it's already that time of the year again to predict some of the nominations for the highest award for music, Grammy Awards. Considering that the last date for Grammy's eligibility (September 30th) is just around the corner, and there won't be any release that's able to steal some of the year's best works, I guess it's safe to assume that we can start predicting, like right now. 

Let's start by predicting the easiest and the only categories that people actually care first: the general field. 

1. Album of the Year
Three albums will be a lock: Adele's 25 from pop, Beyonce's Lemonade from R&B, and Radiohead's A Moon Shaped Pool from alternative field. The next two albums will be a wild guess and blood bath. We have a lot of great releases for the past year, and it's hard to pick a standout album. From rap category, my mind directly jumps to Drake's VIEWS, the first male album that reigned Billboard 200 for twelve weeks, since God-knows-who. While the critical response isn't as lukewarm as its sales, VIEWS cannot be overlooked. Chance The Rapper's Coloring Book is also one of this year's best albums can also be nominated here as well, especially considering the fact that Chance The Rapper has a high chance to be nominated in Best New Artist as well. 

Still from pop, we know that how much Grammy loves veteran. David Bowie's final album before his passing, Blackstar, is a great album and I'm pretty much sure the committee won't miss a chance to pay some tribute to Bowie by nominating it. Janet Jackson's latest effort, Unbreakable, also sneak in here. On the other hand, it's hard for country field as there's no standout albums this past year and I'm not listening to that much country albums, but I haven't heard a single thing about Sturgill Simpson's A Sailor's Guide To Earth, but praise, so this could be pretty much the shocking nominations. 

Another contender will probably be Rihanna's ANTI, or Sia's This Is Acting (God, NARAS really loves Sia like crazy), or Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, or Frank Ocean's Blonde, but don't get your expectation up too high since NARAS is known by their bold move and Blonde is released independently. Knowing Ocean, he pretty much doesn't even bother. 

Final Predictions:
1. Adele, 25
2. Beyonce, Lemonade
3. Radiohead, A Moon Shaped Pool
4. David Bowie, Blackstar, or Sturgill Simpson, A Sailor's Guide To Earth 
5. Drake, VIEWS or Kanye West, The Life of Pablo

2. Record of the Year
I can't help but thinking of, "Okay ladies now let's get in formation" when "Formation" is announced as one of the nominees for Record of the Year. This anthem is definitely what committees mean by a good record. With that being said, Adele's "Hello" also begs to say hello for this category as well. It's tough to pick the next contenders. I can see Rihanna's "Work (feat. Drake)", but is it good enough? Or probably Rihanna can send another song, like "Needed Me" that sounds more friendly and less obnoxious? Talking about Drake, we cannot dismiss his song of the summer, "One Dance (feat. Kyla & Wizkid)". I also love Radiohead's "Burn The Witch", one of Radiohead's best produced track ever, but is NARAS willing to take brave move? 

Justin Bieber's not-so-surprising victory last year, also proves that Grammys has begun to warm up to Bieber's work and "Sorry" is this year's best record as well. Also, don't forget how inexplicable Grammy's love to Sia is, so "Cheap Thrills" can also be nominated here. We also notice that Grammy puts something recent for the general field, like, Lady Gaga's "Perfect Illusion" probably, and since it comes from the same cold hand of Mark Ronson, its quality is guaranteed. What about the current leader of Billboard Hot 100, The Chainsmokers' "Closer (feat. Halsey)"? Do they even stand a chance against these giants? 

Final Predictions:
1. Beyonce, "Formation"
2. Adele, "Hello"
3. Sia, "Cheap Thrills" or Lady Gaga, "Perfect Illusion"
4. Radiohead, "Burn The Witch"
5. Justin Bieber, "Sorry"

3. Song of the Year
Pretty much with Record of the Year, there won't be much differences for this category. Still, same old Beyonce and Adele. David Bowie probably can sneak in with his "Blackstar". Also, I can see Lukas Graham's "7 Years" just for the sake of surprising us. If Bieber decides to send "Love Yourself" for Song of the Year, yes he can get a spot in this category. 

And still we're missing any country song, but Florida Georgia Line's "H.O.L.Y" can represent the country field or am I just wild guessing? We can also consider Radiohead's "Burn The Witch" again for this field. To be honest, really, I won't see any difference with Record of the Year. 

Final Predictions:
1. Beyonce, "Formation"
2. Adele, "Hello"
3. David Bowie, "Blackstar" or Radiohead, "Burn The Witch"
4. Justin Bieber, "Love Yourself"
5. Lukas Graham, "7 Years" or Sia, "Cheap Thrills"

4. Best New Artist
The ultimate question is: is Twenty One Pilots eligible? I'm one of the few people who never get the charm of Twenty One Pilots, but it just seems unfair if they're overlooked? Since Grammy committee expands their rule for Best New Artist, it's a probability that Twenty One Pilots is eligible. And also The Chainsmokers, after releasing monstrous hits, like "Closer" and "Don't Let Me Down", the committee is not blind to see their success. I can see former Grammy-nominee Charlie Puth, especially after he released his Nine Track Mind. Shawn Mendes? It's a long shot, but why not? Alessia Cara and Troye Sivan are inseparable duo, but I know NARAS can be a cold-blooded bunch of people, so they will only pick one and that's Alessia Cara. Chance The Rapper is a lock definitely and be the Courtney Barnett of 2017's Grammy Award. We also have Zayn, Halsey, Zara Larsson, Flume, Bryson Tiller. God, who would've guessed that this category will be the most competitive?

Final Predictions:
1. Charlie Puth
2. Alessia Cara
3. The Chainsmokers
4. Chance The Rapper
5. Flume or Twenty One Pilots or, well, Zayn?  

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