With the rapid decline in the popularity of award shows, the Grammys have withheld a decent amount of attention from people around the world. Winning a Grammy award is the ultimate reward for a musician. Think of the event as the Oscars for music.

In 2023, 12.55 million people worldwide tuned in to watch. This year, the event will be held this Sunday. Comedian Trevor Noah will be hosting this year. Performances by artists such as Joni Mitchell, Travis Scott, and Billie Eilish are highly anticipated this year as they are every year. 

Popular artists like Taylor Swift and St. Louis-born SZA were nominated for multiple awards this year, such as Record of the Year and Album of the Year. These artists receive nominations every year, and more often than not walk away with the award. This takes away from the suspense and excitement of watching the award because it feels like the winners are always guaranteed. Here are my predictions, and also my hopes, for the winners of some of the most popular 2024 categories. 

Record of the Year

Nominees: 

“Worship” — Jon Batiste
“Not Strong Enough” — Boygenius
“Flowers” — Miley Cyrus
“What Was I Made For?” [from the motion picture Barbie] — Billie Eilish
“On My Mama” — Victoria Monét
“Vampire” — Olivia Rodrigo
“Anti-Hero” — Taylor Swift
“Kill Bill” — SZA

I predict that “Kill Bill” by R&B artist SZA will win. 2023 was a huge year for SZA, where she grew rapidly in popularity, releasing hit song “Kill Bill” on her album “SOS”. She also went on a US tour, including a show in St. Louis at the Enterprise Center, which gained a lot of attention. 

The record I hope will win is “Not Strong Enough” by Boygenius. 2023 was a big year for the band as well. They released their debut album “The Record,” which was a hit. But my hopes are low for them receiving the award because they lack the major popularity that the other nominees on the list hold. 

Album of the Year

Nominees: 

World Music Radio — Jon Batiste
The Record — Boygenius
Endless Summer Vacation — Miley Cyrus
Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd — Lana Del Rey
The Age of Pleasure — Janelle Monáe
Guts — Olivia Rodrigo
Midnights — Taylor Swift
SOS — SZA

Song titles should be in quotes like earlier in the story. I predict that “Midnights” by Taylor Swift will win. Every year, Swift tends to walk away with at least one Grammy win, and this year I think it will be for her album “Midnights”. The record was highly anticipated and was a hit with listeners worldwide. Swift attracted a lot of attention last year because of her Era’s Tour as well as her relationship with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.  

The album I hope will win is “The Record” by Boygenius or “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” by Lana Del Rey. Both albums are INCREDIBLE and in my opinion, are the best on this list, but due to popularity, Swift is more likely to win. 

Best New Artist

Nominees:

Gracie Abrams
Fred Again..
Ice Spice
Jelly Roll
Coco Jones
Noah Kahan
Victoria Monét
The War and Treaty

I predict that Ice Spice will win. Whether you like her irony or genuinely enjoy her music, Ice Spice was a HUGE name in 2023. She seemingly came out of nowhere in August with her song “Munch”. With this fame, she grew to have 24 million monthly Spotify listeners and was featured on hip hop artist Drake’s 2023 album “For All the Dogs, which also gained her attention. 

The artist I really hope will win is Noah Kahan. Kahan gained a large following last year as well with the release of his album “Stick Season”. Kahan also toured not once but 3 times last year all around the U.S. and Europe. Kahan is one of my all-time favorite artists and it would be incredible to see him win.

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical

Nominees: 

Jack Antonoff
Dernst “D’Mile” Emile II
Hit-Boy
Metro Boomin
Daniel Nigro

I predict and hope that Jack Antonoff will win Producer of the Year this year. Antonoff is well known for working with artists such as Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey, and Lorde, as well as being the frontman of indie band Bleachers. I will listen to and likely enjoy anything that Antonoff produces and I think he has a very good chance of winning this year. He has won this award twice in the past but I think he has a very good chance of winning this year because of his work on projects such as “Speak Now (Taylor’s Version)” by Taylor Swift and “Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd” by Lana Del Rey.

This year’s Grammy nominations present a lot of competition and I think that they will be incredibly exciting to watch. Because of the downfall of award shows in recent years, I’m curious to see if many people will discuss or even watch this year’s awards at all.