Grammys
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Kendrick Lamar already has 17 Grammys to his name, and he could add several more if “Not Like Us” dominates next month’s Grammy nominations announcement (Nov. 8).
A strong contender for both record and song of the year, the Billboard Hot 100-topping diss track is also a frontrunner in the rap field categories of best rap song and best rap performance. Should “Not Like Us” take home the gold in both of those categories, it would become the fifth Lamar track to pull off the feat following “I” (2015), “Alright” (2016), “Humble” (2018), and “The Heart Part 5” (2023).
As can be the case across genres, there has been a fair amount of overlap between performance and songwriting categories in the rap field over the years. Since the best rap performance category was introduced in 2012 – several more specific categories were condensed in a major rehaul of the ceremony — eight songs have triumphed both there and in best rap song, which was introduced in 2004. In addition to Lamar’s victories, the other winners include Jay-Z & Kanye West‘s “N—as in Paris” (2013), Macklemore & Ryan Lewis‘ “Thrift Shop” (2014), Megan Thee Stallion & Beyoncé‘s “Savage” (2021) and Killer Mike, Future, André 3000 and Eryn Allen Kane‘s “Scientists & Engineers” (2024).
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Before the categories were restructured, two best rap song winners — Jay-Z, Rihanna and West’s “Run This Town” (2010) and Jay-Z & Alicia Keys‘ “Empire State of Mind” (2011) — also won best rap/sung performance (now called best melodic rap performance). In 2004, Eminem‘s “Lose Yourself” won best rap song — making him the inaugural winner in that category — and best male rap solo performance.
But what tracks could block “Not Like Us” from a rap field sweep? Let’s break down the leading contenders in both categories.
Best Rap Song
First, there’s the question of “Like That.” If Lamar’s Hot 100-topping collaboration with Future & Metro Boomin wins both best rap song and best rap performance, Lamar would still earn his fifth double-whammy. In the event that both “Not Like Us” and “Like That” earn nods in best rap song, Lamar would increase his tally to 10 career nods in this category — the fourth most of all time. A nod for “Like That” would earn Future his fourth nomination in this category and Metro Boomin his first.
Two non-Lamar Hot 100 chart-toppers could also earn nods here: Megan Thee Stallion’s “Hiss” and Ye & Ty Dolla $ign‘s “Carnival.” Megan remains the first and only female rapper to win this category, and a nod for “Hiss” would be her first nomination in this category for a solo song. Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) has the most wins in the history of this category (7); a nod for “Carnival” here would be his seventeenth — the most of all time — and Ty Dolla $ign’s first. “Carnival” could also earn career-first Grammy nods for Don Toliver and Playboi Carti, who are credited songwriters and featured artists on the track.
Carti is also in contention by way of Travis Scott‘s “FE!N,” which reached No. 5 on the Hot 100 in 2023. The duo performed the track at the 2024 Grammy telecast, where its parent album, the Billboard 200-topping Utopia lost best rap album to Killer Mike’s Michael. Between his globe-trotting Circus Maximus Tour and a historic re-release of his decade-old Days Before Rodeo mixtape, Travis has remained a consistent presence this year. Killer Mike, on the other hand, could bookend his 2024 victory in this category with “Humble Me.”
Two other massive 2024 Hot 100 hits — Jack Harlow‘s “Lovin On Me” (No. 1) and Tommy Richman‘s “Million Dollar Baby” (No. 2) — are also very strong contenders. Richman is looking for his first Grammy nod, while Harlow is looking to earn his second nod in this category following “Churchill Downs” (with Drake) in 2023.
There are also a number of other notable Hot 100 hits that are in contention, including: Sexyy Red‘s “Get It Sexy” (No. 20), Nicki Minaj‘s “FTCU” (No. 15), GloRilla‘s “Yeah Glo” (No. 28), Flo Milli‘s “Never Lose Me” (No. 15), Doja Cat‘s “Demons” (No. 46), Lil Baby & Central Cee‘s “Band4Band” (No. 18), Cardi B‘s “Enough” (No. 9) and 21 Savage‘s “Redrum” (No. 5). Both Lil Baby and Cardi B are seeking their second nominations in this category, while Minaj and Doja are each aiming for their third. 21 Savage, who won this category alongside J. Cole for “A Lot” in 2020, is looking to earn his fourth nomination in this category. Out of these contenders, Hot Girl Summer tourmates Megan Thee Stallion and GloRilla are likely the strongest contenders, but both have a more favorable history in best rap performance.
As always, there are also a few dark horses for which to keep an eye out. Rapsody, a previous nominee in this category for “Sassy” back in 2018, could pull off a nomination for “Asteroids,” while ScHoolboy Q could earn his first nod in this category with “Thank God 4 Me.” Eminem is the inaugural winner of this category, and he’s since added four additional nominations. “Tobey” (with Big Sean and BabyTron) could earn Slim Shady his first best rap song nod since 2019, when his Joyner Lucas-assisted “Lucky You” earned a nomination. Lucas is also in contention with his Jelly Roll duet, “Best for Me,” which earned a nod for best video for good at the MTV Video Music Awards last month. Finally, Common could earn his second nomination in this category with “When the Sun Shines Again” (with Pete Rock and Posdnuos).
Our Fearless Forecast
So, which five songs have the best chance to be nominated in this Grammy category? The rap field is always unpredictable, but here goes nothing: “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar), “Lovin On Me” (Jack Harlow), “Like That” (Future, Metro Boomin & Lamar), “Asteroids” (Rapsody) and “Carnival” (Ye, Ty Dolla $ign, Don Toliver & Playboi Carti)
Best Rap Performance
Given the history of overlap between best rap song and best rap performance, most of the aforementioned songs are also contenders in this category. Some other Hot 100 hits to keep an eye on include Bryson Tiller‘s “Whatever She Wants” (No. 19), Eminem’s “Houdini” (No. 2) and Megan Thee Stallion and Yuki Chiba‘s “Mamushi” (No. 36). A nod in this category would be the first for Tiller and Chiba. Also in contention here with “Hiss,” Megan is looking to add to her two previous nominations in this category. Eminem has earned 12 career nods across rap performance categories; he has won best rap solo performance three times in addition to one triumph in best male rap solo performance and two wins in best rap performance by a duo or group.
Other strong contenders include Doechii‘s “Nissan Altima,” Latto‘s “S/O to Me,” LL Cool J & Eminem’s “Murdergram Deux,” Big Sean‘s “Yes” and ScHoolboy Q’s “Blueslides.”
Our Fearless Forecast
So, which five songs have the best chance to be nominated in this category? I predict: “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar), “HISS” (Megan Thee Stallion), “Like That” (Future, Metro Boomin & Lamar), “Murdergram Deux” (LL Cool J & Eminem) and “Yeah Glo” (GloRilla)
From Beyoncé‘s “Texas Hold ‘Em” to Sabrina Carpenter‘s “Espresso,” several 2024 Billboard Hot 100 hits are strong contenders for top honors at the 2025 Grammys — but there are also a handful of older songs that could pop up when nominations are announced on Nov. 8.
According to the rules and guidelines handbook for the 67th annual Grammy Awards, recordings must be commercially released, nationally distributed, and available from any date within the eligibility period (Sept. 16, 2023, to Aug. 30, 2024) through at least Jan. 3, 2025 – the date of this Grammy year’s final-ballot voting deadline. Furthermore, unless otherwise instructed upon submission, the academy will use the original album version of a song for screening and verification purposes. This means that a hit like Tate McRae‘s “Greedy” — which was released on Sept. 15, 2023 — is ineligible for the 2025 Grammys in its original form, but can still be considered for a nomination in a different iteration, such as an acoustic or live version.
It’s not uncommon for an alternate version of a song to earn a Grammy nod — especially if the track in question gained prominence after the eligibility period for its original version closed. Live albums and single recordings have been nominated (and won) in the past, especially in the decades before the Academy enacted major overhauls of the ceremony’s categories.
In 2011, the last year the Grammy for best female pop vocal performance was presented, a live version of Beyoncé’s “Halo” earned a nod. The year prior, the original studio version of the song won in that category, becoming Beyoncé’s first and only victory in the pop field. The following year, Adele swept the ceremony with her 21 album — including a best pop solo performance win for “Someone Like You” — making the album and the original version of its tracks ineligible for future ceremonies. In 2013, she triumphed with a second consecutive win in the category thanks to a live version of “Set Fire to the Rain” recorded at the Royal Albert Hall. The British powerhouse would go on to win this particular award twice more — “Hello” (2017) and “Easy On Me” (2023) — making her the all-time biggest winner in this category.
In 2015, a whopping three of the five nominated tracks in best pop solo performance were alternate versions: Pharrell Williams‘ “Happy (Live),” John Legend‘s “All of Me (Live),” and Sam Smith‘s “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version).” The Williams and Legend tracks were both released during the eligibility period for the 2014 Grammys but reached No. 1 on the Hot 100 during the eligibility period for the following year’s ceremony. The original version of Smith’s smash was eligible, but his label (Capitol Records) opted to submit the Darkchild version instead. Ultimately, Williams beat out the competition and took home his first and only solo win in the pop field.
In 2019, a solo live version of Camila Cabello‘s “Havana,” which originally featured a rap verse from Young Thug, reaped a bid in this category, but it lost to Lady Gaga‘s “Joanne (Where Do You Think You’re Going?)” — a piano version of the title track from her Joanne LP, which earned a pair of nods the year prior.
Before best pop duo/group performance was introduced in 2012, live versions helped two bands win best pop performance by a duo or group with vocals. Maroon 5 won with “This Love (Live)” in 2006, and Train won with “Hey, Soul Sister (Live)” in 2011.
Outside of the pop categories, live versions often do well in the rock field. Since it was established in 1990, four of the winners for best metal performance have been live renditions, with the most recent being Judas Priest‘s 2010 victory for “Dissident Aggressor (Live).” Back in 2001, before the best female rock vocal performance category was discontinued, Sheryl Crow won with a live version of “There Goes the Neighborhood,” the original version of which lost in the same category at the 1999 ceremony.
The R&B categories are a bit frostier toward alternate versions. Just one live rendition has ever won in any R&B performance category; Stevie Wonder and Take 6‘s “Love’s in Need of Love Today (Live)” — a cover of the opening track from 1976’s Songs in the Key of Life — took home best R&B performance by a duo or group with vocals in 2003. Beyoncé earned a nod for best female R&B vocal performance in 2009 for her live rendition of her 2003 hit “Me, Myself and I.” (She lost to Alicia Keys‘ “Superwoman.”)
In 2023, Latto‘s “Big Energy (Live)” became the first live rendition to earn a nomination for best melodic rap performance, ultimately losing to Future, Drake and Tems‘ “Wait for U.”
Live and alternate versions face the toughest battle in the general field categories of record and song of the year. Sam Smith’s aforementioned “Stay With Me (Darkchild Version)” won both record and song of the year, but no live version has ever been nominated (or won) in either category.
Here’s a round-up of 2024 Hot 100 hits that were submitted under alternate versions to skirt eligibility rules for the 2025 Grammys.
Tate McRae, “Greedy”
Most of the 113 albums vying for Grammy nominations for best children’s music album are by artists best-known for that genre. But the list also includes several well-known pop stars, and even a famous actor.
John Legend is entered with My Favorite Dream, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 on Billboard’s Kid Albums chart in September. The EGOT recipient is a 12-time Grammy winner. His biggest hit is the ballad “All of Me,” which topped the Billboard Hot 100 in May 2014.
Lisa Loeb, best known for “Stay (I Missed You),” with the Nine Stories, a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 in August 1994, is entered with That’s What It All About, with the Hollow Trees. Loeb won in this category in 2018 for Feel What U Feel.
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Patrick Stump, best known as the frontman for Fall Out Boy, is entered with Music From and Inspired by Marvel’s Spidey and His Amazing Friends. Stump composed the theme music for the TV show, which has aired on Disney Jr. since 2021. Fall Out Boy has received two Grammy nods — best new artist and best rock album for M A N I A. The band has notched four top 10 hits on the Hot 100, topped by “This Ain’t a Scene, It’s an Arms Race,” which debuted and peaked at No. 2 in February 2007.
Singer-songwriter Christina Perri is entered with songs for pixie. She cracked the Kid Albums chart with two albums with similar titles, Songs for Carmella and Songs for Rosie. Perri has had three top 30 hits on the Hot 100 (“Jar of Hearts,” “A Thousand Years” and “Human”).
Walk Off the Earth & Romeo Eats are entered with Buon Appetito. Walk Off the Earth is a Canadian indie pop band that cracked the top half of the Billboard 200 with three albums in the 2010s.
Actor William Shatner is entered with Where Will the Animals Sleep?, which debuted and peaked at No. 5 on Kid Albums in June.Shatner has received two Grammy nods in the category now known as best audio book, narration, and storytelling recording. He was nominated at the ceremony held earlier this year for Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder. Shatner won Primetime Emmys for The Practice and Boston Legal and was voted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2006.
As noted, most of the entries are from the artists from the world of children’s music. Among them: 123 Andrés, a husband-and-wife duo that creates children’s music in both English and Spanish. They are entered with Jamming on the Job, Vol. 1, a collab with Pierce Freelon. 123 Andrés won in this category in February for We Grow Together Children’s Songs.
Another of the entries competing for a nod this year is The Kids at North Station by Adam Blackstone Jr., Kennedy Anderson, Amg Kidz, The Teentations, Melodic Haven and B.A.A. Blackstone is the 9-year old son of music director Adam Blackstone, who has amassed seven Primetime Emmy nods. He won in 2022 for outstanding music direction for The Pepsi Super Bowl LVI Halftime Show Starring Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Mary J. Blige, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, 50 Cent.
Other pop artists who have been nominated in this category in recent years are Beth Nielsen Chapman in 2014 and Ladysmith Black Mambazo in 2018.
In the two years that the Recording Academy has presented a Grammy for songwriter of the year, non-classical, four women have been nominated for the award. Amy Allen, Nija Charles and Laura Veltz were nominated in the category’s inaugural year. Jessie Jo Dillon was nominated at the ceremony in February.
Men won both years. Tobias Jesso Jr. won in 2023 for writing songs by such artists as Harry Styles, Adele and FKA Twigs. Theron Thomas won earlier this year for writing songs by such artists as Lil Durk featuring J. Cole, Tyla and Chlöe.
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The list of 61 songwriters vying for nominations in that category this year includes 20 women, one of whom may make history as the first woman to win in the category.
The list includes two women who have already won Grammys – Allen, who won album of the year in 2023 for her songwriting contributions to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House, and Diane Warren, who won best song written specifically for a motion picture or for television in 1997 for “Because You Loved Me” from the Michelle Pfeiffer film Up Close and Personal.
This year’s entry list also includes eight women who have been nominated for one or more Grammys, but have yet to win – Dillon, Sarah Aarons, Caroline Ailin, Jessi Alexander, Brittany Amaradio (aka Delacey), Ink (Atia Boggs), Ali Tamposi and Emily Warren.
The list also includes 10 women who are vying for their first Grammy nomination – Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Jessie Early, Julia Gargano, Sarah Hudson, Lauren Lee Hungate, Steph Jones, Kayla Morrison, RAYE, Sasha Alex Sloan and Betsy Walter.
You may be surprised to see RAYE on the list, due to the academy’s focus in this category on non-artists. To qualify for the award, writers “must have written a minimum of five songs in which they are credited solely as a songwriter or co-writer” (and not also as a primary or featured artist, or producer). But if they meet that threshold, they may also have written or co-written tracks on which they were the artist.
RAYE qualified because in addition to writing for herself, she writes for other artists. Her entries this year include Rita Ora’s “Ask & You Shall Receive,” Halle’s “Because I Love You,” Jennifer Lopez’s “Dear Ben Pt. II,” Beyoncé’s “Riiverdance,” and Neiked’s “You’re Hired” (featuring Ayra Starr).
Nominated songwriters can come from any musical field, except classical. Those composers are recognized in the best contemporary classical composition category.
Will any of these women be nominated for songwriter of the year, non-classical? We’ll find out on Nov. 8 when the nominees are announced. Winners will be revealed on Feb. 2.
As a bonus, here are the first women to win in 10 other songwriting categories at the Grammys.
Song of the year: Carole King in 1972 for writing “You’ve Got a Friend,” which was featured on her Tapestry album and was also a No. 1 Hot 100 hit for James Taylor. It took a while for a woman to win this award: This was the category’s 14th year. King later also became the first woman to win the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.
Best rock song: Alanis Morisette in 1996 for co-writing “You Oughta Know,” the most incendiary track on her Jagged Little Pill album, with Glen Ballard. This was the category’s fifth year.
Best R&B song: Betty Wright in 1976, for co-writing her track “Where Is the Love” with Harry Wayne Casey and Richard Finch (both of KC and the Sunshine Band) and Willie Clarke. Note: This is not the far more famous Roberta Flack & Donny Hathaway song of the same title, but confusion with that classic may have worked to this song’s benefit. This was the category’s eighth year.
Best rap song: Miri Ben Ari in 2005, for co-writing Ye’s “Jesus Walks” with Che Smith and Kanye West (as Ye was then known). This was the category’s second year.
Best country song: Debbie Hupp in 1980, for co-writing the Kenny Rogers ballad hit “You Decorated My Life” with Bob Morrison. This was the category’s 16th year.
Best song written for visual media: Cynthia Weil in 1988, for co-writing the Linda Ronstadt & James Ingram hit “Somewhere Out There” (from An American Tail) with her husband and longtime collaborator Barry Mann and film composer James Horner. This was the category’s first year. (The ballad also won song of the year.)
Best American roots song: Edie Brickell in 2014 for cowriting “Love Has Come for You” with Steve Martin. They also recorded the song. This was the category’s first year.
Best gospel song: Yolanda Adams in 2006 for cowriting her track “Be Blessed” with Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis and James Q. Wright. This was the category’s first year. The award is now known as best gospel performance/song.
Best contemporary Christian song: Laura Story in 2012 for writing her own track “Blessings.” This was the category’s third year. The award is now known as best contemporary Christan music performance/song.
Best contemporary classical composition: Joan Tower in 2008 for composing “Made in America.” This was the category’s 30th year.
Barbra Streisand is among the top contenders for a Grammy nomination for best audio book, narration, and storytelling recording category for the audiobook of her long-awaited memoir, My Name Is Barbra. That was also the title of her first TV special in 1965, for which she won a Primetime Emmy (outstanding individual achievements in entertainment – actors and performers), and a companion album for which she won a Grammy (best vocal performance, female).
Streisand received a life achievement award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards on Feb. 24, one of many such awards she has won. At the Grammys, she is one of just two women (Aretha Franklin is the other) to have won both a lifetime achievement award and a Grammy legend award.
This category usually yields one of most eclectic groups of nominees on the Grammy ballot – and so it will likely be again this year. The two most certain nominees would appear to be former president Jimmy Carter’s Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration and Matthew Perry’s Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. On Oct. 1, Carter became the first U.S. president in history to reach the age of 100. Perry died in October 2023 at age 54 after a long struggle with drug dependency – “the big terrible thing” in the title of his memoir.
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This would be Carter’s 10th nomination in the category, which would extend his record as the person with the most nods in the history of the category (which dates to the first Grammy ceremony in 1959). Should he win, it would be his fourth win in the category, which would enable him to break out of a tie with poet Maya Angelou as the person with the most wins in the category. Carter previously won for Our Endangered Values (2007), A Full Life: Reflections at 90 (2016) and Faith: A Journey for All (2019).
Perry received five Primetime Emmy nominations – including one for his iconic role as Chandler Bing on Friends.
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has a good chance at a nomination for The Art of Power. She would become the first current or former House Speaker to be nominated in this category. Grammy voters lean Democratic and this would give them a chance to salute the longtime leader, who was the first woman elected as House Speaker. She served from 2007-11 and again from 2019-23.
Questlove is a strong contender with Hip-Hop Is History. The hip-hop icon has been nominated twice in this category, with Creative Quest (2019) and Music Is History (2023). Questlove won both an Oscar and a Grammy for directing the acclaimed documentary, Summer of Soul.
And that’s how fast five slots fill up. There are many other strong contenders on the entry list of 145 entries should any of these presumed front-runners fall short.
Jill Biden‘s Willow the White House Cat could easily make it. Former first ladies Hillary Rodham Clinton (as she was known when she won) and Michelle Obama each won in this category. (Obama won twice.) Many Grammy voters will want to salute the Bidens as Joe Biden’s presidency winds down. But this particular audiobook may seem a little slight. Some voters may prefer to wait for the audiobook of her expected memoir chronicling her life in the public eye.
Dolly Parton’s Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones could also make the grade. The country queen was nominated in at least one category in 36 of the Grammys’ first 66 years, a remarkable show of sustained voter appeal. She has been nominated in each of the last five years. But she has yet to be nominated in this category.
Three past winners in this category are on this year’s entry list. In addition to former president Carter, they are TV hosts Rachel Maddow and Stephen Colbert. Maddow is entered with Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism; Colbert with Life, a collab with Father John Quigley.
Maddow won in this category in 2021 with Blowout: Corrupted Democracy, Rouge State Russia and the Richest, Most Destructive Industry on Earth. (It didn’t win for Snappiest Title.) Colbert won in 2014 for America Again: Re-becoming the Greatness We Never Weren’t, from the period when he was parodying a right-wing, blowhard commentator on The Colbert Report.
Mariah Carey’s A Portrait of a Portrait could be a contender, though Carey hasn’t been nominated in any category since 2008.
Britney Spears didn’t narrate the audiobook for her best-selling memoir The Woman in Me. Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams did, and is entered here. Fun Fact: The Woman in Me topped the New York Times Hardcover Non-Fiction best-seller list, blocking My Name Is Barbra from reaching the top spot.
My Name Is Barbra isn’t the only case where a music star repurposed one of their old titles. Michael McDonald is entered with his audiobook What a Fool Believes, which he titled after The Doobie Brothers’ classic, which won Grammys for record and song of the year in 1979.
Many other titles by musicians are on the list, including George Clinton’s …And Your Ass Will Follow; Willow Smith’s Black Shield Maiden; gospel star Tasha Cobbs Leonard’s Do It Anyway: Don’t Give Up Before It Gets Good; Geddy Lee’s My Effin’ Life; Thurston Moore’s Sonic Life; Debbie Harry, Chris Stein, Romy Ashby & Dennis Bousikaris’s Under a Rock; Tegan and Sara’s Under My Control; Jeff Tweedy’s World Within a Song: Music That Changes My Life and Life That Changed My Music; Jessie Reyez’s Words of a Goat Princess; John McEuen’s The Newsman: A Man of Record; Geri Halliwell-Horner’s Rosie Frost and the Falcon Queen; and Jim Wilson’s Tuned In: Memoirs of a Piano Man – Behind-The-Scenes with Music Legends and Finding the Artist Within.
There are a number of titles by people from the worlds of politics and media on the list, including Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life; Brett Kavanaugh accuser Christine Blasey Ford’s One Way Back; Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s True Gretch; Doris Kearns Goodwin & Bryan Cranston’s An Unfinished Love Story: A Personal History of the 1960s and Ali Velshi’s Small Acts of Courage.
Three past winners for best comedy album are on the entry list here. In addition to Colbert, they are Tiffany Haddish and Whoopi Goldberg. Haddish is entered with I Curse You With Joy. Goldberg has two entries on the list, Bits and Pieces and Camino Ghosts.
Grammy, Emmy and Tony winner Cynthia Erivo is entered with Children of Anguish and Anarchy. Charlamagne tha God, who was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 2020 as a member of The Breakfast Club, is entered with Get Honest or Die Lying. Nicole Avant, a former U.S. ambassador to the Bahamas (and the daughter of Clarence and Jacqueline Avant), is entered with Think You’ll Be Happy.
Works by TV stars on the list include Henry Winkler’s Being Henry; Dan Aykroyd’s Blues Brothers: The Arc of Gratitude; Michael Richards’ Entrances and Exits; Julianne Hough’s Everything We Never Knew; RuPaul’s The House of Hidden Meanings; John Stamos’ If You Would Have Told Me; Mo Rocca’s Roctogenarians; Dr. Phil’s We’ve Got Issues (he’s listed as Phillip C. McGraw, PHD); Bill Maher’s What This Comedian Said Will Shock You; Patrick Stewart’s Making It So: A Memoir; and George Takei’s My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story.
Three-time Oscar nominee Laura Linney is entered with Summer, 1976, a collab with Jessica Hecht. Other works by film stars on the list include Billy Dee Williams’ What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life and Rebel Wilson’s Rebel Rising: A Memoir.
Sports figures on the list include Andia Winslow with Brittney Griner’s Coming Home and Deion Sanders’ Elevate and Dominate: 21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field.
And did we mention that novelist Salman Rushdie is on the list with Knife: Meditations After an Attempted Murder? We told you the list was eclectic.
Our Fearless Forecast
So, which five titles have the best chance to be nominated? Here’s my prediction (alphabetically by title): Nancy Pelosi’s The Art of Power, Matthew Perry’s Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Questlove’s Hip-Hop Is History, Jimmy Carter’s Last Sundays in Plains: A Centennial Celebration, Barbra Streisand’s My Name Is Barbra.
All Grammys count the same toward someone’s career Grammy total, but we all know they’re not really on an equal footing. Every media outlet on Earth will report the winners of album of the year and record of the year next Feb. 2, but good luck trying to find out who won best regional roots music album (we’ll have it, of course).
Some categories are far more competitive than others. There are 20 times as many entries in this year’s most populated category, song of the year (978), as in this year’s least populated categories, best traditional blues album and best gospel album, both of which have just 53 entries.
Since final-round voting for the 67th Grammy Awards opened Friday (Oct. 4), Grammy voters have been conscientiously poring over the entry lists for 89 of the 94 Grammy categories (or so Recording Academy leaders fervently hope). The nominees in the other five categories are determined by committees.
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The number of entries in five of the six categories in the General Field increased compared to last year. There are 780 entries for record of the year (up from 615 last year); 707 for album of the year (up from 476); 978 for song of the year (up from 642); 61 for songwriter of the year, non-classical (up from 58); and 200 for producer of the year, non-classical (up from 195).
The only General Field category that saw a drop in entries compared to last year is best new artist. There were 323 entries this year, down from 405 last year. That’s the smallest number of entries in this category in five years.
Note that the number of entries for songwriter of the year, non-classical, which is in its third year, is only about one-third of the number of entries for producer of the year, non-classical, which was introduced in 1974. That’s probably because of the newer category’s restrictive rules, which were intended to put the focus on songwriters who are not also artists or producers.
My main takeaway from this annual exercise – these categories are highly competitive. As noted, there are 978 songs vying for just eight slots in song of the year. When somebody says “It’s an honor just to be nominated,” they’re not just being polite. Okay, maybe they are, but it really is an honor. 970 eligible and entered songs this year will not be nominated for song of the year.
If you’re curious, the five categories where the nominations are determined by committees, rather than by voters at large, are best recording package, best boxed/special/limited edition package, best album notes, best historical album, best remixed recording and best immersive audio album. (The nominations in a sixth category, best remixed recording, were decided by committee last year, but this year the voters will make the determination.)
First-round voting for the 67th annual Grammy Awards opened on Friday (Oct. 4). Voters have until Oct. 15 to make their choices. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 8. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3. The winners will be revealed on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
Here are the 16 categories with most entries this year, and the 16 categories with the fewest. (Ties prompted us to bump up from 15 to 16 in both cases.)
Categories with the most entries
(in descending order)
Song of the year, 978
Record of the year, 780
Album of the Year, 707
Best music video, 637
Best global music performance, 456
Best engineered album, non-classical, 456
Best arrangement, instruments and vocals, 444
Best jazz performance, 420
Best instrumental composition, 395
Best American roots song, 373
Best alternative music performance, 331
Best new artist, 323
Best pop solo performance, 314
Best American roots performance, 310
Best Americana performance, 290
Best arrangement, instrumental or acapella, 290
Categories with the fewest entries
(in descending order)
Best contemporary blues album, 73
Best Latin jazz album, 73
Best music film, 72
Best R&B album, 70
Best choral performance, 67
Best classical solo vocal album, 64
Best large jazz ensemble album, 63
Songwriter of the year, non-classical, 61
Best bluegrass album, 61
Best regional roots music album, 61
Best roots gospel album, 60
Best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media, 59
Best musical theater album, 59
Best compilation soundtrack for visual media, 58
Best traditional blues album, 53
Best gospel album, 53
Milli Vanilli made Grammy history in 1990, becoming the first (and still the only) act to have a Grammy revoked. Their best new artist award was stripped from them after it became known that the duo hadn’t sung on their smash debut album Girl You Know It’s True.
But Milli Vanilli’s Grammy saga may not be over. The acclaimed documentary Milli Vanilli is among 72 films vying for a Grammy nomination for best music film. The award is given for concert/performance films or music documentaries. Awards are generally presented to the artist, video director and video producer, though we’ll have to wait for the announcement of the nominations on Nov. 8 to see exactly who is being nominated in each case this year. The entry list, from which voting members vote in the first-round of voting, shows the name of the artist in each case for identification purposes, but includes no director or producer credits.
Three past winners in the category are represented. The Beatles, who won for The Beatles Anthology (and had two subsequent titles also win in the category, though they didn’t personally win for those), are entered with Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song (Short Film). Michael Jackson, who won for Making Michael Jackson’s Thriller, is entered with Thriller 40. U2, which won for Zoo TV: Live From Sydney, is entered with Kiss the Future.
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Coldplay, who have been nominated three times in the category (though they have yet to win), is entered with Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate. The band’s Music of the Spheres album was nominated for album of the year and best pop vocal album last year.
Three past nominees in the category are entered again this year. The Beach Boys are entered with The Beach Boys; Bon Jovi with Thank You, Goodnight: The Bon Jovi Story; and Travis Tritt with Country Chapel. Jon Bon Jovi received the MusiCares Person of the Year honor on Feb. 2.
Taylor Swift/The Eras Tour (Taylor’s Version) is also entered. The doc documents one of the most successful concert tours of all time. Taylor Swift is the only four-time Grammy winner for album of the year and is almost certain to be back in the running in that category this year with The Tortured Poets Department.
The Greatest Night in Pop, which tells the story of the recording of the 1985 smash “We Are the World,” is entered. The film received a Primetime Emmy nomination for outstanding documentary or non-fiction special, but lost to Jim Henson Idea Man. Among the producers of the film: Lionel Richie, who co-wrote the song with Michael Jackson, and Harriet Sternberg, a close associate of the late Ken Kragen, who spearheaded the project.
Jon Batiste’s American Symphony, which was shortlisted for an Academy Award for best documentary feature film late last year (though it wasn’t ultimately nominated), is also entered here. Meanwhile, Céline Dion, who performed on the Eiffel Tower in Paris at the opening ceremony of the Summer Olympics on July 26, is entered with I Am: Céline Dion.
Several films that are linked to albums that have received Grammy nominations in the past are still in the running. We’ve already told you about Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres: Live at River Plate. In addition, Lady Gaga, who was nominated for best pop vocal album four years ago for Chromatica, is entered with Gaga Chromatica Ball, and Lil Nas X, who was nominated for album of the year three years ago for Montero, is entered for Long Live Montero.
The list also features numerous films by or about musicians who have died. In addition to Jackson, they include Chet Atkins (The Making of We Still Can’t Say Goodbye – A Musicians’ Tribute to Chet Atkins and His Legacy Remembered); Syd Barrett (Have You Got It Yet? The Story of Syd Barrett and Pink Floyd); James Brown (James Brown: Say It Loud); June Carter Cash (June); Roy Hargrove (Hargrove); Jerry Lee Lewis (Trouble in My Mind); and Ryuichi Sakamoto (Ryuichi Sakamoto/Opus). A previous film about Brown, Mr Dynamite: The Rise of James Brown, was nominated in 2016.
Willie Nelson, who has always been prolific, is the only artist with two films on the entry list — Willie Nelson & Family and Willie Nelson’s 90th Birthday Celebration.
Thriller 40 isn’t the only anniversary release on the ballot. Weezer’s The Blue Album LIVE/Spotify THIRTY – the 30th Anniversary is also listed.
Stax: Soulsville U.S.A. is entered. A previous film about the fabled record company, Great Performances: Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story, was nominated in 2009.
Jennifer Lopez’s This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, which was made amid the star’s rekindled romance with Ben Affleck, is on the entry list, even though the couple separated in April and Lopez filed for divorce in August.
Other films of note on the entry list include Sheryl Crow & Jason Isbell featuring Don Isbell’s The Art of Music; Melissa Etheridge’s I’m Not Broken; The Kid LAROI’s Kids Are Growing Up: A Story About a Kid Named LAROI; Cyndi Lauper’s Let the Canary Sing; Kacey Musgraves’ Apple Live Music Live: Kacey Musgraves; Run DMC’s Kings From Queens; Paul Simon’s In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon; and, Lolla: The Story of Lollapalooza.
First-round voting opened Friday (Oct. 4). Voters have until Oct. 15 to make their choices. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 8. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3. The winners will be revealed on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
The Grammy screening committee, which has the final say on where albums best fit in the Grammy process, placed Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion in the best country album category. They are competing with 77 other albums for just five slots on the final ballot. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 8.
Both have a good chance of making it. Post was widely praised for coming to Nashville and getting to know the city’s people and its ways. Beyoncé didn’t do that, as Luke Bryan, HARDY and others have pointed out, but her album put a bright spotlight on the contributions Black artists have made to country music – contributions that have too often been overlooked.
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Beyoncé is vying to become only the second Black artist to be nominated for best country album. Mickey Guyton was nominated in 2022 for her debut studio album, Remember Her Name. (Important note: The Grammys didn’t have this category in the 1970s, when Charley Pride was at his peak.)
Beyoncé didn’t receive any CMA nominations, but that doesn’t doom her album’s chances here. The Chicks were nominated for (and won) five Grammys for their 2006 album Taking the Long Way, even though they, likewise, had been shut out in that year’s CMA nominations. (The Chicks were nominated for vocal group of the year at the CMAs the following year, a period that encompassed their Grammy sweep.)
Beyoncé’s shutout in the CMA nominations received a lot of attention. Some Grammy voters may embrace her in part to make up for that perceived snub. (“Make-up voting” is real thing. Many believe Ben Affleck’s failure to land an Oscar nomination for best director for Argo helped that 2012 film win best picture.)
Four of the five albums that were nominated for the CMA award for album of the year are eligible here: Luke Combs’ Fathers & Sons, Cody Johnson’s Leather, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well and Chris Stapleton’s Higher.
Stapleton and Musgraves are both repeat winners of the Grammy for best country album. Stapleton has won the award three times; Musgraves has won it twice. Fun fact: If Stapleton wins once more, he’ll move into a tie as the act with the most wins in the history of the category. And who will he tie? The Chicks.
Combs has yet to win the Grammy for best country album, but he was nominated for a previous album, Growin’ Up. Johnson has yet to be nominated in the category.
The fifth CMA nominee for album of the year, Jelly Roll’s Whitsitt Chapel, vied for a Grammy nod for best country album last year, but it ultimately wasn’t nominated. (It of course is not Grammy-eligible again this year.)
That’s six albums that have an excellent shot at a nomination, which is one more than the number of available slots. (The Grammys expand the field beyond five only in the event of ties. Since 2000, there have been six nominees twice – in 2004 and 2012.)
And there more “can’t-miss” albums, so clearly some won’t make it.
Like F-1 Trillion, Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind came out too late for this year’s CMAs, but it is eligible here. Wilson’s previous album, Bell Bottom Country, won the Grammy for best country album and was voted album of the year at both the CMA and ACM Awards.
Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene would have been a strong contender – his previous album, Zach Bryan, was nominated in this category last year – but the unconventional star didn’t submit it for Grammy consideration.
Shaboozey’s Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going may not be a “can’t-miss,” but it’s a strong contender. It houses the smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” which has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for 13 weeks, longer than any other single so far this year. More importantly in the context of its chances here, it topped Country Airplay for seven weeks.
Megan Moroney’s Am I Okay? also has a shot. Moroney is also vying for a nomination as best new artist. Other albums by best new artist hopefuls on the best country album eligibility list include Dasha’s What Happens Now? and Nate Smith’s Through the Smoke.
Several other albums by past Grammy nominees for best country album are in the running – Jason Aldean’s Highway Desperado, Kenny Chesney’s Born, Tim McGraw’s Poet’s Resume, Willie Nelson’s The Border, Thomas Rhett’s About a Woman and Sturgill Simpson (Johnny Blue Skies)’s Passage Du Desir.
Various Artists albums are rarely nominated in this category, but there are two notable contenders this year – Petty Country: A Country Music Celebration of Tom Petty and A Tribute to The Judds. Only two Various Artists albums have been nominated in this category; both won. Timeless: Hank Williams Tribute won in 2002. Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers won in 2004.
Another high-profile Various Artists album, Twisters: The Album, isn’t in the running here. It’s vying for a nomination for best compilation soundtrack for visual media.
Our Fearless Forecast
So, which five albums have the best chance to be nominated in this Grammy category? This is tough, but here’s my prediction (alphabetically by artist): Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion, Kacey Musgraves’ Deeper Well, Chris Stapleton’s Higher and Lainey Wilson’s Whirlwind.
The Grammys often talk about honoring an artist’s intent. Their screening committee did just that in at least two cases this year, allowing Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter to compete for best country album, and Dolly Parton’s Rockstar to compete for best rock album. Both albums could have been slotted in the best pop vocal album category, but the Grammys went along with the artists’ intentions.
Albums often wind up right on the border between two or more genres. That’s bound to happen more and more as artists increasingly cross genre lines. In those cases, the Recording Academy’s screening committee endeavors to put it in the most suitable category.
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Here are more albums whose placement was less-than-certain.
Jimmy Buffett’s last studio album, Equal Strain on All Parts, is entered for best Americana album, rather than best pop vocal album. Buffett died in September 2023.
Charli XCX’s sixth studio album, brat, is entered for best dance/electronic album rather than best pop vocal album.
Doja Cat’s Scarlet 2 Claude, a reissue of her fourth studio album, Scarlet, is entered for best rap album rather than best pop vocal album.
Twisters: The Album is entered for best compilation soundtrack for visual media rather than best country album.
All three Latin albums that made the top 10 on the Billboard 200 in the eligibility period are entered in different categories. Bad Bunny’s Nadie Sabe Lo Que Va a Pasar Mañana is entered for best música urbana album. Kali Uchis’ Orquídeas is entered for best Latin pop album. Peso Pluma’s Éxodo is entered for best música Mexicana album (including Tejano).
Several top 10 albums weren’t entered at all, including Zach Bryan’s The Great American Bar Scene, Drake’s For All the Dogs and Ed Sheeran’s Autumn Variations.
Travis Scott’s Days Before Rodeo wasn’t eligible. The mixtape was released independently on his SoundCloud account in August 2014.
In other news, The Beatles and The Rolling Stones could be headed for their first Grammy showdown. The two legendary groups are both entered for best rock performance – The Beatles for “Now and Then” and The Stones for “Sweet Sounds of Heaven” (featuring Lady Gaga). If both groups are nominated, it will be the first time they have ever faced off on a Grammy ballot. The Grammys were resistant to rock in the years the bands were at their peak. The Beatles, being the world-shakers they were, were often nominated, but The Stones weren’t nominated in any category until 1978, when Some Girls was up for album of the year.
First-round voting opened Friday (Oct. 4). Voters have until Oct. 15 to make their first-round choices. Nominations will be announced on Nov. 8. Final-round voting runs from Dec. 12 through Jan. 3. The winners will be revealed on Feb. 2 at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles.
One of the very best problems an artist can have is having to decide which of their many hits to enter in the Grammy competition for record of the year. (They can enter them all, but most artists and their camps are aware that it’s a far better strategy to select what you think is your strongest entry, rather than running the very real risk of splitting your votes.)
Sabrina Carpenter had three strong choices – “Espresso,” her breakthrough smash; “Please Please Please,” her first No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100; and “Taste,” her current smash. Her camp went with “Espresso.”
Billie Eilish had two top five hits on the Hot 100 during the eligibility year – the sexually provocative “Lunch” and the pretty ballad “Birds of a Feather.” Her camp went with “Birds of a Feather.” Eilish has a strong history in this category. She won record of the year two years running 2020-21 with “bad guy” and “Everything I Wanted.” She is one of only three acts in Grammy history (following Roberta Flack and U2) to win in that high-profile category two years in a row. This would be Eilish’s fifth nomination in this category.
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Taylor Swift had many hits during the year, but there was little question that her camp would select “Fortnight,” her collab with Post Malone that entered the Hot 100 at No. 1 in May, becoming her 12th No. 1 hit. And that is indeed her pick. It’s vying to become Swift’s sixth nomination in this category (a category she has yet to win).
It’s also not surprising that Ariana Grande’s camp went with “We Can’t Be Friends (Wait for Your Love)” rather than her previous hit, “Yes, And?” Both singles entered the Hot 100 at No. 1, becoming her eighth and ninth No. 1 hits, but “We Can’t Be Friends” sustained on the chart longer. This is vying to become Grande’s second nomination in this category, following “7 Rings.”
Nor is it surprising that Beyoncé went with “Texas Hold ’Em” rather than “II Most Wanted,” her collab with Miley Cyrus, or “Jolene.” “Texas Hold Em” became her ninth No. hit on the Hot 100. It’s vying to become Bey’s ninth nomination in this category (a category she, like Swift, has yet to win).
Here are the records other artists who had multiple top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chose to represent them in the Grammy record of the year competition:
Future: “Like That,” his Hot 100-topping collab with Metro Boomin and Kendrick Lamar.
21 Savage: “Redrum.”
There were a few surprises in the record of the year submissions. Megan Thee Stallion is entered for “Mamushi” (featuring Yuki Chiba) rather than her No. 1 smash “Hiss.” J. Cole is entered with “H.Y.B.” (featuring Bas and Central Cee) rather than his top 10 hit “7 Minute Drill.”
Teddy Swims is entered with an alternate version of his No. 1 smash “Lose Control,” because the original version was released prior to this eligibility year. He is entered with “Lose Control (The Village Sessions).”
A few artists who had top 10 hits during the year aren’t entered in the category at all, including Zach Bryan (“Pink Skies”), Drake (“Family Matters”) and Cardi B (“Enough (Miami)”).