Reviews by mars
Taylor vs. Dua, Megan vs. Phoebe: see below for a rundown of who will see gold on Sunday night's showThe Grammy Awards are the most prestigious award in the music industry, holding equivalent importance to television’s Emmys, film’s Oscars, and Broadway’s Tonys. Despite this level of honor, the Grammys have seemingly been on a path more toward shock value in recent years rather than embracing a comprehensive look at top-tier talent and success. Many major upsets are what dominate headlines in the day following each year’s ceremony instead of celebrating artistic achievements - see Macklemore & Ryan Lewis winning Best New Artist over Kendrick Lamar versus last year’s historic sweep by Billie Eilish. The 2021 Grammy Awards are this Sunday night, and with it comes an opportunity for the Recording Academy to help write some wrongs and give recognition where due to the biggest names in music. Last year’s awards showcased an Eilish sweep - taking home all four of the “Big 4” awards - Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Who will be this year’s recipient of each award? How many of Beyoncé’s nine nominations will she take home? Will Taylor Swift become the first woman to win Album of the Year three times? See below for some predictions on who should - and will - win each of the night’s biggest honors. Album of the Year:Chilombo - Jhené Aiko Black Pumas (Deluxe Edition) - Black Pumas Everyday Life - Coldplay Djesse Vol. 3 - Jacob Collier Women in Music Pt. III - HAIM Future Nostalgia - Dua Lipa Hollywood's Bleeding - Post Malone Folklore - Taylor Swift Who SHOULD win: folklore - Taylor Swift Who WILL win: folklore - Taylor Swift In a year completely consumed by the coronavirus pandemic, music turned inwards. There were no water cooler office chats about the newest drops, no live concerts to fully experience an artist’s creative vision associated with their music, and a complete shift in the way new releases are promoted. Taylor Swift’s folklore perfectly encapsulates the “quarantine record” with its radical departure from both Swift’s sound and release strategy. The album navigates escapism and feelings of young romance, love lost, and betrayal across a warm minimalist production courtesy of both the National’s Aaron Dessner and Jack Antonoff. Folklore was not only a commercial success - serving as the year’s best selling album, but also a critical success with Swift receiving her strongest response to date. Its nostalgic storytelling focusing on both fictional and nonfictional narratives, rather than Swift’s personal life, allowed for the singer-songwriter to explore new creative territory. With the Grammys not nominating 2017’s electropop reputation and 2019’s eclectic Lover, Swift’s latest reinvention and shift into indie-pop and folk beautifully compliment her songwriting strengths. A win in this category would make Swift the only female artist in Grammy history to win Album of the Year three times - twice prior for 2008’s Fearless and 2016’s 1989. The only others to accomplish this are legends Frank Sinatra, Paul Simon, and Stevie Wonder. Will the Recording Academy reward Swift for her monumental breakthrough, or is it too soon in her career to accomplish such a feat? This is where Grammy darling Dua Lipa’s Future Nostalgia could come up from behind and snag the night’s top prize. No other pop album has seen more critical and commercial success and longevity than the former Best New Artist winner’s sophomore effort. Its exquisite lead single, “Don’t Start Now,” is nominated for both Record and Song of the Year and is a favorite to take home the former. Released just a few weeks into the global shutdown, Future Nostalgia serves as a euphoric escape from reality, a world to let loose in and dream of happier times - whether that be in the past or future-looking. Lipa and her collaborators also crafted a record flawlessly cohesive in its production, songwriting, and aesthetic. Ultimately, it’s leaning toward a major popstar taking home the night’s biggest honor. Record of the Year:"Black Parade" - Beyoncé "Colors" - Black Pumas "Rockstar" - DaBaby Featuring Roddy Ricch "Say So" - Doja Cat "Everything I Wanted" - Billie Eilish "Don't Start Now" - Dua Lipa "Circles" - Post Malone "Savage" - Megan Thee Stallion (feat. Beyoncé) Who SHOULD win: “Black Parade” - Beyoncé Who WILL win: “Don’t Start Now” - Dua Lipa Simply said, Beyoncé is pop culture. She is the most-nominated female artist in Grammy history with a total of 79 nominations and 24 wins. Only one of those is in the Big 4 categories - 2008’s “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)," and following her losses for both “Formation” and the groundbreaking Lemonade, Queen B is long overdue for a major Grammy win. But “Black Parade” being a non-album single and not representing her greatest artistic accomplishments may negatively impact Beyoncé’s odds here. Plus, her feature on Best New Artist nominee Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage,” while being a major hit of the quarantine age and omnipresent TikTok dance trend, could split voters. If between "Black Parade" and "Savage," my odds fall to the latter to pull off a win. Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now” is both a chart-topping smash and began a disco-infused evolution of pop. The lead single off of Lipa’s Future Nostalgia is a crown jewel that most artists spend their entire careers dreaming of creating. It’s effortless and Studio 54-inspired production, layered with Dua’s deeply resonating vocal performance, have created a hit for the ages. “Don’t Start Now” brought the dancefloor from the club to living rooms across the world during the coronavirus pandemic, a seemingly bright spot on an otherwise dark year in history. Expect the Recording Academy to pat themselves on the back for awarding a former BNA winner with another Big 4 win. Song of the Year:"Black Parade" — Denisia Andrews, Beyoncé, Stephen Bray, Shawn Carter, Brittany Coney, Derek James Dixie, Akil King, Kim "Kaydence" Krysiuk & Rickie "Caso" Tice, songwriters (Beyoncé) "The Box" — Samuel Gloade & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Roddy Ricch) "Cardigan" — Aaron Dessner & Taylor Swift, songwriters (Taylor Swift) "Circles" — Louis Bell, Adam Feeney, Kaan Gunesberk, Austin Post & Billy Walsh, songwriters (Post Malone) "Don't Start Now" — Caroline Ailin, Ian Kirkpatrick, Dua Lipa & Emily Warren, songwriters (Dua Lipa) "I Can't Breathe" — Dernst Emile II, H.E.R. & Tiara Thomas, songwriters (H.E.R.) "If The World Was Ending" — Julia Michaels & JP Saxe, songwriters [JP Saxe (feat. Julia Michaels)] Who SHOULD win: “cardigan” - Taylor Swift Who WILL win: “cardigan” - Taylor Swift Song of the Year awards the songwriters of each nominee whereas Record of the Year focuses on both vocal performance and production. While the two reward different aspects of the song-making process, the winner of SOTY has overlapped with that of ROTY six times over the last decade. If Beyoncé is able to pull off a victory with “Black Parade” for ROTY, there’s a decent chance she’ll pull in SOTY as well. “Parade” is a cheerful celebration of Black culture in a year that magnified the Black Lives Matter movement throughout the U.S. Its lyrics make it a shiny Beyoncé moment, but certainly not her greatest musical accomplishment. I expect Taylor Swift’s “cardigan” to claim victory on Sunday night. On an album highlighting Swift’s exquisite songwriting skills, folklore’s lead single deserves to be recognized for its poetic lyrics and evocative storytelling. “Cardigan” is not only a centerpiece to folklore, but quite possibly one of Swift’s best written songs to date, sharing the story of a fictional character named Betty reflecting on a teenage love and lost innocense across a series of luscious metaphors and references to Peter Pan and NYC’s High Line. If there’s an award Swift was born to win, it’s this one. Best New Artist:Ingrid Andress Phoebe Bridgers Chika Noah Cyrus D Smoke Doja Cat Kaytranada Megan Thee Stallion Who SHOULD win: Megan Thee Stallion Who WILL win: Megan Thee Stallion The Best New Artist category is the most open-ended of the Big 4 major awards with some previous winners going on to have massive careers - see Cyndi Lauper, Christina Aguilera, Maroon 5, and Adele. Others have been seemingly plagued by the Best New Artist curse, winning a much-coveted award but rarely seeing continued levels of success - no, I won’t name names. A quick Google search can let you figure some out for yourself!
Of the nominees, no one artist has seen commercial and cultural success like Megan Thee Stallion. No other female rapper has won the award since Lauryn Hill in 1999, and Megan Thee Stallion’s massive “Savage,” promiscuous “WAP” with Cardi B, and latest social hit “Body” will pave a road to victory for the 26-year-old. Keep an eye on Phoebe Bridgers, who is nominated across the rock categories and could pull off a win as well. Third place goes to Doja Cat, who, similar to Megan, has also seen massive success in 2020 due to TikTok dance trends. The Recording Academy may opt to gift Doja a win here rather than for “Say So” in Record of the Year to avoid awarding Dr. Luke (under the pseudonym Tyson Trax) following his long-lasting sexual assault case with Kesha. Comments are closed.
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About MarsNY-based, 26-year-old, music-obsessed and loves to write about it. Archives
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