Streaming right to your home on Sunday, February 1st are the 68th Annual Grammy Awards. This high-profile event is full of some of the most talented musicians of our time, and it has a legacy of showcasing some of the biggest names in the industry. However, it’s not uncommon for the winning song, album, or artist to be shocking to many avid music lovers. That led me to think, “Why don’t we see what students’ opinions are on who should win?” Starting there, I asked students who they wanted to see win in some of the major categories.
Record of the Year
for the performance, production, and engineering of the track
Students polled for WILDFLOWER by Billie Eilish with 27.3% with luther (Kendrick Lamar with SZA) and The Subway (Chappell Roan) tying closely in second with 24.2%. Kendrick Lamar won last year’s Song of the Year Grammy Award with his song, Not Like Us.
Album of the Year
for the complete album (production and composition)
A tie for 1st place came between Tyler, The Creator’s CHROMAKOPIA and Sabrina Carpenter’s Man’s Best Friend. When asked why, sophomore Sharon Niu (an enjoyer of Sabrina’s album) said, “Her album is just really playful, and I like how she uses irony and sarcasm to, you know, show what she’s feeling.”
Song of the Year
for the composition (music and lyrics)
Unlike last year’s double win for Kendrick Lamar’s hit song Not Like Us, students actually placed their Record of the Year, WILDFLOWER, second to Golden from KPop Demon Hunters (HUNTR/X: EJAE, Audrey Nuna, REIAMI). The popular movie was released this summer, and the song took off, even hopping back to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 earlier this month.
Best New Artist
for an artist who has recently seen a major breakthrough and established their identity in the industry
Compared to other categories, students seemed to either agree with each other or have mostly unsupported opinions on this one. It went with 36.4% to California-based indie band The Marías with little competition from KATSEYE who was closest below them. Sharon Niu, also a The Marías fan, exclaimed, “I love The Marías! I listen to them everyday.” In fact, she has yet to miss a day of listening to them so far this year.
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
for excellence in a collaboration between artists
For this award, three options fought closely for the students’ vote, but at the end of the wicked competition, Defying Gravity performed by Cynthia Erivo & Ariana Grande stayed strong with the winning 27.3%. Close behind, both Golden and 30 for 30 (SZA feat. Kendrick Lamar) tied for second place with 24.2%.
Best Album Cover
for the artistry of the design in a highly digital age
This award is potentially the most interesting — to start, it’s the first year it’s back as an award since 1973. It pays credit to the visual designers of the album cover. WHS students, though it was going back and forth between them for a while, eventually landed on DeBÍ TiRAR MáS FOToS by Bad Bunny, the Puerto Rican artist who will headline this year’s Super Bowl halftime show.
For more information on all of the awards, view the full list at grammy.com.
