the grammys - my predictions

since i was really into pop music last year (mainly charli xcx) i decided to host a grammys watch party. i have no idea how interesting or fun it will be to watch the grammys, but charli xcx is performing so im looking forward to that. i also think it will be fun to do a grammys ballot prediction game with kandi for a prize (which ill still need to make) but uhhhhhhhhhhhh

im listening to the nominated songs in each major category and filling mine out while at work and its sooooo hard for no reason lol. i want to predict that the people i actually want to win will win, and since ive never watched the grammys or really paid much attention before i dont even know what "they" like anyway, so its pointless pretending to guess. but then it's just based on my own personal taste, which is probably not going to line up with what wins. i'm trying to gives things a fair chance (though not sure if i'll listen to all the albums nominated, probably not) but i find myself naturally gravitating towards the songs i already like!

also i don't wanna vote for the same people for too many categories... cuz i want as many people as possible to win!!

and what's up with the noms for rock??? and its a bummer that most of the categories charli is nominated for won't even be announced live like remix & dance album (which i'm most confident in her winning)

anyway, here are my predictions and rambles while i listen. happy monday

song of the year - not like us

realistically i feel like there's no way they'd give the song calling drake a bitch and a pedophile the song of the year but oh my god it would be so funny and it is a really good song (and was so culturally HUGE)

• a bar song - listened for the first time today lol, it's a little too commercial sounding for me to enjoy regularly but i can appreciate how tipsy was interpolated. it's a well made song
• birds of a feather - maybe its cuz ppl online say the grammys love billie eilish so i feel biased against her for whatever reason. i like this song (and this album) but i feel like its not as culturally significant or technically impressive as other things here
• die with a smile - more my taste than bar song but still a little commercial for me to add to my liked songs *shrug* good song tho even though i feel like bruno mars' parts are more memorable than gaga's
• fortnight - listened to this dumbass song for the first time watching the music video and got really pissed off
• good luck babe - my personal runner-up choice for SOTY. very good.
• please please please - the first sabrina carpenter song i got into, its funny and cute and catchy.
• texas hold 'em - beyonce is an artist i have a weird bias against too. idk she just doesn't do it for me and the conversation online about her deserving to win for being snubbed in the past irks me. i guess this song's fine tho. 

record of the year - 360

i'll root for 360... it was a hard choice but i'll root for my queen. i know it probably won't pull through, but i find the crispness of the production SO satisfying and standout among the noms

• now & then - why tf are the beatles nominated (i know its a remaster or whatever but seriously)
• texas hold 'em - see above
• espresso - thats that me espresso. it is catchy af once you give into it. thats that me espresso. 
• birds of a feather - i like this for ROTY over SOTY, but still *shrug*
• not like us - i like this for SOTY over ROTY
• good luck babe - urghhhh i was SO close to choosing this, mostly for that BRIDGE. but i have to back my girl. 
• fortnight - boo

album of the year - brat

havent listened all the way through to all of these and idk if i will but i believe with my chest brat deserves aoty for its cultural impact & production. people online say probably won't happen but whatever! its MY predictions and i can predict my fave will win!

new artist - probably chappell but i gotta give everyone a fair chance and get back to u

pop solo performance - good luck babe

good luck babe is gonna win SOMETHING (ohhh that just gave me a good bingo board idea!) and for me it is this

• bodyguard - i liked this more than texas hold 'em and she does have great vocals. but good luck babe
• espresso - thats that me espresso.
• apple - i love charli obviously but i think the production carries this song more so than the performance. also i know it popped off online but i totally think that sympathy is a knife would have been a better nom
• birds of a feather - i've said enough. this is my second choice for this category tho (but the greatest should've been nominated instead like are you kidding me)

pop duo - die with a smile

i think that die with a smile takes advantage of the duo format the best and is probably the best song out of the bunch in general

• us. - whatever
• levii's jeans - why the extra i beyonce? why is post malone the go-to milquetoast boy to get on your track these days?
• guess - i think billie sounds like microsoft sam in the part where she and charli say guess back and forth
• the boy is mine - ok i was like. really surprised at how much i liked this song lol... messy messy ariana. i think as a "duo" performance though die with a smile beats it out.

traditional pop vocal album - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

musica urbana album - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

pop vocal album - hit me hard and soft

as mid on billie as i've been, i really think part of it is that this is an album ass album to me, not really a singles album. i really like this album actually! i think the production is fantastic and the way songs develop and flow into each other is really nice. i think the sound matches the themes well, being lovesick kind of melancholy, which i think really resonates with a lot of people rn. it's a great showcase of her vocal talents too. there are strong bits of lyricism in here, but also really weak bits of lyricism lol. anyway i'll let billie have this one.

• short n' sweet - after realizing i liked 3 songs from this album, i gave it a chance. i liked it well enough but i didn't save any more songs than the 3 i already knew i liked. sometimes her lyrics are funny, sometimes they make me cringe. sonically, i think it's pretty strong with a well developed and unique sound in today's pop landscape, but thematically it gets exhausting.
• eternal sunshine - gave it a listen to for the first time today. it's ok. i liked the boy is mine and yes and. ariana grande's never really been my thing, she always kinda sounds like christmas music to me. the song about her wanting spongebob to give her pussy a name made me laugh. i kept thinking about the messiness in her personal life that i guess inspired this album and laughing. i wonder if the grammy voters think the same lol.
• the rise and fall of a midwest princess - my personal fave of the noms, but i think hmhas beats it out on artistry. midwest princess is sooooo fun, no skips album (though the ballads did take me longer to get into). though and i would not be mad at all if it won. 
• tortured poets department - i would be mad. no

country album - cowboy carter

i mean its gotta be this right?

rap album - alligator bites never heal

latin pop album - ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

r&b song - burning

i looooooooooooove tems' voice. even though the song drags for me a lil when shes just singing "burning burning burning" over and over, her voice really helps her stand out (admittedly i don't listen to a lot of r&b or really "get" what makes the genre different from pop)

• after hours - this song was good, i liked it
• ruined me - this song was good, i liked it
• here we go (uh oh) - this song was ok. a little annoying
• saturn - this song was ok. i'm mixed on sza in general

rap song - nissan altima

i feel like the realistic choice is not like us and this will be the only major win for kendrick, but nissan altima is just as impressive flow-wise and it would be a bigger deal for doechii to get it

• enough (miami) - meh. cardi b is cardi b
• when the sun shines again - i think this has a broader appeal than most of the other noms in this category, but not for me
• houdini - it's eminem on his typical eminem shit. it's fine.
• like that - omg i tried listening to it and i just could not get past the weird mouth whistle sounds. bad song but i know it was huge.
• yeah glo - it was ok. i think i like glo rilla better as a feature
• not like us - will probably win

rock song - broken man

ok this category is the most fucked up tbh. i mean i'm sure the others are too but i just don't listen to as much of other genres. but are you kidding me with these noms LOL? no mannequin pussy is a real L. i'm hoping st. vincent wins because her song was the most interesting and least "radio-y." even though i wouldn't really describe st. vincent (or this song at least) as rock? idk. genres are weird and fluid but damn

• beautiful people - i've always fucking hated the black keys. i think their music is fucking annoying
• dark matter - i like pearl jam well enough. this song wasn't super impactful imo tho
• dilemma - when i told ben green day was nominated he said "can't they nominate anyone more relevant?"
• gift horse - i really wanted to like this song since idles is a band i'm vaguely familiar with. but really lackluster and lacks the raw energy of older stuff by them i've heard. if only mannequin pussy was nominated T_T

music video - not like us

this was the category that i started with "studying" lol. i could see a case made for all of these noms tbh, but personally i think not like us is a cool video that shows the actual cultural impact of the song while not just making it a concert video and doing really interesting visual stuff.

• tailor swif - ok i did like this music video, especially how it was filmed. i thought it was cool that the focus was on surreal but grounded visuals and the camera only focused on each frame for long enough for you to go "wait what did i just see?" - probably my runner-up choice for this category, but just found the cultural significance of the other videos to be greater.
• 360 - i like this video and feel like it does what it sets out to. its good and effective, not amazing and i don't like the obvious product placement in it. 
• houdini - it's not my taste as far as song, visuals... pretty much anything goes. but i think it was a fitting music video that enhanced the song. the comic book effect felt cheap and tacky but not out of place or anything. i feel like this was the most "modern super bowl ad" music video especially with the pete davidson cameo. but it definitely felt like an eminem video and i'm sure people more nostalgic for eminem liked it.
• fortnight - this video pissed me offfffffffffff but i could unfortunately see it winning. realistically, it will probably win tbh and i hope this is taylor's only win for the night if so. i did like that it had more of a narrative(ish) as opposed to the other noms.

ok this ended up being way longer than i thought but we'll check back in on sunday byeeeeeeeeeee!