The Grammys will be aired next week.
Part of the fun of watching the Grammy awards is trying to read the minds of the Recording Academy voters and guess which artists they'll choose to give trophies to. Another part is rooting for your favorite artists to win, no matter what the odds.
A slew of mainstream favorites including Drake, Rihanna and Twenty One Pilots are vying for top prizes at next week’s 59th annual Grammy Awards, but it's the diva showdown between Beyoncé and Adele that will have us on the edges of our seats. Find out who the rhythm crew thinks will win the awards, and find out who we think deserved it instead.
Album of the Year:
25, by Adele
Lemonade, by Beyoncé
Purpose, by Justin Bieber
Views, by Drake
A Sailor's Guide to Earth, by Sturgill Simpson
WILL WIN: 25, Adele
It's hard to think of Beyoncé as an underdog, but she squares off in almost every major Grammy category this year against a singer who's at least equally beloved – and who sells loads more CDs and downloads. The Grammys is also known to give a lot of Awards to Adele.
SHOULD WIN: Lemonade, Beyoncé
And yet, 25 is just another pop filler aimed to cash in a lot of money, while Lemonade is an actual album – not to mention an instantly iconic multimedia opus. Lemonade is an historic album that will be remembered in the same vein as Michael Jackson’s Thriller or Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
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Song of the Year
"Formation," Beyoncé
"Hello," Adele
"I Took a Pill in Ibiza," Mike Posner
Love Yourself, Justin Bieber
7 Years, Lukas Graham
WILL WIN: "Hello", Adele
READ : The 2017 Grammy nominations: Highlights and Everything We Need to Know
This category honors the song as written, rather than the recording we know it by. That means melody takes precedent over rhythm, and that means Adele wins over Beyoncé. Every lyric in "Formation" is a gem, but its chanted chorus isn't something your average Grammy voter can hum – it requires Beyoncé in order to exist.
SHOULD WIN: "Hello", Adele
This is is one they're going to get right. The Posner tune is cute but slight, "Love Yourself" is clever but anchored in bitchy misogyny, "Formation" will hopefully win another award, and "7 Years" is just bad luck.
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Record of the Year
"Hello," Adele
"Formation," Beyoncé
"7 Years," Lukas Graham
"Work," Rihanna feat. Drake
"Stressed Out," Twenty One Pilots
WILL WIN: "Formation," Beyoncé
This category is Bey's best bet to block an Adele sweep, though it's possible R&B-favoring voters might split between "Formation" and "Work," handing this award to Adele too.
SHOULD WIN: "Formation," Beyoncé
The Record of the Year category is about performance and production. Though the tear-triggering vocal swells and haunting echo of "Hello" are hard to dislodge, "Formation" is a massive track, perfect in everything from beat to delivery.
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Best New Artist
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance the Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson Paak
WILL WIN: The Chainsmokers
The Grammys usually reward tasteful young folks who seem to have real career staying power and who can belt out the kind of hits the Grammys won’t regret. Past winners include Sam Smith, Adele, and the Beatles. Last year, The Chainsmokers proved that they could make catchy hits and carry potential to be a long-lasting career-act.
SHOULD WIN: Chance the Rapper, or Anderson Paak
Either Chance and Anderson, both just starting off brilliant and unpredictable careers, would be deserving choices, but Chance's ability to infuse rap with emotional but mostly inspirational gospel without sounding like a cornball made him the most necessary artist of 2016.
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