The 62nd GRAMMY Awards are Jan. 26 on CBS, but the nominations in 84 categories have recently been released. This year has seen an excellent class of new artists and a whole host of new albums to review. These new artists are also record setters as Billie Eilish and Lizzo are the first two artists to  have been nominated in all four General Field categories (Record Of The Year, Album Of The Year, Song Of The Year and Best New Artist). I have my own opinions on many of the categories and I will be sharing both my picks and who I think will win. (Disclaimer: these are my personal opinions and not the views of The Patriot or the entire staff, feel free to hit me up on twitter @eliasdh20 if you disagree)

Record Of The Year

Award to the Artist and to the Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s) and/or Mixer(s) and mastering engineer(s), if other than the artist.

• HEY, MA Bon Iver
• BAD GUY Billie Eilish
• 7 RINGS Ariana Grande
• HARD PLACE H.E.R.
• TALK Khalid
• OLD TOWN ROAD Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus
• TRUTH HURTS Lizzo
• SUNFLOWER Post Malone & Swae Lee

My Pick: My pick is “hey,ma” by Bon Iver due to the tracks impeccable production and unique vocals. Its a personal favorite that has been on repeat all year for me.

Predicted winner: Billie Eilish’s monumental year will 100% get recognized by the grammy committee and Bad Guy topped the charts for weeks on end. Lil Nas wouldn’t be a surprise wither but my gut says Eilish has this one

Album Of The Year

Award to Artist(s) and to Featured Artist(s), Songwriter(s) of new material, Producer(s), Recording Engineer(s), Mixer(s) and Mastering Engineer(s) credited with at least 33% playing time of the album, if other than Artist.

• I,I Bon Iver
• NORMAN F***ING ROCKWELL! Lana Del Rey
• WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO? Billie Eilish
• THANK U, NEXT Ariana Grande
• I USED TO KNOW HER H.E.R.
• 7 Lil Nas X
• CUZ I LOVE YOU (DELUXE) Lizzo
• FATHER OF THE BRIDE Vampire Weekend

My Pick: It was a hard choice for me between Vampire Weekend, Bon Iver, and Ariana Grande’s albums which are all personal favorites and have significant air time on my spotify this year. Vampire Weekend edges it out however, as it was a new sound for such a great band and they did it extremely well.

Predicted winner:  Again, Eilish’s record breaking year will be hard to ignore for the committee, although she may have competition from fellow record-breaker Lil Nas X and crowd favourite Lizzo.

Song Of The Year

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• ALWAYS REMEMBER US THIS WAY
  • Natalie Hemby, Lady Gaga, Hillary Lindsey & Lori McKenna, songwriters (Lady Gaga)

• BAD GUY
  • Billie Eilish O’Connell & Finneas O’Connell, songwriters (Billie Eilish)

•  BRING MY FLOWERS NOW
  • Brandi Carlile, Phil Hanseroth, Tim Hanseroth & Tanya Tucker, songwriters (Tanya Tucker)

• HARD PLACE
  • Ruby Amanfu, Sam Ashworth, D. Arcelious Harris, H.E.R. & Rodney Jerkins, songwriters (H.E.R.)

• LOVER
  • Taylor Swift, songwriter (Taylor Swift)

•  NORMAN F***ING ROCKWELL
  • Jack Antonoff & Lana Del Rey, songwriters (Lana Del Rey)

•  SOMEONE YOU LOVED
  • Tom Barnes, Lewis Capaldi, Pete Kelleher, Benjamin Kohn & Sam Roman, songwriters (Lewis Capaldi)

•  TRUTH HURTS
  • Steven Cheung, Eric Frederic, Melissa Jefferson & Jesse Saint John, songwriters (Lizzo)

My Pick: Truth Hurts was kinda catchy and ruled the radio waves this summer, the DaBaby remix was way better, but I feel like Lizzo deserves this award

Predicted winner: Again, Eilish seems to be both a crowd and committee favorite so I think she’ll take it home yet again. However, I see Lizzo and Taylor Swift as other possible winners.

Best New Artist

An artist will be considered for Best New Artist if their eligibility year release/s achieved a breakthrough into the public consciousness and notably impacted the musical landscape.

• BLACK PUMAS
• BILLIE EILISH
• LIL NAS X
• LIZZO
• MAGGIE ROGERS
• ROSALÍA
• TANK AND THE BANGAS
• YOLA

My Pick: I pick Lil Nas X as his record-breaking debut and rise from TikTok to the charts is such a great story, however, there isn’t a bad pick on this line-up and I’d be happy for pretty much anyone on this list to win a Grammy

Predicted winner: The committee might agree with me, but if they don’t it will most likely be Lizzo or Billie.

Best Pop Solo Performance

For new vocal or instrumental pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

• SPIRIT
  • Beyoncé

•  BAD GUY
  • Billie Eilish

•  7 RINGS
  • Ariana Grande

•  TRUTH HURTS
  • Lizzo

•  YOU NEED TO CALM DOWN
  • Taylor Swift

My Pick: In my opinion there where many better Pop solo performances (such as 3 nights by Dominic Fike) , but out of this list I picked Lizzo due to it being the best vocally of these tracks.

Predicted winner: Lizzo is hard to pick against in these categories due to her popularity and good year, I lean towards her for the win, but Eilish and Ariana Grande are also possible.

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance

For new vocal or instrumental duo/group or collaborative pop recordings. Singles or Tracks only.

• BOYFRIEND
  • Ariana Grande & Social House

•  SUCKE
  • Jonas Brothers

•  OLD TOWN ROAD
  • Lil Nas X Featuring Billy Ray Cyrus

•  SUNFLOWER
  • Post Malone & Swae Lee

•  SEÑORITA
  • Shawn Mendes & Camila Cabello

My Pick: Sunflower is the easy winner here for me, Post Malone and Swae Lee (Rae Sremmurd) produce an instant classic with both stepping out of their typical musical genres as they sing significant parts of the track. This song was so catchy and a personal favorite.

Predicted winner: Record breakers win awards, that just how it works at these shows. Thus it is hard for me to see any winner not named Lil Nas X for his chart topping, record setting banger.

Best Pop Vocal Album

For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new vocal pop recordings.

• THE LION KING: THE GIFT
  • Beyoncé

•  WHEN WE ALL FALL ASLEEP, WHERE DO WE GO?
  • Billie Eilish

•  THANK U, NEXT
  • Ariana Grande

•  NO.6 COLLABORATIONS PROJECT
  • Ed Sheeran

•  LOVER
  • Taylor Swift

My Pick: Ariana’s release of two albums almost within a year is extremely impressive and although I’m not sure “Thank U, Next” is as good as “Sweetner” it was still a great pop album and the best one on this list for me

Predicted winner: Again, it seems so hard to bet against Billie, especially with her only real competition being Ariana in this category. Taylor Swift is an outside shout if the committee didn’t listen to the album and votes off name alone.

Best Rock Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. Includes Rock, Hard Rock and Metal songs. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• FEAR INOCULUM
  • Danny Carey, Justin Chancellor, Adam Jones & Maynard James Keenan, songwriters (Tool)

•  GIVE YOURSELF A TRY
  • George Daniel, Adam Hann, Matthew Healy & Ross MacDonald, songwriters (The 1975)

•  HARMONY HALL
  • Ezra Koenig, songwriter (Vampire Weekend)

•  HISTORY REPEATS
  • Brittany Howard, songwriter (Brittany Howard)

•  THIS LAND
  • Gary Clark Jr., songwriter (Gary Clark Jr.)

My Pick: The 1975’s “A brief inquiry into online relationships” was one of my favorite albums this year, so I think at least one of the parts of this album should win a Grammy. “Give Yourself a Try” is a catchy positive rock anthem, which was a summer anthem for me.

Predicted winner: Vampire Weekend probably will edge this out with their combo of name recognition, huge fanbase, and intergenerational reach. Harmony hall was an incredibly catchy acoustic and piano rock ballad that represented a new direction for the band. Easily one of the best in its genre this year, and should take home the grammy.

Best Alternative Music Album 

• U.F.O.F.
  • Big Thief

•  ASSUME FORM
  • James Blake

•  I,I
  • Bon Iver

•  FATHER OF THE BRIDE
  • Vampire Weekend

•  ANIMA
  • Thom Yorke

My Pick & Predicted winner: Bon Iver is both my predicted winner and my personal choice for Best Alternative album. Bon Iver’s excellent production and haunting vocals on songs such as personal favorites “Hey, Ma”, “Marion”, and “Faith” make him the obvious choice as a pure alternative artist. However, Vampire Weekend also has an outside shout with a great Alt. Rock album.

Best R&B Performance

For new vocal or instrumental R&B recordings.

• LOVE AGAIN
  • Daniel Caesar & Brandy

•  COULD’VE BEEN
  • H.E.R. Featuring Bryson Tiller

•  EXACTLY HOW I FEEL
  • Lizzo Featuring Gucci Mane

•  ROLL SOME MO
  • Lucky Daye

•  COME HOME
  • Anderson .Paak Featuring André 3000

My Pick: “Come Home” is a clear choice for me here with Anderson Paak’s funky beats, hilarious ad-libs, and great singing combined with the legendary bars of André 3000 making a great r&b hit.

Predicted winner: Daniel Caesar had a great year with his album “CASE STUDY 01” and his great beat and vocals combined with Brandy’s sweet background vocals and excellent verse make it a good pick for the committee.

Best R&B Album

For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new R&B recordings.

• 1123
  • BJ The Chicago Kid

•  PAINTED
  • Lucky Daye

•  ELLA MAI
  • Ella Mai

•  PAUL
  • PJ Morton

•  VENTURA
  • Anderson .Paak

My Pick & Predicted winner: Anderson Paak again takes it for me with “Ventura” being both excellent and a personal favorite this year. With hits like “Come Home ft. Andre 300” and “Make it Better ft. Smokey Robinson” this album was a hit on the charts and with Anderson Paak fans.

Best Rap Performance

For a Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only.

• MIDDLE CHILD
  • J. Cole

•  SUGE
  • DaBaby

• DOWN BAD
  • Dreamville Featuring J.I.D, Bas, J. Cole, EARTHGANG & Young Nudy

•  RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
  • Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy

•  CLOUT
  • Offset Featuring Cardi B

My Pick & Predicted winner: Charlotte Rapper DaBaby had himself a year with his albums “Baby on Baby” and “KIRK” both being smash hits. “Suge” was a simple beat turned into magic through DaBaby’s excellent flow and great ad-libs. Easiest one of the catchiest songs all year and should easily win.

Best Rap/Sung Performance

For a solo or collaborative performance containing both elements of R&B melodies and Rap.

• HIGHER
  • DJ Khaled Featuring Nipsey Hussle & John Legend

•  DRIP TOO HARD
  • Lil Baby & Gunna

•  PANINI
  • Lil Nas X

•  BALLIN
  • Mustard Featuring Roddy Ricch

• THE LONDON
  • Young Thug Featuring J. Cole & Travis Scott

My Pick: “The London” was super catchy and the combo of three of the best rappers in the game currently is hard to mess up. Travis and Cole’s verses were great and the track was an instant classic which leads it to being my pick.

Predicted winner: Despite tough competition from Thug and Lil Baby, I think Lil Nas X’s virality will pull “Panini” ahead of the other songs leading it to another win for the young rapper.

Best Rap Song

A Songwriter(s) Award. A song is eligible if it was first released or if it first achieved prominence during the Eligibility Year. (Artist names appear in parentheses.) Singles or Tracks only.

• BAD IDEA
  • Chancelor Bennett, Cordae Dunston, Uforo Ebong & Daniel Hackett, songwriters (YBN Cordae Featuring Chance The Rapper)

• GOLD ROSES
  • Noel Cadastre, Aubrey Graham, Anderson Hernandez, Khristopher Riddick-Tynes, William Leonard Roberts II, Joshua Quinton Scruggs, Leon Thomas III & Ozan Yildirim, songwriters (Rick Ross Featuring Drake)

• A LOT
  • Jermaine Cole, Dacoury Natche, 21 Savage & Anthony White, songwriters (21 Savage Featuring J. Cole)

• RACKS IN THE MIDDLE
  • Ermias Asghedom, Dustin James Corbett, Greg Allen Davis, Chauncey Hollis, Jr. & Rodrick Moore, songwriters (Nipsey Hussle Featuring Roddy Ricch & Hit-Boy)

• SUGE
  • DaBaby, Jetsonmade & Pooh Beatz, songwriters (DaBaby)

My Pick: Again, “Suge” was a simple beat turned into magic through DaBaby’s excellent flow and great ad-libs. Easiest one of the catchiest songs all year and thus is my pick for best song out of these options.

Predicted winner: 21 Savages track “A lot” ft. J. Cole will most likely win as both artists had good years and this track had a lot of radio play. “Suge” and “Racks in the middle” both have an outside chance

Best Rap Album

For albums containing at least 51% playing time of new rap recordings.

• REVENGE OF THE DREAMERS III
  • Dreamville

• CHAMPIONSHIPS
  • Meek Mill

• I AM > I WAS
  • 21 Savage

• IGOR
  • Tyler, The Creator

•  THE LOST BOY
  • YBN Cordae

My Pick & Predicted winner: “IGOR” by Tyler, The Creator is my personal favorite album of the year and should have been in the album of the year category. Its weird omission, however, lends it to win this category easily. Despite it not being a bread and butter Rap album, Tyler’s hits like “EARFQUAKE” and “I THINK” combined with deep cuts like “NEW MAGIC WAND” and “A BOY IS A GUN*” make this album that follows the exploration of his sexuality an instant classic from one of the most interesting musicians in any genre currently. Outside shout for YBN Cordae who produced an excellent album and should’ve won this award had “IGOR” been put properly in album of the year.

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical

A Producer’s Award. (Artists names appear in parentheses.)

• JACK ANTONOFF
• FINNEAS
• DAN AUERBACH
• JOHN HILL
• RICKY REED

My Pick: Jack Antonoff is one of my favorite producers of all time and had an excellent year playing a large role in two of the biggest albums of the year (Norman F***ing Rockwell! & Lover) as well as working on smaller projects such as Kevin Abstracts excellent sophomore album “Arizona Baby” and producing on alternative group Red Hearse’s self-titled album of which he is also a member of. The combination of these albums big and small across genres should get him this award.

Predicted winner: Finneas may sneak away with this one with voters potentially charmed by Eilish and her brother, Finneas, recording a No. 1 album mostly at home in the singer’s childhood bedroom. This one is very close though with either candidate having a chance of taking this Grammy home.