With award season on our heels, Grammy nominations are a hot topic around the world. Did your favorite artists make the list? Sometimes, viewers do not agree with what The Recording Academy chooses. So as a group, all of us here at The Talon voted on our picks in the most popular categories on what will and should win....
Album of the Year Nominees
25 — Adele
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Views — Drake
A Sailor's Guide To Earth — Sturgill Simpson
Will: 25- Adele
Should: Lemonade- Beyonce
Honestly, the staff agreed that both of these albums were AMAZING. But, Adele had a more mainstream album that reached a larger audience. Don’t worry… We still love Queen B!
Record of the Year Nominees
"Hello" — Adele
"Formation" — Beyoncé
"7 Years" — Lukas Graham
"Work" — Rihanna Featuring Drake
"Stressed Out" — Twenty One Pilots
Will: “Hello”- Adele
Should: “Hello”- Adele
Everyone was running around saying, “Hello, how are you?” throughout all of 2016. Seriously, Hello was a social media sensation! Welcome back, Adele… We missed you.
Song of the Year Nominees
"Formation" — Beyonce
"Hello" — Adele
"I Took A Pill In Ibiza" — Mike Posner
"Love Yourself" — Justin Bieber
"7 Years" — Lukas Graham
Will: “Hello”- Adele
Should: “Formation”- Beyonce
Again, The Academy probably missed Adele as much as the rest of the world. But in reality, all of us should be in formation behind Beyonce because this song reignited a feminist movement that never really left in the first place.
Best New Artist Nominees
Kelsea Ballerini
The Chainsmokers
Chance The Rapper
Maren Morris
Anderson .Paak
Will: Maren Morris
Should: Chance the Rapper
We all simultaneously screamed, “CHANCE!” when we saw this category. Obviously, Chance the Rapper is a fan favorite among the younger generation. With his happy, upbeat, and church-y music, how could you not love him? But we thought that since Chance is an independent artist who is not signed, this may affect his chances of taking home the trophy. Next up is Maren Morris because of her hit song “My Church”.
Best Pop Vocal Album Nominees
25 — Adele
Purpose — Justin Bieber
Dangerous Woman — Ariana Grande
Confident — Demi Lovato
This Is Acting — Sia
Will: Purpose- Justin Bieber
Should: Purpose- Justin Bieber
This album was just a jam! He may be a little crazy, but he has always released great, catchy songs.
Best Pop Solo Performance Nominees
"Hello" — Adele
"Hold Up" — Beyonce
"Love Yourself" — Justin Bieber
"Piece By Piece (Idol Version)" — Kelly Clarkson
"Dangerous Woman" — Ariana Grande
Will: “Hold Up”- Beyonce
Should: “Hold Up”- Beyonce
There is nobody on this planet who can perform better than Beyonce. Seriously, have you SEEN her performance at the 2016 BET Awards? She literally danced in a pool of water on stage and still managed to look angelic. All hail Beyonce.
Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance Nominees
"Closer" — The Chainsmokers Featuring Halsey
"7 Years" — Lukas Graham
"Work" — Rihanna Featuring Drake
"Cheap Thrills" — Sia Featuring Sean Paul
"Stressed Out" — Twenty One Pilots
Will: “Closer”- The Chainsmokers
Should: “Stressed Out”- Twenty One Pilots
Closer was on the radio every few minutes last year, but Stressed Out was a big deal in the alternative music world… This one may be close.
Best Dance Recording Nominees
"Tearing Me Up" — Bob Moses
"Don't Let Me Down" — The Chainsmokers Featuring Daya
"Never Be Like You" — Flume Featuring Kai
"Rinse & Repeat" — Riton Featuring Kah-Lo
"Drinkee" — Sofi Tukker
Will: “Don’t Let Me Down”- The Chainsmokers
Should: “Never Be Like You”- Flume ft. Kai
Since Don’t Let Me Down is more recent, we think that the Academy will choose this over Flume’s summer hit. Who needs a Grammy when your song went Platinum anyways, right Flume?
Best Rock Album Nominees
California — Blink-182
Tell Me I'm Pretty — Cage The Elephant
Magma — Gojira
Death Of A Bachelor — Panic! At The Disco
Weezer — Weezer
Will: California- Blink-182
Should: Death of a Bachelor- Panic! At The Disco
When Panic! came to Atlanta last year, the city basically shut down. They give great performances, with tumbling, and everyone song on their album is amazing. California is great too, but our staff did not think there was any comparison.
Best R&B Performance Nominees "Turnin' Me Up" — BJ The Chicago Kid
"Permission" — Ro James
"I Do" — Musiq Soulchild
"Needed Me" — Rihanna
"Cranes in the Sky" — Solange
Will: “Needed Me”- Rihanna
Should: “Cranes in the Sky”- Solange
Needed Me was everyone’s favorite song at some point last year. Since the lyrics are so catchy, we think that this is going to win. However, the words that make up Cranes in the Sky are so much more meaningful and soulful. Solange is more traditional R&B than Rihanna, so it all comes down to personal preference.
Best R&B Song Nominees
"Come and See Me" —PartyNextDoor Featuring Drake
"Exchange" — Bryson Tiller
"Kiss It Better" — Rihanna
"Lake By the Ocean" — Maxwell
"Luv" — Tory Lanez
Will: “Exchange”- Bryson Tiller
Should: “Kiss it Better”- Rihanna
Kiss it Better was a lowkey banger on Anti, that never received a lot of radio airplay. But Exchange is so relatable and it was the best song on Trapsoul, hands down. Even celebrities, like Kylie Jenner, love Tiller…
Best Urban Contemporary Album Nominees
Lemonade — Beyoncé
Ology — Gallant
We Are King — KING
Malibu — Anderson .Paak
Anti — Rihanna
Will: Lemonade- Beyonce
Should: Anti- Rihanna
We chose this because we just couldn’t imagine Rihanna walking away empty handed. This album was so amazing and it had a completely different sound than her last album, UnApologetic. But, we also think the Academy needs to reward Beyonce for her hard work on Lemonade because it is such a creative masterpiece.
Best Rap Performance Nominees
"No Problem" — Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
"Panda" —Desiigner
"Pop Style" — Drake Featuring The Throne
"All The Way Up" — Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared
"That Part" — ScHoolboy Q Featuring Kanye West
Will: “All The Way Up”- Fat Joe, Remy Ma, French Montana, Infared
Should: “No Problem”- Chance the Rapper feat. 2 Chainz, Lil Wayne
Since this is Remy Ma’s first hit after her eight year incarceration, this catchy song blew up. Her feature with Fat Joe and French Montana was the soundtrack to a NFL commercial and reached a wider audience, which will increase their chances for this award. Even though our staff loves Chance, an independent artist who releases free music, he does not have enough exposure in the industry to win a Grammy just yet.
Best Rap Song Nominees
"All The Way Up" —Fat Joe & Remy Ma Featuring French Montana & Infared
"Famous" —Kanye West Featuring Rihanna
"Hotline Bling" — Drake
"No Problem" — Chance The Rapper Featuring Lil Wayne & 2 Chainz
"Ultralight Beam" — Kanye West
"Donnie Trumpet"- Kanye West Featuring Chance The Rapper, Kelly Price, Kirk Franklin & The-Dream
Will: “Hotline Bling”- Drake
Should: “Famous”- Kanye West, Rihanna, Swizz Beatz, Chance the Rapper
Hotline Bling was so big last year, and Drake’s dance moves in the music video made it even better. He dances like a dad, what’s funnier than that? But, Famous is so shady that we love it just as much,
Best Rap Album Nominees
Coloring Book — Chance The Rapper
And the Anonymous Nobody — De La Soul
Major Key — DJ Khaled
Views — Drake
Blank Face LP — ScHoolboy Q
The Life of Pablo — Kanye West
Will: Life of Pablo- Kanye West
Should: Coloring Book- Chance the Rapper
We all agreed that Kanye is a classified psychopath and his music reflects that. He’s trippy and diverse and a lot of people like that. In reality, Chance should win everything because Coloring Book was so creative and happy. It was just what we needed in 2016.
Best Country Solo Performance Nominees
"Love Can Go To Hell" — Brandy Clark
"Vice" — Miranda Lambert
"My Church" — Maren Morris
"Church Bells" — Carrie Underwood
"Blue Ain't Your Color" — Keith Urban
Will: “My Church”- Maren Morris
Should: “Blue Ain’t Your Color”- Keith Urban
Since Maren is like the new Taylor Swift because of her country roots and sweet voice, we think that The Academy will choose her over the country veterans. We all agreed that this Keith Urban song is a classic, though.
Best Country Song Nominees
"Blue Ain't Your Color" —Keith Urban
"Die A Happy Man" — Thomas Rhett
"Humble and Kind" —Tim McGraw
"My Church" —Maren Morris
"Vice" —Miranda Lambert
Will: “Die A Happy Man”- Thomas Rhett
Should: “Die A Happy Man”- Thomas Rhett
This song is literally relationship goals and everyone loves it. Hands down. No discussion.
Soundtrack for Visual Media Nominees
Amy — Various Artists
Miles Ahead — Miles Davis & Various Artists
Straight Outta Compton — Various Artists
Suicide Squad (Collector's Edition) — Various Artists
Vinyl: The Essentials Season 1 — Various Artists
Will: Amy- Various Artists
Should: Straight Outta Compton- Various Artists
Amy, the critically acclaimed documentary of Amy Winehouse, had an amazing soundtrack. But, Straight Outta Compton brought together the best artists of this generation under the direction of the remaining members of NWA. We think that this deserves a Grammy too, so this category is close.
Best Song Written for Visual Media Nominees
"Can't Stop The Feeling!" —Justin Timberlake
"Heathens" —Twenty One Pilots
"Just Like Fire" —P!nk
"Purple Lamborghini" —Skrillex & Rick Ross
"Try Everything" — Mikkel S. Eriksen, Sia Furler & Tor Erik Hermansen, songwriters (Shakira), Track from: Zootopia
"The Veil" — Peter Gabriel, songwriter (Peter Gabriel), Track from: Snowden
Will: “Can’t Stop The Feeling”- Justin Timberlake
Should: “Can’t Stop The Feeling”- Justin Timberlake
Little kids love this song and we think it’s pretty catchy. You go Justin Timberlake! We missed you! Thanks Trolls for bringing us this great song.