The 67th GRAMMY Awards is heading to television screens and streaming platforms Feb. 2, 2025. With the 2025 nominations now released, fans are anticipating which artists will be taking an award home.
Among the most popular categories are: Album of the Year, Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
First-year Katherine Naté said hearing the nominations did not make her completely disappointed.
“I think that a lot of them were well-deserved and perfectly curated,” Naté said. “I thought a lot of the nominations were valid.”
Album of the year
Album of the Year is one of the big four categories, and this year’s list includes: André 3000’s “New Blue Sun”, Beyoncé’s “COWBOY CARTER”, Sabrina Carpenter’s “Short n’ Sweet”, Charli xcx’s “BRAT”, Jacob Collier’s “Djesse Vol. 4”, Billie Eilish’s “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,” Chappell Roan’s “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” and Taylor Swift’s “The Tortured Poets Department.”
Sabrina Carpenter, Billie Eilish and Chappell Roan have evidently been the most popular artists of the year with their songs trending on social media.
One of the biggest albums of the year was Eilish’s “HIT ME HARD AND SOFT” with her most popular hit, “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” becoming a phenomenon on TikTok this summer.
First-year Annabelle Gentling said she enjoyed the album and her favorite songs are “Blue” and “Wildflower.”
“I thought that was really good,” Gentling said. “It was like a summer album.”
Naté said it is difficult to narrow down who should win Album of the Year because so many albums were released. However, she said Eilish’s album is high in her rankings.
“I do think that Billie Eilish’s album was really good, everything she put into that and she’s obviously a great artist,” Naté said.
First-year Katherine Eckstrom said she predicts Eilish will win Album of the Year due to the popularity of “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” on TikTok. She said the platform was how she began listening to the album to begin with.
“That’s my favorite song because I feel like it’s just so smooth and it really highlights her range,” Eckstrom said.
Eckstrom said she believes Beyoncé should win for “COWBOY CARTER” because it was a shift from her usual forte.
“I think the album was really good because it was out of her comfort zone,” Eckstrom said. “She did something that she hasn’t done before, so that should be credited.”
According to Billboard, Ariana Grande has received three nominations this year, but none in the big four categories. Grande’s fans have voiced their dissatisfaction with her not being nominated in this category for her most recent album “Eternal Sunshine.”
Naté said she admires the album and Grande’s song “Bye.” She said she believes Grande was robbed from a nomination.
“Personally, if it was me, I would pick Ariana Grande’s album,” Naté said. “It was such a futuristic pop album and I loved it.”
Eckstrom said she has a theory that Grande might not have been nominated enough this year due to her role in the new “Wicked” film.
“Her fan base is probably focusing on that and the PR behind that rather than her album,” Eckstrom said.
Eckstrom said though she is a big fan of Taylor Swift, she is not highly passionate about her “Tortured Poets Department” album this year.
“I love Taylor Swift, but I didn’t really get into that like I thought I would,” Eckstrom said.
Record of the Year
The Record of the Year nominations range from artists such as: The Beatles, Beyoncé, Sabrina Carpenter, Charli XCX, Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, Chappell Roan and Taylor Swift.
Eckstrom said she believes The Beatles should not be included in this category because they were once huge in the music industry but are not new, upcoming artists.
“They created this whole space for themselves but they’re not in the now,” Eckstrom said.
Eckstrom said she also believes Chappell Roan could win because she has a fun energy that everyone seems to admire.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Chappell Roan won with ‘Good Luck, Babe!’ because I feel like she just blew up so much,” Eckstrom said.
Artist Recognition
Naté said she is currently a big fan of Gracie Abrams, and believes she should have been nominated for artist of the year.
“I really did love her newest album,” Naté said. “I think she deserves it.”
Naté also expressed that Lizzie McAlpine should have been nominated this year.
Eckstrom said Lizzie McAlpine did not receive recognition for her newest album, but acknowledges that her music is different from the popular music everyone is listening to.
“Her new album I feel is so emotional and raw that it just doesn’t translate well with the GRAMMY’s,” Eckstrom said. “That’s her soul that she’s putting into her songs.”
Eckstrom said McAlpine should be recognized regardless for her music that is drawn from her personal experiences.
“I think she deserves some recognition for what she’s doing because every time I listen to her I literally cry every single time,” Eckstrom said.
Students said they are looking forward to seeing who will win in this year’s GRAMMY’s even though the competition is high.
The GRAMMY’s will be streaming live from Crypto Arena in Los Angeles on CBS and on demand on Paramount+ on Feb. 2 at 5 p.m.
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Contact Viviana Diaz via email: viviana.diaz@pepperdine.edu
