Who Should Win: “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots
I would be totally fine with Beyoncé, Adele, or Twenty One Pilots winning Record of the Year, but as a fake Grammy voter I cast my ballot for “Stressed Out” because find the instrumentation of it great – the synthesis string work is a real ear-grabber, and the rapped verses and sung chorus really work.
Who Will Win: “Hello” by Adele
Again, I predict Adele will win all her nominations simply because she doesn’t typically lose. But, hey, “Hello” is an incredible record.
Song of the Year is perhaps one of my favorite categories at the Grammys because they honor the songwriter. Far too often, songwriters are not credited fairly for their work, which doesn’t make sense as there would be no song if it weren’t for the songwriter.
This year, the nominees are:
Khalif Brown, Asheton Hogan, Beyoncé Knowles, and Michael L. Williams II for “Formation” by Beyoncé.
Adele Adkins and Greg Kurstin for “Hello” by Adele
Mike Posner for “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” by Mike Posner
Justin Bieber, Benjamin Levin, and Ed Sheeran for “Love Yourself” by Justin Bieber
Lukas Forchhammer, Stefan Forrest, Morten Pilegaard, and Morten Ristorp for “7 Years” by Lukas Graham
Who Should Win: Mike Posner for “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” by Mike Posner
The original version of “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” is incredibly beautiful. It has the timeless sound to it, grabs at your heart, and you truly feel Posner’s pain. Out of all the nominees, Posner crafted a world that his listeners travel into, and leave feeling feeling his emptiness and loneliness. Yes, it’s not a fun experience, but it’s one that leaves me with goosebumps every time.
Who Will Win: Adele Adkins and Greg Kurstinfor “Hello” by Adele
It’s not that I think Adele doesn’t deserve to win the Grammy – “Hello” is indeed a gorgeous song – I simply think “I Took a Pill in Ibiza” captured Posner’s pain a bit better. However, out of these songs nominated, I believe “Hello” was the biggest of 2016. Adele dominated the charts, and she is indeed incredibly talented. She has a Grammy-winning streak – she’s won every Grammy she has won since she released 21 in 2011. So, it seems inevitable that she will win again.
The 2017 Grammy nominations announcement is just a few weeks away – December 14th – so here are yet more of my predictions, this time for Record of the Year:
“Hello” – Adele
“7 Years” – Lukas Graham
“Can’t Stop the Feeling” – Justin Timberlake
“Cheap Thrills” – Sia featuring Sean Paul
“Closer” – The Chainsmokers featuring Halsey
"Anything's possible if you've got enough nerve." – JK Rowling