360°Sound’s Grammys 2025 Preview and Predictions
By Alex Beene and David Hopper
It’s difficult to place too much importance on any awards show this year. The devastating fires in Los Angeles County have left dozens of casualties, billions of dollars in property damage, and shaken the entertainment community to its core. The Recording Academy made the right decision by proceeding with the 67th Annual Grammy Awards and pivoting to the ceremony being a fundraiser for those affected by the fires.
Still, you may be asking, “Why even make predictions or care about winners and losers in the face of tragedy?” There’s a line that comes to mind when discussing entertainment amid disastrous circumstances. In 2003, Nicole Kidman accepted her first Best Actress Oscar. The win came just days after the United States began the Iraq War, and global tensions were the highest they had been in over a decade. Asked why she even showed up to the Academy Awards, Kidman replied, “Because art is important. And because you believe in what you do, and you want to honor that. And it is a tradition that needs to be upheld.”
Art is indeed important, perhaps even more so in trying times. Imagine attempting to get through life’s hardships without having music to lean on for motivation, inspiration, and escape. The nominees for the 2025 Grammys provided all those things and then some. And with that, we present to you our predictions for the three major categories: Album of the Year, Record of the Year, and Song of the Year.
And the nominees for Album of the Year are…
Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
Andre 3000 – New Blue Sun
Jacob Collier – Djesse Vol. 4
Sabrina Carpenter – Short n’ Sweet
Taylor Swift – The Tortured Poets Department
Chappell Roan – The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess
Charli XCX – Brat
Billie Eilish – Hit Me Hard and Soft
Alex Beene: The longer I follow different awards races, the more I come to deplore the word “due” when referring to a star finally getting a big win. After all, these ceremonies are supposed to be honoring the best of the best, and just handing out a small golden statue to someone based on the fact they got passed over a few times before seems to degrade the nature of the awards cycle more than elevate it. Inevitably, these moments become fodder for trivia games more than lifetime honors. You can just hear the “Oh, they won for that?” responses as laughter fills the table for a missed answer.
And yet, it’s hard – really hard – to pick against Beyoncé here. While she’s dominated virtually every pop culture and financial record a celebrity could, the Album of the Year award has evaded her for years. Few moments were as cringe-inducing as the 2017 Grammys, where Adele’s perfectly fine 25 upstaged Lemonade in the category, a decision so baffling that Adele, in her acceptance speech, almost took it upon herself to reverse the decision and hand Beyoncé the award.
The “due” argument is a common one you’ll hear when discussing that outcome, and if it were based just on that alone, I would probably be inclined to not support the decision for Cowboy Carter to claim top honors. However, this is an odd year filled with other nominees that I find to be solid, but none of them stand out as particularly incredible. Cowboy Carter is a great album, taking the country genre and infusing it with Houston’s own brand of Southern hospitality. Is it her best album? No. But in a year of mostly so-so efforts, I think it’s fine to finally give Beyoncé her moment.
Alex’s Prediction: Beyoncé – Cowboy Carter
David Hopper: I agree that Beyoncé is most certainly due for an Album of the Year Grammy. However, I don’t think Cowboy Carter should be the one she wins it for. I love that she’s turned more people on to country, but as Alex noted, it’s not her best work.
In my view, no album defined 2024 more than Charli XCX’s Brat. “Brat Summer” was a cultural phenomenon, and Charli XCX, who has been making brilliant music for over a decade as a bubbling-under pop star, finally got her flowers. The catchy singles “360” and “Apple” were instant club classics, but the entire album holds together well. Also, Brat received an enormous publicity boost when it was co-opted by the Kamala Harris campaign, likely helping put Charli on the radar of Grammy voters.
David’s Prediction: Charli XCX – Brat
And the nominees for Record of the Year are…
Taylor Swift – “Fortnight”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Charli XCX – “360”
The Beatles – “Now and Then”
Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Espresso”
Beyonce – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”
Alex: To use the term “due” for the Beatles, the most legendary group in the last century of music, seems preposterous. Believe it or not, despite all their numerous accolades, they have never won a Grammy for Record of the Year. Stunning, I know. “Now and Then,” while not close to their signature songs from decades prior, is good. The allure to award mega-stars of the past is also a time-tested one when it comes to the Grammys. Take a quick scan through past efforts from acts well past their most successful eras that ended up getting top honors, and you’ll find plenty.
There’s a lot more going on in this category than Album of the Year. Billie Eilish is going for her third consecutive Record of the Year, an achievement that would tie her Paul Simon and Bruno Mars as the only three-time winners in history. Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” is also a possibility, especially if Cowboy Carter claims Best Album, because sometimes voters decide to give multiple top honors to an overdue star.
That said, I find it hard not to select “Not Like Us” in this category. Kendrick Lamar’s brilliant single may have started as a diss track to Drake, but it took on a life of its own, receiving critical acclaim and over a billion streams. And while Kendrick already had hits, it’s fair to say “Not Like Us” was the song that played a key role in getting him the upcoming Super Bowl halftime gig. I’m going with it, but I honestly wouldn’t be surprised with any of the previously mentioned records claiming this category. It’s wide open.
Alex’s Prediction: Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
David: There are indeed a lot of heavy hitters in this category. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” won, but my pick is Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso.” That earworm was everywhere in 2024. The glossy disco-tinged production and Carpenter’s clever quips (e.g., “Switch it up like Nintendo,” “My give-a-fucks are on vacation”) were the ingredients for the perfect feel-good song of the summer. (Side note: The popularity of “Espresso” led to a huge increase in traffic to our years-old 25 Great Coffee Songs list).
David’s Prediction: Sabrina Carpenter’s “Espresso”
And the nominees for Song of the Year are…
Taylor Swift – “Fortnight”
Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
Kendrick Lamar – “Not Like Us”
Sabrina Carpenter – “Please Please Please”
Shaboozey – “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”
Chappell Roan – “Good Luck, Babe!”
Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars – “Die with a Smile”
Beyonce – “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”
Alex: Talk about a difficult category. First off, kudos to Grammy voters who yet again show themselves in their eight selections as being more understanding of picking songs that are both critical and commercial successes – a task the Academy Awards has struggled with the last 20 years. The Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga collaboration “Die with a Smile” was one of my favorite songs of 2024, so to see it as a nominee here and finally hit the top of the Billboard Hot 100 is wonderful. But unless it picks up some late voting momentum, it’s doubtful to win.
Much like Record of the Year, it’s hard to say if there is truly a favorite. Chappell Roan’s “Good Luck, Babe!” was the sleeper hit of the year, gaining traction throughout the summer. The same could be said for “Not Like Us” and Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” the latter of which enjoyed an incredible run at the top of the Hot 100 for months.
If you know Grammys voters, though, it’s hard to pick against Billie Eilish. The darling of the awards ceremony for the last few years, she’s never to be counted out for any of the top honors. With “Birds of A Feather,” I’m guessing this is the category she wins in this year. However, much like Record of the Year, I think there’s plenty of room for an upset.
Alex’s Prediction: Billie Eilish – “Birds of a Feather”
David: It’s important to understand the distinction between Record of the Year and Song of the Year (I always get confused because both categories consist of singles, so I have to Google it each year). Record of the Year focuses on the recording of the song, honoring the artist as well as the producers and engineers who worked on it, whereas Song of the Year deals with the composition of the song and recognizes the songwriter(s) who wrote it.
Although Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” had top-notch production with its fire beat courtesy of Mustard, it was ultimately Lamar’s bars that made it the most talked about rap song in years. That’s why I’m picking it for Song of the Year rather than Record of the Year. “Tryna strike a chord and it’s probably A minor” and “You not a colleague, you a fuckin’ colonizer” are just a couple of Lamar’s mic-drop disses in the song that landed the knockout blow – and crowned him the undisputed victor – in his beef with Drake. The cultural significance of “Not Like Us” on top of it being a massive commercial success, spending two weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 and a record 21 weeks atop the Hot Rap Songs chart, are why it’s the Song of The Year.
David’s Prediction: Kendrick Lamar – “They Not Like Us”
Tune in to Music’s Biggest Night this Sunday, Feb. 2, at 8 p.m. EST on CBS or Paramount+. Trevor Noah will host, and performers include Billie Eilish, Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Doechii, and Teddy Swims, among others.
The Recording Academy and MusiCares have pledged $1 million for L.A. fire relief effort and launched a fundraiser to support music professionals impacted by the crisis. To donate, click here.
