After a long year of surprise album releases, female-empowering music videos and some controversy, nominees for the 2015 Grammy Awards have been revealed.
The Grammy Awards air on Feb. 8, but some artists and musicians are standing out already.
The award for song of the year is perhaps the closest race. The nominees are “Take Me To Church” performed by Andrew Hozier-Byrne, “Stay With Me” performed by Sam Smith, “Shake It Off” performed by Taylor Swift, “Chandelier” performed by Sia and “All About That Bass” performed by Meghan Trainor.
All of these songs were big hits this year, topping the charts among pop enthusiasts. This award could be given to any of the nominees, but Andrew Hozier-Byrne has stood out in the typically pop-fueled category, with his soulful and powerful voice. Hozier-Byrne is new to the Grammys this year, and he has not been given the recognition he deserves for this moving song, so far.
Hopefully his unique and innovative style does not remain in the larger stars’ shadows.
The two other main categories are Album of the Year and Record of the Year. Both of these will be close races, as always.
For Album of the Year, the nominees are “Morning Phase” by Beck, “Beyonce” by Beyonce, “X” by Ed Sheeran, “The Lonely Hour” by Sam Smith, and “Girl” by Pharrell Williams.
Sam Smith deserves to take home the golden record. His album is full of melodies that capture the heart with his powerful lyrics. But, all of the albums have gained recognition this year. Beyonce’s self-titled album has helped ignite a more powerful feminist movement, and would also be a good choice for the category.
The nominees for Record of the Year are “Fancy” by Iggy Azalea, “Chandelier” by Sia, “Stay With Me” by Sam Smith, “Shake It Off” by Taylor Swift, and “All About That Bass” by Meghan Trainor.
Taylor Swift may seem like the front runner of this category, but this may not be so. She is a favorite at most Grammy Awards show, and tend to sneak into different categories, but that may change this year. Iggy Azalea has started to gain more recognition this year. She has improved as an artist, with more concise rap and lyrics with a positive message to women. Azalea’s win may be lost due to controversy with Azalea’s cultural appropriation of Indian culture.
While the Grammy Awards are mostly focused on mainstream musicians, there are also standout artists in other categories. Tom Petty and U2 made the nominee list for Best Rock album. And, the race is close for Best Alternative Music Album, with Alt-J, Arcade Fire, Cage the Elephant and Jack White running against apparent front-runner St. Vincent.
Overall, this year’s Grammy Awards should be full of deserving awards and upsets, like any other award show. Tune in to CBS to find out who takes home the awards.